Image : Map showing the status of Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories as of 2018. Public Domain[1]
Summary
God’s promises to redeemed Israel will be kept [Rom 11.1-2, 25-27]
True Israel: True Israel is the descendants of Jacob [Genetic Israel] who are also believers.[2] No promise of the Abrahamic Covenant, including the land of Israel, is granted to unsaved people, that is, to unbelievers.[3] The promises to Israel [including the Land] are eternal and can only be enjoyed by those possessing eternal life.
Genetic Israel: God designated the sons of Jacob as the people of Israel. These are the 12 tribes descending from the 12 sons of Jacob.[4] They are the source of Written Word, the Scriptures [Rom 3.2; 9.4-5], and the Living Word, Jesus Christ.[5] The children of Israel, via their covenants are the center[6] of the coming earthly Kingdom[7] and the instrumentality by which blessing is bestowed upon the world in that kingdom.[8]
The Gentiles: All those not descended from the twelve sons of Israel are considered Gentiles in the Scriptures.[9] Gentiles of the Old Testament era could join the covenant community of Israel by faith in the God of Israel and obedience to the Law of Moses.[10] They did not cease to be Gentiles but were sharers in the benefits of the covenants promised to Israel through their faith and participants in the life of Israel through their conformity to the Mosaic Law.
The Church: Since the first Pentecost following the resurrection of Christ, every believer in Jesus Christ regardless of their genetic background [Jew or Gentile] becomes a member of the Body of Christ,[11] the Church, and is not an heir to the eternal, earthly promises made to Israel.[12] The Mosaic Law and therefore Judaism was broken by Israel and later abolished by God.[13] The Body [Bride] of Christ has an eternal, heaven-based inheritance.[14]
Mosaic Covenant Broken by Israel: The Jews were evicted from the Land of Israel because of chronic disobedience to the Law of Moses.[15] This means that most of the nation no longer believed in God or the Old Testament and therefore failed to uphold their obligations under the Mosaic Law.
The Re-establishment of the Nation of Israel: True Israel’s permanent reinstatement to the land for the purpose of immediate blessing will be entirely the work of Jesus Christ, its true Messiah. This worldwide regathering of the redeemed sons of Jacob will be the remnant left after catastrophe inflicted upon Israel and the world during the “Day of the Lord.”[16] This remnant, or “true Israel” [Rom 9.6] will be gathered from the entire world[17] and will experience national repentance. This repentance will be the sovereign work of God [Jer 30.1-3].
Introduction
Political Israel, the geographic and legal entity currently known as Israel, is in the midst of a war of ethnic cleansing intended to remove the bulk of the Palestinian inhabitants of the land by emigration or by death.[i] It will then expand to the biblically prophesied borders of Israel [the Greater Israel Project[ii]] through the defeat of the sovereign nations which comprise that geography.
Some Christians justify the systematic elimination of the Palestinians from the land as necessary for the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. The actions of Israel and its allies [primarily the United States] in this war are supposedly to enable the fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant which promises Abraham and his seed a kingdom extending from “the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates” [Genesis 15.18]. It is believed by many that the advent of these prophetic fulfillments was the establishment of modern political Israel in 1948.
Image: https://www.thelastamericanvagabond.com/
Are the biblical promises to Israel still in force? Who exactly are the people of Israel? Why were the Jews removed from the land of Israel? Are the justifications for the removal of the Palestinians truly biblical? What are the scriptural conditions for the occupation of the land of Israel by the Jews?
God’s Promises to Israel will be kept
God’s promises to redeemed Israel will be kept [Rom 11.1-2, 25-27].
The Bible made promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that have not been fulfilled in history. Abraham was given promises that he did not receive during his lifetime. The New Testament book of Hebrews teaches that the Old Testament saints did not receive the promises.
Hebrews 11:8–13 (KJV 1900)
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 11 Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. 13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
These promises, however, were never rescinded by God. They have never been transferred to another group. For example, the Church has not inherited the promises made to Israel. God’s reputation rests upon their fulfillment to the people to whom he made the promises.
Romans 11:25–29 (KJV 1900)
25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. 28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes. 29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance [irrevocable-NASB].
True Israel
True Israel is the descendants of Jacob [Genetic Israel] who are also believers [Rom 2.28-29; 9.6-12; aka “the remnant” Isa 10.22]. No promise of the Abrahamic Covenant, including the land of Israel, is granted to unsaved people, that is, to unbelievers [Gen 15.6-7; Gal 3.21-22; Heb 11.13]. The promises to Israel [including the Land] are eternal promises and can only be enjoyed by those possessing eternal life.
Genesis 15:5–6 (KJV 1900)
5 And he brought him [Abram] forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
The promises made to Abraham are eternal. To enjoy the promises of the Abrahamic covenant one must possess eternal life. Abraham died and was buried. Since he did not receive these promises in his lifetime, the only way in which he could enjoy them was via resurrection from the dead. The Old Testament Jews looked forward to life from the grave when they would inherit the promises of the Covenant.
Hebrews 11:13–19 (KJV 1900)
13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. 17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure. Mark 12:18–27 (KJV 1900)
The benefits of this covenant [Abrahamic: consisting of the Palestinian, Davidic, and New Covenants] can only be inherited by faith. Faith in the God of the Covenant resulted in eternal life. Thus, the gospel existed in the Old Testament. This is why Jesus expected Nicodemus [John 3] to understand the concept.
The great Old Testament believers recounted in Hebrews 11 all looked forward to a kingdom that could only be entered via resurrection.
Hebrews 11:35–37 (KJV 1900)
35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: 36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
The Abrahamic Covenant
Genesis 12.1-3; 15; 17.1-8
Genesis 12:1–3 (KJV 1900)
Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
The Palestinian, Davidic and New Covenants are paragraphs, or subdivisions, of the Abrahamic Covenant. The covenant to Abraham contained earthly elements: the birth of a son, Isaac, the inheritance of a land, Canaan, an earthly kingdom, Israel. However, the Covenant infused all these normal things with a supernatural element that rendered them eternal. There would be an immortal Son, ruling over an everlasting kingdom [Davidic Covenant] and people [New Covenant] in an eternal land [Palestinian Covenant].
The Davidic Covenant: A House and Throne
2 Sam 7.12-13; 16
Neither Abraham, Isaac nor Jacob obtained the land of Israel. One thousand years pass between the time of Abraham and of David. God reveals to David that he will be the source of an eternal throne and an eternal kingdom in the land of Israel.
2 Samuel 7:12–13 (KJV 1900)
12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
2 Samuel 7:16 (KJV 1900)
16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. [also Isa 55.1-3]
An eternal throne[18] and kingdom are promised to David, these both require that the land of Israel become the permanent residence of David’s seed. The house, kingdom and throne promised to David are eternal. To enjoy the promises of the Abrahamic covenant one must possess eternal life. David also died and was buried. The only way in which he could enjoy these promises was via resurrection from the dead. The Old Testament Jews looked forward to life from the grave when they would inherit the promises of the Covenant.
The Gospel, salvation by faith in the God of the Covenant was the Old Testament truth taught in the Levitical system. Every animal sacrifice pointed to the coming Lamb of God that would take away the sin of the world [Jn 1.36; Rom 3.25; 1Jn 2.2].
This truth, eternal life through faith in the God of the Covenant is the central animating factor of true Israel [Rom 9.6]. The closer the nation to this truth, the greater their blessing, the further away from it, the greater the divine discipline designed to drive them back to this central truth. The condition for resurrection unto eternal life was faith in the Messiah who would be sent to die for the sins of mankind. The Old Testament looked forward to this Sacrifice, the Gospels recorded the event itself, and the Epistles explained its doctrines.
John 3:7–10 (KJV 1900)
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? 10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
Jesus expected Nicodemus, a teacher of the Old Covenant, to understand that qualification for the Kingdom was by faith, resulting in eternal life and the inheritance of the Covenants.
The vast majority of Jewish population of the modern State of Israel do not believe that the Messiah predicted in the Old Testament is Jesus of Nazareth, but that the Messiah is yet to arrive. More than two thirds of the Jews of Modern Israel are either secular [Hiloni] or cultural adherents [Masorti] to Judaism, a system which has been invalidated by God due to the disobedience of Israel.[iii]
[1] ChrisO – http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/israel.pdf (heavily modified)
[2] Rom 2.28-29; 9.6-12; aka “the remnant” Isa 10.22
[3] Gen 15.6-7; Gal 3.21-22; Heb 11.13
[4] Dt 7.6; 1Ch 16.13; Isa 41.8-9; Rom 9.6-12
[5] Matt 1.1; Jn 4.22; Gal 3.16
[6] Isa 60.1-4; 21
[7] Isa 11.1-11; 60; Rev 20.1-6
[8] Ps 87.4-6; Isa 2.2-4
[9] This includes all descendants of Abraham that are not descended from Jacob, such as the son of Hagar, Ishmael, the six sons of Keturah and Esau, Jacob’s twin. These and their descendants are considered Gentiles.
[10] Ex 12.43-49; Dt 29.10-13; 31.10-13; Ruth 1.4,16-17
[11] Rom 12.5; 1Cor 12.12-13, 27
[12] Rom 10.12-13; Eph 2.11-19; Gal 3.28; Col 3.11
[13] Rom 10.4; Eph 2.14-16
[14] 1 Th 4.13-18; 2 Cor 11.2; Col 1.3-5; 1 Pet 1.3-5; and Eph 5.22-33 cf. Rev 19.7-9; 21.9 sq.
[15] Dt 29.22-28; Jer 11.1-10; Heb 8.7-13
[16] Jer 30.1-10; Zech 14.1-9; Rev 6-16
[17] Dt 30.1-6; Isaiah 11.11-12; 29.12-14
[18] Luke 1:31–33 (KJV 1900)
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
[i] “These numbers show how 2 years of war have devastated Palestinian lives in Gaza”
October 7, 2025 1:26 PM ET The Associated Press
https://www.npr.org/2025/10/07/g-s1-92367/october-7-two-years-gaza-war-israel-hamas-palestinians
Accessed March 12, 2026
“Gaza war has killed an estimated 20,000 kids. CBS News meets many more orphaned, and “always scared.”” Debora PattaUpdated on: October 8, 2025 / 7:48 PM EDT / CBS News
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gaza-israel-hamas-war-children-deaths-orphans-trauma/
Accessed March 12, 2026
“An open war on free media’: Israel condemned over the ever-growing death toll of journalists in Gaza
Human rights organisations and news organisations have condemned the deaths of scores of journalists since 7 October 2023”
Bryony Gooch Tuesday 26 August 2025 14:59 BST
Accessed March 12, 2026
[ii] What is Greater Israel, and how popular is it among Israelis?”
By Al Jazeera Staff 26 Feb 2026
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/26/what-is-greater-israel-and-how-popular-is-it-among-israelis
Accessed March 13, 2026
[iii] “4 facts about religious switching within Judaism in Israel”
By Kirsten Lesage and Maria Smerkovich March 26, 2025
Accessed March 13, 2026
A Richer Walk 