Genesis 32:28: “And he said, thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.”

Rom 2:28-29, “For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.”

Rev 7:3-4, “Wait! Don’t harm the land or the sea or the trees until we have placed the seal of God on the foreheads of his servants. And I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.”

The word “Israel” means “overcomer.” It comes from the biblical story of Jacob, the grandson of Abraham. This concept of being an “overcomer” is important for understanding faith and will continue to be meaningful until the end of time.

Biblical teachings say that only Jews or Israelites can enter heaven. This highlights the need to understand one’s spiritual identity and the traits that define a true Jew. These teachings encourage people to show qualities like righteousness, faithfulness, and perseverance to be with Christ on the last day. A true Jew or Israelite is an overcomer. See Rev 2:7,11,17: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.”

As you think about these ideas, consider your current place in the world and how it affects your spiritual journey. Reflect on what actions and behaviors are necessary to develop a character that aligns with Christ’s teachings and fulfills the requirements for salvation and eternal life.

It is also important to recognize that identifying as a Jew today goes beyond regional, colour, cultural, or ethnic factors. It is about being an “overcomer” in faith and action. By embracing this identity, believers can connect with the greater story of redemption and the promise of being with God forever.

Jesus is only available for the house of Israel (overcomers all over the world), both then, now, and later. Matt 15:24: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

Rev 22:7: “He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.”

When reading the Bible, it’s important to take note of the terms “Israel” or “Jew.” Understanding the context in which these words are used can help clarify whether they refer to physical Israel or a more spiritual interpretation. This distinction is crucial for believers, particularly those who identify as born-again Christians, as they are considered part of spiritual Israel. Being aware of this context can deepen your understanding of Scripture and its relevance to your faith.

There are three types of Israel:

1. Physical Israel
2. Spiritual Israel
3. New Spiritual Israel

1. Physical Israel

The history of Israel begins in the Bible, specifically in Genesis. Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, fought with an angel and won. Because of this, he was given the name “Israel,” which means “one who struggles with God and overcomes” (Genesis 32:24-28). Jacob had twelve sons who became the patriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel. This laid the groundwork for the nation that was officially established in 1948. Israel is located in the Middle East, and shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east, and Egypt to the southwest.

Solomon turned away from his father’s ways and began to worship foreign gods (1 Kings 11). After Solomon died, Israel split into two kingdoms: the northern kingdom, called Israel with ten tribes, and the southern kingdom, known as Judah with two tribes.

The northern kingdom was invaded and conquered by the Assyrians around 722 BCE. The ten tribes were exiled and scattered, losing their identity (2 Kings 17:1-8, 18-23). The southern kingdom, Judah, was captured by the Babylonians under King Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BCE (2 Kings 24:11-16).

The Jews spent about 70 years in exile before they were allowed to return to their homeland in 538 BCE by Cyrus the Great, the Persian ruler who had conquered Babylon (Jeremiah 25:7-11, Jeremiah 29:10, Daniel 9:2). When the Jews returned, they began to rebuild their lives and restore their religious practices, led by Zerubbabel and Joshua the Priest.

This is like the stars darkening and falling in Isa 34:4-6, Mt 24:29-31, and Genesis 37:9-11, respectively, signalling the End of an Era. God does not end one era without starting a new one; He creates new beginnings.

The era of physical Israel came to an end with the ministry of John the Baptist. He prepared the way for Jesus, whose arrival brought about a new covenant, marking the beginning of Spiritual Israel. This new covenant closed the old covenant era (Malachi 3:1).

The world of Adam ended because of sin, leading to a new covenant with Noah. This pattern continued with Abraham, as God established a new covenant with him due to the failings of Noah’s generation.

Physical Israel, as a descendant of Abraham, effectively ended with John the Baptist. Malachi 3:1 proclaims that God will send a messenger who will prepare the way for the Lord, signifying the transition from the old order to a new one.

The Apostle Paul explains this further in Hebrews 8:6-13. He emphasizes that Jesus, our High Priest, has a better ministry than the old priesthood because He mediates a new and better covenant. If the first covenant was perfect without blemish, there would be no need for a second. God recognized the people’s shortcomings and announced a new covenant with Israel and Judah.

In this new covenant, the idea of spiritual and physical lineage changes. In Malachi 3, John the Baptist symbolically closed the old order of the physical Jews, while Jesus started a new order called Spiritual Israel. This new group is defined not by physical birth or circumcision but by faith and spiritual rebirth (John 1:13, Romans 2:28-29). Anyone who believes in this new order through Christ becomes a spiritual Jew, recognized as a son of God (John 1:11-12).

Gospel accounts also emphasize this change. In Luke 16:16, it says that the law and prophets guided the people until John the Baptist. Now, the Good News of the Kingdom of God is being preached. Similarly, in Matthew 11:11-13, it notes that all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John.

Just as Jacob struggled with the angel and became an Overcomer-Israel, Jesus also faced challenges in the world, triumphed, and became an overcomer (John 16:33, Revelation 1:18). This narrative reflects the enduring journey of faith across time.

2. Spiritual Israel

Spiritual Israel refers to a profound transformation that equates the 12 tribes of Israel with the 12 Disciples of Jesus, all of whom emerged from the divine Seed of Jesus’ Word, as indicated in Matthew 13:37-40 and the Epistle of James 1:1.

Every disciple of Jesus who experiences the new birth under the new covenant established by Christ becomes a spiritual Jew or Israelite, transcending their geographical origins and cultural backgrounds. This radical inclusion is a testament to the universality of Jesus’ message and mission. John 1:11-12 says: “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.  Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

Furthermore, in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus foretells that his 12 disciples will occupy 12 thrones and gain the authority to judge during His second coming, as referenced in Matthew 19:27-28 and the Book of Revelation 21:10-14. This prophetic destiny highlights the elevated status of the disciples in the divine order of God.

The renewal of the covenant is articulated in Jeremiah 31:31-36, where the Lord declares His intention to forge a new covenant with the people of Israel, promising to inscribe His law on their minds and hearts. This prophecy finds its fulfillment in the Last Supper, recorded in Matthew 26:26-28, where Jesus, while sharing bread and wine with his disciples, establishes the new covenant in His blood for the forgiveness of sins. This moment signifies the inauguration of a spiritual Israel, marking a departure from the expectation of merely physical restoration sought by many physical Jews at that time.

Even in the midst of Jesus’ transformative presence and the depth of His teachings throughout His earthly ministry, the disciples frequently found themselves grappling with a profound misunderstanding of His true mission. They struggled to fully comprehend that Jesus was not merely a teacher or prophet, but the Messiah destined to establish a new kind of community – a spiritual Israel that would fulfill the prophetic words found in the Old Testament, specifically in passages from Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 36 and 37. These scriptures spoke of a time when God would create a new covenant with His people, writing His law on their hearts and gathering them back to Himself. The disciples were often preoccupied with their expectations of a political and earthly kingdom, failing to recognize the revolutionary nature of Jesus’ mission: to give birth to a spiritual community that transcended traditional boundaries and embraced a deeper, transformative relationship with God.

Their misunderstanding is evident when they approach Jesus in Acts 1:6-8, inquiring, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” Jesus replies, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Upon receiving the Holy Spirit, the disciples are transformed into born-again Christians, becoming witnesses to this new era of spiritual Israelites, born not of the flesh, but of the Spirit, through Christ’s new covenant John 1:13.

Matthew 13:37-40 illustrates that the world, referred to as Jesus’ field, will eventually come to an end. In this field, those who are born of God’s seed will be harvested and gathered into the “barn,” symbolizing Heaven and eternal life. Here, the church is depicted as the reality of Jesus’ field, where two types of seeds have been sown: The Good Seeds, which symbolize true believers, are destined for harvest, while the bad seeds, representing those resistant to God’s message, will be subjected to destruction by fire. The remnants that remain in this field signify the traditional church, which ultimately faces exclusion from this harvest.

The end of spiritual Israel is the tabernacle of the seven golden lampstands because they walk the path of betrayal by abandoning their first love in Rev 2:4-5, and they are destroyed by worshiping the beast in Rev13:7-8. At this time, a New spiritual Israel, the Overcomer, will emerge.

1. New Spiritual Israel

Rev 7:3-5, 9: “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel. After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.”  These are the Overcomers-Israelites that are sealed by God.

In Revelation 3:12, we encounter the concept of the Overcomer, which signifies Israel. It says: “The one who overcomes, I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.” The promise extended to the Overcomer is remarkable: they will receive an iron sceptre to govern over all nations, emblematic of the authority granted to Jesus by God as stated in Revelation 2:26-27 and Revelation 12:5.

Moving to Revelation 12, we see a vivid depiction of a male child engaged in a fierce battle against the dragon. This figure ultimately triumphs over evil through the blood of the Lamb and the testimony of his faith. In verses 10-11, this victory bestows upon the male child the status of an Overcomer, representing the birth of a New Spiritual Israel.

The Bible, specifically in Revelation 7:1-17, describes the concept of the 12 tribes of New Spiritual Israel, which consists of a total of 144,000 individuals—12,000 from each tribe. This group is accompanied by a Great Multitude, who are marked on their foreheads for identification. These individuals are referred to as Jews from various nations, symbolizing those redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and who kept God’s covenant, encompassing both physical and spiritual Jews. Daniel 2:44 recognized it as a new kingdom of an eternal nation established by God.

Revelation 21 further illustrates that God intends to dwell among this nation of Israel within a new heaven and new earth, paralleling the divine presence experienced by Adam in the Garden of Eden before the fall.

In Revelation 22, we find the river of the water of life flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb. It is here that we also discover the tree of life, bearing 12 distinct types of fruit each month. This tree’s branches symbolize the 12 tribes of Israel, signifying God’s presence among them.

Revelation 22:4-5 states that the name of God will be inscribed on the foreheads of His servants, indicating that these individuals have received the seal mentioned in Revelation 7 and 14. The absence of night in this verse symbolizes God’s ultimate reign, resulting in the elimination of deceit and falsehood.

In summary, the term “Israel” embodies the notion of overcoming and victory. In the Old Testament, Jacob, who overcame through perseverance, was renamed Israel, and he fathered 12 sons, thereby establishing the 12 tribes of Physical Israel.

At the First Coming of Jesus, He overcame sin and adversity and, with spiritual seeds through his word, raised 12 disciples, forming the 12 tribes of Spiritual Israel through a new covenant.

In the prophetic framework of the Second Coming, it is anticipated that Jesus will create another set of 12 tribes, consisting of 144,000 individuals and the great multitudes from all nations, who will reign alongside Him. These faithful believers, marked by the seal on their foreheads, will inhabit the New Jerusalem in a renewed heaven and earth, drawing parallels with the life Adam experienced with God in Eden. In this new existence, as stated in Revelation 21:4, there will be no more death, sorrow, or pain.

It is crucial to recognize that sin serves as a definitive breach of the covenant with God. Just as Adam sinned, leading to a ruptured relationship with God, we find in Hosea 6:7, “But like Adam, you broke my covenant and betrayed my trust.” Physical Israel frequently strayed by worshipping foreign deities, leading to a revocation of their covenant.

As a spiritual Israel, when you lose your first love for God due to sin, you betray Him, and your covenant with Jesus is broken; this is what happened in Rev 2:4-5. Then God made a plan of succession through the new spiritual Israel by a seal on their forehead.

Remember, at this end time, only those who uphold their covenant with God will be sealed, receive their crown, and be destined to coexist eternally with God as New Spiritual Israel. The existence of multiple facets of Israel emerges as a divine response to the reality of sin, which nullifies existing covenants. This approach illustrates God’s mechanism to maintain a relationship with humanity, seeking out those who are steadfast and faithful.

As articulated in Hebrews 8:6-13, the establishment of a New Covenant was imperative: “If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. But when God found fault with the people, He declared, ‘The day is coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah.'” This passage underscores the transition into a new era of divine promise and faithfulness.

Staying committed to God is essential to prevent being subjected to His replacement mechanism. It is important to understand that no individual can ultimately control or hinder God’s plans for humanity. God bless you!

Thank you for your time. If you have any questions or need further clarification, feel free to reach out to me at info@helivesoutreach.org or by phone. I’m here to help! My name is Chidi Declan.