The Remnant of Israel: The Unconditional Promises of the New Covenant Guarantee a Believing Remnant Will Always Exist in Israel Lesson # 17

As we can see thus far from our study of the doctrine of the remnant, God will never totally abandon the nation of Israel and in the future she will as a nation accept Jesus Christ as Savior and thus experience a national regeneration and restoration to the land promised to her by God centuries ago.

This regeneration and restoration of the nation of Israel will fulfill the four unconditional covenants to Israel, which are the Abrahamic, Palestinian, Davidic and New covenants.

The unconditional nature of the promises contained in these covenants guarantees that a believing remnant will always exist in Israel in every generation of human history and thus in every dispensation or in other words, if a believing remnant does not exist at any point in history, then God has not kept these promises.

There are seven great features that are distinct in each of these four unconditional covenants to Israel: (1) Israel will be a nation forever. (2) Israel will possess a significant portion of land forever. (3) Israel will have a King rule over her forever. (4) Israel will have a throne from which Christ will ruler, forever. (5) Israel will have a kingdom forever.

During the millennial reign of Christ, regenerate (born-again) Old Testament Israel will be resurrected and will enjoy the millennial blessings that were promised to them (Ezek. 37:1-14).

This will be in fulfillment of the New Covenant to Israel made in Jeremiah 31:31-34, 32:40, Ezekiel 36:22-36, Isaiah 59:21, and in Hosea 2:18-23.

The New covenant is also an unconditional meaning that its fulfillment is based upon the faithfulness of God rather than the faithfulness of Israel (Jer. 31:31-37).

The New covenant is related to the restoration of the nation during the Second Advent and subsequent millennial reign of Christ.

There were additional blessings added to the unconditional Abrahamic covenant.

Before the covenant nation could enjoy the covenanted blessings it must walk in obedience to the laws of God.

The obedience required was outlined for the nation in the Mosaic Law, which was given alongside the Abrahamic covenant (Gen. 17:19) to define what God expected as a prerequisite for blessing.

The nation of Israel was unable to fulfill the obedience the Law required.

The nation of Israel was characterized by God as being stiff-necked (Jer. 17:23).

They were hardened and obstinate (Ezek. 3:7).

Therefore, if the nation was to experience the blessings of the covenant they would need forgiveness for their sins, they would need to be regenerated (born-again), a new heart characterized by obedience, and empowerment from the Holy Spirit.

A covenant that guarantees Israel these divine provisions is given in Jeremiah 31:31-34.

Within the original Abrahamic covenant were promises concerning the following: (1) Land: Palestinian covenant developed the land promises to Israel. (2) Seed: Davidic covenant developed the seed promises to Israel. (3) Blessings: New covenant developed the blessing promises of the original Abrahamic covenant.

The prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel have a great deal to say about these blessings that will flow from the New Covenant, which they speak of often.

In spite of the disobedience of the nation, this covenant necessitates the continuation of the nation.

Even continued disobedience cannot remove Israel from her covenanted position (Jer. 31:34-35; Rom. 11).

Further the nation is promised a restoration to the land (Jer. 32:37; 33:11; Ezek. 11:17; 36:28-35; 37:21-22, 25).

The prophets speak of the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Jer. 31:38-40).

The temple will be rebuilt (Ezek. 37:27-28).

The blessings the nation of Israel will receive are based on the New covenant (Isa. 61:8-9; Hos. 2:18-20).

The greatest blessing in this covenant is that of being brought in close relationship with God (Jer. 30:22; 31:33; 32:38-41; Ezek. 11:20; 34:25-27; 37:27).

The New covenant with Israel was based upon the voluntary substitutionary death of the impeccable humanity of Christ in hypostatic union (Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25).

The Lord Jesus Christ is the mediator of this New Covenant to Israel (cf. Heb. 12:24).

These four unconditional covenants (Abrahamic, Palestinian, Davidic and New) are all related to Israel and not the church.

The nation of Israel was “directly given” the covenants according to Romans 9:1-5, however, the church and regenerate Gentiles who live outside the church age participate in the blessings of these covenants since she is the bride of Jesus Christ, the king of Israel (See Galatians 3).

Ephesians 3:1-13 teaches that it was a mystery that the Gentiles through faith in Christ would become fellow heirs with Jewish believers, fellow members of the body of Christ and fellow partakers of the four unconditional covenants of promise to Israel.

“Mystery” is the noun musterion, which refers to doctrines that centered upon the Person of Christ and members of His body and were doctrines never revealed to Old Testament saints.

The mystery is not that the Gentiles would be saved since this was prophesied in the Old Testament (Isa. 11:10; 60:3).

Rather, the mystery concerning the Gentiles is that they would become fellow heirs with Jewish believers, fellow members with Jewish believers in the body of Christ and fellow partakers of the covenant promises to Israel.

The content of this mystery is three-fold: (1) The Gentile believers are fellow heirs with Jewish believers in the sense that they share in the spiritual riches God gave them because of His covenant with Abraham (Gal. 3:26-29). (2) Gentile believers in Christ are fellow members of the body of Christ with Jewish believers. There is one body, the body of Christ (Eph. 4:4), which has no racial distinctions (1 Cor. 12:13) and has the Lord Jesus Christ as its head (Eph. 5:23). Each individual member of the body of Christ shares in the ministry (Eph. 4:15-16). (3) Gentile believers in Christ are fellow partakers of the four unconditional covenants of promise to Israel.

Although, the four unconditional covenants of promise to Israel were specifically given to Israel (Rom. 9:1-6), the church will still and does benefit from them since they are in union with Christ who is the ruler of Israel.

The doctrine of the remnant as taught in both the Old and New Testaments makes clear that Israel does have a future in the plan of God and that the church has in no way replaced Israel permanently.

The teaching that the church has replaced Israel is called “replacement theology” or “supersessionism.”

Replacement theology or a some call it “supersessionism” is based on two major premises: (1) the nation of Israel has somehow completed or forfeited its status as the people of God and will never again possess a unique role or function apart from the church; and (2) the church is now the true Israel that has permanently replaced or superseded national Israel as the people of God.

Therefore, replacement theology or supersessionism contends that the nation of Israel has absolutely no future whatsoever in the plan of God.

Now, those who adhere to this view believe there will be a future “salvation” of Israel, but this salvation does not mean a “restoration” of Israel.

The difference between a salvation of Israel and a restoration of that nation is that salvation means simply that many Jews will believe in Christ and be saved while on the other hand restoration involves Israel being replanted in Palestine and given a role and mission to the nations.

A restoration of Israel means that the nation will have a role and a place of prominence that is not shared with any other group including the church.

Dispensationalists accept both concepts and believe Israel as a nation will be saved and they also believe Israel will be restored to a place of prominence among the nations.

Now, some supersessionists do not believe in either a salvation or restoration of Israel while some believe in a salvation of Israel but do not believe in a restoration of that nation.

No supersessionists believe in a restoration of Israel and is the major factor that distinguishes them from dispensationalists.

As we can see from our study, the Scriptures make clear that the church is not the “new Israel” since God has never totally abandoned the nation of Israel.

In fact, the Word of God repeatedly teaches that God always sets aside a certain number Jews in the nation in every dispensation and every generation of human history, who will exercise faith in Him.

Furthermore, in the future as a nation, Israel will accept Jesus Christ as Savior and thus experience a national regeneration and restoration to the land promised to her by God centuries ago.

This regeneration and restoration of the nation of Israel will fulfill the four unconditional covenants to Israel.

The unconditional promises that God has given to the nation of Israel and her progenitors and patriarchs such Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David and the nation as a whole, guarantee that there will be a glorious future for Israel.

In addition, they guarantee that God always sets aside a remnant in Israel every generation and dispensation in history.