What about all the Promises of Israel’s Greatness and Israel’s heritage?

"And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins." Romans 11:26-27

"But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people." Jeremiah 31:33

These promises are obviously to Israel alone and in their context so how can you possibly state that these promises are also for Gentiles and not the lineage of Jacob?

The answer is I can easily state that this applies to the faithful and not to the lineage both from the Old Testament scriptures and the New Testament scriptures.

Firstly, any Israelite who did not follow the God of Israel was to put cut off from Israel and any gentile who accepted the God of Israel was to be considered as a native born. Therefore, in God’s perspective, the replacement theory was in effect from day one in the life of the nation of Israel. God did set this example Himself by cutting off the first generation because of their unfaithfulness.

Secondly, we will look at what God said to Ezekiel in chapter 33:24-29.

"Son of man, they who inhabit those ruins in the land of Israel are saying, 'Abraham was only one, and he inherited the land. But we are many; the land has been given to us as a possession.' "Therefore say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "You eat meat with blood, you lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood. Should you then possess the land? "You rely on your sword, you commit abominations, and you defile one another's wives. Should you then possess the land?"' "Say thus to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "As I live, surely those who are in the ruins shall fall by the sword, and the one who is in the open field I will give to the beasts to be devoured, and those who are in the strongholds and caves shall die of the pestilence. "For I will make the land most desolate, her arrogant strength shall cease, and the mountains of Israel shall be so desolate that no one will pass through. "Then they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have made the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed."'

Obviously God didn’t think they should possess the land because they were descendents of Abraham because they were unfaithful.

Thirdly, the Jews in the first century had the same idea and John the Baptist said, "But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, "and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. "And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." John the Baptist declaring that their lineage meant nothing more then the lineage of stones if they didn’t repent.

Fourth, the prophets often talk about a future restoration, much of which was fulfilled in the restoration of the temple, but the Israel that is to be restored is not the ones who are unfaithful. Malachi 3:6 "For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob." Sometimes people quote this verse to show that the promises remain to the sons of Jacob to be saved regardless of their faithfulness but if they read the whole context they see what will be.

Malachi 3:14-4:2 " You have said, 'It is useless to serve God; What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, And that we have walked as mourners Before the LORD of hosts? So now we call the proud blessed, For those who do wickedness are raised up; They even tempt God and go free.'" Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, And the LORD listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the LORD And who meditate on His name. "They shall be Mine," says the LORD of hosts, "On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him."

God will take care of the faithful ones – those who fear Him but the wicked he will judge.

Then you shall again discern Between the righteous and the wicked, Between one who serves God And one who does not serve Him. "For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up," Says the LORD of hosts, "That will leave them neither root nor branch. But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings;

Now back to the original two verses quoted from Romans 11:26-27. They come in the context that all Israel is the righteous elect from Israel and the Nations and not the physical nation of Israel. When the fullness of the Gentiles is concluded then ALL Israel will be saved. All Israel includes the fullness of the Gentiles in this context.

The verse in Jeremiah is quoted in the book of Hebrews with the following verses, "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. "None of them shall teach his neighbour, and none his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." The last verse is the exact reason that Daniel 9 gives for the Messiah to come.

A new covenant is what Jesus made with His disciples on the 14^th day of Nisan – the preparation day of the Passover Lamb. His words, "For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." Matthew 26:28 This covenant is available to all who worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and who keep the Testimony of Jesus.

In that He says, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. The book of Hebrews was written to teach the Israelites that were soon going to lose the temple that they have not lost the opportunity to draw near to God and to His temple but that God had provided a new covenant for them in Christ, a priesthood for them in Christ, a new sacrifice for their sins in Christ. It was the same covenant that was made available to ALL MEN everywhere – the right to become ‘sons of God’ or the Israel of God. Thus All Israel shall be saved but the sinners shall perish – whether Jew or Gentile.