Ezekiel 25:8
This verse demonstrates the danger of thinking that Judah, and by extension, the Jewish people, are “like all the nations,” that God has no more concern for them than He has for any other people group. The Church is not a “replacement” for ethnic Israel but the fulfillment of the New Covenant promised to “the house of Israel and the house of Judah” (Jeremiah 31:31). At the same time, it is an error to think, as dispensationalists do, that God has a separate plan for the nation Israel apart from the Church, which was founded by Israel’s Messiah. God’s plan is for the Jews to repent and be “grafted” back into the olive tree of blessing, since they are “the natural branches” (Romans 11:24) and are “beloved on account of the fathers” (Rom. 11:28). “The gifts and calling of God are irrevocable” (Rom. 11:29). God’s reputation is at stake. He will not be seen as a failure in His purpose for Israel. Jesus’s words to the Samaritan woman are weighty: “Salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22).
Side note: It is the Roman Catholic Church that has usurped the Old Covenant relationship of Israel for themselves. They adopted candles, holy water, a special priesthood and hierarchy with priestly vestments, and repeated sacrifices (the mass). The RCC even adopted the OT restriction against lending money on interest to “your brother.” Ironically, since the Jews of Europe were not considered “brethren,” they were allowed to conduct necessary bank financing! Thus the Jews became the principle bankers of Europe, for which they were unjustly condemned in the 1930’s.
It should
not be surprising, then, that Protestant denominations that believe the church has
replaced Israel in God’s plan have moved ever closer to Roman Catholic
practices in worship. Still, I was appalled when I witnessed a Christian Reformed
pastor elevate the bread at communion and say, “The body of Christ,” and then
elevate the cup and say, “The blood of Christ.”
