“Certainly, it doesn’t matter a person is circumcised or not. Rather, what matters is being a new creation. Peace and mercy will come to rest on all those who conform to this principle. They are the Israel of God”—Galatians 6:15,16 GWT

What is, “the Israel of God”?

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile”—Romans 1:16 NIV

“A person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision  is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God”—Romans 2:28,29 NIV

The New Testament makes clear that whether a person is a fleshly Jew or not, no longer makes any difference to God.

Let’s examine some Old Testament prophecies concerning the restoration of “Israel” through God’s “servant David”, a cryptic name for Jesus.

“I will appoint over them a single shepherd, My servant David, and he will shepherd them. He will tend them himself and will be their shepherd. I, Yahweh, will be their God, and My servant David will be a prince among them. I, Yahweh, have spoken. I will make a covenant of peace with them and eliminate dangerous animals in the land, so that they may live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forest.” (Ezekiel 34:23-25 HCSB)

Under the New Covenant, “David” (Jesus) will be king.

“I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over all of them. They will no longer be two nations and will no longer be divided into two kingdoms. They will not defile themselves anymore with their idols, their detestable things, and all their transgressions. I will save them from all their apostasies by which they sinned, and I will cleanse them. Then they will be My people, and I will be their God. My servant David will be king over them, and there will be one shepherd for all of them. They will follow My ordinances, and keep My statutes and obey them.” (Ezekiel 37:22-24 HCSB)

“One nation… one king… David will be king… one shepherd.” Obviously, this “David” is Jesus.

“Look, the days are coming, Yahweh declares, when I shall raise an upright Branch for David; he will reign as king and be wise, doing what is just and upright in the country. In his days Judah will triumph and Israel live in safety. And this is the name he will be called, ‘Yahweh-is-our-Saving-Justice.'” (Jeremiah 23:5-6 NJB)

The “upright Branch for David” is Jesus Christ. The title name, “Yahweh-is-our-Saving-Justice” applies to Jesus also. This can be seen from such scriptures as 1 Corinthians 1:30, “Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God — that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.”

“I will raise up for David a king who will do what is just and right” (repeated in Jeremiah 30:15-16). This king is Jesus.

“Israel and Judah will serve Yahweh their God, and David their king whom I shall raise up for them.” (Jeremiah 30:9 NJB)

They will serve Yahweh and “David,” (a cryptic name for Jesus).

“This is what the LORD says: ‘If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time, then my covenant with David my servant–and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me–can be broken and David will no longer have a descendent to reign on his throne. I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.’ The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ‘Have you not noticed that these people are saying, ‘The Lord has rejected the two kingdoms he chose?’ So they despise my people and no longer regarded them as a nation’. This is what the LORD says: ‘If I have not made my covenant with the day and night and established the laws of heaven and earth, then I will also reject the descendants of Jacob and my servant David and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes and have compassion on them.'” (Jeremiah 33:20-26 NIV)

From these scriptures in Jeremiah, it may appear that God’s covenant with the ancient nation of Israel would never be broken. He did “bring them back from captivity” (Jeremiah 33:26 NIV margin). However, Israel “broke” God’s Old Law “covenant” (Jeremiah 31:32) with him, so God eventually “canceled” it (Colossians 2:14 NIV). One of David’s sons, “Jesus Christ, the son of David” (Matthew 1:1 NAB) does “rule over the descendants of Abraham . . . “. Also, the prophecy about God’s “covenant with David” for kingship, and “my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me” foretells the spiritual commonwealth God has established with his Christian people. The promise of numerous offspring to both royal and priestly families is fulfilled in the great throng who reign, or “will reign”, with Christ (Romans 8:17; 2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 5:10), and who in Christ have been made to be priests (1 Peter 2:5,9; Revelation 1:6; 5:10; 20:6)

So, how is it that “all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26)? God’s New Covenant is with the Christian “Israel of God”, where “neither circumcision nor uncircumcision mean anything” (Galatians 6:15,16 NIV), Under the “New Covenant”, “there is no difference between Jew and Gentile–the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him” (Romans 10:12 NIV).

“But after that, the Israelites will return and again seek Yahweh their God and David their king, and turn trembling to Yahweh for his bounty in the final days.” (Hosea 3:5 NJB)

The Israelites, who are physical, fleshly Jews, but “all peoples”, both “Jew and Gentile”, in the New Covenant, will return and seek Yahweh and “the Messiah”, “even Jesus”, who is cryptically “David their king,” as we can see from what the Bible says below:

“And that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.’ Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days. And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.” (Acts 3:20-26 NIV)

Restoration through Jesus, predicted by Old Testament prophets, would come first to Jews, then all others would be blessed through the Abrahamic and New Covenants. Thus, restoration prophecies in the Bible do not apply only to physical, fleshly Jews, but to “the Israel of God” (Galatians 6:15,16 NIV), all genuine Christians, including non-Jews, who are in the “New Covenant”, no matter what their ethnicity is. 

“The church is the true Israel, the recipient of God’s promises, which goes out to all nations in the power of Christ” (New Jerusalem Bible, Pocket Edition, Introduction to Matthew).

For more information related to this subject, see the following articles on this website:

“Should We Pray for Israel?”

“Does Modern Israel Fulfill Bible Prophecy?

“Are Restoration Prophecies About Israel Literal — or Symbolic?”

“The Spiritual Use of Israel in the Bible”