Jerusalem and
the ‘Israel of God’

Anyone who understands the symbolic meanings of these terms (Israel and Jerusalem) will have a much deeper understanding of the Bible and of God’s purposes. For, most people confuse the terms in their minds and have started believing that Israel and Jerusalem are the same, and they refer the same people, which isn’t true. For example: what does the term Jew really mean; how do the Jews differ from the Israelites; and how do the Israelites differ from Hebrews? Most people use these terms interchangeably.

You’ll also find that when John (the Apostle) spoke of the Jews, he usually meant just the people who lived in and around Jerusalem, not the people of Galilee, where Jesus did most of his preaching. If you’re interested in more information about these subjects, please see the Note in Genesis titled ‘Hebrews, Israelites, Jews, and Semites’ and the Note in John, ‘What did John Mean by Jew?’

Israel

Israel (which means ‘Contender with God’) was the new name that God gave the faithful patriarch Jacob after he had wrestled all night with a messenger from God in order to receive a blessing from him. The account is found at Genesis 32:24-28, where we read, ‘Jacob was all by himself when a man came and wrestled with him until the next morning. [The man] saw that he wasn’t going to win, so he touched the upper part of Jacob’s thigh, and his thigh became numb during the wrestling match. And [the man] told [Jacob], Let me go, because the sun has come up! But [Jacob] said, I’m not going to let you go until you give me a blessing. Then [the man] asked, What’s your name? And he answered, Jacob. And [the man] told him, Your name will no longer be Jacob. Rather, Israel will be your name, and you will be mighty among men, because you’ve won with God.’

Thereafter, his descendants were frequently referred to in the Bible as ‘the children of Israel.’

Eventually, the children of Israel developed into thirteen tribes (Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, BenJamin, Manasseh, Ephraim). And although Israel had twelve sons, two tribes were created… one from each of the sons of Joseph, who brought his father’s family to Egypt while he was a ruler there and kept them from starving during a seven-year famine.

So, why do we call them ‘the twelve tribes of Israel’ when there were actually thirteen? Well the thirteenth tribe was that of Levi, which was the tribe of Priests who weren’t given a land inheritance in the land of Israel. Rather, they were to live among the other tribes and serve as judges and priests, and they were to be supported by gifts and portions of sacrifices that were provided by the rest of the tribes.

Is Israel Israel?

Realize that Israel wasn’t just a race descended from Jacob, for, from the time of the exodus down to the lifetime of Jesus and his Apostles, non-Hebrew converts were openly accepted as part of that nation. Why, King David was descended from two non-Israelite women, the Canaanite prostitute RaHab, and the Moabite Ruth. And the practice of accepting proselytes and intermarrying has continued to this day, to the point where the Jews of the Middle East are brown skinned, those of Ethiopia are black, and many from Russia are fair skinned and blond or redheaded.

Also; if you study the Scriptures, you will find that many Israelites and Jews settled in Iran and Iraq, and have become what we call Muslim ‘Arabs’ today. Then, many Jewish Christians in the First Century left Judea and settled in the nations, probably marrying among their gentile (Christian) brothers and sisters, before the destruction of Jerusalem. And in the dispersion that came following the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome, the non-Christian inhabitants of Judea (which included many intermixed non-Israelites) were scattered throughout the whole world. And thereafter, during the Inquisition, many of these became ‘Christian’ converts and lost their Israelite backgrounds altogether! So, quite a few of us ‘people of the nations’ are in fact (unknowingly) also from the stock of Israel!

So, just who is Israel today, since there are probably none who are pure descendants of Abraham or Jacob? And if (as some claim) God is going to turn His attention to just the literal nation of Israel, what is the percentage of Hebrew blood that He will accept as being Israelites or Jews? Does God consider just those who have moved to Jerusalem to be the true Jews; or are only those who accept one of the many sects of Judaism considered by God to be Jews; do they include just those who are circumcised; do they include just those with common Jewish names… and are they rejected if they’ve adopted the names of the peoples of the nations?

Obviously, anyone who thinks that all Jews or Israelites will eventually be converted has never really thought everything through. For, will God force people to become what they don’t wish to become?

So, how will the promises of God concerning Israel (such as those found at Jeremiah 31:37) be fulfilled? Well, realize that Christianity is just an extension of the true Israelite worship of God. And though Jesus and his Apostles were Jews, and the first offering to become Christians was made just to the Jews (which include non-Judaic Israelites and gentile proselytes); when the majority of them rejected the offer, God pruned them out of the tree of Israel and grafted in non-Israelite converts, making them the new Israel of God. Paul went to great lengths to explain this. For he wrote (at Romans 11:17, 18), ‘When some of the branches were broken off, you wild olives were grafted in and you became sharers of the fatness of the olive [tree’s] roots. But, don’t cheer that those branches [were removed], for if you find yourself cheering over that, remember that you don’t support the roots, they are supporting you!’

So, notice that when people of the nations became Christians, they were grafted into the olive tree of Israel. And like people of the nations who in the past became Israel (such as RaHab and Ruth), Christians also become native Israelites by adoption.

That non-Israelites could become Israel, was explained to the Prophet Ezekiel by God at Ezekiel 47:21-23, where He said concerning those who would be restored to the land, ‘You must divide this land among the tribes of Israel, and you must throw lots for yourselves and for foreigners who live among you that have given birth to sons in your midst. For, they will be yours as native-born sons among the sons of Israel, and they will eat with you and receive an inheritance in the midst of the tribes of Israel. They will live among the tribe that made them converts, along with others who have been converted, and you must give them an inheritance.’

Also, notice what Paul wrote concerning the gentiles at Ephesians 2:19 ‘As the result, you are no longer strangers and aliens, you are fellow citizens among the Holy Ones and fellow members of the house of God.’ And again at Ephesians 3:6: ‘People of the nations will be fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise (in the Anointed One, Jesus), through the good news.’

The fact is; because of their willingness to be persecuted and die for their beliefs in the First Century, many Israelites and Jews will hold prominent positions in the Kingdom of God. And as Israel was made up of a huge crowd of non-Israelites who became Israel, starting from the time of the exodus, converts to the true worship of God today – regardless of their race – do in fact become Israel, which just means, ‘Those Who have Contended (or Stuck) with God.’

The problem that most people have with understanding how non-Israelites become Israelites, is that they view Christianity as a non-Jewish religion, which it never was! For, during the seven years that started with Jesus’ first coming until the conversion of the gentiles (Cornelius and his household), the Kingdom hope was only offered to Jews and the related Samaritans. And thereafter, except for a brief period when Peter did so, only Paul preached to the non-Jews, starting first at Jewish synagogues, while the rest of the Apostles preached only to the Jews. So, Christianity has been just an extension of the Jewish race, way of life, and religion since the beginning. And all true Christians become Jews by adoption!

Jerusalem

Jerusalem, which means ‘Possession (or Foundation) of Two-fold Peace,’ eventually became the capital city of the land of Israel. It was the place that God Himself selected, and it was situated on and around two joined hills (Zion and Moriah) in the land that was allotted to the tribe of Judah. During the time of Abraham, this city was named Salem (Shalom) or ‘Peace,’ and it’s where Abraham met with the ancient king-priest of that city, MelchiZedek, and gave him a tenth of all he captured from the kings who had carried away his nephew Lot. And Mount Moriah was apparently where Abraham attempted to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice to God. So, it was a fitting place to put God’s Temple. And prior to the time of King David (but after the time of MelchiZedek) it was called Jebus, after the Jebusites who lived there.

As the capital city of the entire nation, the royal palace of the kings of Israel was located in Jerusalem; and since the Temple of Jehovah was also there, it was the home of many of the Levite Priests in the line of Aaron. As the result, Jerusalem became not only the city of the king, but it was the only center of worship and the place where the whole nation had to go in order to present their sacrifices, tithes, and to attend the festivals.

However; from the beginning, there seems to have been a division between the tribe of Judah and the other tribes, which was only resolved temporarily during the reigns of David and Solomon. Then, after the reign of Solomon, ten tribes left the rulership of the line of David and formed their own capital (which was moved a couple of times), and they soon fell away from the worship of Jehovah. And at that time, the ten-tribe kingdom became known as ‘Israel,’ and the kingdom of the tribes of BenJamin and Judah in Jerusalem became known as Judah, and the people were known as Judeans, or in English, as ‘Jews.’

Symbolic Israel

Understand that most references to Israel during the time of Jesus and his Apostles no longer carried the meaning of a separate nation, since after Jerusalem was rebuilt (with the blessings of the Persian king), people from all the tribes had returned there (although most were of the tribes of BenJamin and Judah). Also, because the Apostles recognized that God’s promises were given to all twelve tribes, they usually mentioned all twelve tribes when they were speaking about following the Law… and when the term Israel was being used symbolically. For, when Christians used the term Israel (or Jew) when speaking of themselves, they usually used it symbolically. And many Bible readers often misunderstand this.

Notice, for example, what Paul wrote in this regard at Romans 9:6-8, ‘Now, God’s word didn’t fail, because not all who came from Israel are really Israel, nor are all of Abraham’s seed his children. For [it’s written]: That which will be called your seed will come through Isaac. However, [Isaac’s] fleshly children aren’t the children of God, the children of the promise are that seed.’

So as you can see, Paul was explaining that the Christian Congregation – which included many gentiles – could also to be referred to as Israel. For more information on this subject, see the Note in Romans, ‘God’s Chosen People.’

But, would God ever reject the literal nation of Israel in favor of a spiritual nation? He said that He would at Jeremiah 31:35-37, for there we read, ‘Thus says Jehovah, He who appointed the sun to light the day and the moon and stars to light the night, the roar of the sea and the sound of its waves, Jehovah the Almighty is His Name: If these Laws before Me cease to be, then the race of Israel won’t stand as a nation before Me, throughout the rest of the days. Jehovah says: If the skies can be raised in their height, and the floor of the ground can be lowered, I can also reject the race of Israel, says Jehovah, for all the things that they’ve done.’

So, with the end of the Old Sacred Agreement and its Laws, the race of Israel ceased to stand as a nation before God… they were ‘rejected for all the things that they’ve done.’

Symbolic Uses of the Name Israel

There are at least four places where the term Israel is used symbolically; one is found in Matthew, one in Galatians, and the other two are found in Revelation. And it is at Galatians 6:16 that Paul first used the term ‘Israel of God’ to refer, not to the fleshly nation, but to the Christian Congregation.

Then at Revelation 7:4 we read, ‘And I heard how many of them had been sealed: a hundred and forty-four thousand from among every tribe of the sons of Israel.’

What did this mean? Well, if you read the surrounding verses there in Revelation, you’ll see that this scripture is talking about a special group of people that is chosen out of Israel; twelve thousand from each of the tribes. And we know that the term Israel is used symbolically here, because the names of the tribes listed thereafter aren’t the same as those of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Notice (in verses 5-8) that the names of these symbolic twelve tribes were Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and BenJamin. So, two tribal names (the Priestly tribe of Levi, which was never listed as one of the original twelve, and the tribe of Joseph, which was represented in Israel by the names of his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh) were added, and two were deleted (Dan and Manasseh). And this is the clue that these groups of 12,000 each were taken from symbolic Israel (the Christian Congregation), not the literal nation.

Their Purpose

Then, what is the purpose of this group that is selected from among symbolic Israel? Well, notice that these 144,000 ‘chosen’ ones were called ‘the slaves of our God.’ And it appears that their choosing is for the purpose of being called to heaven with Jesus, where they are to serve as judges, kings, and Priests over ‘the twelve tribes of Israel,’ from among whom they had just been selected. For this is what Jesus promised his eleven faithful Apostles in the Promise that he made with them for ‘a Kingdom.’ The account is found at Matthew 19:28, which says, ‘I tell you the truth, in the rebirth – when the Son of Man sits down on his glorious throne – you who have followed me will sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.’

So, who are the symbolic twelve tribes of Israel that they will judge? Well, the scripture at Revelation 7:4 gives us the clue when it says that the 12,000 were each selected from among (gr. ek) these tribes. So, such specially-favored ones are selected from among all those who call themselves Christians and who are a part of the New Sacred Agreement (for more information, click on the link to the document The New Covenant).

Now, this New Sacred Agreement was different from the Promise that Jesus gave his Apostles of ‘a Kingdom,’ although it was inaugurated at the same time… upon Jesus’ death. And like the Old Sacred Agreement that was made through Moses, this Agreement wasn’t made with just Jesus’ Apostles, but with all of symbolic Israel, the Christian Congregation.

Then who comprise the 12,000 from each tribe that was spoken of at Revelation 7:4? Well, we’ll go back to Matthew 19:28 for the clue in this instance, for there we read that they were to serve as judges. So, starting with Jesus’ eleven faithful Apostles, certain ones were to be selected from the Christian Congregation to serve as judges of that Congregation (the ‘twelve tribes of Israel’).

And just why would the Christian Congregation need judging? Well, just as the early nation of Israel proved unfaithful in the beginning, the majority of those who have called themselves Christians have also proven unfaithful. So, since this select group (the 144,000) will do the judging, we must assume that they will all be in their positions in heaven before the Congregation is judged.

We know that the Christian Congregation will be judged, because Peter wrote at 1 Peter 4:17, ‘The time of judgment has come, and it’s starting with the House (or ‘Israel’) of God.’

The Three Classes

Now, if you read the entire Seventh Chapter of Revelation, you’ll notice that there’s a third group mentioned (other than symbolic Israel and those who are called to be her judges). For, at Revelation 7:9, 10 we read, ‘After all this, I saw {look!} a crowd so large that no one could count them. They came from all countries, nationalities, ethnic groups, and languages; and they were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were all wearing white robes, they carried palm branches in their hands, and they were shouting, We owe our salvation to our God who is sitting on the throne, and to the Lamb.’

Who is this third group? Well, the answer is given at Revelation 7:14-17, where we read, ‘They’re the ones that have come out of the great time of difficulty. They’ve washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. That’s why they are in front of the throne of God and worshiping Him day and night in His Temple. He who is sitting on the throne will spread His tent over them. They won’t be hungry or thirsty anymore, and the sun won’t beat down on them with blistering heat, because the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them. He will guide them to the fountains of waters of life, and God will wipe all the tears from their eyes.’

It was Jesus who foretold the coming of this ‘great time of difficulty’ out of which this large crowd would come. For at Matthew 24:21 it is recorded that he said: ‘Then there will come a great time of difficulty such as has never happened since the world’s most ancient [times] until now, nor should ever happen again.’

This ‘great time of difficulty’ was fulfilled upon ancient Jerusalem when the Roman armies surrounded the city and built a fence of pointed stakes around it, creating massive starvation among its inhabitants in the year 70-C.E. (A.D.), just before they destroyed it. However, because that entire prophecy was never completely fulfilled, we know that there must also be a similar ‘difficult time’ that will come before the Battle of Armageddon, because modern unfaithful Christian religions appear to have been pictured by unfaithful Jerusalem in the time of Jesus. So, it appears as though a modern power (similar to that of the armies of Rome) will attack those Christians who are declared unworthy by the heavenly group of judges, and that’s when they will see their ‘great time of difficulty.’

Who Are the ‘Large Crowd?’

So, the question remains: Whom does the ‘large crowd’ represent?

To this point, we’re unsure. The reason for this is that they appear to be a separate group of faithful individuals who aren’t a part of symbolic Israel, because Israel has already been identified, along with its judges, in the previous few verses. Also, the fact that they are identified as coming from all countries, nationalities, ethnic groups, and languages (that they don’t comprise Israel) would lead us to believe that they may be a third group. Yet, they are describes as having ‘washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb,’ so this seems to indicate that they are baptized believers… and perhaps they’re the ones among symbolic Israel who are judged as faithful and who survive ‘the great time of difficulty.’ Or, perhaps the fact that they are mentioned as being of mixed ethnicity (not being Israel) indicates that that they will be peoples who have not claimed to be Christians to that point and who have not come under the New Sacred Agreement.

Will All the Faithful Be Called Israel?

Yes, will all the faithful eventually be called Israel? This is a good question because; although the name Israel originally implied a wrestling with God, the Hebrew words also imply those who stuck with God, and that’s a fitting description of all who will be left on earth after the destruction of Gog and his armies. For like Jacob, they will have contended with God to receive a blessing. And if their capital is called Jerusalem (which it seems to be), then we would assume that the righteous would forever be called Israel, or those who stuck with God.

However, in the writings of the Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel), there seems to be references to the nations continuing to serve those called Israel after the final test at the end of the thousand years. For more information on this, see Ezekiel the Thirty-Ninth Chapter.

Similarity to the Israelites Leaving Egypt

Unfortunately, many religions have concluded that the ‘twelve tribes of Israel’ which Jesus’ anointed ones will judge are the same as those who Paul spoke of when he wrote (at 1 Corinthians 6:2), ‘Don’t you know that the Holy Ones will judge the world?’ So, they have concluded that ‘the twelve tribes of Israel’ are the same as ‘the world’ (gr. tas cosmos) of mankind in general. However, this is totally illogical, since Israel represents worshipers of God, while ‘the world’ seems to represent a wicked arrangement that started with Adam’s sin in Paradise.

What’s more, some of these same religions claim that the ‘twelve tribes of Israel’ (which left Egypt under Moses) represent Jesus’ anointed ones who will rule with him in heaven. So, notice the conflict: We have two groups that they identify as Israel during the ‘last days;’ one they say is the anointed, and the other they say represents the whole world. Shouldn’t we assume Bible prophecies to be more consistent than that?

Now, let’s go back and look at the twelve tribes of Israel as they left Egypt and see just who they do represent and what period in time is indicated.

Do the Israelites who left Egypt really picture those who go to heaven? Well, Paul gave us a clue when he wrote at 1 Corinthians 10:1, 2, ‘Now, I don’t want you to miss this point, brothers: All of our ancestors were under the cloud and they all passed through the sea, so they were all baptized into Moses (because of the cloud and the sea).’

So, according to Paul, coming through the Red Sea symbolizes baptism. And if we can assume this to be true, then the deliverance of Israel from Egypt doesn’t indicate just those who are taken to heaven, it represents the huge decision each Christian makes when he or she leaves ‘the world’ (unrighteous ‘Egypt’ where they lived as slaves) behind and gets baptized.

Then whom did Israel represent as they left Egypt? Well, they obviously picture all who are baptized and who claim to be Christians, regardless of their hope (whether heavenly or earthly). And while some have concluded that only ‘the vast mixed company’ who left Egypt with Israel pictured those with an earthly hope, the Bible shows that these people of various races were actually under God’s Law and His Sacred Agreement, so they were in fact Israelites

Now, if we can accept the concept that deliverance through the Red Sea pictures Christian baptism, then what followed must also happen. The Israelites thereafter had to spend forty years in the desert before they could enter ‘the promised land’ and receive their ‘inheritance.’ And during this entire period, huge numbers of them proved unfaithful, so God killed them. Does this sound like a description of the anointed being taken to heaven?

What Does ‘Forty Years’ Picture?

Then what does the forty years of Israel’s wandering in the desert picture? Well, if you look at uses of the number forty in the Bible, it pictures a period of cleansing. For example, the earth was cleansed by forty days and nights of rain during the time of Noah, and Jesus had to spend forty days and nights in the desert being tempted by the Slanderer before he could begin his work of finding and choosing his disciples.

So, Israel’s forty years in the desert may not picture an actual forty-year period before Armageddon at all, as could be assumed; rather, it may picture the period of cleansing that is required by all Christians before they are accepted by God… and then they can enter ‘the promised land’ and their ‘inheritance’ through the miraculously-parted waters of the Jordan. For more information, see the attached Commentary ‘Biblical Significance of 120 Days/Years.’

Who Do the Modern ‘Twelve Tribes of Israel’ Picture?

So, while we don’t wish to be dogmatic, it appears as though the ‘twelve tribes of Israel’ that left Egypt under Moses and the ‘twelve tribes of Israel’ that Jesus’ anointed ones will judge, are one in the same. They don’t represent ‘the world’ of mankind in general, they represent all baptized Christians (no matter what their hope) that must undergo a period of cleansing or ‘judging’ before can be accepted by God as His Israel (or ‘those who stuck with God’).

What are the requirements of those who will judge Israel? Well, notice that all of Israel, including Moses and Aaron, had to come through the Red Sea, so all had to be baptized. And that’s why even Jesus (who was pictured by Moses and Aaron) had to be baptized. And since those who were to be Priests (Aaron’s sons and the rest of the tribe of Levi) were also ‘baptized into Moses,’ we must assume that all the Priests (and judges) in heaven and on the earth must likewise be baptized and undergo a period of cleansing.

However, also notice that the Priests of the line of Aaron were the only ones that the Bible describes as ‘anointed.’ For more information, see the linked document, ‘God’s Promise of an Inheritance,’ under the heading, ‘The Anointed Priesthood.’

What Is ‘the World’ that Will Be Judged?

So, if the ‘twelve tribes of Israel’ that Jesus’ anointed followers will judge picture those in Christianity, then what is ‘the world,’ that Paul said will be judged, and when does this judging happen? Well, it either refers to the entire wicked system that started with Adam’s sin in Paradise, or to the world that started after the world that had previously existed was destroyed by water (see the Note in 2 Peter, Cosmos or World?). And since those who are chosen to heavenly life appear to be resurrected before the Battle of Armageddon (see the linked document, The Resurrection), they will likely take part in judging and condemning an unrighteous world.

So, although there are two prophecies (one by Jesus and another by Paul) that speak of anointed ones judging, they don’t have to be speaking of the same judgment, as some have concluded. And while both prophecies seem to refer to the same group as doing the judging (the anointed), the judging appears to start with Christianity (the ‘house of God’) and finishes with ‘the world.’ For, the judging of Christianity (as well as other religions) seems to start before Armageddon with the condemnation and destruction of ‘Babylon the Great’ (Revelation, 17, 18), and then ‘the world’ is judged at Armageddon (for more information, see the linked document, ‘Armageddon – When?)’

Symbolic Jerusalem

The thing that makes Jerusalem different from Israel is the fact that it doesn’t represent the nation, but rather, the government and Priesthood that’s over Israel. And while Israel may represent a group of both the faithful and unfaithful, symbolic Jerusalem always represents righteous government.

The Five Jerusalems?

Five Jerusalems? Yes, that what we’ve counted. Notice that there is:

1. Jerusalem the earthly city.

2. A Jerusalem represented by the heavenly rule over God’s people prior to the time that Jesus was appointed King. For notice what Paul wrote about this city at Galatians 4:26, ‘But the Jerusalem above is free and she’s our mother.

3. A ‘holy city’ that is persecuted early into ‘the Lord’s Day,’ for notice what Revelation 11:1, 2 tells us: ‘And they’re going to trample the Holy City under their feet for forty-two months.’
This likely represents what will happen (or has happened) to those who take the lead among the Christian body (Israel) here on the earth in ‘the last days.’

4. A future earthly Jerusalem that may be real or it may just be a symbol of righteous earthly government at that time. For, after the end of the thousand-year reign of Jesus, when the Opposer is released, the armies of Gog of Magog are going to attack that city. Notice what we read about this at Revelation 20:7-9, ‘Now, when the thousand years are completed, the Slanderer will be freed from his prison. Then he will go out and mislead people in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, and bring them together for a battle. And there will be as many as the sands of the sea. They will march across the earth and surround the camp of the Holy Ones and the loved city.’

5. The ‘New Jerusalem’ spoken of at Revelation 21:2, where we read, ‘I also saw the Holy City, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It had been prepared as a bride who is dressed for her husband.’
This appears to be the rule of the heavenly body of 144,000 who were chosen from Israel that we read about at Revelation 7:4, for it comes from heaven. However, it doesn’t seem be the same as the ‘Jerusalem above’ that Paul spoke of at Galatians 4:26, because it is referred to as the ‘New’ Jerusalem, and it hadn’t been formed yet back in Paul’s day. Nor does it appear to be the same as the Jerusalem that is attacked by Gog of Magog, because it comes ‘down out of heaven from God’ after Gog of Magog is destroyed.

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