I AM ISRAEL – YOU ARE ISRAEL

  It seems that the Old Testament is all about Israel. It is, but it is all about all of us! What goes on in Israel goes on within all of us. The Old Testament is all about Israel and the Lord God, and it is all about you, me, and the Lord Jesus. One must understand; the Lord of the Torah, the prophets, the poets, and the wise; is Lord of all!
  Isaiah saw Jesus in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel:

KEY VERSES: Ye (Israel) are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour. (Isa 43:10-11)

  Isaiah 43:10 is where the Jehovah’s Witness cult obtained their name. Indeed, the Israelites were God’s witnesses to the world, and we, as Christians, are to be witnesses to the nations; “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 6:15).
  The Jehovah’s Witnesses actually do a better job of that than Christians do; albeit theirs is a false gospel. The passage from the Book of Mark is to Christians, as is the passage from Isaiah is to the Israelites. Therein, Jehovah identifies Himself as “Savior” – Jesus is He! Those who have covenanted with Jesus are as those who had covenanted with Jehovah.
  Isaiah saw Jehovah as Jesus Christ when he wrote, “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles” (Isa 42:1). Jesus Is God’s Elect, as is written:

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things… But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you. (1 Pet 1:18-20)

  Therein are extremely important things: (1) Christ Jesus is the Redeemer, (2) redemption was by the blood of a perfect person, (3) who was elected before the foundation of the world, and (4) and He is God manifested. The entire Old Testament is God manifesting Himself to mankind. When He spoke, it was the Voice of Jesus; when he wrote prescriptions for mankind’s healing, it was by Jesus finger; and when He wrote on the wall the prognoses of sinners, it was Jesus’s hand. Jesus is Jehovah’s Witness, and as Jesus’s disciples, all Christians are to witness Jesus. What is it that Christians are to witness: “That ye may know and believe Me, and understand that I Am He: before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the Lord; and beside Me there is no Savior,” and that is that Jehovah is the Lord Jesus!
  The Lord said to the Israelites, “But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine” (Isa 43:1). Jacob means “heal grabber” as he grabbed Esau’s heel during the birthing process and eventually became the first born by obtaining primogeniture over his brother. His righteous name became “Israel.” The meaning of that name is uncertain, but the premise of Abarim Publications is that it means, “He Has Become A Receptacle In Which God Can Be Received And Retained.” That name describes Jacob, the nation of Israel, and Jesus Christ himself. Jesus, like Jacob, became the receptacle (manifestation) in which Jehovah was received and the body in which God was retained.
Of course, Israel was the imperfect vessel, but Jesus the perfect vessel. As Christians, it is clear throughout scripture that Christians are the vessels wherein Christ resides. (as an example, 2 Tim 2:21). Hence, we are Israel:

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. (2 Tim 2:21-22)

  There are two types of vessels – those who contain dishonorable things and those that contain the honorable. Those vessels are the persons whose souls contain either unrighteousness or righteousness. Israel, as God’s vessel, contained unrighteousness and righteousness at different times, but God was graceful with them for they were His chosen people, as is written, “For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth” (Deut 14:2). That refers to Israel. What does scripture say about Christians? “Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light” (1 Pet 2:9). In other words, Christians are Israel and are, “Receptacles In Which God Can Be Received And Retained.”
  Paul explained that idea when he asked of Christians, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you” (1 Cor 3:16)? We are Israel, and I am Israel, and what applies to Israel applies to us! The Lord is the Redeemer of Israel:

O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour (Isa 43:1-3)

  Notice the similarities of those to the key verses, namely the Lord as Israel’s Savior just as the Lord is the Savior of Christians. The implication throughout scripture is that Israelism is Christianity as their dependence was on God who would manifest Himself as Jesus, and that righteous Israelites were Christians. The previous verses have a promise for the vessels for the Holy Spirit – to save from turbulence of destruction whether it be by water or fire.
  Of course, mankind was saved from water in the days of Noah, and shall be saved from perishing in fire on the great and terrible day of the Lord.
  Isaiah writes of both terrible days for Israel and great days for them as well! What Isaiah says about Israel applies to Gentiles as well.
  When a person reads the Old Testament, he or she should ask continually: (1) What has this to do with Jesus? And (2) What does the lesson for Israel have to do with me? The Lord saved a remnant of Israel, and in the end, 144,000 of those living shall be saved. Those are just a few of the millions of Jews. Perhaps, 144,000 to millions is the ratio as the Way to Heaven has a narrow path.  I intend to be one of the few as God’s peculiar person, for I am Israel!

Israel (from Getty Images)