The disciple Paul (Sha’ul) writes in Ephesians 2:11-13,

“Therefore remember that you, once nations (Gentiles) in the flesh, who are called ‘the uncircumcision’ by what is called ‘the circumcision’ made in the flesh by hands, that at that time you were without Messiah, excluded from the citizenship of Israel and strangers from the covenant of promise, having no expectation and without Elohim in the world. But now in Messiah Yahusha/Yeshua, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah.”

This text is a building block in our understanding of what it means to be Israel and it is a critical message for today’s church…a church that has lost its identity! In our former condition as a Gentile, we had no hope; we were separated from Yahuah/Yehovah and outside of the Covenants of Promise! But, no more is that the case. Through our Messiah – through his death, burial, and resurrection, being the First Fruits of the dead – his shed blood has given us a new life. It has given us hope. It has given us a better High Priest as our intercessor to the Father.

As it states in Hebrews 4:14, “Therefore, since we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Yahusha/Yeshua the Son of Elohim, let us hold fast our confession.” Yahusha/Yeshua is our High Priest, his Father in heaven being greater than Him (John 14:28). He is not the Father, but he is our Messiah, our eternal High Priest, and the one whom Moses spoke of in Deuteronomy 18:15: “Yahuah/Yehovah your Elohim shall raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brothers. Listen to Him.” Through Yahusha/Yeshua, we are now able to enter into a Covenant relationship with the Father and become part of the Commonwealth of Israel! Amein!

It is important to note that this does not mean we are Jews. In fact, the word “Israel” is a Hebrew word and simply means “upright with Elohim.” When we call ourselves Israel, we are simply stating that through Yahusha/Yeshua, we now have good standing with the Father. We are upright with Yah. We are Israel!

Covenants is a plural word, telling us that prior Covenants are not annulled; they simply build upon each other. We still see a rainbow in the sky and even the Covenant with Abraham has not been fulfilled in its entirety. This shows that Yahuah/Yehovah’s Covenants are alive and well. His promises remain true and always will. 

We see many believers embrace the New or Renewed Covenant, and while this is a good thing, what is often overlooked is where the Scriptures tell us WHO the Covenant is made with. We read in Hebrews 8:8, “The days are coming, declares Yahuah/Yehovah, when I will make a new covenant with the HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND THE HOUSE OF JUDAH.” This section in Hebrews is a direct quote of Jeremiah 31:31-34, so we have two witnesses to this. 

We clearly see that the New/Renewed Covenant is made with only Israel and Judah, not Gentiles. This writing also occurred AFTER Yahusha/Yeshua was crucified, resurrected, and returned to the Father. 

Some of this confusion stems from not understanding the difference between the two houses. At the time of Solomon, Israel went through a civil war that resulted in a splitting of the kingdom, the Northern Kingdom (called Israel or Ephraim), and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. 2 Kings 17 covers the history of this event. 

Judah consisted of two tribes – Judah and Benjamin. Israel was the other 10 tribes. The tribe of Levi was split into both. Also, the word “Jew” simply comes from the name “Judah”. So, all Jews are Israelites but not all Israelites are Jews. For example, those of the tribe of Reuben would have been called Reubenites. 

Paul sought to correct this thinking as he says in Romans 2:29, “But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter.”

Being Israel is about circumcision OF THE HEART! And where do we find circumcision of the heart? Actually, it’s an OLD TESTAMENT concept, not a new thing. 

We read in Deuteronomy 10:12-16: “And now, Israel, what does Yahuah/Yehovah your Elohim require of you, but to fear the Yahuah/Yehovah your Elohim, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Yahuah/Yehovah your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of Yahuah/Yehovah, which I am commanding you today for your good? Behold, to Yahuah/Yehovah your Elohim belongs heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. Yet Yahuah/Yehovah set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn.”

We see more of this inward circumcision in Deuteronomy 30:6, Jeremiah 4:4, Leviticus 26:41, and other places. 

In fact, Paul tells us many times there is neither Jew, nor Greek (Gentile) in the body of Messiah. The church is grafted into Israel (Romans 11) – ALL ISRAEL are those with a circumcised heart and now in right standing with the Father through the Son. That is why Paul says that ALL OF ISRAEL will be saved! He is not talking about a lineage or blood, but by adoption – adoption into Yahuah’s/Yehovah’s Family – Israel. We take on His Name and walk in His Ways, just as His Son, Yahusha/Yeshua, did perfectly. His Instructions (Torah) are for the CHURCH! His set-apart Sabbath and His feast days, as outlined in Leviticus 23, are for THE CHURCH! This is Covenant. And it’s an amazing berekah (blessing)!

Yahuah/Yehovah called His Instructions, the 10 Commandments, an Eternal Covenant. And they went inside the Ark of the Covenant. Sacrificial law did not. Sacrificial law was ADDED because of transgression to the Set Apart Covenant as Paul mentions in Galatians 3:19, “Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.”

The book of the law (Torah) was placed by the SIDE of the Ark of the Covenant as noted in Deuteronomy 31:26, “Take this Book of the Law/Torah and put it BY THE SIDE of the ark of the Covenant of Yahuah/Yehovah your Elohim, that it may be there for a witness against you.”

If we know that we are Israel (not Jews), we then rejoice to be part of the HOUSE OF ISRAEL – no longer separated from Messiah, no longer alienated from the Commonwealth of Israel, no longer strangers to the Covenants of promise, no longer without hope, and no longer without Elohim in the world. Amein! 

The mystery is solved. Yahuah/Yehovah divorced the northern tribe of Israel in Jeremiah 3, but He did not divorce Judah. But even then, Yahuah/Yehovah calls Israel to repent and return to Him. But how? After all, that goes against Yahuah/Yehovah’s own Instructions about divorce and remarriage that we see in Deuteronomy 24:1-4. How could Yahuah/Yehovah ask something against His own Instructions? That was the mystery! But through the death and resurrection of the Messiah, the mystery was solved as the death of the original husband frees the wife to remarry and be free from adultery. Messiah came for the lost sheep of the House of Israel! 

We enter into Covenant with the Father through the door, our Messiah.

WE. ARE. ISRAEL.  And all Israel will be saved.