What is the significance of Israel in God's plan?
Israel's significance lies in its role as God's chosen nation, initially purposed to establish the foundation for the Messiah. Despite failures, particularly rejecting Jesus, God's providence shifted to "spiritual Israel" (Christians). The re-establishment of the physical nation of Israel is a sign for the Last Days, with the ultimate "true Israel" defined by faith and adherence to God's truth, not ethnicity, to bring universal salvation.
The significance of Israel in God's plan is paramount, revealing God's unwavering commitment to humanity's restoration. Understanding Israel's pivotal role—its initial calling, struggles, and ultimate spiritual implications—is essential for grasping the entirety of salvation history and our contemporary responsibilities within God's unfolding Kingdom.
The Biblical Foundation: A Chosen People with a Sacred Mission
God's relationship with Israel began through an unparalleled act of election, grounded not in merit but in divine grace and purpose. Abraham was chosen to initiate a covenant that would profoundly shape human history. "The Lord had said to Abram, 'Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you'" (Genesis 12:1-3). This blessing was universally intended, positioning Israel as the primary vessel for global salvation.
Through Moses, God delivered His Law at Sinai, establishing Israel as His distinct people and a model nation. "Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Exodus 19:5-6). Israel was entrusted with safeguarding God's truth, embodying His principles, and preparing for the Messiah. The Old Testament details Israel's tumultuous journey, marked by both faithfulness and significant apostasy. For instance, after Moses laid the foundation of faith by maintaining his allegiance to God for 40 years in Pharaoh's palace and fulfilling the dispensation for the separation of Satan, the Israelites failed to trust him as their leader and liberator (Exodus 2:11-15). Their murmuring and lack of faith after he killed the Egyptian meant the national foundation of substance could not continue, forcing God to prolong His providence to a second stage, leading them on a 40-year wilderness course instead of a direct 21-day journey to Canaan.
Divine Principle's Clarification: Foundation for the Messiah
The Divine Principle clarifies that God's election of Israel was a means to an ultimate end: to establish the spiritual and physical foundation for the advent of the Messiah. This foundation required a purified people and a prepared environment through which God could directly intervene in history and initiate the providence of restoration at its highest level. Israel's central role was to uphold the Mosaic Law and create the national conditions necessary to receive the Messiah. However, their repeated failures and ultimately the national leadership’s rejection of Jesus led to profound consequences. Jesus lamented, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks, and you were not willing" (Matthew 23:37). This rejection prevented the fulfillment of the national foundation for the Messiah, thus delaying the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.
Following Jesus' crucifixion, the immediate mission to establish God's Kingdom shifted. Jesus conveyed that the Messianic role would depart from the first Israel (Matthew 21:33-46). God would take away the mission previously entrusted to them and give it to another people who could produce its fruits upon Christ's return. This "new Israel" or "spiritual Israel" became the Christians who inherited the faith of Abraham and took on the mission of Abraham's descendants. As Saint Paul wrote, "Through their trespass, the Jewish people's trespass, salvation has come to the Gentiles so as to make Israel jealous" (Romans 11:11). The chosen people who should lay the foundation for Christ at the Second Advent are not the lineal descendants of Abraham, but rather the Christians who inherited the faith of Abraham (Galatians 3:28-29). For "they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called" (Romans 9:6-7).
God's Providential Purpose: Resumption and Universality
While the rejection of Jesus led to a diversion, God's original purpose for Israel was never abandoned. The Divine Principle views the 2000-year history of Christianity as the continuation of God’s effort to restore humanity, paralleling the 2000-year Old Testament period. Prophecies of Israel's return and restoration (e.g., Ezekiel 37, Isaiah 11) have a dual fulfillment: part spiritual fulfillment through the universal Church, and part external or physical manifestations as conditions for the Last Days.
The re-establishment of the nation of Israel in 1948 is a crucial external sign of the Last Days, creating a tangible condition for the full preparation for the Second Advent of the Messiah. This event, alongside global Christianity and increasing interconnectedness, signals a time when all humanity is called to participate in God's final providence of restoration. The ultimate "true Israel" is defined not by ethnicity but by adherence to God's truth and active participation in His will, fulfilling the original Abrahamic blessing of bringing salvation to all peoples. According to Revelation 7:2-4, the nation that will inherit the unfinished work of God and bear its fruits at the Second Advent will be from the East. "And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel" (Revelation 7:4).
Living the Principle
Understanding Israel's significance calls us to transcend narrow interpretations of chosenness and embrace a universal perspective of God's plan. 1. Embrace Universal Brotherhood/Sisterhood: See all people as potential members of God's one human family, working against prejudice and division. 2. Take on Responsibility: Uphold moral principles, strive for ethical actions, and advocate for peace and justice in all spheres of life, acknowledging that God works through our faith, unity, and love. 3. Prepare for God's Kingdom: Actively engage in spiritual growth, educate others about God's plan, and create a world of peace and true family love, particularly in preparation for the Second Advent.
These answers explain the Bible in the light of the Divine Principle, the teachings of Reverend Sun Myung Moon. Read about the author, Sun Myung Moon.
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Sources and further reading
- The Holy Bible, King James Version — Scripture quoted and referenced throughout the answers.
- The Divine Principle (full text) — The complete text of the Divine Principle, the teaching of Reverend Sun Myung Moon that these answers explain.
- Unification texts library (tparents.org) — Large online library of Unification texts, sermons and collected speeches, including the Cheon Seong Gyeong.
- Short video lectures in English — Playlist of short English video lectures presenting these same principles.