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"For they are not all Israel which are of Israel" (Romans 9:6)
By Mahlon Wickey November, 2010
The scriptures are able to make us WISE unto salvation (2Tim 3:15). The careful study of scripture is WISDOM so that we can be WISE to KNOW the divine PURPOSE of salvation as it relates to a people called ISRAEL. So let us honestly consider what the apostle Paul truly meant in Romans 9:6. It DEMANDS this question; WHO are the people that are NOT the Israel that are STILL "of Israel"? Is this a biblical contradiction? On the surface it would seem so. As we know, under the old covenant a people called Israel were determined by RACE; a birth into a continuing physical seed-line from a man called Jacob/Israel.
The way Romans 9:6 is worded is fairly accurate in the KJV, and as we shall see when compared to other translations I believe this phrase could simply have been written in this manner.... "Not everyone of Israel that came by natural racial descent can be called Israel".
I believe that is what Paul meant in Romans 9:6, and it would mean that there would be major implications regarding certain people in today's world that call themselves RACIAL Israelites that are "of Israel" simply because their genetic ancestry can be traced back to the natural racial decent of Israel. But if we are honest with Paul's INSPIRED statement these racial Israelites of TODAY might NOT be biblically called ISRAELITES!
Obviously these people that the apostle Paul considered "not all Israel" were on the scene during New Testament times; which prompted Paul to write this statement, but without any hesitation Paul made it clear that these people were STILL of the genetic seed-line of Israel ("which are of Israel"). I want to attempt to explain in this article why I believe that God regards a certain "Israel" under the new covenant as being separated from the natural racial Israel of the old covenant.
It is obvious that the Bible is the book about the calling and spiritual destiny of a people called Israel. Starting with Abraham God made a covenant and promise that through Abraham and his seed ALL nations and ALL families of the earth would be blessed (Gen 12:3, 26:4, 28:14).
But this covenant and promise then went to ONLY the seed of Isaac, and then to Israel and the twelve tribes. During the old covenant this "seed" (sperm) produced physical Israel, but most Churches of today believe the physical seed of Isaac/Israel is NOW considered to be a "spiritual seed" of Abraham. But the physical "seed" of Abraham/Isaac/Israel is NOT somehow changed into a "spiritual" seed, as we shall see.
Romans 9:6 could be explained in the same manner and premise as NOT all people living in the United States are true Americans. So what is a TRUE American? A true American has to do with one being recognized as a citizen under the laws of the United States, and NOT necessarily according to one’s genealogy and RACE. Could this be the premise of Romans 9:6? But Paul's statement, "which are of Israel" I believe means being born into the natural seed-line of Isaac/Israel.
The question is; did Paul's statement mean that there were people NOT regarded as Israelites that were living in the area and land of Judea at that time in history? If this was the case then nevertheless these people NOT regarded as Israelites were STILL of the natural seed-line of Israel ("which are OF Israel"), as Paul explained. Since Paul was writing to Gentiles (which were NOT regarded as Israelites of Judea) was this the possible reason as to why he penned this statement in Romans 9:6? I will address the term "Gentiles" later. These are only my opinions but they could be valid. But I believe there is another way to explain Romans 9:6 which I want to address, but again it will be only my opinion and only a possible valid theory.
I want to now show several translations of Romans 9: 6-9, and keep in mind that various translations are all worded differently because they are NOT the original inspired words of scripture, and this is why it is best to compare other translations. The following translations will show that the general theme of Romans 9:6-9 is consistent; which is that NOT all people that descended from Israel are considered as "Israel", but they STILL are of the natural seed-line of Israel.
I do NOT believe there was a biblical reason to make the "children of the promise" of the seed of Isaac/Israel into a "spiritual seed" as the modern Churches are compelled to do. With the laws of biology and genetics, and using common sense, the seed of Isaac/Israel will ALWAYS be a physical seed, which most Churches FAIL to acknowledge or to explain.
Please read these following translations very carefully....
(King James Version) Rom 9:6-9 (6) Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: (7) Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. (8) That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. (9) For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son.
(1912 Weymouth New Testament) Rom 9:6-9 (6) Not however that God's word has failed; for all who have sprung from Israel do not count as Israel, (7) nor because they are Abraham's true children. But the promise was "THROUGH ISAAC SHALL YOUR POSTERITY BE RECKONED. (8) In other words, it is not the children by natural descent who count as God's children, but the children made such by the promise are regarded as Abraham's posterity. (9) For the words are the language of promise and run thus, "ABOUT THIS TIME NEXT YEAR I WILL COME, AND SARAH SHALL HAVE A SON."
(God’s Word) Rom 9:6-9 (6) Now it is not as though God's word has failed. Clearly, not everyone descended from Israel is part of Israel (7) or a descendant of Abraham. However, as Scripture says, "Through Isaac your descendants will carry on your name." (8) This means that children born by natural descent from Abraham are not necessarily God's children. Instead, children born by the promise are considered Abraham's descendants. (9) For example, this is what the promise said, "I will come back at the right time, and Sarah will have a son."
(International Standard Version) Rom 9:6-9 (6) Now it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all Israelites truly belong to Israel, (7) and not all of Abraham's descendants are his true descendants. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that descendants will be named for you." (8) That is, it is not the children of natural descent who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as descendants. (9) For this is the language of promise: "At this time I will return, and Sarah will have a son."
As these translations all explain, the word of God did NOT FAIL in the promise given to Abraham, which is the EXACT premise of Paul’s statements! Of course, the word of God did NOT FAIL in keeping what was PROMISED to Abraham in spite of a certain "Israel" that does NOT "count as Israel", that is "NOT a part of Israel", and does "NOT belong to Israel"!
So WHO are the "children of the promise" that will NOT FAIL in eventually blessing ALL nations and ALL families of the earth? According to Paul, these are children that do NOT "count", that are NOT a "part of", and DO NOT "belong" to the natural Israel of the old covenant. Paul’s statements obviously point to a "seed" NOT of natural descent. What was the issue and controversy that prompted Paul to make these statements? Remember, Paul wrote these statements AFTER the old covenant had SERVED its purpose. This is very important!
Believe it or not, this same issue and controversy is still going on today among certain sincere Bible-believing people. Are the "children of the promise" determined by RACE; to be birthed into a continuing natural physical seed-line, or are they determined by another "birth"? That is the question.
The problem is that Paul had to explain to the believers of his day a certain "Israel" that they were NOT familiar with! He had to explain how the covenant and promise given to Abraham made to the natural physical descendents of Isaac/Israel was somehow changed and NOW given to a certain "Israel" that is NOT based on natural and racial descent.
So was it "double talk" for Paul to explain that the children that were to inherit this covenant and promise was based on Sarah giving birth to Isaac, and YET these children STILL were NOT a part of, did NOT count, and did NOT belong to the old covenant racial Israel?
Isaac's seed were the "children of the promise", but they were just as natural and racial as the "children of the flesh" since BOTH were of Abraham's natural posterity through Isaac. So it must be assumed that the "children of the promise" are made into a "spiritual" seed, right? Wrong!
Sarah's conception was a miracle (who was PAST the age of conception, Hebrews 11:11), but there is nothing "spiritual" about Sarah being conceived by physical seed (sperm), and giving birth to a physical son called Isaac, if you get my point. The point is, physical things can NEVER be turned into spiritual things; they can only be used as TYPES to picture the spiritual REALITIES, which just might be the theological KEY that will UNLOCK and explain Paul's statements. We shall see.
Since the seed of Isaac/Israel was physical offspring, and the scriptures have to be consistent, therefore that same physical seed of Isaac/Israel is carried over into the New Testament. It is these SAME "children of the flesh" and "children of the promise" that the apostle Paul had to explain to the believers of his day. The major point is that only AFTER Christ's death could Paul mention ANOTHER "Israel", but this "Israel" was STILL out of the natural seed of Isaac/Israel. Hence the term: "for they are not all Israel, which are of Israel".
So just WHO is ANOTHER "Israel" that the believers of Paul’s day were NOT familiar with? Why would Paul even mention this statement if (I repeat, IF) natural RACIAL Israel is indeed the ONLY "Israel" in the eyes of God? According to Paul there was a certain "Israel" that was NOT reckoned by natural racial descent; but they were still of (yes, OF) natural RACIAL Israel.
These natural racial Israelites of the old covenant were no longer called the people of God (Hosea 1:9-10). Why? Because of spiritual adultery God divorced himself (this included BOTH the houses of Judah and Israel) in order to NOT be identified with these descendents of RACIAL Isaac/Israel. Therefore their understanding was darkened, they were alienated (estranged) from the life of God, blinded, hardened, ignorant, having no hope, without God in the world, and strangers (yes, strangers) from the covenants of promise. This is all explained in the following scriptures….
Ephesians 4:18 (KJV) Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: {blindness: or, hardness}
Ephesians 2:12 (KJV) That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
"Strangers" means that the covenants of promise were NO longer PROMISED to these divorced Israelites? They were not even citizens (commonwealth) of national physical Israel but they were STILL "of Israel" in the sense of being the natural genetic physical offspring of the physical seed (sperm) of Isaac/Israel. But the question is; are these "divorced from God" non-citizens of national physical Israel this certain "Israel" that was NOT determined by natural racial decent?
This non-citizenship status was based on the old covenant natural Israel, so obviously there is ANOTHER kind of Israel. The very important point is that under the new covenant God does NOT consider natural racial Israel as even being CALLED Israel since they were divorced "cut off" from God, and STRANGERS of the covenants of promise. Therefore these natural-born "children of the promise" could NOT fulfill their destiny in blessing ALL nations and ALL families of the earth. Their status of being natural Israel, and being divorced, blinded, alienated (estranged) from the life of God had to CHANGE into a spiritual status of a "new birth" by an incorruptible "heavenly" SEED, as we shall see.
But I keep repeating myself to stress the VALID point that they were STILL of the natural seed-line of Isaac/Israel, but please understand; they could NOT be called the "Israel" of the old covenant! Many of the "children of the promise" were called but NOT chosen of God during New Testament times ("many are called but few Chosen") (Matthew 22:14). Most RACIAL Israelites of TODAY that are scattered in all the world are also NOT chosen of God during this AGE of evil and deception. These people are left in their spiritual blindness, without Christ and God in the world, and are regarded as NOT even being CALLED Israel, but instead are regarded as pagan heathen people (Gentiles), even DURING this present day and age.
Now I want to explain a viewpoint that is NOT shared and accepted by certain people in today’s world, so please follow me closely on this. The gospel was also preached to and INCLUDED the "Gentiles" as proven by many New Testament scriptures, as we all know. Therefore the Gentiles are on the SAME non-citizenship status as the Israel that is NOT counted as Israel, simply because Gentiles are ALSO non-citizens of Israel and ALSO not counted as Israel. This is very important!
The term, "Gentiles" simply means nations, which therefore COULD include non-Israelite nations. During New Testament times the Gentiles were considered as the northern ten tribes of Israel that God had divorced and put away in punishment that were dispersed in all nations (Gentiles) of that known world. But please understand; the apostles could ONLY reach and preach to the nations of that known world, which is where these "Gentile" non-citizen Israelites were generally located. These "Gentile" Israelites along with unbelieving Israelites of Judea did not even count as being called "Israel"!
Only by a spiritual re-birth (NOT a natural seed-line birth) could these "Gentile" Israelites be regarded as true REAL Israel, which I believe is the premise of Paul's statement; "they are NOT all Israel" (that is, NOT until they are "born AGAIN" into the family of God of the true REAL Israel).
In the context of Romans 9:6 natural born seed-line Israel is NOT counted as "Israel", but so are non-Israel gentiles also NOT counted as Israel; but BOTH are ABLE to respond to the gospel message! This is very important to understand since the New Testament gospel message included the "Gentiles"!
I believe God considers a people called "Israel" a people that are born of another birth that is NOT determined by RACE or of natural physical decent. They are to be "born AGAIN" or a heavenly "re-birth" and a NEW creation conceived in the HEART (NOT in the womb) by the spiritual seed of God upon their belief and response to the New Testament gospel message! This is a SPIRITUAL conception into the family of REAL Israel from the REAL Jerusalem above that is FREE….
Galatians 4:26 (KJV) But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Yes, FREE from the "legal" bondage of the old covenant LAWS, and conceived and BORN of the REAL "heavenly" MOTHER of us all. This heavenly "mother" from above gives "birth" (in the heart) by a spiritual "conception" caused by the incorruptible seed that comes by the word of God….
1Peter 1:23 (KJV) Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
The major point is that Peter mentioned TWO kinds of seeds. But which seed is required for the heavenly "re-birth"? The corruptible "seed" means sowing of parentage (G4701), which is linked to birth. It is the seed (sperm) sown by a parent that produces a "corruptible" physical conception and physical birth. There are certain people today that believe this corruptible seed sown by parents (sperm) of RACIAL Israel is the requisite (required) for receiving salvation.
In other words, it is believed that one must be of PURE blood, and NOT be genetically "mixed" with other races to even be eligible for salvation! Please understand; this "corruptible" seed only PROVES a corruptible RACIAL Israel in today’s world. It does NOT prove the REAL incorruptible seed from the REAL "mother", which is the REAL Jerusalem above that produces the REAL ISRAEL!
The promise and covenant is NOW based on this incorruptible "heavenly" seed of God that has REPLACED the "corruptible" seed (sperm) SOWN by RACIAL Israel. The old covenant laws of physical types shows that physical racial Israel was used as a type that pictured the REALITY of the REAL "heavenly" Israel! Yes, there is a "spiritual Israel", and yes, there is a "spiritual" seed, but it is NOT the natural seed of Isaac/Israel changed into the "spiritual seed of Abraham" as the modern Churches believe and teach. This NEW birth and the NEW creation are NOT dependent on being born INTO a physical seed-line that comes by blood, will of the flesh, and the will of man (sexual union), as explained by the apostle John….
John 1:13 (KJV) Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
There is a physical Israel that comes by a "corruptible seed" of the will of the flesh (sexual drive). But there is the REALITY of the TRUE family of REAL Israel that comes by the "incorruptible seed" by having the CORRECT faith and being converted by the TRUE word of God "which liveth and abideth forever", as the apostle Peter explained in 1Peter 1:23.
The vast majority of the natural seed of Isaac/Israel during this evil age are blinded to their racial ancestry and genetic roots, and also spiritually blinded in correct biblical doctrine. These people during New Testament times were also blinded and were called "Gentiles", and in this present day and AGE these same people are still called and labeled as "Gentiles".
The term "Gentiles" simply means nations, but it also means RACE as of the same HABIT of a pagan foreign tribe (G1484). The twelve tribes of Israel were NEVER biblically considered as foreign tribes by God, which is why I believe the inspired meaning of "gentiles" could indeed INCLUDE "tribes" of people OTHER than the twelve tribes of Israel.
The whole world generally always had nations (Gentiles) separated by RACE with certain HABITS that set them apart from other nations of people, which is why this "separation" of nations (Gentiles) could simply be called "tribes’. The RACIAL habits of other "tribes" would therefore be INCLUDED with the RACIAL habits of the twelve tribes of Israel scattered in ALL nations (Gentiles).
Eventually ALL nations and ALL families of the earth will be blessed by the covenant and promise made to Abraham through the chosen saints that are "born from above" of the heavenly "incorruptible seed" of God. These "born of God" chosen saints are called "firstfruits" that will be resurrected FIRST as the FIRST "spring" harvest of souls….
James 1:18 (KJV) Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
Revelation 14:4 (KJV) These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
It is these "firstfruit" saints that are redeemed FIRST to be chosen of God to be a spiritual "light of the Gentiles"….
Acts 13:47 (KJV) For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
It is these "firstfruit" saints that were (and ARE) being tried, tested, and JUDGED so that they will be qualified to be the salvation of the Gentiles unto the "ends" of the earth (G2078); which means salvation for the LAST and uttermost Gentiles all over the earth. Read also Isaiah 49:6.
This was, and still is, the true faith and belief of the Church that Jesus Christ is building, as the New Testament proves. The theme and the WARNINGS of the New Testament were to call, choose, and to spiritually prepare the "firstfruits" for the FIRST resurrection!
Blindness in part happened to the vast majority of racial Israel in this evil world/age (Romans 11:25), however this blindness is for a future glorious purpose! That is why this blindness it is NOT the fault of present day believers.
But it is this spiritual blindness that caused the belief systems of modern Christianity to be generally built on men’s traditions; and NOT built on the true INSPIRED words of God in the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. God is calling many but choosing only a FEW of the vast majority of natural born Israelites and Gentiles during this evil world/age of deception.
God is choosing ONLY the "firstfruits" that are in the process of overcoming (overpowering) ALL the "religious", "scientific", and "political" deceptions of this evil world/age. It is these "born" of God "firstfruit" saints that God will resurrect at the last trump (seventh) that will inherit the kingdom to RULE with Jesus Christ during the thousand years (Revelation 14:4, 20:6). It is the Father's good pleasure to give the kingdom to this "little flock" of qualified saints….
Luke 12:32 (KJV) Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
But the vast majority of racial Israelite people and people of other Gentile nations will NOT inherit the kingdom. But they will all be resurrected to be tried by "fire" and judged according to their works (good or bad) to receive their rewards and their salvation....
Revelation 20:11-12 (KJV) And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. (12) And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
This judgment is called the white throne judgment of WORKS. The major point is; it is NOT a judgment of FAITH that the "firstfruit" saints are judged on.
In conclusion, I know this theological journey that I have taken in this article is probably complicated and hard to follow for some people. Maybe others have a complete different "take" on Romans 9:6 than what was presented in this article, and I truly want to know how others might explain this scripture. I realize I could be wrong with my premise of Romans 9:6, and might not have explained this scripture accurately since there might be other theological points involved. But I can only hope and pray this article has stimulated some serious thinking on the phrase, "For they are not all Israel which are of Israel".
By Mahlon Wickey November, 2010
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