Is Israel today the Israel of the Bible?
Yes, Israel today is the same Israel spoken of in the Bible, and the reasons are clear from Scripture, covenant theology, and history. This is one of the core convictions of dispensational, conservative Baptist theology, and it is grounded in a literal reading of God’s promises.
Below is the straightforward, no nonsense explanation.
1. God’s covenant with Israel was unconditional and eternal
The modern nation is the continuation of the same ethnic, covenantal people God chose in the Old Testament. Scripture is blunt here, and the promises did not expire, transfer to the church, or get spiritualized.
Genesis 17:7–8
“And I will establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”
Three things are called everlasting:
The covenant
The people
The land
If God calls something everlasting, then it does not get cancelled by Rome, Islam, liberal theology, or replacement theorists.
2. The prophets predicted Israel would be scattered, preserved, and regathered
That is exactly what happened. No other nation on earth disappeared for 1900 years and returned in its ancient homeland under its ancient name, speaking its ancient language.
Ezekiel 36:24
“For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.”
That happened in 1948 and continues to this day. The Bible predicted the diaspora and the regathering long before it happened. Israel’s reappearance is not political accident, it is prophecy on display. See Ezekiel’s 430 days where the book of Ezekiel predicted Israel regathering as a nation 2500 years in advance down to the day exactly. You can’t just ignore that kind of Biblical accuracy.
Isaiah 11:12
“And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.”
3. The New Testament still recognizes Israel as Israel
Paul, writing decades after the resurrection, makes clear that Israel still exists as the covenant people, distinct from the church.
Romans 11:1–2
“I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew.”
If Israel had been replaced, Paul would not say God has not cast them away.
Romans 11:25–26
“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery… that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved.”
Israel is blinded in part and temporarily, which assumes:
Israel still exists,
Israel will awake,
Israel will be restored.
The church is never called “Israel.” Israel is never redefined as “the church.” The distinction remains intact.
4. Israel’s survival is supernatural evidence of God’s hand
No nation has been attacked, exiled, enslaved, scattered, persecuted, and yet remained intact as a people group for 3,500 years.
Egypt is gone.
Assyria is gone.
Babylon is gone.
Rome is gone.
Israel remains.
God said this would be the case.
Jeremiah 31:35–36
“Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day… If those ordinances depart from before me… then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.”
God ties Israel’s continued existence to the sun, moon, and stars. When those disappear, Israel will disappear. They are still here.
5. The end times prophecies require a literal Israel
You cannot have a future Tribulation, Antichrist, Temple, or Millennial Kingdom without a real Israel existing in the land.
Jesus Himself said Jerusalem would be central in the last days.
Luke 21:24
“Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”
That implies:
Jerusalem will one day not be run by Gentiles,
Israel must be back in its land,
Israel must control Jerusalem again.
This happened in 1967. That is prophecy fulfilled. Which Ezekiel also predicted, down to the day exactly.
6. The world’s hatred of Israel also validates prophecy
The irrational global obsession with a tiny strip of land the size of New Jersey is itself evidence of biblical truth.
Zechariah 12:3
“And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.”
The stage is set exactly as Scripture describes.
Bottom Line
Yes, the Israel that exists today is the same Israel God covenantally chose in Scripture. It is the continuation of Abraham’s descendants, preserved by God, regathered to the land, and placed at the center of end-time prophecy exactly as the Bible said it would be.
A literal reading of Scripture leads to only one conclusion:
Modern Israel is the Israel of the Bible, preserved by God for His prophetic purposes, and no amount of political turmoil or liberal revisionism can undo His covenant.
However, I tend to see one extreme or the other. One side will embrace replacement theology and say Israel today is not the Israel of the Bible so they must be totally ignored or disregarded. The other extreme is evangelists or politicians saying that modern Israel can do no wrong and America must throw all of it’s assets to them. Lets examine this with proper theology rather than social media nonsense that is so prevalent today.
A sober, biblical, conservative position does not tell Christians to blindly pour money into modern Israel, nor does it tell Christians to deny Israel’s biblical identity. Both extremes collapse because they fail to distinguish the covenant people, the modern secular state, and the unbelief of present-day Judaism.
Here is the balanced, biblical view that honors Scripture without falling for sentimental or political manipulation.
1. The land belongs to Israel by covenant, but unbelief is still unbelief
God promised Abraham’s physical descendants a specific land. That is settled.
Genesis 17:8
“And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession.”
The land grant is unconditional. Their spiritual standing is not.
Most Jews today are secular. Many religious Jews reject Christ openly. Some do persecute Christians. That is not new.
Acts 7:52
“Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted?”
Israel’s covenant does not mean their present unbelief is righteous. It simply means God is not done with them.
2. Modern Israel is prophetically significant, but not spiritually submitted to Christ
Prophecy requires a literal Israel back in the land. That is why 1948 and 1967 matter.
Yet Scripture is plain that Israel’s spiritual condition before the Tribulation is hardness and blindness.
Romans 11:25
“Blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.”
So yes, they are still Israel.
No, they are not spiritually obedient.
And no, Christians are not commanded to fund secular unbelief.
3. Blessing Israel does not mean subsidizing everything they do
Christians who quote Genesis 12:3 (“I will bless them that bless thee…”) often forget the context. Blessing Abraham included:
honoring God’s covenant,
honoring Abraham’s line,
supporting God’s purposes,
not blindly cutting checks to a modern government.
The command is spiritual, not political.
It is about attitude, not foreign aid budgets.
Supporting Israel’s right to exist is biblical.
Surrendering all your wealth to them is not.
4. The New Testament never commands the church to materially fund Israel
The church is commanded to:
support missionaries,
support widows,
support the poor,
support the spread of the gospel.
There is no command saying:
“Give your resources to unbelieving Jews because they live in the Holy Land.”
Paul raised money for Jewish Christians, not for the Sanhedrin, not for the Pharisees, not for the Jerusalem authorities who crucified Christ.
There is not a single verse telling the church to financially enrich unbelieving Judaism. Not a single verse.
5. Many Jewish leaders today openly oppose Christianity
That does not erase their identity as Israel, but it certainly does not require Christians to bankroll them.
1 Thessalonians 2:15 describes those who opposed Christ and the early church. This does not make them “not Israel,” but it does describe their spiritual state.
This is why your position is correct:
Affirm Israel’s prophetic identity.
Reject the idea that their unbelief deserves unconditional financial support.
The Bible allows both truths simultaneously.
6. The church supports Israel’s future redemption, not their present rebellion
Prophecy says one day God will transform them.
Zechariah 12:10
“They shall look upon me whom they have pierced.”
But that day is not today.
Christians can support Israel’s right to exist and God’s covenant purposes, while also recognizing that:
the state is secular,
many leaders reject Christ,
and Judaism today is not biblical faith but a Christ-denying system.
We honor the covenant without endorsing the unbelief.
7. The real biblical balance
Reject Extreme #1:
“Modern Israel is fake, God is done with them.”
This denies clear prophecy.
Reject Extreme #2:
“Give Israel all your money and never question anything.”
This is sentimental nonsense with no New Testament mandate.
The Biblical middle:
God is not finished with Israel.
Their land covenant still stands.
Their spiritual condition is still unbelief.
Their future redemption is certain.
The church owes them love, truth, and prayer, not blank checks.
Bottom Line
Christians do not owe Israel blind loyalty or unlimited resources. We owe them acknowledgment of their covenant identity, prayer for their salvation, and respect for the role God gave them in the end times.
Anything beyond that enters the realm of politics, emotion, or manipulation, not Scripture.
This is the balanced stance of literal, conservative, dispensational theology.
Below is the clear, conservative, no-nonsense explanation of proper dispensationalism for people who tend to fall into extremes, whether antisemitic hostility or blind pro-Israel sentimentality. This is the balanced, biblical framework that men like John Walvoord, Charles Ryrie, and classical Baptist dispensationalists held.
This is what you want when teaching people who need a sober, grounded explanation.
1. Dispensationalism starts with God’s character, not Israel’s behavior
A real dispensationalist doesn’t worship Israel and doesn’t hate Israel. A real dispensationalist simply takes God at His Word.
If God says His covenant is everlasting, then it is.
If God says Israel is spiritually blind right now, then they are.
If God promises a future national restoration, then He will do it.
In other words:
Dispensationalism is about God keeping His promises, not about Israel deserving them.
This cuts off both extremes immediately.
2. The Bible teaches a distinction between Israel and the Church
This is the backbone of dispensationalism.
Romans 11:1–2
“Hath God cast away his people? God forbid… God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew.”
1 Corinthians 10:32
“Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God.”
Three distinct groups:
Jews
Gentiles
The church
The church is not Israel. Israel is not the church.
This stops the antisemitic view that “Israel was replaced.”
This also stops the over-supportive view that “Israel is already spiritually right with God.”
3. Present Israel is prophetically significant but spiritually blind
Dispensationalists affirm two truths simultaneously:
Truth 1: Israel is restored to the land by God’s providence
This aligns with Ezekiel 36, Isaiah 11, and Luke 21.
Truth 2: Israel today is in unbelief
They do not have the New Covenant blessings yet.
Romans 11:25
“Blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.”
That means:
Israel is still Israel (rejects antisemitic nonsense).
Israel is spiritually hardened right now (rejects pro-Israel sentimentalism).
A proper dispensationalist doesn’t pretend Israel is saved, righteous, or spiritually obedient. They aren’t yet.
4. God’s future plan includes national repentance, not unconditional approval
Dispensationalists understand that God will bring Israel to repentance at the Second Coming.
Zechariah 12:10
“They shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him.”
That is not happening now. That is future.
So the biblical position is:
We honor God’s covenant with Israel,
We do not treat modern unbelieving Israel as spiritually justified,
We recognize their eventual salvation is future, not present.
Both extremes fail because they refuse to hold these truths in tension.
5. Blessing Israel does NOT mean endorsing all actions of the modern state
This is where many evangelicals go off the rails.
Proper dispensationalism teaches:
Support their right to exist,
Acknowledge their covenant right to the land,
Recognize their central role in prophecy,
Pray for their future salvation,
…but it does not teach:
Send them all your money,
Treat them as spiritually correct,
Justify every political, military, or religious decision they make,
Ignore their rejection of the Messiah.
Blind loyalty is not biblical loyalty.
6. Dispensationalism rejects antisemitism completely
Why? Because antisemitism is defiance against God’s explicit promises.
Genesis 12:3
“I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee.”
God did not ask Gentiles to love Israel’s unbelief, but He did command them not to despise the people He covenanted with.
Classic antisemitism is rebellion against God’s declared will.
7. Dispensationalism rejects the modern “Israel worship” error
Some evangelicals act like the modern Israeli government is a spiritual Jerusalem. It is not.
It is secular,
Often hostile to Christianity,
Not governed by Torah,
Not awaiting Messiah,
Not spiritually regenerated.
A proper dispensationalist supports Israel’s covenant identity, not their current spiritual rebellion.
8. Summary of proper dispensationalism
A biblically faithful, balanced, dispensational position teaches:
1. God’s covenant with Israel is eternal.
Not replaced, not canceled.
2. The church and Israel are distinct.
Different peoples, different promises, different destinies.
3. Modern Israel’s return is prophetic but incomplete.
The regathering is in unbelief.
4. Israel’s spiritual restoration is still future.
Christ returns, then they repent nationally.
5. Christians honor the covenant without endorsing unbelief.
Pray for Israel, support their right to the land, but do not pretend they are spiritually fine.
6. Both extremes are wrong.
Antisemitism denies Scripture.
Blind support ignores Scripture.
7. Dispensationalism is about God’s faithfulness, not Israel’s current behavior.
Proper dispensationalism avoids both extremes that dominate the public conversation, the blind “Israel can do no wrong” mentality and the foolish claim that modern Israel is not the Israel of Scripture. A biblical, conservative position begins with the character of God, not the conduct of Israel. God made an everlasting covenant with Abraham’s physical descendants, promising them a land, a nation, and a future work of redemption that He Himself will accomplish. This means Israel’s covenant identity is intact, and their return to the land is prophetically significant, but it does not mean their present spiritual condition is healthy or that Christians must treat the modern secular state as if it already walks in obedience to Christ. Scripture is blunt that Israel today is in a temporary state of blindness, as Romans chapter 11 verse 25 declares, “Blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.” They are still God’s covenant people, but they are presently in unbelief, and their spiritual restoration is a future event tied to the Second Coming when, according to Zechariah chapter 12 verse 10, “They shall look upon me whom they have pierced.”
This balanced view crushes antisemitism because God Himself says in Genesis chapter 12 verse 3, “I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee.” To despise Israel’s existence or deny their covenant identity is to argue with God’s explicit declarations. At the same time, true dispensationalism rejects the sentimental evangelical error that treats modern Israel as a flawless spiritual entity deserving unlimited money, political loyalty, or theological approval. Supporting Israel’s right to the land does not obligate Christians to approve secular policies, excuse unbelief, or pretend the modern state is the kingdom of God. The church supports Israel’s covenant identity, prays for their salvation, and recognizes their role in God’s prophetic timeline, but does not ignore their rejection of Christ or elevate them to a place Scripture does not give them in this age.
In short, authentic dispensationalism honors God’s promises without abandoning biblical clarity. It refuses to deny Israel’s identity, and it refuses to idolize modern Israel’s actions. It acknowledges that God will keep every promise He made to Abraham, yet it also affirms that national repentance, spiritual renewal, and the fulfillment of the New Covenant will only come when Christ returns. Both extremes, the antisemitic denial of Israel and the naïve glorification of Israel, collapse under the weight of Scripture. The Bible presents a balanced, sober, and literal framework, and that is the ground Christians should stand on.
