What does the Bible say about Israel in the last days?
The Bible presents a deeply theological understanding of Israel in the context of the last days. Rather than predicting a future geopolitical restoration for ethnic Israel, many biblical texts point to Christ as the fulfillment of Israel’s role and purpose. The promises given to Israel are not set aside but fulfilled in and through Jesus and extended to the church. According to this view, the church is not separate from Israel, but rather its continuation and transformation—God’s new humanity composed of both believing Jews and Gentiles. This article explores what the Bible teaches about Israel in the last days through that lens.
1. What Is Israel According to the Bible?
The Bible refers to Israel in multiple ways: as a nation, a people, and ultimately a theological identity. In the Old Testament, Israel was God’s chosen people, descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Yet even within national Israel, there was always a distinction between those who were merely ethnic Israelites and those who truly trusted in the Lord.
Romans 9:6 affirms, “Not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel.” This implies the existence of a “true Israel” within the broader ethnic group—those who live by faith. The idea that there is one covenant people of God throughout redemptive history is reinforced throughout the Bible, especially in Paul’s letters, where faith in Christ, not lineage, defines one’s place in God’s family.
2. Jesus as the True Israel
In the New Testament, Jesus is portrayed as the embodiment of Israel—the faithful Son who succeeded where national Israel failed. Like Israel, He was called out of Egypt (Matthew 2:15, quoting Hosea 11:1), tested in the wilderness, and served as a light to the nations. But unlike Israel, Jesus perfectly obeyed the Father, fulfilled the law, and bore the curse of the covenant on the cross.
By fulfilling the vocation of Israel, Jesus becomes the representative Head of a new people. All who are united to Him by faith become part of the true Israel. This theological reality redefines the meaning of Israel in the last days—not as a return to national status, but as a people reborn in Christ.
3. The Church as the Israel of God
Paul uses the phrase “the Israel of God” in Galatians 6:16 to describe those who walk by the rule of the new creation. The early church—composed of Jews and Gentiles—applied Old Testament language about Israel to themselves. Peter calls the church “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9), echoing Exodus 19:6.
This spiritual definition of Israel finds its clearest expression in Ephesians 2:11–22, where Paul says that Gentiles, once “strangers to the covenants of promise,” have now been brought near by the blood of Christ and made “fellow citizens with the saints.” The dividing wall between Jew and Gentile has been broken down. In the last days, therefore, the Bible teaches that Israel is not replaced but expanded through Christ to include all who belong to Him.
4. How the Bible Describes Israel’s Role in the Last Days
In the context of the last days, the Bible does not prophesy a separate redemptive plan for national Israel apart from Christ. Instead, it portrays the last days as the time of Christ’s exaltation and the church’s global mission. Peter, quoting Joel 2 in Acts 2, declares that “in the last days” God will pour out His Spirit on all flesh. This event—the outpouring of the Spirit—marks the beginning of the last days and the fulfillment of prophetic expectations.
In Acts 1:6-8, when the disciples ask Jesus if He will “restore the kingdom to Israel,” He redirects their attention away from political restoration and toward the expansion of the Gospel: “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” This suggests that Israel’s restoration comes through the proclamation of the Gospel and the growth of the church, not through territorial or political means.
5. Old Testament Prophecies Fulfilled in the Church
The prophets often spoke of a future restoration for Israel—of a return from exile, renewal of the land, and a new covenant. According to the New Testament, these promises begin fulfillment in Christ and in the church. Jeremiah’s promise of a “new covenant” (Jeremiah 31:31–34) is applied directly to believers in Hebrews 8. Ezekiel’s vision of a renewed temple (Ezekiel 40–48) is interpreted as fulfilled in Christ, the true temple, and His body, the church (John 2:19–21; 1 Corinthians 3:16–17).
The return from exile, central to Israel’s prophetic hope, is also spiritually fulfilled in the church. Believers are “exiles” (1 Peter 1:1) who are brought home to God through Christ. In this way, the last days are not about a future geopolitical fulfillment for Israel but about the ongoing expansion of God’s new creation through the Gospel.
6. What About Romans 9–11?
Romans 9–11 is often used to argue that ethnic Israel still has a distinct future in the last days. However, a careful reading shows that Paul is describing how God’s promises have not failed—because not all Israelites belong to true Israel (Romans 9:6). The “remnant chosen by grace” (Romans 11:5) are those Jews who believe in Christ.
Paul’s hope is that more of his kinsmen will come to faith (Romans 11:14), and he anticipates a future “fullness” and “grafting in” (Romans 11:12, 23). But this hope is not tied to a national restoration; it is tied to inclusion in Christ. “And in this way all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26) points not to ethnic or national boundaries, but to God’s sovereign plan to redeem both Jews and Gentiles through the same Gospel.
7. The Gospel and the Hope of the Last Days
The message of the last days is not about geopolitical Israel but about the Gospel of the Kingdom. Jesus, as the true Israel, brings the promises of God to fulfillment. The church, united to Him, is the new humanity in whom these promises are realized. The last days began with Christ’s resurrection and the sending of the Spirit and will conclude at His return when all things are made new.
This perspective invites Christians to see their identity not in national categories but in Christ. It also reinforces the call to mission: to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that the fullness of Israel—including believing Jews and Gentiles—may be brought into the people of God.
Conclusion: Israel, the Last Days, and the Bible’s Unified Story
According to the Bible, the identity of Israel in the last days is not based on ethnicity or geography but on union with Christ. Jesus fulfills the calling of Israel, and the church—made up of all who trust in Him—is the Israel of God. The last days are not a return to old structures but the unfolding of God’s Kingdom through the church, empowered by the Spirit, awaiting the return of the King.
Rather than looking for separate fulfillments for Israel and the church, this view emphasizes the unity of God's redemptive plan. All of God's promises find their “yes” in Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20). The focus is not national restoration but new creation—centered on Christ, for the glory of God.
Bible verses about Israel in the last days:
Amos 9:11-12, “In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches... that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name, declares the Lord.”
Romans 9:6, “But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel.”
Romans 11:26, “And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob.’”
Galatians 6:16, “And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.”
Acts 1:6-8, “So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’ ... ‘You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’”
1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession...”
Jeremiah 31:31, “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.”
Ephesians 2:14-15, “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one... that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two.”
Hosea 11:1, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.”
2 Corinthians 1:20, “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.”
