I rarely post here, although I read the forums often and find them helpful. I have this question that I hope to get some help with. In the Dispensational scheme, would the primary nature of "Israel" be considered ethnic, political, religious, or something else? This is a question that I've posed to my Dispensational friends but with no real answer. In reading Dispensational articles, quite often authors use the political identity (State of Israel) and the ethnic identity (the Jews) interchangeably (and inconsistently), such as in this quote
Quote:
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“Only Dispensationalism clearly sees a distinctive future for ethnic Israel as a nation.” This future includes a restoration of the nation with a distinct identity and function.
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When I press the issue, my Dispensational friends fall back to their claim that Israel is not the Church, and that certain promise made to Israel can not apply to the church. When it comes to determining what the true Israel actually
IS, I can't get a clear definition. If it is ethnic, how pure must one's ethnicity be to receive the promises? If it is political, would the promises apply to all citizens of the State of Israel alike, regardless of ethnicity? I hope I'm not tilting at windmills; any help would be appreciated.
I'll go back to lurking now...
