There is a terrible misconception by many, if not most Christians, that the Jews of the country called Israel are God's chosen people, and we must never say anything against them; If we do we will be cursed by God, because of what He said to Abraham. "And I will make of thee a great nation and I will bless thee, and will make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing; And I will bless them that bless thee and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." (Genesis 12:2-3.)
That great nation is not the country of Israel or the Jewish people of today. The name, "Israel," was given to Jacob, Abraham's grandson. Jacob's 12 sons were literally the children of Israel. The word Israel in Hebrew means: "He strives with God and prevales." Christians are figuratively or symbolicly the children of Israel. Christians have become children of Israel through Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant. "But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been saught for the second. For findinig fault with them, he saith, Behold, The Days Come, Saith The Lord, When I Will Make A New Covenant With The House Of Israel And With The House Of Judah: Not According To The Covenant That I Made With Their Fathers In The Day I Took Them By The Hand To Lead Them Out Of The Land Of Egypt; Because They Continued Not In My Covenant, And I Regarded Them Not, Saith The Lord," (Hebrews 8:6-9.)
Christians have become heirs of the promise as the unnatural children of Abraham, being grafted into the family tree of Abraham. "And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches. But If thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, the branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee." (Romans 11:17-21.) Christians are now regarded as the children of the promise as Abraham's offspring. "Not as though the word of God has Taken no effect. 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. 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." (Romans 9:6-8.)
Both Paul and Peter spoke strong words as to who God's chosen people are: Paul was talking to Christians in Colossians 3:12, when he said, "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;" In 1 Peter 2:9-10, Peter, also talking to Christians has this to say, "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. Which in time past were not a people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy." (Bold is used here for emphasis.)
All baptized believers are God's chosen people regardless of what race or country. God's people are no longer chosen by race. Israel as a nation, or people, rejected Jesus, their only possibility of salvation. Paul says in Romans 11:7,13: "What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. ---For I speak to you Gentiles, in asmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them." (Paul was a Jew.)
God repeatedly told Israel to remember what he told them: they must fear Him, walk in all His ways, serve Him and love Him with all their heart, all their soul and observe His commands and decrees. They refused to obey God until God withdrew from them. "Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle. And I will stretch the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down. And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enimies and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enimies; Because they have done that which was evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this day.(2 Kings 21:12-15.) "Notwithstanding, the Lord turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal. And the Lord said, I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem, which I have chosen, and the house of which, I said, My name shall be there." (2 Kings 23:26-27.)
The united kingdom of Israel was precipitated by the demand of the people themselves. Despite God's directive that they be holy and separate. "And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the Lord am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine." (Leviticus 20:26.) Israel's sinful demand for a king brought about their own punishment. At his death in 970 B.C. David was able to commit to his son Solomon an Empire that marked the peak of Israel's power. Solomon reigned in peace an luxury after a bloody start. Solomon's luxurious life led to trouble for him especially spiritual failure induced by wanton polygamy. "And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he shouuld not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the Lord commanded.Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom away from thee, and give it to thy servant." (1 Kings 11:9-11.) Solomon died in early 930 B.C.. His son Rehoboam was to become king, but the people were led by Jeroboam of Ephraim to demand relief from Solomon's tyranny. When Rehoboam spurnned their pleas, the ten northeren tribes seceded to form an independant Kingdom of Israel (or Ephraim).
Because king after king refused to obey God, and the people of Israel wished to be like all other nations, refusing to be a separate people belonging to God and giving God their full allegience: loving God, placing Him above all else as their one and only God and king; God rejected Jerusalem and removed Israel and Judah from his presence.
Accepting the declaration that the Jews of today--the nation of Israel-- are God's chosen people over everyone else, amounts to denying that Jesus is God's Son. Israel's population is 80% followers of Judaism. The government operates using Judaism as a constitution. Judaism denies that Jesus is God's Son. How then can Israel still be God's chosen people? It is unrealistic to think God continues to favor a anti-Christ nation over all the Christians in the world, who accept Jesus as the Son of God and obey His teachings. It is a cituation where it cannot be both ways--it is either the nation of Israel is God's chosen people, or all Christians-- Jews and gentiles-- are God's chosen people. What does common sense tell us? We have just read what the bible tells us. Both the old Testament and the New Testament confirm that Israel is no longer favored as a chosen people. God doesn't favor nations; He doesn't chose nations. Nations as a whole do not obey the gospel of Christ. Salvation is personal; it is for individuals, no matter what their race or nationality may be.
This is not to be taken as a defamation of the Jewish people. If it were not for Jewish people we would not have the Holy Bible. Jesus was born a Jew. This is about Israel as a chosen people over everyone else. Israel makes the claim to be God's only chosen people. I refute that claim because I believe in Jesus and the New Testament, which clearly defines God's chosen people as all Christians, regardless whether they are Jews or gentiles.