Gentiles are often anti-Semitic. Jews are often anti-Gentile.

The terms church and Christianity are hated by Jews and this is a large part of the Jews' problem in understanding the relationship between Israel and the Church. The Gentile Christians are proud and the Jews are hostile. The Jews are hostile with reason!

How ironic, in that Israel is and always has been the Church of Christ.

An explanation of some terms may be needed.

The Church.

The Jewish Babylon and the Gentile Babylon.

Physical Israel; spiritual Israel.

Physical Jew; spiritual Jew.

Physical Jerusalem; spiritual Jerusalem.

The Body of Christ.

One new man.

The olive tree.

The new covenant.

The Church. The term church means "called out." The word has nothing whatever to do with a building or with a Christian organization such as the Roman Catholic Church. This fact alone should help Jewish people start on the road to understanding.

The term "Christian" is a term referring to the early followers of the Lord Jesus. Since the first followers of Jesus of Nazareth were primarily Jews, then many of the first Christians were Jews.

"Christ" is the same term as the Hebrew Meshiach, Messiah. The word means the One who is anointed with the oil of the Holy Spirit, the Person chosen by God to bring deliverance to Israel.

Christ (Messiah) is a Jewish term. There is not one shred of Gentile origin in the term. Christ is Messiah—nothing more, nothing less. A Christian is a "Messian," to coin a term.

The Christian Church (the group of people whom God has called out from among the nations of the earth and anointed with the Holy Spirit for the purpose of revealing Himself to the nations) originated with Abraham and Sarah. Abraham and Sarah were the first Christians. The Christian Church began when Abraham and Sarah were called-out of Ur of the Chaldees.

Every individual who receives Christ and is born again of the Spirit of God is a part of the one Seed of Abraham.

And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:29)

All the promises of God, including the promise of the Holy Spirit, belong solely to those who are part of Christ. They are God's elect, true Israel—those whom God has called out from the world to be a royal priesthood.

There is no other eternal Israel, no other Church, no other olive tree, no other royal priesthood, no other Kingdom of God.

Israel, the Church, the called-out people, continued with Isaac and Jacob—not because they were born of the flesh of Abraham and Sarah but because the Spirit of prophecy, the holy anointing of God, rested on them.

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 9:7,8)

To be continued.