An Israeli friend of mine informed me that the large majority of Israelis are atheists (atheism = disbelief in our Creator, which is the most base and backwards attitude anyone could possibly have). Based upon your definition, this would mean that the majority of today's Israelis are not Jewish.
I'm not sure why you are getting this from my definition of Israel. If you read the old testament you find that Israel was the name of Jacob given to Him by an angel he wrestled with and demanded a blessing. Jacob, son of Isaac, then went on to father the sons who would all be the tribes of Israel. These 12 sons then divided the land of Israel and lived in their seperate portions of the country. The boundaries are given by God in the book of Genesis of where Israel was to be, and it was much bigger than it is now. The book that I gave the link for in another thread goes into depth about who Israel is, for those interested to know. It was fascinating to see how God used ALL of Israel to bring salvation to all mankind. This included all the tribes of Israel and not just the one tribe most people associate Israel with - the Jews, named after their father and son of Jacob, Judah. Israel has 12 other tribes, and following the stories of the old testament, we see that Israel had a civil war brought on by the sons of David and Israel split into two kingdoms with seperate kings. THe kingdom to the north was called Israel, and the kingdom to the south was called Judah. From here on, God dealt with each tribe seperately, with different prophecies and punishments.
The Israel that exists today is in no way similar to the old Israel, other than it is roughly located the same geographic area. Perhaps "Israel" should be seen as more of a conceptual place, to be used more as a figurative term for a land where God is properly revered by the spiritual sons of Abraham.
Well, that may be your idea, but God plans to fully restore the physical Israel, complete with tribal borders right after armageddon and the milliniel kingdom is established with Jesus reign of 1000years with the saints as judges. Just as we are physical and spiriual, so is Israel.
There was the old covenant in the Old Testament, but did not Jesus come to establish a new covenant for all mankind? Would people be excluded from this covenant just because they do not accept it?
Well, ofcourse all mankind is blessed through this covenant to Abraham and God's chosen people. Even God's first promise to Abraham was that his seed would be a many nations or "hamon goyim" in Hebrew which means multitudes of Gentiles. So even from the begining, the promise was to Gentiles too.
There is no exclusion for any that want to come to God through His door in Jesus, but remember Jesus was a fulfillment of Gods plan that started back in Genesis and goes through the Old Testament all the way to the cross. The heritage we have is rich to discover, but why you would think understanding the Old Testament would exclude anybody has to be from something somebody else would say. Not me.
This covenant has not changed, Look at who the new covenant is to in this verse in the New Testamnet:
Hebrews 8:6 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. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. 8 For finding 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:
I am not trying to start any mean spirited arguments or anything. I am only trying to understand.
Me either, I want people to be blessed, but reading the book would help you see these verses in scripture and Who Israel is. It is physical and spiritual, just as we are. Romans seven tells us about the root of Abraham and the grafted in branches. We are told to not boast against the natural branches.
Jesus said He came back to find the lost sheep of Israel and that they would know His voice. Are you one of the lost sheep of Israel that heard His voice? Probably none of us know how far back our bloodline goes and whether or not if we might be distantly related to one of the lost tribes of Israel that went into captivity and were absorbed by the Gentile nations to emerge as a mighty warrior nation that would protect their brother Judah in the last days. God never loses track of His "firstborn", and the head of the "firstborn" was the leader tribe of the house of Israel when it went into captivity - Ephraim. They were lost, but now are found, just as we are. Lost and found. Those who were "loammi", not my people, have become "sons of the living God" - just as we. Here's that link again if interested:
http://www.aarons-advocates.org/BACONT.html God bless...
Hosea 1:9
Then said God, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.
10
Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people,
there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.Matthew 15:24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
John 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.