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Originally Posted by OBW
Principles are always true. Principles are like saying that God is righteous and that he always demands righteousness. God demands our worship and is enraged when we turn to other gods.
But a specific prophecy concerning a return to God, or of what will happen when they fail to do so is not a principle. It is a specific action consistent with a principle. This whole line of reasoning is based upon confusing a specific action that is consistent with a principle with being the principle itself.
Note that from the time the children of Israel entered the land of Canaan, until the exile to Babylon, they failed over and over. And each time they fell into a different kind of problem with the nations around them. And each time, when they finally began to cry out to God, he rescued them. But the last time, when they went to Babylon, it was 70 years. No amount of crying and begging would change it.
Today, there is no equivalent of Israel in the world. The US is not it. Neither any other country. I am not denying that God still has dealings with the Jews and therefore with modern-day Israel. But the US is not the Christian equivalent of Israel. When we as Christians fail, we have to deal with God. It is not a national thing. It is a Christian thing which is both personal and corporate. But the corporate is the church, not the nation. Any parallel between promises of blessing in the OT and anything in this era would be relative to the church, not to the nation.
I've watched a favorite aunt get thoroughly engulfed in this kind of thinking. Even reading the book written by Cahn. And the result is the creation of a somewhat bitter person who is so concerned about politics rather than Christ. I am not suggesting that she has abandoned faith. Far from it. But her spiritual energies have become depleted on worrying about every theory about the evils of government and the "liberals." It is more important to rant about how corporate influence is running aspects of government and seek out various forms of anti-Christs than to be a positive testimony through our lives of love and service to/for our neighbor.
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I only have time to comment on what is bolded.
Israel IS Israel (sounds moronic). At LEAST there IS a remnant there.
The corporate ultimately includes BOTH. It is Israel first where the scripture is speaking of Israel. How God operates with Israel reveals principles on how He operates with His church.
There is both individual and corporate responsibility. Ie., the early church in Jerusalem consisted of mostly Jews. Though they WERE the church they were also true Israel. BUT Israel as a nation LED BY ITS LEADERS rejected their Messiah and therefore were judged in 70 A.D. As Jesus said, they had not known the time of their visitation. The Jewish believers (True israel at that time) were dispersed around the world. Israel as a nation ceased until 1948. It was re-born. Today, in that land, there also resides TRUE Israel, Jewish believers in their Yeshua.
Israel is Israel. God will weed out the tares and save the remnant (true Israel) just as He does amongst the Gentile church. The Gentile church is learning to love his "older brother" and be one. Through Gentile church's loving provocation all Israel will be saved and will cry out, "Baruch HaBa BaShem ADONAI!", Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the LORD! And the LORD will come!