Given these four ways of viewing Israel in Scripture, what implications follow for how we should view the nation of Israel today? Well, there are many implications, but the most significant one is that as vital as the nation of Israel is in God's plan, the modern state of Israel is not under any special covenantal status now that Christ has come and brought all the previous covenants to fulfillment in himself.

Welcome to Christ overall, a podcast dedicated to helping the Church see Christ as Lord and everything else under his feet. My name is David Schrock, and today I'm introducing Steve Wallom's long form. What should Christians think about the nation of Israel today? This essay is our second long form on the subject of Israel as a people in Scripture and as a modern nation state. The first long form was offered by Brent Parker as he developed a thorough biblical theology of Israel. If you haven't listened to that essay yet, or a conversation with Brent, I'd urge you to do so for Steve's long form builds on the larger work of Brent Parker. Indeed, in his essay, Steve Wallom gives us a synopsis of Israel in Scripture, and then he turns to Israel today. In beginning with the Constitution of the modern Israel in 1948, he explains how Israel fits into a world composed of nation states. From there, he argues for Israel's right to defend itself as it has been attacked by Hamas. And then, after addressing a few points related to just war theory, he finishes with a theological reflection on Romans 11. A passage of Scripture that Richard Lucas will develop for us later this month, so keep an eye out for that. Also, keep an eye out for Steve Wallom's new systematic theology, Volume 1, from Canon to concept. This book drops next month, and in February, we will spend the month thinking about the good work of doing theology, so don't miss that. Also, don't miss the chance to support the work of Christ overall. If you have found the content on this podcast or a website helpful, please leave us a five-star rating, or share our content with others. Equally, you can make a donation to Christ overall at Christ overall dot com slash give. At the end of 2023, many friends and churches supported this work, and for that, we are grateful to God. As we enter into a new year in 2024, we are enlarging our budget and looking for new ways to make connections with you, our listeners. So stay tuned as we announce a couple new things coming up this year. For today, take time to listen to Steve Wallom's long form. What should Christians think about the nation of Israel today?