Who is "The Israel of God"?

Paul wrote here using this term “the Israel of God.”

“in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. 16And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and uponthe Israel of God.” (Gal. 6:15-16)

Who exactly is this “the Israel of God”? Is “the Israel of God” the Nation Israel, or perhaps “the body of Christ,” or something else? Let’s “search the Scriptures” for the answer.

We should know that during the Acts period Paul went to “the Jew first” addressing both Jews and Gentiles with his Christ-given new “revelation of mystery” (Rom. 16:25) and it’s gospel of the grace of God” (Act 20:24). Paul established and built up the Gentile “church, which is His body” (Eph. 1:22b-23a). But at that time there also existed two Israels; 1) Apostate (fallen) National Israel and, 2) Jesus’ “little flock” (Luke 12:32) to whom Jesus promised the Kingdom to come on earth. The latter are the real Jews. “But he is a (real) Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter…” (Rom. 2:29)

Most Christian Pastors and teachers do not realize that we of “the church… the body of Christ” are not the so-called ‘New Testament Church’ – Jesus’ “little flock” is! The term ‘New Testament Church’ is a poor term since it hides the fact that two different legitimate “churches” are found in the so-called “New Testament.”

During the Acts period there was the church of the ‘believing’ of Israel (cf. Act 2:47), which Jesus’ called His “little flock” (Luke 12:32), and also the Church… the body of Christ” (Eph. 1:22b-23a) that Paul established. Using the term ‘New Testament Church’ blurs the distinction that God put between “believing Israel” and the Gentile “church… the body of Christ,” as seen and noted in Paul’s thirteen epistles.

Distinction: If we, as some do, were to say Peter and Paul preached to and taught the same believers, then we have a major problem, because they did not! This erroneous idea ignores the fact that Peter preached “the gospel of the kingdom” to come on earth for ‘Israel and Paul preached “the gospel of the grace of God” to Gentiles.’ We must read Gal 2:7-8 in the KJV (below) to see this more clearly. Here it’s clear that Peter and Paul had … two differing gospels for … pertaining to two differing people groups, both were God-ordained.

contrariwise (as opposites), when they saw that the gospel ‘of’ (that pertains to) the uncircumcision (Gentiles) was committed unto me (Paul),

as the gospel of the circumcision (that pertains to Israel) was unto Peter;

8he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision (Israel),

the same was mighty in me (Paul) toward the Gentiles:(Gal. 2:7-8 KJV ONLY, parenthesis added)

Most all the modern translations (NIV, NASB, ESV, etc.) erroneously make it sound like Peter and Paul preached the same gospel, but just going to two different groups of people; this a gross error. The fact is that Peter and Paul preached two different gospels to two different people groups. The distinctions seen in the KJV are lost in these corrupt modern Bible translations.

The distinctions between “Israel” and “the church, which is His body” are so clear in Paul’s epistles that if you miss it you would have to have want to miss it. To say Peter and Paul preached the same message, when the very verses tell us otherwise (as seen in the KJV only), would make God the author of confusion when the word of God explicitly says “God is not the author of confusion.” (1Cor. 14:33) It would be an absurd idea for God to tell a single group of people two different gospels and two different sets of related information.

Peter and Paul were not leaders in the same church or group of believers. They each correctly taught different sets of doctrine to those to whom they were assigned to bring ‘two different gospel messages.’ So, there was Peter sent to preach “the gospel of the kingdom” to gather the believing Messianic remnant of Israel’s “little flock,” destined for the earthly kingdom. Paul preached “the gospel of the grace of God” (Act 20:24) to build up “the church, which is His body,” which consists of grace’ believing Jews and Gentiles (Gal. 3:28), destined to dwell “eternal in the heavens” (2Cor. 5:1b) of their citizenship (cf. Phili. 3:20-21).

Contrary to the belief of the Roman Catholic Church, "the church, the body of Christ" in not any kind of Israel, spiritual Irael or otherwise. God is not through with Israel and He will fulfill all His promises concenring them and the Kingdom to come on earth. All prophecy concenring Israle will be fuilfilled after the comletion and rapture of "the body of Christ."

For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery (secret of God's), lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.: Romans 11:25 (KJV)