7 ways in which the church is different from Israel
It’s popular to draw parallels between ancient Israel and modern Western religious organizations. In many sermons that seem to capture popular thinking of the Sunday-morning masses, Israel is likened to church, priests to pastors, Levites to worship teams, pulpits to altars, Sabbaths to Sundays, and tithes to money collections. Certainly, we can draw some parallels, but as with any comparisons, we need to see where the comparison holds, and where it does not.
Here’s how Israel is (superficially) similar to Western religious organizations:
- Both Israel and church worship the same God
- Both priests and modern religious leaders, such as pastors, have leadership roles
- Levites and worship teams sing religious-themed songs
- Both Israel and church had buildings used for various religious purposes
- Pulpits and altars are central points of religious gatherings
- Both Sabbaths and Sundays can be thought of as days of rest
- Both tithes and money collections are used to sponsored various activities
Well, at this point I should say that I would like to switch our focus from Western religious organizations to the one invisible universal New Covenant church that Jesus Christ has created and that he personally heads. The church of Jesus Christ can be locally expressed through a religious organization, but the two aren’t really the same thing.
And so, the church of Jesus Christ is quite different from Israel, even if you take into account modern Western religious particulars.
Here’s how Israel is fundamentally different from the church:
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Terminal Salvation 