There is no bias in what I say here, you didn't provide scipture proof that citizenship of Israel is meant in Ephesians 2:19. You merely declared it to be so. I say it was citizenship of heaven since the context is about appoaching God. Ephesians 2:12 mentioning Israel is too far away from verse 19 to conclude that it is still meant in the latter verse 19 when there's so much context in between.
"once Foreigners to the commonwealth of Israel [seven verses later:, added mine], but are now fellow citizens", you say...
Paul did not say that sentence that you made him appear to have said.
The first six words from your quote are from verse 12, the last words from verse 19. Don't try to make it look like they belong together in the same phrase!
Verse 12 mentions Israel because you couldn't circumvent Israel to approach Jesus back then.
I can say that Christians and Jews are different groups.
Romans 11:28 is clear: Jews are enemies of the Gospel (except the few messianics)... but we all know: Christians are not!
Edit: Paul makes it clear in Philippians 3:20: Christian citizenship is of heaven. (Not Israel.)
You and I are citizens of True Israel of the Covenant. True Israel is made up of the following citizens:
(1) Jesus and his first century Jewish followers and converts (Gal 6:15-16; Phil 3:3;
1 Peter 2:9)
(2) The Old Testament believing jews and converts to the covenant (Eph 2:19-22)
(3) The gentile converts who were added in during Paul's ministry and made partakers of Israel (Eph 2:11-3:11; Col 2:24-27;
Romans 11:17-23)
That is who Israel is according to the scriptures.
The Remnant of the elect Jews followed God by following Jesus and his jewish apostles. They are True Faithful Israel. Their jewish brothers who disobeyed and fought against them were cut off from among the people, as stated in Acts 3:22-24. The Rock crushed them (1 Pet 2:7-8/Mt 21:43-45), for they rejected the time of God's visitation (
Luke 19:40-44). And Thomas, this is the same pattern that took place in Isaiah's day and in Elijah's day -- i.e., the REMNANT of the jews
is true Israel and the rest are destroyed and do not have any heritage (Rom 9:27/Rom 11:2-5).
You have replaced the remnant of The true Israel with the Unfaithful wicked ones as the true Heirs today.
In contrast to your teaching, The Israelite apostles of the Jewish Messiah say I am a Jew (Rom 2:27-29), say I am "Abraham's seed" (Rom 4:16/Gal 3:29), say I am "the peculiar people, royal priesthood, holy nation" (1 Pet 2:9-10), say I am the circumcision-less Israel of God (Gal 6:15-16), say I am "no longer a stranger but a fellow citizen" (Eph 2:19), say I was once not a people but now am the people of God (1 Pet 2:10) and say I am the circumcision (Phil 3:2-3). Each and every one of these statements takes a key identifier/distinctive of Israel and labels me with it. Meanwhile, Christ calls the disobedient genetic sons of Abraham the "sons of satan" and the "synagogue of satan" (Rev 2:9/
John 8:39-47), and St. John says that those who deny the Son have no claim whatsoever to the Father (1 Jn 2:23) All of which is in direct opposition to your teaching.
You count only the disobedient Jews as Israel! In your teaching, The obedient Israelites, who get baptized, somehow cease to be Israel. That's completely backwards. Completely. I hope you will someday teach the truth: namely, that the jews who refuse to get baptized get "cut off from among the people of God" (Acts 3:22-24)
and cease to be "sons of Abraham." Such disobedient ones are called "sons of satan" (
John 8:39-47/Rev 2:9). You are turned completely around backwards with regard to this topic. The apostles and Mary and Joseph and their Jewish followers are TRUE ISRAEL and the true church.