I sometimes have fun with my Israeli friends, telling them that God's plan for the Jews is for them to be missionaries. They of course are dismayed because "missionary" is such a feared and hated word among them. But the Bible spells it out in no uncertain terms:

And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation... (Ex. 19:6).

What is a priest but one who ministers to the spiritual needs of others? The Jews are to lead many to God!

...In those days ten men from all the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you" (Zech. 8:23).

The prophets proclaim this over and over again. Look at some of the Scriptures.

And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward (Isa. 37:31).

But you will be called the priests of the Lord;

...You will be spoken of as ministers of our God... (Isa.61:6).

And in that day you will say, "...Make known His deeds among the peoples..."

...Let this be known throughout the earth (Isa. 12:4-5).

And what about this passage?

...As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons...

And I will set a sign among them and will send survivors from them to the nations: Tarshish, Put, Lud, Meshech, Rosh, Tubal, and Javan, to the distant coastlands that have neither heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they will declare My glory among the nations (Isa. 66:8,19.)

And here's a Scripture that has been used literally thousands of times by Gentiles, without realizing the passage is primarily addressed to Israel!

So rejoice, O sons of Zion, And be glad in the Lord your God...

Thus you will know that I am in the midst of Israel...

And it will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams,

Your young men will see visions.

And even on the male and female servants, I will pour out My Spirit in those days (Joel 2:23, 27-29).

One should not, of course, limit these prophetic promises to the Jewish people. What God does for His model, Israel, He will do for others if they follow Him. However, we cannot ignore that, in these verses, Joel is speaking to the Jewish people first! And other prophets back these promises with their own declarations.

"Sing for joy and be glad, O daughter of Zion; for behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst," declares the Lord.

"And many nations will join themselves to the Lord in that day and will become My people..." (Zech. 2:10-11).

In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth will be the pride and the adornment of the survivors of Israel (Isa. 4:2).

Although Israel is not yet fulfilling these Scriptures, she is still serving God's purposes. Though most Jewish people are returning to Israel in unbelief, the nation's physical resurrection nonetheless declares the faithfulness of God. He is keeping His promise to be a God to the children of Abraham.

God has been long-suffering with the children of Israel and will surely bring them back into salvation. In the same manner, He is illustrating that He will bring back the backslidden sons and daughters of believing parents who have sought the Lord on their children's behalf. In other words, Israel is a model through which He reveals His principles of mercy, judgment, faithfulness and righteousness.

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