What if the Bible isn't telling the story you've always been taught?
Most Christians have spent their lives reading the Bible as though its promises, covenants, salvation, and redemption were written to and about all of humanity.
But what happens when we stop assuming that and simply follow the people the Bible actually identifies?
I put together **101 Israel Only Statements**, tracing the story from Abraham through Revelation.
You'll see who received the promises, who entered the covenants, who was scattered among the nations, who was promised restoration, and who the New Testament writers continued talking about.
No complicated theological arguments. Just 101 passages, in their biblical context, allowing the story to speak for itself.
**Read the article. Follow the story. Then decide whether you've been reading Israel's mail as though it were addressed to you.**
For those who want to explore this further, I have a Facebook group dedicated to understanding the Bible through its original audience, historical context, and Israel's covenant story.
I'll put the group link in the first comment.
The Bible is the story of biblical Israel as a nation, from beginning to end. Its covenants, promises, laws, judgments, exile, restoration, Messiah, and redemption belong to that story.
These 101 passages follow Israel’s story from the promises made to Abraham through the writings of the New Testament.
Adapted from the Berean Standard Bible. Square brackets mark editorial clarifications or substitutions; ellipses mark omitted text.
The Promises and the Covenant Nation
1. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:2)
2. “I will give this land to your offspring.” (Genesis 12:7)
3. “I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.” (Genesis 17:7)
4. “But I will establish My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.” (Genesis 17:21)
5. “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.” (Genesis 21:12)
6. “And God said to him, ‘Though your name is Jacob, you will no longer be called Jacob. Instead, your name will be Israel.’ So God named him Israel.” (Genesis 35:10)
7. “These are the tribes of Israel, twelve in all …” (Genesis 49:28)
8. “So God heard their groaning, and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” (Exodus 2:24)
9. “Israel is My firstborn son …” (Exodus 4:22)
10. “I will take you [the Israelites] as My own people, and I will be your God.” (Exodus 6:7; see Exodus 6:6)
11. “Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, ‘This is what you are to tell the house of Jacob and explain to the sons of Israel: … Now if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you will be My treasured possession out of all the nations – for the whole earth is Mine.’” (Exodus 19:3, 5)
12. “And unto Me you [the sons of Israel] shall be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:6; see Exodus 19:3)
13. “So Moses took the blood, splattered it on the people, and said, ‘This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you [Israel] in accordance with all these words.’” (Exodus 24:8; see Exodus 24:3–5)
14. “For you [Israel] are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His prized possession out of all peoples on the face of the earth.” (Deuteronomy 7:6; see Deuteronomy 5:1)
15. “But the LORD’s portion is His people, Jacob His allotted inheritance.” (Deuteronomy 32:9)
16. “He declares His word to Jacob, His statutes and judgments to Israel. He has done this for no other nation; they do not know His judgments.” (Psalm 147:19–20)
The Divided Kingdom, Exile, and Scattering
17. “Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and I will give you ten tribes.” (1 Kings 11:31)
18. “So to this day Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David.” (1 Kings 12:19)
19. “Then the LORD will scatter you [Israel] among all the nations, from one end of the earth to the other …” (Deuteronomy 28:64; see Deuteronomy 27:9–10)
20. “For surely I will give the command, and I will shake the house of Israel among all the nations as grain is sifted in a sieve; but not a pebble will reach the ground.” (Amos 9:9)
21. “And the LORD said, ‘Name him Lo-ammi, for you [the house of Israel] are not My people, and I am not your God.’” (Hosea 1:9; see Hosea 1:4–7, 10–11)
22. “Yet the number of the Israelites will be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted. And it will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’” (Hosea 1:10)
23. “Then the people of Judah and of Israel will be gathered together, and they will appoint for themselves one leader …” (Hosea 1:11)
24. “Israel is swallowed up! Now they are among the nations like a worthless vessel.” (Hosea 8:8)
25. “She [Judah] saw that because faithless Israel had committed adultery, I gave her a certificate of divorce and sent her away.” (Jeremiah 3:8; see Jeremiah 3:6–7)
26. “So Israel was exiled from their homeland into Assyria, where they are to this day.” (2 Kings 17:23)
Israel’s Promised Restoration
27. “Even if you [Israel] have been banished to the farthest horizon, He will gather you and return you from there.” (Deuteronomy 30:4; see Deuteronomy 29:1–2)
28. “He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; He will collect the scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth.” (Isaiah 11:12)
29. “But now, this is what the LORD says – He who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel … ‘Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east and gather you from the west.’” (Isaiah 43:1, 5)
30. “He says: ‘It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.’” (Isaiah 49:6; see Isaiah 49:3–6)
31. “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely.” (Jeremiah 23:5–6)
32. “At that time, declares the LORD, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be My people.” (Jeremiah 31:1)
33. “For I am Israel’s Father, and Ephraim is My firstborn.” (Jeremiah 31:9)
34. “The One who scattered Israel will gather them and keep them as a shepherd keeps his flock.” (Jeremiah 31:10)
35. “I will restore Judah and Israel from captivity and will rebuild them as in former times.” (Jeremiah 33:7)
36. “For this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I Myself will search for My flock and seek them out … I will bring them out from the peoples, gather them from the countries, and bring them into their own land.” (Ezekiel 34:11, 13)
37. “Therefore tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says … ‘For I will take you from among the nations and gather you out of all the countries, and I will bring you back into your own land.’” (Ezekiel 36:22, 24)
38. “And you, son of man, take a single stick and write on it: ‘Belonging to Judah and to the Israelites associated with him.’ Then take another stick and write on it: ‘Belonging to Joseph – the stick of Ephraim – and to all the house of Israel associated with him.’ Then join them together into one stick, so that they become one in your hand.” (Ezekiel 37:16–17)
39. “I will take the Israelites out of the nations to which they have gone, and I will gather them from all around and bring them into their own land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over all of them. Then they will no longer be two nations and will never again be divided into two kingdoms.” (Ezekiel 37:21–22)
40. “My servant David will be king over them [the reunited houses of Israel and Judah], and there will be one shepherd for all of them.” (Ezekiel 37:24; see Ezekiel 37:16–23)
41. “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.” (Jeremiah 31:31)
42. “But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.” (Jeremiah 31:33)
Jesus and the Restoration of Israel
43. “Many of the sons of Israel he [John the Baptist] will turn back to the Lord their God.” (Luke 1:16; see Luke 1:13–15)
44. “The Lord God will give Him [Jesus] the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever.” (Luke 1:32–33; see Luke 1:31)
45. “He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful, as He promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.” (Luke 1:54–55)
46. “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and redeemed His people.” (Luke 1:68)
47. “To show mercy to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant, the oath He swore to our father Abraham …” (Luke 1:72–73)
48. “A light for revelation to the [nations], and for glory to Your people Israel.” (Luke 2:32)
49. “She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people [Israel] from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)
50. “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of My people Israel.” (Matthew 2:6)
51. “Do not go onto the road of the [nations] or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.” (Matthew 10:5–6)
52. “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matthew 15:24)
53. “You who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Matthew 19:28)
54. “I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them in as well, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.” (John 10:16; compare Ezekiel 34:11–16; 37:15–24)
55. “But we were hoping He was the One who would redeem Israel.” (Luke 24:21)
56. “So that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Luke 22:30)
Acts – The Promises to Israel Continue
57. “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6)
58. “Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.” (Acts 2:5)
59. “Men of Israel, listen to this message: Jesus of Nazareth was a man certified by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs …” (Acts 2:22)
60. “Therefore let all Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ!” (Acts 2:36)
61. “This promise belongs to you [Peter’s hearers, addressed as men of Israel] and your children and to all who are far off – to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.” (Acts 2:39; see Acts 2:22, 36–38; compare Daniel 9:7; Joel 2:32)
62. “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus.” (Acts 3:13)
63. “Heaven must take Him in until the time comes for the restoration of all things, which God announced long ago through His holy prophets.” (Acts 3:21)
64. “And you [men of Israel] are sons of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers when He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed.’” (Acts 3:25; see Acts 3:12)
65. “When God raised up His Servant, He sent Him first to you [Peter’s Israelite audience] to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.” (Acts 3:26; see Acts 3:12, 25)
66. “God exalted Him to His right hand as Prince and Savior, in order to grant repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.” (Acts 5:31)
67. “He has sent this message to the people of Israel, proclaiming the gospel of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.” (Acts 10:36)
68. “Men of Israel and [you who fear God], listen to me!” (Acts 13:16)
69. “The God of the people of Israel chose our fathers. He made them into a great people during their stay in Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He led them out of that land.” (Acts 13:17)
70. “After removing Saul, He raised up David as their [Israel’s] king …” (Acts 13:22; see Acts 13:17–21)
71. “From the descendants of this man [David], God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as He promised.” (Acts 13:23; see Acts 13:22)
72. “Brothers, children of Abraham, and [you who fear God], it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent.” (Acts 13:26)
73. “And now we proclaim to you the good news: What God promised our fathers He has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus.” (Acts 13:32–33)
74. “For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the [nations], to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” (Acts 13:47; compare Isaiah 49:6)
75. “After this I will return and rebuild the fallen tent of David. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, so that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the [nations] who are called by My name, says the Lord who does these things that have been known for ages.” (Acts 15:16–18; compare Amos 9:11–12)
76. “And now I stand on trial because of my hope in the promise that God made to our fathers.” (Acts 26:6)
77. “The promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night.” (Acts 26:7)
78. “That the Christ would suffer, and as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to our people [Israel] and to the [nations].” (Acts 26:23; see Acts 26:4–7)
79. “It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.” (Acts 28:20)
Paul – Israel’s Promises, Restoration, and Inheritance
80. “The gospel of God – the gospel He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, regarding His Son, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh …” (Romans 1:1–3)
81. “For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my own flesh and blood, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory and the covenants; theirs the giving of the law, the temple worship, and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them proceeds the human descent of Christ …” (Romans 9:3–5)
82. “It is not as though God’s word has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.” (Romans 9:6; compare Romans 9:7–13)
83. “Including us, whom He has called not only from the Jews, but also from the [nations]? As He says in Hosea: ‘I will call them “My People” who are not My people, and I will call her “My Beloved” who is not My beloved,’ and, ‘It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, “You are not My people,” they will be called “sons of the living God.”’” (Romans 9:24–26; compare Hosea 1:9–11; 2:23)
84. “I ask then, did God reject His people [Israel]? Certainly not! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.” (Romans 11:1; see Romans 11:2)
85. “In the same way, at the present time there is a remnant [of Israel] chosen by grace.” (Romans 11:5; see Romans 11:1–7)
86. “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you will not be conceited: A hardening in part has come to Israel, until the full number of the [nations] has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion; He will remove godlessness from Jacob. And this is My covenant with them [Jacob/Israel] when I take away their sins.’” (Romans 11:25–27; compare Isaiah 59:20–21; 27:9)
87. “Regarding the gospel, they [Israel] are enemies on your account; but regarding election, they are loved on account of the patriarchs. For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:28–29; see Romans 11:7, 25)
88. “For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs, so that the [nations] may glorify God for His mercy.” (Romans 15:8–9)
89. “The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say, ‘and to seeds,’ meaning many, but ‘and to your seed,’ meaning One, who is Christ.” (Galatians 3:16)
90. “But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive our adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4–5)
91. “Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.” (Ephesians 2:12; see Ephesians 2:11–19; compare Hosea 1:9–10)
The New Covenant, Israel’s Inheritance, and the Twelve Tribes
92. “For surely it is not the angels He helps, but the descendants of Abraham.” (Hebrews 2:16)
93. “For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, a tribe as to which Moses said nothing about priests.” (Hebrews 7:14)
94. “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.” (Hebrews 8:8; compare Jeremiah 31:31)
95. “It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers [the ancestors of Israel and Judah] when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt …” (Hebrews 8:9; see Hebrews 8:8; compare Jeremiah 31:32)
96. “For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their minds and inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.” (Hebrews 8:10; compare Jeremiah 31:33)
97. “Therefore Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, now that He has died to redeem them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.” (Hebrews 9:15; see Hebrews 8:8–10)
98. “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes of the Dispersion: Greetings.” (James 1:1)
99. “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the elect who are exiles of the Dispersion throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia …” (1 Peter 1:1)
100. “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession … Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9–10; compare Exodus 19:6; Hosea 1:6–10; 2:23)
101. “The city had a great and high wall with twelve gates inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel … The wall of the city had twelve foundations bearing the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:12–14)
Text basis: Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain, with editorial adaptations. [Nations] replaces “Gentiles.” In statements 68 and 72, [you who fear God] omits “Gentiles,” a word supplied by the BSB translators without a corresponding Greek word in those phrases. Cross-references identify supporting context and connections with Israel’s earlier scriptures.
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