May I offer the following as a teaching given through my husband Charlie ... for your consideration:  

Spiritual Israel 

There is a marked difference between the mind of flesh and the mind of the spirit. Jesus came to reveal the Father to us. Jesus did not come to connect us to the flesh nature, the first Adam. Jesus is called the last Adam.

Those who focus their attention on the natural land of Israel have completely missed the point of what Jesus came to do. To the natural Jew in John chapter 8, Jesus explained that God was able to raise up children to Abraham from stones. He further explained to them they were children of neither God nor Abraham, but they were actually children of Satan. Satan represents the man of flesh, or Lucifer, the man who was cast out of the garden of Eden. I realize this kind of talk sounds utterly preposterous to those of you who see things according to the natural mind. But remember, " The natural man does not perceive the things that come from the spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. Neither can he discern them.."(loosely translated from 1st Corinthians chapter 2)

Jerusalem represents the city of peace. The believer is part of the city of peace, if within him is found the spirit of peace. For certain the natural place called Jerusalem is anything but peace. Natural thinking produces all manner of fleshly confusion thinking itself to be representing God.

Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a devout religious man who thought he served God. Jesus told him he needed to be born of the spirit to both enter into and see the kingdom of God. In other words, Nicodemus was serving his fleshly idea of who God was rather than entering into a relationship with the true God.

Churchianity isn't the thing Jesus came to establish on the earth. Modern Churchianity is an organization of man that reflects years and years of the very traditions that have existed according to the fleshly thinking of unredeemed man. It is this very system of thinking that stands in the way to prevent people from entering the kingdom of God.

Churchianity, at least fundamental Churchianity seeks to support the natural land of Israel and many other natural causes but seldom represents the voice of God Himself. They tell you the Bible is the word of God and lead you to believe that, although God is alive now, it is necessary to only listen to the translation of an ancient book as the voice of God. Seems to me, God being alive now, He is very capable of speaking to each of His children in present time. The Bible never mentions that the Bible is the word of God. The Bible does mention that the word of God became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus is called the word of God because God spoke through him. If we have the same spirit as was in Jesus, doesn't God also speak through us?

To sum it up, there are two natures to be compared. The flesh, with it's natural way of being which is an enemy of God is in sharp contrast to the spirit, which is in union with God. "As we have borne the image of the natural , we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. The first man, Adam, was of the flesh. The last man, Jesus, is the man from heaven." Flesh and blood can't enter into the kingdom of God.....

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