By Gary DeMar (Originally published at www.americanvision.org)
The Promise: On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates” (Gen. 15:18).
Joshua 21:43-45: “So the Lord gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it. And the Lord gave them rest on every side, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers, and no one of all their enemies stood before them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hand. Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.”
1 Kings 8:56: “Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised; not one word has failed of all His good promise, which He promised through Moses His servant.” 1 Chronicles 13:5: “So David assembled all Israel together, from the Shihor of Egypt even to the entrance of Hamath [from Nile River to the Euphrates], to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.”1 Chronicles 18:3: “David also defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah as far as Hamath, as he went to establish his rule to the Euphrates River (see Gen. 15:18).”1 Kings 8:65: “And at that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days and seven days, even fourteen days.
Jeremiah 32:21-23: “You brought Your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and with wonders, and with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm and with great terror; and gave them this land, which You swore to their forefathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey. They came in and took possession of it, but they did not obey Your voice or walk in Your law; they have done nothing of all that You commanded them to do; therefore You have made all this calamity come upon them.”
Nehemiah 9:23-26: “You also gave them kingdoms and peoples, and allotted them to them as a boundary. They took possession of the land of Sihon the king of Heshbon and the land of Og the king of Bashan. You made their sons numerous as the stars of heaven, and You brought them into the land Which You had told their fathers to enter and possess. So their sons entered and possessed the land. And You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, And You gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land, to do with them as they desired. They captured fortified cities and a fertile land. They took possession of houses full of every good thing, Hewn cisterns, vineyards, olive groves, Fruit trees in abundance. So they ate, were filled and grew fat, and reveled in Your great goodness. But they became disobedient and rebelled against You, and cast Your law behind their backs And killed Your prophets who had admonished them So that they might return to You, And they committed great blasphemies.”
1 Kings 4:20-21: “Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance; they were eating and drinking and rejoicing. Now Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt; they brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.”
2 Chronicles 1:9: “Now, O LORD God, Your promise to my father David is fulfilled, for You have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth.”
Even after such a definitive confirmation, there are those who still claim that these verses do not mean what they seem to mean. Here’s a question for those who take this position: What if God had wanted to tell the Israelites that all the land had been given to them just like He had promised; how would He have said it? He would have said, I’ve given you all the land, and so you don’t misunderstand what I’m telling you, every good promise I made to you has come to pass. Israel had been given all the land, but they failed to hold it. God upheld His end of the bargain; Israel did not. Israel had been warned (Joshua 23:16). How could Joshua 21:43-45 and 23:16 make it any more clear? If you don’t believe what these verses say, then you have substituted a prophetic system for the Bible. Will the real literalists please stand up!
I find it curious that the NT makes no mention of Israel and the unfulfilled land promise.
The Promise: On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates” (Gen. 15:18).
Joshua 21:43-45: “So the Lord gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it. And the Lord gave them rest on every side, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers, and no one of all their enemies stood before them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hand. Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.”
1 Kings 8:56: “Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised; not one word has failed of all His good promise, which He promised through Moses His servant.” 1 Chronicles 13:5: “So David assembled all Israel together, from the Shihor of Egypt even to the entrance of Hamath [from Nile River to the Euphrates], to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.”1 Chronicles 18:3: “David also defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah as far as Hamath, as he went to establish his rule to the Euphrates River (see Gen. 15:18).”1 Kings 8:65: “And at that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days and seven days, even fourteen days.
Jeremiah 32:21-23: “You brought Your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and with wonders, and with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm and with great terror; and gave them this land, which You swore to their forefathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey. They came in and took possession of it, but they did not obey Your voice or walk in Your law; they have done nothing of all that You commanded them to do; therefore You have made all this calamity come upon them.”
Nehemiah 9:23-26: “You also gave them kingdoms and peoples, and allotted them to them as a boundary. They took possession of the land of Sihon the king of Heshbon and the land of Og the king of Bashan. You made their sons numerous as the stars of heaven, and You brought them into the land Which You had told their fathers to enter and possess. So their sons entered and possessed the land. And You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, And You gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land, to do with them as they desired. They captured fortified cities and a fertile land. They took possession of houses full of every good thing, Hewn cisterns, vineyards, olive groves, Fruit trees in abundance. So they ate, were filled and grew fat, and reveled in Your great goodness. But they became disobedient and rebelled against You, and cast Your law behind their backs And killed Your prophets who had admonished them So that they might return to You, And they committed great blasphemies.”
1 Kings 4:20-21: “Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance; they were eating and drinking and rejoicing. Now Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt; they brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.”
2 Chronicles 1:9: “Now, O LORD God, Your promise to my father David is fulfilled, for You have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth.”
Even after such a definitive confirmation, there are those who still claim that these verses do not mean what they seem to mean. Here’s a question for those who take this position: What if God had wanted to tell the Israelites that all the land had been given to them just like He had promised; how would He have said it? He would have said, I’ve given you all the land, and so you don’t misunderstand what I’m telling you, every good promise I made to you has come to pass. Israel had been given all the land, but they failed to hold it. God upheld His end of the bargain; Israel did not. Israel had been warned (Joshua 23:16). How could Joshua 21:43-45 and 23:16 make it any more clear? If you don’t believe what these verses say, then you have substituted a prophetic system for the Bible. Will the real literalists please stand up!
I find it curious that the NT makes no mention of Israel and the unfulfilled land promise.
