The promise is found in the Abrahamic covenant not the OC. In the OC, it only REPEATS the promises made TO THE PATRIARCHS. You are 430 years TOO LATE.
A number of your verses are quoted OUT of their context as your main verse is. Here it is in context showing the promises to Abraham & his seed (the patriarchs ARE plural & refer to Abraham, Isaac & Jacob). Christ & the prophets & the apostles all referred to these promises as given to the PATRIARCHS (also synonymous with 'THE FATHERS') & Paul shows plainly this was 430 years BEFORE the Law was given & the OC established.
Galatians 3:15-18 Brothers, let me put this in HUMAN TERMS. Even a human covenant, once it is RATIFIED, CANNOT BE CANCELED OR AMENDED.
16The 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.
17WHAT I MEAN IS THIS: The law that came 430 years LATER DOES NOT REVOKE THE COVENANT PREVIOUSLY ESTABLISHED BY GOD, so as to cancel the promise. For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God FREELY granted it TO Abraham through a promise.
The ground for fulfillment lies first in the nature of the promises themselves rooted as they are in the ORIGINAL COMMAND made to Abraham to leave his father’s land & to go to A LITERAL LAND that God would show him. The promises originally given to Abraham are REITERATED AGAIN & AGAIN & FORM THE BACKBONE OF THE OT PROPHETIC REVELATION. The promise OF THE LAND sustained Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as they contemplated the future of their seed.
The promise OF THE LITERAL LAND was that which dominated Moses & Joshua as they brought the children of Israel from Egypt to the LITERAL land. The hope of REGATHERING OF THE NATION OF ISRAEL TO THE LITERAL LAND was that which sustained Jeremiah & Ezekiel at the time of the captivities & Israel’s moral apostasy.
It formed the basis of their hope IN FUTURE RESTORATION, LITERALLY TO THE PHYSICAL LAND & spiritually & politically. It has been further noticed that the very statement of the promises, though linked with a future repentance of Israel, is stated as CERTAIN & SURE. It is linked with the perpetuity of the seed of Abraham which is promised continuance as long as the sun & moon endure.
The promise of the land was integral in the original covenant with Abraham & was understood by him in a literal way. This is demonstrated in the constant reiteration of the promise in which literal possession of the land is implied or stated. The countless promises of the Old Testament which relate to the promise of the land were considered seriatim ('taking one subject after another in regular order; point by point') in a representative way. Such major passages as Isaiah 11, 14, 43, 60, 66, Jeremiah 16, 30, 31, 32, 33, Ezekiel 11, 20, 34, 37, 39, Hosea 3, Joel 3, Amos 9, Obadiah, Micah 4, Zechariah 8, and 10 were cited. Certainly this is an overwhelming proof that the entire OT lends its confirmation to a promise of future possession of the literal land to Israel.
These promises, though subject to delay & temporary dispossession, were never transferred to Gentiles but were declared to be unending in character, its title given forever with specific boundaries announced in Genesis 15 to Abraham himself.
Jesus is coming back the second time to rescue the nation of Israel back in the land again, from all the other nations. He will come back in the same way He went up, His feet again touching down on the Mt of Olives & He is coming to establish HIS MILLENIAL REIGN FOR 1000 YEARS IN JERUSALEM, ON MT. ZION, REIGNING OVER THE NATION OF ISRAEL & GIVING THEM PEACE FOR 1000 YEARS.
Christ is the PROMISED MESSIAH, the seed of Abraham, the descendant of David, who will reign on his throne over the nation of Israel. All the prophets predict this will happen. Jesus predicts this will happen. The apostles predict this will happen.
IT WILL HAPPEN--IN THE LITERAL LAND PROMISED TO ABRAHAM--FOR 1000 YEARS. The nations will COME TO JERUSALEM.
God has not forgotten His promises to Abraham, including the literal land. Even though the nation of Israel (distinct from the spiritual Israel of God) is in rebellion due to their rejection of Christ as the Messiah at this time of the Gentiles, God will upon His second coming, re-establish the repentant nation back in the literal land where Christ will literally reign there for 1000 years in this present age & the present heavens & earth.
Jesus said He will literally sit down with the fathers, the patriarchs, 'Abraham, Isaac & Jacob in His kingdom & celebrate again with the bread & wine.
The body of Christ now on earth is spiritual, the body of Christ, the dwelling of God in the Spirit, during this time of the Gentiles. When that ends at the second coming of Christ, the nation's power will be canceled & Christ will rule on the earth through the nation of Israel.
John F. Walvoord, long-time president of Dallas Theological Seminary, was one of the most prominent evangelical scholars of his generation. He was considered perhaps the world's foremost interpreter of biblical prophecy. Here is his detailed description of these promises to Abraham before the OC & repeated all through the Bible & concerning the literal land & the nation of Israel returning to it.
4. The Promise Of The Land To Israel | Bible.org
The Promise Of The Land To Israel
In the broad program of prophecy relating to Israel, few factors are more important than the promise to Abraham of the perpetual possession of the land. It's not only constantly reiterated in prophecies relating to Israel's hope, but it is an integral part of the call to Abraham which begins the program.
According to Gen 12:1 God had said to Abraham: “Get thee out of thy country & from thy kindred & from thy father’s house, unto the land that I will show thee.” It is almost impossible to avoid the plain “implication that the term
the land was a geographic designation & that Abraham understood it in this way.
Practically all conservative expositors agree that Abraham was instructed in his original call to leave his native country, Ur of the Chaldees & proceed to the land of Canaan. The historical record of his journey is recorded in Gen 11:31:
“And Terah took Abram his son & Lot the son of Haran, his son’s son & Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife & they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan. And they came unto Haran & dwelt there.”
After delay in Haran, still outside the land of Canaan, they finally entered the land itself after the death of Terah as recorded in Gen 12:5: “And Abram took Sarai his wife & Lot his brother’s son & all their substance that they had gathered & the souls that they had gotten in Haran & they went forth to go into the land of Canaan & into the land of Canaan they came.”
The original call to Abraham, therefore, involved a GEOGRAPHIC understanding & that to Abraham the expression
the land meant the land of Canaan promised to him & his seed.
It would seem redundant to cite these proofs if it were not for the fact that the term
the land & its related promises are frequently spiritualized as if they had no geographic implications whatever.
As has been pointed out in previous discussion, amillenarians usually follow one of two routes...namely, (1) that the promises of the land are to be spiritualized & relate to heaven; or (2) that the promises are to be interpreted literally but are conditional & will never be fulfilled.
In order to consider the amillennial argument, it is necessary to examine first the promise of the land to the seed of Abraham as unfolded in the OT; second, to study the dispossessions of the land involved in the 3 dispersions of Israel; third, to ascertain whether these promises have in some sense already been fulfilled or whether they are subject to future fulfillment & 4th, whether taking the evidence as a whole there is good ground for belief in the future fulfillment of these promises. Certain conclusions may then be drawn concerning Israel’s prophetic hope.
The Promise Of The Land To Abraham’s Seed
In examining the promise of the land, it may be observed first that Abraham understood the promises of God as relating to the literal land of Canaan. This is shown by his movement from Ur to Canaan as has already been pointed out.
It is further confirmed by the promise in Gen 12:7 given AFTER his entrance into the land: “Unto thy seed will I give THIS land.” Certainly Abraham understood it to refer to the physical land of Canaan.
This is reinforced by his experience in Gen 13 where after being separated from Lot he is urged to look northward, southward, eastward & westward (vs 14). At that time God assured him: “For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it & to thy seed for ever” (vs 15).
Further, he is instructed: “Arise, WALK THROUGH the land in the length of it & in the breadth of it: for unto thee will I give it” (vs 17). It is practically impossible to evade understanding these verses as referring to the literal land.
In Genesis 15:18-91 the exact dimensions of the land are given & the territory is described as running from the river of Egypt, which was the borderline between Egypt & Canaan & the great river, the river Euphrates, hundreds of miles to the east.
It becomes clear from the description which follows which itemizes the heathen tribes occupying this territory that God had in mind more than just the small area occupied by the Canaanite himself, but rather the entire area between these two boundaries. Here again it is obvious Abraham understood that a large geographic area was involved.
The NT comments on this expectation of Abraham in Hebrews 11:8, 9 where it is written: “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out unto a place which he was to receive for an inheritance & he went out, not knowing whither he went.
By faith he became a sojourner in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents, with Isaac & Jacob, THE HEIRS WITH HIM OF THE SAME PROMISE.” So far, all must agree that a literal land is in view.
Amillenarians are quick to point out, however, that vs 10 goes on to say: “For he looked for the city which hath the foundations, whose builder & maker is God.” Also, in Heb 11:16 it adds: “But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God; for he hath prepared for them a city.”
Do these allusions to a heavenly CITY (not land) nullify the idea of a literal land? A careful study of this passage will demonstrate that the subject is Abraham’s faith.
His faith first of all was in regard to the land & his faith was indicated by his obedience & his sojourning in the land in tents. The same faith which he manifested in God’s promise concerning the land is also manifested in Abraham’s faith concerning the heavenly city. The land represented God’s promise in relation to time, more specifically, THE FUTURE KINGDOM OF CHRIST ON EARTH, while the heavenly city has to do with eternity, the New Jerusalem & the new earth.
In the case of both, Abraham never possessed in life the fulfillment of the promises & like others he died in faith before the promises were fulfilled. The fact that Abraham believed both the temporal promises of God & the eternal promises of God does not lead to the conclusion that the earthly promise & the heavenly promise are one & the same.
It is rather that they require the same attitude of faith. The major emphasis of Scripture, however, is on Abraham’s belief in the temporal promises of God & to this the Scriptures constantly refer.
The allusions to the eternal state & Abraham’s expectation & faith are in fact rare, while the promises relating to possession of the land are one of the major themes of the OT.
In presenting the Messianic hope, Isaiah, in the major passage of Isa 11:1-12, after describing the justice which will characterize the land when the Messiah reigns, prophesies the regathering of the children of Israel “from Assyria & from Egypt & from Pathros & from Cush & from Elam & from Shinar & from Hamath & from the islands of the sea.”
He goes on to state that He is going to “gather together the dispersion of Judah from the four corners of the earth.” The whole context makes clear that they are being brought back to the literal land.
Similar passages abound in Isaiah. For instance, in Isaiah 14:1 it is declared: “For Jehovah will have compassion on Jacob & will YET CHOOSE ISRAEL & set them IN THEIR OWN LAND.”
According to Isa 27:13 the children of Israel are going to be gathered from Assyria & Egypt & “they will worship Jehovah in the holy mountain at Jerusalem.” This of course involves a return to the literal land.
In Isa 43:5-7 the regathering of Israel to the land is described: “Fear not; for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east & gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up & to the south, keep not back. Bring my sons from afar & my daughters from the ends of the earth; every one that is called by My name & whom I have created for My glory, whom I have formed, yea, whom I have made.”
It is stated categorically in Isa 60:21: “Thy people also shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land for ever.”
The book of Isaiah concludes with a great prophecy concerning the regathering of Israel as it will be consummated when they are brought from the ends of the earth to the Promised Land in the BEGINNING OF THE MILLENIAL REIGN ON CHRIST ON EARTH.
According to Isa 66:20: “And they shall bring all your brethren out of all the nations for an oblation unto heaven, upon horses & in chariots & in litters & upon mules & upon dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith Jehovah, as the children of Israel bring their oblation in a clean vessel into the house of Jehovah.”
This theme of Israel is continued in Jer 16:14-16: “Therefore, behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that it shall no more be said, As Jehovah liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
but, as Jehovah lives, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north & from all the countries whither he had driven them. And I will bring them again into THEIR LAND THAT I GAVE TO THE FATHERS.
Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith Jehovah & they shall fish them up; & afterward I will send for many hunters & they shall hunt them from every mountain & from every hill & out of the clefts of the rocks.”
It should be noted that the regathering of Israel to their ancient land is here described as being a regathering to the last man, something that was not remotely approached in ANY previous return.
In describing the time of the great tribulation in Jer 30:1-7, it is declared in verse 3: “For, lo, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will turn again the captivity of my people Israel AND Judah, saith Jehovah & I will cause them to return to the land THAT I GAVE TO THEIR FATHERS & they shall possess it.”
It is further stated in Jer 30:10, 11: “Therefore fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith Jehovah; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar & thy seed from the land of their captivity & Jacob WILL RETURN & shall be quiet & at ease & none shall make him afraid.
For I am with thee, saith Jehovah, to save thee: for I will make a full end of ALL THE NATIONS whither I have scattered thee, but I will NOT make a full end of thee; but I will correct thee in measure & will in no wise leave thee unpunished.”
In Jer 31 the return of Israel to the land is predicted in vs 5: “Again shalt thou plant vineyards upon the mts of Samaria; the planters shall plant & shall enjoy the fruit thereof.”
The regathering is described in Jer 31:8: “Behold, I will bring them from the north country & gather them from the uttermost parts of the earth & with them the blind & the lame, the woman with child & her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall they return hither.”
In the description of the NEW COVENANT in Jer 31:31-40 it is predicted that Israel will RETURN TO THE LAND & that Jerusalem will be built in a certain area which had formerly NEVER BEEN USED for building purposes. It is remarkable that THIS PRECISE AREA has been built into a portion of the MODERN CITY OF JERUSALEM in fulfillment of this prophecy. (to be continued)
