Is the land restoration to the nation of Israel found in the new covenant?

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Gregory Thompson

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Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. (Matthew 21:43)

And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance, saith the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 47:23)

Acts 1
6 ¶ When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
 
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pasifika

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The promise of the restoration of the nation of Israel is found in the old covenant:

Deuteronomy 30:1-5 When all these things come upon you—the blessings and curses I have set before you—and you call them to mind in all the nations to which the LORD your God has banished you, and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey His voice with all your heart and all your soul according to everything I am giving you today, then He will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you from all the nations to which the LORD your God has scattered you. Even if you have been banished to the ends of the earth, He will gather you and return you from there. And the LORD your God will bring you into the land your fathers possessed, and you will take possession of it. He will cause you to prosper and multiply more than your fathers. The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and all your soul, so that you may live.

The Old testament prophecies of the restoration of the land of Israel are rooted in the clause of Deuteronomy 30:1-5. Several examples include:

Jeremiah 29:10-14 For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

Ezekiel 39:25-28 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and will have compassion on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for My holy name. They will forget their disgrace and all the treachery they committed against Me, when they dwell securely in their land, with no one to frighten them. When I bring them back from the peoples and gather them out of the lands of their enemies, I will show My holiness in them in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God, when I regather them to their own land, after exiling them among the nations, not leaving any of them behind

Amos 9:14-15 I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them,” says the Lord your God.

This was found fulfilled once under the old covenant, when those from the southern kingdom and northern kingdom returned to the land after the Babylonian exile.

Ezra 1:5 Then rose up the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem.

1 Chronicles 9:1-4 So all Israel was recorded in genealogies, and these are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel. And Judah was taken into exile in Babylon because of their breach of faith. Now the first to dwell again in their possessions in their cities were Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the temple servants. And some of the people of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh lived in Jerusalem: Uthai the son of Ammihud, son of Omri, son of Imri, son of Bani, from the sons of Perez the son of Judah

However, the old covenant ended and was superseded by the new covenant through the blood of Christ.


Hebrews 10:9 then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second

Hebrews 9:13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

Additionally, the old covenant was only a shadow that was meant to point to Christ, and not the true reality.

Hebrews 10:1 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities,

colossians 2:16-17 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.


The old covenant is no longer in effect, as it was superseded by the new covenant. Thus, the promises of restoration to the land are no longer a valid.

an Earthly example to help understand:
I was single and created a will in which my best friend would inherit my estate in the event of my death. However, I later married and changed that will so that my wife, and not my friend, would inherit my estate in the event of my death. The new will cancels the old will, and thus my best friend would not inherit my estate.


So is the land restoration to the nation of Israel found in the new covenant?
Hello, the answer to the title of this post regarding the restoration of the land of Israel whether is found in the New Testament is ....YES..found in Romans, Galatians, Ephesians etc
 
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claninja

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Hello, the answer to the title of this post regarding the restoration of the land of Israel whether is found in the New Testament is ....YES..found in Romans, Galatians, Ephesians etc

Would you mind sharing specific verses, that specifically state this, please?
 
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Butch5

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The promise of the restoration of the nation of Israel is found in the old covenant:

Deuteronomy 30:1-5 When all these things come upon you—the blessings and curses I have set before you—and you call them to mind in all the nations to which the LORD your God has banished you, and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey His voice with all your heart and all your soul according to everything I am giving you today, then He will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you from all the nations to which the LORD your God has scattered you. Even if you have been banished to the ends of the earth, He will gather you and return you from there. And the LORD your God will bring you into the land your fathers possessed, and you will take possession of it. He will cause you to prosper and multiply more than your fathers. The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and all your soul, so that you may live.

The Old testament prophecies of the restoration of the land of Israel are rooted in the clause of Deuteronomy 30:1-5. Several examples include:

Jeremiah 29:10-14 For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

Ezekiel 39:25-28 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and will have compassion on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for My holy name. They will forget their disgrace and all the treachery they committed against Me, when they dwell securely in their land, with no one to frighten them. When I bring them back from the peoples and gather them out of the lands of their enemies, I will show My holiness in them in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God, when I regather them to their own land, after exiling them among the nations, not leaving any of them behind

Amos 9:14-15 I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them,” says the Lord your God.

This was found fulfilled once under the old covenant, when those from the southern kingdom and northern kingdom returned to the land after the Babylonian exile.

Ezra 1:5 Then rose up the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem.

1 Chronicles 9:1-4 So all Israel was recorded in genealogies, and these are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel. And Judah was taken into exile in Babylon because of their breach of faith. Now the first to dwell again in their possessions in their cities were Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the temple servants. And some of the people of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh lived in Jerusalem: Uthai the son of Ammihud, son of Omri, son of Imri, son of Bani, from the sons of Perez the son of Judah

However, the old covenant ended and was superseded by the new covenant through the blood of Christ.


Hebrews 10:9 then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second

Hebrews 9:13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

Additionally, the old covenant was only a shadow that was meant to point to Christ, and not the true reality.

Hebrews 10:1 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities,

colossians 2:16-17 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.


The old covenant is no longer in effect, as it was superseded by the new covenant. Thus, the promises of restoration to the land are no longer a valid.

an Earthly example to help understand:
I was single and created a will in which my best friend would inherit my estate in the event of my death. However, I later married and changed that will so that my wife, and not my friend, would inherit my estate in the event of my death. The new will cancels the old will, and thus my best friend would not inherit my estate.


So is the land restoration to the nation of Israel found in the new covenant?

Paul tells us that the land promise was actually to Abraham and Christ. God promised the land to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their seed. Paul tells us that the seed that God was referring to was Christ.
 
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Light of the East

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Yes, the restoration is in the book of Revelation, where during the tribulation of 7 years, God fulfills the Abrahamic covenant with Israel as described in Genesis 12. There were 490 weeks of years to fulfill the covenant as described in Daniel 9, which Jesus referred to in Matthew 24. 483 of those years were fulfilled, then due to Israel's disobedience to God and their rejection of Messiah, God turned His back on Israel. He turns back to Israel during the 7-year tribulation. The second reason for the tribulation is to have His wrath on the unGodly in order to fulfill prophecy and for His name's sake, which is that vengeance is His and He will repay.

Do you realize do you realize what you're saying? There cannot be two covenants at one time, therefore the only way for the Jews to be restored would be for the New Covenant to be ended and replace for the inferior old Covenant once again. How do you propose to do this when Jesus blood makes a permanent and eternal payment in heaven which keeps the New Covenant in force forever.
 
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LittleLambofJesus

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Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you[Judah], and given to a Nation[Israel/Gentiles] bringing forth the fruits thereof. (Matthew 21:43)

And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance, saith the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 47:23)

Acts 1
6 ¶ When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
Hello M C.
Did you notice the similarity of Acts 1:6 and Rev 17:12?
Weren't there 10 lost Tribes divorced by God

Acts 1:6 Restore Kingdom to Israel/10 KINGS One Mind Reve 17

Acts 1:6
The-ones indeed then coming together, asked Him saying, `Lord!, if in to-the time, this, you are restoring the Kingdom<932> to the Israel?'

Revelation 17:
12 And the ten horns which you saw, ten kings are, who any a-Kingdom<932> not-yet received, but authority<1849> as kings, one hour they are receiving<2983> with the Beast,
Jer 3:8 “Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce;
yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also.
 
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Gregory Thompson

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Hello M C.
Did you notice the similarity of Acts 1:6 and Rev 17:12?
Weren't there 10 lost Tribes divorced by God

Acts 1:6 Restore Kingdom to Israel/10 KINGS One Mind Reve 17

Acts 1:6
The-ones indeed then coming together, asked Him saying, `Lord!, if in to-the time, this, you are restoring the Kingdom<932> to the Israel?'

Revelaiont 17:
12 And the ten horns which you saw, ten kings are, who any a-Kingdom<932> not-yet received/elabon <2983> (5627), but authority/exousian <1849> as kings, one hour they are receiving/lambanousin <2983> with the wild beast,
Honestly, hadn't considered that angle, but it would make sense as part of the counterfeit.
 
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LittleLambofJesus

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LittleLambofJesus said:
Hello M C.
Did you notice the similarity of Acts 1:6 and Rev 17:12?
Weren't there 10 lost Tribes divorced by God

Acts 1:6 Restore Kingdom to Israel/10 KINGS One Mind Reve 17

Acts 1:6
The-ones indeed then coming together, asked Him saying, `Lord!, if in to-the time, this, you are restoring the Kingdom<932> to the Israel?'

Revelation 17:
12 And the ten horns which you saw, ten kings are, who any a-Kingdom<932> not-yet received/elabon <2983> (5627), but authority/exousian <1849> as kings, one hour they are receiving/lambanousin <2983> with the wild beast,
Honestly, hadn't considered that angle, but it would make sense as part of the counterfeit.
Hello M C.
It would make even better sense if the great City/Harlot in Revelation is symbolizing the OC 1st century Jerusalem/Temple/Priesthood.....imho.......

The Great City/Harlot/Queen Revelation chapts 17-19

Reve 18:16 "woe! woe! the great City arrayed with fine linen, purple


Revelation 17:
16 And the ten Horns which thou saw and the Beast, These shall be hating the harlot,
and They shall be making Her desolate<2049> and naked,
and the fleshes of Her they shall be eating<5315>
and shall be burning<2618> Her in fire.
17 For the GOD gives<1325> into Their hearts to do<4160> the mind<1106> of Him, and to do One mind
and to give Their kingdom to the Beast
until shall be being finished<5055> the words of the GOD.

Revelation 18:
18 And they cried<2896>, observing the smoke of Her burning<4451>, saying, "What like to the great City?"
19 and they cast dust upon their heads, and cried<2896>, lamenting<2799>, weeping and mourning<3996>, saying,
"Woe! woe! the great City! in which are rich all those having ships<4143> in the sea, out of Her preciousness<5094>,
for to one hour was She was desolated<2049>.

302660_c2760f5cc7d57e7088338ce451af705b.jpg
[/quote]
 
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Gregory Thompson

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Hello M C.
It would make even better sense if the great City/Harlot in Revelation is symbolizing the OC 1st century Jerusalem/Temple/Priesthood.....imho.......

The Great City/Harlot/Queen Revelation chapts 17-19

Reve 18:16 "woe! woe! the great City arrayed with fine linen, purple


Revelation 17:
16 And the ten Horns which thou saw and the Beast, These shall be hating the harlot,
and They shall be making Her desolate<2049> and naked,
and the fleshes of Her they shall be eating<5315>
and shall be burning<2618> Her in fire.
17 For the GOD gives<1325> into Their hearts to do<4160> the mind<1106> of Him, and to do One mind
and to give Their kingdom to the Beast
until shall be being finished<5055> the words of the GOD.

Revelation 18:
18 And they cried<2896>, observing the smoke of Her burning<4451>, saying, "What like to the great City?"
19 and they cast dust upon their heads, and cried<2896>, lamenting<2799>, weeping and mourning<3996>, saying,
"Woe! woe! the great City! in which are rich all those having ships<4143> in the sea, out of Her preciousness<5094>,
for to one hour was She was desolated<2049>.

302660_c2760f5cc7d57e7088338ce451af705b.jpg
Most prophecies make sense if there is a contemporary fulfillment and then a future one, so sure.
 
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throughfiierytrial

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The covenant God made with Abraham is unconditional. It shall be fulfilled during the tribulation. All Christians are Abraham's seed (plural). Abraham's seed (singular) is Christ. Through the singular seed, all the nations shall be blessed (plural).
However, are we not speaking of the Old Covenant...OT Law which Israel believed would reap them eternal life? There were the pronouncements of the blessings and the curses...Israel experienced both. They violated the covenant and God found fault with the covenant and ushered in the New Covenant...salvation by faith in Christ. He turn all men over to disobedience so as to have mercy on them all. Yes, we now see the true meaning of God's promise to Abraham...which stands forever...and that is the covenant God makes with all who come to him by faith.
 
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LittleLambofJesus

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LittleLambofJesus said:
Hello M C.
Did you notice the similarity of Acts 1:6 and Rev 17:12?
Weren't there 10 lost Tribes divorced by God

Acts 1:6 Restore Kingdom to Israel/10 KINGS One Mind Reve 17

Acts 1:6
The-ones indeed then coming together, asked Him saying, `Lord!, if in to-the time, this, you are restoring the Kingdom<932> to the Israel?'

Revelation 17:
12 And the ten horns which you saw, ten kings are, who any a-Kingdom<932> not-yet received/elabon <2983> (5627), but authority/exousian <1849> as kings, one hour they are receiving/lambanousin <2983> with the wild beast,
[/quote]Michael Collum said:
Honestly, hadn't considered that angle, but it would make sense as part of the counterfeit.[/quote]
LittleLambofJesus said:
Hello M C. It would make even better sense if the great City/Harlot in Revelation is symbolizing the OC 1st century Jerusalem/Temple/Priesthood.....imho.......

The Great City/Harlot/Queen Revelation chapts 17-19

Reve 18:16 "woe! woe! the great City arrayed with fine linen, purple
Most prophecies make sense if there is a contemporary fulfillment and then a future one, so sure.
Yes. I agree.
 
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pasifika

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Would you mind sharing specific verses, that specifically state this, please?
Hello, Galatians 3:15-29, verse 16..."the promise spoken to Abraham and to his seed (Christ )"...this is referring to God promised the land to Abraham in Genesis 12:7, also to Isaac Genesis 26 And Jacob who became Israel Genesis 35:12..."the land i gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you...
Ephesians 2:11-13, Paul tell the Gentiles people (you and me) that we as Gentiles were separated from Christ and excluded from CITIZENSHIP IN ISRAEL and FOREIGNERS to the COVENANT OF THE PROMISE (Covenant made with Abraham)...verse 13 " BUT NOW in Christ Jesus you (Gentiles ) who once far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ..
verse 20.." Consequently, you (Gentiles ) are NO LONGER FOREIGNERS and STRANGERS, but fellow CITIZENS with God's people and also members of His household....
 
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Mathetes66

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"The promise of the restoration of the nation of Israel is found in the old covenant..."

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.”

"Is the land restoration to the nation of Israel found in the new covenant?"

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)
 
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Mathetes66

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Another clear reference to the regathering of Israel & their being planted in their land is found in Jer 32:37-44. In vs 37 it is stated: “Behold, I will gather them out of all the countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger & in my wrath & in great indignation & I will bring them again unto this place & I will cause them to dwell safely.”

Again, in vs 41 it is declared: “Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, & I will plant them in THIS land assuredly with my whole heart & with my whole soul.” Jeremiah promises that they will again possess the fields in & about Jerusalem & that God will cause their captivity to return.

In Jer 33, God solemnly swears that He will cause their captivity to return, that justice & righteousness will be executed in the land & that THE SEED OF DAVID WILL REIGN ON THE THRONE.

Such passages could be multiplied, such as Ezek 11:14-21 where in vs 17 God says plainly: “I will give you the land of Israel.”

Ezek 20:33-88 describes the judgment upon Israel at the beginning of the millennial kingdom, when the rebels are prohibited from entering the land in contrast to the righteous who do.

In Ezek 20:42 it is written: “And ye shall know that I am Jehovah, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, INTO THE COUNTRY WHICH I SWORE TO GIVE TO YOUR FATHERS.”

Again in Ezekiel 34:13 God promises: “And I will bring them out from the peoples & gather them from the countries & will bring them into their own land; & I will feed them upon the mts of Israel, by the watercourses & in all the inhabited places of the country.”

In the great prophecy concerning the valley of dry bones in Ezek 37 the significant statement is given in vss 21, 22: “And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, whither they are gone & will gather them on every side & bring them in to their OWN land.

And I will make them one nation in the land, upon the mountains of Israel & ONE KING WILL BE KING TO THEM ALL & they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.”

Ezekiel adds in vss 24, 25 that David is going to reign over them. In vs 25 he writes: “And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers dwelt & they shall dwell therein, they & their children & their children’s children, for ever & David my servant shall be their prince for ever.”

The process of the regathering of Israel is declared in Ezek 39:25-29 to extend to the whole house of Israel & indicates that they will be brought back into their land TO THE LAST MAN, as stated in vs 28:

“And they shall know that I am Jehovah their God, in that I caused them to go into captivity among the nations & have gathered them unto their own land; & I will leave none of them any more there.” The meaning of this passage is that they will be gathered to their land & that God will not allow a single Israelite to remain in dispersion. This has NEVER been fulfilled by any previous regathering.

Most of the minor prophets continue this prophetic strain, so prominent in Isaiah, Jeremiah & Ezekiel. The undying love of God for Israel is declared in Hosea & though according to 3:4 the children of Israel will be without a king & a priesthood, they are assured in vs 5:

“Afterward shall the children of Israel return & seek Jehovah their God & David their king & shall come with fear unto Jehovah & to his goodness IN THE LATTER DAYS.

The Prophet Joel, after declaring the judgment of God upon Israel, closes his book by declaring: “But Judah shall abide for ever & Jerusalem from generation to generation” (3:20).

The Prophet Amos, after an almost unrelieved indictment on Israel for their sin, closes his book with 5 verses in ch. 9 beginning in vs 11, where it is affirmed that the tent of David which is fallen will be raised up again.

The abundance of crops is described & Amos declares God’s intention in vss 14 & 15: “And I will bring back the captivity of my people Israel & they shall build the waste cities & inhabit them & they shall plant vineyards & drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens & eat the fruit of them.

And I will plant them upon THEIR land & they shall no more be plucked up out of their land which I have given them, saith Jehovah thy God.”

This major passage on the regathering of Israel is significant because it pictures the revival of Israel after divine judgment upon them, the abundant crops that will characterize Israel in those days & closes with the assurance that they will no more be scattered once they are brought back to the land.

Here again is a prophecy which was NOT fulfilled in previous regatherings & demands a future regathering in which this prophecy will be completely fulfilled.

It is to this prophecy that James alludes in Acts 15:15-18 when he declared at the council of Jerusalem that it was the divine order that there should be blessing on the Gentiles first & that this was to be FOLLOWED BY the restoration of Israel & the rebuilding of the tent of David.

Obadiah continues this strain on the regathering of Israel when he writes in vs 17: “But in mount Zion there shall be those that escape & it shall be holy & the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.” In that day according to vs 21: “the kingdom shall be Jehovah’s.”

Micah gives a comprehensive picture of the future Messianic kingdom in 4:1-8. Israel is pictured in their ANCIENT LAND in peace & security, regathered from their former scattered position & sitting under their vines & fig trees in safety.

The book concludes with these words: “Thou wilt perform the truth TO JACOB, & the lovingkindness TO ABRAHAM, which thou hast SWORN TO OUR FATHERS FROM THE DAYS OF OLD.” (7:20)

The remaining minor prophets continue this theme. Zephaniah closes ch. 3 with the picture of Israel regathered & rejoicing in the Lord in THEIR ancient land.

Zechariah speaks at length on the future blessings of Israel, describing the streets full of happy children in Zech 8:5 & Israel is being regathered from the east & from the west in ch. 8:7, 8.

Jerusalem is pictured as the capitol of the earth in 8:22. The regathering of Israel is mentioned specifically in Zech 10:10 where Israel is described as gathered out of Assyria & Egypt.

The concluding chapter of Zechariah, beginning as it does with the 2nd coming of Christ, pictures the changes in the land in the millennial kingdom & the wealth & prosperity & spiritual blessing of Israel.

All of these prophecies imply that the promises of the land are going to be fulfilled & Israel will once again be established in the area PROMISED TO THE SEED OF ABRAHAM.

The careful analysis of these many promises relative to Israel’s possession of the land & their regathering from the ends of the earth makes clear certain important principles.

First, as intimated in previous discussion, the land, though subject to delay & Israel’s temporary dispossession, is promised unconditionally to the seed of Abraham.

Its ultimate possession is therefore based on the grace principle rather than the law principle. Second, it should be evident that the promise of the land is not given to Gentiles, but to the physical seed of Abraham; to be sure, not all the seed, but nevertheless to be fulfilled literally by the future generation of Israelites on earth at the time of the 2nd coming of Christ.

Matt 23:37-39 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets & stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! “Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! For I tell YOU that YOU will not see Me again UNTIL YOU SAY, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord."

Luke 13:34,35 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling. Look, your house is left to you desolate. And I tell you that you will not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord."

Third, the title of the land is declared to be unending in its character. By this we should understand that the land belongs to Israel as long as the present earth endures.

Fourth, not only is the title to be given forever, but the land is actually to be possessed as long as the earth endures, once it is given to Israel at the beginning of the millennial kingdom.

Fifth, it is clear that the promises are geographic & that the boundaries announced in Gen 15 will have specific application when Israel is finally installed in their land in the millennial period. Only by indiscriminate spiritualization of all the terms & promises relating to the land can these prophecies be nullified.

The fact that they are stated & restated so many times in so many different periods of Israel’s history, even in times of apostasy & departure from God as in the days of Jeremiah & Ezekiel & by so many of the minor prophets makes clear that God intended them to be taken at their face value.

The Dispossessions Of The Land
Though only premillenarians insist that Israel is eventually to possess the Promised Land & fulfill literally the promises pertaining thereto, it is agreed by all that Israel in the course of its past history has suffered three major dispossessions.

Jacob & his family voluntarily went to Egypt at Joseph’s invitation to avoid the famine & thereby left THE LAND promised to Abraham’s seed. In Egypt they sojourned for many generations until the time of the Exodus. After the return to the land under Moses & Joshua, the children of Israel lived for hundreds of years within the general area promised to Abraham, but never possessing it in its entirety even in the most extended period of the kingdom under Solomon.

The moral disintegration which followed Solomon & the division of the kingdom of Israel into two kingdoms ultimately resulted in the 2nd dispersion, first, in the captivity of Assyria beginning in 721 BC & then in the later captivity of the two remaining tribes following the invasion by Babylon beginning in 606 BC.

The 2nd dispersion is the subject of prophecy by Moses in Deut 28:62-65 & is mentioned in Deut 30:1-5. At the same time there were frequent promises of restoration from THIS dispersion as indicated in the prophecies already cited in Jeremiah.

The return after the 2nd dispersion is indicated specifically by Jeremiah in ch. 29:10, 11 where the prediction is given that after 70 years they would be able to return to Jerusalem.

The third & final dispersion began in 70 AD, with the destruction of Jerusalem & the desecration of the entire land which followed in the next century. From this dispersion, Israel has begun to return in the 20th century as witnessed in the establishment of the nation Israel back in the literal land.

Two million of these people are now established in their ancient land. The present regathering being witnessed by our generation is the largest movement of the people of Israel since the days of Moses & may be understood to be the beginning of that which will be completed subsequent to the 2nd coming of Christ & the establishment of His kingdom ON EARTH.

The principles involved in the dispersion & regathering of Israel are sometimes called the Palestinian covenant. This is outlined in particular in the final message of Moses in Deut, ch. 28, 29 & 30.

According to Deut 28:63-68, Israel was warned that they would be scattered over the face of the earth if they departed from God. Along with this, however, it was anticipated that there would be a FUTURE RETURN IN WHICH A GODLY REMNANT OF ISRAEL WOULD REPENT.

This is stated explicitly in Deut 30:1-5:

“And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing & the curse, which I have set before thee & thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither Jehovah thy God hath driven thee & shalt return unto Jehovah thy God & shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou & thy children, with all thy heart & with all thy soul; that then JEHOVAH THY GOD will turn thy captivity & have compassion upon thee & WILL RETURN & gather thee from all the peoples whither Jehovah thy God hath scattered thee.”

This regathering is connected with the return of Christ mentioned in Deut 30:3 & involves the restoration & regathering of all the children of Israel scattered over the face of the earth including righteous Israelites who have died & gone to heaven.

As stated in Deut 30:4: “If any of thine outcasts be in the uttermost PARTS OF HEAVEN, from thence will Jehovah thy God gather thee & from thence will he fetch thee.” According to Deut 30:5-9, they are promised that they will be regathered to their land, restored spiritually, delivered from their enemies & abundantly blessed.

Though the prophecy is given in a context which conditions fulfillment on the future repentance of Israel, both this Scripture & many others relating to the regathering of Israel predict that Israel will repent & will therefore be restored & regathered upon Christ's return.

The dispossessions of the land, therefore, are temporary judgments upon the generations of Israel who turned from God. While they lost possession of the land in the captivities & suffered as the Scriptures prophesied, at the same time God abundantly declares in His Word that their dispersion was temporary & their regathering is the ultimate purpose of God. Confirming this judgment is the dramatic fact of Israel’s return to the land in our day after many centuries of dispersion, persecution & affliction.

Has The Promise Of The Land Already Been Fulfilled?
Generally speaking, amillenarians who deny that Israel will possess the Promised Land in the future tend to ignore the promises to the contrary in the Major & Minor Prophets & in many cases do not even attempt to offer evidence that these promises are conditional or are to be interpreted in a nonliteral way.

Occasionally, however, some arguments are offered in the attempt to sustain the thesis that the promises have already been fulfilled in historic possessions of the land.

George L. Murray for instance, in his book Millennial Studies, pg 27, offers I Kings 4:21-24 as evidence. It is stated in vs 21: “And Solomon ruled over ail of the kingdoms from the River unto the land of the Philistines & unto the border of Egypt: they brought tribute & served Solomon all the days of his life.” In I Kings 4:24 this same thought is continued: “For he had dominion over all the region on this side the River, from Tiphsah even to Gaza, over all the kings on this side the River & he had peace on all sides round about him.”

A careful study of this passage in the light of its context, however, will demonstrate that, while Solomon ruled over all this area, he did not possess it, inasmuch as the kings are indicated as CONTINUING THEIR RULE even though they paid tribute and served Solomon.

The area was therefore not incorporated in the kingdom of Solomon, but rather came under his sway in the sense that the nations paid tribute & were at peace with Solomon. If this portion had been incorporated into the kingdom of Solomon, it would not have involved the kings’ remaining on their thrones & paying tribute to him. (to be continued)
 
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Mathetes66

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A similar argument is offered by Murray in reference to Joshua 21:43-45 where it is stated: “So Jehovah gave unto Israel all the land which he swore to give TO THEIR FATHERS & they possessed it & dwelt therein.”

On the face of it this would seem to be a plain declaration that they did possess all the land. This promise, however, has to be limited by subsequent Scriptures.

According to Judges 1:21 the Benjamites did not conquer the Jebusites. According to Judges 1:27, the children of Manasseh did not conquer all of their territory & in vs 28 it is stated: “And it came to pass when Israel was waxed strong, that they put the Canaanites to task work & did not utterly drive them out.”

In the verses which follow are itemized the areas which Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher & Naphtali did not possess. In other words, the statement of Joshua 21:43-45 must be understood as teaching that God on His part was faithful, but that the children of Israel did not enter into their possession.

Much later in Israel’s history Murray notes that Nehemiah refers to the promise given to Abraham RELATIVE TO THE LAND & states, “Thou…hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous” (9:8).

This must be understood in the same sense as Joshua in that indeed God did “give them the land,” but they never possessed it historically in the OT period.

The passages already cited relative to Israel’s regathering & possession of the land are in themselves a complete refutation of this idea that Israel has already possessed the land in the past in its entirety.

If the promise of the land was fulfilled in Joshua’s time or in Solomon’s, why do the many Scriptures later appeal to a future possession?

Even though it may be conceded that the reference in Nehemiah is late in Israel’s history, it by no means proves that the promises pertaining to the last regathering and establishment of Israel in the land have been fulfilled. In fact, it is quite to the contrary as we examine the context of Nehemiah.

There are three essentials to the fulfillment of the ORIGINAL PROMISES GIVEN TO ABRAHAM regarding the possession of the land. First, the land must be actually possessed, that is, occupied, not simply controlled.

Second, the possession must continue as long as the earth lasts, i.e., forever. Third, the land during this period of possession must be under the rule of the Messiah in a time of peace, tranquillity & blessing.

Nothing in history fulfills the many promises given to the prophets and, if it be judged that these promises must be fulfilled literally & surely, there remains only one possible conclusion—that is, that Israel in some future time will possess their promised land, including the entire area described in Gen 15.

Arguments For Future Fulfillment Of The Promise
In reviewing the material already presented relative to Israel’s future possession of the land, it may be seen that this is integral in the whole prophetic scheme involving the millennial kingdom, the return of Christ & the consummation of the ages.

The ground for fulfillment lies first in the nature of the promises themselves rooted as they are in the original proposition made to Abraham to leave his father’s land & to go to a land that God would show him. The promises originally given to Abraham are REITERATED again & again & form the backbone of OT prophetic revelation.

The promise of the land sustained Abraham, Isaac & Jacob as they contemplated the future of their seed. The promise dominated Moses & Joshua as they brought the children of Israel from Egypt to the land.

The hope of regathering sustained Jeremiah & Ezekiel at the time of the captivities & Israel’s moral apostasy. . It is linked with the perpetuity of the seed of Abraham which is promised continuance as long as the sun & moon endure.

The strongest kind of promises are related to the possession of the land in that not only the nation Israel is promised eternal continuity, but the land is promised as an everlasting possession.

The emphatic description of the land given in Gen 15:18-21 almost defies spiritualization, including as it does the heathen tribes which possessed it at the time the promise was given. The fact that Israel has been dispossessed of the land in three periods of its history is by no means an argument against ultimate possession, for imbedded in the very promises of dispossession are the promises that Israel will return & repossess the land.

It has been demonstrated that these promises were not fulfilled in the past. Though Solomon temporarily controlled the area described by Abraham, he did not possess it & he did not occupy it.

The prophets following Solomon certainly did not understand that Solomon had fulfilled the promise of the land & therefore promised future fulfillment. While God had been faithful, as witnessed by Nehemiah, it should be obvious to all that in Nehemiah’s day the promises of possession of all the land were not fulfilled.

On every hand, therefore, an examination of the promises of the land of Israel supports the eschatology of Israel as a whole & the premillennial interpretation of the Scriptures.

By so much also any spiritualization of Israel which would require fulfillment to the church in the present age or which would look to fulfillment in the eternal state would undermine not only the eschatology of Israel, but the program of eschatology as a whole.

It is therefore not too much to say that the subject of the eschatology of Israel is a determinative one in the theology of future things & as one decides these important questions he therefore decides the validity of eschatology in its broader scope.

Inasmuch as the promises relating to Israel pervade the entire Scriptures, by so much a disclaiming of the promises given to Israel affects one’s theology as a whole. It is for this reason that this subject is important.

Summary
The theological implications of the promise of the land to Israel have been shown to be central in God’s eschatological purpose for His ancient people.

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 OT which relate to the promise of the land were reiterated again & again. 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 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.

The dispersion's predicted when Israel was out of the land were prophesied, but it was demonstrated that not only were the dispersions fulfilled, but also the regathering. Evidence was adduced that the final regathering will include every Israelite to the last man, a promise which today has never been fulfilled.

The amillennial argument that the promise of the land was fulfilled in Solomon’s day was refuted by the fact that Solomon never fulfilled the promise in any proper sense & that subsequent Scriptures regarded the promise as subject to future fulfillment.

Assertions of Joshua & Nehemiah to the fact that God had fulfilled all His promises to Israel were found to be limited by the context to the thought that God had kept His Word though Israel had failed to possess the land.

The arguments for future fulfillment of the promise hang therefore on the certainty of the Word of God. just as the prophecy concerning Israel has always had its fulfillment in the past, so it will also in the future. Israel’s promise of the land is just as sure as the Christian’s promise of heaven.
 
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pasifika

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Yes, the restoration is in the book of Revelation, where during the tribulation of 7 years, God fulfills the Abrahamic covenant with Israel as described in Genesis 12. There were 490 weeks of years to fulfill the covenant as described in Daniel 9, which Jesus referred to in Matthew 24. 483 of those years were fulfilled, then due to Israel's disobedience to God and their rejection of Messiah, God turned His back on Israel. He turns back to Israel during the 7-year tribulation. The second reason for the tribulation is to have His wrath on the unGodly in order to fulfill prophecy and for His name's sake, which is that vengeance is His and He will repay.
Hello, thank you..this the correct summary of the fulfillment of the covenant made by God to Abraham and to his seed...covenant of the promise...
 
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Lords Man

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The promise of the restoration of the nation of Israel is found in the old covenant:

Deuteronomy 30:1-5 When all these things come upon you—the blessings and curses I have set before you—and you call them to mind in all the nations to which the LORD your God has banished you, and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey His voice with all your heart and all your soul according to everything I am giving you today, then He will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you from all the nations to which the LORD your God has scattered you. Even if you have been banished to the ends of the earth, He will gather you and return you from there. And the LORD your God will bring you into the land your fathers possessed, and you will take possession of it. He will cause you to prosper and multiply more than your fathers. The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and all your soul, so that you may live.

The Old testament prophecies of the restoration of the land of Israel are rooted in the clause of Deuteronomy 30:1-5. Several examples include:

Jeremiah 29:10-14 For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

Ezekiel 39:25-28 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and will have compassion on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for My holy name. They will forget their disgrace and all the treachery they committed against Me, when they dwell securely in their land, with no one to frighten them. When I bring them back from the peoples and gather them out of the lands of their enemies, I will show My holiness in them in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God, when I regather them to their own land, after exiling them among the nations, not leaving any of them behind

Amos 9:14-15 I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them,” says the Lord your God.

This was found fulfilled once under the old covenant, when those from the southern kingdom and northern kingdom returned to the land after the Babylonian exile.

Ezra 1:5 Then rose up the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem.

1 Chronicles 9:1-4 So all Israel was recorded in genealogies, and these are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel. And Judah was taken into exile in Babylon because of their breach of faith. Now the first to dwell again in their possessions in their cities were Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the temple servants. And some of the people of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh lived in Jerusalem: Uthai the son of Ammihud, son of Omri, son of Imri, son of Bani, from the sons of Perez the son of Judah

However, the old covenant ended and was superseded by the new covenant through the blood of Christ.


Hebrews 10:9 then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second

Hebrews 9:13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

Additionally, the old covenant was only a shadow that was meant to point to Christ, and not the true reality.

Hebrews 10:1 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities,

colossians 2:16-17 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.


The old covenant is no longer in effect, as it was superseded by the new covenant. Thus, the promises of restoration to the land are no longer a valid.

an Earthly example to help understand:
I was single and created a will in which my best friend would inherit my estate in the event of my death. However, I later married and changed that will so that my wife, and not my friend, would inherit my estate in the event of my death. The new will cancels the old will, and thus my best friend would not inherit my estate.


So is the land restoration to the nation of Israel found in the new covenant?

Just remember, the prophecy of the Old Testament is not chiefly about Israel or the land, it is about Christ. Israel has nothing without the Messiah!!
 
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Contenders Edge

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The promise of the restoration of the nation of Israel is found in the old covenant:

Deuteronomy 30:1-5 When all these things come upon you—the blessings and curses I have set before you—and you call them to mind in all the nations to which the LORD your God has banished you, and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey His voice with all your heart and all your soul according to everything I am giving you today, then He will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you from all the nations to which the LORD your God has scattered you. Even if you have been banished to the ends of the earth, He will gather you and return you from there. And the LORD your God will bring you into the land your fathers possessed, and you will take possession of it. He will cause you to prosper and multiply more than your fathers. The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and all your soul, so that you may live.

The Old testament prophecies of the restoration of the land of Israel are rooted in the clause of Deuteronomy 30:1-5. Several examples include:

Jeremiah 29:10-14 For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

Ezekiel 39:25-28 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and will have compassion on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for My holy name. They will forget their disgrace and all the treachery they committed against Me, when they dwell securely in their land, with no one to frighten them. When I bring them back from the peoples and gather them out of the lands of their enemies, I will show My holiness in them in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God, when I regather them to their own land, after exiling them among the nations, not leaving any of them behind

Amos 9:14-15 I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them,” says the Lord your God.

This was found fulfilled once under the old covenant, when those from the southern kingdom and northern kingdom returned to the land after the Babylonian exile.

Ezra 1:5 Then rose up the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem.

1 Chronicles 9:1-4 So all Israel was recorded in genealogies, and these are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel. And Judah was taken into exile in Babylon because of their breach of faith. Now the first to dwell again in their possessions in their cities were Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the temple servants. And some of the people of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh lived in Jerusalem: Uthai the son of Ammihud, son of Omri, son of Imri, son of Bani, from the sons of Perez the son of Judah

However, the old covenant ended and was superseded by the new covenant through the blood of Christ.


Hebrews 10:9 then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second

Hebrews 9:13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

Additionally, the old covenant was only a shadow that was meant to point to Christ, and not the true reality.

Hebrews 10:1 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities,

colossians 2:16-17 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.


The old covenant is no longer in effect, as it was superseded by the new covenant. Thus, the promises of restoration to the land are no longer a valid.

an Earthly example to help understand:
I was single and created a will in which my best friend would inherit my estate in the event of my death. However, I later married and changed that will so that my wife, and not my friend, would inherit my estate in the event of my death. The new will cancels the old will, and thus my best friend would not inherit my estate.


So is the land restoration to the nation of Israel found in the new covenant?



There is no indication in scripture that the New Covenant ever canceled out the promises God made to Israel including land restoration which He has made to be everlasting. In fact the Apostle Paul even warned against such thinking in Romans chapter 11.

In the book of Revelation, the land of Israel and the Jewish people play a very central role in the end times. And finally, when Jesus returns, this present age will come to an end in Israel.

That Israel has already been restored to their homeland ought to be proof enough in and of itself that God’s promises to His people have not failed and are still in effect and a good thing that they are too because if God’s promises to the Jews are canceled out, how can we be so sure that the same thing won’t happen to us?
 
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parousia70

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That Israel has already been restored to their homeland ought to be proof enough in and of itself that God’s promises to His people have not failed and are still in effect and a good thing that they are too because if God’s promises to the Jews are canceled out, how can we be so sure that the same thing won’t happen to us?

Since the People who make up the citizenry and Government of the Modern, Secular, Democratic nation state of Israel Have no relationship to the pre-desolation Hebrew people, how can their presence there constitute a "restoration" of anything or anyone Biblical?
 
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