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Many people Imagine that God transferred the promises made to “Israel” to “the church,” or alternately, that Bible prophecy symbolically uses the word “Israel” to mean “the church.” But even if either of these were correct (which is not the case) this would still have no effect on many other explicitly stated promises that God made.
God made explicitly stated and unconditional promises to both of the ancient sub-nations of “Ephraim” and “Judah” in Isaiah 11:11-15, Ezekiel 37:15-28 and Zechariah 9:12-17, and to each of “the twelve tribes of Israel” by name in Ezekiel 48:1-8 and Ezekiel 48:23-19. He further made explicitly stated promises to the descendants of “Phinehas” in Numbers 25:10-13, to the descendants of “Zadok” in Ezekiel 44:15-16, to the descendants of “Nathan,” “Levi,” and “Shimei,” in Zechariah 12:12-13, to the descendants of the ancient “Levites” in Jeremiah 33:18 and Ezekiel 44:10-16, and to the descendnts of “Jonadab” in Jeremiah 35:18-19. He also made explicitly stated promises to the “mountains of Israel,” along with “the hills, the rivers, the valleys, the desolate wastes, and the cities that have been forsaken, which became plunder and mockery to the rest of the nations all around” in Ezekiel 36:1-10, to the plot of real estate defined by specifying its borders in Ezekiel 47:13-20, to “Zion” in Zechariah 9:13, Joel 3:16-17 and Micah 4:2-13, and to the city of “Jerusalem” in Jeremiah 32:32-44 and 33:16, Joel 3:1-21, Micah 4:2-8, and Zechariah 14:2-21 and 12:1-9.
All these promises were made parts of to the ancient “nation” of “Israel,” using terms that no scripture even implies could even possibly mean “the church.”But the promises did not stop there. Our God also made explicitly stated promises to the ancient nations of “Assyria” and “Egypt” in Isaiah 19:22-24, to the ancient nations of “Moab,” “Ammon,” and “Elam” in Jeremiah 48:47, Jeremiah 49:6, and Jeremiah 49:39, to “Sodom” and “Samaria” in Ezekiel 16:53-55, and finally, to the world generally in Isaiah 2:4, Micah 4:3, and Romans 11:15.
So, even if some people were correct in claiming that the “thousand years” of Revelation 20:1-8 is only a metaphor, simply meaning “a very long time,” this period is explicitly promised in MANY other scriptures. So whether this promised period of bliss will actually last “a thousand years,” or will only last “a very long time,” is only a minor detail. For it will most certainly take place, regardless of how long it will last. And anyone who denies this is making God out to be a liar.
God made explicitly stated and unconditional promises to both of the ancient sub-nations of “Ephraim” and “Judah” in Isaiah 11:11-15, Ezekiel 37:15-28 and Zechariah 9:12-17, and to each of “the twelve tribes of Israel” by name in Ezekiel 48:1-8 and Ezekiel 48:23-19. He further made explicitly stated promises to the descendants of “Phinehas” in Numbers 25:10-13, to the descendants of “Zadok” in Ezekiel 44:15-16, to the descendants of “Nathan,” “Levi,” and “Shimei,” in Zechariah 12:12-13, to the descendants of the ancient “Levites” in Jeremiah 33:18 and Ezekiel 44:10-16, and to the descendnts of “Jonadab” in Jeremiah 35:18-19. He also made explicitly stated promises to the “mountains of Israel,” along with “the hills, the rivers, the valleys, the desolate wastes, and the cities that have been forsaken, which became plunder and mockery to the rest of the nations all around” in Ezekiel 36:1-10, to the plot of real estate defined by specifying its borders in Ezekiel 47:13-20, to “Zion” in Zechariah 9:13, Joel 3:16-17 and Micah 4:2-13, and to the city of “Jerusalem” in Jeremiah 32:32-44 and 33:16, Joel 3:1-21, Micah 4:2-8, and Zechariah 14:2-21 and 12:1-9.
All these promises were made parts of to the ancient “nation” of “Israel,” using terms that no scripture even implies could even possibly mean “the church.”But the promises did not stop there. Our God also made explicitly stated promises to the ancient nations of “Assyria” and “Egypt” in Isaiah 19:22-24, to the ancient nations of “Moab,” “Ammon,” and “Elam” in Jeremiah 48:47, Jeremiah 49:6, and Jeremiah 49:39, to “Sodom” and “Samaria” in Ezekiel 16:53-55, and finally, to the world generally in Isaiah 2:4, Micah 4:3, and Romans 11:15.
So, even if some people were correct in claiming that the “thousand years” of Revelation 20:1-8 is only a metaphor, simply meaning “a very long time,” this period is explicitly promised in MANY other scriptures. So whether this promised period of bliss will actually last “a thousand years,” or will only last “a very long time,” is only a minor detail. For it will most certainly take place, regardless of how long it will last. And anyone who denies this is making God out to be a liar.
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