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Christ's Kingdom and the End Times

Month: November 2023

“The Land”: God’s Promises and Plans, and Israel’s Possession

November 23, 2023 /

By Steven J. Hogan

~ A Saturday Morning Post #291 ~

About 4,000 years ago, God promised to Abram and his descendants a very special piece of land. And through all the years God has been keeping His promise to His people. As Christians, it’s imperative that we understand this incredible journey of the Jewish people, and how it relates to us. Today, from Genesis to Joshua, we will learn about God’s promises about the land to God’s plans for the land to Israel’s possession of the land.

1) God’s promises of land for Abraham and his descendants: Genesis 13:14-15- “The Lord said to Abram after Lot had separated from him, ‘Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and your descendants forever.’” Gen. 12:1-3, 15:6-7, 15:18, 17:6-8, 26:3-5, 35:10-12, 50:24; Ex. 32:13; Lev. 26:42; Num. 34:2-12; Deut. 9:4-6; Josh. 1:1-6. God repeated His promise of land because He wanted everyone to be convinced of its truth and its eternal and utmost importance.

2) God’s plans for the Jewish people instructed them how to live in their land: God created the Israeli nation, raised her up, cared for her, provided for her, protected her, led her – and He had His plans for them written down so they would know how they were to live in their land. God dearly loved the Jewish people, for they were special to Him, a treasured possession. He wanted to greatly bless them and their land and, through them, the entire world. Most of all, God wanted them to worship and serve Him forever. Psalm 67:7

In Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, God’s plans for the Jewish people are precisely written out. Here are some of them: Deut. 4:1 – “Listen to the statutes and the judgments which I am teaching you to perform, so that you may live and go in and take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you.” Deut. 4:37-38 – “Because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them. He personally brought you from Egypt by His great power, driving out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in and to give you their land for an inheritance.”

Deut. 8:7 – “The Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines, fig trees, and pomegranates, a land of milk and honey… when you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.” Deut. 11:12 – “… a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning even to the end of the year.” Deut. 11:16-17 – “Beware that your hearts are not deceived, and that you do not turn away and serve other gods and worship them. Or the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and… you will perish quickly from the good land which the Lord is giving you.”

Here are several more verses from Deuteronomy about the plans God wanted His people to follow while they were living in their land: Deut. 4:5, 4:13-14, 4:25-31, 4:35-40, 5:31-33, 6:1, 6:10-15, 6:22-25, 7:1-6, 7:12-15, 8:1, 8:6-10, 9:1-6, 10:11, 11:8-12, 11:16-25, 11:31-32, 12:1-4, 12:29-30, 15:4-5, 15:11, 16:20, 17:14-15, 18:9-14, 19:8-10, 21:22-23, 23:19-20, 24:14-15, 25:13-16, 26:1-3, 26:8-11, 26:15-19, 27:1-3, 29:25-29, 31:3-8, 32:45-49.

These verses tell us about the sacrifices the Israelites were to perform, many of which picture the coming Messiah who would atone for their sins, who would save those who believed in Him. They describe their celebrations and feasts, ones which would give them opportunities to worship Him. We learn about God’s plans regarding kings, war, sin, justice, tithes, marriage, divorce, food, aliens, being exiled from their land, etc. God was clearly instructing His people how they were to live for Him, be blessed by Him, and glorify Him in their land.  

Now think about this: is there any other country in the world that God chose and loved, and then wrote out specific plans instructing them how they were to live in their land? Did God give any other nation laws that they were to obey so as to be blessed, and so God would be glorifed. No! Never! It’s critically important that you understland God’s amazing and awesome work with the Jewish people.

3) Finally, the land becomes Israel’s possession. It was over 600 years after God promised the land to Abram that He directed his descendants to go in to possess their land. These verses from Joshua and Judges tell us a little bit of what happened.
* Joshua 1:4 – “From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory.” God reminded Joshua of His promise to the Jewish people about their land and its boundaries.
* Joshua 1:11 – “… you are to cross this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you.” The land the Israelites were receiving from God, the land they were to possess and occupy, was a most wonderful gift – and they did not earn it or deserve it.
* Joshua 2:24 – “All the inhabitants of the land have melted away before us.” The people living in this land were afraid of Israel, and were quickly and easily driven out by her armies.

* Joshua 10:42 – “Joshua captured all these kings and their lands at one time, because the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.” That God Himself fought for Israel is, in itself, compelling evidence that He wanted Israel to possess and keep the land.
* Joshua 11:23 – “Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses, and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their division by their tribes.” God divided up the land, and Joshua allotted to each of the twelve tribes their portion.

* Joshua 21:43 – “The Lord gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed the land and lived in it.” Over 600 years after God initially made His promise to Abram, the Israelites took possession of their land and began to live in it. That God kept His promise about the land clearly shows the fulfillment of His purpose and plans for His people. Isaiah 46:9-10
* Judges 2:1 – “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land which I have sworn to our fathers… I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you.’” God’s promise of land for Israel is an eternal covenant and will never be broken. Israel will live in her land forever and ever.

When we look in God’s word and at world history, we can’t help but see God’s faithful working with the Jewish people. They first entered their land around 1400 BC, and lived there for about 800 years, until 606 BC. Then they were exiled out of their land, but 70 years later, in 536 BC, reentered their land. They were in their land for over 600 years, but in 70 AD, were again removed from their land. Then in the late 1800s, Jewish people started returning to their land, and in 1948 they miraculously became a nation. And here we are, 75 years later, and there are a great multitude of Israelis living on their land, 7.2 million strong. Not surprisingly, Israel is now in the middle of another punishing conflict, the Hamas / Palestine – Israeli war.

What is going to happen? We know that God is not finished with Israel – He has much more in store for them. The Bible tells us that the years leading up to Christ’s return and the rapture of the church will be difficult and painful for both Christians and Jews (Matt. 24:8-31). But shortly after the rapture, a large remnant of Jewish people will be spiritually saved. And in the coming kingdom age, Jewish believers, along with Christians, will inherit the land, that is, the entire earth. Together with Jesus Christ, they will reign over this rennovated world for 1,000 glorious, Christ-exalting years. “They will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.” Rev. 20:6; Psalms 47, 67, 96; Heb. 11:39-40

P.S. I cannot stress enough the importance of understanding God’s promise of land for the Jewish people, and there possession of it. I would encourage you to read this history article of the Jewish people – “A Summary of the Work of God from the time of Abraham to Christ’s Millennial Kingdom.” And here’s a good article on this Thanksgiving Day – “Being Thankful – the Character of a Christian.”

God Promised “The Land” To Israel

November 10, 2023 /

By Steven J. Hogan

~ A Saturday Morning Post #290 ~

There’s been strong disagreement and violent protests and a deadly war about whether the land between the River and Sea is Israel’s or Palestine’s. Now we can debate all year about what man thinks, but it’s critically important that we settle this matter by finding out what God states in His word. When we do this, it’s undeniably clear that God promised this land to Israel, and not to anyone else – and God keeps His word. Here are many of the verses:

* Genesis 12:1-3 – “The Lord said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, and from your relatives, and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, and so you shall be a blessing… and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.’”
* Genesis 13:14-15 – “The Lord said to Abram after Lot had separated from him, ‘Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and your descendants forever.’”

* Genesis 15:6-7 – “Abram believed the Lord, and it was credited to him as righteousness. He also said to him, ‘I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.’”
* Genesis 15:18 – “On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying. ‘To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates: the Kenite, the Kenizzite, the Kadmonite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Rephaim, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Girgashite, and the Jebusite.”

* Genesis 17:6-8 – “I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you. I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. I will give to you and to your descendants after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Caanan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
* Genesis 26:3-5 – “Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and your descendants I will give all these lands which I swore to your father Abraham. I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed…”

* Genesis 28:13-15 – “The Lord stood above it and said, ‘I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants. Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.’”
* Genesis 35:10-12 – “‘You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name…’ God also said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall come from you… The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give to you, and I will give the land to your descendants after you.’”

* Genesis 50:24 – “Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am about to die, but God will surely take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.’”
* Exodus 32:13 – “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’”

* Numbers 34:2-12 – “When you enter the land of Canaan, this is the land that shall fall to you as an inheritance, even the land of Canaan according to its borders. Your southern sector shall extend from the wilderness… As for the western border, you shall have the Great Sea… This shall be your northen border: you shall draw a line… For your eastern border you shall draw a line… This shall be your land according to its borders.”
* Leviticus 18:24-28 – “Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these the nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled. The land has become defiled, therefore I have brought its punishment upon it, so the land has spewed out its inhabitants… You are to keep My statutes… and shall not do any of these abominations (Lev. 18:6-23)… so that the land will not spew you out, should you defile it, as it has spewed out the nation which has been before you.”  

* Leviticus 26:42 – “I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and I will also remember My covenant with Isaac, and My covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.”
* Deuteronomy 9:4-6 – “Do not say to yourself, ‘The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.’ No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is going to drive them out before you… to accomplish what He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

* Joshua 1:4 – “From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory.”
* Psalm 105:8-10 – “He has remembered His covenant forever, the word which He commanded to a thousand generations, the covenant which He made with Abraham, and His oath to Issac. Then He confirmed it to Jacob for a statue, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying, ‘To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion of your inheritance.’”

What do we learn from these verses?
1. God promised that He would give some land to Abraham and his descendants.
2. This promise was unilateral, was made by God Himself. God will most certainly carry out His promise to the Jewish people, and no one will be able to stop Him.  
3. God’s promise to the Jewish people is an everlasting covenant, one that will never be cancelled or revoked, Jewish people will be living in this land forever.
4. God repeated this promise many times and to different people because He wanted to make sure that others, like you and me, understood it and were convinced it was true.
5. The geographical boundaries of this land are clearly stated in God’s word.

6. The Jewish people did nothing to deserve this land. It was purely a gift from God. 
7. Nothing in God’s word says this land is for the Palestinians or anyone else.
8. Other nations lived in this now “disputed” land before the Jewish people were there, but because of their sin, God judged them and drove them out. God is holy and loving, and His plan is for His people to possess this land for themselves and forever.
9. The great blessing that God promised to Abraham and his descendants has not yet been fulfilled, but it will be in the coming kingdom ages.
10. This great blessing is for cultural and ethnic Jews who are believers, who are Jews physically, and spiritually, who are righteous because of their faith in God. 

God created the Jewish people and promised them a special piece of land that they are to possess for all eternity. And this is an amazing truth, an incredible story. Many verses powerfully and incontrovertibly establish this truth, but this is only the beginning of our discussion about this land. In coming posts, we will look at the rest of the story.

You will learn that there is much more in God’s word about this land, history-proven truths that take us from those beginning days of 4,000 years ago up to the present time, and on into the future. These truths and facts of history will help us understand that only Israel has the God-given right to the most important piece of land in the world.

God’s working with the Jewish people these last 4,000 years is solid proof that He is God, that He is true to His word, and that He is lovingly, powerfully, and sovereignly carrying out His plans. And God will fulfill His promises for the good of His people and for His purposes and glory. Here is the end of the story – “You will have the Lord for an everlasting light, and the days of your mourning will be over. Then all your people will be righteous; they will possess the land forever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I might be glorified.” Isaiah 60:21

P.S. It saddens me to hear people all over the world who don’t know what they are talking about when it comes to what God says is Israel’s land. I encourage you to reread the above verses so you can have strong convictions about His plans for His people. I also encourage you to take the time to read all my articles on “Replacement Theology: It’s Not True” – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5.

© Steven J. Hogan and ChristsKingdom.org, 2018. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Steven J. Hogan and ChristsKingdom.org with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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