THE PROMISE OF THE LAND

[Doug]

Genesis 13:14 And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
13:15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
13:16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
13:17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.

A specific amount of tangible land was promised to Abraham.

[Gen 12:6-7 KJV] 6 And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite [was] then in the land. 7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.

The land was first promised to the physical descendants of Abraham in Genesis 12:7

[Gen 15:18 KJV] 18 In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

The Lord made a covenant with Israel by which he gave the promised land to Israel.

[Deu 1:8 KJV] 8 Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.

Israel failed to obey God in possessing the land in Deuteronomy 1:8.

[Eze 36:24, 28 KJV] 24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. ... 28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

It remains future, in the new covenant, that God will himself accomplish the promise of the land made to Israel as seen in Ezekiel 36 above.

The new covenant, and the land, was only given to the houses of Israel (Jeremiah 31:31 Romans 9:4). The church, the body of Christ, is promised heavenly places. The body of Christ has the spiritual blessings of Israel, not the physical. See Ephesians 1:3 Romans 15:27

 

[Jay Ross]

Hello

Your premise is based upon the Jewish understanding that God's promise was a forever promise, whereas God's promise of "land" in Genesis 13:15 was promised for a period o time where the end point of that time period was beyond their ability to comprehend. The defined entity of land in Genesis 13:15 is the same entity God defined in Genesis 15:17-21 which was to a "confirmation sign" for Abraham and his descendants that God would give Abraham and his descendants the whole earth in the distant future. The land entity of Genesis 13:15, 15:17-21 was acquired over a period of time from when God began leading Israel up out of the desert until the time of Solomon's death when the land was ripped from Israel's and they lost their dominion over that land.

Deuteronomy 1:8 is a very complex verse which requires unpacking as it presents two possessions for Israel to have. Initially God tells the nation that the entity of the earth, which was before them, they were to enter that entity portion of the earth to take possession of it at this time. Then, the next portion of this verse, is pointing to a distant future time where God states this, "Now, the entity of the whole earth, which I, Yahweh, promised to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, this entity, I will give to them and to their descendants."

Notice that the two possessions of the respective entities are separated by around 4,500 years in this one verse.

Yes, Israel did lose dominion over the promised entity of Deu 1:8a.

Then you reference Ezekiel 36:34, 38 which again is a complex. This is how I understand how these verses should read within the context of the Ez 34:22-32

Ezikiel 22-32: 22 "Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord God: "I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. 23 And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord," says the Lord God, "when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. 24 For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own fertile field. 25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. 28 Then you shall dwell in the earth that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. 29 I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. I will call for the grain and multiply it and bring no famine upon you. 30 And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations. 31 Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations. 32 Not for your sake do I do this," says the Lord God, "let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!"​

This prophecy will happen after the completion of the 2,300 years of the Gentiles trampling God's sanctuary and His earthly hosts in our near future, probably in around 20 years from now, when God will once more gather the nation of Israel to Himself.

At this time God will renew the Kingdom of priests, a Holy Nation and His possession among the nations Covenant, as foretold to us by Jeremiah where they will remain scattered among the nations until the time of the final judgement.

This is a very different understanding to what has become the "traditional future repossession of the promised land for Israel," which many hold to as the future for Israel.

Shalom

 

[Doug]

For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own fertile field. 25

I dont find this translation of the land being a fertile field anywhere........what is your meaning here

 

[Jay Ross]

I don't find this translation of the land being a fertile field anywhere........what is your meaning here

Here is where you can see where I have come to this understanding of Ezekiel 36:24: -



And the meaning of H:0127 is defined in BibleHub in this manner: -

Strong's Lexicon
adamah: Ground, land, earth, soil
Original Word: אֲדָמָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: adamah
Pronunciation: ah-dah-MAH
Phonetic Spelling: (ad-aw-maw')
Definition: Ground, land, earth, soil
Meaning: soil

Word Origin: Derived from אָדָם (adam), meaning "man" or "mankind," which is related to the concept of being made from the earth or ground.

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: - G1093 (γῆ, gē): Often translated as "earth" or "land," used in the New Testament to refer to the physical earth or land.

Usage: The Hebrew word "adamah" primarily refers to the ground or soil, emphasizing the material from which humans were created. It is often used in the context of agriculture, land ownership, and the physical earth. The term underscores the connection between humanity and the earth, as seen in the creation narrative where man is formed from the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7).

Cultural and Historical Background: In ancient Israelite culture, the land was a vital aspect of life, providing sustenance and identity. The Promised Land was central to God's covenant with Israel, and the fertility of the land was often seen as a sign of divine blessing. The concept of "adamah" also reflects the agrarian lifestyle of the Israelites, where the ground was tilled and cultivated for survival.

Now Jesus told the Parable of the Sower where He set out for them the sequence of four time periods and their relationship with God, which in Ezekiel 47:1-12 is highlighted to occur over a period of 4,000 years where years are expressed in this prophecy as Cubits.

Now, the Jewish tradition of a Promised Land has been maintained in the various translations that we have and there is a strong belief expressed that God will cause them to return to the Land of Canaan during the End Times. However, for Israel to be a blessing to all of the nations of the earth, they will need to remain scattered throughout all of the earth to gather the nations to God by becoming their priests and leading them into Zion.

As for the Possession of the whole earth, which God has promised to give to Abraham. Isaac, Jacob and their descendants, this cannot occur until the birth of the last descendant generation has occurred just before the end of the Seventh Age when the Final Judgement will take place.

Israel's mistaken understanding that the "Promised Land" was a "forever and ever" promise is where this false understanding comes from, where "`owlam" actually has a finite meaning, where the end point of the time period being highlighted by this word is actually beyond their ability to comprehend.

Actually, the Genesis 13:15 promise of "an entity portion of the earth" where Abraham had walked and seen with his eyes, and which was also defined in Genesia 15:17-21 as a sign covenant, started being given to them from the time they began their journey from the desert, where they had journeyed for forty years because of their unbelief, up and was fully accomplished according to the word of God by King David, but after the death of King Solomon, their dominion over this described land was taken forever from them.

In other words, the prophecy concerning the "Promised Land," was fulfilled and completed after the time of King Solomon's death when they lost their dominion over the defined promised land.

However, God had also promised that Israel would have dominion/occupancy of just the Land of Canaan, in Genesis 17, for a period of time before God would cause them to lose the Land of Canaan as well.

What Ezekiel 36:24 is pointing to is a renewal of a spiritual relationship between God and the Israelite where they are scattered throughout the whole earth, where they can only be a blessing to all of the peoples of the earth, as they bring as many as possible into the same relationship that they will have in our near future, with God.

The prepared fertile field is where God will scatter His seed among the Israelites so that they can become a blessing to all of the people of the earth who also chose to live in this same fertile field as the nation of Israel will occupy.

So, Ezekiel 36:24, and many other passages in scripture, speak of a time when their will be a great harvest of souls on the earth because Israel will choose to occupy God's fertile field to live in and worship Christ as the Son of God.

The time is coming when all of our eyes will be opened to see and understand this.

Shalom

 

[Reggie Belafonte]

It all comes down to the Kingdom of God !

What it's about is who is in the Kingdom of God and who are of this world in fact !

For if one is of this world = is Full of Deceptions and Delusions. As Jesus pointed out in fact !

Abraham was on the Path regarding the Kingdom of God !

 

[Doug]

Here is where you can see where I have come to this understanding of Ezekiel 36:24: -

View attachment 61575

And the meaning of H:0127 is defined in BibleHub in this manner: -

Strong's Lexicon
adamah: Ground, land, earth, soil
Original Word: אֲדָמָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: adamah
Pronunciation: ah-dah-MAH
Phonetic Spelling: (ad-aw-maw')
Definition: Ground, land, earth, soil
Meaning: soil

Word Origin: Derived from אָדָם (adam), meaning "man" or "mankind," which is related to the concept of being made from the earth or ground.

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: - G1093 (γῆ, gē): Often translated as "earth" or "land," used in the New Testament to refer to the physical earth or land.

Usage: The Hebrew word "adamah" primarily refers to the ground or soil, emphasizing the material from which humans were created. It is often used in the context of agriculture, land ownership, and the physical earth. The term underscores the connection between humanity and the earth, as seen in the creation narrative where man is formed from the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7).

Cultural and Historical Background: In ancient Israelite culture, the land was a vital aspect of life, providing sustenance and identity. The Promised Land was central to God's covenant with Israel, and the fertility of the land was often seen as a sign of divine blessing. The concept of "adamah" also reflects the agrarian lifestyle of the Israelites, where the ground was tilled and cultivated for survival.

Now Jesus told the Parable of the Sower where He set out for them the sequence of four time periods and their relationship with God, which in Ezekiel 47:1-12 is highlighted to occur over a period of 4,000 years where years are expressed in this prophecy as Cubits.

Now, the Jewish tradition of a Promised Land has been maintained in the various translations that we have and there is a strong belief expressed that God will cause them to return to the Land of Canaan during the End Times. However, for Israel to be a blessing to all of the nations of the earth, they will need to remain scattered throughout all of the earth to gather the nations to God by becoming their priests and leading them into Zion.

As for the Possession of the whole earth, which God has promised to give to Abraham. Isaac, Jacob and their descendants, this cannot occur until the birth of the last descendant generation has occurred just before the end of the Seventh Age when the Final Judgement will take place.

Israel's mistaken understanding that the "Promised Land" was a "forever and ever" promise is where this false understanding comes from, where "`owlam" actually has a finite meaning, where the end point of the time period being highlighted by this word is actually beyond their ability to comprehend.

Actually, the Genesis 13:15 promise of "an entity portion of the earth" where Abraham had walked and seen with his eyes, and which was also defined in Genesia 15:17-21 as a sign covenant, started being given to them from the time they began their journey from the desert, where they had journeyed for forty years because of their unbelief, up and was fully accomplished according to the word of God by King David, but after the death of King Solomon, their dominion over this described land was taken forever from them.

In other words, the prophecy concerning the "Promised Land," was fulfilled and completed after the time of King Solomon's death when they lost their dominion over the defined promised land.

However, God had also promised that Israel would have dominion/occupancy of just the Land of Canaan, in Genesis 17, for a period of time before God would cause them to lose the Land of Canaan as well.

What Ezekiel 36:24 is pointing to is a renewal of a spiritual relationship between God and the Israelite where they are scattered throughout the whole earth, where they can only be a blessing to all of the peoples of the earth, as they bring as many as possible into the same relationship that they will have in our near future, with God.

The prepared fertile field is where God will scatter His seed among the Israelites so that they can become a blessing to all of the people of the earth who also chose to live in this same fertile field as the nation of Israel will occupy.

So, Ezekiel 36:24, and many other passages in scripture, speak of a time when their will be a great harvest of souls on the earth because Israel will choose to occupy God's fertile field to live in and worship Christ as the Son of God.

The time is coming when all of our eyes will be opened to see and understand this.

Shalom

very good thanks