THE LAND PROMISE

By Cougan Collins

lgchurchofchrist@cableone.net

Many in the religious world are confused about the land promise God made to Abram:

Genesis 15:18 On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates.

They think the land promise has never been fulfilled and that Israel will possess this land in the supposed 1000 year reign of Jesus as per the rapture theory. However, a quick study of the Scriptures will show the land promise has already been fulfilled:

Joshua 21:43 So the LORD gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it. 44 The LORD gave them rest all around, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. 45 Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.

Nehemiah 9:8 You found his heart faithful before You, And made a covenant with him To give the land of the Canaanites, The Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, And the Girgashites -- To give it to his descendants. You have performed Your words, For You are righteous.
Not only do Joshua and Nehemiah confirm the fulfillment of the land promise, we can see that Solomon reigned over it:
1 Kings 4:21 So Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life. (2 Chron. 9:26).
There is no future land promise for the Jews. It has already been fulfilled and has been taken away from them because of their spiritual rebellion. Joshua explained it this way:
Joshua 23:14 " Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed. 15 "Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all the good things have come upon you which the LORD your God promised you, so the LORD will bring upon you all harmful things, until He has destroyed you from this good land which the LORD your God has given you. 16 "When you have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed down to them, then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land which He has given you."
The only promise and hope for the Jews is to embrace Jesus under the new covenant He put into place with His death. There is no longer a division between Jew and Gentile because all who are willing to become Christians become part of the new spiritual Israel:

Galatians 3:26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise (Also see: Rom.2:28-29; 4:9-18). We invite you to come learn more truths like these by worshiping with us and attending our Bible studies.