An Overview of Israel and Their Land

by Stan Feldsine (www.tojesusbeallglory.com)

The promise of God to give Israel land was not given in the Mosaic Covenant, rather, the land promises were given in the Abrahamic Covenant.

Gen 12:7 The LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

There were no conditions on the promise of the land in the Abrahamic Covenant.

Gen 15:17-18 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. (18) On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, ....

The "conditions" that were later brought into play in the Mosaic and the Covenant at Moab governed the Israelites "use" of the land, not their ownership of the land.

Deu 29:1 These are the terms of the covenant the LORD commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in Moab, in addition to the covenant he had made with them at Horeb.

If they are obedient:

Lev 26:40-42 "'But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors--their unfaithfulness and their hostility toward me, (41) which made me hostile toward them so that I sent them into the land of their enemies--then when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they pay for their sin, (42) I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.

If they are rebellious:

Deu 29:23-25 The whole land will be a burning waste of salt and sulfur--nothing planted, nothing sprouting, no vegetation growing on it. It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim, which the LORD overthrew in fierce anger. (24) All the nations will ask: "Why has the LORD done this to this land? Why this fierce, burning anger?" (25) And the answer will be: "It is because this people abandoned the covenant of the LORD, the God of their ancestors, the covenant he made with them when he brought them out of Egypt.

The promise of the ownership of the land is everlasting through the Abrahamic Covenant, which was unconditional. Conditions came into play regarding their blessing in and use of this land.

Psa 105:8-11 He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he made, for a thousand generations, (9) the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac. (10) He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant: (11) "To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit."

God declared an oath when He gave the Israelites this land, and He did so to show His immutable nature.

Heb 6:17-18 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. (18) God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged.

God MUST return Israel to their land and bless them because if He does not then it directly and negatively affects His name. He will bring the Israelites back to the land, not for anything good in them, but for His names sake.

Eze 36:22-24 "Therefore say to the Israelites, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: It is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. (23) I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes. (24) "'For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.

Even as Israel is disobedient, they are loved. God's gifts and call on Israel are everlasting. They will yet receive God's mercy. There is no expiration date on Israel's receipt of the blessings.

Rom 11:28-31 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, (29) for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. (30) Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, (31) so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you.

They have not permanently lost their Kingdom and promises, for they will yet be saved. Salvation will come to the nation when the religious and secular leadership repents and turns the nation back to God by accepting the sacrificial atonement of Christ. All those living when this happens will be saved, the whole nation. Their hard hearts will only last until the full number of Gentiles come in. Israel's sins will be taken away.

Rom 11:25-27 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, (26) and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: "The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. (27) And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins."

After that time, when all Israel is saved, then the promised Messianic Kingdom will come.

Isa 2:1-5 This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: (2) In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. (3) Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (4) He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. (5) Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD.

And when Jesus comes, His Millennial reign will begin:

Rev 11:15-17 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever." (16) And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, (17) saying: "We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.

He will reign over a physical kingdom from David's throne in Jerusalem.

Zec 2:10-11 "Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you," declares the LORD. (11) "Many nations will be joined with the LORD in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you.

Zec 8:3 This is what the LORD says: "I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City, and the mountain of the LORD Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain."

Zec 14:9 The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name.

Ezekiel makes it clear that Jesus's throne is a place for the "soles of His feet", a physical reference, which other passages clearly identify as earthly Jerusalem.

Eze 43:7 He said: "Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever. The people of Israel will never again defile my holy name--neither they nor their kings--by their prostitution and the funeral offerings for their kings at their death.

The saints will rule and reign with Jesus here on earth.

Rev 5:10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth."

When the Kingdom is established, from that point on Israel will never again lose the use of their land:

Amo 9:13-15 "The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills, (14) and I will bring my people Israel back from exile. "They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. (15) I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them," says the LORD your God.