A Saviour unto Israel ?

[savedbygrace57]

I have pointed out in the previous post that there are Two different covenant promises to Abraham and the Land. One Promise was without Abraham being a partaker of but only His seed, and the Other Promise Abraham was to be a Partaker of with His seed.

One Covenant Promise that did not include Abraham, but it did include His physical seed Israel was fulfilled in that God gave them the Land that He promised, but God never did stipulate in the promise, how long they would retain the Land. In fact He made certain stipulations and conditions [deut 8:18-20;30:18] But that He did fulfill that promise is seen here in scripture :

Joshua 21:

43And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein.

44And the LORD gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand.

45There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.


Neh 9:

7Thou art the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham;

8And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous:

So we see here, that God's word testifies to God's Faithfulness in giving Abraham's Physical seed the Land that He promised...But we also see that there was no guarantee of continuity..

 

[reba]

xo 4:21 And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.

Exo 4:22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:

Exo 4:23 And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.

 

[savedbygrace57]

Now the promise to Abraham as it regarded his physical seed national Israel entering into the land of promise , God hath fulfilled as per josh 21:43 points out. Abraham was not personally promised this land.

But, the Land promise that Abraham was personally promised to receive along with His Spiritual seed, this land promise would not be fulfilled for Abraham and His seed until the resurrection morning..In this promise all the Patriarchs died in Faith not receiving the promise heb 11:13

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

We know that they perceived these promises of Land to be spiritual and heavenly because they seen them by Faith, not the Faith of the natural man, but of the Spiritual kind..This faith caused them to confess that they were pilgrims and strangers on the earth, so the land obviously was not of this earth they sought after and desired as a result of the promise...

Now here are some Facts about the two covenant promises to keep in mind !

To Abrahams Physical seed the land promise was fulfilled, to Abraham personally and His spiritual seed, it will be fulfilled .

To Abraham's physical seed, there was no guarantee of continuity, but to Abraham and His Spiritual seed, it will be a eternal possession !


To Abraham' physical seed, their possession of the Land was conditioned by continued obedience to the national covenant or they would lose their inheritance as per deut 8:


18But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.

19And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.

20As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God.

But to Abraham and His Spiritual seed the land promise is unconditional and eternal..

The one promise was for national Israel, Abraham's Physical natural seed, but the other promise included Abraham and all who believed on Christ Gal 3:

7Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

29And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

The promises that God made to Abraham concerning national Israel, have been completely fulfilled as per Joshua 21:41-45; neh 9:7-8, so God owes them no more from any promise that He gave to Abraham.

The promises that God gave to Abraham regarding both He and His seed, which includes all who believe in Christ per gal 3:7, 29 have not yet been fulfilled, but will be fulfilled in the New Earth. The city the patriarchs were looking for was one whose builder and maker is God as per Heb 11:

10For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

That means He look for an inheritance in the New Jerusalem, not a earthly jerusalem, which was made by men..​

 

[savedbygrace57]

Now in Light of these different Israels, which one would you suppose has the Glorious future ? Remember, the prophets of the OT , though they used language steeped in Jewish tradition and understanding, yet it was said later of peter that they really prophesied of the grace that would be shown to believers in Christ, the church. Lets read 1 pet 1:

9Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

10Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:

11Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

With this in mind, What are the Promises that seem to show a Glorious future for National Israel i.e ezk 37:21-28..

Is that really National Isreal, the physical descendants of Abraham in view here ?

I do not believe so, and I will show why in post to follow..​

 

[savedbygrace57]

What are the Promises that seem to show a Glorious future for National Israel i.e ezk 37:21-28..

Is that really National Israel, the physical descendants of Abraham in view here ?

We shall now observe this promise to Israel in ezk 37:21-28

1.Its promised that God will gather the children of Israel from among the nations and bring them into their own land vs 21

2. God shall make them one nation vs 22

3. There will be one King over them, that is one Shepherd, David vs 22,24

4. They shall be cleansed from their transgressions vs 23 see heb 8:12

5. They shall be the people of God, and God will be their God vs 23 see heb 8:10

6. They shall have the Land given to Jacob forever vs 25 see heb 11:8-9; gen 17:8; 28:14; lk 1:32-33

7. God will be in the midst of them forever vs 28 see rev 21:22; 22:3

Now there is no doubt that these things are yet to be fulfilled, but again, to which Israel do they pertain ?

We, have National Israel, the physical seed of Abraham, We Have Jesus Christ, The Seed of Abraham who is Called Israel, and we have all believers in Christ who are the seed of Abraham[Israel] spiritually gal 3 29 !

Is National Israel in view here in ezk 37: 21ff ? No, its not National Israel the Physical seed of Abraham because they were not the children of God and Promise according to rom 9:


8That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.


They are in fact contrasted to the Children of promise !

Also Matt 8:10-12 applies to them :


10When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

11And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.

12But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Now, who are these Children of the kingdom that will be cast out and not partake of the Kingdom with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob [remember ezk 37:25]

The Children or sons of the kingdom is a semetic term for National Israel, and Jesus is saying they lost their claim to this eternal kingdom, much like what is said here Matt 21:

43Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

So when we combine these two together, we see no promise of National Israel being restored, but the Gentiles, the Spiritual seed of Abraham , those from the east and the west shall inherit the eternal kingdom with The Patriarchs instead..

Lets Comp matt 8:11 with ezk 37:21

ezk 37:

21And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:

Matt 8:

11And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.

The Kingdom of Heaven is that Eternal land of Promise..

Also, God is no respecter of Persons acts 10:

34Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:

35But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.

This means God will not show any special favor to anyone because of the national origin, but to those who fear Him in every nation. National Israel is not a Holy Nation, they despised the Messiah, and the believers in Christ are the Holy Nation 1 pet 2:

9But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;

10Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

God has indicated that He will not show special favor to any nation by ethnicity acts 10:34, and He is not going to change His Mind..
​

 

[savedbygrace57]

We have looked at why ezk 37:21-28 could not be referring to National Israel.

The second Israel, the Lord Jesus Christ, we know the prophecy cannot be referring to Him, for He was never scattered among the nations or heathen, and the prophecy has a plural fulfillment as in vs

26Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.

That Leaves us with one more possibility, the Israel of God, all those who believe in Christ..

Lets see how this fits !

#1. God will gather the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they are scattered..

Is that not what the high Priest prophesied about in regards to Christ death ? Jn 11:

49And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all,

50Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.

51And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;

52And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.

This is compatible also with Jesus words Jn 10:

15As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

16And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

Was not that the underline motive for Jesus sending His disciples unto all nations Matt 28:

18And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Amen, thats the reason for the great commission, its for in the gathering in of the seed of Abraham in all Nations, according to God's promise gen 17:

5Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.​

 

[savedbygrace57]

God will make one nation of them ! -



The next promise in ezk 37 following that God will gather the children of Israel from among the heathen is this:

22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel;

Notice, the I will part ! That means God is Sovereign and He is doing this Himself..

The elect, who had been scattered throughout the world are become one Nation ! 1 pet 2:

9But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;

10Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

The psalmest says 33:12

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

The One Nation is One Body eph 3:

6That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

4:

4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

So given this biblical evidence, the Believer in Christ can fit the description of being made into one Nation !

 

[savedbygrace57]

The Next promise is:

22And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.



There will be one King over them. David is a type of Christ, who sits on the Throne of David. It is not David himself as the King over them ! But it is Christ that is the One King over them. He is also the One Shepherd over them, and not David, for Christ is the One Shepherd Isa 40:

10Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

11He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

Jn 10:

16And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

Again, this can and does apply to All the seed of Abraham that belongs to Christ gal 3:

29And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

You see Abraham's seed and the children of Israel are the same..

 

[Hitch]

The Next promise is:

22And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.



There will be one King over them. David is a type of Christ, who sits on the Throne of David. It is not David himself as the King over them ! But it is Christ that is the One King over them. He is also the One Shepherd over them, and not David, for Christ is the One Shepherd Isa 40:

10Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

11He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

Jn 10:

16And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

Again, this can and does apply to All the seed of Abraham that belongs to Christ gal 3:

29And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

You see Abraham's seed and the children of Israel are the same..

Isnt this summed up by Luke:

68Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
69And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
70As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
71That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
72To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
73The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
74That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
75In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
76And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
77To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
78Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
79To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

 

[savedbygrace57]

Israel's Future ! -



Is there a future in God's Purpose for the People Israel ? Most certainly Yes ! What about National Israel ? Sorry No, remember Paul stated rom 9:

6Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:

Has not God already fulfilled His Promise to that Nation ? Those called dispensationalist and premillenialist teach and believe [falsely] that God is yet to fulfill promises to this Nation in a coming 1000 yr Millennium Kingdom.

Now the best way to begin to understand these things is by examining the promises made to Abraham, who is the Father of His Natural descendants of the Flesh [National Israel] and even more importantly the Father of His Spiritual Descendants, those that Believe ! Notice rom 4:11

And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:

This is extremely important, because what many fail to realize is that God promised Abraham a believing seed as well as a physical seed.

Now are there promises made to Abraham that are fulfilled, and yet to be fulfilled ? As we look at the promises made to Him, we will notice two types, one which includes Abraham personally in the promise, as well as a promise that does not .

Lets look at this one gen 12:



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.

If noticed, this promise did not include Abram, but His seed, and it was not stipulated how long His seed would have this Land. This promise was made again gen 15:

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:

19 The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,

20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,

21 And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

And yet Again Abram is not included as a recipient of this land, and this is important, see also Gen 24:

7The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father's house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.

As before the promise to enter the land was not for Abraham personally and no definite time frame is given as to how long the land would belong to His seed. It should be noted that the promise of his seed obtaining the land was unconditionally made to Abraham at ther beginning and all He did was build an altar to worship Gen 12:


7And 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.

 

[savedbygrace57]

Israel's Future ! cont -



Now lets look at another covenant promise made to Abraham in the scripture, which did include Abraham personally:

Gen 12:

1Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Gen 13:

15For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.

16And 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.

17Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.

This promise was made to Abraham and His seed, and the continuance of this land grant is stated forever. This promise is spoken again gen 17:


5Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

6And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.

7And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

8And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

Here is the annunciation of it to the other heirs of promise heb 11:


8By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

9By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

Gen 26:1-5 and 28: 12-15

Lets look at the noticeable difference, the covenant promises of the Land that excluded Abraham, these promises the scripture says have been fulfilled, but the promises of the Land that included Abraham have not been fulfilled..

Now the land acquisition of Abraham's Physical seed, the Nation of Israel, of which no time frame was given expressly, that promise has been fulfilled to that seed of Abraham> Lets look at Josh 21:

43And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein.

44And the LORD gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand.

45There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.

23:

14And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.

neh 9:

7Thou art the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham;

8And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous:

Now, from these scriptures, who can doubt that God has not already kept the land promise to Abraham's physical seed..It was a done deal centuries ago..

 

[savedbygrace57]

Rom 9:6-8 Israel ! -



Rom 9:

6Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:

7Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.

8That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

In this passage Israel is defined in four titles

In vs 6 Israel

in vs 7 The seed of Abraham or Children of Abraham

in vs 8 Children of God and The Children of promise

So either of these titles can be Israel, that is Israel is the seed of Abraham or children of Abraham, the Children of God or children of promise as well as Israel is Israel.

So then the Children of Abraham by Faith as per gal 3:

7Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

This is Israel ! The Children or Sons of God by Faith are Israel gal 3:

26For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

The seed of Abraham is Israel Gal 3:

29And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

The Children of Promise as in gal 4:

28Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

All of these Titles for Israel are found in rom 9:6-8 as they define Israel of vs 6..

And likewise those Titles define believers in Christ no matter their ethnicity..

So their is a Israel that is not based upon ethnicity, but based on belonging to Christ..

Thats the Israel of God to whom all the promises of God were made to in the OT.

 

[savedbygrace57]

The Children of Promise !



As previously posted one of the titles given Israel in the passage rom 9:6-8 is that of Children of Promise vs 8

That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

Now, each believer in Christ is as Isaac was a child of promise, that is a child of Abraham in the same manner as Isaac became a child of Abraham, we know this testimony is True from gal 4:

28Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

29But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.

This statement is huge, very huge. You see this means we become children of Abraham because of God's Promise to Abraham, and not because we willed to become Abraham's children.

This is how Isaac became Abraham's Child..

gen 17:

15And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.

16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.

17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?

18And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!

19And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.




Notice the promise here given to Abraham by God to give Him a Son by His wife even though they were very well advanced in age..

Again gen 18:

9And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.

10And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.

11Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

By the laws of nature, Sarah was too old to have a child, her reproduction days were over with..


12Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?

13And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?

14Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

This Statement denotes that Sarah having Isaac was by God performing a promise by His Power and Ability, and not due to normal and natural causes and in spite of natural ability to have children !

Gen 21:

1And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken.

This is important, The LORD did [performed His word] unto Sarah as He had spoken or promised. see 1 kg 8:20;

2For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.

3And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.

Now Isaac before he was ever born was said he would be Abraham's Heir of Promise ! gen 15:

1After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

2And Abram said, LORD God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?

3And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.

4And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This[eliezer] shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

So Isaac was by God the designated Heir of promise ! What Heir ? Heb 11:

8By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

9By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

10For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Heirs of that Blessed Land of Promise, the Eternal heavenly city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God !

16But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

So quite simply, the Heirship was of Heaven, that everlasting good land of Canaan gen 17:

8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

Notice, through this Promise, the seed that shall inherit this eternal land [heaven] God has promised to be their God, no matter what generation they will born in vs

7And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

So in essence, the Children of promise are all those of Abraham's seed that God unconditionally establishes His everlasting Covenant with, and Isaac was one of many..

So it was not Isaac's Faith [though of course He would be given Faith], nor His repentance, or anything He did that constituted him an heir of heaven or promise, but it was because and according to God's unconditional Promise that he would be Heir, and consequently, an heir will be a believer; and so it is with all true Believers in Christ, for they are so [believers] in the same manner as Isaac was children of promise, and heirs of that everlasting Canaan promised to Abraham and His seed gen 17:5-8.

So all believers are in actuality Isaac's to Abraham, but in different ethnic groups, and generations of time..we are all His children of promise born out of the performance of God performing His word..

And all these are Israel, the Israel of God, the Children of Promise..

God told Abraham rom 9:7

Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.

And of course Isaac's natural seed is not meant here, because of the distinction later made between Jacob and Esau !

 

[savedbygrace57]

The Hope Of Israel !

Acts 28:

20For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.

Paul stated as the Chosen Apostle to the Gentiles, that He was in chains for or because of the Hope of Israel !

Was this Hope a earthly kingdom for the ethnic jews ? Or was this hope, the hope of the Gospel as per col 1:23

If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

Paul was in bonds or chains in acts 20 for this:

21Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

22And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:

23Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.

24But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

25And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.

No doubt the bonds He was yet in acts 28:20 are for the same cause spoken here in acts 20 24-25 Preaching the Gospel of the Grace of God and Preaching the Kingdom of God.

If we look back to chpt 26 when paul spake unto King Agrippa, we see as paul understood the scriptures [being now converted and taught of God and no longer in His former ignorance Phil 3:4-8] The Hope of the promise of God made to the Fathers [Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob] unto which promise all the Twelve Tribes [The Church of God or The Israel of God] hope to come, was realized in the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

acts 26:

6And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God, unto our fathers:

7Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.

8Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?

And to confirm this He [Paul] explained His encounter with the risen Lord on the damascus road, of which He was charged by Him to preach the Gospel to both Jews and Greeks vs

16But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;

17Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,

18To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

Note: This is still the hope of Israel !

In Preaching the Hope of Israel, He preached also the Kingdom of God by the Cross of Christ to both Jews and Gentiles acts 28:

28Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.

29And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves.

30And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all [jew or gentile] that came in unto him,

31Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.

So we see the Kingdom of God and the Lord Jesus Christ go hand and hand, and there is no preaching Christ without Preaching His resurrection see 1 cor 15:3-4..

From what has been presented, the Hope of Israel is Spiritual and grounded in the Cross of Christ and His resurrection, and so thats why paul even as a apostle to the gentiles could say that God, in raising up Christ, raised a Saviour unto Israel, meaning Spiritual Israel acts 13:

23 Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:

This is the Hope of Israel, even the Israel of God..​

 

[savedbygrace57]

hitch asked:

Isnt this summed up by Luke 1:68-79:

Yes it was..

 

[savedbygrace57]

The Israel of God ! -



Gal 6:

16And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

Remember Paul's words in rom 9:

6Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:

here he clearly makes a reference to Two different Israel's or His words here would be most strange to say the least. One of the Israels is the physical seed of Abraham, the nation of Israel and the other is the spiritual seed of Abraham, the Israel of God. They both are legitimate Israel's because they are the seed of Abraham Isa 41:


8 But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.

And thats important to because Jesus is also the seed of Abraham Gal 3:16, and so He can be called Israel as well, which is alluded to isa 49:3.

This I will say, that the Spiritual Seed of Abraham, those of Faith Gal 3:

7Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. see rom 9:7

Have more of a right to be called Israel, because they are the True Children of God Gal 3:

26For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

And not only that, Jacob who had his name Divinely changed to Israel, was after a spiritual victory of Faith Gen 32:

28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

In this Jacob was a Type of Christ, who is A prince and the one from the Tribe of Judah who has prevailed !

God had earlier revealed Himself to Jacob and gave Him the promises of Abraham in gen 28:10-17, lets look particularly at vs

14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. The blessing of the Messiah cp with Gen 12:

3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

For according to Paul this promise was the Gospel gal 3:8; and peter too states it acts 3:25.

So Jacob was a believer in Christ see gal 3:26, a overcomer and one who prevailed 1 jn 5:4. Jacob as all of God's elect was given the Faith of God's elect, and thats what characterizes the Israel of God, Abraham's spiritual seed, the other Israel in rom 9:6. So people of God given Faith as Abraham, as Jacob have more of the right to be called Israel than Abraham's descendants of the flesh Israel.

 

[savedbygrace57]

All Ethnic jews are not the Chosen people of God!



One of the prominent errors of our day, is the ethnic jews are God's chosen people. Thats never been the case, God has only One Chosen People, and they all were Chosen in the Chosen, the Lord Jesus Christ before the foundation eph 1:

4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

And of course the bible Teaches that He is the Chosen of God 1 pet 2:4

To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,

Now to prove this point, that National Israel jews were not God's Chosen People, except for a remnant, we will look at rom 11:


7 What then? Israel[National Israel] hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.

You see that ? The election hath obtained it ,in lieu of the Nation as a whole !

The word for election is the greek word eklogē:


the act of picking out, choosing

a) of the act of God's free will by which before the foundation of the world he decreed his blessings to certain persons

b) the decree made from choice by which he determined to bless certain persons through Christ by grace alone

2) a thing or person chosen

a) of persons: God's elect

The word is used as chosen here in acts 9:

15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

So rom 11 7 can read:

7What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the chosen hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.

Folks what can be plainer that the Nation itself was not the Chosen of God, but a remnant of that nation was ?

So to say that the Nation of Israel, the Physical nation of people are or ever were God's Chosen People is not true to scripture.

Its always only been a small remnant [of spiritual Israel, people of Faith] who were God's Chosen People in that Nation i.e isa 1:

9Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.

And as Paul states in Rom 11 7 the remnant did receive of the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant, but they were received through the Gospel of Christ, whom they had been Chosen in before the foundation of the world. The foreknown People of God..

So rom 11 7 informs us that the Nation of Israel, that has been blinded, were not the chosen of God..

 

[Eventide]

The night is far spent, the Day is at hand...

So rom 11 7 informs us that the Nation of Israel, that has been blinded, were not the chosen of God..

If you read the rest of the chapter you will see the mystery pertaining to Israel which the Apostle to the GENTILES does not want Christians to be ignorant of..

That Israel is blinded IN PART until the fulness of the GENTILES be come in.. and then shall the Deliverer come from Sion and turn away ungodliness from JACOB..

Yes, JACOB.. the one who wrestled with God all night.. the one who was deceived into believing that the son of his old age (Joseph) was dead and yet learned late in his life that he was alive and ruler over all..

Great stuff.. although sadly many in Christendom do ignore the mystery pertaining to Israel and follow amillennialism.. and are led to believe that the church of God is Israel..

 

[savedbygrace57]

even:

If you read the rest of the chapter you will see the mystery pertaining to Israel which the Apostle to the GENTILES does not want Christians to be ignorant of..

If you read the verse rom 11 7, you will see that there is a distinction between God's Chosen and the Nation of Israel as a whole.

 

[Eventide]

even:If you read the verse rom 11 7, you will see that there is a distinction between God's Chosen and the Nation of Israel as a whole.

I understand that.. it's obvious that not all Israelites are the Israel of God... like most of the Pharisees.. certainly Israelites although NOT the Israel of God..

That doesn't change the fact concerning Israel's blindness in part.. how that they are blinded in part until the fulness of the GENTILES be come in... and again, this is what the apostle to the GENTILES did not want Christians to ignore.. and yet many do exactly that.. being led to believe that the church of God is Israel and that this present evil world is the kingdom of God.. ie.. AMILLENNIALISM.. like most Calvinists..