More about Israel.

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The book of revelation is a good book to show the connection of Israel and the Church, that the promises to Israel in the OT are fulfilled by the Jew and Gentile Church ..

In Rev 21:14

14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

This is the wall of the city of the New Jerusalem, the city Abraham hoped for Heb 11:10

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

and had Twelve foundation stones, on which were written the names of the Twelve Apostles.

And in vs 12 it speaks of the Twelve Gates :

12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

The number Twenty Four, which is the total of the Twelve Tribes and the Twelve Apostles, This number mentioned earlier in Rev 4:4

4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

This could be alluding to David's Kingdom organization of the Temple servants into 24 orders of Priest see 1 Chron 24:3-19, 24 Levitical gatekeepers 26:17-19; and 24 orders of priest 25:6-31

The Prophesied City Temple structure in Ezk 40-48 finds it's fulfillment in the Twelve Tribe/ Twelve Apostle City Temple in Rev 21, all the redeemed Church of God. 5

 

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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 9:6

6 Not 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 12:6-7

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 15:18-21

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 24:7

7 The 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 the beginning and all He did was build an altar to worship Gen 12:7

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. 6

 

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Israel's Future ! cont

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

Gen 12:1-3

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 13:15-17

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 17:5-8

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 11:8-9


8 By 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.

9 By 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 Gen 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 21:43-45

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

44 And 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.

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

Josh 23:14

14 And, 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 9:7-8

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;

8 And 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.