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CHILDREN OF THE PROMISES
The visionary promises given to Abraham revealed the plan of God.
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Having begun with the promises to Abraham it is fitting that we should return to them in this final chapter of the paper. God said, “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:2).
These promises were incredibly visionary because in them we see the plan of salvation revealed when He said, “and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”. Paul tells us that this refers to Jesus Christ, who according to the genealogy in the first chapter of Matthew is a direct descendant of Abraham. It is through him that salvation is offered to all mankind, “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.” (Galatians 3:16). Including the Gentiles, “That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” (Galatians 3:14).
Not only did God reveal His plan of salvation to Abraham, He also established the medium through which He would reveal His plan to the world. The nation He formed with Abraham’s descendants was that medium. Representing God’s Kingdom in a physical sense, it foreshadowed future events through its culture and outlined the plan in the Holy Days they celebrated. By keeping His promises concerning the nation, God demonstrated that He would keep His promise of salvation for all of mankind. It took four hundred years to establish the nation whose very existence provided the proof to sustain the vision of His plan until it comes to fruition at the end of the present age.
He promised to bless Abraham’s descendants with land, prosperity and greatness, “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee:” (Genesis 12:2).
In Part I of this paper we saw the Biblical evidence that God has faithfully kept His promise to Abraham and subsequently Isaac and Jacob, concerning Israel. He brought their descendants out of slavery and in to the promised land where they prospered exactly as God said they would. The wealth, prosperity and fame at the time of King David and his son Solomon testified that those promises were faithfully fulfilled. This was designed to give hope to all who believe.
Unfortunately Abraham’s descendants, often referred to as Jacob, lost the sight of their role in God’s plan. By turning their back on Him they lost the vision that should have sustained them, and suffered the consequences,“Where there is no vision, the people perish:” (Proverbs 29:18). Their actions precluded them from continuing to be God’s people and they were subsequently relegated back into the world. In losing the vision they also lost God’s protection and all that He had blessed them with. By ignoring the Biblical record and the fact that God did keep His promises regarding the greatness of Israel, both secular and religious historians have further obscured the vision of what God is accomplishing with His plan.
Despite their failure God allowed a remnant of Jacob to survive and rebuild both Jerusalem and the temple so they would exist in Christ’s time. However, by that time their unique culture had become so corrupted with the traditions of men the leadership failed to recognize God’s son and had him crucified.
The descendants of that remnant, known as the Jews today, are the only identifiable remnant of the House of Jacob. The rest were scattered and their identity lost. As we have shown in this paper there is no Biblical proof that the lost tribes of Israel are Britain and America, or that they received the blessings that supposedly were not given to ancient Israel. From the Bible we have seen that the promises to Israel were fulfilled in every detail.
Neither the Jews, nor any others claiming to be descendants of the tribes of Israel are God’s people today and are not the focus of His attention in these times.
After Christ was rejected by the remnant (the lost sheep of Israel), God established His church with those who had believed Christ and began preaching through them to the Gentiles, “What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.” and “I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.” and “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.” (Romans 11:7-8, 11, & 25-27).
In these verses Paul reminds us that although Jacob had been spiritually blinded, God has promised that they will eventually be saved. He was confirming what the Old Testament prophets had mentioned concerning restoration. He says they will be saved by the Deliverer who is Christ. Not only will the people of Jacob and their descendants be resurrected during the Great White Throne Judgment period to be offered salvation, but everyone else who has ever lived will be resurrected at that time to be offered that same salvation. This is how all the families of the earth will be blessed.
In ancient times Israel and Judah (Jacob), known as God’s people, were the focus of God’s attention; the rest of the world, known as the heathen, were their adversaries. Today God’s focus is on those who have His Spirit, and the rest of the world is under the influence of the social, political and religious systems of this world symbolised by ancient Babylon. Satan the god of this world who is known as the adversary leads them. Both Jeremiah the prophet and John writer of Revelation, use Babylon as a symbol for the adversary of God’s people.
When Jesus Christ returns God’s people will be rescued and the adversaries will be punished in the Day of the Lord. After the Day of the Lord when the adversaries have been vanquished, there will be a thousand years of peace under the sovereignty of Jesus Christ. After the thousand years of peace Satan and his demons will be released for a little while and finally they too will be vanquished forever. Then comes the Great White Throne Judgement period, a time when all those who have died will be resurrected and given the opportunity of salvation. Christ will oversee the fulfilment of what God promised Abraham concerning all the families of the earth.
Everyone who accepts salvation will receive the Holy Spirit. That same Spirit that is in both the Father and Christ is imparted by him to those being saved. Not only does that Spirit, which unites with the spirit in man, make the recipient a son or daughter of God, it also makes them a descendant of Abraham, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:26-29). Jesus Christ was a direct descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Luke 3:23-34). Therefore, anyone who receives the Spirit that is in Christ also becomes a descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as well.
This is what the prophets were talking about when they prophesied about the restoration of Jacob. Everyone who is saved through receiving that Spirit will be part of Jacob’s restoration!
Because those who do not accept salvation will die the second death there will not remain a single person who isn’t descended from Abraham. That is what God meant when He said He would make Abraham’s name great. Through Abraham we are all Children of the Promises.
God promised that He would make Abraham’s name great, that his descendants would form a great nation that would be blessed with abundance. God said Abraham would be the father of many nations. He was to be exceedingly fruitful and his descendants were to be as numerous as the dust of the earth, the sand of the seashore, or the stars of the heaven. He was promised the land to the north, south, east and west of where he stood. Kings would proceed from him and his seed would posses the gate of his enemies. Abraham was also told that all the nations of the earth would be blessed in his seed.
The blessings passed on to Ephraim and Manasseh were a significant increase in numbers. Ephraim was to become a multitude of nations. They were to overflow the boundaries of their land and receive greater blessings than other tribes, becoming numerous and strong.
There is no doubt from the evidence contained in the Bible itself that ancient Israel did indeed receive all of the material blessings promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by God. As stated by Solomon at the time of the dedication of the temple in Jerusalem, not one of the promises God made failed (I Kings 8:56). Abraham’s name was made great and his descendants did reach the numbers God predicted. They spread abroad in the land God gave them and received the abundance, fame and strength to be a formidable force on the world scene possessing the gates of their enemies.
Joseph received a double portion and the promises to his sons Ephraim and Manasseh were fulfilled. Ephraim became a multitude of people in the land of Israel that God gave them. His tribe became the largest of the twelve and later when Israel and Judah split his name became synonymous with the name of Israel. He was greater than his brother Manasseh.
Each and every one of those promises was fulfilled in the days of ancient Israel. Any claim that the physical blessing were not received by ancient Israel in those days, is erroneous. Having fulfilled those promises in every detail God is under no obligation to bless the supposed descendants of ancient Israel in this day and age.
God also promised salvation for all mankind through Abraham’s seed. This promise was fulfilled in as far as Jesus Christ through whom all mankind will be saved was born among the remnant of Israel that God retained specifically for that purpose.
When Jehoiachin died in captivity the throne of David was left vacant but the royal line continued down to Christ who is to be king.
There is no scriptural proof the royal line continued through Zedekiah’s daughters who supposedly took the crown to Ireland. This theory is based on legend and myth.
The prophecies concerning Israel’s greatness were fulfilled prior to the time of the destruction of Israel and Judah. Because of their sin they went into captivity and will only come out of that captivity when they accept Christ as their saviour, repent and receive God’s Spirit. The prophecies concerning the restoration of Israel refer to spiritual Israel into which all people, Jews and Gentiles will be restored. It doesn’t matter who or where the descendants of Israel are today – they, like the rest of the world, are in spiritual captivity and will remain so until resurrected.
The promise that the throne of David was be established forever and that David would never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel has clearly been fulfilled. That throne was established and because most who sat on it failed to obey His commandments God eventually denied those of the royal line access to the throne until Christ. As head of the Church he sits on that throne ruling Spiritual Israel – His church. There is no longer any need for a man to sit on the throne.
See charts in appendix I of this Chapter
Ezekiel was given a number of messages to deliver to various peoples and nations. He was a contemporary of Jeremiah. While Jeremiah was in Jerusalem, Ezekiel was with the captives, who were a mix of the northern tribes and Judah, in the land of the Chaldeans (Babylonians) where he was instructed to go and where he went. The fall of Jerusalem was the last act in executing judgment on the rebellious House of Israel (Jacob).
Israel fell in three stages: the major portion was taken captive when the northern kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians then Judah (a mix of all tribes) fell to the Babylonians and finally Jerusalem. Once Jerusalem fell, the prophecy that the cities of Jacob would be laid waste had been fulfilled as far as God was concerned. Ezekiel’s prophecies concerning the final destruction of Israel were fulfilled at that time.
The concept that the descendants of Israel will receive a similar punishment today is in contradiction to God’s statement that He would not do this to the House of Israel again. Ezekiel’s message for the future was one of hope about the restoration of Israel.
Jeremiah’s commission was to announce to Judah and the other nations of the world at that time what God had in store for them. They were to be destroyed in their immediate future with the exception of Babylon. According to one interpretation of the Book of Revelation Babylon represents the political, economic and religious systems of government that have infiltrated the world. Eventually even Babylon is to drink of the cup of wrath and be destroyed when Christ returns to establish God’s Kingdom here on earth.
The nation of Judah and its capital Jerusalem represented what was left of the House of Jacob. It was to be destroyed, but a remnant survived to provide the way for God’s promises about the Messiah to be fulfilled.
Jeremiah’s commission to plant and build is a message of hope for all people. It referred to the coming Messiah and eventually the restoration of Israel, as part of God’s Kingdom on earth after Christ returns as ruler.
There is no evidence to suggest that Jeremiah’s commission was to take the throne of David from Judah and to transplant it in the British Isles.
It is worth noting here that with the final fall of Jerusalem in 70AD the age of patriarchs and prophets ended. The era of the Babylonian system was fully ushered in and it continues to be the backbone of the world today. It will be finally destroyed with the return of Christ.
God destroyed the Kingdom of Israel and scattered its people among all nations where they were to be forgotten. Their modern day identity is not important. The only identifiable physical remnant of the House of Jacob in this age, (known collectively as Jews and who represent all twelve tribes) along with the rest of the world, does not know the true God. When God executed judgment on Israel, Judah and finally Jerusalem most of them went into captivity where they are still scattered among the Gentiles worshipping false gods. They have in effect become Gentiles themselves. A Gentile is one who does not know the true God.
While certain promises made to Abraham may have been unconditional, his descendants certainly had conditions imposed on them when they received the blessing. The blessings of greatness and prosperity promised to Abraham’s descendants were received and long ago lost. Because they turned from God they lost their knowledge of God, they also lost their kingdom, their lands and identity. God said He would only bless them if they turned to Him with all their hearts in sincere repentance and obey all his commandments. There is no evidence of Britain and America, or any other nation ever having done that.
Although the prophecies about Jacob’s children applied to their future there is no evidence that they applied to the end-time.
The argument that Britain and America must be descendants of ancient Israel because they have prospered does not stack up when the prosperity of other nations is considered. As discussed earlier in this paper, the predominantly European nations including Spain, Germany, Greece and Italy who are not considered to be of Israelite descent, have prospered as well.
This whole world has been in spiritual captivity for the last six thousand years. God called ancient Israel out of captivity when they left Egypt and returned them back into captivity when they rejected Him. That captivity was both physical and spiritual.
Why do so many expend so much time, energy and resources trying to find what God declared shall be lost and forgotten!
God said that the Kingdom of Israel will eventually be restored and the people of ancient Israel and their descendants will be freed from captivity. They, along with every one else, will be resurrected. The restitution of all things will be discussed in Part III of this paper.
Israel was the nation God chose to represent His Kingdom on earth and through whom He revealed His plan of salvation to the world. Through their way of life He portrayed His spiritual concepts in physical terms.
Sadly, they turned their backs on God and defiled His sanctuary with their abominations. Consequently He withdrew from them. Without His protection they lost their kingdom, their land and freedom. They went into both physical and spiritual captivity.
However, despite Israel’s rebellion the revelation of God’s plan of salvation has not been thwarted. God achieved what He set out to do. Although ancient Israel was destroyed, their history and writings have been preserved in the Bible. For those who have the eyes to see, God’s Kingdom and His plan of salvation are clearly evident.
Israel’s sin and the subsequent loss of God’s presence from among them which resulted in their destruction is comparable to a member of God’s Church today losing the Holy Spirit and having to face eternal death.
In the last chapter we saw that the kingdom of Israel foreshadowed God’s spiritual Kingdom. Because of their idolatry they lost their kingdom, lands and freedom, but through the prophets God promised that they would be restored.
The resurrection described in Ezekiel 37 shows the generations of Israel (Jacob) being restored to physical life. Other prophets tell us that under the governance of Christ, who will mediate a new covenant, all the generations of Israel will be offered salvation. Through the process of conversion they will eventually become spirit beings. Although restored physically for a time their ultimate restoration will be to the spiritual Kingdom that was foreshadowed by ancient Israel – the Kingdom of God.
Past generations of Israel will be resurrected during the Great White Throne Judgment period. Any of their descendants who are alive at the time Christ returns and survive the end times, will have the opportunity of salvation during the Millennium. All the things God promise through his prophets will be fulfilled.
God promised Abraham that His Holy Spirit will to be made available to all the families of the earth through Jesus Christ who is a direct descendant of Abraham. God’s focus is now on the fulfillment of that promise which Christ will oversee when he returns.
The restoration spoken of by the Old Testament prophets is the same event as the ‘restitution of all things’ that was mentioned by the New Testament apostle Peter. It does not refer to restoration of the physical kingdom of Israel, but to the restoration of mankind to God and hence to His Kingdom.
Israel and her descendants will have the same opportunities as everyone else to become children of the promises. The children of the promise will receive God’s Holy Spirit, which will prepare them for a spiritual existence in God’s Kingdom as His sons and daughters.
The spiritual element of God’s promise to Abraham concerns the salvation of mankind.
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Last modified: 01/29/06
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