God's Promise & the Land of Israel
The belief that God promised to give the land of Israel to the Jews
forever is a linchpin of Dispensationalist and Zionist Christian
doctrines. For many Christians, such conviction formulates modern
Israel's raison d'être, and is at the root of their fervent support for the
Jewish state. The basis for the idea of a Jewish, God-given right to
the Promised Land originates from God's promise to give the land of
Israel to Abraham and his seed. Adherants to this dogma of a
supernatural, eternal, Jewish-vested, real-estate deed equate the
word "seed" with Jews. The first recorded witness of God promising
to give the land of Israel to Abraham and his seed is in Genesis 12:7,
with further reaffirmation in subsequent verses. For example, in
Genesis 13:14 God tells Abraham:
"Look up with your eyes and behold... For all of the land
which you see, I will give it to you and to your seed
forever. And I will make your seed like the dust of the
earth. If anyone is able to number the dust of the earth,
then shall your seed be numbered." Genesis 13:14
To many Christians, Genesis 13:14 is proof that God promised to
give the land of Israel to the Jews forever. A more in-depth
examination of this verse, however, reveals that there is no scriptural
basis for such a conclusion. The problem, now as always, is that
people follow man's teachings, rather than God's witness. As strange
as this may sound to many Christian ears in these apostate times, it
is nowhere recorded in the holy scriptures that God unconditionally
promised to give the land of Israel to the Jews. The apostle Paul said
as much when he stated in Galations 3:16 that the promises were
made by God to Abraham and his seed (meaning Christ), not seeds
(referring to Abraham's descendants).
"Now to Abraham and his seed (spermati) were the
promises made. He saith not, 'and to seeds', as of many;
but as of one, 'and to thy seed' (spermati), which is
Christ." Galations 3:16
Paul states quite frankly that God promised to give the land of Israel
to Christ, not Abraham's descendants. In writing Galations 3:16 Paul
was referring to Genesis 13:14 (and other verses similar to it), and
used the Greek, singular noun, spermati (), to describe
the singular descendent, Christ, to whom the land of Israel was to be
given. Paul's use of the term spermati indicates that he was quoting
from a Greek translation of the scroll of Genesis. Greek translations
were commonly used by Christians and Jews during that era; and the
compilation of those translations is known as the Septuagint.
Many Christians may not truly understand why Paul wrote what he
wrote, because most, if not all, bible translations use the same word
(seed, descendents, etc.) in Genesis 13:14 (and other verses similar
to it) to describe both whom the land was to be given to, and who was
to become as the dust of the earth. Even the Masoretic version in
Hebrew uses the same word ( - translated "your seed") in all
instances. Consider the Revised Standard Version of the Bible
which states:
"Lift up your eyes, and look from the place where you
are... For all the land which you see I will give to you and
to your descendants for ever. I will make your
descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if one can
count the dust of the earth, your descendants also can be
counted." Genesis 13:14
According to the apostle Paul, the above translation is a lie because
God's promise was to the descendent, Christ - not descendents. In
reading such, can there be any wonder that there is confusion and
unbelief among Christians regarding Paul's witness to the truth in
Galations 3:16. Apostate, mainstream Christianity has exchanged
the truth for the lie.
Galations 3:16 is key to understanding God's mind in Genesis 13:14
because it uncovers a great deception foisted on the Christian world.
Without it we would have been left at the "mercy" of bible translators,
who through spiritual ignorance or malice subverted the true meaning
of Genesis 13:14 (and other verses like it). To find our way through
this deception it is profitable to keep several things in mind.
1.Modern translations of the Old Testament are taken from the
Masoretic text (or revised Masoretic texts). The Masoretic
scriptures were compiled about 800 A. D. by unbelieving
Jews, who denigrated the Christian hope - Christ; and whose
ungodly doctrines proclaimed Jews to be God's chosen race,
and their national restoration to the land of Israel as their true
redemptive and messianic hope.
2.Modern translations have fallen under Judaizing influences. A
perfect example is the Revised Standard Version of the Bible
of which "Talmudist, Harry M. Orlinsky, of the Jewish Institute of
Religion, New York, played a considerable part in the
translation of the Old Testament." (Whither Israeli?, pg. 41)
3.Paul was quoting from the Septuagint. The Septuagint is a
Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures (circa 100-200 BC),
which was used by our spiritual fathers, as evidenced in their
New Testament writings. Paul's use of the Septuagint confirms
its authority.
4.The Septuagint was translated before Jewish leaders had
rejected the Messiah, and before their nation was destroyed;
and thus before the need to create and sustain the anti-biblical
religion of Judaism (Talmudism), with Jewish national
restoration to the land of Israel as its cornerstone doctrine.
5.Paul's words on the matter are the final authority, not
modern-day Dispensationalist or Talmudic interpretations; nor
any translation which contradicts Paul's statements.
Now in light of these points, consider what is recorded in the
Septuagint from which Paul quoted. Every recorded occurance in the
Septuagint in which God unconditionally promised to give the land of
Israel to Abraham's, Isaac's, or Jacob's seed, the noun spermati (
) is used, indicating Christ. And the Greek noun sperma (
) is used when describing Abraham's innumerable
descendents. A prime example is Genesis 13:14, where God says to
Abraham,
"Look up with your eyes and behold... For all of the land
which you see, I will give it to you and to your seed
(spermati = descendent, ie., Christ) forever. And I will
make your seed (sperma = descendants, ie., children of
Israel) like the dust of the earth. If anyone is able to
number the dust of the earth, then shall your seed
(sperma = descendants, ie., children of Israel) be
numbered." Genesis 13:14
This passage is remarkable for several reasons:
1.It clearly shows that God promised to give the land of Israel to
Abraham and his descendent - Christ; not descendents - the
children of Israel;
2.It clearly shows that God promised Abraham that the savior of
the world would be his descendent;
3.It reveals God's promise of the Messiah from the beginning of
scripture;
4.It shows how Christians have been grossly deceived through
faulty bible translations into believing that God promised to give
the land of Israel to the children of Israel forever.
Every scriptural occurrence documenting God's promise to give the
land of Israel to Abraham's, Isaac's, and Jacob's seed follows the
identical pattern above; nowhere is it recorded that God
unconditionally promised to give the land of Israel to Abraham's,
Isaac's, or Jacob's descendents (sperma). Rather, he stated that they
would enter into it, and remain in it if they were obedient (which they
weren't).
As the children of Israel were preparing to cross the Jordan River and
enter into the promised land (promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
and Christ), God made their relationship to the land very clear by
stating:
"I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to
walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments
and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest
live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee
in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear,
but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and
serve them; I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall
surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days
upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to
go to possess it.
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that
I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing:
therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may
live: That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that
thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave
unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that
thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware
unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob,
to give them." Deuteronomy 30:16
Today, as Messiah's temple nears completion, and his people are
being prepared to cross over spiritual Jordan, from corruption into
incorruption; each individual believer faces a spiritual crossroads at
which the decision will be made to either believe the lie, or the truth.
Believing the lie is unbelief. False doctrines teaching unbelief stand
ready to overthrow many of God's people. Just as many physical
Israelites were saved out of bondage in Egypt by the blood of the
Passover lamb, and then destroyed in the wilderness because of
their unbelief; so today will many spiritual Israelites - saved out of the
bondage of sin by the blood of Christ, our Passover - be destroyed in
the spiritual wilderness of this world because of their unbelief. On one
hand, Paul stated the truth in Galations 3:16 that God promised to
give the land of Israel to Abraham's descendent, Christ; and many
verses in the Septuagint bear witness to this truth. On the other hand,
modern, apostate Christianity whores after the Talmudic lie that God
promised to give the land of Israel to Abraham's descendents, the
children of Israel, forever. The choice is yours.
There is a great deception afoot; let us be circumspect and vigilant to
loose ourselves from its grasp. |
