Eternal Land Inheritance

[postpre]

In light of Steve's forthcoming debate on Replacement Theology, I'd like to direct the reader to some important texts that speak of an eternal land inheritance for Abraham and his seed.

The Scripture makes it plain that Abraham did not recieve the land promised to him by God. First, a couple NT texts:

NKJ Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.....13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth (better translated "land").....39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise,....40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.

Acts 7:2 And he said, "Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, 3 "and said to him, 'Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.' 4 "Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. And from there, when his father was dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell. 5 "And God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. But even when Abraham had no child, He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants (better translated "seed") after him. 6 "But God spoke in this way: that his descendants would dwell in a foreign land, and that they would bring them into bondage and oppress them four hundred years.

The OT shows that Abraham understood the following promises in a literal sense.

NKJ Genesis 13:14 And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: "Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are -- northward, southward, eastward, and westward; 15 "for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. 16 "And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. 17 "Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you."

Genesis 17:7 "And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. 8 "Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."

Some, however, point to Joshua as fulfillment of the land promises.

Joshua 21:43 So the LORD gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it. 44 The LORD gave them rest all around, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. 45 Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.

The above verses do not negate the eternal land inheritance promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This is because, in context, "their fathers" refers to the children of the generation that came out of Egypt under Moses. God promised that generation a land flowing with milk and honey, but they did not enter into it because of unbelief. Secondly, notice that this is what God had "spoken to the house of Israel." Since Abraham lived before there even was a "house of Israel (Jacob's line)" it still remains that God will (literally) fulfill his promises to Abraham of an eternal land inheritance. And, all who are in Christ (who is truly Abraham's seed) will partake of the same eternal land inheritance.

Galatians 3:29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Thoughts?

Brian

[steve]

Jeremiah 18:7-10—
'The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it.'

Leviticus 25:23—
‘The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with Me'

Leviticus 18:24-28—
‘Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for by all these the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you. For the land is defiled; therefore I visit the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land vomits out its inhabitants. You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any stranger who dwells among you (for all these abominations the men of the land have done, who were before you, and thus the land is defiled), lest the land vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you.'

Deuteronomy 28:15-21, 45-46, 61-63
'But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you...The LORD will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me. The LORD will make the plague cling to you until He has consumed you from the land which you are going to possess…Moreover all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. And they shall be upon you for a sign and a wonder, and on your descendants forever…Also every sickness and every plague, which is not written in this Book of the Law, will the LORD bring upon you until you are destroyed. You shall be left few in number, whereas you were as the stars of heaven in multitude, because you would not obey the voice of the LORD your God. And it shall be, that just as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good and multiply you, so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you and bring you to nothing; and you shall be plucked from off the land which you go to possess.'

Romans 4:13—
'For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.'

Hebrews 11:16—
'But now they [Abraham, et al ] desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city [the Church/Kingdom of God] for them.'

Psalm 2:8—
[Spoken by God to Abraham's Seed]: 'Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession.'

[postpre]

Steve,

There is a difference between the land promises of the Abrahamic Covenant- which are unconditional- and the giving of the land under the Law (which was conditioned upon obedience).

15 Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. 16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,”who is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ,[j] that it should make the promise of no effect. 18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise. (Gal 3)

Notice that the law (and its conditions of remaining in the land upon obedience) cannot annul the earlier Abrahamic promise of an eternal inheritance. Christ is Abraham's Seed (to whom this promise is made- Gen 12:7), and all who are in Christ are heirs according to the same promise. This land (which will expand and broaden) is indeed "heavenly" in an adjectival sense, but this doesn't imply that it's location is in heaven.

1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. 2 And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: 4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. 8 Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” (Gen 17)

8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance

Has Abraham yet recieved this inheritance promised to him by God? The verse below says that he hasn't. He only lived in the land of Canaan as a stranger and pilgrim, but eagerly awaited the day of his future eternal inheritance.

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

And all those who are in Christ will join them.

39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.

Where is the gap in this logic?

Brian

[Sean]

There is a difference between the land promises of the Abrahamic Covenant- which are unconditional- and the giving of the land under the Law (which was conditioned upon obedience).

How do you know the Abrahamic Covenant is unconditional? It seems that if it were unconditional then God could not remove them from the land (as He did) because of their sin. Your statement: "the giving of the land under the Law (which was conditioned upon obedience)" is not logical. It would seem to contradict the very point you are trying to make. Paul said:

Gal 3:18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

So if you understand Paul to be talking about "land promises" when he mentions the inheritance then it seems you should also conclude that there was never a time when the land was given conditioned on obedience. That seems to be Paul's point. The law cannot annul the Abrahamic Covenant. The problem is that God obviously did give the land conditioned upon obedience. That's why they were in constand peril from outsiders and sent into captivity. So if the Abrahamic covenant is an unconditional land inheritance, then what gave God the right to throw them out? Even Paul's comment would seem to suggest that perfect obedience to the law (if possible) would still not "earn" the right to stay in the land since it would no longer be "of promise".

Lev 26:40 ‘But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, with their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, and that they also have walked contrary to Me, 41 and that I also have walked contrary to them and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if their uncircumcised hearts are humbled, and they accept their guilt— 42 then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham I will remember;
I will remember the land.

Seems as if conditions are attached to God "remembering" his covenant with Abraham and the land. So how is it unconditional?

Even so, I don't know that I have a problem with believing the new heavens and new earth filled with Christians (both Jew & Gentile) is a fulfillment of the promise to Abraham and his seed.

Do you understand "replacement theology" to mean that the Gentiles get the land and the Jews don't? And what land exactly?

[postpre]

Sean,

I have only limited time right now, but I'd like to answer the following question you posed. I'll get to more later

How do you know the Abrahamic Covenant is unconditional?

7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." (Gen 12)

14 ¶ And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: "Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are -- northward, southward, eastward, and westward; 15 "for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. (Gen 13)

7 "And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. 8 "Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God." 9 ¶ And God said to Abraham: "As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. (Gen 17)

15 ¶ Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, 16 and said: "By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son -- 17 "blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. (Gen 22)

Genesis 28:1 ¶ Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and charged him, and said to him: "You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan..... 3 "May God Almighty bless you, And make you fruitful and multiply you, That you may be an assembly of peoples; 4 And give you the blessing of Abraham, To you and your descendants with you, That you may inherit the land In which you are a stranger, Which God gave to Abraham."

Psalm 105:8 He remembers His covenant forever, The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations, 9 The covenant which He made with Abraham, And His oath to Isaac, 10 And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, To Israel as an everlasting covenant, 11 Saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan As the allotment of your inheritance," 12 When they were few in number, Indeed very few, and strangers in it.

Remaining in the land under the law was conditioned upon obedience. Yet, the eternal inheritance of the land via the Abrahamic Covenant is an absolute future certainty. But, it is only a certainty for those who meet the conditions established (repentance and obedience to the gospel).

More later...

Brian

[postpre]

Sean,

You referenced Galatians 3.

15 ¶ Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man's covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. 16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed," who is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. 18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

In the Greek the quotation "And to your Seed" is literally kai to spermati sou. This exact quote is found in both Genesis 13:15 and Genesis 17:8 (in the Septuagint).

15 "for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants (Seed: kai to spermati sou) forever. (Genesis 13)

8 "Also I give to you and your descendants (Seed: kai to spermati sou) after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God." (Genesis 17)

Notice that that context of these OT texts concern the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession for both Abraham and his Seed (Christ). While the Seed is Christ, Galatians 3 elaborates that there is also a sense in which Abraham's seed is a composite entity.

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

Acts 7:4 "Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. And from there, when his father was dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell. 5 "And God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. But even when Abraham had no child, He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants (spermati) after him.

Since God gave (the covenant) to Abraham by promise, and given that he has not yet realized the inheritance, it remains that the inheritance is still yet future for Abraham and his Seed. This same inheritance was also promised to Isaac and Jacob (Gen 26 & 35), and will include the OT saints as well.

Hebrews 9:15 ¶ And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

Irenaeus writes in Against Heresies Book 5 Chapter 32:

Thus, then, the promise of God, which He gave to Abraham, remains stedfast. For thus He said: “Lift up thine eyes, and look from this place where now thou art, towards the north and south, and east and west. For all the earth which thou seest, I will give to thee and to thy seed, even for ever.” And again He says, “Arise, and go through the length and breadth of the land, since I will give it unto thee;” and [yet] he did not receive an inheritance in it, not even a footstep, but was always a stranger and a pilgrim therein.... Thus did he await patiently the promise of God, and was unwilling to appear to receive from men, what God had promised to give him, when He said again to him as follows: “I will give this land to thy seed, from the river of Egypt even unto the great river Euphrates.” If, then, God promised him the inheritance of the land, yet he did not receive it during all the time of his sojourn there, it must be, that together with his seed, that is, those who fear God and believe in Him, he shall receive it at the resurrection of the just. For his seed is the Church, which receives the adoption to God through the Lord, as John the Baptist said: “For God is able from the stones to raise up children to Abraham.”[8] Thus also the apostle says in the Epistle to the Galatians: “But ye, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of the promise.” And again, in the same Epistle, he plainly declares that they who have believed in Christ do receive Christ, the promise to Abraham thus saying, “The promises were spoken to Abraham, and to his seed. Now He does not say, And of seeds, as if [He spake] of many, but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.”....Thus, then, they who are of faith shall be blessed with faithful Abraham, and these are the children of Abraham. Now God made promise of the earth to Abraham and his seed; yet neither Abraham nor his seed, that is, those who are justified by faith, do now receive any inheritance in it; but they shall receive it at the resurrection of the just. For God is true and faithful; and on this account He said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Ante-Nice ... pter_XXXII.

Brian

[Sean]

Well, how did it go?

EDIT: I just wanted to add that the debate over "replacement theology" can be found here:
http://www.messiahschristianfellowship. ... age346.htm

Click on the link and scroll all the way down to the bottom.