The status of the Land Promised to the Jews by God, was God's promise fulfilled?

[phil19034]

My fundamentalist brother-in-law says that the land promised to the the Jews in the Book of Genesis was never fulfilled by God.

It’s my understanding that Christ fulfilled the Old Covenant and that the Christianity (the Catholic Church) is true religion. While, I believe that the Jewish people still has a place in God’s Kingdom and plan, the land promised to them has been fulfilled as Christ charged his disciples with spreading the Gospel around the world and to the gentiles.

Do I under stand this correctly and how do I discuss this with a former Baptist now non-denominational fundamentalist?

Thank you and God Bless.

 

[odhiambo]

According to the Bible, the Jews entered the Promised Land and divided the land among the eleven tribes. The tribe of Levi was not allotted any land as theirs was to serve the nation as priests. How the land was divided, the battles fought and won, etc is all in the Bible, so God did keep is promise and gave the Jews their promised land, " flowing with milk and honey"

 

[phil19034]

According to the Bible, the Jews entered the Promised Land and divided the land among the eleven tribes. The tribe of Levi was not allotted any land as theirs was to serve the nation as priests. How the land was divided, the battles fought and won, etc is all in the Bible, so God did keep is promise and gave the Jews their promised land, " flowing with milk and honey"

Thanks. I like your answer. Anyone else have any thoughts?

 

[UbiCaritas15]

Hopefully I can help with some perspective, having familiarized myself with my in-laws beliefs.

“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.” Gen 13:15-16

The big sticking point, from the likely premillennial perspective, for your brother-in-law is the “for ever.” That it is tied to “land which you see” further complicates the issue, because instead of taking these things literally, they are being taken literalistically. Literally, there is one place that is forever and that is heaven. So literally, descendants that could live in any land forever would have to live in the only literal and eternal place, which would be heaven.

Basically, because your brother-in-law is likely viewing this through a premillennial lens, he is seeing this as unfulfilled. It also helps to know that he considers Israel to be Israel, and the Church to be the Church and ne’er the twain shall meet. This also complicates the issue.

So, Israel was given the promised land, over which they had dominion at it’s height under David and Solomon. Then the tribes fell and the whole thing went kerplooyee, as it always goes on earth. So it appears to be unfulfilled because they had it all, except that it wasn’t eternal, so it couldn’t be fulfilled.

The clincher is the seed mentioned (from the beginning to Eve) is Jesus (Gen 3:15) and the eternal kingdom which is promised is the Church (Matthew 13, which sets the kingdom up as: visible aka: united under **one **banner, with hidden treasures aka: **holy **sacraments, vast/large in an invisible way aka: universal, not “national”, visibly flawed from an earthly perspective aka: apostolic, let by man) and this kingdom is not Jews vs Gentiles (Rom 11:19-26), but has descendants as plenty as “the dust of the earth” (Rom 3:22-23.)

So the kingdom is fulfilled on earth because: “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.”

And Israel, which is also Jesus (Ex 4:22; Hos 11:1), is also the Church (Acts 9:4.)

Hopefully that helps.