17
¶ And it came to pass, that, when the
sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp
that passed between those pieces. 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.
The geography of the grant of land given by God to the
Hebrews is very interesting and has an impact today on international events.
God, in the symbols of a smoking furnace and a burning lamp (see Deuteronomy
4:24; 9:3; and Hebrews 12:29 among many other passages] passed between the
pieces of animals establishing the covenant with Himself to grant this land to
Abram’s descendants so it was not dependent upon any action of Abram other than
believing and receiving. This is not unlike salvation from an eternity of agony
in a place described as a lake of fire. God provides this to anyone who
receives His visible image, Christ, as Himself, believing the gospel.
From the river of Egypt, the Nile river, to the
Euphrates river, the land boundary of the territory promised to Israel, to be
realized in the millennial reign of Christ, is pretty extensive if you look at
a map. It is the seat of Christ’s rule from Jerusalem in the millennium, during
which He will reign for a thousand years because, for one reason, Paul said;
Galatians
3:16 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.
We know Christ will physically rule on earth for a
thousand years as John said.
Revelation
20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat
upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that
were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had
not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon
their foreheads, or in their hands; and they
lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. …6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the
first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ,
and shall reign with him a thousand years.
During His reign the Jewish people will occupy the
earth and the promise of this land grant will be fully realized.
Zechariah
8:20 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; It
shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of
many cities: 21 And the inhabitants of
one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the
LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also. 22 Yea, many people and strong nations shall
come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD.
23 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In
those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all
languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a
Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.
In a prophecy of a time after Christ God said He will
bring the remnant of Israel home. See this great prophecy in Isaiah, chapter
11.
Isaiah
11:1 ¶ And there shall come forth a rod
out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon
him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; 3 And shall make him of quick understanding in
the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes,
neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 4 But with righteousness shall he judge the
poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the
earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay
the wicked. 5 And righteousness shall be
the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. 6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and
the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and
the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their
young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 And the sucking child shall play on
the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’
den. 9 They shall not hurt nor destroy
in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the
LORD, as the waters cover the sea.10 ¶
And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an
ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be
glorious. [see Romans 15:12; Revelation 22:16] 11
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand
again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be
left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from
Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
12 And he shall set up an ensign for the
nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the
dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
The nation of Israel, created by human political
action and struggle, will always face adversity, even near extinction under the
persecution of the Beast of Revelation, until Christ returns. But, when He
returns to rule the promise will be realized.
Revelation
11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and
there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are
become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever
and ever.
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