THE APOSTLES' VIEW OF THE INHERITANCE OF ISRAEL

Follow Paul's words below:

quote:
Rom 9:3-8
(3) For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:
(4) Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;
(5) Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
(6) Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:
(7) Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
(8) That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

If futurism was correct, and Israel will certainly experience a literal regathering to the land of the east according to the promises to Abraham, then Paul would not have answered his hypothetical question as he did above.

In essence, the above states, "God promised natural Israel the inheritance as noted to Abraham. But God's promises are not nullified simply because most of natural Israel is unsaved due to rejecting Jesus Christ. Not at all. The TRUE children of Abraham are the children of promise, who are the spiritual children. The children who are naturally descended from Abraham are not those whom God was speaking about in His promise to Abraham."

How can anyone deny that? That is what Paul said!

If futurism was correct, and Israel would receive the literal, physical land according to the promises to Abraham, then Paul would say that God's promises were not nullified because after the Church is removed from the earth, God will give natural Israel the land. Or else, he would have said SOMETHING to the effect that AFTER he works with the church, He will turn to Israel. BUT HE DID NOT!!!

The references in the New Testament where we read of Paul's words concerning the inheritance of the PROMISE to Abraham, IN EVERY CASE, point to the church members as the SOLE heirs. Never does Paul speak of the natural Jews receiving this promise. NEVER.


quote:
Rom 4:13-16
(13) For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
(14) For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:
(15) Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
(16) Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

Gal 3:16
(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.

Gal 3:18
(18) For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

Gal 3:29
(29) And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.



NEVER does Paul depart from the thought that the CHURCH is the TRUE seed of Abraham who are the TRUE and ONLY heirs of the promises.

What promises were there?

The inheritance of the land. No other inheritance is noted. And IN EVERY CASE, Paul says it's not for the natural jews, but the spiritual seed of Abraham!


A futurist brother once said this:

quote:
Moreover, the future return of Israel to her own land is also prophesied in such passages as Joel 3, Isaiah 11, which are companion passages to Amos 9.13-15.

We cannot find where the apostles interpreted these words as so. That has been my point all along. We have nothing from the epistles that state that natural Israel would inherit the physical land. However, we also do have nothing but words of those promises applying to the spiritual seed of Abraham, the church, alone!

Is this a confusing of promises in the Bible?

The futurist problem is that they feel the gathering to a physical land is a silent issue in the New Testament  However, the apostles wrote of the very same promises that the prophets foretold! And they regarded the Church, according to the apostles. The apostles interpreted the prophet's words about the kingdom as the spiritual kingdom of the church.

Jesus said the Kingdom DOES NOT COME WITH OBSERVATION.

How important is a belief if the apostles were silent about it, as futurists contend that the regathering of national Israel is important for us to understand, at the cost of fellowship amongst brethren?  I should rather ask, how incorrect is a belief if the apostles were silent?

The CHURCH is the ONLY kingdom of God there is and WILL EVER BE!!!!!!