DIVINE COVENANTS PROVE THE BIBLE AND EXPOSE THE QURAN
In this Post we are going to take a look at God’s covenants as recorded in the only place they are found which is His word.
Also for comparison we shall contrast how covenants are handled by the Quran. It’s giving no secrets away that the Quran, is found to be both morally deficient and factually wrong on the subject.
WHAT IS A COVENANT?
One important feature of Bible Covenants is that “Blood” and “covenant” go together in the Bible pretty much all the time. As we shall see, whenever God establishes a covenant with people, generally it is sealed with blood, one way or another. Spoiler alert – hence one reason why the Quran cannot handle them.
But to back up, firstly, we should start by explaining what this word “covenant” means, biblically speaking. In the Bible, a covenant is a relationship that God establishes with people. Covenants are initiated by God. This is one of many ways to distinguish God’s authentic word from copycat scripts such as the Quran. In the Bible, God takes the initiative. He makes the covenant promises. They are His doing, to reveal himself to man, to take a people unto himself, and to formally mark His faithfulness. “I shall be their God, and they shall be my people,” that’s how a familiar covenant refrain goes. In the Quran you only ever see Allah “taking a covenant” he is not their author, he is not bound by them and he has no obligations under them. Which pretty much makes them worthless.
It’s not hard to discern why under Islam, covenants have no meaning, when we understand what made covenants necessary. After the fall into sin, and ever since, man by nature is estranged from, and does not know God. Man fell out of relationship with God. On the outside, blinded, not knowing God as He really is, lost, and groping around in the dark. That is man’s natural state, by virtue of our sinful nature.
So if there is going to be a relationship between God and man, a right relationship, God is the one who is going to have to take the initiative. We would not know God otherwise. And God is the one who will have to take the action to deal with our sin, to atone for our sin, because surely there is nothing we could do to make up for it.
And so we have the inherent biblical connection between “blood” and “covenant.” “Covenant” is God reaching out to establish a relationship with man, and “blood” is how He does it. It’s how He seals the covenant. For “without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.”
Here we need to digress slightly to understand why the shedding of blood was necessary. Two seminal texts:
“According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (Hebrews 9:22 HCSB) is an echo of a foundational principle of Levitical law:
The whole of the Old Testament, every book, points toward the Great Sacrifice that was to come—that of Jesus’ sacrificial giving of His own life on our behalf. Leviticus 17:11 is the Old Testament’s central statement about the significance of blood in the sacrificial system. God, speaking to Moses, declares:
“For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have appointed it to you to make atonement on the altar for your lives, since it is the lifeblood that makes atonement” [for the soul – KJV] (Leviticus 17:11 HCSB).
A “sacrifice” is defined as the offering up of something precious for a cause or a reason. Making atonement is satisfying someone or something for an offense committed. The Leviticus verse can be read more clearly now: God said, “I have given it to you (the creature’s life, which is in its blood) to make atonement for yourselves (covering the offense you have committed against Me).” In other words, those who are covered by the blood sacrifice are set free from the consequences of sin.
Of course, the Israelites did not know of Jesus per se, or how He would die on their behalf and then rise again, but they did believe God would be sending them a Savior. All of the many, many blood sacrifices seen throughout the Old Testament were foreshadowing the true, once-for-all-time sacrifice to come so that the Israelites would never forget that, without the blood, there is no forgiveness. This shedding of blood is a substitutionary act. Therefore, the last clause of Leviticus 17:11 could be read either “the blood ‘makes atonement’ at the cost of the life” (i.e., the animal’s life) or “makes atonement in the place of the life” (i.e., the sinner’s life, with Jesus Christ being the One giving life through His shed blood).
Now returning to the beginning, it has always been this way ever since the fall of man. When Adam and Eve fell into sin and fell out of a right relationship with God, what did God do immediately to restore the relationship? We have ‘blood and covenant’. God established a covenant of promise with mankind, promising that a Savior would arise from the seed of the woman, who would crush the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15). And that promise then was sealed with blood, as God clothed Adam and Eve with the skins of animals, which had to be killed for that purpose. Adam and Eve tried to cover their own shame with fig leaves, but that could not do it. Only God could cover their shame and guilt, and He did it through the shedding of blood, providing substitutes to die in the place of the sinners.
Centuries later, the Lord God revealed himself to Abram, and established a covenant of promise with him. The Lord would bless Abram and make of him a great nation, and all the families of the earth would be blessed through his offspring. Yes, that covenant too was sealed with blood, circumcision serving as the sign of the covenant.
Abraham’s descendants fell into slavery in Egypt, but the Lord remembered his covenant and brought them out with a mighty hand. The Passover was how the Lord brought them out, and the Passover involved blood. The blood of the lamb, spread on the doorposts, was the sign marking the homes to be passed over by the angel of death.
The people of Israel come to Mount Sinai. The Lord makes a covenant with the people, mediated through Moses. The Lord gives them a special way of life they are to follow in the Promised Land, the Ten Commandments and the Book of the Covenant. The people respond, “All that the Lord has spoken, we will do.” And the covenant was sealed with blood. Of course, the problem was, the Israelites didn’t do all that the Lord had spoken. They sinned, time and time again. They broke the covenant, the relationship the Lord had graciously established with them.
But God, in his grace and mercy, has provided for us a new covenant, and once again it is sealed with blood. Only it is not the blood of beasts. Our Passover is not the blood of a lamb spread on a doorpost. It is the blood of Christ, the Lamb of God, shed on a cross. Jesus is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Our forgiveness comes at a cost, the greatest cost, the most precious price indeed. It is the holy precious blood of God’s own Son, shed for us–shed for you–sealing this, the fulfillment of all covenants.
Christ sheds his blood on the cross of Calvary, winning our forgiveness. He distributes this very blood to us in the sacramental meal He establishes on this night. He blesses the bread and says, “Take; this is My body.” He gives them his cup and says, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.” And so it is. Jesus’ words do what they say. “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation–a koinonia, a communion–in the blood of Christ?” Yes, it is. “The bread that we break, is it not a participation–a koinonia, a communion–in the body of Christ?” Yes, it is. Jesus says so.
So we turn to the next question: “What are the covenants in the Bible?”
THE BIBLE’S COVENANTS
The Bible speaks of seven different covenants as follows:
1). The Adamic Covenant
2). The Abrahamic Covenant
3). The Palestinian (also known as the Land Covenant)
4). The Mosaic Covenant
5). The Noahic Covenant
6). The Davidic Covenant
7). The New Covenant
□ Four of the above (Abrahamic, Palestinian or Land covenant, Mosaic, Davidic) God made with the nation of Israel. Of those four, three are unconditional in nature; that is, regardless of Israel’s obedience or disobedience, God still will fulfill these covenants with Israel. One of the covenants, the Mosaic Covenant, is conditional in nature. That is, this covenant will bring either blessings or curses depending on Israel’s obedience or disobedience.
□ Three of the covenants (Adamic, Noahic, New) are made between God and mankind in general, and are not limited to the nation of Israel.
□ The Adamic Covenant can be thought of in two parts: the Edenic Covenant (innocence) and the Adamic Covenant (grace) (Genesis 3:16-19). The Edenic Covenant is found in Genesis 1:26-30; 2:16-17. The Edenic Covenant outlined man’s responsibility toward creation and God’s directive regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The Adamic Covenant included the curses pronounced against mankind for the sin of Adam and Eve, as well as God’s provision for that sin (Genesis 3:15).
The Adamic covenant is the covenant between God and Adam (and Eve) where Adam was to tend the garden (Genesis 1:27-28) and refrain from eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 2:16-17). As long as he obeyed the covenant requirements, he would live. But if he were to disobey the covenant requirements, he would die.
Genesis 1:27–28, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. [28] God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.””Genesis 2:16–17, “The LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; [17] but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.'”
The word “covenant” is not used until Genesis 6:18 when God establishes a covenant with Noah and the word first occurs. Nevertheless, a covenant is a pact or an agreement between two or more parties. Covenants have conditions and stipulations with consequences for breaking the stipulations. In the case of the Adamic covenant, eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was the condition and breaking it would bring death. Keeping the covenant would mean living forever. Therefore, we can establish the Adamic covenant. Furthermore, covenants have signs in biblical theology. The covenant sign between God and Adam was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
The Adamic covenant is sometimes called the covenant of nature, the covenant of creation, and the covenant of works because the blessings of the covenant depended, in part, upon the works of Adam and Eve in the Garden.
In the Adamic covenant, Adam represented all people. The phrase “in Adam” is a term of federal headship which designates that he was our representative. This is why the Bible says that sin entered the world through one man (Romans 5:12). Furthermore, the Bible tells us that “in Adam all die…” (1 Corinthians 15:22). Therefore, the Adamic covenant was not just with Adam, but is also representative of those who were in him, his descendants.
The Adamic Covenant was established between God and Adam that required obedience to the commandment of God, to result in eternal life (Genesis 2:16–17; Leviticus 18:5; Romans 5:12–20). The covenant signs were the trees of life and of knowledge.” (Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms). Another evidence that the covenant relationship with God in the garden included a promise of eternal life if Adam and Eve had perfectly obeyed is the fact that even in the New Testament Paul speaks as though perfect obedience, if it were possible, would actually lead to life. He speaks of a “commandment which promised life” (Romans 7: 10; lit., “the commandment unto life”) and, in order to demonstrate that the law does not rest on faith, he quotes Leviticus 18: 5 to say, about the provisions of the law, “He who does them shall live by them” (Galatians 3: 12; cf. Romans 10:5).”
After Adam failed to keep the covenant, God instituted the covenant of grace which was the covenant of redemption found in Christ Jesus.
□ The Noahic Covenant was an unconditional covenant between God and Noah (specifically) and humanity (generally). After the Flood, God promised humanity that He would never again destroy all life on earth with a Flood (see Genesis chapter 9). God gave the rainbow as the sign of the covenant, a promise that the entire earth would never again flood and a reminder that God can and will judge sin (2 Peter 2:5).
□ The Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12:1-3, 6-7; 13:14-17; 15; 17:1-14; 22:15-18). In this covenant, God promised many things to Abraham. He personally promised that He would make Abraham’s name great (Genesis 12:2), that Abraham would have numerous physical descendants (Genesis 13:16), and that he would be the father of a multitude of nations (Genesis 17:4-5). God also made promises regarding a nation called Israel. In fact, the geographical boundaries of the Abrahamic Covenant are laid out on more than one occasion in the book of Genesis (12:7; 13:14-15; 15:18-21). Another provision in the Abrahamic Covenant is that the families of the world will be blessed through the physical line of Abraham (Genesis 12:3; 22:18). This is a reference to the Messiah, who would come from the line of Abraham.
□ Palestinian Covenant (Deuteronomy 30:1-10). The Palestinian Covenant, or, as it is more accurately described, the Land Covenant, amplifies the land aspect that was detailed in the Abrahamic Covenant. According to the terms of this covenant, if the people disobeyed, God would cause them to be scattered around the world (Deuteronomy 30:3-4), but He would eventually restore the nation (verse 5). When the nation is restored, then they will obey Him perfectly (verse 8), and God will cause them to prosper (verse 9).
□ Mosaic Covenant (Deuteronomy 11; et al.). The Mosaic Covenant was a conditional covenant that either brought God’s direct blessing for obedience or God’s direct cursing for disobedience upon the nation of Israel. Part of the Mosaic Covenant was the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) and the rest of the Law, which contained over 600 commands—roughly 300 positive and 300 negative. The history books of the Old Testament (Joshua–Esther) detail how Israel succeeded at obeying the Law or how Israel failed miserably at obeying the Law. Deuteronomy 11:26-28 details the blessing/cursing motif.
□ Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7:8-16). The Davidic Covenant amplifies the “seed” aspect of the Abrahamic Covenant. The promises to David in this passage are significant. God promised that David’s lineage would last forever and that his kingdom would never pass away permanently (verse 16). Obviously, the Davidic throne has not been in place at all times. There will be a time, however, when someone from the line of David will again sit on the throne and rule as king. This future king is Jesus (Luke 1:32-33).
□ New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34). The New Covenant is a covenant made first with the nation of Israel and, ultimately, with all mankind. In the New Covenant, God promises to forgive sin, and there will be a universal knowledge of the Lord. Jesus Christ came to fulfill the Law of Moses (Matthew 5:17) and create a new covenant between God and His people. Now that we are under the New Covenant (Matthew 26:28), both Jews and Gentiles can be free from the penalty and the curse of the Law. We are now given the opportunity to receive salvation as a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9).
DISCUSSION
Within the discussion of the biblical covenants, there are a few issues that Christians are not agreed upon. First, some Christians think that all of the covenants are conditional in scope. If the covenants are conditional, then Israel failed miserably at fulfilling them. Others believe that the unconditional covenants have yet to be totally fulfilled and, regardless of Israel’s disobedience, will come to fruition sometime in the future. Second, how does the church of Jesus Christ relate to the covenants? Some believe that the church fulfills the covenants and God will never deal with Israel again. This is called replacement theology and has little scriptural evidence. Others believe that the church initially or partially will fulfill these covenants. While many of the promises towards Israel are still in the future, many believe that the church shares in the covenants in some way. Others believe that the covenants are for Israel and for Israel alone, and that the church has no part in these covenants. But for the purposes of this Post nothing turns on these differing interpretations.
□ The Quran’s Position
The Quran actually teaches that the Promised Land which Israel was to inherit was Egypt! Before presenting the evidence for this we need to first mention that the words ‘Canaan’, ‘Israel’ (the land, not the people), ‘Judea’ or ‘Jerusalem’ never appear in the Quran, which is truly bewildering and astonishing to say the least.
When the Quran does speak of Israel’s inheritance it simply refers to the land or city which God gave them. For instance:
“And (remember) when Moses said unto his people: O my people! Remember Allah’s favour unto you, how He placed among you prophets, and He made you kings, and gave you that (which) He gave not to any (other) of (His) creatures. O my people! Go into the holy land which Allah hath ordained for you. Turn not in flight, for surely ye turn back as losers: They said: O Moses! Lo! a giant people (dwell) therein and lo! we go not in till they go forth from thence. When they go forth from thence, then we will enter (not till then). Then out spake two of those who feared (their Lord, men) unto whom Allah had been gracious: Enter in upon them by the gate, for if ye enter by it, lo! ye will be victorious. So put your trust (in Allah) if ye are indeed believers. They said: O Moses! We will never enter (the land) while they are in it. So go thou and thy Lord and fight! We will sit here. He said: My Lord! I have control of none but myself and my brother, so distinguish between us and the wrong-doing folk. (Their Lord) said: For this the land will surely be forbidden them for forty years that they will wander in the earth, bewildered. So grieve not over the wrongdoing folk.” (Surah 5:20-26 Pickthall)
The text doesn’t identify exactly where this holy land was situated, who these giants were, or which two men feared their Lord. So much for an all sufficient book.The only way to know the answers is to go outside of the Quran and consult the Bible. (See Numbers 13:1-3 & 17-33)
As an aside the Quran in Surah 5:20 contains a schoolboy howler, gross error since it has Moses speaking of Israel’s kings when in fact Israel had no kings until centuries later during the time of Samuel.
Sticking strictly with the Quran itself and taking into consideration all the references to the Exodus of Israel then it becomes apparent that the author(s) thought that the land given to Israel wasn’t Jerusalem or Canaan but Egypt!
“And WE revealed to Moses, directing him, ‘Take away MY servants by night, you will surely be pursued.’ And Pharaoh sent summoners into the cities, announcing, ‘These are a small party, Yet they have offended us; And we are a multitude fully prepared and vigilant.’ So WE turned them out of gardens and springs, And treasures and an abode of honour. Thus it was; and WE gave them as heritage to the children of Israel.” (Surah 26:52-59 Sher Ali)
The foregoing verses indicate that the Israelites were made the inheritors of Egypt right after the destruction of Pharaoh and his armies in the sea. The Egyptians were “turned out” and their gardens were given to the children of Israel. The next citations support this position:
“They said: We have been persecuted before you came to us and since you have come to us. He said: It may be that your Lord will destroy your enemy and make you rulers in the land, then He will see how you act. And certainly We overtook Firon’s people with droughts and diminution of fruits that they may be mindful.” (Surah 7:129-130 Shakir)
“Therefore We inflicted retribution on them and drowned them in the sea because they rejected Our signs and were heedless of them. And We made the people who were deemed weak to inherit the eastern land and the western ones which We had blessed; and the good word of your Lord was fulfilled in the children of Israel because they bore up (sufferings) patiently; and We utterly destroyed what Firon and his people had wrought and what they built.” (Surah 7:136-137)
When taking these passages together as a unit (which we must seeing that they are all part of the same context) then the conclusion is that Israel was given the eastern and western parts of Egypt and became rulers of it.
Probably the most damning passage which links Egypt with the Promised Land is Surah 2:61: (caps for emphasis)
“And when you said, ‘Moses, we will not endure one sort of food; pray to thy Lord for us, that He may bring forth for us of that the earth produces-green herbs, cucumbers, corn, lentils, onions.’ He said, ‘Would you have in exchange what is meaner for what is better? Get you down to EGYPT (misra); you shall have there that you demanded.’ And abasement and poverty were pitched upon them, and they were laden with the burden of God’s anger; that, because they had disbelieved the signs of God and slain the Prophets unrightfully; that, because they disobeyed, and were transgressors.” (Surah 2:61 Arberry)
Other translations of 2.61 give a variety of alternatives for ‘misr’ (obscuring the plain fact that the Quranic term for Egypt is ‘misra’). Without rehearsing them all the Khalifa translation mentions Egypt, Pickthall mentions “settled country”, Shakir simply says “city”, Sherali “some town”, and vaguest of all Yusuf Ali “any town” (You really couldn’t make it up!)
□ The major Quran errors and contradictions — historical, logical, and theological
The promise: In the Bible God promised Abraham that his descendants will become a nation and that God will give them the land of Canaan as their possession (Genesis 12:7, 13:14-17, 15:7-21, 17:7-8). This promise is repeated to Isaac (Genesis 26:3), and to Jacob (Genesis 28:13, 35:12), and again confirmed by God through Moses (Exodus 3:8, 16-17, 13:5, 23:23, 33:2, 34:11, Deuteronomy 7:1, etc.), who also led Israel out of Egypt up to the borders of Canaan. The Quran contradicts this consistent and oft-repeated promise in the Torah by making Egypt the land promised to the Children of Israel. This the Quran contradicts the Bible by making the wrong promise.
□ The historical facts: All evidence of history and archeology shows that the Children of Israel / the Jews lived in the land of Israel (former Canaan). The Quran contradicts historical fact in claiming that God gave Israel the land of Egypt.
□ The logical contradiction: The Quran contradicts itself when it claims in some passages that Israel took over the land of the Egyptians immediately after the Egyptians were defeated and drowned, but in Surah 5:26 it says that the Israelites had to wander about in the wilderness for 40 years before they could enter the promised land.
□ The theological problem: If Allah promised Egypt to the Children of Israel (as the Quran claims), but in the end they got Canaan instead (which is historical fact), this means that Allah wasn’t able to fulfill his promise. Small wonder Allah only takes covenants and does not make them. He cannot be trusted to keep them.
It is apparent from all of these gross errors and major difficulties that the Quran simply collapses when it is compared to the solemn covenant promises in the Bible.
The Quran’s claim that the land promised to Israel was Egypt is without doubt a monumental error. However, whether it was simply the ignorance of Muhammad which led to this error, or was this false claim introduced intentionally is a question beyond the scope of this post. But there is worse still.
□ Allah does not make or give covenants, He TAKES them.
Even Surah 2:40 which is at best reciprocating, places no unconditional obligations on Allah:
“O Children of Israel, remember My favor, which I bestowed upon you, and fulfill your part of the covenant, that I fulfill My part of the covenant, and reverence Me.” (Surah 2:40)
“And remember the time when Allah TOOK A COVENANT from the people through the Prophets, saying, ‘Whatever I give you of the Book and Wisdom and then there comes to you a Messenger, fulfilling that which is with you, you shall believe in him and help him.’ And He said, ‘Do you agree, and do you accept the responsibility which I lay upon you in this matter?’ They said, ‘We agree.’ He said, ‘Then bear witness and I am with you among the witnesses.’ (Surah 3:82)
“And call to mind when We took from the Prophets their covenant, and from thee, and from Noah and Abraham, and Moses and Jesus, son of Mary, and We indeed, TOOK FROM THEM A SOLEMN COVENANT;” (Surah 33:8)
“Why is it that you believe not in Allah, while the Messenger calls you to believe in your Lord, and He has already TAKEN A COVENANT FROM YOU, if indeed you are believers?” (Surah 57:9)
Now bearing in mind that Allah not only has no problem with Muslims dishonouring their oaths, he has ordained it, (Surah 66:2) one has to wonder what value covenants have in event under Islam, especially when Allah is only a beneficiary and not a party to such unilateral covenants. Moreover there is nothing to “seal” a single covenant mentioned in the Quran, least of all the idea of a blood sacrifice, and no wonder, for “shedding of blood for forgiveness of sins” is a Biblical doctrine which taken to its logical conclusion in Christ’s atoning blood sacrifice, is totally absent in the Quran and destroys Islam’s reason to exist.
Unlike the Bible, the Quran contains not a single unilateral covenant promise from Allah to do anything! Basically he is not in the business of making promises that obligate him, he is only a beneficiary of covenant obligations made by other people.
This is just one of many proofs we have that prove the god of Islam is not the God of the Bible.
Contrast with the Bible covenants especially those with Israel and we have proof that the Bible is the word of God. His covenants with Israel remain intact and abiding. In Israel’s weak position as a small isolated nation surrounded by enemy states, God continues to show His strength and faithfulness. Amen.
Whenever a Christian partakes of the Lord’s Supper, the communion meal of bread and wine, this is a solemn occasion of remembrance looking back and being reminded of what it cost our Lord and Savior and how we depend upon the cleansing of His freely shed blood. But it is as well, a meal of promise. It is a foreshadowing of the heavenly banquet, the marriage feast of the Lamb, in His kingdom when at last we shall eat and drink, not in His physical absence, but in His presence. All of God’s good covenant promises point us towards that final glorious destination. There are no such promises in Islam. Islam’s god thought he had got himself off the hook by avoiding making promises, but then his mask slipped when he foolishly boasted of being the best of deceivers, which is a sure sign of his true identity.
Make no mistake: The only promise that Islam offers is a pact with the devil.
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Category Archives: Covenants
Davidic Covenant
Question: “What is the Davidic covenant?”
Answer: The Davidic Covenant refers to God’s promises to David through Nathan the prophet and is found in 2 Samuel 7 and later summarized in 1 Chronicles 17:11″14 and 2 Chronicles 6:16. This is an unconditional covenant made between God and David through which God promises David and Israel that the Messiah (Jesus Christ) would come from the lineage of David and the tribe of Judah and would establish a kingdom that would endure forever. The Davidic Covenant is unconditional because God does not place any conditions of obedience upon its fulfillment. The surety of the promises made rests solely on God’s faithfulness and does not depend at all on David or Israel’s obedience.
The Davidic Covenant centers on several key promises that are made to David. First, God reaffirms the promise of the land that He made in the first two covenants with Israel (the Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenants). This promise is seen in 2 Samuel 7:10, “I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore.” God then promises that David’s son will succeed him as king of Israel and that this son (Solomon) would build the temple. This promise is seen in 2 Samuel 7:12″13, ” I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name.”
But then the promise continues and expands: “I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (verse 13), and “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever” (verse 16). What began as a promise that David’s son Solomon would be blessed and build the temple turns into something different”the promise of an everlasting kingdom. Another Son of David would rule forever and build a lasting House. This is a reference to the Messiah, Jesus Christ, called the Son of David in Matthew 21:9.
The promise that David’s “house,” “kingdom,” and “throne” will be established forever is significant because it shows that the Messiah will come from the lineage of David and that He will establish a kingdom from which He will reign. The covenant is summarized by the words “house,” promising a dynasty in the lineage of David; “kingdom,” referring to a people who are governed by a king; “throne,” emphasizing the authority of the king’s rule; and “forever,” emphasizing the eternal and unconditional nature of this promise to David and Israel.
Other references to the Davidic Covenant are found in Jeremiah 23:5; 30:9; Isaiah 9:7; 11:1; Luke 1:32, 69; Acts 13:34; and Revelation 3:7.
God’s Land Covenant With Israel
GOD’S LAND COVENANT WITH ISRAEL
On another thread the Muslim Adamu Bakari Bn Abubaker said:
“Stop lying Palestine only used stone against invader who wanted to steal their country.
Israel are bombarding them daily
Israel never existed before 1945.”
This comment is representative of the myopic and incorrect view of Israel from her enemies. The purpose of the post is to set the record straight. At the same time we shall expose a monumental error in the Quran.
1). INTRODUCTION
The so-called “Palestinian” Covenant is recorded in Deuteronomy 29:1–29 and Deuteronomy 30:1–10 and was made between God and Israel right before Moses died and Israel entered the Promised Land. The Bible never uses the term “Palestinian Covenant,” and Moses certainly never would have called the land “Palestine,” but the term has become common usage. This is unfortunate for 2 reasons.
First: it was a name given to the land by the Roman Emperor Hadrian after the Second Jewish Revolt under Bar Cochba (A.D. 132-135). His purpose was to erase any Jewish remembrance of the Land as part of his policy to “de judaize” the Land.
Second: due to the historical events in the Middle East in the history of modern Israel, the name is associated more with Arabs than with Jews. A better title for this covenant would have been the “Land Covenant” since “Palestine” is not a biblical designation anyway. For the purposes of this Post I will refer to it by the alternative name the Land Covenant which it is also called because many of the promises relate to Israel’s possession of the land.
[See Footnotes for an explanation of how Palestine appears in modern Bibles].
2). BIBLICAL REFERENCES
God made the Land Covenant with Israel after the Mosaic Covenant and after Israel had wandered in the wilderness for forty years while they were in Moab waiting to go into the Promised Land. The covenant would serve this new generation of Israelites as a reminder of their special covenant relationship with God.
The Land Covenant has many similarities to the Mosaic Covenant made at Mount Sinai but is a separate and distinct covenant as clearly seen in Deuteronomy 29:1:
“These are the words of the covenant which the Lord commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, BESIDES THE COVENANT which He made with them in Horeb.”
Before making this covenant with Israel, God reminded them that if they obeyed the Mosaic Law, He would bless the nation abundantly and warned them that disobedience to the Law would result in His cursing the nation. (Deuteronomy 28:1-68).
We must go back to Genesis 12 to trace the origin of God’s promise to Abraham (Abram) of land:
“The Lord said to Abram: Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated, and the people he had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the site of Shechem, at the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him.” (Genesis 12:1, 5-7 HCSB)
And we must look to the book of Exodus to find God had already set the boundaries for the promised land:
“I will set your borders from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates River. For I will place the inhabitants of the land under your control, and you will drive them out ahead of you.” (Exodus 23:31 HCSB)
It’s worth noting that this encompasses an area far larger than present day Israel.
Deuteronomy 30:1-10 describes some of the provisions of the Land Covenant:
“When all these things happen to you — the blessings and curses I have set before you — and you come to your senses while you are in all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you, and you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey Him with all your heart and all your soul by doing everything I am giving you today, then He will restore your fortunes, have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you. Even if your exiles are at the ends of the earth, He will gather you and bring you back from there. The Lord your God will bring you into the land your fathers possessed, and you will take possession of it. He will cause you to prosper and multiply you more than He did your fathers. The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and all your soul so that you will live. The Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies who hate and persecute you. Then you will again obey Him and follow all His commands I am giving you today. The Lord your God will make you prosper abundantly in all the work of your hands with children, the offspring of your livestock, and your land’s produce. Indeed, the Lord will again delight in your prosperity, as He delighted in that of your fathers, when you obey the Lord your God by keeping His commands and statutes that are written in this book of the law and return to Him with all your heart and all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 30:1-10 HCSB)
3). THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE COVENANT
This covenant was made between God and Israel, the same two parties as in the Mosaic Covenant.
4). THE PROVISIONS OF THE COVENANT
Eight provisions can be gleaned from this passage.
□ First: Moses spoke prophetically of Israel’s coming disobedience to the Mosaic Law and her subsequent scattering over all the world (29:2-30:1). All remaining provisions speak of various facets of Israel’s final restoration.
□ Second: Israel will repent (30:2).
□ Third: the Messiah will return (v. 3a).
□ Fourth: Israel will be regathered (vv. 3b-4).
□ Fifth: Israel will possess the Promised Land (v. 5).
□ Sixth: Israel will be regenerated (v. 6).
□ Seventh: the enemies of Israel will be judged (v. 7).
□ Eighth: Israel will receive full blessing; specifically, the blessings of the Messianic Age (vv. 8-20).
5). THE IMPORTANCE OF THE COVENANT
The special importance of the Land Covenant is that it reaffirms the title deed to the Land as belonging to Israel. Although she would prove unfaithful and disobedient, the right to the Land would never be taken from her. Furthermore, it shows that the conditional Mosaic Covenant did not lay aside the unconditional Abrahamic Covenant. It might be taken by some that the Mosaic Covenant displaced the Abrahamic Covenant, but the Land Covenant shows that this is not true. The Land Covenant is an enlargement of the original Abrahamic Covenant. It amplifies the Land aspect and emphasizes the promise of the Land to God’s earthly Jewish people in spite of their unbelief. The Abrahamic Covenant teaches that ownership for the Land is unconditional while the Land Covenant teaches that the enjoyment of the Land is conditioned on obedience.
6). THE PRESENT DAY STATUS OF THE COVENANT
The Land Covenant, being an unconditional covenant, is still very much in effect.
We can see proof of this in prophecy fulfilment to the present day.
Israel, a nation that had not really existed as a separate nation for nearly 2,500 years, was declared a new sovereign state by an act of the United Nations on May 14, 1948. The nation was born in a day. Isaiah predicted it:
“Who has heard of such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day or a nation be delivered in an instant? Yet as soon as Zion was in labor, she gave birth to her sons.” (Isaiah 66:8)
Even the order of the return the Bible accurately predicts. The first returning Jews to Palestine came primarily from eastern Arab countries. The next major movement came from the western countries of Europe, especially Germany. Then they came in great numbers from Russia (north) during the end of the 1980’s. The last great migrations of Jews returning to Israel came from Ethiopia in the south. This precise order of return was predicted by Isaiah:
“Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, `Give them up!’ and to the south, `Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth…”
“… the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.” (Isaiah 43:5-6 & 21)
Let the redeemed of the Lord proclaim that He has redeemed them from the hand of the foe and has gathered them from the lands — from the east and the west, from the north and the south.” (Psalms 107:2-3)
7). THE QURAN’S POSITION
It should come as no surprise that the Quran is completely at odds with the Bible. It actually teaches that the Promised Land which Israel was to inherit was Egypt!
Before presenting the evidence for this note that the words Canaan, Israel (the land, not the people), Judea or Jerusalem never appear in the Quran, which is truly bewildering and astonishing to say the least.
When the Quran does speak of Israel’s inheritance it simply refers to the land or city which God gave them. For instance:
“And (remember) when Moses said unto his people: O my people! Remember Allah’s favour unto you, how He placed among you prophets, and He made you kings, and gave you that (which) He gave not to any (other) of (His) creatures. O my people! Go into the holy land which Allah hath ordained for you. Turn not in flight, for surely ye turn back as losers: They said: O Moses! Lo! a giant people (dwell) therein and lo! we go not in till they go forth from thence. When they go forth from thence, then we will enter (not till then). Then out spake two of those who feared (their Lord, men) unto whom Allah had been gracious: Enter in upon them by the gate, for if ye enter by it, lo! ye will be victorious. So put your trust (in Allah) if ye are indeed believers. They said: O Moses! We will never enter (the land) while they are in it. So go thou and thy Lord and fight! We will sit here. He said: My Lord! I have control of none but myself and my brother, so distinguish between us and the wrong-doing folk. (Their Lord) said: For this the land will surely be forbidden them for forty years that they will wander in the earth, bewildered. So grieve not over the wrongdoing folk.” (Surah 5:20-26 Pickthall)
The text doesn’t identify exactly where this holy land was situated, who these giants were, or which two men feared their Lord. So much for an all sufficient book.The only way to know the answers is to go outside of the Quran and consult the Bible. (See Numbers 13:1-3 & 17-33)
Sticking strictly with the Quran itself and taking into consideration all the references to the Exodus of Israel then it becomes apparent that the author(s) thought that the land given to Israel wasn’t Jerusalem or Canaan but Egypt!
“And WE revealed to Moses, directing him, ‘Take away MY servants by night, you will surely be pursued.’ And Pharaoh sent summoners into the cities, announcing, ‘These are a small party, Yet they have offended us; And we are a multitude fully prepared and vigilant.’ So WE turned them out of gardens and springs, And treasures and an abode of honour. Thus it was; and WE gave them as heritage to the children of Israel.” (Surah 26:52-59 Sher Ali)
The foregoing verses indicate that the Israelites were made the inheritors of Egypt right after the destruction of Pharaoh and his armies in the sea. The Egyptians were “turned out” and their gardens were given to the children of Israel. The inext citations support this position:
“They said: We have been persecuted before you came to us and since you have come to us. He said: It may be that your Lord will destroy your enemy and make you rulers in the land, then He will see how you act. And certainly We overtook Firon’s people with droughts and diminution of fruits that they may be mindful.” (Surah 7:129-130 Shakir)
“Therefore We inflicted retribution on them and drowned them in the sea because they rejected Our signs and were heedless of them. And We made the people who were deemed weak to inherit the eastern land and the western ones which We had blessed; and the good word of your Lord was fulfilled in the children of Israel because they bore up (sufferings) patiently; and We utterly destroyed what Firon and his people had wrought and what they built.” (Surah 7:136-137)
When taking these passages together as a unit (which we must seeing that they are all part of the same context) then the conclusion is that Israel was given the eastern and western parts of Egypt and became rulers of it.
Probably the most damning passage which links Egypt with the Promised Land is Surah 2:61: (caps for emphasis)
“And when you said, ‘Moses, we will not endure one sort of food; pray to thy Lord for us, that He may bring forth for us of that the earth produces-green herbs, cucumbers, corn, lentils, onions.’ He said, ‘Would you have in exchange what is meaner for what is better? Get you down to EGYPT (misra); you shall have there that you demanded.’ And abasement and poverty were pitched upon them, and they were laden with the burden of God’s anger; that, because they had disbelieved the signs of God and slain the Prophets unrightfully; that, because they disobeyed, and were transgressors.” (Surah 2:61 Arberry)
Other translations of 2.61 give a variety of alternatives for ‘misr’ ranging from “settled country” (Pickthall) to “a city” (Shakir) to “some town” (Sherali) to the vaguest of all “any town” (Yusuf Ali) (all obscuring the plain fact that the Quranic term for Egypt is ‘misra’):
“Recall that you said, “O Moses, we can no longer tolerate one kind of food. Call upon your Lord to produce for us such earthly crops as beans, cucumbers, garlic, lentils, and onions.” He said, “Do you wish to substitute that which is inferior for that which is good? Go down to EGYPT, where you can find what you asked for.” They have incurred condemnation, humiliation, and disgrace, and brought upon themselves wrath from GOD. This is because they rejected GOD’s revelations, and killed the prophets unjustly. This is because they disobeyed and transgressed.” (Khalifa)
“And when ye said: O Moses! We are weary of one kind of food; so call upon thy Lord for us that He bring forth for us of that which the earth groweth – of its herbs and its cucumbers and its corn and its lentils and its onions. He said: Would ye exchange that which is higher for that which is lower ? Go down to SETTLED COUNTRY, thus ye shall get that which ye demand. And humiliation and wretchedness were stamped upon them and they were visited with wrath from Allah. That was because they disbelieved in Allah’s revelations and slew the prophets wrongfully. That was for their disobedience and transgression.” (Pickthall)
“And when you said: O Musa! we cannot bear with one food, therefore pray Lord on our behalf to bring forth for us out of what the earth grows, of its herbs and its cucumbers and its garlic and its lentils and its onions. He said: Will you exchange that which is better for that which is worse? Enter A CITY, so you will have what you ask for. And abasement and humiliation were brought down upon them, and they became deserving of Allah’s wrath; this was so because they disbelieved in the communications of Allah and killed the prophets unjustly; this was so because they disobeyed and exceeded the limits.” (Shakir)
“And remember when you said, O Moses, surely we will not remain content with one kind of food; pray, then, to thy Lord for us that HE may bring forth for us of what the earth grows – of its herbs and its cucumbers and its wheat and its lentils and its onions.’ He said, `Would you take in exchange that which is worse for that which is better ? Go down to SOME TOWN and there is for you what you ask.’ And they were smitten with abasement and destitution, and they incurred the wrath of ALLAH; that was because they rejected the Signs of ALLAH and sought to slay the Prophets unjustly; this was because they rebelled and transgressed.” (Sherali)
“And remember ye said: “O Moses! we cannot endure one kind of food (always); so beseech thy Lord for us to produce for us of what the earth groweth, -its pot-herbs, and cucumbers, Its garlic, lentils, and onions.” He said: “Will ye exchange the better for the worse? Go ye down to ANY TOWN, and ye shall find what ye want!” They were covered with humiliation and misery; they drew on themselves the wrath of God. This because they went on rejecting the Signs of God and slaying His Messengers without just cause. This because they rebelled and went on transgressing.” (Yusuf Ali)
8 ). THE QURAN’S MAJOR ERRORS AND CONTRADICTIONS.
The Quran has major errors and contradictions on this topic — historical, logical, and theological.
# The promise: In the Bible God promised Abraham that his descendants will become a nation and that God will give them the land of Canaan as their possession (Genesis 12:7, 13:14-17, 15:7-21, 17:7-8). This promise is repeated to Isaac (Genesis 26:3), and to Jacob (Genesis 28:13, 35:12), and again confirmed by God through Moses (Exodus 3:8, 16-17, 13:5, 23:23, 33:2, 34:11, Deuteronomy 7:1, etc.), who also led Israel out of Egypt up to the borders of Canaan. The Quran contradicts this consistent and oft-repeated promise in the Torah by making Egypt the land promised to the Children of Israel. The Quran contradicts the Bible by making the wrong promise.
# The historical facts: All evidence of history and archeology shows that the Children of Israel / the Jews lived in the land of Israel (former Canaan). The Quran contradicts historical fact in claiming that God gave Israel the land of Egypt.
# The logical contradiction: The Quran contradicts itself when it claims in some passages that Israel took over the land of the Egyptians immediately after the Egyptians were defeated and drowned, but in Surah 5:26 it says that the Israelites had to wander about in the wilderness for 40 years before they could enter the promised land.
# The theological problem: If Allah promised Egypt to the Children of Israel (as the Quran claims), but in the end they got Canaan instead (which is historical fact), this means that Allah wasn’t able to fulfill his promise.
It is apparent from all of these gross errors and major difficulties that the Quran is a book that contains so many problems and no adequate answers as to be totally useless.
The Quran’s claim that the land promised to Israel was Egypt is without doubt a monumental error. However, whether it was simply the ignorance of Muhammad which led to this error, or was this false claim introduced intentionally is a question beyond the scope of this post.
Footnotes:
□ The names “Palestine” and “Palestina” occur four times in the Old Testament portion of the King James Bible (1611).
“What have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Sidon,
and all the coasts of Palestine?” (Joel 3:4)
“The people shall hear, and be afraid;
sorrow shall take hold of the inhabitants of Palestina.” (Exodus 15:14)
“Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina”… (Isaiah 14:29a)
“Howl, O gate; cry, O city,
thou whole Palestina, art dissolved.” (Isaiah 14:31a)
A few English versions since the KJV occasionally use “Palestine.” But the majority use the term “Philistia.” For example: Exodus 15:14; Isaiah 14:29, 31; Joel 3:4; Psalm 60:8; 83:7; 87:4; 108:9.
“Palestine” does not occur in the New Testament. Yeshua was born in “the Land of Judah” (Matthew 2:6) or “the Land of Israel” (Matthew 2:20), and preached throughout “the Land of the Jews” (Acts 10:39) or in “Judea” (Latin name; Matthew 1:2; Mark 1:5; John 4:3). Initially, Paul preached the Gospel “throughout all the region of Judea” and ministered to “the churches of Judea” (Acts 26:20; Galatians 1:22).
# Whence “Palestine”?
□ The oldest known historical reference to “Palestine” is in the work of Greek historian Herodotus (ca. 484–425). He says Palaistine is “part of Syria” along the Mediterranean coast.
□ Some 500 years later, Jewish historian Josephus (AD/CE 37-100) quotes Herodotus in referring to “Syria of Palaistine” and said “the Syrians that are in Palaistine are circumcised.” Josephus quickly “corrects” Herodotus by noting that the only “inhabitants of Palaistine [who] are circumcised [are] Jews.” This is a key comment: Jews lived in Palaistine.
□ The 4th century church historian Eusebius(writing in Greek) twice mentions “Palaistine” in his Ecclesiastical History (2.2.6; 7.15.1). He notes that the Mediterranean coastal city Caesarea is in that region (today: central Israel, north of Tel Aviv).
□ In the Hebrew Bible there is one word behind the various English renderings Palestine, Palestina, and Philistia. It is ‘Peleshet.’
Note the consonant link between Hebrew and Greek.
Peleshet [Hebrew]: P-L-SH-T
Palaistine [Greek]: P-L-S-T [there is no “sh” sound in Greek]
The geographical term Peleshet is used eight times in the Hebrew Bible (Exodus 15:14; Isaiah 14:29, 31; Joel 3:4; Psalm 60:8, 83:7, 87:4, 108:9).
The inhabitants of Peleshet are Pelishtim, a plural noun that occurs 287x in the Hebrew Bible (Genesis 10:14; 26:1; Exodus 13:17; etc.), mostly in Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, and 1 Chronicles. Lexicons say the root palash is a verb meaning to roll (in dust or ashes) as an act of mourning (Jeremah 6:26; Ezekiel 27:30; Micah 1:10). How that relates to the people (rollers, mourners) is not clear.
# The Pelishtim
From the time the Israelites first entered Canaan, under Joshua’s leadership, the “Philistines” were perennial enemies. Their center of power was the Pentapolis, a cluster of five cities along the coast of southern Canaan: Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, Gath, and Gaza. Their influence, however, stretched farther north up the coast.
The warrior giant Goliath (from the city of Gath) taunted the timid Jewish battle lines with ethnic bluster: “I am the Philistine” [anokhi ha-Pelishti]” (1 Samuel 17:8). Interestingly, the Greek Septuagint renders his boast as: “I Am Foreigner” [ego eimi allophulos].
Goliath’s boast fires up teenager David’s famous response: “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come against you in the name of Yahveh Tzeva’ot, the God of the ranks of Israel, whom you have defied” (1 Samuel 17:45).
The three main gods in the Pelishtim pantheon were Dagon (Judges 16:23; 1 Samuel 5:1-7), Ashtoreth (Judges 10:6; 1 Samuel 31:10), and Baal-Zebub (2 Kings 1:1-6, 16).
Some 200 years after David, Isaiah condemns his fellow Judeans for forsaking God’s “light” and for being “full [of practices] from the East…[abounding] in customs of the aliens.” These include “soothsaying like the Philistines [Pelishtim]” (Isaiah 2:5-6).
□ Septuagint Translation
The Septuagint (LXX) one time renders “Peleshet” as a reference to the people: Phulistiim (Philistines, Exodus 15:14).
Everywhere else, “Peleshet” is translated by the Greek hoi Allophuloi, “the Foreigners.” This rendering is also reflected in Isaiah 2:5-6 which refers to “the land of the Allophuloi and many strange [allophuloi] children were born to them.”
— Isaiah 14:29, 31; Joel 3:4; Palm 60:8; 83:7; 87:4 and 108:9.
Clearly, the Jewish scholars in Egypt who did the LXX considered the Pelishtim as aliens and strangers. Some might view this as an historical irony, since the Israelites arrived in Canaan after the Pelishtim. But the Biblical perspective is that the Land was an eternal gift from God to the Israelites, alone. Everyone else was a foreigner — in His land.
# Whence the Pelishtim?
Evidence from Egyptian inscriptions identifies the Pelishtim as “Sea Peoples.” Pottery from the cities of Ekron and Ashdod in Philistia mirrors styles in Cyprus, and the temple at Tell Qasile (near Tel Aviv) is similar to ones in the Aegean Sea area and on Cyprus. No inscriptions in a Philistine language have been found, suggesting they adopted the languages where they invaded.
Amos refers to “the Pelishtim from Caphtor” (Amos 9:7). Jeremiah forewarns that “the day is coming” when “YHVH will ravage the Pelishtim [who are] the remnant from the island of Caphtor” (Jeremiah 47:4). Archeologists believe Caphtor is likely the island of Crete.
Ezekiel makes the Cherethite—Philistine connection fairly explicit: “Thus said Lord YHVH: I will stretch out my hand against the Philistines and cut off the Cherethites and wipe out the last survivors of the seacoast” (Ezekiel 25:15-16).
Herodotus heard that the “Phoenicians” (Philistines) had “formerly dwelt…by the Red Sea,” but moved up to “inhabit the seacoast of Syria” (modern coast of Israel into Lebanon) (7.89.2).
# Conclusion
In the Hebrew Bible, the coastal land Peleshet (Philistia) is occupied by the Pelishtim (Philistines) who originated from the Aegean Sea area, including Cyprus and Caphtor-Ceret-Crete.
“Palestine” in Christian Bibles
Neither “Palestina” or “Philistia” occur in the Greek New Testament.
Nearly all Bible translations today use “Philistia” in their Old Testament portions for the original Hebrew Peleshet. This designates the geographical area along the coast of Israel and southern Lebanon (including Tyre and Sidon). A few Christian versions have “Palestine” in their biblical text or in marginal notes. They may do this to orient readers to modern political boundaries.
# Exegesis or eisegesis? (Some may have prejudicial theological motives).
How different translations have interpreted the text:
□ The Roman Catholic Douay-Rheims (revised 1899) has “the people of Palestine” at Jeremiah 47:1 and “the daughters of Palestine” at Ezekiel 16:57. In both verses the Hebrew reads “Pelishtim” (Philistines).
□ The conservative Protestant Amplified Bible (1965) includes “Palestine” in their text in brackets:
Ezekiel 38:11, 12 — “I will fall upon those…who dwell at the center of the earth [Palestine].”
Daniel 11:30a — “…he shall be grieved and discouraged and turn back [to Palestine] and carry out his rage and indignation against the holy covenant and God’s people.”
Daniel 11:41a — “He shall enter into the glorious land [Palestine], and many shall be overthrown.”
[Also: 1 Chron 13:5; Jer 8:16; 22:20; Ezek 33:24]
□ The conservative Protestant New American Standard Bible (NASB) (1973, 1995) has “Palestine” in the margins at Daniel 8:9 and 11:16 to explain the biblical words “Beautiful Land.” This isn’t necessary, for the context is clear that Israel and Jerusalem are the subject at hand.
□ In contrast to these versions, the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) (2009) translates Daniel 8:9 and 11:16 without bias. It renders the Hebrew literally as the “Beautiful Land” and puts “Israel” in the margin.
Mentioning “Palestine” is anachronistic. There was no such name in Daniel’s time.
□ The Message of “The Message”
Twice in his paraphrased version The Message (2002, 2007), Eugene H. Peterson interpolates “Palestine” into his main text of Daniel:
Daniel 8:9 — “[Another horn] started small, but then grew to an enormous size, facing south and east—toward lovely Palestine.”
Daniel 11:16 — “[The king of the north will] take over that beautiful country, Palestine, and make himself at home in it.”
The Hebrew behind Peterson’s phrase “lovely Palestine” is HaTzevi, literally “the Beautiful [Land].” Behind “beautiful country, Palestine” is Eretz HaTzevi, “the Beautiful Land.”
In the Bible, Israel is called “the Glory [tzevi] of all lands” (Ezek 20:6, 15), “a pleasant land, the most Beautiful [tzevi] inheritance of the nations!” (Jer 3:19).
When Peterson substitutes “Palestine,” in place of “the Beautiful [Land],” he interjects a name loaded with religious-political fire.
He didn’t compose his paraphrase before 1948 when “Palestine” was a proposed political entity created by European powers. He wrote when the so-called Palestinian cause is PC orthodoxy among liberal intellectuals and the State of Israel is an object of disdain by most nations of the world, including liberal and some evangelical branches of Christianity.
If Peterson wanted to provide geographical precision for his readers, the name “Israel” would do that. It would also be more biblical.
Peterson’s choice of “Palestine” is surely intentional. His substitution is like calling the modern state of Texas “North Mexico” (a phrase now in use by Latino activists).
As a Christian leader, perhaps Peterson thinks the occupants of “lovely Palestine” in the future will be non-Muslim Arab Christians. Or perhaps he envisions a two-state reality:
Peleshet/Palestine for Christians and Muslims, while Eretz Yisrael/Eretz HaTzvi would be for Jews.
It is disappointing when some Christian scholars will not allow the Bible to speak its own truth. They politicize it for modern readers. They attempt to rewrite prophecy and history — and distort scripture. Peterson and others might remember God’s ancient forewarning:
Because the Pelishtim, in their ancient hatred, acted vengefully, and with utter scorn sought revenge and destruction — assuredly, thus said Lord YHVH: I will stretch out my hand against the Pelishtim and…wipe out the last survivors of the seacoast.” (Ezekiel 25:15-16)
At the same time, the warning of judgment also includes an offer of redemption for the Pelishtim from the God of Israel, the owner of Eretz HaTzevi:
Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord YHVH, “rather than that he should turn from ways and live?… I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” declares the Lord YHVH. “Therefore, repent and live.” (Ezekiel 18:23, 32)
Divine Covenants Prove The Bible And Expose The Quran
In this Post we are going to take a look at God’s covenants as recorded in the Bible, Old and New Testaments.
Also for comparison we shall contrast how covenants are handled by the Quran. It’s giving no secrets away that the Quran does not cover itself in glory on the subject.
So to the first question: “What are the covenants in the Bible?”
□ Answer: The Bible speaks of seven different covenants as follows:
1). The Adamic Covenant
2). The Abrahamic Covenant
3). The Palestinian (also known as the Land Covenant)
4). The Mosaic Covenant
5). The Noahic Covenant
6). The Davidic Covenant
7). The New Covenant
□ Four of the above (Abrahamic, Palestinian or Land covenant, Mosaic, Davidic) God made with the nation of Israel. Of those four, three are unconditional in nature; that is, regardless of Israel’s obedience or disobedience, God still will fulfill these covenants with Israel. One of the covenants, the Mosaic Covenant, is conditional in nature. That is, this covenant will bring either blessings or curses depending on Israel’s obedience or disobedience.
□”Three of the covenants (Adamic, Noahic, New) are made between God and mankind in general, and are not limited to the nation of Israel.
□ The Adamic Covenant can be thought of in two parts: the Edenic Covenant (innocence) and the Adamic Covenant (grace) (Genesis 3:16-19). The Edenic Covenant is found in Genesis 1:26-30; 2:16-17. The Edenic Covenant outlined man’s responsibility toward creation and God’s directive regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The Adamic Covenant included the curses pronounced against mankind for the sin of Adam and Eve, as well as God’s provision for that sin (Genesis 3:15).
The Adamic covenant is the covenant between God and Adam (and Eve) where Adam was to tend the garden (Genesis 1:27-28) and refrain from eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 2:16-17). As long as he obeyed the covenant requirements, he would live. But if he were to disobey the covenant requirements, he would die.
Genesis 1:27–28, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.””Genesis 2:16–17, “The LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.'”
The word “covenant” is not used until Genesis 6:18 when God establishes a covenant with Noah and the word first occurs. Nevertheless, a covenant is a pact or an agreement between two or more parties. Covenants have conditions and stipulations with consequences for breaking the stipulations. In the case of the Adamic covenant, eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was the condition and breaking it would bring death. Keeping the covenant would mean living forever. Therefore, we can establish the Adamic covenant. Furthermore, covenants have signs in biblical theology. The covenant sign between God and Adam was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
The Adamic covenant is sometimes called the covenant of nature, the covenant of creation, and the covenant of works because the blessings of the covenant depended, in part, upon the works of Adam and Eve in the Garden.
In the Adamic covenant, Adam represented all people. The phrase “in Adam” is a term of federal headship which designates that he was our representative. This is why the Bible says that sin entered the world through one man (Romans 5:12). Furthermore, the Bible tells us that “in Adam all die…” (1 Corinthians 15:22). Therefore, the Adamic covenant was not just with Adam, but is also representative of those who were in him, his descendants.
The Adamic Covenant was established between God and Adam that required obedience to the commandment of God, to result in eternal life (Genesis 2:16–17; Leviticus 18:5; Romans 5:12–20). The covenant signs were the trees of life and of knowledge.” (Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms). Another evidence that the covenant relationship with God in the garden included a promise of eternal life if Adam and Eve had perfectly obeyed is the fact that even in the New Testament Paul speaks as though perfect obedience, if it were possible, would actually lead to life. He speaks of a “commandment which promised life” (Romans 7: 10; lit., “the commandment unto life”) and, in order to demonstrate that the law does not rest on faith, he quotes Leviticus 18: 5 to say, about the provisions of the law, “He who does them shall live by them” (Galatians 3: 12; cf. Romans 10:5).”
After Adam failed to keep the covenant, God instituted the covenant of grace which was the covenant of redemption found in Christ Jesus.
□ The Noahic Covenant was an unconditional covenant between God and Noah (specifically) and humanity (generally). After the Flood, God promised humanity that He would never again destroy all life on earth with a Flood (see Genesis chapter 9). God gave the rainbow as the sign of the covenant, a promise that the entire earth would never again flood and a reminder that God can and will judge sin (2 Peter 2:5).
□ The Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12:1-3, 6-7; 13:14-17; 15; 17:1-14; 22:15-18). In this covenant, God promised many things to Abraham. He personally promised that He would make Abraham’s name great (Genesis 12:2), that Abraham would have numerous physical descendants (Genesis 13:16), and that he would be the father of a multitude of nations (Genesis 17:4-5). God also made promises regarding a nation called Israel. In fact, the geographical boundaries of the Abrahamic Covenant are laid out on more than one occasion in the book of Genesis (12:7; 13:14-15; 15:18-21). Another provision in the Abrahamic Covenant is that the families of the world will be blessed through the physical line of Abraham (Genesis 12:3; 22:18). This is a reference to the Messiah, who would come from the line of Abraham.
□ Palestinian Covenant (Deuteronomy 30:1-10). The Palestinian Covenant, or, as more accurately described as the Land Covenant, amplifies the land aspect that was detailed in the Abrahamic Covenant. According to the terms of this covenant, if the people disobeyed, God would cause them to be scattered around the world (Deuteronomy 30:3-4), but He would eventually restore the nation (verse 5). When the nation is restored, then they will obey Him perfectly (verse 8), and God will cause them to prosper (verse 9).
□ Mosaic Covenant (Deuteronomy 11; et al.). The Mosaic Covenant was a conditional covenant that either brought God’s direct blessing for obedience or God’s direct cursing for disobedience upon the nation of Israel. Part of the Mosaic Covenant was the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) and the rest of the Law, which contained over 600 commands—roughly 300 positive and 300 negative. The history books of the Old Testament (Joshua–Esther) detail how Israel succeeded at obeying the Law or how Israel failed miserably at obeying the Law. Deuteronomy 11:26-28 details the blessing/cursing motif.
□ Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7:8-16). The Davidic Covenant amplifies the “seed” aspect of the Abrahamic Covenant. The promises to David in this passage are significant. God promised that David’s lineage would last forever and that his kingdom would never pass away permanently (verse 16). Obviously, the Davidic throne has not been in place at all times. There will be a time, however, when someone from the line of David will again sit on the throne and rule as king. This future king is Jesus (Luke 1:32-33).
□ New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34). The New Covenant is a covenant made first with the nation of Israel and, ultimately, with all mankind. In the New Covenant, God promises to forgive sin, and there will be a universal knowledge of the Lord. Jesus Christ came to fulfill the Law of Moses (Matthew 5:17) and create a new covenant between God and His people. Now that we are under the New Covenant (Matthew 26:28), both Jews and Gentiles can be free from the penalty and the curse of the Law. We are now given the opportunity to receive salvation as a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9).
DISCUSSION
Within the discussion of the biblical covenants, there are a few issues that Christians are not agreed upon. First, some Christians think that all of the covenants are conditional in scope. If the covenants are conditional, then Israel failed miserably at fulfilling them. Others believe that the unconditional covenants have yet to be totally fulfilled and, regardless of Israel’s disobedience, will come to fruition sometime in the future. Second, how does the church of Jesus Christ relate to the covenants? Some believe that the church fulfills the covenants and God will never deal with Israel again. This is called replacement theology and has little scriptural evidence. Others believe that the church initially or partially will fulfill these covenants. While many of the promises towards Israel are still in the future, many believe that the church shares in the covenants in some way. Others believe that the covenants are for Israel and for Israel alone, and that the church has no part in these covenants. But for the purposes of this Post nothing turns on these differing interpretations.
□ The Quran’s Position
The Quran actually teaches that the Promised Land which Israel was to inherit was Egypt! Before presenting the evidence for this we need to first mention that the words ‘Canaan’, ‘Israel’ (the land, not the people), ‘Judea’ or ‘Jerusalem’ never appear in the Quran, which is truly bewildering and astonishing to say the least.
When the Quran does speak of Israel’s inheritance it simply refers to the land or city which God gave them. For instance:
“And (remember) when Moses said unto his people: O my people! Remember Allah’s favour unto you, how He placed among you prophets, and He made you kings, and gave you that (which) He gave not to any (other) of (His) creatures. O my people! Go into the holy land which Allah hath ordained for you. Turn not in flight, for surely ye turn back as losers: They said: O Moses! Lo! a giant people (dwell) therein and lo! we go not in till they go forth from thence. When they go forth from thence, then we will enter (not till then). Then out spake two of those who feared (their Lord, men) unto whom Allah had been gracious: Enter in upon them by the gate, for if ye enter by it, lo! ye will be victorious. So put your trust (in Allah) if ye are indeed believers. They said: O Moses! We will never enter (the land) while they are in it. So go thou and thy Lord and fight! We will sit here. He said: My Lord! I have control of none but myself and my brother, so distinguish between us and the wrong-doing folk. (Their Lord) said: For this the land will surely be forbidden them for forty years that they will wander in the earth, bewildered. So grieve not over the wrongdoing folk.” (Surah 5:20-26 Pickthall)
The text doesn’t identify exactly where this holy land was situated, who these giants were, or which two men feared their Lord. So much for an all sufficient book.The only way to know the answers is to go outside of the Quran and consult the Bible. (See Numbers 13:1-3 & 17-33)
As an aside the Quran in Surah 5:20 contains a gross error since it has Moses speaking of Israel’s kings when in fact Israel had no kings until centuries later during the time of Samuel.
Sticking strictly with the Quran itself and taking into consideration all the references to the Exodus of Israel then it becomes apparent that the author(s) thought that the land given to Israel wasn’t Jerusalem or Canaan but Egypt!
“And WE revealed to Moses, directing him, ‘Take away MY servants by night, you will surely be pursued.’ And Pharaoh sent summoners into the cities, announcing, ‘These are a small party, Yet they have offended us; And we are a multitude fully prepared and vigilant.’ So WE turned them out of gardens and springs, And treasures and an abode of honour. Thus it was; and WE gave them as heritage to the children of Israel.” (Surah 26:52-59 Sher Ali)
The foregoing verses indicate that the Israelites were made the inheritors of Egypt right after the destruction of Pharaoh and his armies in the sea. The Egyptians were “turned out” and their gardens were given to the children of Israel. The inext citations support this position:
“They said: We have been persecuted before you came to us and since you have come to us. He said: It may be that your Lord will destroy your enemy and make you rulers in the land, then He will see how you act. And certainly We overtook Firon’s people with droughts and diminution of fruits that they may be mindful.” (Surah 7:129-130 Shakir)
“Therefore We inflicted retribution on them and drowned them in the sea because they rejected Our signs and were heedless of them. And We made the people who were deemed weak to inherit the eastern land and the western ones which We had blessed; and the good word of your Lord was fulfilled in the children of Israel because they bore up (sufferings) patiently; and We utterly destroyed what Firon and his people had wrought and what they built.” (Surah 7:136-137)
When taking these passages together as a unit (which we must seeing that they are all part of the same context) then the conclusion is that Israel was given the eastern and western parts of Egypt and became rulers of it.
Probably the most damning passage which links Egypt with the Promised Land is Surah 2:61: (caps for emphasis)
“And when you said, ‘Moses, we will not endure one sort of food; pray to thy Lord for us, that He may bring forth for us of that the earth produces-green herbs, cucumbers, corn, lentils, onions.’ He said, ‘Would you have in exchange what is meaner for what is better? Get you down to EGYPT (misra); you shall have there that you demanded.’ And abasement and poverty were pitched upon them, and they were laden with the burden of God’s anger; that, because they had disbelieved the signs of God and slain the Prophets unrightfully; that, because they disobeyed, and were transgressors.” (Surah 2:61 Arberry)
Other translations of 2.61 give a variety of alternatives for ‘misr’ (obscuring the plain fact that the Quranic term for Egypt is ‘misra’):
“Recall that you said, “O Moses, we can no longer tolerate one kind of food. Call upon your Lord to produce for us such earthly crops as beans, cucumbers, garlic, lentils, and onions.” He said, “Do you wish to substitute that which is inferior for that which is good? Go down to EGYPT, where you can find what you asked for.” They have incurred condemnation, humiliation, and disgrace, and brought upon themselves wrath from GOD. This is because they rejected GOD’s revelations, and killed the prophets unjustly. This is because they disobeyed and transgressed.” (Khalifa)
“And when ye said: O Moses! We are weary of one kind of food; so call upon thy Lord for us that He bring forth for us of that which the earth groweth – of its herbs and its cucumbers and its corn and its lentils and its onions. He said: Would ye exchange that which is higher for that which is lower ? Go down to SETTLED COUNTY, thus ye shall get that which ye demand. And humiliation and wretchedness were stamped upon them and they were visited with wrath from Allah. That was because they disbelieved in Allah’s revelations and slew the prophets wrongfully. That was for their disobedience and transgression.” (Pickthall)
“And when you said: O Musa! we cannot bear with one food, therefore pray Lord on our behalf to bring forth for us out of what the earth grows, of its herbs and its cucumbers and its garlic and its lentils and its onions. He said: Will you exchange that which is better for that which is worse? Enter A CITY, so you will have what you ask for. And abasement and humiliation were brought down upon them, and they became deserving of Allah’s wrath; this was so because they disbelieved in the communications of Allah and killed the prophets unjustly; this was so because they disobeyed and exceeded the limits.” (Shakir)
“And remember when you said, O Moses, surely we will not remain content with one kind of food; pray, then, to thy Lord for us that HE may bring forth for us of what the earth grows – of its herbs and its cucumbers and its wheat and its lentils and its onions.’ He said, `Would you take in exchange that which is worse for that which is better ? Go down to SOME TOWN and there is for you what you ask.’ And they were smitten with abasement and destitution, and they incurred the wrath of ALLAH; that was because they rejected the Signs of ALLAH and sought to slay the Prophets unjustly; this was because they rebelled and transgressed.” (Sherali)
“And remember ye said: “O Moses! we cannot endure one kind of food (always); so beseech thy Lord for us to produce for us of what the earth groweth, -its pot-herbs, and cucumbers, Its garlic, lentils, and onions.” He said: “Will ye exchange the better for the worse? Go ye down to ANY TOWN, and ye shall find what ye want!” They were covered with humiliation and misery; they drew on themselves the wrath of God. This because they went on rejecting the Signs of God and slaying His Messengers without just cause. This because they rebelled and went on transgressing.” (Yusuf Ali) □ The major errors and contradictions — historical, logical, and theological
THE EVERLASTING ABRAHAMIC COVENANT
“Now the Lord had said to Abram: ‘Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3)
The Abrahamic Covenant is a God-given promise that has influenced the very course of human history. The Apostle Paul, in writing to the Galatians, was clear that it could never be annulled (Galatians 3:17). Many preachers have tried to annul it in some form or fashion, in an attempt to deny the Jewish people a national destiny in their ancient homeland of Canaan. That God would displace peoples in order to restore Jewish national sovereignty offends them, since they regard this as unjust. But God does not see the world as we see it and therefore He harmonizes His judgment of peoples with the return of His people to the Promised Land.
Thus He only brought His people into Canaan four hundred years after the Exodus, when the wickedness of the nations living there was “ripe” for judgment (Deuteronomy 9:4-5). This idea of God judging people and nation groups is rejected by many theologians today. Michael Pryor, an Anglican minister, so fully rejected this notion that he referred to Joshua as “the patron saint of ethnic cleansing.” This ignores the fact that a loving God, who does not change, called for the judgment that Israel’s possession of the land brought on the peoples who were already living there.
The Abrahamic Covenant is also everywhere affirmed as an everlasting Covenant (Genesis 17:7-8; Psalm 105:9-12). Most theologians agree that it was unconditional, but if it were not it was conditional upon Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac. This he completely fulfilled and thus God affirmed that henceforth He would keep the terms of the Covenant; a fact that David acknowledged in the Psalms. Note the words of Genesis 22:15-18:
“Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, 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 – 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. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.’”
So this forever settles the debate! The Abrahamic Covenant is everlasting, cannot be changed and the New Testament scriptures also affirm this (Hebrews 6:13-20). Why is it so hard for many leading Christian leaders to get this? Especially since the fruit of seeking to reconstruct it has been rotten to say the least. It has brought arrogance and prejudice against the Jews, taken the Church down a pathway to anti-Semitism and birthed pogroms, expulsions, persecutions, Apartheid and more. Worst of all, those who deny the everlasting nature of the Covenant are effectively accusing God of lying!
Because they cannot accept that God has returned Israel to Canaan in our time, they concoct elaborate theories all designed to undermine the truth of the Abrahamic Covenant. So Catholic and Protestant prelates declare that the Abrahamic Covenant has been abolished, that the church has supplanted Israel and even Evangelicals are constructing elaborate theological theories to disavow the efficacy of this everlasting promise. Some Palestinian Christians have called for the Bible to be “de-Zionized!” Those who affirm its efficacy are smeared as working against peace in the Middle East. They are called hateful warmongers always advancing the Zionist plots of the Jews!
So, what is the Abrahamic Covenant?
A). It is the watershed of redemption history in that it constitutes God’s decision to save the world from sin (Galatians 3:8).
B ). It has many aspects or facets, like a diamond;
(1) A promise of custodianship
That is, it will be through an ethnic group called Israel that God will bless the world. This nation will exist as long as the stars are in the sky above us! (Genesis 12:1-3; John 4:22; Romans 3:1; 9:1-5; Jeremiah 31:35-37)
(2) A promise of land
Those who “mess” with this land and seek to disinvest the Jewish people of it can expect divine judgment (Genesis 17:7-8; Joel 3:1-3). This promise, in spite of Israel’s disobedience, has been fulfilled time and time again through the course of history.
(3) A promise of a saving Messiah
In Genesis 22 we have the story of the “binding of Isaac”, which Christians view as a foreshadowing of the death of Jesus (Hebrews 11:17-19). The Abrahamic Covenant always held a promise to the descendants of Israel and to the “seed” – Jesus (Genesis 22:17-18). To believe in the one does not deny the other. In Galatians three, Paul was pointing to the “one” – Jesus – and was not denying the promises to the “many” – the people of Israel. Manipulators of the Word of God, anti-Semites and Replacement adherents emphasize one aspect of the promise and claim the promises to the many have been abolished. They have absolutely no biblical grounds for doing this.
(4) A promise of blessing (Genesis 12:1-3)
That is, God has promised to bless those who defend Israel’s existence, recognizing the unique role she is playing out for the sake of the world. This does not mean “blind support of Israel,” but it does mean standing against those who seek her liquidation and deny her claim to the Promised Land. Israel’s servant purpose on behalf of the world was not finished with the coming of Jesus in the first century. She will yet mediate, in its fullness, the final great covenant of redemption history to the world; the Davidic Covenant (Ezekiel 37:24-28; Revelation 22:12-17).
(5) A promise of cursing (Genesis 12:1-3)
All the nations who resisted the plan of God for world redemption through the Jews have become the wreckage of history. We would do well to learn from this as it is the same as resisting God Himself (Psalm 83). The Book of Esther is a stark reminder of this as, if Haman had destroyed the Jews, Jesus would never have come. The same is true of the Egyptians in Moses’ day and all the other ant-Semites of history, including the wicked thugs of the Third Reich and their children today, the radical Islamic jihadists. A rude and humbling awakening is awaiting our world (Psalm 2).
(6) A promise of salvation (Galatians 3:8)
Israel’s ultimate and great purpose given to her in the Abrahamic Covenant was to mediate eternal life to the world through her great son Jesus Christ. We owe her a great debt of gratitude and our God-given role is to appreciate her, pray for her and provoke her to jealousy (Romans 11). God loves all people the same but He did make Israel His servant to the nations; a role that she has ultimately and uniquely carried out.
C ). This Covenant has been uniquely validated by the return of the Jews to Canaan in our day and by a living Church that is found in almost every tribe and nation (Revelation 5:9-10). This return of the Jews is no coincidence and is quite remarkable. As in the past, it has aroused the anger of the surrounding peoples. Even some in the Church are angry, and yet Scripture everywhere gives testimony to this return (Luke 21:24).
Jeremiah gives testimony to a return from the “north country” that will surpass that of the Exodus (Jeremiah 16:14-15). We have witnessed this in that well over a million Jews have returned to Zion from the former Soviet Union.
Israel will be judged and corrected but the nations will be made a full end of before the age closes (Jeremiah 30:11). Israel will not be uprooted ever again (Amos 9: 13-15); she will be redeemed and all nations will flow toward Jerusalem to acknowledge her role in history and rejoice in her God! (Isaiah 2:1-4; Zechariah 14:16-19; Revelation 21:22-27)
In the end, Israel will radiate all the truths and promises God made through her to a fallen world (Isaiah 62:11-12; Romans 11:25-26). All of this will happen because of a promise that God made with the man Abraham 4000 years ago. What an incredible God we serve!
MAKE NO MISTAKE: #ISRAEL_is_for_the CHILDREN_OF_ GOD
Question: “What is the Millennial Kingdom, and should it be understood literally?”
Answer: The millennial kingdom is the title given to the 1000-year reign of Jesus Christ on the earth. Some seek to interpret the 1000 years in an allegorical manner. They understand the 1000 years as merely a figurative way of saying “a long period of time,” not a literal, physical reign of Jesus Christ on the earth. However, six times in Revelation 20:2-7, the millennial kingdom is specifically said to be 1000 years in length. If God wished to communicate “a long period of time,” He could have easily done so without explicitly and repeatedly mentioning an exact time frame.
The Bible tells us that when Christ returns to the earth He will establish Himself as king in Jerusalem, sitting on the throne of David (Luke 1:32–33 c.f. Isaiah 9:7). The unconditional covenants demand a literal, physical return of Christ to establish the kingdom. The Abrahamic Covenant promised Israel a land, a posterity and ruler, and a spiritual blessing (Genesis 12:1–3). The Palestinian Covenant promised Israel a restoration to the land and occupation of the land (Deuteronomy 30:1–10). The Davidic Covenant promised Israel a king from David’s line who would rule forever—giving the nation rest from all their enemies (2 Samuel 7:10–13). The prophetic book of Revelation, which unveils (the meaning of ‘apocalyptic’) future events, continues the theme of the Davidic dynasty. Christ in glory ‘holds the key of David’ (3:7). He is ‘the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David’ (5:5). He is still ‘the Root and the Offspring of David’ (22:16).
At the second coming, these covenants will be fulfilled as Israel is re-gathered from the nations (Matthew 24:31), converted (Zechariah 12:10–14), and restored to the land under the rule of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The Bible speaks of the conditions during the millennium as a perfect environment physically and spiritually. It will be a time of peace (Micah 4:2–4; Isaiah 32:17–18), joy (Isaiah 61:7, 10), and comfort (Isaiah 40:1–2). The Bible also tells us that only believers will enter the millennial kingdom. Because of this, it will be a time of obedience (Jeremiah 31:33), holiness (Isaiah 35:8), truth (Isaiah 65:16), and the knowledge of God (Isaiah 11:9, Habakkuk 2:14). Christ will rule as king (Isaiah 9:3–7; 11:1–10). Nobles and governors will also rule (Isaiah 32:1; Matthew 19:28), and Jerusalem will be the political center of the world (Zechariah 8:3).
Revelation 20:2-7 gives the precise time period of the millennial kingdom. Even without these scriptures, there are countless others that point to a literal reign of the Messiah on the earth. The fulfillment of many of God’s covenants and promises rests on a literal, physical, future kingdom. There is no solid basis for denying the literal interpretation of the millennial kingdom and its duration being 1000 years.