This was written for a very sweet Islamic girl named Lena. Thank you for asking me, “Do your writings say the land belongs to Israel?”
Hebrew Scriptures
First, I use only the Hebrew Scriptures because they are the most reliable of the ancient writings. Often times people say, well, over the centuries men have changed them and so we don’t know what is true and what is not. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The Hebrew Scriptures were hidden in 70 A.D. in some caves near the Dead Sea. No one knew they were there so no one could change what was written. In 1948, they were found by an shepherd boy in what is now known as the West Bank. They are known as the Dead Sea Scrolls. When compared to the manuscripts of the Hebrew Scriptures of today, they are identical. This means that what exists today in the Holy Bible is authentic and has not been changed by anyone.
Even before the Dead Sea Scrolls were put in clay jars in a cave, the Greeks began in 300 B.C. to translate the Hebrew Scriptures into their language. These writings are known as the Septuagint and they, too, have been compared to the Dead Sea Scrolls and no important differences have been found.
Some people claim that the Jews rewrote the Torah to contradict others’ religious beliefs and books, but this cannot be true as proved by the Dead Sea Scrolls. If the Jews had changed anything, it would have been found in more modern writings. If there is a writing or another book that claims to be authentic, it needed to be written before A.D. 70. or compared to the Dead Sea Scrolls.
For example, the Jehovah Witnesses say they use the Bible. However, their Bible was translated in the 1800s and has many differences from the Hebrew Scriptures. I know this for a fact because I’ve looked up Scriptures to find they have been deleted or changed. These changes and contradictions from the Hebrew Scriptures mean that their holy book is wrong. Consequently, they view God, His redemption and His people wrongly. Another example is the King James Version of the Bible written in 1611. Many Christians won’t use any other translation. However, King James was a tyrant and the reason many Christians left England and became known as the Pilgrims in North America. These Christians wanted to flee King James’ translation of the Bible because he used the translation to control the people. The are many contradictions in the King James translation when compared to the Dead Sea Scrolls. Another example is the Koran. It was written between 653 and 656 A.D. a long time after the Dead Sea Scrolls were buried and hidden. Just like the Jehovah Witnesses and the King James Bible, it, too, like every other prophetical writing should be compared to the Dead Sea Scrolls to verify and authenticate what it teaches. If it doesn’t agree, then the Koran is flawed and not the Hebrew Scriptures.
There are warnings in the Holy Scriptures about adding to or taking away from the Words or prophecies of God. These warnings are for everyone: Jew and non-Jew, Israel, and non-Israel, Jehovah Witnesses, Church of England and Islam. Unfortunately, men love to bring glory to themselves and want power and control over people. So, they change the Hebrew Scriptures to say what they want them to say in order that they are followed and not Yahweh Elohim – God Almighty.
Everyone has to choose what words of God they will accept, but I am going to use the Hebrew Scriptures because they are the most ancient and proven by the Dead Sea Scrolls to be authentic to explain the Land and the people of Israel.
“Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar” (Proverbs 30:5-6).
“I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book” (Revelation 22:18-19).
Abraham
In Genesis (Bereshit) 12:1-3 Abraham is told to leave his country and go to the land that God (El) wanted to show him. In this ‘calling out’ from the land of Ur, Abraham is promised to be made into a great nation; he will be blessed and all families on the earth will also be blessed.
“Now Adonai said to Abram, “Get yourself out of your country, away from your kinsmen and away from your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, I will bless you, and I will make your name great; and you are to be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, but I will curse anyone who curses you; and by you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
Abraham obeys – a sign of his great faith – and travels toward the Promised Land. He has his nephew Lot with him and they realize the land they are in is not big enough for both of their families and livestock. Abraham allows Lot to decide which land he wants. Lot chooses the plains to the east of the Jordan River and Abraham stays in Canaan. We know that Lot eventually moves to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Those cities are destroyed for their sin of homosexuality.
In Genesis 13:14-18, after Lot chooses the best and most fertile land, God tells Abraham to look to the north, south, east and west as this is the land God is giving him. It is known as the ‘promised land.’
“Adonai said to Abram, after Lot had moved away from him, “Look all around you from where you are, to the north, the south, the east and the west. All the land you see I will give to you and your descendants forever,and I will make your descendants as numerous as the specks of dust on the earth — so that if a person can count the specks of dust on the earth, then your descendants can be counted. Get up and walk through the length and breadth of the land, because I will give it to you.” Abram moved his tent and came to live by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron. There he built an altar to Adonai.”
Now we come to Genesis chapter 15. There are several key verses in this chapter the explain Abraham’s history and the land of promise.
Verse 7 gives the land to Abraham to possess — “Then he said to him, “I am Adonai, who brought you out from Ur-Kasdim to give you this land as your possession.”
El Shaddai (God Almighty) goes on to say that Abraham’s descendants would become slaves (as they were in Egypt) and then in the fourth generation, they would return to this same land – the land of promise – Canaan. This is something repeatedly seen in the Scriptures. The Israelites, no matter what happens to them, they always return to the Land promised to Abraham.
Verse 16 – “But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not complete.”
Though there were other people living in the promised land, they did not own it. Only God owns land and He says that Abraham’s descendants will possess it. From God’s point of view, just because someone occupies land does not mean they ‘own’ it. This is because God is the creator of heaven and earth and everything in the earth is His. If we think we ‘own’ the land, then we deny God as the Creator. Because Yahweh is the Creator, He can give land to anyone He chooses. Thus, we have the land promised to Abraham as his possession.
Verses 18-21 – These are the verses that give the covenant boundaries of the promised land. Though I tend to believe the Israeli flag is a prayer shawl, the other explanation is also valid. Abraham was given the land between the Nile River and the Euphrates. This is not a modern-day Zionist threat, this is the actual land boundaries given to Abraham and is a prophecy with a promise.
“On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates—the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites,Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.”
Today, this words might read from the river in Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates –Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt! Though the world would hate this truth and blame Israel for stealing land when they rightfully posses, (even through wars when they give it back), it’s all land given to them by covenant promised contract with Abraham.
Isaac
Genesis chapter 16 records the birth of Ishmael. Though Sarah was Abraham’s wife, Ishmael became the son of her maid, Hagar. Several years after Ishmael’s birth Abram’s name was changed by God to Abraham. The name Abraham means ‘father of many nations.‘ It was at this time the covenant of circumcision was given to Abraham as a ‘sign’ of his faith.’ Ishmael, along with all the other males in Abraham’s family were circumcised.
Genesis chapter 18 records three men coming to visit Abraham. It is at this time that God promises Abraham a son from his wife, Sarah. They are both so old in years, that only through faith can Isaac be conceived. Their bodies no longer could procreate a child. Genesis chapter 21 records the birth of Isaac.
This is when the sibling rivalry begins. Isaac is the son promised by God through Sarah, Abraham’s wife, while Ishmael was from another woman. I believe that Abraham loved both of his sons, but because of problems that developed between the child, Isaac, and the young man, Ishmael, Abraham had to send Hagar and Ishmael away. Yet, Yahweh Elohim does not neglect Ishmael. Why? Because Abraham was called the ‘father of many nations’. In fact, while Hagar and Ishmael were dying of thirst in the desert, God comes to them and promises Hagar that even Ishmael would become a great nation. He provides a well for them so they have water. They settle in the Desert of Paran which is considered to be the modern Sinai desert.
“God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”
In Genesis 22, Abraham’s faith is tested. This is where he takes his son Isaac to Mt. Moriah (the mount where the Temple was eventually built by King Solomon). It is on this mountain that Abraham is asked to offer his son as a sacrifice. Abraham has great faith in God and trusts that either God will ‘provide himself a sacrifice’ or ‘raise his son from the dead.’ Why? Because Isaac is the son of a promise. The account continues that a ram is sacrificed instead of Isaac. The lamb becomes a substitution for the life of Isaac.
In Genesis 26 the land promise is given to Isaac. The promise had nothing to do with Isaac, but with the faith of Abraham, his father. Again, Isaac will have many descendants just as his father was promised.
“The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspringall nations on earth will be blessed, because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws.”
Jacob
Isaac marries Rebekkah and they have two sons, Jacob and Esau. These two also have sibling rivalry and are separated. Esau became the Edomites. Today this nation of people have assimilated into the Arab nations. This is an historical fact as there are no Edomites today, but they settled in what is known today as Jordan.
In Genesis 28:13-14, Jacob is in the wilderness because of the situation between he and Esau. Jacob has a dream in which there is a ladder reaching to the heavens. From the top of the ladder El Shaddai speaks to Jacob and says that he will give him the land on which he is sleeping. Jacob names the place BeitEl – House of God. This place was about 12 miles (19 km) north of Jerusalem, west of Jericho and the Jordan River. Archaeological findings have the site of BeitEl with the ruins of Beitin, a small village south of Shiloh.
“There above itstood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying.Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.”
Israel
In Genesis 35:9-15 Jacob returns from Haran in Mesopotamia and an angel comes to him and blesses him. The blessing includes a change of name – Yisrael.
“After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram,God appeared to him again and blessed him. God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Yisrael.” So he named him Yisrael.
And God said to him, “I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body. The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.” Then God went up from him at the place where he had talked with him.
Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it. This is the place where God had talked with him – Bethel.”
Jacob had 12 sons. One of the sons was named Y’hudah. This is where the word “Jew” or “Jewish” comes from. The name Y’hudah means ‘praiser of God”. Over the centuries the Israelites became known as Jews. Thus, the land promised to Abraham is to be possessed by the Israelites.
Today
As we look today at the problems in the Middle East with Israel and the Arab nations, this is what I see and how I understand it.
Abraham was promised to be the father of ‘many nations.’ Through Ishmael, there are over 400 million Arabs and they live in many lands. These are the many ‘nations‘ represented by the name Abraham – ‘father of nations’. The promise to Ishamel has been fulfilled and continues to be fulfilled.
Abraham was also promised land and a lot of land – from the Nile to the Euphrates River. The PROMISE of this land did not go to Ishmael, but to Isaac and then to Jacob who became known as Yisrael. Today we know the Israelites as the Jewish people. In reality Israel is way more than just the descendants of Judah, but the descendants of all of the Tribes of Israel (the 12 sons), but today these people are scattered all over the world and have assimilated into other peoples. Someday soon, there is a promise that God will gather all of these children of Jacob/Israel together in the Promised Land. This will not be man’s doing, but God’s work.
Now, let’s look at the Jewish people. In 2010, there were 5,703,000 Jewish people living in Israel. Compared to 400 million Arabs, this is nothing. This isn’t even the population of the city of Cairo which has 9,120,350. Deuteronomy 7:7 (one of the books of Moses) says that God didn’t choose the Israelites because they were GREAT in number, but because they WERE SMALL.
“For you are a people set apart as holy for Adonai your God. Adonai your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his own unique treasure. Adonai didn’t set his heart on you or choose you because you numbered more than any other people — on the contrary, you were the fewest of all peoples. Rather, it was because Adonai loved you, and because he wanted to keep the oath which he had sworn to your ancestors, that Adonai brought you out with a strong hand and redeemed you from a life of slavery under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.From this you can know that Adonai your God is indeed God, the faithful God, who keeps his covenant and extends grace to those who love him and observe his commands, to a thousand generations. But he repays those who hate him to their face and destroys them. He will not be slow to deal with someone who hates him; he will repay him to his face.”
God (Yahweh) gave Israel the Promised Land so they would have a place to live among the many nations of the world that would always be bigger than they were and fighting against them because they are a holy people and a people loved by Elohim. Unfortunately, the sibling rivalry continues, and Ishmael and Isaac are still fighting over a really tiny piece of land.
The Real Battle
Could it be that the land really isn’t the problem, but it’s really a desire to rid the world of a group of people because of a promise? It was from the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Judah, that the promise of salvation would come to the world. This salvation comes through Yeshua. Without an Israel, Yeshua could not come the first time nor can come the second time. He was to be born in BeitLechem and he is to return to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. Throughout the history of the Jewish people, from their slavery in Egypt until the Holocaust in Germany, the world just wants to rid themselves of these people. Why is that? Why is it they have had to fight just to stay alive? Could it be that it’s a spiritual battle and not really a physical land battle? Could it still be a hard-hearted sibling rivalry that needs redemption from the only redeemer, Yeshua?
You, my friend, live in the Land of Israel. You say it is beautiful. You say you have freedom there and are treated as an equal citizen. Yet there are many who hate the Jewish people and rejoice when they are murdered in their own streets and on their own buses. This confuses me. Why does the life of a small nation of people create such anger and hatred. Why does the death of the Jewish people cause rejoicing. It is not only sick, it is sinful and against God’s will for Abraham’s promise.
Israel, for all of time, has had to defend herself. This is nothing new and it will continue until all nations of the world come against her to destroy her. Even today, only 9 out of 188 nations stood against Palestine becoming a nation. That’s the world against Israel. That’s the world against a land covenant given to Israel through Abraham because no one believes in the Hebrew Scriptures and the promises of God. They mock Him and destroy His chosen people.
The Scriptures say ‘He who blesses Abraham will be blessed and he who curses him will be cursed.” I believe the leaders of the world are walking on very dangerous ground and some very terrible things will begin to happen as the world continues to hate and curse Israel. There are many Biblical and historical accounts of nations that came against Israel and the Jewish people. They suffered serious consequences. Most, if not all, of the nations no longer exist. Many of the modern-day nations like the United States are falling apart because we do not stand with Israel.
To Answer Your Question
Was the land of Israel given to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the Jewish people? Yes. Should there be boundaries that are bigger than what Israel is today? Yes. Will politicians and world leaders solve the problem? No. Men are sinful, hate God, want power, and covet something they can never own, only possess. The battle isn’t really with Israel and the Jewish people, it’s with the Creator of the Universe. Mankind, in all his pride and greed, is waging war with the Creator. It can only turn out bad for mankind.
Will the situation ever be resolved so there is everlasting peace. Yes. I believe the situation will only be resolved when Yeshua returns to the Mount of Olives. At this moment everyone who pierced his hands and feet will mourn. He will enter Jerusalem and set up His Kingdom rule. I also believe that when the time of the end comes and all nations come against Israel, everyone will see the miraculous Hand of Yahweh deliver His people.
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