LET GOD BE TRUE

Bill Fitzhenry's Thoughts For Today…

Understanding important truths from the Bible….

LET GOD BE TRUE        

Deuteronomy 34:1-4    NKJV

Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is across from Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead as far as Dan,

² all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea,

³ the South, and the plain of the Valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar.

⁴ Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have caused you to see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.” 

The faith of the Christian is that all of God’s promises can be believed.  Believing this, whenever promises are plainly stated, we expect it to be fulfilled.  If the promise was in the ancient past and it is plainly stated, easily understood, and fulfillment is announced, we believe it as it is written. 

In Deuteronomy 34:1-4 there is a promise identified.  Those to whom it is made are named.  All the elements of this particular promise are identified.  It is a promise made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  That which is promised is a particular geographical section of land.  The question that remains is whether this promise is fulfilled. 

There is a part of the Christian Church which is identified by a particular prophetic understanding.  These teach a literal 1000 year reign of Christ at His return.  At this time God’s covenant promises to Israel, which have not yet been fulfilled, will be literally fulfilled.

That this promise has not been completed is basic to their claim that Israel is still the Covenant people of God.  For God to be true to His promise Israel must have the land promised them which they have not yet received.  The premillennial return of Christ has far greater content than this one part.  But this part is basic to it. 

Can this position, that Israel has not received the land promised, be supported by Scripture?  It appears not.  In Joshua 21:45 we find “Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.”  ESV. 

If this were not sufficient we can find it repeated in I King 8:56 “Blessed be the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised. Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses his servant” ESV.  Note that Solomon can claim “Not one word has failed (that is “has not come to pass”), of all His good promises by which He spoke by Moses His prophet.” 

When we read that the Jews rejection of Christ “delayed” the kingdom promises which will have to be later fulfilled, we know assuredly it was not promises regarding the land they were to have.  That is settled by the Scriptures.  Other promises will be found to have been as assuredly fulfilled as these we have read.

Application:

A.  The Scriptures are for us the single authority.

B.  We believe in Christ’s return and say “Even so, come Lord Jesus”.