Having moved nearly 20 times in the last 15 years, in 7 states, and 14 cities, I have sat in many churches with various teachings.

One of the most problematic doctrines I’ve encountered is the idea that God somehow miscalculated history and had to accommodate the error by instituting the “church age” rather than establishing His kingdom on earth. 

The truth is, I didn’t always see the teaching as problematic — because it was such a prevalent teaching in the church. 

However, through a series of extremely harsh events — including being “excommunicated” from a fellowship of believers — I began looking outside of the traditional mainstream denominational churches to find a place to belong. I must note that the offending church apologized for falsely kicking me out of their church and requested that I come back.

Some things take more than an apology — I was ready to move on.

A book called Character Assassins: Dealing with Ecclesiastical Tyrants and Terrorists introduced me to a new paradigm: Reformed Presbyterianism.

What did I find? 

Covenant Theology and Historical Christian Doctrine

It turns out, dividing the Word of God into two parts, was not the accurate way to divide the word of truth. Plus, there was no historic grounds for this kind of hermeneutic in the early Christian church. The teaching is relatively new — which I will share about momentarily.

Understanding historical Christian doctrine as expressed in Covenant Theology has been  life-changing for me. And by God’s grace,  I continue to learn.

One of the distinct doctrines I came to understand and love was the truth that the Old Testament and the New Testament is one cohesive message from Genesis to Revelation. 

God didn’t miscalculate anything. It was the Bible teachers in many mainstream Christian churches who were miscalculating. A deceitful doctrine called dispensationalism had crept into the church — with its foundations in the 1800s by a man named John Darby. 

Interestingly, this was the same period in history when many cults, like Jehovah’s Witness and Mormonism, started. 

I also came to discover that Christ’s church was the fulfillment of the kingdom promised in the Old Testament. Plus, Christ himself fulfilled all the promises — including the land promised to Abraham. But it got better — the inheritance wasn’t merely the land of Canaan — it was the whole Cosmos. 

My goal is to demonstrate how I came to these conclusions.

Why I Left Behind Dispensationalism

The transition wasn’t easy.

My brain had been so steeped and filled with a wrong understanding (a dispensational understanding) of the Bible, that I couldn’t accept some of these NEW teachings (which, in fact, were not new at all). The truth is my heart railed against them. 

I’m a skeptical person, and it takes a lot to convince this brain to accept a different position once something is grooved into the pathways of my neurons. 

However, there is ONE thing that can cause me to change an opinion: cold hard facts. Thankfully, I take the position that the Bible is the ONLY completely reliable book on the planet. 

If someone were to convince me that I was wrong about my understanding of the Bible (for example: concerning the land promised to Abraham), they were going to have to prove it from Scripture. And that’s exactly what happened. 

Weed after weed was plucked from the annals of my mind until I could see that the historical position was correct and the dispensational position was wrong. 

I can’t — in this one post — share everything I’ve learned. My hope here is to make the argument that the Bible is one cohesive message and that the “church age” was not a hiccup in God’s plan — rather it was God’s plan from the beginning, the promised kingdom. And that Christ, and His followers by extension, are the sole heirs of the land promised to Abraham.

And then I’ll conclude with some thoughts on how these principles tie into the Law of God — which is the overarching topic that I am studying and writing about. 

A Survey of the Old Testament

I’d like to start at the beginning. My assumption is that my readers have a basic grasp of the Bible, so I will speak in generalities on many things. 

Creation, Fall, and the Promised Deliverer

God created everything perfect, including man. But the first man transgressed God’s commandment and became a law unto himself. Sin and death entered the world, and God promised a Deliverer who would not transgress God’s commands. And that Deliverer would have a mortal enemy: Satan. 

The Bible records the history of the two enemies:

1. 1. Saints in the line of the Deliverer
   2. Sinners who would join with the Adversary

The Covenant and Land Promised to Abraham

Abraham was part of the line that would bring the promised Deliverer. God told him that through his seed, all the nations of the earth would be blessed — and his descendants would inherit the land of Canaan. 

This covenant was unconditional. God Himself would fulfill it.

Eventually, all of Abraham’s descendants became slaves in Egypt (a picture of the bondage of sin), and God rose up a deliverer named Moses to bring the Israelites into the land promised to Abraham.

The Mosaic Covenant

God entered into a covenant with Israel at Mt. Sinai, saying that if the people would obey all His commands as taught by Moses, that He would be their God and they would be His people. And that He would bless them. 

If they turned to other gods or were unfaithful to His ways: He would curse them. This covenant was a covenant of grace. God never expected that the people would be able to obey all His laws perfectly. That’s why He established the sacrificial system that would look forward to the final sacrifice, namely Christ. 

In God’s kindness, He gave them His requirements and provided a sacrificial system as a means of making atonement for their sin. 

But in giving His Law ONLY to Israel,  God had not forgotten His promise to Abraham that ALL the earth would be blessed through him. 

God was careful to remind Moses that His promises were intended for ALL the nations of the earth. 

“So the Lord said…’but indeed as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord.'” Numbers 14:20-21

When God spoke those words, He had in mind the time when His earthly rule would extend beyond the borders of Israel. When this occurred, all the nations of the earth would have access to His righteous decrees — so that they could all partake of His blessings. 

Israel Inherits the Land — Sort of

Eventually, Israel takes possession of the land of Canaan — after much hardship, toil, sin, faithfulness, and unfaithfulness. Joshua records that not one of the good promises of God was left unfulfilled. Joshua 21:45

However, Israel never received her full inheritance in the land of Canaan due to her unfaithfulness. God had promised that if she was unfaithful, that she could not inherit (nor stay in) the land. The land promised to Abraham was for the faithful. And God had already warned Israel of this condition for inheriting the land.

“If you are not careful to observe all the words of this law which are written in this book…It shall come about that as the Lord delighted over you to prosper you, and multiply you, so the Lord will delight over you to make you perish and destroy you; and you will be torn from the land where you are entering to possess it.” Deuteronomy 28:58,63

Proverbs 2:21-22 says it like this:

“For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it; But the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the treacherous will be uprooted from it.”

God had agreed to give the land to the Israelites because the previous nations were wicked (Deuteronomy 9:5) — not because they were righteous. If the Israelites also acted wickedly, God said He would take the land promised to Abraham away from them. 

I will address what seems to be a contradiction to the the unconditional nature of the land promised to Abraham shortly.

The Rulers In the Land of Canaan

Rather than obeying everything that God commanded when they entered the promised land, every man did what was right in his own eyes. In faithfulness, God brought tyrannical nations to rule over the Israelites. And when they would repent, God would raise up a judge to deliver them. Then they asked for a king to rule over them like the other nations. 

First, God gives them Saul — a king just like the nations. He acts wickedly, so God anoints a different king — a man after His own heart to rule the people, King David.

Eventually, the kingdom of Israel splits in two, and both kingdoms get kicked out of the land and are taken into captivity. God restores the southern kingdom — Judah, from her captivity, preserving the line of the Deliverer. The Promised One would be a descendant of King David.

Preparing for Captivity

There are times of glory and faithfulness in Israel’s history, but in the end, wickedness rules in the heart of the people. 

Throughout all this, God has not forgotten His promises to Abraham.

Several years before Judah was taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar, Habakkuk warned Judah to turn from her sin. At that time, Habakkuk prophesied about the future.

“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” Habakkuk 2:14

Despite Israel’s faithlessness, God’s name would be exalted throughout the whole earth.

Habakuk was looking forward to the Promised One, the Deliverer — when all the nations of the earth would be blessed in Abraham’s seed.

However, because God is faithful to His word, He had to kick “His” people out of their land — even the land promised to Abraham. 

A Problem with the Land Promised to Abraham

I mentioned earlier that God’s promises to Abraham were unconditional. Namely — that his descendants would inherit (all) the land as an everlasting possession.

How could God be faithful to two seemingly contradictory promises? 

1. To give them the land as an everlasting possession
2. To kick them out of the land if they were unfaithful

The answer to this question is located in the New Testament. So hold on to it — and we shall get there. But now, we’re surveying the history of the Old Testament. 

Prophecies About the Deliverer

There were hundreds of prophecies concerning the Deliverer in the Old Testament. Each revealed a little more about His lineage, what His names would be, where He would be born, how He would die, and more. 

One such prophecy is found in Isaiah 9:6-7:

“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace on the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.”

There are some important elements in these verses that are often overlooked. I know I overlooked them for years. 

1. The government will rest on the Child’s shoulders
2. There will be no end to the increase of His governance of or peace
3. His rule would be over David’s kingdom
4. The rule would be established with justice and righteousness
5. The ever increasing rule would begin at the birth of this Child
6. God’s zeal would accomplish it (unconditional)

God was going to cause something wonderful to happen in the world when the Deliverer was born: He was going to begin to fulfill the promise to Abraham that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through this Child — whom we know as Christ. And that’s exactly what happened when Christ came. But there was more.

The Promise Fulfilled and Expanded

God kept His promise to Abraham — His promise to bless all the nations of the earth through his seed by bringing salvation to the Gentiles. 

• • It was Christ and His co-heirs who would be faithful to inherit the land promised to Abraham’s descendants.
  • The kingdom would only increase in size from the time of Christ’s birth and onward — according to the Scriptures. 

Plus, the land promised to Abraham was not limited to the land of Israel: the inheritance was extended to the entire world, the Cosmos — which would naturally include Canaan. And it would come in the exact same way: through faithfulness to God (or God’s faithfulness).

We can see this when we observe history. The gospel was first preached by Jesus, the disciples, and the 120. Soon 1,000s were being saved. Eventually, Christianity spread over the globe — and it will continue to spread — if the Bible is true. And the gates of Hell will not stop it — no matter how the enemy plots.

New Testament Teaching of the Land Promised to Abraham

When Jesus, the Deliverer, came into the world, He taught that the gentle (or meek) would inherit the earth — or land (Matthew 5:5). We know that the ruling class in Israel was not gentle. They were evil at the core — seeking to kill, steal, and destroy. They were in league with the enemy. Surely Jesus wasn’t going to let them have the land promised to Abraham — they were unfaithful.  

In the book of Romans, Paul clears up any misconception we might have about who will inherit the land of Canaan — and how far the promise extends, insisting that God has in view the whole world — or Cosmos. 

Romans 4:13: “For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world (cosmos) was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith.”

The promise was never intended for the physical descendants of Abraham — but the spiritual descendants. Those who are putting their faith in the Deliverer. 

Who Is Abraham’s Seed?

In Galatians, Paul unequivocally identifies who the seed of Abraham is.

Galatians 3:16: “Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as referring to many, but rather to one, ‘And to your seed,’ that is, Christ.”

The promises that God made to Abraham had their entire fulfillment in Christ. He is the one who will inherit the land — and He is the only one who will ever deserve it. But, we participate with Him in His inheritance as co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17) when we are faithful to the Great Commission. 

Who Inherits the Promises?

The Bible tells us that Christians, themselves, are part of Christ’s inheritance.

Ephesians 1:18: “I pray…that you will know…what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.”

Ephesians is not sharing anything new, no mystery. For the Old Testament has been telling us this very thing all along. 

Psalm 2:7-8 pictures God scoffing at the unbelieving nations, foretelling of the coming Promised One, saying, “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.”

Again, we see the timing of the inheritance: beginning at Christ’s incarnation. “Today I have begotten You.” Additionally, we see the extent again: to the very ends of the earth. 

Daniel Enters the Argument

The book of Daniel, beloved by eschatological “scholars,” reveals the timing of the kingdom — as well as its expanse.

Daniel 2:44: “But in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.”

The time marker when God would set up this new kingdom is in “the days of those kings” — specifically in the days of the Roman Empire — the very time Christ entered our time and space. 

Daniel 7:13-14 gets more specific about this kingdom, including more details. 

“I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.”

People from every tongue, tribe, and nation will serve Christ — and that kingdom will never be destroyed.

Matthew’s Message of the Kingdom

Is it any surprise when Jesus began His earthly ministry the first words out of His mouth were: “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”?

And then shortly before His ascension, Jesus told His disciples:

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them…and teaching them to observe all I have commanded. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

This is Christ commissioning His church to go get His inheritance: the whole world. And teach them what it means to be a follower of God: obey everything He commands. 

What Exactly Does Jesus command?

In Matthew 5:17-19, Jesus tells His followers that He did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill them. And He warns that those who disregard the smallest portion of the Law (and teach others to do likewise) would be considered least in the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus warns that keeping His commandments are not optional.

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” John 14:15

Christ commissions believers to teach the nations (His inheritance) to serve and love Him by teaching them to observe everything He commanded.

Matthew 28:18-20: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

What Do Other Biblical Writers Say about The Law? 

If we ignore the Law of God, we ignore God Himself and the Scriptures. Consider these verses:

• • Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law. Romans 3:31
  • The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 1 John 1:2
  • Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. Revelations 14:12

The New Testament records that Christ:

1. 1. Fulfilled the Law perfectly and became our sacrifice so that we would no longer need to sacrifice animals to be forgiven (not so we could ignore the Law)
   2. Sent the Holy Spirit so we could have the power to keep the Law
   3. Gave a greater understanding of the Law because the rulers of Israel had perverted it

If the perseverance of the saints is to keep the commandments of God — and those who disregard the least of the commandments will be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven — we’d better be very careful not to dismiss the tiniest jot or tittle.

Psalms 19:7-11:

The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul;

The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;

The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;

The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether.

They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;

Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.

Moreover, by them Your servant is warned;

In keeping them there is great reward.

The Bible’s One Message

To sum up my argument, the Bible is very clear that Israel did not thwart God’s plan. The God of the universe didn’t have to change His course because the rulers of Israel rejected their Messiah. There is one cohesive message from Genesis to Revelations that leads up to the foundation of the Church. Christ and His co-heirs (faithful believers) inherit the land promised to Abraham: which is the world. 

His plan from before the beginning of time was to establish His kingdom on earth in a tangible, visible way (the church). 

You will see this taught all throughout the Scripture if you begin to look for it.

I will leave you with a benediction:

“…Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood — and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father — to Him be the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Feel free to leave your comments below. You don’t have to agree: but you do have to show brotherly kindness (or I will delete your comment).

 

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Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Copyright:

© 2017 Mischelle Sandowich
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