I was going to write a single blog post of the topic of Zionism and America, but the task is just too darn long, so I am opting to break it into smaller pieces. Each part will stand on its own. I don’t know how consistent that I will be working on this, but right now I feel like getting it started.
My purpose in writing this is to prove that most of what Evangelical Christians claim as future prophecy was fulfilled long ago and thus their worldview is hopelessly broken. Perhaps a few will be honest enough to look at the source material and believe it once their presuppositions have been shown to be faulty.
First up is the issue of God’s promises to Abraham. Lest you think this is just a theoretical exercise, check out this article.
[Mike] Huckabee also defended the historical and theological claim that present day Israel is the Israel of the Bible, as have GOP U.S. Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Huckabee said the Bible would justify Israel’s seizing territory in the Middle East from the Euphrates River in Iraq to the Nile in Egypt.
Huckabee Defends Pollard Meeting, Says God Promised Israel the Entire Middle East
As he did during his testy exchange with Cruz, Carlson pressed Huckabee on the meaning of Genesis 15:18: “To thy seed will I give this land, from the river of Egypt even to the great river Euphrates.”
That would include the “entire Middle East,” including Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, Carlson said. In other words, whole countries.
“It would be a big piece of land,” Huckabee agreed:
“But here’s the point. … This particular area that we’re talking about now, Israel, is a land that God gave through Abraham to a people that he chose. It was a people, a place, and a purpose. We can look at it that way.”
Carlson insisted that Huckabee explain what “land” he meant. “Does Israel have the right to that land? Because you’re appealing to Genesis, you’re saying that’s the original deed?” Carlson asked.
Huckabee: “It would be fine if they took it all.”
- What are the promises that God made to Abram?
- Were these promises fulfilled?
- Is the modern nation of Israel biblically relevant?
God’s first promise to Abram is when Abram was called by the Lord.
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Genesis 12:1–3.
I plan to have more to say on portions of this passage in a later post. In Genesis 15, God makes a covenant with Abram. Later God changes his name to Abraham.
Here is the first promise, Abram’s seed (descendants) will be as numerous as the stars.
And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Genesis 15:4–6.
The next promise that God gave Abram was a land grant. The caveat was that the land could not be inherited for four hundred years. This is a prophecy of the captivity in Egypt.
And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.
Genesis 15:13–16.
Later, the land grant is given more specifically.
In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:
Genesis 15:18.
So, God in Genesis chapters 12 to 15 made Abraham three promises, That he would have many offspring, that the nations of the earth would be blessed, and that a parcel of land would be given.
When God late announces that Abram will be the father of Isaac, he changes his name to Abraham and his wife then becomes Sarah.
As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
Genesis 17:4–8.
Nations Blessed
Per the New Testament, the ultimate fulfillment of the world being blessed by the seed of Abraham was found in Jesus Christ.
Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. Galatians 3:16.
Land Promise
Later, the land promise is affirmed to Josua.
Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
Joshua 1:3–4.
Joshua, at the end of his life gives a different description of the Promised Land.
And ye have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the LORD your God is he that hath fought for you. Behold, I have divided unto you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even unto the great sea westward. And the LORD your God, he shall expel them from before you, and drive them from out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as the LORD your God hath promised unto you.
Joshua 23:3–5.
When Joshua died, Israel controlled both sides of the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. That seems a far cry from the Euphrates.
Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
Joshua 24:14.
However, what is the “other side of the flood”? Oh, wow! It’s the Euphrates River. So the promise was fulfilled just as God had promises Abraham.
But wait, there’s more.
David smote also Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his border at the river Euphrates.
2 Samuel 8:3.
King David recovered his border at the Euphrates River.
For he [Solomon] had dominion over all the region on this side the river, from Tiphsah even to Azzah, over all the kings on this side the river: and he had peace on all sides round about him.
1 Kings 4:24.
Solomon ruled it too. So, Israel conquered the land to the Euphrates and held it for many years.
And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. And the LORD gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.
Joshua 21:43–45.
Offspring as the Stars
Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it.
Nehemiah 9:23.
Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the LORD thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.
Deuteronomy 10:22.
Conclusion
God fulfilled all the promises made to Abraham.
Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.
1 Kings 8:56.
The Old Covenant is over and decisively so in 70 A.D; God divorced Israel, the Great Harlot, Babylon where Christ was crucified. Beginning at Pentecost, God took a new people from Israel, starting with a remnant. Later Gentiles were grafted into the cultivated olive tree (Israel). A new assembly (ecclesia) of New Testament believers arose during the last days of Israel. This is the new bride of Christ, the Church. Thus, the Church is the true Israel, the offspring of Abraham and Jacob.
Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
Romans 9:6–8.
Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
Galatians 3:7–9.
And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Galatians 3:29.
Maintaining the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was contingent of obedience of God’s Covenant. Moses and Joshua both knew that eventually Israel would disobey and be taken to foreign lands as punishment. A remnant would eventually return, and they were. In the final days, Israel chose Caesar over Christ. “We have no king but Caesar” and then “His blood be upon us and our children.” Jesus told them that their house would be left to them desolate and not one stone would be left upon another but by then their fate was sealed.
Huckabee, Cruz, Graham, and the rest of the disciples of Scofield are wrong but given a choice between their presuppositions and the actual text of the Bible, they can only see Scofield’s Notes. Their willful ignorance results in a fatal case of paralysis for the progress of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.