SEVEN POINTS TO UNDERSTANDING ISRAEL, CONT.

5. Land Inheritance Under the Three Covenants, Continued

- Transference of Land Inheritance Rights between the Two Israels

As with the two covenants (Old and New), so the key point of contrast between the land inheritance rights of the two Israels is eternality. Israel under Moses held a perishable title to the Promised Land while Eternal Israel under Christ holds a permanent title.

But it’s not just a matter of contrast. It’s a matter of transfer. There is only one Promised Land and one title to it. And just as the New Covenant rendered the Mosaic Covenant obsolete, so occurred a transfer of title between the two Israels under their respective covenants.

Once Eternal Israel was birthed at Calvary, the land title held by the natural heirs of Abraham officially passed to his Eternal heirs. The following outlines the proof of why and how a transfer of title had to occur between these seeds. Because this section directly impacts the current land debate, it will be a very controversial part of this presentation.

· Loss of Title Under Moses / Custodial Stewardship Under the Gentiles

As seen already, Israel’s Mosaic inheritance was temporal and conditional. In this, their title to the Promised Land really acted more as a “trust.” As a conditional inheritance, it could be lost—first in this life, then ultimately in the after life.

In this life, Israel could lose right to the Land through failing the Mosaic covenant, which they did—more than once. A first exile to Assyria and Babylon occurred over the period from BC 722–582, remaining in force for southern Israel until about BC 538. A second scattering occurred in 70 AD followed by a third in 135 AD, remaining in force until the years 1917-1948.

Though Israel’s ejection from the Land was foretold, the Mosaic covenant held out a promise of return based on repentance (more on this in point 6). A repentance did occur after the first exile to Babylon as seen with Daniel, leading to a first partial return of Jews to the Land.

But by the time of this return, other forces were in place that would prevent Israel from again holding title to the Land as a fully constituted natural people. First, northern Israel was genetically mingled into the bloodstream of the surrounding Gentiles. Second, the Times of the Gentiles were instituted.

o Northern Israel’s Loss of Identity

There are two ways to lose an inherited land title. One is to have it taken away by force. But if the title is tied to conditions of family lineage, one can also become ineligible to hold it by marrying “out of the family.” (This still happens among monarchies today.)

The Abrahamic land title was to be conveyed to a specific lineage. Its validity was predicated on preservation of the purity of that lineage. If the bloodline became corrupted, a cloud could be put on the title, putting it into dispute and the legal limbo known as “Land Court,” creating an effective loss of title.

To preserve their racial purity, Israel was commanded to not intermarry (Ex. 34:15-16; Dt. 7:3; Ez. 9:12). If they did intermarry, they would lose the unique identity by which they could retain Abraham’s right of claim to the Land through Isaac and Jacob. Nevertheless, this situation befell the larger part of the nation as a result of the Assyrian deportation of BC 721.

Prior to the Assyrian captivity, northern Israel’s heritage began corrupting through idolatrous intermarriages. The Land itself was then compromised through a series of foreign invasions. This compromise was so pronounced that the Galilee region became called “Galilee of the Gentiles” (Isa. 9:1). This weakening situation opened the door to a decisive Assyrian invasion which saw northern Israel removed from their land altogether.

The Assyrians had a practice of “population replacement”—ie, the replacing of people of one land with that of another. This was to prevent conquered peoples from regrouping on their homeland to rebel. The practice not only made it impossible for nations to return to their homelands, but assured the dilution of their lineage through intermarriage with remnants of the lands where they were sent.

As soon as northern Israel was deported, Assyria repatriated foreign peoples into the Promised Land, giving rise to a people known as Samaritans. The Samaritans were a mixed race who adopted a corrupt version of Judaism left over from Jereboam. They remained in the Land through the time of Jesus and are still present as a tiny community in modern Israel. They were and remain despised by and despisers of Jews from the south.

The resettlement of foreigners into northern Israel assured that Israel could never return to the Land as a cohesive nation of 12 tribes. It also assured the northern tribes’ dilution of heritage, making future generations ineligible to claim a clean land title even if some of them found a way to return. Thus the majority of Israel incurred an effective irreversible “genetic” loss of natural title. (To this hour the Samaritan issue ¹³ remains a thorn of irresolvable dispute preventing a “pure bred” Israel from regaining a clear title to the Promised Land.)

o The Times of the Gentiles

Eventually, the Jews (the southern kingdom of Judah) were also deported (BC 605 – 586). Unlike the north, they were preserved as a cohesive body within Babylon. After 70 years, God led Daniel to offer a vicarious repentance that fulfilled the Mosaic condition for return. So God released the people under agency of Cyrus the Mede to return to Judea (BC 538).

But though they could now return, the Jews couldn’t regain sovereign title to the Land. This is because, at the time of their original captivity, God set up a new period of world government called the “Times of the Gentiles.” This order was revealed to Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in a dream explained by Daniel. The thrust of it was that world dominion—including the Promised Land—was to be given over to a series of Gentile empires.

Under the Times of the Gentiles, what remained of Israel’s land title was put in abeyance. It became like a “trust deed” in which various Gentile governments became the trustee.¹⁴ So, even though God allowed the Jews to return, their return was granted, processed and supervised by Gentile powers. At no time did they receive back their sovereign title.

From their first return in BC 538, the Jews remained under watch of Persia, then Greece and then Rome, with no more than a custodial status in the Land. Moreover, their welfare and ability to stay in the Land remained conditioned on an attitude of subservience to the ruling empires. If they rebelled, they could be suppressed and even driven out again.

It was into these very times that Messiah came to offer Himself and the kingdom of God to Israel. But what He offered and what they wanted were different. Since their return from Babylon, the Jews’ quest was to directly regain sovereignty and full title to the Land in the flesh. They expected the Messiah to do this for them, taking the title “out of Gentile trust” and restore it to their control. They expected Messiah to re-enact the conquests made under Joshua and David.

Instead, Messiah offered an entirely different kingdom—one “from above.” He in effect taught that Israel’s title to the Land could be regained only by entrance through the doors of the heavenly kingdom. This was the entire thrust of His Sermon on the Mount, and in particular His statement that “the meek shall inherit the earth.” (It’s also why He refused to accept the earthly kingdom when it was offered to Him, first by satan, then by the people [Mt. 4:8-11; Jn. 6:15].)

But the Jews didn’t want the kingdom from above. They wanted to continue the rebellion against Rome. Because Jesus would not affirm this goal and took no direct action to end the Times of the Gentiles, they rejected Him, leading to his crucifixion. This in turn led to their own destruction and exile again by Rome—one that lasted until 1917.

Referencing the period of Gentile dominion, Jesus said that Jerusalem (hence the Promised Land) would remain “trampled under foot” (government) of the Gentiles until the era of Gentile domination was completed (Lk. 21:24). His words together with Daniel’s visions and John’s Revelation specifically indicate that the end of the Gentile government era occurs only by the physical descent of Messiah in glory with the saints from heaven.

Because Messiah has not returned in glory, it means the entire earth, including the Promised Land is still governed under the Times of the Gentiles. It also means that natural Israel is still without effective title, even though they have been allowed to return once again. Based on what Jesus said, any re-grant of title to Israel remains entirely dependent on Messiah’s return—assuming a re-grant is possible. But in fact, it is not. And here is why….

· Messiah’s Transfer of Title to Eternal Israel

Northern Israel’s lost identity and earth’s remaining subjection to Gentile powers have prevented the natural seed from regaining their lost land title. But in course of these, another factor appears that has rendered natural Israel’s loss of title permanent. It is that, upon natural Israel’s rejection of Messiah, God actually transferred the title from natural Israel to the Eternal Seed of Israel.

Had the land title merely been lost to natural Israel, the hope was it might eventually be somehow restored to them again (as Moses promised). The Jews always looked for this since their first exile and still do. To this day they still fight for the right of title, both within (over who qualifies as a blood Jew with heirship rights to the Land) and without (against their external enemies).

But in their rejection of Messiah and His kingdom from above, natural Israel in fact rejected their one and only route for obtaining the very thing they sought from Messiah. They rejected their own title and right of inheritance. And their own rejection of it made it irrevocable. As a result of the rejection, the Father Himself took the title held in trust under the Gentiles and Personally transferred it into reserve for Eternal Israel at Messiah’s return.

The transference of title out of natural Israel’s name was first predicted by God through Jeremiah (6:12; 8:10) who prophesied, “I will give their wives to others, their fields to new owners.” (The KJV says “their fields to them that shall inherit them.”) But the transfer was fully declared by Yeshua Himself in the parable of the vineyard keepers.

Mt. 21:33 "… There was a landowner who planted a vineyard and put a wall around it and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and rented it out to vine-growers and went on a journey. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his slaves to the vine-growers to receive his produce. 35 The vine-growers took his slaves and beat one, and killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Again he sent another group of slaves larger than the first; and they did the same thing to them. 37 But afterward he sent his son to them, saying, `They will respect my son.' 38 But when the vine-growers saw the son, they said among themselves, `This is the heir; come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.' 39 They took him, and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 Therefore when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?" 41 They said to Him, "He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons." 42 Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures, `The stone which the builders rejected, this became the chief corner stone; this came about from the LORD, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? 43 "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it.”

Remembering that the kingdom of God and the Land of God on earth are one, the Lord is saying that the land title itself will be taken away from natural Israel. Notice that the title is not transferred to another “generation,” as if to a later generation of natural Israel. It is transferred to an altogether different “people” or “nation.” This is not a fleshly nation, but a presently spiritual one. For only a spiritual nation can bring forth the “fruit” of God’s kingdom. That nation is Eternal Israel.

o Title Transfer and the Adoption of Sons

Gal 4:1 Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father. 3 So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world. 4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, 5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.

Rom. 8:17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. 19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the [sons] of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.

These New Covenant passages prophetically relate directly to the transference of Land title from natural to Eternal Israel. Paul is stating that heirship of God’s kingdom (hence of His Land) is only possible through Christ to those who receive the “adoption (ie, placement) of sons.” He identifies that adoption as the change to (transnational) immortality, at which time the whole earth is released from its labor under corruption.¹⁵

Those who yet live under the Law are “under guardians and managers.” This precisely describes fleshly Israel’s subjection to the Gentile powers under the Times of the Gentiles. As a “child” under the Law, natural Israel differs nothing from a slave. A slave does not hold ownership title, only a custodial stewardship.

But Christ’s redemption of all people from under the Law puts those in Christ into the place of sonship and true title possession of the earth—including the Promised Land—to be conferred on their revelation in Glory. Title to the Promised Land is now held in heaven awaiting Eternal Israel’s glorification at which time the Promised Land itself will be delivered from its bondage to corruption. This becomes clear if we substitute the words “Promised Land” in for the word “creation” in the Romans 8 passage:¹⁶

17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. 19 For the anxious longing of the Promised Land waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 21 that the Promised Land itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the [sons] of God. 22 For we know that the whole Promised Land groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.

NEXT – PART 9: SUMMARY OF THE LAND INHERITANCE ISSUE

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