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Theology of the Patriarchal Era · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to Reformed Thinking. We take your sources, articles,
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research complex theological texts, and jump right into a
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deep dive extracting the essential knowledge you need to
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be truly well informed. Today we are undertaking a
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really substantial examination of what you could call the very
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backbone of biblical theology, the Abrahamic covenant.
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And this is not just some historical agreement, it's
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really the legal and spiritual framework that governs God's
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entire redemptive interaction with humanity after the Fall.
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Our mission today is pretty clear.
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We want to gain a structured, really comprehensive
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understanding of the three core promises made to Abraham.
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We'll also analyze the critical reasons why this covenant is
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considered absolutely unconditional.
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And maybe most importantly, we want to grasp the biblical
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anticipation of its literal future realization, you know,
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through the ultimate arrival of the Messiah's Kingdom rule.
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We have some incredibly detailed material here defining the
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dimensions and the certainty of this divine pledge.
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That's a great way to put it. This covenant is in many ways
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the organizing principle for the rest of Scripture, and to
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understand its scope, we really have to start by framing it
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within what theologians called progressive revelation.
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And that just refers to the way God, you know, steadily reveals
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his plan and his character throughout history.
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Right, it's not all given at once.
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Not at all. Prior to Abraham, God dealt with
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humanity in a much more general way.
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We saw these universal consequences of sin, like the
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expulsion from Eden, the global judgement of the flood, and the
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confusion at Babel. God was reacting to the sin of
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mankind as a whole. And the covenant with Abraham is
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that decisive pivot point. It's where God seems to change
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His strategy from a generalized interaction with all mankind to
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working through one specific man.
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One man and the nation that would descend from him.
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Exactly precisely this calling out of Abraham establishes a
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special people, Israel, who then become the specific vehicle for
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God's redemptive plan. The overall design, as our
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sources really highlight, is that through Abraham's
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descendants, God intends to restore and bless the nations of
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the earth. So it brings a story of
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redemption from this huge global problem down to a really focused
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national solution. A national solution, but one
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with global implications. That's the key.
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The focus shifts. It moves from the inability of
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man to uphold a standard which we see tragically from Adam
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onward, to the sovereign ability of God to fulfill a promise he
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makes on his own. And this, this really set the
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stage for everything that follows the law, the prophets,
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and of course, the. Messiah OK, let's unpack this
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monumental blueprint of blessing, right?
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Let's start with the first promise, which is I think
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arguably the easiest to grasp because it's so physical and
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tangible, The land. Land.
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God didn't just issue some vague spiritual decree to Abraham, he
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called him out of Ur of the Chaldees to a specific
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geographical location that God promised to give him.
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Genesis 12.1 is the initial command.
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Go forth from your country to the land which I will show you.
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And that promise isn't just about moving house.
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It's a legal deed established by divine Fiat.
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The initial promise made there in Genesis 12 is then reiterated
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and confirmed repeatedly. Our sources really emphasize
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Genesis 13 verses 14 to 18. Abraham is standing near Bethel
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and God tells him to look north-south, east and West.
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And he says what? He says All the land which you
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see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever.
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What's fascinating about this particular reiteration is the
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confirmation method that's cited in our source material.
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It's called the shoe covenant. A shoe covenant?
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What is that? Well, after God tells Abraham
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the land is his, he instructs him, arise, walk about in the
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land through its length and breadth, for I will give it to
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you. This instruction to walk the
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land was a kind of legal and cultural confirmation of
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ownership. That detail is so powerful
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because it grounds the promise immediately in physical reality.
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In that ancient Near Eastern culture, walking the boundaries
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of a territory or a city was a way of claiming legal
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possession. It's like putting down a
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physical marker of ownership. And it immediately counters any
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argument that the land promise was only ever meant to be, you
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know, figurative. Or spiritualized into a concept
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like the Kingdom of God. Exactly.
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It was a tactile claim. And that tactile claim is then
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followed up with extremely specific geographical
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boundaries. And these boundaries, they
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remove all ambiguity. The sources correctly highlight
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the dimensions that are given in Genesis 15 verses 18 to 21,
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which detailed the physical borders of the promised.
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Land and these are not vague. Not at all.
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These boundaries run from the river of Egypt, which is the
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Wadi al Irish, not the Nile, as far as the great river, the
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River Euphrates. Wow.
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This encompasses a territory that is far larger than the
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nation of Israel has ever fully occupied historically, even
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under David and Solomon. So the sheer specificity, naming
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those two great rivers as the boundaries, it sort of precludes
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any suggestion that this ultimate fulfillment is
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spiritual or merely heavenly. It has to be an earthly,
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geographical and national grant of real estate.
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And it's interesting how this initial land grant forms the
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kind of theological core for later agreements related to that
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geography. Absolutely.
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The land aspect of the Abrahamic Covenant is expanded later in
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Scripture. It happens through a secondary
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agreement known as the Palestinian Covenant, which you
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find in Deuteronomy 30. And it's vital to see this not
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as a totally separate covenant, right?
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That's right. It's an elaboration on the terms
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of how the grant of land, which is unconditional, will be
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experienced by the nation, and that experience is conditional.
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OK. So the grant is unconditional,
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but living there the 10 year is conditional.
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Exactly. Deuteronomy 30 outlines the
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whole process, Israel's disobedience, their dispersion
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from the land, their eventual repentance in the Diaspora, and
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then their subsequent restoration to the land.
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This makes it crystal clear that the ultimate possession of the
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land will only be realized after a national restoration and
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conversion, but the promise to possess it remains guaranteed by
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the unconditional Abrahamic covenant.
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That helps clarify attention that I think a lot of listeners
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might feel. If the land promise is
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unconditional, why did Israel keep getting kicked out?
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Right. The unconditional grand
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guarantees the eventual possession, but the conditional
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tenure dictates how they live there.
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That's a crucial distinction. OK, so let's move to the second
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romise. This one addresses legacy,
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lineage, and the formation of a people.
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If the covenant starts with a geographical stage, it continues
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with the actors. The second feature is the
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promise of descendants, and it's laid out very simply in Genesis
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12.2. I will make you a great nation.
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And we have to remember the context here.
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Genesis 12.4 records that Abraham was 75 years old, and
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critically, he was childless. He had no heir to inherit the
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land he was just promised. Which seems like a pretty big
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problem. A huge problem.
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This contextual detail immediately establishes that the
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fulfillment of the second promise, just like the first,
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relies entirely on divine intervention.
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It's a statement of faith that runs contrary to all biological
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norms and, you know, human ability.
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Abraham and Sarah were effectively a dead end.
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They were God had to supernaturally open the future
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lineage. And the amplification of this
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promise over time really shows its ultimate scope.
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It starts with the birth of Isaac, but it quickly expands
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way beyond a single son. Exactly.
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The promise is amplified significantly in Genesis 17.6.
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There God promises Abraham not only a great nation, but
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specifies that nations and kings shall come from you.
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Nations and kings. So this is where the scope
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broadens dramatically. It does.
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This isn't just about the 12 tribes of Israel anymore.
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It's about a dynasty that includes international influence
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and most importantly, royal lineage.
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And this expansion is it's theological foreshadowing, isn't
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it? It is the promise of kings
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descending from Abraham is the necessary precondition for the
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Davidic covenant. If Abraham had never been
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promised kings, the later promise to David that one of his
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descendants would sit on an eternal throne, well, it would
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have no foundation. Let's connect those dots for the
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listener. The Davidic Covenant, which is
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detailed in Tekken Samuel 7, anticipates the establishment of
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the Davidic throne. So how does the Abrahamic
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promise of a royal line directly enabled David's kingship?
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Well, the Abrahamic covenant establishes the right of the
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people descended from Abraham to have a perpetual national
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existence in kingship. OK, the general right to have
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kings. The general right then, the
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Davidic covenant, selects a specific family within that
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nation, the line of David, and guarantees that the Messiah, who
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will fulfill the entire Abrahamic covenant, will come
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specifically through that royal seed.
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So it's an amplification that narrows the focus from a general
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promise of kings from Abraham to a specific eternal throne from
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David. You've got it.
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Therefore, the lineage promise it.
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It eventuates in the ultimate expression of rulership.
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The Messiah's Kingdom rule over the Hebrew people.
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It sets the Christological purpose of the nation itself.
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Israel is the people through whom the King of Kings will be
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born. So we have a land and we have
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the line to rule it. The third feature then shifts
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the focus from national existence and territory to its
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global function, the promise of blessing and redemption.
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Genesis 12.3 promises a double blessing.
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First, God promises to bless Abraham directly.
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I will bless you and make your name great.
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And 2nd, that through him and his lineage, all the families of
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the earth will be blessed. This moves the covenant out of
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the realm of mere tribal history and elevates it to a universal
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redemptive plan. This third aspect focuses
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acutely on the spiritual implications.
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While the 1st 2 promises are inherently physical land and
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population, this one concerns what our sources call Israel's
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spiritual blessing and redemption.
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Which in turn impacts the entire world.
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The entire world. This promise implies that
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salvation will somehow flow through this one particular
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people. And this mechanism is amplified
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and linked specifically to the New Covenant.
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We look at Jeremiah 31 verses 31 to 34, which is the foundational
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Old Testament passage for the New Covenant, and it's parallel
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in Hebrews 8. It's important we pause here.
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And really, I explain the relationship between the
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Abrahamic promise and the New Covenant because I think
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listeners often see the New Covenant as something totally
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separate. That's a common
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misunderstanding. But the New covenant is better
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understood as the means by which the spiritual promises of the
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Abrahamic covenant are actually executed.
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That's right. The New Covenant is the
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fulfillment vehicle for the spiritual blessing promised to
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Abraham. It extends the benefits promised
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initially to Israel outward to the world.
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And Jeremiah says this new covenant will be made with the
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House of Israel and the House of Judah.
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It is fundamentally designed for the restoration of Israel.
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And the specific nature of this spiritual restoration is laid
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bare in Jeremiah 31.34, isn't it?
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It is, it promises that the people will all know God and He
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will forgive their iniquity and their sin.
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I will remember no more. This specifically anticipates
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the forgiveness of sin being an intrinsic, necessary part of
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this covenant blessing. So the spiritual blessing
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promised way back in Genesis 12.3 is not just a generalized
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sense of God's favor. It's salvation itself, secured
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through the forgiveness of sin and channeled through Abraham's
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ultimate descendant, the Messiah.
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This ties the Abrahamic promise directly to the core gospel
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message of reconciliation with God.
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Now we get to the core of why this covenant matters so much,
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the whole theological picture. It's the characteristic that
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gives the Abrahamic covenant its staying power and distinguishes
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it from, you know, subsequent agreements like the conditional
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Mosaic law. That characteristic is its
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unconditional nature. If these promises are so
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enormous, land, kings, global blessing, what's the guarantee?
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The guarantee is divine sovereignty, and it is the
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single most defining characteristic of this
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agreement. We can see the evidence right in
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the syntax God uses when he's speaking to Abraham.
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The covenant is structured as a unilateral oath.
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Unilateral meaning 1 sided. One sided look at the recurrent
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language used. The phrase I will spoken by God
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is repeated again and again. I will make you a great nation.
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I will bless you. I will make your name great.
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I will give this land to your descendants.
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This isn't a suggestion. It's not a proposal for a mutual
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agreement. Not at all.
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When God says I will, He is declaring an action dependent
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only upon his own character and His own absolute declaration.
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It's a sovereign oath that places the fulfillment mechanism
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entirely outside of human performance.
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It removes Abraham and his descendants from the equation of
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success. Precisely.
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It contrasts so sharply with conditional agreements like the
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Mosaic Law given on Mount Sinai. The law was the if you obey,
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then I will bless you agreement. It required strict performance
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for immediate prosperity and tenure in the land.
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And the law, by definition, was designed to show Israel's
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inability to meet God's standard.
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Right. And therefore its blessings were
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constantly interrupted by human failure.
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The Abrahamic covenant, however, operates on a different plane.
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It's fulfillment rests solely on God's faithfulness, not human
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merit. And this structure is critical
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from a Reformed perspective because it highlights that
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salvation and God's plan rests entirely on grace and divine
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election, not on works. What's also fascinating is the
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dramatic visual confirmation of this unconditional declaration.
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In Genesis 15, God has Abraham prepare the animals, cut them in
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two, and lay the pieces out the traditional way to formalize a
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conditional covenant. Yes, in a normal conditional
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covenant, both parties would walk between the pieces and that
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signified that if either broke the oath, they would suffer the
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fate of those animals. But that's not what happens
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here. No.
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In Genesis 15, Abraham falls asleep.
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God alone, represented by the smoking oven and the flaming
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torch, passes between the pieces.
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That moment is well, it's just so profound.
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By walking between the pieces alone, God was essentially
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saying I am taking full responsibility for the
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fulfillment of all these terms. Right.
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If this covenant fails, may I alone suffer the consequences?
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It's the clearest possible demonstration of a unilateral,
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unconditional promise. And that structure of divine
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certainty is then confirmed historically across the
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patriarchal history, even amidst monumental human failure.
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That's a vital observation. The external evidence for the
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unconditional nature of this covenant lies in its
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reaffirmation across 3 generations.
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God confirmed the covenant not just to Abraham, but later to
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his son Isaac, and then to Isaac's son Jacob.
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OK, let's look at that. We see the confirmation to Isaac
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cited in Genesis 21 and again in Genesis 26.
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God says, I will be with you and bless you, and I will multiply
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your descendants as the stars of heaven, and I will give your
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descendants all these lands. And then to Jacob.
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And then to Jacob, the same promises are reaffirmed at
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Bethel in Genesis 28. God says your descendants will
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also be like the dust of the earth.
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Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and
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will bring you back to this land.
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The critical observation here, and this is something we really
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can't spend enough time on, is that God reaffirmed these
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promises amid the sins of the patriarchs.
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Yes, consider the severe weaknesses they displayed.
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Abraham lied to Pharaoh and Abimelech about his wife Sarah,
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fearing for his life. And Isaac did the exact same
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thing. He repeated that same faithless
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deception with Abimelech and Jacob.
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Well, Jacob was an outright deceiver who stole his brother's
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birthright and his blessing. These are not minor failings.
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These were moments where their faith faltered under pressure,
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threatening the very lineage through which the covenant was
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supposed to flow. And if the Covenant had even a
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slight condition of merit attached to the Patriarchs
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personal holiness, it should have been nullified immediately.
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But it wasn't. Yet God did not revoke, pause,
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or even threaten to diminish the covenant promises.
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In fact, following each instance of deception or weakness, God
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reiterates the promise. And that shows that the
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covenants guarantee rests entirely on His sovereign
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election and faithfulness, not on the moral conduct of
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Abraham's immediate errors. The promise had to be fulfilled
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regardless of their conduct. This is a major insight for the
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listener. The covenant is not a measure of
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Abraham's descendants. Goodness.
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It is a measure of God's absolute certainty that
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separation between the grant and the individual performance is
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essential for understanding biblical eschatology, the study
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of future things, because it means that the promises made to
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Israel must be fulfilled literally, even if Israel in
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their National History has consistently failed to meet the
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standards of the law. So since this covenant is
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unconditional and guarantee specific physical promises land
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a nation blessing, it demands fulfillment, and the sources are
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emphatic. God's method of fulfilling this
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is and always has been literal. That is the essential premise.
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The covenant is not a spiritual metaphor.
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To argue that it is a metaphor is to misunderstand the history
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of its partial realization. Our sources outline clearly how
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God has already begun to fulfill the covenant in history, and
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that confirms that the initial mechanism of fulfillment is
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literal, not figurative. So where do we see that partial
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fulfillment? We can trace this in three
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distinct areas. First, God blessed Abraham with
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physical descendants. It started with Isaac and led to
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the eventual establishment of the 12 tribes of Israel.
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Genesis shows the rapid multiplication of this people
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which eventually grew into a great nation realizing that
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Genesis 12.2 promise. Second, God fulfilled the
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promise of land possession, at least in part.
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In part, yes. While Abraham never owned the
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entire region to find in Genesis 15, he physically lived in and
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possessed parts of the land. His descendants eventually
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conquered the land under Joshua, and they possessed their most
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expansive borders under the reigns of David and Solomon.
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So that demonstrated the land promise was real earthly
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geography. It did.
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And 3rd God bless Abraham spiritually, demonstrating a
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real saving relationship and divine favor.
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Passages in Genesis show Abraham walking with God, responding in
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faith, building altars. This spiritual dimension, while
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incomplete without the New Covenant, was initiated
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literally in Abraham's lifetime. These historical facts
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established the literal expectation for the covenant's
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completion. But those partial historical
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realities, while they confirm the literal mechanism, they
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don't exhaust the promises. As you mentioned, even at the
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height of David and Solomon's power, they never occupied the
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full territorial claim. That's right, not all the way to
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the Euphrates, so. The main element of the
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Abrahamic covenant requires a future massive event, the full
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realization of the Kingdom under the Messiah.
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That's the critical transition. The sources maintain that this
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future fulfillment must be viewed as a literal restoration
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tied directly to the nation of Israel.
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This requires a national earthly realization, not a generalized
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spiritual one that erases Israel's national or
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geographical identity. The initial promises of explicit
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land boundaries and a great nation.
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They still stand. They demand the literal outcome.
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They do. So if we accept the literal
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method of fulfillment, we need to look at what the prophets say
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about the future restoration. What specific elements must
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still occur? To understand the future
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fulfillment, we need to focus on three specific elements that
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Scripture points toward, and they're all connected to that
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future restoration, which is often termed the Millennium or
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the Kingdom Age. OK, what's the?
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First one, the first element is the future land possession.
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Israel as a nation will finally possess the land according to
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the full dimensions originally given to Abraham.
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And this isn't just a political return.
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It's a divine, orchestrated event.
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The Old Testament passages look forward constantly to this day.
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It's not just a footnote in prophecy, it's a central theme.
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It really is. The source specifically points
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to the prophet Ezekiel. He provides the most detailed
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vision of this future day. Ezekiel envisions a a
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comprehensive restoration for Israel to the land, citing
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extensive passages. We really should elaborate on
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Ezekiel 37 because that prophecy is so often misunderstood.
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Contains the vision of the Valley of Dry Bones, and This is
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why the sources insist on a literal fulfillment.
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The dry bones vision is powerful because it addresses both the
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physical and the spiritual state of Israel.
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God asked the prophet Son of Man, can these bones live?
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And the bones represent the whole House of Israel.
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Scattered, dead and without hope.
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Exactly. The prophecy describes A2 stage
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resurrection. First, the physical bones coming
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together, and 2nd, the spirit entering them.
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The sources interpret this as demanding A literal physical
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gathering of the Jewish people from the nations of the earth
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back to the geographical Promised Land, followed by a
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spiritual regeneration. Which explicitly counters any
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view that says well the land promise was fulfilled by the
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church or the bones just mean spiritual revival.
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It does because the prophecy itself says I will put my spirit
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within you and you will come to life and I will place you on
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your own land. That vision demands an
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undeniable physical reality. Dry bones, the scattered nation
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coming together and being placed back into the land with God's
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Spirit poured upon them. But as you said, the restoration
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isn't just physical. No.
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The second element addresses the spiritual state of the people,
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national conversion and forgiveness.
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The Abrahamic spiritual blessing is not realized until the nation
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of Israel as a collective entity is converted, forgiven and
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restored. And the New Testament confirms
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this is still in the future. It does.
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The source cites Romans 11.2527. Paul addresses the mystery
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concerning Israel there, saying that a partial hardening has
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happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has
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come in, and so all Israel will be saved.
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That phrase, All Israel will be saved, is a direct New Testament
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confirmation that the spiritual element of the Abrahamic
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Covenant, that new covenant designed for Israel and Judah,
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is not complete until this future national conversion
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occurs. Yes, it emphasizes the
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continuing corporate identity of Israel in God's plan, which is
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central to Reformed covenant theology.
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God's promises to the elect nation must be kept.
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And this conversion is tied directly to repentance.
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It is. The third element is repentance
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and forgiveness for the nation, which must occur prior to the
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Messiah's earthly reign. The spiritual blessing cannot
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happen until Israel collectively turns to the Messiah they
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previously rejected. And the source points to a
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specific prophecy for this, right?
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Yes, Zechariah 12, verses 10 to 14.
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It describes this spiritual awakening in powerful visceral
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detail. The prophet states, Speaking of
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a future day in Jerusalem, that they will look upon me whom they
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have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for
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an only son. A.
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Definitive reference to the Messiah who was pierced on the
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cross. That moment is painted as a
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national tragedy and repentance, almost like mourning the loss of
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a first born. It's a collective national
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sorrow leading to spiritual cleansing.
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Absolutely, and Zechariah 13.1 then follows up on this
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repentance. In that day a fountain will be
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open for the House of David and for the inhabitants of
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Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity.
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The repentance of Zechariah 12 leads directly to the
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forgiveness promised under the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31.
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So it's the specific event that unlocks the spiritual blessing
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for the nation. These three elements, the
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physical land, the collective conversion, and the national
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repentance, must converge for the Abrahamic Covenant to reach
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its fruition. They must.
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It shows that the plan is comprehensive.
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It touches on geography, politics and the inner spiritual
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life of the people. And this brings us to the climax
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of the Covenant, the point toward which all these promises
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are aimed. Yes, the Abrahamic covenant
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finds its ultimate completion in connection with the return of
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Messiah. And his return will not just be
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a spiritual event or quiet transformation of hearts.
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It will be a triumphant historical and physical rescue
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and blessing of His people, Israel.
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He will establish the long-awaited throne of David and
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institute the Kingdom Age. And the timing is set by
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Israel's conversion. When all Israel is saved, as
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Paul says in Romans 11, the king will return.
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This is the mechanism by which the unconditional promises, the
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perpetual line, the massive land grant, are finally realized in
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full, literal detail. And we have to reiterate the
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global outcome connecting this final Acts back to Genesis 12.3.
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It is through the nation Israel, specifically the restored and
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converted nation under the Messiah, that God promised to
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bless the nations of the world. Israel remains the channel.
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The world receives its greatest blessing, peace, justice, the
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knowledge of God during the time of Israel's promised exaltation.
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And that ultimate blessing issues in two coordinated
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results. First, the forgiveness of sins
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is fully realized for Israel and the world, confirming the
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provision of Jeremiah 31. And 2nd, the establishment of
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Messiah's glorious Kingdom reign on earth ensures that the
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physical dimensions of the covenant, the land borders, and
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the throne are finally established exactly as God
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decreed to Abraham thousands of years prior.
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It creates a perfectly enclosed loop.
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It does. The sovereign promise of Genesis
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12 is realized through the sovereign work of the Messiah,
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proving that God's declaration is the ultimate certainty in
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history. So, to synthesize what we've
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discussed, the Abrahamic covenant is not just a
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historical relic. It is the mechanism through
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which God chose to resolve the dilemma of sin, moving from
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generalized judgment to a specific redemptive plan.
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By calling out a special people, Israel, God guaranteed the
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lineage, the location, and the ultimate spiritual provision
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necessary to secure salvation for all.
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And this covenant guarantees that history is moving toward a
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defined literal destination. And Israel's role is absolutely
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central. They are the people who receive
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the covenants, the law, and the promises.
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It is through these people that the Messiah comes to establish
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His Kingdom and provide the forgiveness of sins, fulfilling
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that specific provision in Jeremiah 31.34.
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The covenant is the divine framework guaranteeing the
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eventual physical reign of the Messiah on earth.
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Now think about the detail we covered.
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Reflect on the explicit dimensions of the land from
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Genesis 15, running from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates.
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Consider the definite prophecies of national restoration in
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Ezekiel 37, the scattered people being physically brought back to
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that specific geography. And the national repentance
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described in Zechariah 12. Yes, these are massive, detailed
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physical, political, and spiritual promises that have yet
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to be realized in full. So, given that God confirmed
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this massive unconditional promise through three entire
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generations of patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
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upholding the covenant even amidst their greatest failures,
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their weaknesses, and their sins, what does this tell you
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about the certainty of all biblical promises that are yet
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to be fulfilled? If God guaranteed the framework
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despite human imperfection in the past, how absolute must the
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coming Kingdom rule be when the promises are finally fulfilled
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through the perfection of the Messiah Himself?
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That's a powerful thought. That certainty of God's Word,
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guaranteed by His sovereign oath is something substantial for you
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to consider as you reflect on the scope of divine faithfulness
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and the absolute reality of the coming Kingdom.
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A powerful thought to conclude this deep dive.
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Thank you for joining us for this deep dive into reformed
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thinking. We encourage you to continue
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studying this subject.