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Posted on May 20, 2023 by Mike LeDuke Next article:The Promises and Prophecy Fulfilled

Someday, God will fulfill those promises that have been passed on from generation to generation. Abraham was promised the land, and one day he will receive it. But when?

All of the promises find their fulfillment in the Lord Jesus. He was, in addition to Israel, the beginning of a great nation that would come from Abraham (Genesis 12:2). He was the blessing that would come on the earth through Abraham (12:3). And, he is also the way that Abraham will receive the land.

As established in the last post, Abraham is coming back. Just as Christ was resurrected, so all of the faithful throughout all the ages will be raised again and this resurrection will take place when Christ himself returns:

“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

Finally, at that point, all of the faithful will be ready to inherit the land together. In order to fulfill His promise, God will break the bonds of death and will give life again to those who waited on that promise.

But, what does any of this mean for us? We probably aren’t related to Abraham. How do we somehow connect ourselves to those promises, so that we too can take part in that resurrection? Paul addressed this when he wrote to gentile converts in Galatia:

“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ…And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:27, 29).

Baptism isn’t just getting wet. It’s a symbolic act whereby one joins themselves to Jesus. They become part of him because they have put him on. And thus, just as Jesus is Abraham’s offspring and the fulfillment of the promises, so those who are baptized into Christ are heirs of the promises. They are descendants of Abraham.

Now, this connection to the promises isn’t unbreakable. Bring a descendant of Abraham means that one acts in a specific way––they can’t simply choose to act however they want. The Lord Jesus explained this in the Gospel of John:

“If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did” (John 8:39).

Abraham is remembered for his faith (Genesis 15:6). Those who are his descendants must learn to live in faith as he did. We can’t just get baptized and then live our lives as we used to do. We’re part of a new family, and we’re expected to show a family resemblance.

Thus, the promise of the land is one that can be personal.

But, what does that even mean? Why is the land such an exciting prospect? What good is a small piece of land in the Middle East? We’ll consider those questions in the next post.