There is much division of thought today among religious people regarding the promises God made to Abram recorded in Genesis 12:1-3. Some quite prominent "evangelists" of today apparently believe that God yet favors the fleshly descendants of Abram through Isaac and Jacob, and these are a special people to God. They have led many people in our country to believe that unless the current-day nation of Israel is given much money and special favors, God will punish America or any other nation who refuses to recognize and aid these people. It would be difficult to find a doctrine that is farther away from Bible truth than this, even though there are many false doctrines taught today. The truth on this subject is not difficult to recognize or understand IF one will consider what the Bible teaches and divide it aright. The reader is only asked to consider what is said and study the scriptures referred to. Of course, a prejudiced person will not do so. But, one who is open minded and has the desire to learn the truth should have little difficulty in learning what the Bible teaches on the subject under discussion as to how and when these promises were fulfilled.

"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 show 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 the families of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 12:1-3).

There are several promises made in these passages of scripture. It is our purpose to examine each of them, show what was involved in the promise, and then refer to the scripture which shows the fulfillment of the promise.

1. "And I will make of thee a great nation." This promise was not fulfilled in the lifetime of Abram. But there can be no doubt that it was fulfilled. Abram, in his old age (100 years) became the father of Isaac. He had other sons, one before Isaac, named Ishmael, by Sarah's handmaid, Hagar. After Sarah's death, Abram married Keturah, who bore him six sons (Gen. 25:1-2). The descendants of these sons are the Arab nations of today.

However, God selected Isaac as the son through whom the promise would be fulfilled. Isaac took Rebecca as his wife. She bore twin sons to him who were named Esau and Jacob. Of these two, God selected Jacob as the son through whom the promise would be fulfilled. Jacob went to his mother's family in Padanaram (Genesis 28:1-2), where he took two women to be his wives and their handmaids as concubines. These four women bore Jacob 12 sons and one daughter. They dwelt in the land of Hebron (Genesis 35:27). Years passed, and a famine arose in that land. As the result of this, the family moved to the land of Egypt, where they were graciously received and given a portion of the land in which to dwell. More time passed and these people multiplied. They became a threat to the Egyptians, who made slaves of them. However, God heard their cry and arranged for them to be delivered from that slavery and returned to the land that had been promised to their forefather, Abram. Each of the sons of Jacob became the "head of a tribe", which became the nation of Israel. Before his death, Jacob blessed each one of them and prophesied regarding their future. This prophecy related to their descendants, not the sons as such. See Genesis 49.

God then raised up Moses, and made him the deliverer of Israel from their Egyptian bondage. He led them almost all the way to the land that God had promised so many years before to Abram. After Moses' death, Joshua was selected by God to lead the people. Under his leadership, they came into and took possession of all the land that had been promised. "And the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give 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 aught of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass" (Joshua 21:43-45). Thus was the promise of God to Abram to make him a great nation fulfilled. Joshua said it had ALL been fulfilled. Abram's descendants possessed the land that God had promised. Nothing more was or is necessary. ALL was fulfilled.

2. In view of what was done, who can deny that Abram was blessed and his name was and is great? He is yet referred to as the "Father of the Faithful by many of his descendants. The apostle Paul referred to the New Testament church as the Israel of God. (Gal. 6:16).

"I will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curse thee". Surely anyone can see that God blessed these Israelite people, Abram's descendants, in that he made them a nation of people, brought them out of slavery in Egypt, gave them the land promised to Abram, protected them from their enemies, and made the land to prosper or be productive for them. He also gave these people a system of law through Moses which they accepted and promised to obey. See Exodus 19:3-8. Also, it is stated in Duet. 5 that this law was given ONLY to Israel, that is, the descendants of Abram, through Isaac and Jacob. This system of law was never given to Gentiles, it applied only to Israel.

In Deut. 7, these people were told how God would bless them, how he would punish their enemies, and deliver them from those who would oppress them. Anyone can see set forth here the fulfillment of the promises God made to Abram. However, these promised blessings were conditional; Israel was required to obey the law which God gave them and which they accepted. In Deut. 8:19-20, we find revealed the result of their refusal to obey. They were plainly told that IF they forgot God and turned from him to idolatry, they would perish as did the nations which God destroyed before them. Those nations were completely destroyed. None of them exist today, nor does the Israel to whom God made the promises exist today. Israel, completely rejected by God, was destroyed as a nation by the armies of Rome in 70 AD. Jesus had told them "Behold your house is left unto you desolate (empty or void) (Matt. 23:38). There are many other scriptures to which we could refer, but if these are rejected others would be also.

There is yet another promise God made to Abram which we have not discussed. It is found in Genesis 12:3: "... And in thee shall the families of the earth be blessed." This promise, as well as the other, does not refer to Abraham directly, but rather to his descendants. This is not to be understood the same as when God said, "I will make of thee a great nation." This means that his descendants would become a great nation. This promise does not refer to a nation, but rather to one of his descendants, Jesus Christ.

In the genealogy of Christ by Matthew, he is said to be a descendant of Abram. In Luke 3:23-38, Luke also makes the same relationship.

But how were all the families of the earth blessed by Christ? Not all answers are in agreement. Some believe one thing, some believe another, but our interest is in what the Bible teaches about it. We shall examine the scriptures. "For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). At the baptism of Christ by John, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending upon him like a dove, and lighting upon him: and lo a voice from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased" (Matt 3:16-17). That Jesus Christ was a descendant of Abram, and at the same time the son of God, is not to be denied.

Nor can it be denied that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. He said: "For I came down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of Him that sent me, that everyone that seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:38-40).

Later, Paul the Apostle wrote, "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief" (1 Timothy 1:15). We have now found the Bible teaching that Jesus Christ after the flesh was a son of Abram, but that He was also the Son of God. He was sent into the world to save sinners, and that it was God's love for man which caused Him to do so.

But perhaps the question is asked, "Who are sinners?" Paul answers. "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). John defines sin: "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth the law, for sin is transgression of the law" (1 John 3:4). Since sin separates man from God, there had to be a sacrifice made which could take away or remove the guilt of sin. No mere man could do so. But God made Christ the sacrifice for sin.

He came as a human being, yet divine. He lived as a man, yet did no sin. "He was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15). The writer of the Hebrew letter, tells us exactly why He came. "Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in all things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people" (Heb. 2:17).

So Jesus Christ, a descendant of Abram after the flesh, but at the same time the Son of God, allowed himself to be offered up as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind. This occurred when he was condemned to death by Pontius Pilate, and taken immediately to be crucified. John wrote: "And He (Christ) is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also, for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2).

We should now begin to understand how the promise of God to Abram was fulfilled. It occurred when Christ died on the cross. His life, his blood, was poured out as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind. The writer of Hebrews tells us why this was necessary. "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood: and without the shedding of blood is no remission" (Heb. 9:22). So the promise of God to Abram to bless all nations through him was fulfilled with the death of Christ. This is God's plan, His purpose, to make it possible for all sinners to be reconciled to himself.

However, not all people believe this. Those who believe that God is going to restore fleshly Israel to the land he promised Abram, also believe that the promise He made to Abram to bless all mankind, is yet future or yet to be fulfilled. These people believe that Christ will return to earth and eventually rule it for one thousand years. They believe that he will not be a king until that time. Since all mankind will then be in subjection to Christ, this will fulfill the promise. This idea does not take into consideration all who have lived before that time. It concerns only those who live during that period, the thousand years. The whole idea is contrary to what the New Testament teaches. Actually, there is not a single passage in all the New Testament that teaches that Christ will ever come to earth again. After the resurrection, the redeemed of all the earth will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air; and "So shall they ever be with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:14-17).

While he lived on earth, Jesus taught that His kingdom was not of this world, but is spiritual in nature. "Neither shall they say lo here! or lo there! for, behold the kingdom of God is within you." Christ rules in the hearts of those who will allow him to do so. Truly all nations are blessed, because Christ came to save all who will accept and obey him.

Anyone familiar with Old Testament history knows Israel did not remain faithful to God, that they did not obey His law. Their disobedience began at the mount where Moses received the law. While he was on the mount (forty days) many of the people who awaited his return began to worship an idol, a calf, made of gold from the jewelry of some of the people. This idolatrous worship continued through the time of the judges, the period of the united kingdom, and became more popular during the period of the divided kingdom. Jeroboam, the first king of the northern nation, set up a system of idolatrous worship that continued to be practiced until the nation was overthrown and the people were carried away into a foreign land into captivity.

Idolatry was almost as widespread in the southern kingdom, Judah, until finally, they too, were overthrown and carried away into captivity in Babylon (those who were not slain). This was the end of Israel as a nation. It is true that the descendants of both nations were released seventy years after Judah fell, and those who so desired were permitted to return to Jerusalem. They rebuilt the temple, the city, and its walls. They reestablished worship according to the law. But they never again had a king nor were they known as a nation. The blessings promised by God ceased, for they refused to obey the law they had received. God was no longer bound by the promises He made for Israel as a nation. The country called Israel today is NOT the nation to whom God made the promise. And surely anyone can see these people today do NOT obey the law that God gave to Israel. No man can prove by the Bible or otherwise that God has anything for Israel today that He does not offer to all man kind through the New Testament.

When Israel returned to the promised land under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah, the promise God made to restore the land to Israel was fulfilled. They dwelt in the land, but were under subjection to other nations. There began a period of 400 years of silence, during which God did not speak to Israel in any way. This period of time came to an end with the appearance of John the baptizer, the fore-runner of Christ.

John, as coming before Christ, did not reveal a law to Israel. He cam to prepare the people to receive Christ. John's preaching was in the wilderness, but many people went to hear him. He also taught them to repent and believe what he said. He baptized those who did so for the remission of sins. This was "new" to Israel, for baptism had not been previously taught. But John was preparing a people in Israel to receive Christ. Perhaps we should notice here a difference in John's preaching and baptism and that of the apostles whom Jesus sent with the "Gospel". John taught the people to believe and repent. This can be easily understood IF on will consider the circumstances. John preached to the Jews, who were already in a covenant relationship with God, as they were born into that relationship they did not need to believe. But the apostles taught men to believe. They were no longer under that law of Moses. It was taken out of the way, "Nailed to the cross of Christ" (Col. 2:14). One must believe that Christ is the Son of God, which leads to repentance. Without faith in Christ, there is no motive for repentance. If you wonder what this has to do with God's promise to Abram, it relates to his being a blessing to all mankind. Christ, a descendant of Abram after the flesh, has made provision for forgiveness of sins for all who believe and obey Him. They who do so and continue faithfully in this life, will inherit eternal life - will be redeemed. It might be an encouragement to one today to realize that in eternity the redeemed of our time will be with those who have been redeemed through the ages. Among them will be Abram, Isaac, and Jacob.

Jesus, rebuking the Jews, foretold this. Hear Him: "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. And they shall come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and shall sit down in the Kingdom of God" (Luke 13:28-29). This refers to the final judgment, when the separation between the righteous and unrighteous shall be made. This judgment involves all mankind; all people who have lived or who will yet live on earth. We who live today will be among that number. If we stand with the redeemed, we shall recognize that the promise God made to Abram is involved in our salvation. Those redeemed will be eternally blessed in the "Kingdom prepared for them form the foundation of the world" (Matt. 25:34). The writer of the Hebrew letter (4:3) also speaks of it: "For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said. As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world." Only those who believe and obey shall enter that rest. Unbelievers will not: "For unto us was the gospel preached as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it" (Heb. 4:2).

Do you believe the gospel the apostles preached??? Is it mixed with faith in your heart???