Genesis 13v14-15 and Galatians 3 The Promise to Abraham and his Seed

[TrevorL]

After Lot was separated from Abraham, God made the following promise to him:
Genesis 13:14-15 (KJV): 14 And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: 15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever."

Paul takes up the promises to Abraham to explain that these promises are to be fulfilled in Christ and those that believe the things concentred in Christ, believing the things concerning his death and resurrection and also the things relating to the the future kingdom as revealed in these promises:
Galatians 3:6-9, 16, 26-29 (KJV): "6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. 8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. 9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise."
Note that Paul alludes directly to Genesis 13:14-15 in Galatians 3:16, showing that the land promise is still future.

These promises necessitate that the believers will experience a bodily resurrection to inherit the Kingdom of God upon the earth when Christ returns to reign upon the throne of David from Jerusalem.
Luke 1:32-33 (KJV): "32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end."
Matthew 19:28 (KJV): "And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."
Acts 3:19-21 (KJV): "19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began."

Kind regards
Trevor

 

[billwald]

In other words, the blessings and curses made to Abraham and the rest have been transferred to the Church and there is no special blessing in being a Jew and the dirt in Jerusalem is just plain dirt and not "holy" land.

 

[TrevorL]

Greetings billwald,

In other words, the blessings and curses made to Abraham and the rest have been transferred to the Church and there is no special blessing in being a Jew and the dirt in Jerusalem is just plain dirt and not "holy" land.

I see the need to qualify or answer most of what you state here. Firstly "the blessings and curses made to Abraham and the rest" seems to combine the Mosaic covenant, which had blessings and cursings, with the Abrahamic covenant which had blessings. The Mosaic covenant has been superseded, but the Abrahamic covenant has been confirmed in the death and resurrection of Christ. Refer Galatians 3 and the following:
Romans 4:13-16 (KJV): "13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: 15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. 16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,"
Romans 15:4,8 (KJV): "4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:"

The promises made to Abraham apply to all who have faith in these promises from the time of Abraham, until the present and the future.
These promises are also simply an expansion of the promise to Eve in the garden, and the faithful of all ages will inherit the promises to Abraham, including Abel.
Hebrews 11:39-40 (KJV): "39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect."

There has been a blessing in being a Jew in the past as Paul states in Romans 3:1-2. There is also potentially a blessing in being a Jew in the future, because at the return of Christ he will convert the descendants of Jacob, and the nation of Israel will become the first dominion of the kingdom of God:
Romans 11:25-26 (KJV): "25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:"
Micah 4:6-8 (KJV): "6 In that day, saith the LORD, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted; 7 And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever. 8 And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem."

You may believe that "the dirt in Jerusalem is just plain dirt and not "holy" land", but when Jesus returns the land will be sanctified and cleansed, and the inhabitants themselves will also be holy.
Zechariah 14:20-21 (KJV): "20 In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD’S house shall be like the bowls before the altar. 21 Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts."

Kind regards
Trevor