Is Modern-Day Israel Really the “Promised Land” According to the Bible?
In a previous article that I published last week, I wrote about how the Book of Hebrews in the New Testament section of the Bible is a book written specifically to the Hebrew people living during the First Century when Jesus walked the earth, and that it was the best book to define the New Covenant, which has now replaced the Old Covenant. Hebrews shows how Jesus Christ has now become the High Priest, replacing the Old Covenant Levitical priesthood and the temple worship from the Old Covenant. In this article, I want to look at chapter 11 in Hebrews, which clearly explains how the "Promised Land" is no longer a place on earth called "Israel", and in fact never really was. Many Zionist Christians today believe that when modern-day Israel became a nation again after WWII in 1948, that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But it was most certainly not a fulfillment of any prophecy in the New Testament portion of the Bible, and in fact it was an act of war and genocide against the people who already lived there. In most Christian groups the 11th chapter of Hebrews is known as the "Faith Chapter", as many heroes of The Faith are referenced in this chapter. And while it is certainly a chapter that defines and illustrates "faith," in its context within the book of Hebrews, it is much more than just that. This chapter in Hebrews clearly explains that the "Promised Land" never was about the physical land of Israel, but about the ultimate fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham, which are spiritual, available to everyone through Jesus Christ, regardless of ethnicity or religion, and that our final resting place in the "Promised Land" is our permanent home in Heaven.