The Promised Land Debate: Why Palestine Doesn't Fit the Claim

-

In Abraham and Jacob’s time, in the Old Testament, the Promised Land refers to the physical land which is Canaan. This land was said to be inhabited by seven nations, and these are Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. That was the Promised Land of Yahweh to Abraham and to the Israelites back then. 

Canaan Map 1

Canaan Map 2

In the modern times, the land that once was Canaan now encompasses Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. 

Modern-day Israel


Does that makes them all the Promised Land? Of course not. It is clearly written in the New Testament that the Promised Land has changed into the New Jerusalem which is spiritual. 

One thing that many people failed to recognize is that the Canaan was a large region that included not only the Canaanites but also other groups like the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, Jebusites and Girgashites, as mentioned in the Bible.

Whenever people hear the word "Canaan", they always think that it only pertains to that specific land where Canaanites lives, but the mere truth is, the land was a vast region that included many different groups, not just the Canaanites.

When we talk about Canaan in biblical times, we are referring to the land occupied by 7 nations.

For instance, many people think that the Promised Land was Palestine since Canaanites once lived in areas that now include Jerusalem, Jericho, Shechem (modern Nablus), Bethel (near modern Ramallah) and Hebron which are located in the West Bank, a territory that is currently part of Palestine.

As I have said, Canaanites is not solely the Promised Land. The Promised Land is the Canaan region that covers the 7 nations. However, the Canaanites were among the first to be attacked when the Israelites entered the Promised Land. This was because they occupied central and strategic areas that needed to be conquered first for Israel to establish control over the land.

The first major battle recorded in the Book of Joshua was against Jericho, a heavily fortified Canaanite city (Joshua 6). After the miraculous collapse of Jericho's walls, the Israelites moved on to Ai (Joshua 7-8), another key Canaanite stronghold. These early victories gave Israel a foothold in the land, allowing them to launch further attack against other Canaanite cities.


References:

1. https://www.britannica.com/place/Israel

2. https://geography.bible-history.com/products/land-of-canaan-color-map-hi-res-download-1-year-license/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hell’s Exit Door: Does It Even Exist?

-
Image
According to movies, yes. According to other churches, yes. Well, transferring from Paradise to hell, or vice versa, is unbiblical. The Bible tells us that when a person dies, he is going to face the initial judgment. (Heb9:27) It's either he will go to Paradise or hell. That would be their temporary home while waiting for the final judgment. Can You Ever Leave Hell Once You're There Jesus tells us in Luke 16:26 about the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus where the rich man is asking Abraham for some relief in hell. Then Abraham responded: "And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. " The keyword here is: "b etween us and you there is a great gulf fixed". Meaning, there is no way for you to leave wherever you are. You don't need to feel sorry about them because on their own free will, they choose to be in hell in t...
Read more

Christmas Day Misconception: Why Jesus Wasn’t Born on December 25

-
Image
There is no historical and biblical proof that December 25 is Yeshua’s birthday. The first three centuries Christians never celebrated Yeshua’s birthday. They are more focus on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. They do celebrate Easter, but not the death or birthday of Yeshua.  I often see contemporary Christians cite Tertullian of Carthage, Hippolytus of Rome, and Liber Pontificalis as references on why Jesus birthday was December 25. However, it seems like they intentionally ignore Clement of Alexandria who never mention the date December 25 as Jesus birth in his writings, and Origen of Alexandria who solemnly rejects the idea of "birthdays" as they viewed it tied to "pagan worship" in their time. Because some writings were disregarded, vulnerable Christians just blindly accept December 25, failing to recognize that all 1st-3rd century Christians did was "speculate", "calculate", and "debate" Jesus' birthday. They actually never ...
Read more

The Truth Behind Speaking in Strange Tongues

-
Many believers misunderstand the concept of speaking in tongues. Today, many Christians assume that speaking in “strange tongues” simply means rapidly moving the tongue in an unusual way. However, according to the Bible, speaking in tongues is a supernatural ability to speak in a language that the speaker has never learned. When the believers of Lord Jesus received the Holy Spirit in Pentecost, the Holy Spirit empowered them to speak in strange tongues. In Acts 2:4–12, it is written: And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, ...
Read more