Mark Tabata’s Weekday Devotionals:
Monday March 9 2026
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Psalm 37:9-For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth.
One of the controversies that is playing a huge part in our country’s policies currently deals with the subject of the land of Israel. Many believe and teach that the Jewish people are still the chosen people of God, and that they were given perpetual ownership of the land of Israel by Him. Therefore, those who hold to Zionism maintain that the Jewish people have a direct claim on the land of Canaan.
As an example, consider this recent conversation between Tucker Carlson and Mike Huckabee:
“Carlson – who recently made disputed claims that he was detained at Tel Aviv airport in Israel – asked Huckabee about a biblical verse in which God promises Abraham that his descendants will receive land “from the wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates – the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites”.
Carlson pointed out that this area in modern geography would include “like, basically the entire Middle East”.
“The Levant … Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon – it’d also be big parts of Saudi Arabia and Iraq,” Carlson said.
Huckabee said: “I’m not sure it would go that far, but it would be a big piece of land.”
He continued: “Israel is a land that God gave, through Abraham, to a people that he chose. It was a people, a place and a purpose.”
Pressed by Carlson on whether Israel has the right to that land, Huckabee responded: “It would be fine if they took it all.” (Edward Helmore, US envoy Mike Huckabee says it would be ‘fine’ if Israel took all Middle East land, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/20/mike-huckabee-israel-middle-east-tucker-carlson)
Of course, this has been a teaching of our Zionist friends for years.
“The first expansion of the Land promise came after Abram left Haran and arrived in the Land of Canaan. Genesis 12: 7 tells us that the Lord appeared to Abram in Canaan and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” The context shows that Abram understood the Lord to be referring to the Land of Canaan. The promise was clearly not just for Abram but for his descendants. God further developed the Land promise just after Lot, Abram’s nephew, separated from Abram. At this time the Lord said to Abram: “Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever” (Genesis 13: 14-15). Again the promise emphasizes that God gave the Land to Abram and his descendants. The new element introduced is one of time—it is given forever. Much debate has occurred over this word. Generally its duration is determined by context. Unless otherwise indicated, it clearly refers to the duration of human history and can include eternity. Genesis 15 provides the record of the actual covenant and describes the boundaries of the Land more precisely: “On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, ‘To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates’ ” (Genesis 15: 18). God promised not only to make Abram the father of a nation but also to provide a homeland for that nation. A nation cannot be a nation without a homeland of its own. Apart from its homeland a people lose their ethnic and national identity. Amazingly, Israel maintained a national identity even after 1800 years of separation from their national homeland. Deuteronomy 30: 1-10 expands this element of the Abrahamic covenant into the Land of Israel covenant (also called the Palestinian covenant). This passage teaches that all the Land promises that God has made to Israel will be fulfilled “when all of these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse… and you return to the LORD your God” (Deuteronomy 30: 1-2). God will fulfill this promise for national Israel after the Tribulation in conjunction with the Messiah’s return and the millennial kingdom.” (Ed Hindson, Mark Hitchcock, Tim LaHaye, The Harvest Handbook of Bible Prophecy: A Comprehensive Survey from the World’s Foremost Experts, 17-18 (Kindle Edition): Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers)
So, what should we make of all this?
Let’s study.
First, it is absolutely the case that God promised the land of Israel to Abraham and his descendants.
Genesis 15:18-21-On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates—. 19 the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”
Genesis 17:8-Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
Genesis 26:4-And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed;
God outlined the area in Canaan that He promised to give to Abraham and his descendants, and He further states that it would be theirs “forever” as an “everlasting” possession. Many believe that these words used to describe the land promise insinuate that the Jews would be forever granted that land of Canaan unconditionally.
However, these words in the Old and New Testaments often refer to something which would continue until a certain goal had been achieved, and then cease.
For example:
“The truth is quite different. The Greek and Hebrew words, sometimes translated “everlasting” or “forever,” only mean a period of time until a certain thing is ended….Olam is the Old Testament equivalent to aion in the New Testament. Here are some examples: Exodus 12: 24—The Passover was to be kept “forever [olam].” But it ended at Calvary (Heb 9: 24-26). 1 Chronicles 23: 13—Aaron and his sons were to offer incense “forever [olam],” and have an “everlasting folami priesthood” (Ex 40: 15). But that priesthood ended at the cross (Heb 7: 11-14). Exodus 21: 1-6—A servant who desired to stay with his master must serve him “forever [olam].” Must he serve him through all eternity, after both reach heaven? Jonah 2: 6—Later describing his experience in the whale, Jonah said, “the earth with her bars was about me forever [olam].” Yet this “forever” was only “three days and three nights” long (Jonah 1: 17). 2 Kings 5: 27—Because Gehazi lied in order to enrich himself, Elisha said, “The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed forever [olam].” Was Gehazi’s family to never end, and that leprosy to be perpetuated for all time to come? 3. The Old Testament word, olam, and the New Testament word, aion, are equivalent terms. We know this to be true for two reasons: (1) The Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, always translates olam by aion. (2) Whenever an Old Testament passage containing olam is quoted in the New Testament, aion is used (Heb 1: 8; 5: 6; 6: 20; 7: 17, 21; 13: 20; 1 Peter 1: 25; 2 Peter 1: 11). Both words clearly have a very limited time value and do not mean an eternal time length.” (Vance Ferrell, Defending God, 1582-1623 (Kindle Edition): Altamont, TN: Harvesttime Books)
Second, God COMPLETELY fulfilled these land promises to the Jewish people long before our modern era.
Joshua 21:43-45-So the LORD gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it. 44 The LORD gave them rest all around, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. 45 Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.
Joshua 23:14-Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed.
Nehemiah 9:7-8-You are the LORD God, Who chose Abram, And brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans, And gave him the name Abraham; 8 You found his heart faithful before You, And made a covenant with him To give the land of the Canaanites, The Hittites, the Amorites, The Perizzites, the Jebusites, And the Girgashites—To give it to his descendants. You have performed Your words, For You are righteous.
1 Kings 8:56-Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses.
God has fulfilled every one of His land promises to Israel.
Third, while God unconditionally promised to deliver the land to the Jewish people, their continual ownership of that land was completely dependent upon their faithfulness to Him.
Deuteronomy 28:63-64-And it shall be, that just as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good and multiply you, so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you and bring you to nothing; and you shall be plucked from off the land which you go to possess. 64 “Then the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have known—wood and stone.
Joshua 23:15-16-Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all the good things have come upon you which the LORD your God promised you, so the LORD will bring upon you all harmful things, until He has destroyed you from this good land which the LORD your God has given you. 16 When you have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed down to them, then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land which He has given you.”
1 Kings 9:6-7-But if you or your sons at all turn from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, 7 then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them; and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight. Israel will be a proverb and a byword among all peoples.
My friends, the Jewish people have no claim to the land of Palestine from God! He fulfilled those promises, and then they rejected the Lord time after time, forfeiting those blessings. They finally even crucified the Son of God, and were rejected as being His chosen people.
Matthew 21:33-44-Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. 34 Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. 35 And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. 37 Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?” 41 They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED HAS BECOME THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE. THIS WAS THE LORD’S DOING, AND IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES’ ? 43 “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. 44 And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”
Finally, the New Testament teaches us that the land promises that God made to Abraham and his descendants were a foreshadowing of Heaven itself. Look at how Paul expands the Old Testament land promises from the earthly land of Canaan to “the world” (Heaven). He also expands those promises from those who were the physical descendants of Abraham to those who are the spiritual descendants of Abraham (i.e., Christians)!
Romans 4:13-For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
Hebrews 11:13-16-These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
The land promises that God gave to Abraham for the physical land in Palestine were a foreshadowing of His promise to His people of inheriting the heavenly land. Indeed, the Old Testament made this clear in numerous ways, and the Jewish people understood such. For example, after the Jewish people received the land of Canaan, there are still references in the Old Testament to God’s people somehow and someday “inheriting the land” or “inheriting the Earth” or “the land.” Why would the Prophets write of God’s people “inheriting the land” in the future if they had already inherited it at their present time?
It is because they understood that the physical land of Canaan was only a foreshadowing of the heavenly land in the future!
“As scholars have recognized, in this Jewish tradition, “inheriting the land” is equated with having a share in “the world to come”—a common rabbinic expression for the new world of the age of salvation. This interpretation of the Mishnah is confirmed by the later Babylonian Talmud. According to the Talmud, the return of the lost tribes of Israel to the promised land is explicitly identified as their entry into “the future world” (Sanhedrin 110b). This equation of the promised land with the future world is significant, for it shows that even rabbinic Judaism—which is often characterized as very “this-worldly” in its hopes for the future—could see the earthly promised land as a sign of a future creation. And it is no coincidence that both the Mishnah and the Talmud cite the vision of the new Jerusalem in Isaiah 60: 21 as the basis for this future hope. In short, for at least some ancient Jews, especially those influenced by the Book of Isaiah, although the first exodus had involved a return to the earthly promised land, the new exodus would be different. It would involve a journey to a new promised land, and a new Jerusalem. Apparently, this new land would be far greater than that which had been promised to Moses. It would be no ordinary land, but a part of “the World to Come.”” (Brant James Pitre, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist: Unlocking the Secrets of the Last Supper, 41 (Kindle Edition): New York, NY: IMAGE)
My friends, there are no land promises to the Jewish people today.
God’s description of the land belonging to the Jewish people “forever” and as an “everlasting possession” did not mean it would be theirs for all time, but only until certain goals had been achieved;
God fulfilled those land promises completely;
God told the Jewish people that their retention of that land was dependent on their faithfulness to Him, so that when they continually rebelled against Him and then finally killed His Son, those promises were forfeited;
God showed that the land promises to Israel were a foreshadowing of how He would give His faithful people (the church of Christ, composed of both Jews and Gentiles) the land of Heaven when Jesus returns.
So who are the chosen people of God today?
Galatians 3:26-29-For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
God’s people (i.e., Christians) have “spiritual stock” in the land of Heaven. Don’t be misled by those who believe and teach that the physical land of Israel promises have not been fulfilled. Look to Heaven and the Return of Jesus, which will occur in God’s time, and not before!
Lord, thank You for Your promise of Heaven. Help us to stay focused on that wonderful blessing. Please open the eyes of those who would wage war and shed blood because they are deceived by Zionism. Let Your Word go forth and bring everyone-Jew and Gentile-news of Your salvation. We praise You and we thank You. Amen.