Escolhidos por de Deus
uma nação exclusiva
texto de Dave Hunt chamada urgente
"Em herança possuireis a sua terra, e eu vo-la darei para a possuirdes, terra que mana leite e mel: Eu sou o Senhor vosso Deus, que vos separei dos povos. Ser-me-eis santos, porque eu, o Senhor, sou santo, e separei-vos dos povos, para serdes meus" (Levítico 20.24,26).
Seja o que for que alguém escolha acreditar, a Palavra de Deus declara repetida e claramente que Israel é Seu povo especialmente escolhido e que jamais perderá essa condição singular. O destino peculiar de Israel, ordenado por Deus para cumprir Sua vontade para a humanidade, é o tema dominante das profecias bíblicas. As profecias sobre o Messias estão inseparavelmente ligadas a Seu povo, Israel. Seria a Israel, e através dele ao mundo, que o Messias, Ele mesmo um judeu, viria.
Logo, uma percepção clara das profecias a respeito do passado, presente, e futuro de Israel é fundamental para a compreensão de ambos os adventos de Cristo, Sua vinda histórica e Sua promessa de "voltar novamente". Israel, como já notamos, é o relógio profético de Deus, um grande sinal que Ele deu ao mundo para provar a Sua existência e demonstrar que está no comando da história. Por mais que isso não agrade a alguns, os judeus são o povo escolhido de Deus.
Um povo escolhido? Escolhido por Deus? Essa graça parece ter trazido mais que sua quota de problemas. No filme Um Violinista no Telhado, Topol (o artista principal do filme) ecoa o protesto perplexo de muitos judeus: "Que tal escolher um outro povo!" Obviamente esse pedido não muda os fatos. Não há como escapar do propósito de Deus ou do registro bíblico.
Recusando-se a encarar as evidências surpreendentes, os céticos descartam insolentemente a simples sugestão de que poderia existir um "povo escolhido". Ateus negam a existência de qualquer Deus para fazer a escolha. Apesar disso, essa afirmação bíblica, mesmo que muito rejeitada, serviu para focalizar a atenção do mundo nos judeus. Em vários casos, ela tem trazido a perseguição por parte daqueles que odeiam os judeus, como se fossem estes os autores da idéia de que Deus tinha alguma afeição especial por eles e um plano especial para eles.
Os muçulmanos, por outro lado, insistem que não foram os descendentes de Isaque, mas os de Ismael que foram escolhidos por Deus. A tribo Quraita, à qual pertencia Maomé, afirmava que sua descendência se estendia até Ismael e, por meio dele, a Abraão. Logo, argumenta-se, a terra de Israel (que os muçulmanos insistem que foi prometida a Ismael) pertence aos árabes. Essa afirmação, porém, não tem fundamento. A Bíblia declara o contrário: que o território de Israel pertence aos descendentes de Isaque. Quanto ao Corão, ele sequer menciona Jerusalém ou qualquer parte do território de Israel - uma omissão que é fatal às afirmações islâmicas nestes últimos tempos.
Cinco Características Distintivas de Israel
Vamos examinar mais de perto esse notável "povo escolhido". Não há melhor lugar para se começar do que o livro de Gênesis. Lá encontramos um homem chamado Abrão, a quem Deus escolheu e mais tarde renomeou Abraão. Tanto os árabes (através de Ismael) quanto os judeus (através de Isaque) o declaram como pai. Na realidade, não há evidência de que os árabes descendam de Abraão por Ismael. Como Robert Morey expôs em seu excelente livro The Islamic Invasion (A Invasão Islâmica): "A prestigiosa Enciclopédia do Islã traça a genealogia dos árabes a origens não-abraâmicas." A evidência de que os judeus são descendentes de Abraão, porém, é surpreendente. Aqui é que começa a história: "Ora, disse o Senhor a Abrão: Sai da tua terra... e vai para a terra que te mostrarei; de ti farei uma grande nação... abençoarei os que te abençoarem, e amaldiçoarei os que te amaldiçoarem; em ti serão benditas todas as famílias da terra" (Gênesis 12.1-3). "O Senhor teu Deus te escolheu, para que fosses o seu povo próprio, de todos os povos que há sobre a terra" (Deuteronômio 7.6).
Há cinco elementos distintos na aliança que Deus fez com Abraão, Isaque, e Jacó (Israel) que distinguem seus descendentes de todos os outros povos da terra. Aqui eles estão na ordem em que foram dados: 1) a promessa de que o Messias viria ao mundo por Israel; 2) a promessa de um certo território que foi dado a Israel como possessão para sempre; 3) a lei mosaica e seus subseqüentes pactos de promessa, que definiram um relacionamento especial entre Deus e Israel; 4) a manifestação visível da presença de Deus entre eles; e 5) o reinado prometido do Messias, no trono de Davi em Jerusalém, sobre Seu povo escolhido e sobre o mundo inteiro.
Nós vamos adiar até mais tarde o estudo da primeira e última promessas acima, que são pertinentes especificamente ao Messias, e lidar com as outras agora. Os versículos citados de Gênesis 12 contêm a primeira promessa de um território que foi dado a Abraão e seus descendentes. Os versículos seguintes àquele capítulo registram a saída obediente de Abraão de Ur dos Caldeus, sua terra natal, onde sua família havia vivido em idolatria por muitos anos após a dispersão dos construtores da Torre de Babel. Ao redor das ruínas daquela Torre, a cidade de Babilônia foi construída. Ela se tornaria a capital do primeiro império mundial, o lugar do cativeiro de Israel mais tarde, e de grande importância relativa à volta de Cristo a esta terra, como veremos.
Rapidamente encontramos Abrão chegando na "terra de Canaã". Seus habitantes já eram conhecidos como cananeus e possuíam a região naquela época. Essa era a terra que Deus identificou a Abrão como sendo a terra que seus descendentes possuiriam aproximadamente 400 anos mais tarde. Logo foi reconhecida como "a terra prometida" e ainda hoje se referem a ela como tal. Os versículos seguintes são uma amostra das muitas confirmações de Deus dessa promessa especial a respeito da terra: "Apareceu o Senhor a Abrão, e lhe disse: Darei à tua descendência esta terra... porque toda essa terra que vês, eu ta darei, a ti e à tua descendência, para sempre. Eu sou o Senhor que te tirei de Ur dos caldeus, para dar-te por herança esta terra... a tua posteridade será peregrina em terra alheia (Egito), e será reduzida à escravidão... Na quarta geração tornarão para aqui. Naquele mesmo dia fez o Senhor aliança com Abrão, dizendo: À tua descendência dei esta terra, desde o rio do Egito (no deserto do Sinai) até ao grande rio Eufrates (e daí continua uma descrição do território exato)" (Gênesis 12.7; 13.15; 15.7,13-16,18-21).
A mesma promessa é repetida ao filho da Abraão, Isaque, em mais de uma ocasião. Por exemplo:"Porque a ti, e a tua descendência darei todas estas terras, e confirmarei o juramento que fiz a Abraão, teu pai... Na tua descendência serão abençoadas todas as nações da terra" (Gênesis 26.3-5). A promessa dupla da terra e do Messias é repetida novamente a Jacó, a quem Deus, mais tarde, denominou Israel: "Eu sou o Senhor, Deus de Abraão, teu pai, e Deus de Isaque. A terra em que agora estás deitado, eu ta darei, a ti, e à tua descendência... e na tua descendência(i.e., no Messias) serão abençoadas todas as famílias da terra" (Gênesis 28.13,14).
A Auto-Identificação de Deus
Ligando Seu próprio nome a essas promessas, o Deus da Bíblia Se identifica pelo menos dez vezes como "o Deus de Abraão, o Deus de Isaque, e o Deus de Jacó" (Êxodo 3.15,16; 1 Crônicas 29.18; Mateus 22.32; Atos 3.13, etc.). Ele Se revelou como tal para Moisés na sarça ardente. Ao mesmo tempo, Ele deu a Moisés Seu nome, "Yahweh", que significa "Eu sou Aquele que é." Ele é o Ser auto-existente cuja existência não depende de nenhum outro, e de quem a existência de tudo mais depende. Jesus usa o fato de Yahweh ser conhecido como "o Deus de Abraão, Isaque, e Jacó" para argumentar em favor da ressurreição: "E quanto à ressurreição dos mortos, não tendes lido o que Deus vos declarou: Eu sou o Deus de Abraão, o Deus de Isaque e o Deus de Jacó? Ele não é Deus de mortos, e, sim, de vivos" (Mateus 22.31-32).
"Deus" não é um nome, mas um termo genérico que poderia se aplicar a qualquer deus. Portanto, o Deus de Abraão, Isaque, e Jacó nos dá o seu nome. É "Yahweh". Assim Ele é distinguido de todos os deuses das religiões do mundo. "Yahweh" definitivamente não é Alá por várias razões. Suas características são exatamente opostas. Mesmo assim, os dignitários mais elevados da Igreja Católica Romana - no Vaticano II e outros lugares - declaram que o Deus dos muçulmanos e dos cristãos é um e o mesmo. Até evangélicos, tentando ser liberais e ecumênicos, estão sugerindo que os muçulmanos adoram o mesmo Deus que os crentes. Nada poderia estar mais longe da verdade!
Aqui encontramos o esclarecimento novamente através da compreensão do papel de Israel. Alá certamente não é "o Deus de Abraão, Isaque, e Jacó", mas seu inimigo jurado que deseja a exterminação de seus descendentes! Alá é um nome próprio - um nome que existia muito antes de Maomé inventar a religião anti-Israel e anti-cristã do Islamismo. Alá era, como já notamos, o nome do deus lunar que era representado pelo ídolo principal da Caaba em Meca. Daí o símbolo da lua crescente. Apesar do Islamismo rejeitar totalmente a idolatria, Alá tem uma longa história pré-islâmica como um deus pagão representado por um ídolo - certamente não é o Deus da Bíblia!
Os deuses dos pagãos, representados por ídolos, são denunciados de maneira coerente e repetida na Bíblia, e aqueles que os adoram são condenados pelos profetas de Yahweh. Não há o menor indício ou sugestão de que qualquer deus assim fosse ou pudesse ser uma representação inconsciente de Yahweh. De fato, Paulo, como notamos, afirma que aqueles que adoram ídolos, na verdade, adoram demônios que se identificam através dos ídolos.
"Escolhido" por um Deus "imparcial"?
Até mesmo entre crentes há uma controvérsia crescente sobre a questão de Israel ainda ter ou não um lugar especial nos planos de Deus. Essa polêmica é acompanhada pela rejeição crescente do ensinamento bíblico de que o território de Israel pertence aos judeus. Alguns argumentam que o fato de Deus ter escolhido Israel significa que Ele estava demonstrando um favoritismo injusto. Afinal de contas, a Bíblia diz que "Deus não faz acepção de pessoas" (Atos 10.34).
Tal imparcialidade da parte de Deus não foi revelada facilmente a Pedro, porque os judeus (e os crentes primitivos eram todos judeus) consideravam que não havia qualquer esperança para os gentios sob a lei de Moisés. Foram precisos sinais miraculosos para convencer a Pedro de que o evangelho não era apenas para os judeus, mas para os gentios também. Até mesmo muitos crentes hoje em dia não conseguem acreditar que Deus ame todas as pessoas igualmente e deseje que todos sejam salvos, apesar da Bíblia ensinar isso claramente: "Porque Deus amou ao mundo de tal maneira... o qual deseja que todos os homens sejam salvos... o Pai enviou o seu Filho como Salvador do mundo" (João 3.16; 1 Timóteo 2.4; 1 João 4.14, etc.).
Chosen by God
an exclusive nation
Text Dave Hunt called urgent
"In inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land flowing with milk and honey:. I am the LORD your God, which have separated you from other people be holy unto me, for I the Lord , am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine "(Lev 20.24,26).
Whatever one chooses to believe the Word of God declares repeatedly and clearly that Israel is His people specially chosen and never lose this unique status. The peculiar destiny of Israel, ordained by God to fulfill His will for mankind, is the dominant theme of biblical prophecy. The prophecies about the Messiah are inseparably linked to His people, Israel. Would be to Israel, and through him to the world, the Messiah Himself a Jew would.
Therefore, a clear understanding of the prophecies concerning the past, present, and future of Israel is key to understanding both advents of Christ, His historical coming and His promise to "come back again". Israel, as already noted, is the prophetic clock of God, a great sign that he has given to the world to prove His existence and show who is in charge of the story. As much as this does not please some, the Jews are God's chosen people.
A chosen people? Chosen by God? This grace seems to have brought more than its share of problems. In the movie Fiddler on the Roof, Topol (the main artist of the film) echoes the perplexed many Jews protest: "How about choosing another people!" Obviously this request does not change the facts. There is no escape from God's purpose or the biblical record.
Refusing to face the startling evidence, skeptics dismiss insolently the mere suggestion that there might be a "chosen people". Atheists deny the existence of any God to make the choice. Nevertheless, this biblical statement, however much rejected, served to focus world attention on the Jews. In several cases, it has brought persecution by those who hate the Jews, as if these were the authors of the idea that God had a special affection for them and a special plan for them.
Muslims, on the other hand, insist that they were not the descendants of Isaac, but Ishmael who were chosen by God. The Quraita tribe to which Mohammed belonged, claimed that his seed stretched to Ishmael and, through him, to Abraham. Thus, it is argued, the land of Israel (Muslims insist that Ishmael was promised) belongs to the Arabs. This statement, however, is unfounded. The Bible states the opposite: that the land of Israel belongs to the descendants of Isaac. As for the Koran, he even mentions Jerusalem or any part of the territory of Israel - an omission that is fatal to Islamic statements recently.
Five Distinctive Characteristics of Israel
Let us examine more closely this remarkable "chosen people." There is no better place to start than the book of Genesis. There we met a man named Abram, whom God chose and later renamed Abraham. Both the Arabs (through Ishmael) and the Jews (through Isaac) the state as parent. In reality, there is no evidence that Arabs descended from Ishmael by Abraham. Robert Morey as he showed in his excellent book The Islamic Invasion (The Islamic Invasion): "The prestigious Encyclopedia of Islam traces the genealogy of the Arab non-Abrahamic origins." Evidence that Jews are descendants of Abraham, however, is surprising. Here is a story that begins: "Now the Lord said to Abram, Leave your country ... and go to the land I will show thee: I will make you a great nation ... I will bless them that bless thee, and curse that curseth thee: and in thee shall be blessed all the families of the earth "(Genesis 12.1-3). "The Lord thy God hath chosen thee, that were her own people, of all people that are upon the earth" (Deuteronomy 7.6).
There are five distinct elements in the covenant God made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel) that distinguish their descendants from all other peoples of the earth. Here they are in the order they were given: 1) the promise that the Messiah would come to the world by Israel; 2) the promise of a certain territory that was given to Israel as a possession forever; 3) the Mosaic law and its subsequent covenants of promise, which established a special relationship between God and Israel; 4) the visible manifestation of God's presence among them; and 5) the reign of the Messiah promised in the throne of David in Jerusalem on His chosen people and the world.
We will postpone until later the study of first and last promises above, that are specifically relevant to the Messiah, and deal with each other now. The verses quoted from Genesis 12 contains the first promise of a territory that was given to Abraham and his descendants. The following verses record to that chapter obedient Abraham from Ur of the Chaldeans, his hometown, where his family had lived in idolatry for many years after the dispersion of the builders of the Tower of Babel output. Around the ruins of that tower, the city of Babylon was built. She would become the capital of the first world empire, the place of Israel's captivity later, and great on the return of Christ to this earth importance, as we shall see.
Quickly find Abraham coming in the "land of Canaan". Its inhabitants were known as Canaanites and had the region at that time. This was the land that God identified as Abram the land that his descendants would possess about 400 years later. It was soon recognized as "the promised land" and still refer to it as such. The following verses are a sample of the many confirmations of God in this special promise about the land: "And the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I will give this land to your descendants ... for all the land which you see I will give to thee and to thy seed for ever. I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land for an inheritance ... thy seed shall be a stranger in a strange land (Egypt), and shall serve become ... the fourth generation here that same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying:. Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt (the Sinai desert) to the great river Euphrates (and hence remains a exact description of the territory) "(Genesis 12.7; 13:15; 15.7,13-16,18-21).
The same promise is repeated to Abraham's son, Isaac, on more than one occasion. For example: "For unto thee, and to thy seed I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to Abraham your father ... in thy seed shall be blessed all the nations of the earth" (Genesis 26.3-5). The dual of the earth and the Messiah promise is repeated again to Jacob, whom God later called Israel. "I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac, the land on which you lie, I will give unto thee, and to thy seed ... and in thy seed (ie the Messiah) shall be blessed all the families of the earth "(Gen. 28.13,14).
Self-identification of God
Turning Your own name to these promises, the God of the Bible identifies Himself at least ten times as "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" (Exodus 3.15,16, 1 Chronicles 29:18, Matthew 22:32, Acts 3:13, etc.). He revealed Himself as such to Moses in the burning bush. At the same time, He gave Moses His name, "Yahweh", which means "I am He who is." He is self-existent Being whose existence is not dependent on any other, and from whom the existence of everything else depends. Jesus uses the fact that Yahweh be known as "the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" to argue for the resurrection: "And as for the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read what God said to you: I am the God of Abraham , the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? He is not God of the dead, and, yes, the living "(Matthew 22.31-32).
"God" is not a name but a generic term that could apply to any god. Therefore, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob gives us his name. Is "Yahweh". It is thus distinguished from all the gods of the religions of the world. "Yahweh" is definitely not Allah for several reasons. Its features are exactly opposite. Even so, the highest dignitaries of the Roman Catholic Church - the Vatican and elsewhere - declare that the God of Muslims and Christians are one and the same. Even evangelicals trying to be liberal and ecumenical, are suggesting that Muslims worship the same God as Christians. Nothing could be further from the truth!
Here again we find enlightenment through understanding the role of Israel. Allah is certainly not "the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob", but his sworn enemy who want the extermination of their descendants! Allah is a proper name - a name that existed long before Muhammad invent the anti-Israel and anti-Christian religion of Islam. Allah was, as already noted, the name of the moon god who was represented by the principal idol of the Kaaba at Mecca. Hence the symbol of the crescent moon. Although Islam totally rejects idolatry, Allah has a long pre-Islamic history as a pagan god represented by an idol - certainly not the God of the Bible!
The gods of the heathen, represented by idols, are reported consistently and repeatedly in the Bible, and those who worship them are condemned by the prophets of Yahweh. There is the slightest hint or suggestion that any god that were or could be an unconscious representation of Yahweh. In fact, Paul, as noted, states that those who worship idols actually worship demons that are identified by the idols.
"Chosen" by an "impartial" God?
Even among believers there is a growing controversy over the question of whether or not Israel still a special place in God's plans. This controversy is accompanied by the growing rejection of the biblical teaching that the land of Israel belongs to the Jews. Some argue that the fact that God has chosen Israel means he was demonstrating an unfair favoritism. After all, the Bible says that "God is no respecter of persons" (Acts 10:34).
Such impartiality of God was not easily revealed to Peter, because the Jews (and the early Christians were all Jews) considered that there was no hope for the Gentiles under the law of Moses. Miraculous to convince Peter that the gospel was not just Jews signs were accurate, but to the Gentiles also. Even many believers today can not believe that God loves all people equally and wants everyone to be saved, despite the Bible teach this clearly: "For God so loved the world so much ... who desires all men be saved ... the Father sent the Son as Savior of the world "(John 3:16, 1 Timothy 2.4, 1 John 4:14, etc.).
Chosen by God
an exclusive nation
Text Dave Hunt called urgent
"In inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land flowing with milk and honey:. I am the LORD your God, which have separated you from other people be holy unto me, for I the Lord , am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine "(Lev 20.24,26).
Whatever one chooses to believe the Word of God declares repeatedly and clearly that Israel is His people specially chosen and never lose this unique status. The peculiar destiny of Israel, ordained by God to fulfill His will for mankind, is the dominant theme of biblical prophecy. The prophecies about the Messiah are inseparably linked to His people, Israel. Would be to Israel, and through him to the world, the Messiah Himself a Jew would.
Therefore, a clear understanding of the prophecies concerning the past, present, and future of Israel is key to understanding both advents of Christ, His historical coming and His promise to "come back again". Israel, as already noted, is the prophetic clock of God, a great sign that he has given to the world to prove His existence and show who is in charge of the story. As much as this does not please some, the Jews are God's chosen people.
A chosen people? Chosen by God? This grace seems to have brought more than its share of problems. In the movie Fiddler on the Roof, Topol (the main artist of the film) echoes the perplexed many Jews protest: "How about choosing another people!" Obviously this request does not change the facts. There is no escape from God's purpose or the biblical record.
Refusing to face the startling evidence, skeptics dismiss insolently the mere suggestion that there might be a "chosen people". Atheists deny the existence of any God to make the choice. Nevertheless, this biblical statement, however much rejected, served to focus world attention on the Jews. In several cases, it has brought persecution by those who hate the Jews, as if these were the authors of the idea that God had a special affection for them and a special plan for them.
Muslims, on the other hand, insist that they were not the descendants of Isaac, but Ishmael who were chosen by God. The Quraita tribe to which Mohammed belonged, claimed that his seed stretched to Ishmael and, through him, to Abraham. Thus, it is argued, the land of Israel (Muslims insist that Ishmael was promised) belongs to the Arabs. This statement, however, is unfounded. The Bible states the opposite: that the land of Israel belongs to the descendants of Isaac. As for the Koran, he even mentions Jerusalem or any part of the territory of Israel - an omission that is fatal to Islamic statements recently.
Five Distinctive Characteristics of Israel
Let us examine more closely this remarkable "chosen people." There is no better place to start than the book of Genesis. There we met a man named Abram, whom God chose and later renamed Abraham. Both the Arabs (through Ishmael) and the Jews (through Isaac) the state as parent. In reality, there is no evidence that Arabs descended from Ishmael by Abraham. Robert Morey as he showed in his excellent book The Islamic Invasion (The Islamic Invasion): "The prestigious Encyclopedia of Islam traces the genealogy of the Arab non-Abrahamic origins." Evidence that Jews are descendants of Abraham, however, is surprising. Here is a story that begins: "Now the Lord said to Abram, Leave your country ... and go to the land I will show thee: I will make you a great nation ... I will bless them that bless thee, and curse that curseth thee: and in thee shall be blessed all the families of the earth "(Genesis 12.1-3). "The Lord thy God hath chosen thee, that were her own people, of all people that are upon the earth" (Deuteronomy 7.6).
There are five distinct elements in the covenant God made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel) that distinguish their descendants from all other peoples of the earth. Here they are in the order they were given: 1) the promise that the Messiah would come to the world by Israel; 2) the promise of a certain territory that was given to Israel as a possession forever; 3) the Mosaic law and its subsequent covenants of promise, which established a special relationship between God and Israel; 4) the visible manifestation of God's presence among them; and 5) the reign of the Messiah promised in the throne of David in Jerusalem on His chosen people and the world.
We will postpone until later the study of first and last promises above, that are specifically relevant to the Messiah, and deal with each other now. The verses quoted from Genesis 12 contains the first promise of a territory that was given to Abraham and his descendants. The following verses record to that chapter obedient Abraham from Ur of the Chaldeans, his hometown, where his family had lived in idolatry for many years after the dispersion of the builders of the Tower of Babel output. Around the ruins of that tower, the city of Babylon was built. She would become the capital of the first world empire, the place of Israel's captivity later, and great on the return of Christ to this earth importance, as we shall see.
Quickly find Abraham coming in the "land of Canaan". Its inhabitants were known as Canaanites and had the region at that time. This was the land that God identified as Abram the land that his descendants would possess about 400 years later. It was soon recognized as "the promised land" and still refer to it as such. The following verses are a sample of the many confirmations of God in this special promise about the land: "And the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I will give this land to your descendants ... for all the land which you see I will give to thee and to thy seed for ever. I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land for an inheritance ... thy seed shall be a stranger in a strange land (Egypt), and shall serve become ... the fourth generation here that same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying:. Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt (the Sinai desert) to the great river Euphrates (and hence remains a exact description of the territory) "(Genesis 12.7; 13:15; 15.7,13-16,18-21).
The same promise is repeated to Abraham's son, Isaac, on more than one occasion. For example: "For unto thee, and to thy seed I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to Abraham your father ... in thy seed shall be blessed all the nations of the earth" (Genesis 26.3-5). The dual of the earth and the Messiah promise is repeated again to Jacob, whom God later called Israel. "I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac, the land on which you lie, I will give unto thee, and to thy seed ... and in thy seed (ie the Messiah) shall be blessed all the families of the earth "(Gen. 28.13,14).
Self-identification of God
Turning Your own name to these promises, the God of the Bible identifies Himself at least ten times as "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" (Exodus 3.15,16, 1 Chronicles 29:18, Matthew 22:32, Acts 3:13, etc.). He revealed Himself as such to Moses in the burning bush. At the same time, He gave Moses His name, "Yahweh", which means "I am He who is." He is self-existent Being whose existence is not dependent on any other, and from whom the existence of everything else depends. Jesus uses the fact that Yahweh be known as "the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" to argue for the resurrection: "And as for the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read what God said to you: I am the God of Abraham , the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? He is not God of the dead, and, yes, the living "(Matthew 22.31-32).
"God" is not a name but a generic term that could apply to any god. Therefore, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob gives us his name. Is "Yahweh". It is thus distinguished from all the gods of the religions of the world. "Yahweh" is definitely not Allah for several reasons. Its features are exactly opposite. Even so, the highest dignitaries of the Roman Catholic Church - the Vatican and elsewhere - declare that the God of Muslims and Christians are one and the same. Even evangelicals trying to be liberal and ecumenical, are suggesting that Muslims worship the same God as Christians. Nothing could be further from the truth!
Here again we find enlightenment through understanding the role of Israel. Allah is certainly not "the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob", but his sworn enemy who want the extermination of their descendants! Allah is a proper name - a name that existed long before Muhammad invent the anti-Israel and anti-Christian religion of Islam. Allah was, as already noted, the name of the moon god who was represented by the principal idol of the Kaaba at Mecca. Hence the symbol of the crescent moon. Although Islam totally rejects idolatry, Allah has a long pre-Islamic history as a pagan god represented by an idol - certainly not the God of the Bible!
The gods of the heathen, represented by idols, are reported consistently and repeatedly in the Bible, and those who worship them are condemned by the prophets of Yahweh. There is the slightest hint or suggestion that any god that were or could be an unconscious representation of Yahweh. In fact, Paul, as noted, states that those who worship idols actually worship demons that are identified by the idols.
"Chosen" by an "impartial" God?
Even among believers there is a growing controversy over the question of whether or not Israel still a special place in God's plans. This controversy is accompanied by the growing rejection of the biblical teaching that the land of Israel belongs to the Jews. Some argue that the fact that God has chosen Israel means he was demonstrating an unfair favoritism. After all, the Bible says that "God is no respecter of persons" (Acts 10:34).
Such impartiality of God was not easily revealed to Peter, because the Jews (and the early Christians were all Jews) considered that there was no hope for the Gentiles under the law of Moses. Miraculous to convince Peter that the gospel was not just Jews signs were accurate, but to the Gentiles also. Even many believers today can not believe that God loves all people equally and wants everyone to be saved, despite the Bible teach this clearly: "For God so loved the world so much ... who desires all men be saved ... the Father sent the Son as Savior of the world "(John 3:16, 1 Timothy 2.4, 1 John 4:14, etc.).
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