About Those Promises…

promises

The Lord GOD makes a GREAT many promises in the Bible.

Most of those promises contain conditions that man must FIRST meet in order to receive those specific promises of God.

One of the most used words in the Bible is “IF.”

In the King James Version, IF appears over 1400 times.

A great number of those times, IF is part of a conditional promise made by God.  A conditional promise is one that IF the person performs A, then God promises to do B.

Some of these promises are:

“And it shall come to pass, IF ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.”
–Deuteronomy 11:13-14

“IF thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore.”
–Psalm 132:12

“IF ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land”
–Isaiah 1:19

Seems simple enough, huh?

Do A and God promises to do B.

BUT man is not a very obedient creature. Most of the time, man does NOT do A.

This does not prevent man from trying to convince God that “Why, yes, I did what you asked. Now, where are my goodies?”

In fact, man disobeyed God so regularly; so often; so egregiously, that God had to spell out conditional PUNISHMENTS for disobedient man.

“Okay, you want to be cute. IF you do C, I’m going to make sure you suffer by visiting D upon you.”

A great many of those VERY negative, VERY specific promises can be found in Deuteronomy 28.
—IF: The Conditional Promises of God

However, man is not only DECEIVED: man is wicked and unfaithful.

So, man will not meet those very clear conditions set by God.

HOWEVER, deceived and wicked man will attempt to claim those promises–which God will NOT honor.

But–regardless of what Satan and his end times workers of iniquity insist–God created man.  God KNOWS the weaknesses and flaws of man better than man does.

And so, God will address those weaknesses and imperfections of man during the last days. God will SPECIFICALLY address the imperfections of the House of (spiritual) Israel.  Some of this will take place AFTER the climax of human history: the return of Jesus Christ.

“Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman. Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it: And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them. And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land. But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went. Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.”
–Ezekiel 36:16-22

God not only fulfills MANY of His promises to Israel at that time, He also ADDS to the abundance of His promise to them.

“And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.  For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.
And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen. Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations. Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel. Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded. And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited. Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it.”
–Ezekiel 36:23-36

[So many who are children of the FLESH act as though they are children of the PROMISE. It should be noted that God’s promises are to SPIRITUAL Israel.  NOT to those who are FLESHLY or WORLDLY Israel.

It matters NOT what one’s name is.

It matters NOT who one’s ancestors were.

It matters NOT that God’s CONDITIONAL promises were written down.

There are many passages in God’s Word which make this clear.  Perhaps the most clear being Romans 9.

“Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son.”
–Romans 9:4-9

Romans only reaffirmed what God had said earlier in Genesis 21:12.

“And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.”]

So, even though MOST of God’s very clear, very specific promises to man are conditional, God assists man (who God knows is weak) in meeting those conditions and obtaining those promises.

OF COURSE, that assistance is provided by God’s MERCY.

DOES the reader believe he can fulfill the conditions of God’s promises ON HIS OWN?

It is not YET too late: there is still a little time to change direction (repent), place your faith (hope) for the future entirely on Jesus Christ and enter the kingdom of heaven.

DOES the reader believe he is saved?

Make Your Calling and Election Sure: End Times Survival

DOES the reader believe he is NOT saved?

Time is Running Out: Today is the Day of Salvation

THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. ”
–1 Corinthians 15:1-8

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
-–Romans 1:16

A Reminder: The Gospel is Simple

MORE: Eternal Salvation Through Jesus Christ: Salvation Messages from End Times Prophecy Report

[Portions of this piece appeared originally in End Times Prophecy Headlines: January 26, 2022.]

MORE

MORE

RELATED ARTICLES

by Jeremiah Jameson
–with Mondo Frazier

image: Image by geralt  from Pixabay.com

© Jeremiah J. Jameson and End Times Prophecy Report, 2012-19. © Mondo Frazier and End Times Prophecy Report, DBKP 2007-2019. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jeremiah J. Jameson and End Times Prophecy Report with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Link Disclaimer: inclusion of links to other blogs/websites is not necessarily an endorsement of all content posted in those blogs/websites.

[NOTE: The following articles are from a service. We neither endorse nor at times have much control over them–although we do, of course, enjoy articles originating from this website on this service. Some articles illustrate points made in ETPR articles; some are merely for the reader’s edification or education.

ALL such links appearing in End Times Prophecy Headlines, such as those below, should originate at ETPR.

RE: our link disclaimer: there are links, from time-to-time which appear on this site which we neither approve nor endorse. The frequency of these types of links will no doubt grow worse. All effort is made to remove such links when we become aware of them.

Related articles

Author: Jeremiah J Jameson

End Times Prophecy Report - Publisher and author

Love it? Hate it? Be biblical! We occasionally respond to biblical comments, questions and/or remarks.