How do Preterists interpet Genesis 17:8?

[jdcart]

In Genesis 17:8, it appears that God has promised Abraham and his descendants the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession. Given the word "everlasting", wouldn't this imply that the land of Canaan is yet recognized by God as belonging to the descendents of Abraham?

sorry for the typo

 

[Bill The Baptist]

In what sense could anything on this Earth be considered "everlasting"?

 

[au5t1n]

The promise must be read in light of the reality that Abraham's descendants are properly the children of promise by union with his promised seed, Jesus Christ ([KJV]Gal. 3:16[/KJV]), and in light of the typical significance of the land of Canaan, Jerusalem ([KJV]Gal. 4:26[/KJV]), and the entering in of rest spoken of in [KJV]Hebrews 4[/KJV]. Believers are Abraham's descendants who inherit the promised land, enter into God's rest, and belong to the heavenly Jerusalem.

This understanding is not unique to preterism. Idealists such as myself and historicists might hold it as well, and in my experience typically do. Futurism, by contrast, interprets this promise carnally.

 

[MarieP]

"So you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance"- Ex. 12:17

"For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you. And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever"- Ex. 12:23-24

"In the tabernacle of meeting, outside the veil which is before the Testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning before the Lord. It shall be a statute forever to their generations on behalf of the children of Israel"- Ex. 27:21

"And you shall make for them linen trousers to cover their nakedness; they shall reach from the waist to the thighs. They shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they come into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister in the holy place, that they do not incur iniquity and die. It shall be a statute forever to him and his descendants after him"- Ex. 28:42-43

"Then you shall take the breast of the ram of Aaron’s consecration and wave it as a wave offering before the Lord; and it shall be your portion. And from the ram of the consecration you shall consecrate the breast of the wave offering which is waved, and the thigh of the heave offering which is raised, of that which is for Aaron and of that which is for his sons. It shall be from the children of Israel for Aaron and his sons by a statute forever. For it is a heave offering; it shall be a heave offering from the children of Israel from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, that is, their heave offering to the Lord"- Ex. 29:26-28

"Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 'You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. And you shall put water in it, for Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in water from it. When they go into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the Lord, they shall wash with water, lest they die. So they shall wash their hands and their feet, lest they die. And it shall be a statute forever to them—to him and his descendants throughout their generations"- Ex. 30:17-21

"Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the tabernacle of meeting and wash them with water. You shall put the holy garments on Aaron, and anoint him and consecrate him, that he may minister to Me as priest. And you shall bring his sons and clothe them with tunics. You shall anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may minister to Me as priests; for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations"- Ex. 40:12-15

"'This shall be an everlasting statute for you, to make atonement for the children of Israel, for all their sins, once a year.' And he did as the Lord commanded Moses"- Lev. 17:34

I've heard passages like these explained two different ways:
1) the New Covenant fulfillment of these promises make it literally everlasting (like Bill and Austin said)
2) the "everlasting" in these contexts is limited by "throughout your generations" and "for you" (the Old Covenant dispensation) and are not literal parts of the New Covenant dispensation

 

[One Little Nail]

I think passover, circumcision & if I remember correctly sabbath amongst others were spoken of as being eternal or everlasting ordinances, they are only in the sense that the Anti-type fulfils the meaning of the sign or thing signified,
the land promise becomes the meek inheriting the earth at the 2nd coming, speaking only of full preterism which says
that the resurrection & 2nd coming occurred in 70AD they would then be obliged or constrained to say that it occurred
or begun the process of from this date.

 

[Jerusalem Blade]

I would approach it like this (and I think preterists would likewise), Israel does inherit the land, plus the land of all the earth. Who is Israel now? Certainly not those destined for Hell, but the Israel of God: those who are incorporated into the body of the King and God of Israel.

 

[Peairtach]

The true descendants of Abraham are Jews and Gentiles who believe in Christ - the "Israel of God" (Gal 6:16) to distinguish between them and the Jews that do not truly belong to God.

The Israel of God is in the process of inheriting the Land of the OT plus the rest of the Earth (e.g. Matt.5:5).

At some point the unbelieving Jews will be incorporated into the Israel of God, and inherit the Earth, including the former OT Land with the Gentiles.

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