THE HOPE OF ISRAEL - The Preterist Archive

The, Hope of Israel: What Is It? 203
Thus we see that Christ is the true and only legitimate
Heir of the promise to Abraham; but by the same
Scripture (and by others as well) we learn that
Christ's members are included with Him in the promise.
In Galatians it is put thus :
"Even as Abraham believed God and it was counted to him
for righteousness, know ye therefore, that they which are of
faith, the same are the children of Abraham."
"And if ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs
according to the promise" (Gal. 3:6, 7, 29).
Now, since "they which are of faith," they that are
Christ's, are the elect remnant of Israel (with believing
Gentiles incorporated with them into one body)
we have reached a clear explanation of what is meant
by "the election hath obtained it." Christ and His
people are the heirs "according to the promise," which
embraces all the promises. It follows that there remains
for the natural Israel nothing whatever of God's
promise to Abraham concerning a territorial
possession
in the world. The election hath obtained it, and
will never be dispossessed.
But, in order to put the matter beyond all doubt, the
apostle not only states affirmatively who are the heirs
of God's promise to Abraham, but he also shows negatively
that Abraham's natural descendants have no
share therein. He rebukes those of his contemporaries
who held the contrary, charging them with not understanding
the Scripture which records that "Abraham
had two sons" (Gal. 4:21-31). We will not expatiate
further on that wonderful "allegory"; but would
merely remind the reader again that Ishmael represents
Abraham's natural seed, and Isaac his spiritual
seed, the latter being the heirs of the promise; and that
the words, "cast out the bondwoman and her son, for