Borders Of The Promised Land

Q. I have some questions regarding the borders for Israel. I have looked for answers but haven’t come up with anything I feel real confident about as far as accuracy. Has Israel ever inhabited all the land that the LORD promised Abraham? Are they doing so now (minus the West Bank and Gaza of course)? If the war prophesied by Psalm 83 comes to pass in the manner we expect it to and Israel gains additional territory from what it has now would they then be in full possession of the LORD’s Promised Land?

Assuming that they are not in full possession now: How would their gaining full possession affect End Times time tables? I know that the “this generation shall not pass” time table usually has either the 1948 or 1967 date for its start. Suppose that the generation starts with Israel taking full possession?

A. When you consider the several passages contained in Scripture that define the Promised Land, the best guide for determining its borders is to use the Euphrates River in the North, the River of Egypt (Wadi al Arish) in the South, the Mediterranean in the West and the Jordan in the East. Although King Solomon had treaties with neighboring kings that gave him access to and revenue from most of this land, Israel has never had complete control over all of it.

There’s no Scripture that promises Israel full control of their land prior to the 2nd Coming, but at that time they will receive it all. (Ezekiel 48)

Likewise, there’s no Biblical basis for assuming that the final generation before the 2nd Coming will see Israel in possession of all the land.

Wikipedia has a good map of the Promised Land under the heading “Land of Israel.” Many Study Bibles also contain good maps.