There Is No Promised Land Today 今日已沒有「應許之地」

Based on an English article (E.B.)

根據英文資料整理翻譯

Title: There Is No Promised Land Today

題目：今日已沒有「應許之地」

Many people connect modern political Israel with the “promised land” mentioned in the Bible, especially when conflicts occur in the Middle East. Whenever war breaks out in that region, speculation about biblical prophecy often increases. However, many of these ideas come from misunderstandings of Scripture rather than from careful reading of the Bible itself.

許多人在談到中東衝突時，常把現代的政治國家以色列與聖經中的「應許之地」直接連在一起。每當該地區爆發戰爭時，關於聖經預言的各種推測也會隨之增加。然而，許多這樣的觀念其實來自對聖經的誤解，而不是對經文本身的仔細理解。

In the Old Testament, God promised Abraham that his descendants would receive the land of Canaan (Genesis 12:7; 15:18). Some people believe that this promise has never been completely fulfilled and still applies to the modern nation of Israel today. However, the Bible itself states that the promise was fulfilled when the Israelites entered and possessed the land.

在舊約中，神曾應許亞伯拉罕的後裔要得著迦南地（創世記 12:7；15:18）。有些人認為這個應許從未完全實現，因此仍然適用於今天的以色列國。但聖經本身卻清楚說明，當以色列人進入並得著那地時，這個應許已經成就。

The book of Joshua clearly states that the Lord gave Israel all the land that He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and lived in it (Joshua 21:43). Later, during the reign of King Solomon, the kingdom of Israel reached its greatest territorial extent, stretching from the Euphrates River to the border of Egypt (1 Kings 4:21; 2 Chronicles 9:26). These passages show that the land promise had already been fulfilled in Israel’s history.

約書亞記明確指出，耶和華將從前向他們列祖起誓所應許的一切地都賜給以色列人，他們就得了為業並住在其中（約書亞記 21:43）。後來在所羅門王時期，以色列國的疆界更達到最大範圍，從伯拉大河直到埃及的邊界（列王紀上 4:21；歷代志下 9:26）。這些經文顯示，土地的應許在以色列歷史中已經實現。

The Bible also uses the word “forever” in ways that must be understood within context. For example, circumcision, the Passover, and the Levitical priesthood were all described as “everlasting,” yet these institutions belonged to the Old Covenant and ended when that covenant passed away. Therefore, the word “forever” does not always mean an endless physical arrangement in this world.

聖經中「永遠」這個詞也需要按照上下文來理解。例如割禮、逾越節以及利未人的祭司制度都曾被稱為「永遠的」，但這些制度屬於舊約體系，當舊約過去時也隨之結束。因此，「永遠」並不一定表示在這個世界中無止境的地上制度。

Furthermore, Israel’s possession of the land was conditional upon their faithfulness to God. When they repeatedly turned away from Him and served other gods, judgment eventually came upon the nation. The destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 marked the final end of Israel as a national covenant people.

此外，以色列人能否持有那地，是以他們對神的忠誠為條件的。當他們一再離棄神、事奉別神時，審判最終臨到這個民族。主後七十年耶路撒冷的毀滅，標誌著以色列作為一個立約民族國家的終結。

Conclusion

The Bible teaches that the land promise to Abraham was fulfilled when Israel possessed the land in the days of Joshua and later reached its fullest extent under Solomon. Israel’s possession of the land was conditional upon faithfulness to God, and their continued unfaithfulness eventually brought judgment, culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. With the passing of the Old Covenant and the coming of Christ, the Old Testament system has already ended, and God’s people are no longer defined by a physical nation or a particular land. Therefore, there is no longer a divinely promised land belonging to any nation today, and modern political Israel should not be directly identified with the Old Testament land promises.

結論

聖經教導，神對亞伯拉罕關於土地的應許，在約書亞時代以色列人得地而居時已經實現，並在所羅門時期達到最完整的疆界。以色列人擁有那地是以對神的忠誠為條件的，他們長期的不忠最終帶來審判，並在主後七十年耶路撒冷的毀滅中完全應驗。隨著基督的來到以及舊約制度的過去，神的子民不再以某一個民族或某一塊土地來界定。因此，今天已不再存在任何神所應許給某一民族的「應許之地」，現代的政治國家以色列也不應被直接等同於舊約的土地應許。