Evangelical Lutherans in US: Stop aid to Israel if settlements allowed to stay – August 14, 2016 - Jerusalem Post
Note: After the overwhelming vote at the Lutheran (ELCA) Convention calling Israel an occupier, etc., those who were involved in the Isaiah 58 movement were very proud of their accomplishment.
On Sunday evening, August 19, 2016, I wrote their media contact and spokesman, Dale Loepp. Below is Dale’s response that the land of Israel is for all descendants of Abraham. I wrote Dale back, saying that he is wrong—and provided scriptures to prove the point.
The Lutheran’s main position is based on Genesis 13:15-17 which is not a covenant. They use flawed hermeneutics and eschatology. The Abrahamic covenant only applies to Isaac and his seed (descendants).
UPDATE: The good news is the Isaiah58.info website has been closed. Moreover, it appears from a Google search that Dale Loepp slowed down to the point of stopping his on-going Palestinian narrative in 2016. I pray that God used this dialogue and conversation to show him and ELCA the biblical truth.
Lutheran convention and flood update: The Lutheran (ELCA) met in New Orleans from August 8 to August 13, 2916. The Lutherans passed two “Israel condemning” resolutions on August 12 (C-1) and August 13 (C-2). The flooding began on August 12 and worsened on August 13 and beyond. No church organization or any other national organization had gone to this extent.
Flood information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Louisiana_floods
----
Dale’s Loepp of Isaiah 58’s response to my email:
In the Bible, God promises the land to all of Abram's descendants, not just to a subset of a subset of those descendants. Abram/Abraham had 8 sons. Genesis 13 is extremely clear on this point.
My response to Dale:
God did not promise the land to all of Abram’s descendants.
This is what the Bible says:
Abrahamic covenant and land covenant applies only to Isaac and his seed.
Genesis 17:19 (KJV) And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
Genesis 17:20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
Genesis 17: 21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.
———
The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac
Genesis 35:11-12 And YHWH said unto him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; and the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.”
———
The Land as an everlasting possession
Genesis 48:3-4 And Jacob said unto Joseph, “God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, and said unto me, ‘Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.’”
———
Israel’s land not to be sold or exchanged
Ezekiel 36:24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
Ezekiel 48:14 And they shall not sell of it, neither exchange, nor alienate the firstfruits of the land: for it is holy unto YHWH.
Ezekiel 48:29 This is the land which ye shall divide by lot unto the tribes of Israel for inheritance, and these are their portions, saith YHWH God.
———
Galatians 4:22-31 Isaac and his seed is the heir, not Ishmael
Galatians 4:22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
Galatians 4:23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
Galatians 4:24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
Galatians 4:25 For this Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
Galatians 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Galatians 4:27 For it is written, “Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.”
Galatians 4:28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
Galatians 4:29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
Galatians 4:30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
Galatians 4:31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.