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From: ta00est@unccvax.uncc.edu (elizabeth s tallant)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Re: A first cut at Tolerance (long - sorry)
Message-ID: <Feb.28.17.35.38.1991.5690@athos.rutgers.edu>
Date: 28 Feb 91 22:35:39 GMT
Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu
Organization: University of NC at Charlotte
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Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu

>In s.r.C, someone writes:
>    If I remember right, the Jews had occupied that land years before they
>    were taken captive by the Egyptians.  What I'm saying is that it was
>    _their_ land.  And, I'm sure the Canaanites weren't about to give it
>    back.

If you read about the forty years in the wilderness, God granted the land
to the children of Israel only upon certain conditions.  The land did NOT
belong to those complaining Israelites of whom God promised would never
enter the land because of disobedience.  In fact, the "complaining" Israelites,
and even Moses himself, never even lived in the Promised Land.  

Further, during the Babylonian captivity, the Bible says that God Himself
was on the side of Nebucanezzer (sp?), because the Hebrew enslavement was a
punishment from God.  Again, many from this generation never lived in,
or even saw, the Promised Land.

So, what it all boils down to is that the Promised Land, just like every 
other land on this planet, BELONGS TO GOD.  Man is allowed to use the
land according to what God will allow.  Thus, the Hebrews were allowed to 
have the Promised Land upon certain conditions, and God could and still can
revoke that privelage at any time.


Elizabeth