The strange thing is, Israel has never, in its long history, occupied anywhere near this much land—not even at the height of its glory days under David and Solomon. This fact has caused many biblical scholars to spiritualize the meaning of the term land and equate it with heaven. Others claim these promises were conditional and were forfeited by Israel’s disobedience. In refutation of these interpretations, Dr. John F. Walvoord wrote:

Through Abraham, God gave His written Word to the world. With the possible exceptions of Luke and Acts, every book of the Bible was authored by a Jewish writer. ¹³ And through Abraham, God gave His Son to the world, blessing all humanity with the means of escaping the grip of sin and death, that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith (Gal. 3:14). All the other promises in God’s covenant with Abraham are in support of this one universal promise that affects every person who has ever lived. AN ETERNAL COVENANT

Here we reach the overarching reason for all the promises we have studied in God’s covenant with Abraham: In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed (Gen. 12:3). The ambiguity of the stages in this case may lend support to the professed inadequacy of this event as compared with the other signs.

Kysar discusses this point from the perspective of which comes first, faith or knowledge, and concludes that faith only occurs where extra-sensual perception already exists. Some of the signs we encounter in the Scriptures are informational, some are invitational, and many offer warnings about the road ahead—warnings that apply to both our present and our future. All of these signs are important, and none should be ignored.Some disagree with this list of seven signs. John Marsh and Stephen Smalley, amongst others, have suggested six initial signs (seeing the walking on the water as part of feeding the 5000, rather than a separate sign in itself), and that the seventh sign is the crucifixion of Jesus and the resurrection appearance to Thomas (20:26–29). [5]

Much attention in recent years has been directed to the significance and function of signs in the Gospel of John. The focus on signs has resulted from studies in the redaction, structure and theology of the gospel. 1 We wish to concentrate on the theological role of the signs, with reference to structure or redaction insofar as these impinge on the theology. J 7 Jesus and John the Baptist- The Bridegroom, the Christ, The One from Above Must Increase (John 3:22-36; Aland # 28-29) John and the Synoptics In the Gospel of John the signs are pointers. It is appropriate first of all to ascertain that to which they point. By contrasting John with the synoptics the object of faith becomes clear. In John the miracles are focused upon who Jesus is, that is the preexistent one sent from God. This purpose is unmistakable in John 12:37: “Though he had done so many signs before them, yet they did not believe in him.” For John, what is at stake is the recognition and confession of Jesus as divine son.

But here’s the rest of the story. Later, when the Chief Rabbi of Israel, Isaac Halevi Herzog, called the White House, he told Truman, God put you in your mother’s womb so that you would be the instrument to bring about the rebirth of Israel after two thousand years. One of Truman’s men reported that when he looked at Truman after the rabbi’s statement, tears were running down his cheeks. ¹⁷ As if “Jew” is synonymous with unbelief 5:10, 38; 7:48; 8:44-45; 9:18; 10:22-26. Jews also believed 11:45, but many did not confess for fear they would be put out of the synagogue 12:42-43. Any normal reading of Scripture recognizes Canaan as an actual place, a piece of real estate, an expanse of soil that belongs to Abraham’s descendants forever.

Contexts are crucial. Although the Qur'an as a whole is authoritative, its content must be applied to particular contexts. Which aspect of the Qur'an applies and where? When does it apply and for whom? These are questions that probe coherence and selectivity at two levels. First, why are some but not all passages of the Qur'an of special value at different times and places? And second, how do changes in context impart special value to particular verses or chapters? The first stage of faith is the inclination or predisposition to believe that Jesus possesses unusual powers. 30 These followers are already predisposed to expect the extraordinary from Jesus. A second factor now enters, the confidence or faith of Mary who preceded both Jesus and the disciples to the wedding (2:1-5). Mary is committed to the power of Jesus’ word, “Do whatever he tells you,” (2:5). 31 Of all God’s covenant promises to Abraham, I believe the most amazing is His promise concerning the land. God told Abraham to leave his country, his family, and his father’s house and go to a land that I will show you (Gen. 12:1). God then led Abraham to the land that would belong to his descendants forever.God’s covenant with Abraham consists of four unconditional promises. First, God promised to bless Abraham. That promise has been lavishly kept; Abraham has been blessed in many ways. For thousands of years, Abraham has been revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike. Midrash Mekilta on Exod 15:26 J 16 Jesus Goes from Galilee to Jerusalem (John 7:1-13; Aland # 238-39)