The promised land that never was

Once upon a time, a new God made a promised to a man called Abraham that He would bring him from an evil town in Mesopotamia called Ur where he lived to a land of "milk and honey": a beautiful place where there he would not experience that evil around him anymore. That God was different from the others, in which he loved man, was just, and wanted man by His side, when the others were cruel, barely cared for men, and did not want men by their side ever.

Later, the descendants of that man were again brought to the same supposedly land of milk and honey. This time they were in Egypt, enslaved by an evil pharaoh. And, for that, God sent plagues on that pharaoh to convince him to let God's people go and told them they should fight the people living in that land and even kill their children.

Later again, the same descendants were yet again brought by God to that very same land. This time they were spread all over the globe, and for that, God started to displace people who were living there before, again killing their children in the process.

Problem is those stories are never backed up by any archeological evidence: we can barely find any scriptures, columns, artifacts talking about those wonders. Especially if we consider the vast amount of evidence in Egypt of all kind of pharaohs such incredible stories should then be commonplace.

Regardless, by now one must be asking why is it that God needs to keep bringing its people back? And why this process is always so bloody? And why is that evil is still felt at that supposedly amazing land and even stronger? And how does that fit a God which is supposedly loving and peaceful?

Worse is when you actually go to that land. It is small and dry, with an eternal problem of lack of water. It really does not sound like milk and honey, especially if we consider it to Egypt's luscious Nile river banks where they came from on the 2nd time. If, anything, the milk and honey land was the very Egypt they were already at.

In the meantime, those descendants were expecting a Messiah. He would finally bring that peace they were so desperate in need of, crushing their enemies to finally reunite them in that promised land. A man came then, but said he would not do anything against their enemies at the time (rhe romans), that his kingdom actually from another world, and that he would not only bring them, but the entire world into that otherwordly kingdom.

The descendant rulers then killed him, but before that, he had promised he'd come back from the dead in 3 days and create a religion which would last forever. He did came back, but that is hard to prove as that happened 2 thousand years ago. But the religion he founded is still around and actually became the world's largest, so that is a good indication he may have indeed resurrected, which proves he was indeed otherwordly, and thus the promised Messiah.

And the followers of the religion he created think he is a God made man who came down from heaven to bring the entire mankind into his glorious kingdom. And, for that, the book that both descendants and followers read claim we only live 120 years, but that we have something inside of us which is eternal.

So, simple logic would determine that the land of milk and honey is that otherwordly kingdom, and all we have to do is follow that messiah's footsteps during our 120 years and after that we will be taken into that amazing land, this time to live forever. If we consider 120 years against "forever", it does not sound so bad.

Especially if we consider the alternative as other Gods at the time offered: to be eternal, but to end up at a place ("xeol") where we just live there regardless of our actions: a big and neutral dumpyard of souls. Or, worse, that there is simply nothing after, that we just disappear. In fact, some sects of the descendants did consider that and some still do. One would then ask why try to do or be something during a short span of 120 years if we will get nothing back.

Also, simple logic determines the enemies which should be crushed were nothing more than those "gods" which lost their followers to that new God and, of course, want revenge and to have them back offering the same holocausts, sacrifices, offerings etc etc of old.

But, when it comes to those descendants, they think that land of milk and honey is that small patch of dry land, and that the Messiah still has to show up to lead them into that rather meaningless place where they would live 120 years tops regardless.

Worse, some of the followers agree with the part that the descendants should return to that small place, although they think that Messiah was the true one. That is even more contradictory, as on one side they believe in an otherworldy Messiah, and on another on a worldly promised land.

If we are to see the thing as a whole, one will quickly conclude that land of milk and honey is the otherwordly kingdom that Messiah promised. For only there people will live forever instead of a measly 120 years, only there there would be peace as God himself is there assuring it, and only there, there will be indeed milk and honey.

As such, all the stories about that patch of dry land as the place of wonders are just tales to help us understand our 120 year walk into that otherworldly kingdom. And the idea of a worldly land of wonder is as wrong as thinking a loving and powerful God would send a Messiah just to take people to that small place.

There was never a worldly land of milk and honey. The promised land is not from this world, and the messiah came to show us how to reach it. When we understand his words all will fall into place and we will then just live our lives hoping for that really glorious and everlasting land of milk and honey.