What is the significance of the land of Israel, both in the Old Testament and today? We can summarize it in three statements. One, in the Old Testament, the land of Israel was the replacement of the land of Eden, as the Israelites were the replacement of the priestly and regal couple, Adam and Eve. The prophets often liken the promised land to Eden or the garden. And Israel is called to be a kingdom of priests (royal priesthood) as Adam and Eve were the first priests, as well as king and queen, in Eden. Two, the land of Israel, as the new Eden, awaited a cosmic expansion, which would come to pass when God sent the Messianic King, the Son of David, who would rule over the ends of the earth. All peoples would be subject to him. His kingdom would be that "Stone" in Daniel 2:35, which would become a great mountain and fill the whole earth. In other words, Israel's borders were to encompass the whole world under the Messiah. Three, this promise has come to pass in Jesus the Messiah, the last Adam, the true and faithful Israelite. He told the woman in Samaria that the time was coming when neither her mountain, nor the mountain in Jerusalem, would be the geographically confined worship place of believers. Instead, they would worship in Spirit and Truth (John 4:21-24). That time is now, the New Testament era. Jesus told his disciples to take the message of the kingdom to “all nations,” the four corners of the earth. Wherever the good news of the reign of Christ, his kingdom, is preached, THERE IS THE PROMISED LAND. Israel and Eden and the promised land are the kingdom of Christ the Messiah. Israel the land is a worldwide place, for the church is worldwide. What we await, in hope, is the new heavens and new earth, where this reality will become not only visible but our everlasting habitation. For now, we rest in the promise that, in Christ, we dwell in his kingdom, that is, in the true land of Israel. That is the biblical, theological, and messianic significance of Eretz Yisrael, the land of Israel. It is no longer a geographically confined state but a worldwide kingdom, without borders. (If you're interested in learning more about this, I flesh out all these details in my book, The Christ Key: Unlocking the Centrality of Christ in the Old Testament.)