III. The land and its boundaries

The Scriptures contain several descriptions of the promised land. Genesis 15:18 refers to a territory between the river of Egypt and the Euphrates. Other passages provide further descriptions of its boundaries. Ezekiel 47:13–21 describes the boundaries of the land that, in his vision of the future, is divided among the tribes.

These passages must not be carelessly combined into a single modern map. Some places and boundaries cannot be identified with certainty in terms of present-day geography. Moreover, the

boundaries described in Ezekiel do not necessarily represent the full extent of every promised territory mentioned earlier.

This Manifesto confirms the scriptural promise of land and identifies the relevant descriptions of its boundaries. It does not establish any disputed modern boundary where further research remains necessary. Genesis 15:18 and Ezekiel 47:13–21 are therefore examined separately.

When considering boundaries, restraint is not a lack of conviction, but a requirement of accuracy. Genesis 15:18 and Ezekiel 47 do not simply provide the same kind of description. The former describes the extent of a promise; the latter sets out a division of land involving tribes, a sacred strip of land and a city.

The Manifesto also examines whether the principles of arrangement found in Ezekiel 48 can be applied to the larger territory of the promise to Abraham. This is an inference drawn from the relationship between the Scriptures, not a directly established geographical division. The appendix explains the different descriptions of the territories and their associated uncertainties separately.

A proposed northern boundary extending to the Black Sea cannot be presented as a proven scriptural boundary. Where ancient place names are disputed, further research by specialists is required. The Manifesto need not elevate any map to the status of God's word.