God Foretells the Church

When Jacob finally returns to Bethel to fulfill the vow he had made to build an altar to God (Genesis 28:20-22), God appears to him and confirms with him the promise he had made to his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac. God had told Abraham (Genesis 12:2-3) and Isaac (Genesis 26:2-5) that they would have many offspring, and through their offspring all nations on earth would be blessed. It was through the Jewish nation that Jesus would come to redeem the whole world. Now God expands on that promise a bit more to Jacob, "A nation and a community of nations will come from you . . ." (Genesis 35:11). This "community of nations" would be all the people who would gather together to follow the Savior Jesus by whom they had been blessed. This community of nations would be the New Testament Israel, the Church.