Since I has said that the blessings were actually to Christ and His seed. I should explain this with the promises since the blessings obviously did come to the literal descendents.

The Blessing to Abraham has several components that should be listed.

"As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. "No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. "I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. "And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. "Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God." Genesis 17:4-8

"Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said: "By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son; "blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice." Genesis 22:15-18

The Promises are:

1. The Land – very specific always to the Land of Canaan
2. Father of a great nation and Father of many nations or a multitude of peoples – as sand on the seashore and as stars in the heavens
3. God will be His God and His descendents after Him
4. You shall possess the gates of your enemies

Promises fulfilled in Israel:

1. Joshua brought them into the Land of Canaan and conquered it.
2. Abraham became the Father of Israel that became a great nation that excelled the most under King Solomon. Israel was described as, "'The LORD your God has multiplied you, and here you are today, as the stars of heaven in multitude." Deut 1:10
3. "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD your God." Deut 15:41 Therefore he explicitly stated that He would be Israel’s God.
4. The gates of all their enemies were destroyed like the City of Jericho. Most cities in this time protected themselves with walls and gates and the promise was that they would overcome all their enemies and they did.

When Joshua was dying he said, "Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed. "Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all the good things have come upon you which the LORD your God promised you, so the LORD will bring upon you all harmful things, until He has destroyed you from this good land which the LORD your God has given you. "When you have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed down to them, then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land which He has given you." He said that all the promises came about but that they could all come to nothing if they sinned and didn’t follow God.

Promises fulfilled in Christ:

1. New Heaven and a New Earth – New Jerusalem coming down from heaven. Rev. 21
2. Christ is King of Kings and a great multitude

   Revelation 7 " After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, "Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads." (This is the same thing that occurs before God acts in the destruction of Jerusalem. Ezekiel 9)

   And I HEARD the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed… (12,000 or 12 tribes or Righteous Israel BUT)…

   " After these things I LOOKED, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen."

   Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, "Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?" (He was expecting to see the righteous Israel he just heard about and instead he sees this multitude from every nation.)

   And I said to him, "Sir, you know." So he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. "Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them (still future tense). "They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; "for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

3. Rev 21: 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God." Rev 21:22 "But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple."
4. Matt 16:18 "and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." The last gates of our enemy, death, will be destroyed in Christ.

This parallel occurs in the promises time, times and time again with Israel, a physical fulfillment, but an ultimate fulfillment in the Seed or Christ based on the Word of God.

More curiously is the reason why the promises are not passed on beyond Joseph and his children but that’s a subject for the next article.