Genesis 12:2  And I will make you into a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And [you shall] be a blessing; (NASB2020)

We need to ask: has this promise been fulfilled?  Some may argue that Israel has seen this promise fulfilled. But that is not likely to yet be the case.  David and Solomon were two of the greater kings of Israel, and both ruled over a kingdom divided. 

Genesis 12:7  And the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him. (NASB2020)

This land promise has not yet been fully recognized. 

Genesis 17:1  Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless.   2  “I will make My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly.”   3  Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,  4  “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you will be the father of a multitude of nations.  5  “No longer shall you be named Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. (NASB2020)

What does this extended promise mean? For this promise is given even before Abram and Sarah give birth to Issac.  And also before that we hear concerning Sarah: Genesis 17:16  “I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be [a mother of] nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” (NASB2020)

What are we to make of this.  This is not just one nation coming forth from this covenant.   For there are many, and they will yield numbers as the stars of the heavens.  Could this be why the Apostle Paul makes this statement in Romans. 

Romans 2:28  For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh.  29  But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from people, but from God. (NASB2020)

Obviously not all Israel had trusted the Lord for heart circumcision, and beyond the days of the Jewish peoples many Gentiles from every nation have joined those Jews, who did find new birth.  But Abraham will become a mighty nation. Think about this with me.  Can this happen before the Resurrection.  For then the Messiah of Israel and His bride will be possessing all of the land that God had promised to Abraham.    

Genesis 18:17  The LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do,  18  since Abraham will certainly become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed? (NASB2020)

The question needing our consideration is this.  Will or even can all the nations of the world be blessed before Abraham is the recipient of mighty nation status during the millennium?  And if we consider what is said of Abraham in Hebrews 11:8-12; then we must consider is this promise only to come true after this age is over?   These verses tell us this:

Hebrews 11:8  By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he left, not knowing where he was going.  9  By faith he lived as a stranger in the land of promise, as [in] a foreign [land,] living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise;  10  for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.  11  By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond [the] proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised.  12  Therefore even from one man, and one who was [as good as] dead at that, there were born [descendants who were] just as the stars of heaven in number, and as the innumerable [grains of] sand along the seashore. (NASB2020)

It seems that a millennial promise is what the Scriptures imply, because this promise requires that the gentile believers of this age in Israel’s Messiah be included in order to bring about that fulfillment (many Nations). 

So we must consider just what Paul means by these words:

Romans 2:28  For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh.  29  But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from people, but from God. (NASB2020)