Are the Abrahamic covenant promises in the past or future tense?
The Abrahamic covenant promises are in the future tense. God declared, "I will make of you a great nation, I will do this, and I will do that." The promises look forward to what God will accomplish, not backward to past events, and most Old Testament prophecy uses future tense.
Les teaches that the Abrahamic covenant promises are consistently future tense. He points out that God said, "I will make of you a great nation, I will do this, and I will do that," which is all future. This covenant included making Israel a nation, placing them in a geographical land, and ultimately God Himself coming in the person of the Messiah to be their King. Les also notes that most of the Old Testament is written in the future tense, reinforcing that these promises look ahead to fulfillment rather than back to past events.