Replacement Theology, Part 1
This issue within the Church today concerns me deeply. At its very core in unbelief. God requires faith in us. Unbelief is a sin against God Almighty. Replacement Theology echoes the world system, The UN and many of the anti-Semitic pinnings around the culture. This is the first of three parts by James Showers. I hope you will get in prayer about this. It is an ugly doctrine in the Church that exposes hatred toward the Jewish people. May God bless you.
This is a highly charged issue that is political at its core. Please review the history, but most of all what is the biblical response. Israel has many enemies, the Church of Jesus Christ should not be one. Many articles are here to demonstrate the words like “Occupation” & Palestinians are political weapons. Amos37 does in no way approve of all of Israelis secular government. They are also sinful men who need the love of Christ. We are called to support Israel but also exercise discernment when holding hands with the world against Gods chosen people. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
[bctt tweet=”There is a doctrine so prevalent within Christendom that is a proverbial “Pink Elephant””]
Concerning the gospel [they are] enemies for your sake, but concerning the election [they are] beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God [are] irrevocable. For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. Romans 11:28-31
by James A. Showers
Source: Replacement Theology, Part 1
If you watch the news headlines, you may have read these: “Episcopal Church Is the Next to Shun Israel,” “Presbyterian Church to Justify Israel Divestment,” and “Methodist Church Renews Drive for Divestment From Israel.”
Divestment involves withdrawing investments from companies doing business with a particular nation in order to put economic pressure on the government. It was a technique used against South Africa to break apartheid. Over the years, some Protestant churches have asked people to stop investing in companies doing business with Israel based on their claim that Israel is a racist nation. But nothing could be further from the truth.
Israel is a democracy that freely gives the vote to both Jews and Arabs. Apartheid occurs when a minority race uses its power to take economic advantage of the majority of another race. Such is not the case in Israel.
About Dispensational & Covenant Theology Origins & Differences by Dr. Renald E Showers
In 2007 a Methodist women’s group wrote a report, sponsored by and paid for by the Methodist church, that referred to the founding of the State of Israel as the “original sin,” thus equating modern Israel with Adam and Eve’s rebellion against God. The report implied humanity sinned against God in creating the modern nation. It was a shocking statement.
The same report claims, “The Holocaust, and the impact of the Holocaust on Israel’s society, has caused hysteria and paranoia amongst Israelis.” The report not only treated the murder of 6 million people casually, as if it were a minor event, but also claimed Jewish people have blown it out of proportion. If an event in history had put 6 million Methodists to death, these women probably would have a different outlook on the Holocaust.
Then, of course, there is Jimmy Carter. The former U.S. president’s 2006 book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, distorted facts, demonized Israel and contained hundreds of falsehoods and fictional statements.
In light of all these events, perhaps you’ve asked yourself, Why are all of these Christians picking on Israel? What’s behind these attacks?
The answer is Replacement Theology, the belief the church has replaced physical Israel (the Jewish people) in the plan of God. Those who hold this view believe the church has become “spiritual Israel” and the inheritor of all the covenant promises God made to Israel. But they say the Jewish people retain all the curses.
Effects on the Church of Replacement Theology
In the Old Testament God often said, in effect, “Keep My covenant, and I’ll bless you; I’ll do all these good things for you. But if you do not keep My covenant, I will curse you; and these judgments will come upon you.” Replacement theologians take the blessings for themselves and leave the curses with Israel. Therefore, whenever they read Israel in Scripture, they replace it with the church. The leadership of most mainline Protestant churches and the Roman Catholic Church hold to Replacement Theology.
Here are some implications of this belief:
•The Jewish people as a nation have no place in God’s future plan, and Israel has no future as a nation.
•There is no Tribulation or the Millennial Kingdom. In fact, such prophecies become problematic, which is why Replacement theologians want us to see Israel not as a physical nation but as the church.
•The church begins with Abraham in Genesis 12, not at Pentecost in Acts 2. Old Testament Israel (not physical Israel, but only those who put their faith in God) are defined as the church.
•Old Testament Law still applies to the church because, if the church began with Abraham and continues today, then everything in the Old Testament still relates to the church.
(The church, in this discussion, includes all denominations.)
Some churches, for example, have altars up front, in the center. Why? Because the Law requires sacrifice, and sacrifices go on an altar. Consequently, they view communion as the re-sacrifice of Christ, believing the elements mutate into the physical body and blood of Christ through transubstantiation.
Under the Law, a man needed an intercessor between himself and God. He could not go to God directly. Hence, some churches have priests rather than pastors.
Infant baptism replaces circumcision that, under the Law, placed a child under God’s covenant.
Have you ever heard Christians refer to Sunday as the Sabbath? In Scripture, Sabbath is sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. God defined it that way, telling Israel, “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work” (Ex. 20:9–10). So church leaders thought, Because we worship on the first day of the week, we’ll redefine Sabbath to be Sunday. It is commonly referred to as the “day of rest.” However, Sunday is the first day of the week, not the seventh. To refer to Sunday as the “Sabbath Day” is contrary to Scripture. There was a reason the church began to meet on the first day: it was the day our Lord arose from the dead.
All these church practices came about because of the belief that God replaced Israel with the church and that the Old Testament Law still applies to the church.
Replacement theologians make the grievous error of interpreting the Old Testament by reading the New Testament back into it. Doing so is the only way they can make their argument. However, if you take God’s Word progressively, in its literal and historical context, as God revealed it to us, you will not believe in Replacement Theology.
Clearly, Replacement theologians believe the State of Israel has no theological reason to exist. They call it a “mistake in history” and see its creation as the “original sin.” Dispensationalists know better. And Dispensationalism makes better sense.
Understanding the Differences
Dispensationalism is a system of biblical interpretation that sees God working with mankind in different ways at different times in history. It is based on a consistent, literal interpretation of Scripture. While salvation has always been by grace through faith, dispensationalists believe the Bible teaches the ultimate purpose of history is not the salvation of man but, rather, the glorification of God. Dispensationalists believe God has two distinct programs for history: one for Israel and one for the church.
DISPENSATIONALISM. God began birthing Israel by calling Abraham and leading him to Canaan, often called the Holy Land. Then He brought the Israelites down to Egypt where they grew into a nation. By the time they fled Egypt, they numbered in the millions.
God led the Israelites into the wilderness and gave them the Mosaic Law, which covers the period of Old Testament history in which they were in the Promised Land. Then they were exiled because of disbelief and idolatry. Later God returned them to their land, where they remained for several hundred years before Christ’s First Coming. All this time, the Gentiles were in a period of ignorance.
Then came Christ’s First Advent, His death on the cross, and His burial and resurrection. Shortly thereafter the Jewish people were scattered, and the church began (Acts 2). Today we are in the Church Age. But the Bible says the church will be caught up and taken out of this world. We call that the Rapture. And with it, the Church Age will come to an end.
Many will come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ after the Rapture, but they will not be part of the church. The church (also called the bride of Christ) will be in heaven with its Bridegroom, Jesus.
After the Rapture, the seven-year Tribulation will begin. It has two purposes: (1) to bring Israel to repentance, reconciliation with its Messiah, and restoration as a nation; (2) to judge the Gentile nations for their rebellion against God and their treatment of the Jewish people.
At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will return to Earth and set up His Millennial Kingdom. He will confine Satan, restore Israel and elevate it above all nations, establish His throne in Jerusalem, and rule the world from there. Believing Gentiles who survive the Tribulation will enter the Millennial (1,000-year) Kingdom.
At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be freed and allowed to lead a final rebellion against God and the reigning Messiah, but he will be defeated and destroyed. Then will come the Great White Throne judgment of all unbelievers, followed by the appearance of the new heavens and new earth.
REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY. It teaches there are not two programs for history but only one and that Israel and the church began with Abraham’s call. Therefore, the Mosaic Law did not end with Christ but still applies to the church today.
Replacement theologians say that in Old Testament times, God worked through physical Israel; and in the New Testament, He worked through so-called spiritual Israel, meaning the church. The Jews once were God’s Chosen People, but now they are the rejected people of covenant curses. The Gentiles who were ignorant in the Old Testament are now the chosen people.
There is no Tribulation or Millennium. They are not needed. In fact, the Millennial Kingdom becomes a real problem for churches that embrace Replacement Theology. They wrestled with it, and out of that struggle came Amillennialism: the belief that the Church Age is the Kingdom of God on Earth and that, at some point, Christ will return to judge sinners and take us to the eternal state— the new heavens and new earth. Amillennialism projects a negative outlook on life because it provides no resolution. The world continues until Christ comes back and judges it before taking believers to the new heavens and earth, and that’s that.
Later in church history, Postmillennialism came along. It contends the church is the active agent of change in the world; and as the church’s impact grows, the entire world will eventually believe in Christ, opening the doors for Christ’s return. This seems to be a more positive outlook, but it is not what the Bible teaches.
Replacement Theology has been the “black sheep” of Christendom because, over the past 2,000 years, it has led to countless acts of anti-Semitism by some in the church— and I cannot overemphasize the word countless. A tremendous amount of anti-Jewish violence has been committed by people who claimed to be doing it “for the Lord.” Jewish people have lived for centuries with the legacy of Christians persecuting them in the name of Christ. And it is because of Replacement Theology that Christians have justified their actions.
In the next article we will travel back through history to see how Replacement Theology became established in the church.
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I’m surprised to see anyone still using “Dr.” Thomas Ice as an authority. His so-called “Ph.D” came from a tiny Texas school that was fined by the state of Texas for illegally issuing degrees (Google “America’s Pretrib Rapture Traffickers”)! And Google “Thomas Ice (Bloopers)” which reveals that he somehow left out a collective total of 49 words when he reproduced Margaret Macdonald’s 1830 revelation – the same 49 words in the same places that Tim LaHaye omitted when it reproduced it three years later! Ice also had four copying errors that Hal Lindsey had when he had reproduced it three years before Ice did! (So-called prophecy experts habitually (mis)copy each other, warts and all, instead of doing their own research!) Also Google “Pretrib Rapture Diehards,” “Deceiving and Being Deceived” by Dave MacPherson, and (the most shocking) “Pretrib Rapture Dishonesty.” Now you know why many these days are swapping pretrib for midtrib, prewrath, or posttrib!
(just saw the above web item. any reaction?)
No offense taken here. We will be doing a full blown study soon on this and I won’t quote any of the people you mentioned above.
Pretrib is our position is just that. It is the way I see it. It is not to be made into a salvation issue or fear mongering as some make it out to be. The more I look at it the more I lean too a Pretrib position. Why is it that so many of you out there have a nasty disposition? I follow the Lord Jesus Christ and the bible. I noted that you commented on the The Replacements. I ask you is God done with Israel? In short I see the Pretrib as the Church of Philadelphia. Yes, many CINO Christians will go into the Tribulation period (as out lined in the last four Churches of Revelation 2 & 3. The Dead Church, The Corrupt Church, The Luke Warm Church will all get a shot at the Tribulation. Review what is being said to these Churches. They are to be “praying to be worthy to escape all these things.” Luke 21:36.
My personal conviction is from much study of the following areas.
1. The Jewish wedding system John ch. 14 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also.” If you look at the process of the Jewish wedding and the steps that go into it and the preparation to the actual consummation and wedding feast. You see this is separate from Israel who is God’s (Jehovah) unfaithful wife (Hoesea) and the virgin (Church) for Christ. Study that out and see how it overlays with the events in Revelation.
2. The Feasts of the LORD as outlined in Leviticus 23 the Moedim. Christ Jesus fulfilled with His first coming the first four feasts to the very hour they where held. A close examination of the three remaining feasts show His ministry as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah that will happen in the Second Coming. This is all over the Old Testament and Revelation is VERY Jewish in it’s reading. There are many phrases we do not understand at large in the Church because we have lost the Hermeneutic of the cultural relevance of the Jews in Christ’s earthly days.
3. The harvest cycles that play such a huge role in the way God spoke to this ancient agrarian culture. We have multiple harvests all wrapped around those feasts days above. Jesus was the first fruits unto God and presented Himself to God as our High Priest. Lev.23, John 20:17, Then thinking about James 1:18, 5:7 and that there are several types of harvests. Barley, Wheat, and the Grape harvest. There is also much to glean (get it) from the parables of the vineyard and the sower. If we look at the OT laws concerning the harvests cycles we can see another layer to God’s plan. Worth inspecting.
4. The Seven Churches of Revelation are as I see a snapshot of Church History. As I mentioned above the last four churches all have some comment from the Lord Jesus about overcoming and being watchful. To Thyratira we see Repent or “your going into the great tribulation” (last 3 1/2 years). To Sardis He says, Be watchful or else I will come upon you as a thief. But a few their will be with the Lord. The thief reference is actually a comment on the High Priest who would check on the watchmen to see if they where sleeping. If they where he would set their clothes of fire from coals off the altar and they would flee naked. To Philadelphia we see that this church is faithful to preaching the word of God and to persevere that He will keep them from the hour. I also think the reference here to Philadelphia is “those of the synagogue of Satan” are replacement denominations who think that they assume to role and promises made to Israel. To Laodicea is troubling. This church is totally deceived, blind, naked to what God is doing and they think everything is great. Sounds allot like Mega Churches of America. This Church is going into the Tribulation to be made pure. Gold refined in the fire is a reference to the tribulation period also as the Jews are going into the Tribulation as pictured in Daniel Ch. 3 with the children of Israel. This purging Zech 13:9 and here in Rev. 3:18.
5. A study of trumpets. There are all kinds of trumpets for all kinds of events. Exodus 19 is a picture of a trumpet blasting and Moses goes up to the Lord who is in a cloud. We have silver, trumpets for calling assemblies. The gold trumpet for the Great assembly on the Jubilee cycles. There is also the Shofar (Rams horn). These are all different with different meanings in the Old Testament. Plenty to chew on.
Finally after all my study of New Age, cults and Ism’s I find it odd that they all seem to have some explanation for a coming Pretrib Rapture. Also worthy of your study. Why is it… Simple the enemy knows he can’t stop it. It is imminent which is another reason most other positions simply seem to come up short. It just makes the most sense. I commend those study areas and may God richly bless you. I love to study his word. Much of what causes division is a failure to look into the culture of the Jewish people. This is why Satan tries so hard to push his anti-Semitic agenda from the UN to Replacement denominations.
Shalom, Keith
I leave this wonderful encounter of thoughts with these words from Paul who as you remember wrote a major portion of what THE CHURCH believes. He said: “1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God hath not cast away his people which he forknew!” [Romans 11:1-2] If you think this is a lie, then how can you trust Paul’s word for anything? HAS JEHOVAH RELLACED HIS WIFE? NEVER, and neither wii I try to do so, for I am Grafted into The Jewish people of whom is written “Salvation is of the Jews!” [John 4:22]
Thanks Pastor,
We are hitting this issue hard. There as you probably are well aware a unbiblical “socially acceptable” gospel that echoes the world. Anyone who read Romans Ch. 9 thru 11 can’t escape that this is just wrong. We must look at the bible as a whole. Can you give me your view of Galatians 6:16. “the Israel of God”. I am addressing this in my next session.
Shalom, Keith
i like this study