Posted on 03/03/2024 10:48:40 AM PST by Roman_War_Criminal
Much like a quarterback suddenly tackled from behind by a player from the opposing side, the claim that God has rejected Israel and replaced the nation with the church represents a blindside attack on the integrity of Scripture.
Those who say the church is now God’s kingdom not only greatly err, but also cause considerable harm to the reliability of Scripture, which in turn deprives believers of their safe refuge for the perilous times in which we live.
In defense of these assertions, which I know seem extreme to some, I will start with how a group of prominent leaders in the Christian community defined biblical inerrancy in the last century.
THE CHICAGO STATEMENT ON BIBLICAL INERRANCY (1978) In 1978, over three hundred Evangelicals met in Chicago and agreed to a statement affirming the inerrancy and inspiration of Scripture. This was also the year that I graduated from Talbot Theological Seminary and as I recall, the integrity of the Bible was a hot button issue at the time. My professors assigned the reading of several books on this matter. I still have my copy of Harold Lindsell’s The Battle for the Bible written during this time.
I am aware that a few who signed this document ascribed to Replacement Theology, the belief that God had rejected Israel and replaced the nation with the church, which represents His current kingdom on the earth and thus our inheritance of such a realm.
However, wording of the Chicago Statement refutes the symbolical interpretations of Biblical prophecy upon which Replacement Theology rests. Article VI, which upholds the inspiration and inerrancy of the words of Scripture:
We affirm that the whole of Scripture and all its parts, down to the very words of the original, were given by divine inspiration.
Article XVIII further negates interpreting God’s Word in ways that dismiss the meaning of the words found in any biblical text:
We affirm that the text of Scripture is to be interpreted by grammatico-historical exegesis, taking account of its literary forms and devices, and that Scripture is to interpret Scripture.
In the past few years, I have heard several sermons given from the viewpoint that Jesus is now reigning in fulfillment of prophecies found in passages such as Psalm 2, Psalm 110, and Daniel 7. In each case, the pastor based his exegesis of the passage more upon human wisdom rather than upon the words God inspired the writers of Scripture to record for us.
However, not only does Replacement Theology contradict the ways that church leaders in the past defined biblical inerrancy, but it also fails to measure up to the amazing record left for us by the Old Testament prophets.
THE AMAZING HEBREW TEXT After my graduation from Talbot, I worked for an entire year at the Lockman Foundation assisting in its production of the exhaustive concordance for the New American Standard Bible (NASB). I spent the majority of this time immersed in the Hebrew and Aramaic text of the Old Testament connecting words in the original to their English equivalents in the NASB.
Spending forty hours a week in the original text of the Old Testament not only greatly increased my love of the words of Scripture, but also left the following impression ingrained in my soul:
The amazing uniformity of the Hebrew text, written over a period of many centuries by a variety of authors and prophets, is far more than enough to discredit the retrofitting of its words, with human wisdom, in order to make them support God’s reneging on His solemn promises to Israel.
At the time, I regarded my time at the Lockman Foundation as an unnecessary delay in reaching my goal of serving fulltime at a church. Looking back, I regard this detour as a key aspect of the Lord’s preparation for my current ministry.
THE BACKDOOR ASSAULT ON SCRIPTURE During the years following 1978, the vast majority of churches identifying themselves as “Evangelical” not only stood by the Chicago Statement of biblical inerrancy, but also proclaimed that Jesus would come for His church before a seven-year period of Tribulation upon the earth. They affirmed adherence to John’s account of Jesus’ thousand-year reign upon the earth as recoded in the words of Revelation 20:1-10.
For many years, belief in the inerrancy of Scripture and the pre-Tribulation Rapture remained inseparable in most churches that referred to themselves as “Evangelical.”
Sadly, such is no longer the case. Many churches today adhere to Replacement Theology even though, as noted above, it contradicts the wording of key articles found in the 1978 Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy and rests more upon human wisdom than the words found in Scripture.
Does this not signify a backdoor assault on God’s Word? Rather than outright deny the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture, they voice strong affirmation for it while at the same time adhering to views of future things that changes the meanings and inspired intent of the words penned by its authors and prophets.
“What’s the big deal?” some might ask. “As long as a church remains true to the Gospel and its pastors carefully exegete Scripture in areas that do not pertain to future things, why should we be alarmed that it dismisses God’s promises to Israel and promotes a no Rapture future?”
I will answer this objection in the next section.
THE FRUIT OF DISMISSING BIBLE PROPHECY HARMS NEW TESTAMENT SAINTS Though not often immediately apparent, the long-term impact of retrofitting Bible prophecy so as to make the church the recipient of God’s promises to Israel negatively impacts believers in the following fours ways:
1. IT LEADS THEM TO GREATER DEPTHS OF FALSE TEACHING Replacement Theology provides the basis for other teachings that lead those in the pews into greater depths of false teaching. One of its offspring, Dominion Theology, teaches that the church, not Jesus, will inaugurate millennial conditions to the earth. This takes the error of teaching that church is God’s kingdom to a far greater extreme.
Despite being the most popular view of future things in churches, Dominion Theology represents an open attack on the reliability of Scripture in all matters pertaining to faith and practice.
Preterism, another child of Replacement Theology, sprang up in the 1500’s in response to the Reformer’s insistence that the pope was the antichrist and the Roman Catholic Church his kingdom. Like its sibling, Dominion Theology, such an interpretation of prophecy contradicts God’s Word in many places. Both assault Scripture in ways that severely weaken its reliability in matters not related to future things.
2. IT OPENS THE DOOR TO WOKEISM The acceptance that the words on the pages of our Bibles can signify something entirely different than the meaning of the words used by the authors of Scripture erodes the integrity of other passages. In this way, it opens the door for the acceptance of the LGBQT+ agenda.
If one can assert that God has rejected Israel despite Paul’s clear assertion to the contrary in Romans 11:1-2, then is it not easy to assume how others might apply the same principles of interpretation to what the apostle wrote about homosexuality? Does it not open the door for alternate interpretations of behavior that the apostle specifically addresses?
Andy Stanley is “Exhibit A” for how Replacement Theology leads to Wokeism. Though he stops short of fully endorsing the LGBQT+ agenda, Stanley’s recent statements illuminate the path for others to go there. His views on Israel and the Old Testament reveal that he’s light years away from the view of Scripture expressed by his dad, Charles Stanley:
God’s Word is absolutely true. You may not understand how God is going to bring about what He’s promised you, but He is keeping every promise that He has ever made. He will never deceive you or disappoint you, and He will never change His mind about what He’s told you.[1]
For more on how the denial of a future for Israel has opened the door to Wokeism in many churches, please read my blog article, Wokeism Begins With Devaluing the Words of Scripture.
3. IT DEPRIVES THEM OF THE REFUGE PROVIDED BY BIBLE PROPHECY Bible prophecy is the greatest source of encouragement for the perilous times in which we live.
I could not even begin to cope with all that I see happening in our world apart from what the Bible teaches about the Hereafter. Jesus is my strong tower of refuge; His Word is what keeps me sane because I know He is going to intervene in this world in the near future. He is coming soon to take me home and after that punish the great wickedness that’s overtaking our world.
Pastors who either remain silent about Bible prophecy or proclaim Replacement Theology deprive those in their charge of the only safe refuge available to them in these perilous times. They lead saints away from the “strong tower” (Proverbs 18:10), that of Jesus’ promises to us in His Word, to sandcastles that will soon disappear amid the raging waves of the sea.
4. GUIDES BELIEVERS TO UNBIBLICAL WORLDVIEWS The religious leaders of first century Jerusalem failed to connect the words of Old Testament prophecy with person of Jesus (Matthew 16:1-4). They regarded Jesus as a threat to their status quo and refused to acknowledge or even investigate how He fulfilled the words of prophecy contained in Scripture.
We see the exact same pattern today. Many pastors regard Bible prophecy as a threat to their ministry and treat the Rapture as far too radical of an idea to even discuss from the pulpit. Because of their failure, or unwillingness, to connect the dots between today’s world and biblical prophecy, they lead those in their charge into worldviews that differ little from those espoused by those outside the faith.
Any outlook on life that ignores the Lord’s the imminent intervention in our world, or pushes it to the end of ages, inevitably leads to an unbiblical worldview. The dismissing of the multiple signs of the end of the age inevitably leads to that of exalting earthly expectations above eternal realities (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).
DENYING THE FUTURE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL DOES UNDERMINE THE INTEGRITY OF SCRIPTURE The Apostle Peter wrote that in the last days “scoffers” would appear and such people would mock “the promise of his coming” (2 Peter 3:3-4). Jude adds that those who dismiss our hope would be the ones that cause divisions in the church (Jude 17-19). This day arrived and clearly, it’s no small matter.
In my experience, I have found the following to be true:
Churches that designate beliefs in future things as “tertiary,” or matters of third-rate importance, are by far the most unwelcoming of other positions and thereby divisive to the body of Christ. If you persist in bringing up beliefs in Jesus imminent appearing in such places of worship, its pastors are more than willing to show you to the door. I have received emails from all over the world verifying this sad reality.
On the other hand, pastors who adhere to a pre-Tribulation Rapture typically do not close the door of their churches to those with differing views of Bible prophecy. When preaching about future things, they often acknowledge the existence of other viewpoints about Bible prophecy, something one never hears in churches that adhere to Replacement Theology either tacitly or openly.
The denial of God’s future restoration of a kingdom for Israel is no small matter. Although the fruit of such unbelief is rarely evident in the near term, over time, it most definitely leaves a legacy of undermining the veracity of Scripture and harming the saints in the ways noted in the previous section.
Bible prophecy is most certainly not a “tertiary” matter in the day in which we live, it’s of the utmost importance and essential to the wellbeing of believers.
I was going to format it better, but then my wife called me to help her, so I just said, “Oh this is good enough”.
You are the one smearing The Sovereign Lord, His Chosen Nation, and all True Bible-Believing Christians who take Him at His Word.
The scenarios (which I’ve gone over time and again with you) regarding Israel are:
“I will bless you” if....
“If you disobey my commands”....
Blessings and cursings are outlined in the OT.
You take it a step further by calling The Lord a liar because you blot out His Eternal Promises to Her which are outlined all over the OT.
Maybe you just can’t find Romans 11 in your Bible?
Or Ezekiel 36 and 37 - I know you dispute this, but I’m posting this because others might actually want to learn rather than staying put in ignorance.
Your poisonous belief in Preterism is what keeps you from seeing the truth - somebody has to tell you.
Others have chimed in too.... *sigh* 🥱🙄
And so, how is this applied to the whole of judaism then?
Because if it is, as you are indicating, then the promises God made to the Jews have been broken by God. God (though the smoking pot and torch) walked through the two halves, not Abraham AND God.
No, the correct interpretation does not make God into a capricious God, like the god of the pagans.
Yes that is true.
He did great damage to The Word of God.
Yes, note that BOTH the Church and Israel are present in Revelation.
And Jesus said: “And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; 9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.”
Then He said: “Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.”
Jesus is in full agreement with Paul in Romans.
Only those who accept Jesus as Messiah can be true Jews.
Revelation speaks much of 7 (Christian) churches that are made up of Jewish and Gentile "Believers". When it speaks of Israel it distinguishing between Israel Believers and non-Believers. The reference to the 144,000 is in reference to Jewish Believers. I.e., "Then I looked and saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000 who had His (Christ's) name and His Father’s name written on their foreheads." - Rev 14:1
Much discussion about Israel's position and role is conflated IMHO. Israel (in-Christ) must be distinguished/separated from Israel (rejecting-Christ).
If I’m not mistaken, it was out that meeting in Chicago that the New International Version of the bible was born, probably the worst translation ever conceived. It took the “word for word” translation of the manuscripts out of the mix and instead inserted “dynamic equivalence” thereby giving the ungodly a way to reinterpret the Bible to their liking.
NIV didn’t help, but Preterist poison has been around since the times of Augustine and before.
Too many people have this braggart belief that the vine grafted in is more important than the actual tree itself.
These same types conveniently forget that Jesus was Jewish too. Oops!
The Five Biggest Errors of Dispensationalism
1. CHURCH AGE. Dispensationalists would have us believe that the church age is but a parenthesis in history. In other words, the church age constituted an “interruption” in the fulfilment of the kingdom promises to Israel. This doctrine teaches that the gospel will ultimately fail, and Christ will have to return to set up a POLITICAL kingdom. But, Christ and the gospel were not a sidelight. That idea is an abomination and an affront to our Lord Jesus Christ. The kingdom of Christ―the New Covenant/Christian Age―is in effect now (Matthew 16:19; Colossians 1:13) and has NO END. There are dozens of passages which prove that: 2 Samuel 7:13; 1 Chronicles 17:11-12; Isaiah 9:7; Ezekiel 37:26; Daniel 2:44; 4:3, 34; 7:14, 18, 27; Luke 1:31-33; Ephesians 3:21; Hebrews 1:1-12; 5:6; 6:20; 7:16-28; 2 Peter 1:11; Revelation 1:6; 5:13; 11:15. Furthermore, the New Covenant and the gospel are eternal (Hebrews 12:28; 13:20; Revelation 14:6) and has universal application (John 3:16; Romans 1:16; Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 1:21; Titus 2:11; 1 John 4:14; Revelation 5:9; 7:9). And remember, Christ’s kingdom is a spiritual kingdom, not a physical one (Luke 17:20-21; John 18:36).
2. DUAL COVENANT THEOLOGY. Dispensationalists think that Israel is distinct from the church―that Israel will re-emerge as pre-eminent among nations. They will again be God’s people in a unique sense. But, this conception was obliterated with the teachings of Paul that all distinctions between Jew and Gentile have been broken down by the gospel (Galatians 3:28). Acts 20:21-24 is clear that in the New Covenant the gospel is the same for both Jews and Gentiles―repentance and faith in Jesus. The New Testament declares that all of God’s covenant promises were fulfilled in Jesus (Luke 1:54-55, 69-75; 2 Corinthians 1:20), the ultimate offspring of Abraham (Matthew 1:1; Galatians 3:16). The promises to Israel were contingent on obedience (Deuteronomy 28), but she failed the test (Matthew 23:29-24:3) and had a finite end (Mathew 21:18-19; Romans 11:11-24; Hebrews 8:13; 10:8-10; etc.). The kingdom was taken from the Jews and given to another group, namely the church (Matthew 21:33-45)―melding a remnant of faithful Jews with believers in Christ (Romans 9:27; 11:1-24; Galatians 3:28). The new Israel of God is no longer fleshly, natural Israel, but rather are those who have faith in Jesus Christ (John 1:12-13; 8:31-47; Romans 2:28-29; 9:6-8; Galatians 3:6-9, 25-29; 6:14-16; 1 Peter 2:4-10; etc.). The modern state of Israel has nothing to do with biblical Israel.
3. MISUNDERSTANDING THE LAST DAYS/END TIMES. There are 19 specific mentions of the last days or end times in the New Testament. Without exception, the writers of the New Testament declared that THEY were living in the last days (Acts 2:14-21; 1 Corinthians 7:19-21; 10:11; Hebrews 1:1-2; 9:26; 1 Peter 1:20; 4:7; 1 John 2:18; etc.) Thus, the last days/end times marked the end of the old covenant order, not the end of time or the end of the Christian Age.
4. INSISTENCE ON ALWAYS READING THE BIBLE LITERALLY. Just some questions: Should we literally hate our mother and father so that we can be Jesus’ disciple (Luke 14:26)? If your eye causes you to sin, should you literally pluck it out (Mark 9:47)? Is it necessary to literally eat Christ’s body in order to have life (John 6:53)? Did the mountains and the hills really break into song and the trees clap their hands (Isaiah 55:12)? When God judged Babylon according to Isaiah’s prophecy, an event fulfilled in actual history in 539 BC, did the stars and sun literally stop giving their light (Isaiah 13:10) and the heavens literally tremble (Isaiah 13:13)? When God judged Edom in 583 BC, did the sky literally roll up like a scroll (Isaiah 34:4)? Why do you insist on a literal earthly kingdom when Jesus said his kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36)? Is the New Jerusalem literally a future city 1400 miles square that will hover over the Middle East like a space ship? Geeze. Especially this literal millennial stuff, if it wasn’t being taught in Christian churches, it would be considered science fiction!
5. FUTURIZING DANIEL’S 70 WEEKS. Here are things that cannot be found in the 70 weeks of Daniel 9:24-27: the Antichrist, a covenant being made with the Jews by Antichrist (then broken), a gap of 2,000 years between the 69th and 70th weeks, a post AD 70 rebuilt temple. If these things are not found in Daniel 9, dispensationalism crumbles. Daniel 9:27 is clear that the prophecy ended with the “end to sacrifice and offering” and the Abomination of Desolation (which Jesus told his first-century followers they would witness per Matthew 24:15). These things happened in real time in AD 70 when the temple was destroyed (Matthew 24:2, 34).
“The very idea of a God that planned and predicted the establishment of the kingdom, at a given time in history, and sent His Son to accomplish that, only to see him fail, is surely one of the most shameful theological concepts ever invented. . . . Are we supposed to believe that Jesus ‘did not envision’―the establishment of the church, even though he came to die to purchase it?” (Don K. Preston, Seal Up Vision and Prophecy, pgs. 93, 96)
“Dispensationalism is a theological house of cards. The main reason that it remains the eschatology of choice among fundamentalists is its sensationalism factor. With its parenthesis view of history and a return to the Old Covenant rites of circumcision and animal sacrifices, it is beyond me how anyone can claim that dispensationalism is orthodox Christianity.” (from 10 Popular Prophecy Myths Exposed and Answered, pg. 102)
Paul was saying that the tree was Jewish, and you know it.
All of God’s promises to the Jews were fulfilled in Christ.
No we don't. We know that Jesus is God incarnated into the body of Jew. But it doesn't mean that mortals with Jewish DNA are special.
Acts 10:34
Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism.
What has been replaced is not the Jewish people but the Old Covenant. The New Covenant in Jesus Christ is open to Jews and non-Jews alike. There are not two covenants; only one.
I was watching a ministry on Youtube, I don't remember the name of it, and I thought, "ok, these folks got their act together." Then they started with their replacement theology stuff, and I immediately unfavored them.
“You are the one smearing The Sovereign Lord, His Chosen Nation”
I merely quoted the words of Jesus. How is that smearing Him?
However, your deranged insane rantings are entertaining.
Although, a few hundred years ago, you are one of the ones slaughtering people who do not comply and obey your freaking little nonsense.
His “chosen nation” according to you did not exist for 2,000 years. Not to much chosen in that.
The tribes of Israel are not identified as a separate nation, and the visions include many more people.
——>43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.
Exactly. Literal Israel is done. They were given EXACTLY 490 years to repent, etc... as prophesied by Daniel. They failed. The “gospel message” was taken from them and given to the Gentiles, the church. The church is a continuation of literal Israel. They are no longer a chosen people. They have as much chance as anyone else for salvation.
GOD is faithful to his promises to Israel FO4 HIS NAMES SAKE, NOT because they deserve it. And a true Jew is one who’s circumcision is of the heart. GOD doesn’t break his covenants. And he also follows through on his judgements.
All promises to LITERAL Israel now apply to SPIRITUAL Israel. And, those promises were and are CONDITIONAL upon obedience.
Hebrews 10: (New Covenant)
16This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR HEARTS, AND IN THEIR MINDS WILL I WRITE THEM;
17And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
18Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
Those who will be in heaven:
Revelation 14:12Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
So simple.
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