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.
Enjoy:
So then, all the OT saints are in Hell?
Do you even READ your bible?
Let’s say you are a child.
And your Father promises you to take you to get ice cream if you behave.
During the long (to you) day, you really, really do better, but you still do something wrong.
Now, your Father, who saw your effort, BECAUSE YOU HAD FAITH THAT YOUR FATHER WAS A GOOD FATHER AND WOULD REWARD YOU - decides to take you to get ice cream anyway.
Did the child DESERVE ice cream? NO!
Is the Father Good? YES!
Was the child hopeful, and faithful and TRY to fulfill the promise, even though he could not control himself? YES.
This is a picture of Israel - They are saved by FAITH through their belief in the Old Covenant, and Israel is partially blinded to the Savior until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
WHO BLINDED ISRAEL? Did not God know what Israel would do BEFORE He entered into a convent with them? Of course He did. He knows Israel is a “stiff necked” people. Just the type to receive the OT and not change one jot or tittle.
The Covenant does NOT save people. Jesus does. Nothing has changed, our Deliverer has, and always will be, Jesus. Even the New Covenant shows you cannot keep it. Is there a Christian alive who has kept the LAW? Even just the ten commandments? We Christians are in the same boat as the Jews. All must have faith in God to be saved, and it’s Jesus (like it or not) that is the ONLY One that saves.
So then, should we think God made a mistake and has rejected the Jews?
Read Romans 11
That was because of disobedience. Nbut GOD promised to gather Israel a 3rd time.
No one said that.
I guess it's easy to win arguments when you're putting words into the opponent's mouth.
The OT saints obeyed God and believed in Christ, even if they didn't know His identity yet.
After Christ appeared to the Jews, there's no excuse not to know.
Read another point of view and provide your proofs that it is wrong if you can.
If you're sincerely interested in other points of view...
Catholic revisionist history justifying itself?
No, that’s not biased..........
“Nbut GOD promised to gather Israel a 3rd time.”
Yes, but that occurs AFTER peace worldwide breaks out and righteouss prevails. And it is done by God, not the United Nations.
There is no highway running from Egypt to Jerusalem.
No, it is going on right now. The spiritual restoration of Israel is accelerating, and more Jews are coming to YESHUA every day.
Did the OT saints obey God, or did they try?
You see, they are in the same situation - Justified by FAITH. Not by LAW.
The LAW was only to show you cannot be justified by works.
But they had faith in the coming redeemer, the messiah, God with us!
They knew His titles, but not His name.
So all were and are saved by the same agency - Belief in Jesus.
(Either knowing His name (as we Christians are privileged to) or not).
Are you familiar with the story of the Prodigal Son?
The Gentiles are the younger brother, we ate with the pigs and left the things of God after the fall.
The Jews are the older brother, who stayed in the field.
Note that the older brother would NOT come into the feast when the younger brother returned.
Likewise, the Gentiles have returned to God, but the Jews stay in the field, not attending the celebration.
The parable ends with that issue hanging out. The older brother is still in the field.
But we know from prophecy the older brother WILL return and celebrate with the Father.
WE (the younger brother) should write the older brother out of the family. That decision is the Fathers, not ours.
We are all the prodigal son when we sin. We are all the older brother when we resent seeing a sinner forgiven.
The prodigal son in the story was Jewish. He worked with pigs to emphasize his degradation; how far he had fallen.
There are deeper meanings to all the parables.
I wish you well on your journey.
Yes, he was.
Unbiased sources are sometimes warranted. The author is a Protestant.
https://www.amazon.com/Bearing-False-Witness-Debunking-Anti-Catholic/dp/1599475367/
Who did he kill and how many?
Give us a list of those he himself murdered.
No sense arguing with the RCC faction here.
When you believe in “purgatory” you’ll fall for any lie.
Preterists like yourself are hardly basing their beliefs on historical facts and Biblical truth.
That’s why I refer to your flawed baseline.
You probably date the Book of John to before 70AD - at that point all discussion is moot because you clearly cannot see the massive gulf between His Gospel and the other three.
Not to mention Revelation.
By His cross Chris reconciled Jews and Gentiles, making both ONE in Himself (Eph. 2:14-16)
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.As Paul wrote "theirs is the sonship and the glory and the covenants and the law and the worship and the promises; theirs are the fathers and from them is the Christ according to the flesh" (Rom. 9:4-5).
The Church rejects the idea that the covenant with Israel has been nullified or revoked. The Old Testament is an indispensable part of Sacred Scripture. Its books are divinely inspired and retain a permanent value, for the Old Covenant has never been revoked.
While the role of preparing the world for the arrival of the messiah has been fulfilled by the Jewish people, they still are God’s chosen people whose fidelity to God remains a light to the nations. The Jewish people were called to a unique and special relationship to God that included preparing for the messiah but was not limited to that one role.
The two extremes of replacement theology and dispensationalism are both wrong in their extremes - both Jews and Christians as complimentary and overlapping peoples of God. We are both elect. Those Jewish individuals who are also Christians might be regarded as doubly elect, or elect on two grounds. While the Church is the New Israel, this does not obliterate the identity of the Old Israel, nor deprive it from playing any role in God’s plan of the ages. In particular, it does not remove the prophesied conversion of the Jewish people in the last days.
The prophecy in the book of Revelation is for the Jesus followers - whether of Jewish or gentile heritage.
Chapter 2 and 3 are to churches that are varied from mixed to mostly gentile.
Chapters 5 to 20 are about the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD - and we read about not only the 144K Judeans but also the vast multitudes from all nations who are included in the worship of the Lord.
By the time John wrote the book of Revelation *around 65 AD*, “Christianity” was still a sect of 2nd temple judaism.
Current day Judaism is derived from Phariseeism and actually dates to AFTER 70 AD, so is a “niece” religion to Christianity and about 40 odd years YOUNGER
Unfortunately, “replacement theology” has been the official position of historical chrstianity from the very beginning. It is philo-Semitism that is the recent innovation.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.