Posted on 10/26/2007 9:00:59 PM PDT by topcat54
Replacement theology has become dispensationalism's latest prophetic boogeyman. If you want to end a debate over eschatology, just charge your opponent with holding to replacement theology. What is “replacement theology,” sometimes called “supersessionism,” and why do dispensationalists accuse non-dispensationalists of holding it? Here’s a typical dispensational definition:
Replacement Theology: a theological perspective that teaches that the Jews have been rejected by God and are no longer God’s Chosen People. Those who hold to this view disavow any ethnic future for the Jewish people in connection with the biblical covenants, believing that their spiritual destiny is either to perish or become a part of the new religion that superseded Judaism (whether Christianity or Islam).1
“Replacement theology” is dispensationalism’s trump card in any debate over eschatology because it implies anti-semitism. Hal Lindsey attempted to use this card in his poorly researched and argued The Road to Holocaust.2 He wove an innovative tale implying that anyone who is not a dispensationalist carries the seeds of anti-semitism within his or her prophetic system. This would mean that every Christian prior to 1830 would have been theologically anti-semitic although not personally anti-semtic.
As Peter Leithart and I point out in The Legacy of Hatred Continues,3 it’s dispensationalists who hold to a form of replacement theology since they believe that Israel does not have any prophetic significance this side of the rapture! Prior to the rapture, in terms of dispensational logic, the Church has replaced Israel. This is unquestionably true since God’s prophetic plan for Israel has been postponed until the prophetic time clock starts ticking again at the beginning of Daniel’s 70th week which starts only after the Church is taken to heaven in the so-called rapture. Until then, God is dealing redemptively with the Church. Am I making this up? Consider the following by dispensationalist E. Schuyler English:
An intercalary4 period of history, after Christ’s death and resurrection and the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, has intervened. This is the present age, the Church age. . . . During this time God has not been dealing with Israel nationally, for they have been blinded concerning God’s mercy in Christ. . . . However, God will again deal with Israel as a nation. This will be in Daniel’s seventieth week, a seven-year period yet to come.5
According to English and every other dispensationalist, the Church has replaced Israel until the rapture. The unfulfilled promises made to Israel are not fulfilled until after the Church is taken off the earth. Thomas Ice, one of dispensationalism’s rising stars, admits that the Church replaces Israel this side of the rapture: “We dispensationalists believe that the church has superseded Israel during the current church age, but God has a future time in which He will restore national Israel ‘as the institution for the administration of divine blessings to the world.’”6
Dispensationalists claim that their particular brand of eschatology is the only prophetic system that gives Israel her proper place in redemptive history. This is an odd thing to argue since two-thirds of the Jews will be slaughtered during the post-rapture tribulation, and the world will be nearly destroyed. Charles Ryrie writes in his book The Best is Yet to Come that during this post-rapture period Israel will undergo “the worst bloodbath in Jewish history.”7 The book’s title doesn’t seem to very appropriate considering that during this period of time most of the Jews will die! John Walvoord follows a similar line of argument: “Israel is destined to have a particular time of suffering which will eclipse any thing that it has known in the past. . . . [T]he people of Israel . . . are placing themselves within the vortex of this future whirlwind which will destroy the majority of those living in the land of Palestine.”8 Arnold Fruchtenbaum states that during the Great Tribulation “Israel will suffer tremendous persecution (Matthew 24:15–28; Revelation 12:1–17). As a result of this persecution of the Jewish people, two-thirds are going to be killed.”9
During the time when Israel seems to be at peace with the world, she is really under the domination of the antichrist who will turn on her at the mid-point in the seven-year period. Israel waits more than 2000 years for the promises finally to be fulfilled, and before it happens, two-thirds of them are wiped out. Those who are charged with holding a “replacement theology viewpoint” believe in no inevitable future Jewish bloodbath. In fact, we believe that the Jews will inevitably embrace Jesus as the Messiah this side of the Second Coming. The fulfillment of Zechariah 13:8 is a past event. It may have had its fulfillment in the events leading up to and including the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Contrary to dispensationalism’s interpretation of the Olivet Discourse, Jesus' disciples warned the Jewish nation for nearly forty years about the impending judgment (Matt. 3:7; 21:42–46; 22:1–14; 24:15–22). Those who believed Jesus’ words of warning were delivered “from the wrath to come” (1 Thess. 1:10). Those who continued to reject Jesus as the promised Messiah, even though they had been warned for a generation (Matt. 24:34), “wrath has come upon them to the utmost” (1 Thess. 2:16; cf. 1 Thess. 5:1–11; 2 Pet. 3:10–13).
Before critics of replacement theology throw stones, they need to take a look at their own prophetic system and see its many lapses in theology and logic.
Read Part Two of this article...
2. Hal Lindsey, The Road to Holocaust (New York: Bantam Books, 1989). The address for Bantam Books is 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York.
3. Gary DeMar and Peter J. Leithart, The Legacy of Hatred Continues: A Response to Hal Lindsey’s The Road to Holocaust (Powder Springs, GA: American Vision, 1989).
4. Inserted into the calendar.
5. E. Schuyler English, A Companion to the New Scofield Reference Bible (New York: Oxford University Press, 1972), 135.
6. Thomas Ice, “The Israel of God,” The Thomas Ice Collection: www.raptureready.com/featured/TheIsraelOfGod.html#_edn3
7. Charles C. Ryrie, The Best is Yet to Come (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1981), 86.
8. John F. Walvoord, Israel in Prophecy (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1962), 107, 113. Emphasis added.
9. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, “The Little Apocalypse of Zechariah,” The End Times Controversy: The Second Coming Under Attack, eds. Tim LaHaye and Thomas Ice (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 2003), 262.
ANOTHER
BRAZEN
FALSEHOOD.
It’s the simple and clear Scriptures from the
UNrubberized Bible.
[I'd also be interested in any of the other . . . Preterists responding, if they are brave enough]
1. The world ruler overtly declaring himself?
2. The Mark of The Beast required for every financial transaction?
3. The 3rd Temple rebuilt?
4. The world ruler consolidating his power overtly—in formal charge of all countries?
5. The North American Union?
6. The Gospel being published to every language group?
7. The rise of the False Prophet with dramatic miracles accompanying?
8. The TWO WITNESSES calling fire down from Heaven routinely?
9. The TWO WITNESSES bodies lying in Jerusalem for 3 days in view of the world?
10. The image being brought to 'life' speaking etc. ?
11. The Resurrected Anti-Christ after his mortal wound?
12. WHAT?
Well, I don't believe most of those things must happen. And if they do, they can be altered or reversed. Such is the power of God and the strength of the Holy Spirit in men's lives.
It's important to keep in mind that the earthly powers of this world can use Scripture for their own nefarious ends. So if I were to see an "image in the sky" I would first think perhaps someone is using a very sophisticated form of hologram to confuse the public and lead them into following some foolish pursuit.
And as for the third temple being rebuilt, the third temple is Jesus Christ.
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." -- Philippians 2:10-11"That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
YET ANOTHER
BRAZEN
FALSEHOOD.
Have NEVER read of any Dispy believing in such a thing.
More outlandishness from . . . .
of course . . .
Rubber Bibles,
Rubber History books,
Rubber Dictionaries,
and convoluted spaghetti intellectualizations concocted . . . well . . . it stretches the imagination.
Tell me please, after all the scripture that points this out to them, they won't believe it?
Amen. The question then becomes whether that number will increase or lessen as time goes by.
If we take the long view of history (which is the truer perspective because it simply contains more history than the short view and thus reveals a sense of direction) we can see a tangible, positive trend from 100 Christians 2,000 years ago to one billion Christians today.
How is that a downward trend?
Sounds like brazen DISBELIEF
IN SCRIPTURE, to me.
And still no answer to my question.
I’m disappointed.
BECAUSE
There’s NOT
a
SINGLE
Scripture that says that.
And, The Scriptures about God being THE TEMPLE etc. no need for sun etc. . . .
are evidently for AFTER
THE MILLENIUM.
unbelievable
Which is certainly incorrect, given that Christ was the one-time, fully accomplished sacrifice for all the sins of His sheep, according to Hebrews 10.
"Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin." -- Hebrews 10:18
you won’t understand the temple, or the covenant, God forbid I quote you the scripture explaining the 2 witnesses, etc. Face it Quix, some Christians are on a train, some are on planes, and some on ships at the bottom of the sea
Curious "musing". There is little to suggest from the writings of Church history that such was ever the view. In fact, the quote from Barnabas you gave seems to teach something quite different, for Barnabas concludes:
I will make the beginning of the eighth day which is the beginning of another world. Wherefore also we keep the eighth day for rejoicing, in the which also Jesus rose from the dead, and having been manifested ascended into the heavens.It was the eighth day, i.e., the Lord’s Day, that was significant to the early Church. There is no mention here a literal "thousand years" on the earth as a Sabbath. So there was really nothing for them to loose. The true rest for God’s people is in the new heavens and new earth wherein righteousness dwells.
Hebrews 4 explains the rest of God for His people, and it has nothing to do with the so-called future "thousand years".
Given that the absurdities of the perspective have again surfaced in force . . . I think I’ll return to working on the longish response to the brazen falsehood about 200 mentions of the ABOMDES.
Amazing.
BTW, I believe firmly in THE COVENANT etc.
I just don’t mangle such things as the Replacementarian perspective does.
I will note that
1. I have observed . . . as in
O B S E R V E D
the Replacementarian, Preterist perspective discourage folks from believing in The Gospel when they chose believing it over the simple clear Prophetic truths of The Bible. And, they never progressed to a saving knowledge of Christ. It was just a convenient out for them at a moment of choice.
2. I have
O B S E R V E D
QUITE A NUMBER of folks enter into a Saving Knowledge of and Relationship with Jesus The Christ because a review of
fulfilled prophecis and loming fulfillents f prophecy convinced them of the validity of Scripture
AND OF THEIR NEED TO GET RIGHT WITH GOD SOONER THAN LATER.
Then I must not have understood your question because I thought I answered it.
You asked if certain things were true, what would it take for me to believe them?
And I answered and said since I didn't believe most of those things were true, I will never believe them.
"I answered your darned question!" (FARGO). 8~)
For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." -- Matthew 12:39-40
"The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed." -- Matthew 16:1-4"But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
The "sign" has appeared in the flesh and risen bodily into heaven to confirm the fact that Jesus Christ, the Son of God reigns today in heaven and on earth.
"Salvation is of the Lord."
I have a problem with him, myself. He’s too critical of everybody else.
Thanks for the compliments and the good story. Be blessed!
Oh, I stole my tagline from Steve Schultz, the guy who runs the Elijah List. He’s got a really great message of grace and freedom from religiosity.
The "preterist" view, if you are speaking of the partial preterist view, which is Scriptural, says for ALL MEN everywhere to believe in Jesus Christ TODAY.
It's the dispensational pov that says God has another plan for the Jews besides saving faith in Jesus Christ which truly postpones the call of the Gospel until some future day.
I just don't get it.
Plagerism is the highest form of flattery. 8~)
I don’t think I’ve communicated.
Imagine, Dr. E. all those things occurring in the next 15 years in some Biblically predicted sequence.
At what point
would their occurring on CNN live
cause you to feel SOME need to adjust your theology?
Add one, the TWO WITNESSES being resurrected before the eyes of the whole world and bodily taken up into Heaven, as Scripture dictates, describes.
It’s the dispensational pov that says God has another plan for the Jews besides saving faith in Jesus Christ
= = =
That’s SIMPLY
NOT
TRUE!
How many 100 times would you like me to say that?
I don’t know, personally, of any Dispy—certainly who’s theology I’d respect on such points—but really I don’t know anyone who believes that.
All will come to The Father by Christ and Christ Alone.
THEY WILL LOOK ON HIM WHOM THEY PIERCED . . . . and believe.
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