Breaking News: Israel Supersedes Replacement Theology!

The rebirth of the Jewish homeland in 1948, the revivification of an ancient language (Hebrew) in 1959, and the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967 are simply the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the miraculous and continued existence of the state of Israel. 

Amos 9 reveals to us that these moments in time were not simply mere coincidences in humanity’s history, but rather, the revealed faithfulness of a God who never breaks His promises. 

As God Himself says through Amos the Prophet, “I will restore the captivity of My people Israel . . . I will also plant them on their land, and they will not again be rooted out from their land which I have given them.”

To the theologically and historically uninitiated and untrained individual, it would seem clear that God is literally fulfilling the words which He spoke through His prophets approximately 3,000 years ago. However, for the past 2,000 years, mainstream Christian Theology and Eschatology has taught that one should not take these words literally, but rather, understand them through the lens of spiritual fulfillment. Therefore, if one be a “true Christian,” they should accept the concepts of Replacement Theology, since historically speaking, this has been the mainstream thought since very near to the time of Christianity’s founding. 

According to most Christian doctrine, the words of Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and all the rest of the Biblical prophets, were never to be taken literally. And up until recently (meaning the past 100 years or so), Christianity would have seemed correct in their interpretations. God was obviously done with the Jewish people. The Jewish people were exiled from their land, and at the mercy of whatever nation would put up with them for a time. 

In order to justify the Jews continued existence (despite their refusal to accept Jesus), Christianity, using the thoughts and verbiage of the Christian theologian, Augustine, came up with the concept of the “Doctrine of Jewish Witness” (better known in colloquial terms as “Witness Theology”). The Jews remained a people, according to this doctrine, not because God had a future plan for them, but as a testament to what God would do to a nation should they reject the truth of the Christian message. 

Armed with this revelatory theological interpretation as to the reason for continued Jewish existence, the Church marched onwards into the annals of history, declaring its chosenness while pointing out and participating in the persecution of the so-called “rejected and rejectors of God” (the Jews). This attitude of Christian theological superiority continues even to this very day. 

A favorite phrase of the Church fathers was to point to the words of the Apostle Paul from Romans 11, declaring the Jewish people to be “partially blind,” meanwhile, in our modern times, the words of the prophets, which supposedly held only “spiritual” significance are suddenly being fulfilled in a very physical and realistic way by a people who were supposedly “partially blind” and seemingly rejected by God. What has been the response of the majority of Christianity? Indifference, passivity, and even downright hatred. Talk about blindness!

Despite the glaringly obvious facts on the ground, despite the numerous fulfilled prophecies, and despite the resurrection of the Jewish people in their homeland, exactly as God spoke through the prophets thousands of years prior, most of Christianity today continues on in its stubborn belief that the Israel of the Bible is now the Church.  They further hold that the blessings of Israel are now bestowed upon the Church (except for the negative prophecies and promises of course—those still remain for the Jews who have rejected Jesus). 

What we are currently seeing in the Church can be referred to as “Theological Antisemitism.” The theology of the mainstream Church has completely removed Israel from having any role in God’s ultimate plan for redemption. Or, better put, according to mainstream Christianity, physical Israel (the Jewish people) has been replaced by spiritual Israel (the Church). If the Jews have any role, it would be that they come into the Church and become Christians. However, this is completely backwards. 

In Acts 15, the Apostles were not discussing how Jews ought to come into the Church, but rather, how Gentiles can become a part of Israel. Christianity is the fruit of 2,000 years of faithful Jews. Christians say Jews need to become Christian, but the Jewish people are the branches upon which the fruit of Christianity grows. The branches are Jewish, the tree is a Jewish tree, and the orchard is a Jewish orchard. Perhaps God is not done with His people after all? As the Apostle Paul wrote, “I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? Far from it!” 

If God cast away His people after the 2,000 years of history which transpired prior to the coming of the Messiah, then what hope does Christianity have that He will be faithful and keep His covenant and promises to those who are in the Church? 

If God’s plan of salvation and redemption can be changed—handed over from Israel to the Church—then logically speaking, every new revelation since Christianity should be taken into consideration as well. If Israel can be replaced by the revelation of Christianity, then the revelation of Christianity should be replaced by Islam, and Islam replaced by Sikhism, and Sikhism replaced by Mormonism, and Mormonism replaced by Baha’i, and Baha’i replaced by Jehovah’s Witness, and so on and so forth. Either God’s promises are unchangeable, or they are ever changing. If Israel can be replaced by Christianity, then Christianity, by all reasoning, can be replaced by any of the so-called revelations of the past 2,000 years since the coming of the Messiah.  

According to the standard and current theology of mainstream Christianity, God spent 2,000 years punishing a people group for disobedience to a law, which He would only later nullify through the cross? The curses found in the Torah followed the Jewish people throughout the centuries, even though, according to Christian theology, the law was simply created to show that we could not keep God’s standards. What kind of game was God playing with the nation of Israel if in the end it was only to throw in the towel and start over again? Had God been playing the cosmic, colossal joke of “Simon Says?” “You thought I meant this, but I actually meant that all along?”    

Absolutely not! The God of the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, would never renege on His covenants or promises. 

What if what Christianity thought was God rejecting His people, was actually, the greatest evidence that He was not finished with His people at all? Think about it; if He had not disciplined His people as He had described in the Torah, then one could say that God was done with Israel. But are not the curses (and blessings) a way of showing that God is still working in and through His people? 

For the past 2,000 years, Christianity has looked down upon the Jewish people, declaring God’s departure from His original people and covenant. The past millennia have witnessed much of the Church (even as the Edomites of old, when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians), declaring, as it says in Psalm 137, “The day of Jerusalem, those who said, ‘Lay it bare, lay it bare to its foundation!’” 

The existence of Israel has been a thorn in the side of Replacement Theology since its beginning stages (though there have been creative work arounds like Augustine’s “Witness Theology" idea). Today the veil has yet to be removed from much of the Church. Not only is Israel still in covenant with God, but they also play a vital role in the future redemption of the world!

Romans 11 tells us regarding the Jewish people, “for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” The Jewish people still have a role in the future redemption which God is working out in the world today. Not only did a Messiah come out of Israel 2,000 years ago to bring the nations of the world into the “commonwealth of Israel” (see Ephesians 2), but now again, God is using the nation of Israel, as a pointer, for the nations of the world to turn in repentance to the God of Israel. 

Apart from Israel, the nations of the world would be without the Bible, without the Messiah, and without hope. However, because God has been faithful to Israel, as it says in Psalm 73, “God certainly is good to Israel,” it can be known that He will be faithful and good to those from the nations who have rejected replacement theology and have humbly come to be a part of the glorious story that He is unfolding in the world today! 

As the oft-quoted saying goes, “Am Israel Chai, Od Avinu Chai—the people of Israel live, our Father is alive!” Thank God that not only do the people of Israel still live, and that they are now fulfilling the words of the prophets from thousands of years ago. But thank Him also that those from the nations/those from within Christianity now know that they have a Father, a living Father, a Father who will never reject, replace, or renege on His promises to all of His children. 

Christianity never needed to replace Israel in order to participate in God’s plan for ultimate redemption. Instead, Christianity can now join with the people of God in thankfulness, as it says in Psalm 86:9, “All nations whom You have made will come and worship before You, LORD, and they will glorify Your name.” This glorious future awaits all those who reject replacement theology and instead turn in humility to the promise-keeping God, who calls Himself, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Israel! (Exodus 3:6, 1 Kings 18:36, Matthew 22:32)

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