“Replacement Theology” is a heresy, which says, “That since Israel rejected their Messiah they have forfeited all their God-given promises to the Church.” (Show me just one verse please!) This would also include the transfer of the land of Israel and the transfer of the coming judgement upon the people of the earth known as the ‘Time of Jacob’s Trouble.” oi vey! Then they would need a good pair of running shoes and a map to Petra! A ‘Heresy’ is an opinion or doctrine contrary to a Biblical church dogma or denial of a revealed truth; or deviation from a dominant Biblical theory or doctrine. This is just the kind of doctrine which caused the Holocaust and promotes antisemitism or better yet anti-Judaism. There is a big difference between the two because the Arabs are Semites also, and we don’t see an anti-Arab movement today! It also teaches that the Church will experience the ‘Great Tribulation’ or the ‘Time of Jacob’s Trouble’ because they are now Jacob or Israel. So, as you can see, all kinds of problems begin to crop up with this new doctrine. To say that God made unconditional promises to Israel and then broke them, is to call God a liar which is blasphemy and you need to be careful there Doctor, Rom. 3:4. In Ezek. 36 God made it very clear that He will never abandon Israel, because His name and reputation are on the line. In fact Ezekiel chapter 36 is the acid text for anyone who would explain the Bible or prophecy any way other than literally. Because you have a literal Israel, in a literal land, with a literal regeneration. Then in v.22 the Lord GOD says, “I do not do this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for Mine holy name’s sake;” Then in chapter 37 you have the vision of the, “Valley of Dry Bones” and the ‘Two Sticks’ becoming one which has already happened and then in chapters 38 and 39 you have the invasion of Gog which is yet future. I have but one question for the, ‘Supersessionists and Replacement Theologians,’ “Where were you during the Holocaust, the Pogroms, the Inquisition and the Crusades?” And why are you ashamed to proudly display that yellow star of David, your badge of honor?
I guess it brings us right back to where we started, “Is the Church Spiritual Israel?” Has YeHoVaH broken His covenant promise with the ‘Apple of His eye?’ Has the Almighty finally given Israel, His lawfully wedded wife a bill of divorcement? Has the LORD of Hosts nullified His Word which He holds higher than His name, Ps. 138:2? Has the King of kings broken His pledge to King David to establish his throne forever, II Sam. 7:16? Has the LORD of lords forgotten what He wrote concerning making a vow in Ecc. 5:5? Shall the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Who swore by His own name, because there was none higher, recant and not multiply their seed as the stars of heaven and not give them all the land from the River of Egypt to the Euphrates as an inheritance forever as he promised? God Forbid!
Mark Twain, that great evangelist (only kidding) said, “All things are mortal but the Jew!” Lord Beaconsfield said, “The world has by now discovered that it is impossible to destroy the Jew!” Frederick the Great said, “Define for me in one word God!” Then one of his counselors quickly responded with the word, “Jew!” Pharaoh, Antiochus, Caesar, Ferdinand, Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler, Arafat, Satan and so many others have tried to eliminate the Jewish people from the face of the earth since the Garden of Eden but to no avail. So, ‘Replacement Theologians’ have come up with a plan of their own and it is very simple, “The Church Is Israel!” So, there you have it! Oh no you don’t! You can’t replace, displace, destroy, eradicate or eliminate Israel from God’s plan and purpose! Why? Because He said so and He wrote the Book! Israel is mentioned over 2,300 times in the Bible from Gen. 32:28 on the River of Peniel, “The Face of God” to Rev. 21:12, “The New Jerusalem” where you will have 12 gates with the 12 names of the 12 tribes of Israel written on each of them as you enter for 1,000 years. The Church is only mentioned 80 times in the New Testament from Matt. 16:18 where Yeshua/Jesus says, “I will build My Church,” (future) to Rev. 3:14, and then it is not mentioned for the next 16 chapters. Why? Because it is the, “Time of Jacob’s Trouble” for seven years, or the ‘Tribulation’ and the Church is not Jacob or Israel.
I love that old Jewish poem, I don’t know who wrote it, some say it was Ogden Nash, but I don’t think so: “How odd of God to choose the Jews; But odder still, To choose the Jewish God; And hate the Jews.” Israel is a nation of people inscribed in the very heart of God. Listen to Isa. 54:7-8, “For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid My face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD, thy Redeemer.” Paul wrote in Rom. 9:4-5, “Who are the Israelites; to whom pertains the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ (Messiah) came, Who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.”
Who are these Israelites inscribed in the heart of God and engraved in the palms of His hands? Isa. 49:16 says, “Behold, I have engraved thee upon the palms of My hands; thy walls are continually before Me.” They are a, ‘Promised People’ Gen. 22:15-18, “In that day the LORD (YeHoVaH) made a covenant with Abram…” They are an, ‘Indestructible People’ Jer. 31:35-37, “Thus says the LORD, if the (sun, moon, stars, sea) depart from before Me, then the seed of Israel shall cease from being a nation before Me…” They are a, “Cherished People” Gen. 12:3, “In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” They are a, “Chosen People” Deut. 7:6, “The LORD thy God has chosen thee…” They are a, “Special People” Deut. 7:6, “To be a special people unto Himself;” They are a, ” Favored People” Deut. 7:6, “Above all the people who are on the face of the earth.” They are a, “Beloved People” Rom. 11:28-29, “As touching the election, they are beloved for the Father’s sake.” They are a, “Precious People” Isa. 43:4, “Since thou was precious in My sight, thou has been honorable and I have loved thee;” They are a, “Redeemed People” Isa. 63:9, “In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them; in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He bore them, and carried them all the days of old.” They are a, “Preserved People” Ps. 121:4, “Behold, He who keeps Israel, shall neither slumber nor sleep.” They are a, “People With A Future” Isa. 43:21, “This people have I formed for Myself; they shall show forth My praise.” (Rom. 9-11) They are an, “Elect People” Rom. 11:28, “But as touching election, they are beloved for the Father’s sake.” They are a, “Blessed People” Gen. 12:2-3, “I will bless thee…and thou shalt be a blessing…and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” Most of all, they are ‘NOT’ a, “Replaced People” I Sam. 12:22, “For the LORD will not forsake His people for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people. Moreover, as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you;” Isa. 43:21, “This people have I formed for Myself; they shall show forth My praise.”
Paul wrote in Romans, “Brethren, my hearts desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.” Not the Church, ISRAEL! He also wrote, For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen (Israel) according to the flesh.” Not the Spirit, the Flesh! He said he wished he could go to HELL if Israel could be saved. What is your heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel? God commands us in Psalm 122:6 to pray for the peace of Jerusalem; He commands us in Psalm 51:18 to build the walls of Jerusalem; And He commands us in Isaiah 40:1-2 to speak tenderly to the inhabitants of Jerusalem or all Israel, He commands us to speak to their hearts. Rom. 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes; to the Jew first and also to the Greeks/Gentiles.” Webster says, “First means, preceding all others in time, order or importance.” That’s pretty simple, you don’t need a doctorate for that. The subject is the Gospel, the main verb is the word ‘is’ in the present tense (estin) and there are three predicate clauses hanging on it. First, the gospel ‘is’ the power of God unto salvation, we all agree! Second, the gospel ‘is’ to everyone and anyone who believes it, we all agree! Third, the gospel ‘is’ to the Jew first, oops! Why is it, that by faith or by practice most evangelicals have abandoned Paul’s burden, prayer, goal, calling and vision? The word first (protos) is the same word we have in Matt. 6:33, “But seek ye first (protos) the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” I don’t know, third base! We hope to see you next time at, diggingintoprophecy.com, till then we will see you, “…Between The Lines…”
“Is The Church Spiritual Israel” – ‘Part #5’ 12/22/12