Replacement Theology is Anti-Semitism
The question of the role of the Jewish people in the end times is a hot topic between denominations. Some denominations or some people in some denominations teach Replacement theology.
Replacement Theology teaches that the Church has replaced the Jewish people and is now the “new Israel.”
Those promoting this theory believe God rejected the Jewish people because of their rejection of Christ. This doctrine is embedded in many Christian denominations.
It is critical for Christians to understand that we do not replace natural Israel in God’s plan. God did not made a mistake in creating Judaism and then in utter exasperation send His son to correct it 4,000 years later.
This doctrine has been at the forefront of anti-Semitism, Judeo-phobia, and has fully provided fuel for catastrophic historical events such as the Spanish Inquisition, the Catholic Crusades, and the holocaust.
Genesis says that the covenant between God and Abraham is an everlasting (unconditional) covenant. “And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.” (Genesis 17:7). In this covenant God promises Abraham and his seed: the land, great blessings, and numerous offspring. Abraham only needed faith to accept the covenant.
The covenant God made with Moses was an extension to the covenant He made with Abraham. (Exodus 19-24). This extension was the instructions on how to please God (keep the Torah) in the covenant relationship.
The Messianic covenant was a further extension of His covenant (when Christ died on the cross for our sins.) “For this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Matthew 26:28) Gentiles were invited into the new Covenant that Jesus made with Israel (Romans 9:22-33) as full fellow heirs of all the promises of God. The word “new” in the Greek and in the Hebrew sometimes means “renew.” The old did not replace the new. The new was an extension.
The New Testament mentions Israel seventy-four times in the Bible. Seventy-one times out of those seventy-four, it is clearly talking about Israel as a Nation, and a people. This proves the Hebrews are the promised people. The covenant was never revoked or replaced. To believe in the doctrine of replacement theology, one cannot study the Bible literally. Terms like, Zion, Temple, Jerusalem, Promised Land, have to be replaced by synonyms for the “church”.
God is not a liar. He said, “Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, nor shall I abhor them, to utterly destroy them and break My covenant with them; For I am the Lord their God. But for their sake I will remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the Lord” (Lev. 26:44-45).
God still kept His covenant with Israel even when they were in sin. He promises in His word that He will always be with them in their time of need, and this was a definite time of need for them.
We see this in Isaiah 43:1-7: “But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life. Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.” God was with them always in spite of all they had done. What a picture of God’s mercy. This should give all children of God hope.
The Lord did not reject His people and Paul confirms this in God’s word. Paul said in Romans 11 “I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew… in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins” (Rom. 11:1-2, 25-27). Paul he was an Israelite himself. He knew that the Lord would not forsake Israel.
In the end, the people of the Lord will be restored both physically and spiritually. The Lord says that He will restore Israel in his word… “In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old. And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God.” (Amos 9:11,14,15) . They are to be planted upon “their land,” the land which God says he had “given them”, the land which he promised.
We know this is a true and everlasting covenant. God tells us in Genesis… “And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger– all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession.” (`Gen. 13:14-17; 17:8`)
Dr. Morgan explains, If God was through with the Jew, and the church was now the “true Israel of God” then there is no need to have anything to do with them let alone need to provoke them to jealousy. The fruit of the doctrine that the Church has replaced Israel has been
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The sin of rejecting the scriptural command not to be arrogant toward the natural branches
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The sin of actually becoming arrogant toward the natural branches, that produced
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Centuries of sinful spiritual darkness in the church and the horribly sinful persecution of the natural branches.
In short, rather than a jealousy provoking testimony of the Gospel this doctrine produced hatred; in the church for the Jew, and in the Jew for the church.
Danger in the Homeschool Movement!
That could easily be the name of this book by Hal Lindsey.
The Road To Holocaust by Hal Lindsey
Hal Lindsey’s bestselling expose of a dangerous movement in the church is a book every homeschooler should read because the many authors in homeschooling are Reconstructionists– covertly teaching the same errors that brought catastrophe to the Church and Dark ages and lead to the Holocaust.
When I began homeschool our Bible studies lead us to in-depth studies on Israel’s history and culture and God’s promises to Israel. When I shared my excitement with a leading homeschool vendor I was told I better watch out—90% of homeschoolers were Reconstructionists and would have serious problems with anything to do with Israel.
I was completely ignorant about the term Reconstructionists, I had been writing for and speaking to homeschool audiences for many years and didn’t know one Reconstructionists. I set off to find out more. I search and searched and became more and more confused. The main thing I found out about Reconstructionists is that they are all confused about what they believe.
When I found this book by Hal Lindsey I was thrilled! I finally found a book that explained who Reconstructionists, what they believe, and their history. I still don’t know the percentage of homeschooler that are Reconstructionists but I do know there are many are in churches and homeschool groups teaching this false doctrine.
Reconstructionists are often keynote speakers at major homeschool conferences and authors of best selling homeschool books—but you rarely hear their true motivations from a podium or books. If you homeschool you need to be aware of their false doctrines and its dangers!
Do the reasrch for your self. Look up Christian Reconstructionist, Christian Dominionism, and R.J. Rushdoony.
Footnote: According to Soulen’s book The God of Israel and Christian Theology there are three categories of Supersessionism. For Soulen there are three types of supersessionism:
- Economic: whereby the Jews are no longer needed in the divine plan for humankind.
- Punitive: whereby the Jews are seen as rejected by God because of their rejection of Jesus as the Christ.
- Structural: whereby the true relationship with God is between God and humans per se and not between God and a singular people.
More on Replacement Theology
- Evangelicals seeing the error of ‘replacement theology’( Jerusalem Post)
- The Error of Replacement Theology ( Clarence H. Wagner, Jr.)
- Replacement Theology – Its Origins, Teachings and Errors
- Three Categories of Supersessionism
- Danger of Replacement Theology (Others Centered Blog)
RT: @heartofwisdom: Danger: Replacement Theology http://budurl.com/k337 God blesses those that bless Israel!
RT @heartofwisdom Did God reject Israel? http://budurl.com/Rom11 Danger: Replacement Theology http://budurl.com/k337 We should bless Israel!
[...] Intrinsically Anti-Semitic theology noted. [...]
RT @aponderingheart: Replacement Theology is Anti-Semitism Paul clearly says gentiles are GRAFTED as wild branc… http://tinyurl.com/d3gt6w
RT: @aponderingheart: Replacement Theology=Anti-Semitism Paul: gentiles are GRAFTED wild branches into the Vine… http://tinyurl.com/d3gt6w
Robin,
Thank you so much for speaking out against the subtle, but very much alive, anti-semitism that runs through the veins of most churches. I never noticed it when I was in the church, but I now attend a wonderful Messianic congregation where I can learn the fullness of the WHOLE bible, reading directly from the original languages, and the more educated I become in reading the bible in Hebrew (Greek is next on my list ;o) ) and what the bible really says, the more false doctrines I see promoted as truth. Last yr I got rid of several American history homeschool books that I had because I saw some things in them that I did not approve of.
Bless you for all you do, what a wonderful way to use your forum.
Love in Yeshua HaMashiach,
Ginnie
Robin,
Thanks so much for the ‘warning in sheep’s clothing’ I know you don’t want to publicly announce these people-but perhaps you could privatly email them so we can be aware of the major speakers and authors who are misleading us! Thanks so much for opening eyes!
Stacy
Robin, what are some of the topics we should be looking out for? Can you please share more about this?
Carol
Oh, I see. These two articles are together…you are referring to the replacement theology as the danger in the homeschool movement, right?
Yes
Robin,
great post. I would like to know more. Can you define reconstructionism? It’s dangers? Maybe some of it’s forms?
Excellent post. Are you going to take on dispensationalism, too?
I am not at all aware of this. I am glad that you are warning us. I don’t agree at all with Replacement theology (if we took that way of thinking then you couldn’t take God at his word -ie. with how many days it took him to create the world, etc.). I don’t know what reconstructions means, but I will look into it. I appreciate the warning. Thanks.
If all Christians really believed 2Timothy 3:16 “ALL scripture is God-breathed (inspired by God) and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”, then I believe most, if not all, unGodly theologies would not even be considered much less adhered to. It’s a challenge for Christians to remember to get into the whole Word of God to avoid false beliefs, whatever they are and whenever they arise – and providing others around us with a defence of our faith. (Please Pastors feed the sheep.)
We are warned that “in the last day perilous times will come”..Lord help us to be alert!
Thanks heaps for your ministry Robin!
(I had so many verses I could have quoted but particularly love a lot of 2Timothy regarding the spiritual climate of the ‘last days’):-)
Thanks for the headsup, Robin. I am a lover of Israel, as is my whole family. My husband is Jewish on his fathers’ side. I was not aware that homeschoolers were of this ilk, although I was troubled once when I read a stray comment on a well-visited mommy blogger’s site that was very anti-semitic.
I will keep my eyes and ears open–walk circumspectly, right?
Sherry
An excellent post, Robin. I have heard rumors of this more and more lately. Guess they are not just rumors! I, too, would like further explanation from someone I trust (you!) Also, as many others probably want to know, who are the ones in the hs movement? I understand a need to be discreet, but we need to know who to be careful of! Plus, I don’t want to give my business to someone, homeschooler or not, who does not share my ideals! Perhaps Hal Lindsey’s book tells who they are?
Blessings,
Lori in TX
P.S. How is your health? I pray for you often.
[...] have to say “amen” to Robin Sampson’s recent post called “Replacement Theology is Anti-Semitism.” She carefully explains this popular theology and why it is so dangerous. I applaud her efforts. [...]
Great post! I first became aware of the dangers behind reconstructionism when I read a quick bot oh so informative paperback book by James Beller entitled “The Coming Destruction of the Baptist People.” Your comments are right on!
Thanks for the great post. You’re right, this is a common evil. If Satan could destroy the Jews, he would destroy God’s plan as shown in Romans and he’s been trying to do that forever. I think this theology sprang up when Israel didn’t exist and theologians were trying to make sense of things, trusting their knowledge of the world instead of God’s word. Sadly, this teaching is repeated. I write a bit here and there about it in my Israel posts, here’s one. Thanks again for your great blog!
I just played around a little more and found one that speaks of the Feasts which I think is cool info that every Christ should know, but many American Christians don’t know. Kingdom Calling Explainging Jewish Feasts Post Thanks again! wes
Replacement Theology, Anti-Semitism and Reconstructionism/Dominionism http://bit.ly/e4Nw5
RT @jacque_dixon: Replacement Theology, Anti-Semitism and Reconstructionism/Dominionism http://bit.ly/e4Nw5
Hmmm… it’s my (limited) understanding that most (maybe not all) who would consider themselves reconstructionists are not replacement-ists – in fact just the opposite.
At least from the few links I’ve looked those in the reconstructionist camp are actually focusing on turning the hearts of people back to the biblical (whole bible) roots including going back to obedience to the moral Hebrew laws and see the Jewish people as God’s chosen people with others being heirs to the Covenant promise as you mentioned above.
I still have much to research but I just wanted to throw that in the pot …
They twist scripture to say the American church is Israel and Israel is no longer Israel.It proud, arrogant and wrong.
Robin, we stumbled upon the Dominionist and Reconstructionist movements when researching what preterism is about three years ago. Wikipedia actually has some good info, and you will find much out there addressing them. Preterism is also something I found that many believe in these movements.
I have some friends I know are probably believers in Reconstructionism/Dominionism/Preterism, and likely others I don’t know.
I agree with what Quietmom said, that many of them are bringing Believers back to the biblical practices, and I think that is a very good thing. But… I have also found that many of the beliefs I studied in these movements are dangerous, in regards to Biblical Beliefs.
The people themselves aren’t dangerous; in fact, they are quite sweet and love the Lord and serve him well. I just see where these beliefs can lead our nation, and I am in disagreement with them. I am interested in what this book offers on the subject.
Thanks for bringing this up. It is a hard thing to address, but you have an excellent forum for it.
Love, J
I just want to point out that where the Bible speaks about Israel, we need to remember there are 12 tribes of Israel. Judah is only one tribe. I am in full support of the nation of Israel and pray for peace there. I recognize that the modern day Jews are descended from the tribe of Judah. Christians can learn much from our brother Judah and vice/versa. Just my 2 cents.
All through the book of Isaiah, Jacob and Israel are referred to as G-d’s servants, chapter 53 is no different (you can’t just pop a chapter out of context and give it a different servant, then go to Ch 54 onward switch back to the first servant). Also, there were no chapter breaks in the ancient scriptures, it was ALL one book, chapter breaks were inserted later by the church. Many of them make good sense, some of them are awkward, and this is an awkward break as the end of 52 directly flows into the beginning of 53, but if you don’t read the end of 52, you don’t have the complete context). Its soooo important to keeping the revelation in context! When you read how the Jews have suffered at the hands of the nations (and I’d venture to say Replacement Theology), those that do not understand G-d’s plan, it should make us stop and pause… and want to make sure we understand, so that we do honor our Father.
[...] have to say “amen” to Robin Sampson’s recent post called “Replacement Theology is Anti-Semitism.” She carefully explains this popular theology and why it is so dangerous. I applaud her efforts. [...]