It seems the popular answer among Christians when asked if they believe in replacement theology is, “No.” End of discussion. If you ask what replacement theology is, you will get various answers. The simple definition is: “The Christian Church, established through Jesus Christ, brought with Him a distinctively New Covenant that superseded or replaced the old Mosaic covenant, and many believe the Abrahamic covenant as well – both covenants made exclusively with the Jewish people. The supersessionist (replacement) viewpoint also holds that the universal Christian Church has superseded (replaced) the ancient nation of Israel as the true Israel of God and that Christians have succeeded the ancient Israelites as the definitive people of God.”
The truth is, since its establishment, the evolution of Church doctrine concerning Israel and the Jewish people has developed primarily through cultural pressures. The destruction of the Temple in 70 AD had a significant impact on the world. The messianic zeal and the expectation of God’s promised Kingdom on earth was palpable to those who sat at the feet of Yeshua. They believed He was the Messiah who would end the corruption and bring about the physical restoration of Israel and the redemption of the House of Prayer – the Holy Temple – or as Yeshua referred to it, “My Father’s House.” (Acts 1:6; Matthew 21:8-16; Mark 11:8,9,15-18; Luke 2:46-49; Luke 19:36-40, 45-48; John 2:13-17; John 12:12-15; John 14:1-3)
The destruction of the second Temple was disastrous to Christianity. Instead of holding onto the hope of the promised Kingdom, the followers of Yeshua began to entertain theologies that would somehow justify the reality they were experiencing. To them, God had turned His back on the eternal promise He made to the people, the land, and the city He chose. And since God Himself had annulled His covenants and divorced His people, Christianity would now accept its new position as the Israel of God within this new mystical Biblical truth.
For almost 2,000years, it appeared that the Jew-hating, anti-Israel, anti-Tanakh (Old Testament) Christian theology was holding water. It seemed obvious to those who followed Jesus that the Jews were an example of those guilty of deicide, whom God would eternally curse, both on earth and in the afterlife. How could any people group exist under these horrific circumstances?
Praise God! Paul was right when he said in Romans 3:2, “To them (the Jews) were committed the oracles of God…” To them was committed every promise – every word spoken from the mouth of God. Without the Jew’s resilience and faith to believe in God’s eternal spoken Word through Moses and the prophets, we would not be witnessing the miracle of the physical restoration of Israel today.
The Test
Christians believe Yeshua is the Messiah. But before we make this declaration, we must define who and what the Messiah is according to Scripture. In Luke 1:31, 33, the angel said to Mary that the One in her would be given the throne of David and rule over the House of Jacob. Read Isaiah 9:6,7 as well as Ezekiel 37:22-28. If you believe the Kingdom of David or the throne of David is somehow separate from the land of Israel or the people of Israel defined in God’s covenant in Genesis 15:4-21, you believe in replacement theology.
Most of us learned the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 before preschool: “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” When we pray this prayer, we pray to establish an earthly Kingdom. We pray God’s Name will be hallowed through His eternal, irrevocable covenants.
Those that sat at the feet of Yeshua for two and a half years and took part in His discipleship, in the end, had one last burning question: “Lord, will you at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6) Are you or those participating in your congregation’s discipleship program asking this question? If not, you are practicing replacement theology. The blessing or the fullness of the Gentiles will never happen in your arrogance and/or in your ignorance. (Romans 11:25, 26)
God is making His move in the place He said He would.
Come join the movement.
As we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we are GRAFTED into the family of GOD not replacing them. I do not know what verse from the Word of God is being used by replacement theorist to shore up their belief but if you read and study
Romans 11:16-24 ‘For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.
You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?’ You will see that we are grafted into His family. Had He chosen to replace them He would have removed them completely so there was no doubt that He was replacing them. HE DID NOT REMOVE THEIR ROOTS!
You cannot choose to believe part of the Word of God and dismiss other parts because they do not support what you want to believe. If they are reading the same verses from Romans and coming to their conclusion then need to reread verses 18-21. The roots support the branches, we as the body of Christ are branches. The Jewish people are the roots.
Thanks for an excellent article, & one which I will likely be passing along.
It was 3 and a half years of HIS ministry
Thanks ISRAEL GUYS, for that vigorous explanation and the update your giving us and the entire world about Israel. Has my
sister Sharon Moore as brought it out clearly, Israel tribe is the ROOT OF SALVATION and we Christians out side the tribe of Israel are the branches grafted in them, therefore all over us are one in Christ through the unification of his blood in the cross.
We stand with you
I don not believe in replacement theology, I donate to Christians 4 Israel and Ebenezer Operation Exodus, which both help Jews return to Israel. I also pray for Israel, downloading prayers from both these and
Shalom Tommy,
First of all I must say that I love all of you and what you are doing in the land of Israel.
I have a bit of a hard time getting through your article when I read in the first paragraph where you wrote, “both covenants made exclusively with the Jewish people.”
I cannot find anywhere in my Bible where it ever says that these covenants were made exclusively with the Jewish people. First of all it is popularly believed that Abraham was a Jew, but he wasn’t. The Bible says he was a Hebrew. Hebrew means that Abraham “crossed over” the Euphrates and followed after his Elohim, יהוה, who later became known as the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Jacob, who became Israel after wrestling all night with a messenger of Elohim, had twelve sons, one of which was Judah, where we get the name Jew. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were Hebrews, as were the twelve sons who became the twelve tribes of Israel. One of those, the fourth son, was Judah. Moshe/Moses was a Levite from the tribe of Levi.
It wasn’t until after the reign of King David that the whole country was divided into the Northern Kingdom, consisting of the ten tribes called the House of Israel, Israel, or Ephraim, who was the largest of those ten tribes, and the Southern Kingdom, who were from the tribe of Judah, some Levites, and the tribe of Benjamin.
A couple hundred years after the Northern Kingdom went into exile in and around 722BCE and still remains in exile, the Southern Kingdom went into their 70 year exile into Babylon, where they became known as Jews.
As the prophet Hosea prophesied to the Northern Kingdom as did many other prophets of the Bible, Israel (the Northern Kingdom) became “לא עמי” or “lo Ami” or “not My people”. That Northern Kingdom lost their identity in the exile and forgot that they were Israel or a part of Israel. Those from the Northern Kingdom have been waking up in these last days to their true identity.
In the book of Ezekiel chapter 37 it is prophesied that the stick of Israel/Joseph/Ephraim will join with the stick of Judah in the Hand of Elohim in these last days. It’s coming soon. All of Israel has not yet returned to Eretz Israel, but it will happen and I believe it’s coming soon.
Thanks again, Tommy and all of HaYovel for all that you do in His land.
Shalom, shalom, your friend, Glenn Miller