The Two Administrations of Jesus Christ
PART 12
An Increasing Number of Bible Scholars
are Now Warning About the Demonic
Nature of Replacement Theology
Replacement theology (also known as Supersessionism) disregards a literal interpretation of Scripture and attempts to rewrite, not only the whole body of Scripture, but specifically--Bible Prophecy. As a result, various church leaders and their followers change the wording of the Bible by insisting--that when you see the words 'Israel or Jew' in Scripture, God is actually referring to the Church". This unholy practice redefines these terms by claiming that The Church is now "the new Israel". When you hear Christ's Church referred to as "the new Israel", it's a warning that you're in contact with this dangerous and misleading theology.
The demonic practice of redefining Scripture is
accomplished by distorting or ignoring the
context of the Bible. But, if your desire is to
discover Spiritual truth, then respecting the
Bible's context must be a priority.
Simply understood, Replacement Theology/Supersessionism teaches that because the Jewish people rejected and crucified Jesus Christ, God has permanently rejected Israel and "replaced" her with the New Testament Church in His overall Biblical plan for the world. As a result, Supersessionists believe that the original covenants between Israel and God (such as the Mosaic Covenant and it's Law) are now transferred to - and binding upon - the Church; which they now believe to be "the new Israel". Both Roman Catholic and Protestant elements of the world-wide church, especially those involved in the countless brands of Calvinism and Reformed theology are hopelessly corrupted by this doctrine. Once again, this is a mainstream problem that afflicts the entire Christian Church and is not some kind of "fringe" movement or sect.
There are hundreds of different off-shoots and derivatives of this misleading theology, which may not all teach exactly the same thing. Yet, the core belief that God 'replaces Israel with the Church' - or considers the Church to be the same as Israel in Scripture - is always present in some form. Over the last few hundred years, this popular error (and the various systems of theology established on its tenants) is now so embedded within Christendom that many Christians and their leaders automatically redefine Scripture - combining (or mixing together) these vastly different Biblical programs. Everyone involved in this method of interpreting the Bible tends to have his or her own version of the practice, which contributes to the confusion.
Replacement theology has been around so long that a vast majority of professing Christians now assume that when God is speaking to the Israelites in the Bible, He's giving the same instructions - or making the same promises - to Christians (or the Church) ... because they are programmed by their denomination to wrongly view the Church as "the new Israel" (or Israel's replacement).
This is a disastrous way of interpreting the Bible
because it completely changes God's original
intention in the Scriptures and perverts the
principles that govern eternal life under the
New Covenant. For these reasons Replacement
Theology qualifies as a heresy that leads
Christians dangerously astray in their faith.
Once again, Replacement Theology/Supersessionism (and its countless off-shoots and variants) is not only found in most Protestant churches, but also in Roman Catholicism and many other Christian organizations and movements. It is a man-made doctrine that is not supported anywhere in the Bible, yet continues unchallenged because it is now assumed to be part of "Historic Christianity" and therefore often embraced without question. As a result, most seminaries tend to pass it on to their students as Biblical truth.
There is one shocking characteristic of Replacement Theology/Supersessionism that continues to spread throughout Christendom. It involves legitimizing and encouraging anti-Semitism (a hatred of the Jewish people). Anti-Semitism was the original motivational force behind the Holocaust in WW2 that killed over 6 million Israelites and another 4 million from other ethnic groups. Why is this important? A widely accepted religious agenda that seems to originate from God ... continues to quietly operate within the Christian Church. It condemns the Jewish race as eternally rejected - and evil. The existence of this agenda is all some groups need to justify a religious campaign of persecution - where it is believed that they are performing a service to God with His full approval. This world-wide effort is now underway ... once again. We hope that true Christian believers will refuse to be a part of this movement when they see the distortions and understand that God not only condemns; but also places a curse on those who embrace this kind of toxic religious faith.
The following comments are taken
from the "Got Questions" Christian
website under the title;
"What is Replacement Theology/
Supersessionism?"
We totally agree with this entire
article - which is available HERE
Among the different views of the relationship between the church and Israel are the church has replaced Israel (replacement theology), the church is an expansion of Israel (covenant theology), or the church is completely different and distinct from Israel (dispensationalism/premillennialism).
Replacement theology teaches that the church is the replacement for Israel and that the many promises made to Israel in the Bible are fulfilled in the Christian church, not in Israel. The prophecies in Scripture concerning the blessing and restoration of Israel to the Promised Land are spiritualized or allegorized into promises of God's blessing for the church.
Major problems exist with this view, such as the continuing existence of the Jewish people throughout the centuries and especially with the revival of the modern state of Israel. If Israel has been condemned by God and there is no future for the Jewish nation, how do we explain the supernatural survival of the Jewish people over the past 2,000 years despite the many attempts to destroy them? How do we explain why and how Israel reappeared as a nation in the 20th century after not existing for 1,900 years?
The view that Israel and the church are unique and different entities is clearly taught in the New Testament. Biblically speaking, the church is distinct from Israel, and the terms "Church and Israel" are never to be confused or used interchangeably.
We are taught from Scripture that the church is an entirely new creation that came into being on the day of Pentecost and will continue until it is taken to heaven at the rapture (Ephesians 1:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). The church has no relationship to the curses and blessings for Israel. The covenants, promises, and warnings of the Mosaic Covenant were valid only for Israel. Israel has been temporarily set aside in God's program during these past 2,000 years of dispersion (see Romans 11).
What Does All Of This Have To Do
With The 2000 Year-Old Controversy
About Paul vs James?
The primary characteristic of Replacement theology is to replace original Israel, with the New Testament Church, which is now declared to be "the new Israel" ... and this change is applied throughout the whole of Scripture. As a result, the devout followers of this theology claim that - wherever we see the words "Israel or Jew" in the Bible - it actually means the Church, which now functions as "the new Israel".
This essentially means that Israel
and the Church are treated as
being 'interchangeable' when
interpreting or teaching the Bible.
However, one of the primary methods of determining the context of the Bible is understanding that both Israel and the Church are unique and separate entities that operate under different sets of covenant laws ... and therefore can never be treated as "interchangeable". This is why the Bible translators separated the Holy Scriptures into two parts: The Old Testament (which applies to Israel) - and the New Testament (which applies to the Church). Keeping Israel and the Church separated in such a way is what Saint Paul refers to as; "rightly dividing the Word" (2 Timothy 2:15) - and exists as God's official foundation for correct Bible interpretation.
When the error of Replacement theology is applied to the Epistle of James ... the fact that it is specifically addressed to "the twelve tribes of Israel" no longer matters - because the Church is now considered to be "the new Israel". This means that Replacement theology treats the Epistle of James as being addressed to the Church regardless of what is stated in the salutation. This total perversion of the Bible's context not only corrupts the Holy Scriptures, but also changes Christ's salvation into something God never intended.
So now ... according to Replacement theology - Christian salvation is obtained (according to James) by works ... when Saint Paul warned that it is obtained only by Grace through faith (as the gift of God) - having no requirement for works. As a result, Paul and James now contradict each other on the subject of salvation, causing great confusion and forcing ministers to make one of three decisions.
First: They compromise and mix
works and grace together into
a perverted gospel.
Second: They reject Paul's doctrine
of "salvation by Grace through faith
in Christ alone" and embrace the
works-based salvation of James, which
is a perverted gospel for the Church.
Third: They consider the works-
based salvation of James to be
'not binding upon the Church'
and embrace Paul's Grace-based
salvation...which represents the
true gospel of Christ.
Because of the perceived contradiction between Paul and James, modern-day Christendom is splintered into these three positions - which results in massive confusion and fierce disagreements between various groups of professing Christians. However, there is no contradiction when we respect the rules of correct Bible interpretation - or what Paul refers to as "rightly dividing the Word of God" (2 Timothy 2:15).
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