Archive for replacement theology
What Moses Saw From Mount Nebo
(Deut. 34: 1-4) “And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan. And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea. And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar. And the Lord said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, and unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.”
In their desperation to maintain the view that the church superseded Israel, Replacement Theologians have made all kinds of false claims respecting the land that God gave to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The popular view is to concede that the inheritance is the literal land of Canaan, but that the promises were fulfilled in Old Testament times. Joshua 21: 43-45 is often quoted as if that text sets the matter at rest.
However, we cannot forget that the land was promised to each of the patriarchs as a personal possession (see Genesis 13: 15; 26: 3; 28: 13; 35: 12). This promise was certainly never made good in their lifetime, for Stephen later affirmed that God “gave [Abraham] none inheritance in it, no not so much as to set his foot on: yet He promised that He would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child” (Acts 7: 5).
Paul also refers to land of promise as the country in which Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob sojourned, dwelling in tents (Hebrews 11: 9). From this it is evident that the patriarchs never received any fulfillment of the promise in their own lifetimes. The promise must therefore be made good in resurrection.
True, Paul declares that Abraham looked for “a city which hath foundations, whose builder and Maker is God” (Hebrews 11: 10). However, this same city was later seen, in prophetic vision, descending to earth (Rev. 21: 2). So there is no contradiction between the promise made to the patriarchs, and the ultimate realization of that promise as depicted in the New Testament.
Regardless of what we today may think, the early Christians certainly believed that the land promises would be fulfilled during the Millennium. Irenaeus writes: ”If, then, God promised [Abraham] the inheritance of the land, yet he did not receive it during all the time of his sojourn there, it must be, that together with his seed, that is, those who fear God and believe in Him, he shall receive it at the resurrection of the just” (Against Heresies, V. xxxii. 2).
What Moses saw from Nebo certainly confirms the fact that what God promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was a literal alotment of land, and not a mere spiritual inheritance! It is our firm belief that what God promised will be made good; and that we, who receive blessings with Abraham will surely inherit the world (Romans 4: 15) and judge angels (1 Cor. 6: 3). In view of these promises, we await the time of our Lord’s return, with joy unspeakable.
Moses Spanks Preterism
Deuteronomy 4: 25When thou shalt beget children, and children’s children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke Him to anger:
26I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.
27And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you.
28And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.
29But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find Him, if thou seek Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
30When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto His voice;
31(For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) He will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which He sware unto them.
Well, to be truthful, it is less Moses, than the Lord Jehovah Himself Who spanks Preterism in the above passage. The passage teaches, firstly, that the tribulation will have been preceded by a dispersion of the nation; and secondly, that the Lord will never destroy Israel – even in the midst of tribulation. The conclusion is obvious: the scattering must precede the time of tribulation. Ergo, the tribulation cannot be equivalent to the national scattering which took place in A.D. 70. Nor can the scattering amount to any “destruction” of the Jewish nation.
If Deut. 4: 25-31 were only passage that teaches this truth, the conclusion would be at least open to question. But the concept is repeated in Ezekiel 22: 16-22, where the prophet implies that AFTER Israel has been dispersed, they will be gathered into the city of Jerusalem and melted. See also Ezekiel 36: 22-29, which depicts a yet future transaction, in which Israel will be gathered into the land in unbelief, and subsequently sanctified. The result will be the complete fulfillment of the New Covenant promises mentioned in Jeremiah 31: 31-40. The result will be national restoration – not national destruction!
What have we in the New Testament? Certainly a corroboration of the above. In Luke 21: 23-24 Christ predicts the taking of the city, in A.D. 70 at which time Josephus records 97,000 Jews were led away into captivity. If one notes the flow of Christ’s discourse, one cannot help seeing that the second coming must occur long afterwards, when the times of the Gentiles shall have been fulfilled (Luke 21: 24-27).
Hence, as we have pointed out many times, a true harmony of Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 will follow the chronological pattern laid down in Daniel 9: 26-27. In that passage, the destruction of the city and sanctuary is followed by the last week of Daniel’s 70, during which time Antichrist stops the daily sacrifice and desecrates the holy place (cf. Dan. 11: 31; 12: 11). Between the desolation of the city and sanctuary (Luke 21: 12-24) and the defilement of the temple (Matthew 24: 15; Mark 13: 14) lies the present dispensation, which was a secret hidden in God (Eph. 3: 9; Col. 1: 26).
Thus, it is clear that mere national dispersion cannot be tantamount to “the tribulation.” In accordance with the Old Testament prophetical motif of melting/refinement, the tribulation will result in the total sanctification of the nation (Isaiah 4: 3-4; Mal. 3: 3-4; Ezekiel 20: 34-38). It will issue in their deliverance, and not their destruction (Jeremiah 30: 7; Daniel 12: 1; Luke 21: 28).
This eschatological purging of Israel, as described so vividly by Moses and the prophets, did not take place at Nebuchadnezzar’s destruction of the first temple, inasmuch as neither the 3,023 Jews of the first captivity (Jer. 52: 28) nor the 832 of the second captivity (Jer. 52: 29) were regathered into Jerusalem to be “melted.” The largest captivity took place four years AFTER the destruction of the temple, when 4,600 Jews were carried away (Jer. 52: 30). And as Daniel continued to prophesy long after the destruction of the temple, the restoration passages therefore await future fulfillment.
Preterism is a stone-age theology that must be recognized for what it is. It is an ideological rebellion against God’s purpose to restore the nation of Israel. We are now realizing this for the very first time. When dealing with Preterism, it is essential to remember that it is not ideas under fire, so much as the right of God’s chosen people to inherit the promises of the Abrahamic covenant. Although Preterism asserts otherwise, the law never states that Israel would be cast away – even after the curses of Deut. 28 have been levied (see Deut. 30: 1-10). O fools, and slow of heart to be believe all that the prophets have spoken!
The Right of The Firstborn
“If a man have two wives, one beloved and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated: then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath; that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn: but he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his” (Deut. 21: 15-17).
The above passage is often left out of the reckoning by Replacement Theologians who say that God permanently excommunicated Israel in A.D. 70. Indeed, among the great majority of Preterists that is deemed the standard theme of our Lord’s Olivet Discourse. But as we have demonstrated several times, Replacement Theology, of whatever mold or make it may be, is patently untrue.
The quotation above once again confirms our view that it is impossible for God to permanently cast away Israel. For Israel is Jehovah’s firstborn (Exodus 4: 22; Jeremiah 31: 9). According to the above statute, it is unlawful to set the firstborn aside in preference to another, or to deny him the double portion.
But this is exactly what Replacement Theologians do. They assert that Israel was cast away in A.D. 70, without any hope of a restoration according to a fulfillment of the law and the prophets – notwithstanding that Jesus Christ said that every jot and tittle must be fulfilled before heaven and earth pass away (Matthew 5: 17).
We, on the other hand, believe that Israel is a married wife (Jer. 3: 14), which though set aside for a season (Hosea 3: 3-4), will yet be recalled by Jehovah (Isaiah 54: 6-8) and blessed with a double portion during the Millennium (Isaiah 61: 7). For it is not in the Lord’s counsels that Israel should be cast away:
(Hosea 11: 8-9) “How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? How shall I deliver thee, Israel? How shall I make thee as Admah? How shall I set thee as Zeboim? Mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together. I will not execute the fierceness of Mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not come against the city.”
Admah and Zeboim were cities which were destroyed along with Sodom and Gomorrah (Deut. 29: 23). The nation of Israel will not suffer the same fate. For Jehovah is God and not man! Although man would have Israel cast away forever, the Lord promises to restore them. He expressly affirms, through His inspired prophet and mouthpiece, that He will not destroy Israel. Because He is God and changeth not, the sons of Jacob are not consumed (Malachi 3: 6). The gifts and calling of God are without change of mind (Romans 11: 29). That settles the issue of Replacement Theology.
The church is not Israel, but is likened to an espoused bride (2 Corinthians 11: 2). The marriage has not yet taken place. Whereas Israel is a married wife. R.T.’s need to note this difference, because it forms a real distinction between Israel and the church. The church is being built up during the time when Israel abides in blindness. This blindness is not permanent (Romans 11: 11), but will be removed at the Lord’s second coming (Romans 11: 26-27; Isaiah 29: 18-19).
The church does not receive blessings here on earth. The church’s blessings are in heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 1: 3). Israel’s blessings are on earth, and to them pertains the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises (Romans 9: 4). Let R.T.’s take careful note of that last statement: to Israel pertains the promises. And Jesus Christ came to confirm these promises (Romans 15: 8).
In no Scripture does it state that the church has “replaced” or “superseded” Israel. This is an unbiblical figment of man’s theology, and comes from a Roman Catholic mindset in which it is assumed (without Biblical warrant) that the visible church receives all the promises made to Israel. Frankly, I find it hard to believe that the very church which gave us the sale of indulgences and the veneration of icons is she which hath replaced Israel.
No. That is simply not true! Israel was never replaced, but only set aside for a season, that salvation might go out to the Gentiles. The Gentiles do not inherit any of Israel’s earthly blessings. Israel has already been adopted to receive these blessings, and nothing can or will annul God’s decree. However, the church can and does receive spiritual blessings, which Israel will also enjoy during the Millennium (Jer. 31: 31-34). And this will be the “double portion” that Israel receives. May all of God’s promises reach fruition.
