JD: Let’s talk about replacement theology. What do we mean by that term and why is it something that we need to be concerned about?
DJ: Well in its most simple understanding it would be the idea that the church has replaced Israel and God’s program and therefore national Israel no longer has a place. Meaning that God will not be restoring national Israel to a place. Jerusalem will not be the capital and the center of God’s program on the earth, which also mean. For many of them they do not believe that Jesus Christ will be returning to set up a one thousand year kingdom. We call it the millennial kingdom with headquarters in Jerusalem and the rebuilt Temple. Israel does have a future in God’s program. They would say that they don’t except the idea of replacement theology.
JD: How should we respond the idea of replacement theology from a Biblical prospective, which I believe is key?
DJ: Well it goes back to we understand the Bible using a literal grammatical historical hermeneutic. This goes down to taking God and his word and looking at the faithfulness of God and especially as it connects with the covenants that God made with his chosen people, Israel his chosen people through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
So, in the beginning of Genesis chapter 12 God made certain
promises to Abraham as he raised up a new nation that had never existed before,
the nation of Israel through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And he made seven promises
and those included a land, it’s a piece of real estate that they would be
blessing that the redeemer would come through this nation.
And we know that Jesus was born of the seed of David of the
tribe of Judah and he is the savior of all men both Jew and Gentile. God
repeated those promises to Isaac and Jacob. They were confirmed to Moses in the
land covenant and more things were said about that in Deuteronomy 28, 29, and
30. And then the Davidic Covenant, II Samuel 7 which we see as an eternal
covenant. God will give Israel and the Jewish people a rest from their enemies.
And then Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 36 where God says that he’s making a new covenant
with a house of Israel and a house of Judah.
So, it goes down to the faithfulness of God which promises
Israel will have a place in God’s program and the church will come along side Israel
in the millennial kingdom as the bride of Christ.
JD: David James with the Biblical explanation of replacement
theology.
We report this information because it is setting the stage
for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled.
The Bible reveals to every student of the word of God that
God made four covenants with the Jewish people and these covenants cannot be
broken. God must keep his promises to the Jewish people as well as to Christians.
All prophetic promises in his word will be fulfilled.
