Replacement theology makes the claim that as Israel rejected Jesus as Yeshua she forfeited the promises/ covenants made to her by God and these passed to the Church which became “spiritual Israel.” The concept of replacement theology marginalizes Israel and the Jewish people making it easier for the world to turn its back on the Jews, most notably during the Holocaust.
The movie “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” is about two eight year old boys who became friends though on opposite sides of a fence surrounding a concentration camp. In another KI class I suggested that these boys were ultimate victims of replacement theology.
For the Jew, Replacement Theology and the Holocaust, little daylight between them. For the Christian, if God cannot be trusted to keep His word to Israel can Christians expect Him to keep his word to us and honor our salvation?
However, many church leaders either willfully or through ignorance practice a weak Hermeneutics leading them to claim that the Everlasting Covenants God made with Israel has passed to the church though Replacement Theology:
1. Israel forfeited her promises when she rejected her Messiah
2. The promises to Abraham passed to the Church
3. All the Old Testament covenants were conditional
Replacement theology is not unique to the Christian church. Always the student, a few years ago I attended a Mormon seminar and was surprised to hear that they expect New Jerusalem to come down in Middle America. This replacement theology teaching of Joseph Smith is totally non-biblical and easily ignored.
Last summer I spent a time of worship and discussion with my Seventh-day Adventists neighbors and their fellow believers. I was surprised to find out that they are proponents of Replacement Theology. So more surfing of the Internet searching for “Seventh‑day Adventist Church replacement theology,” nearly 26,500 hits including:
Replacement Theology and the End of Time
"Seventh-day Adventists are so close yet so far away from their brethren, the Jews, because of one missing link. The Adventist church identity is closely wrapped around the ideology that they are “Spiritual Israel”. Adventists feel that they have taken the place of the House of Judah and the House of Israel in any future applications or interpretations of End Time prophecies. Their interpretation of the apocalyptic end times is ego-centric to Adventism. The end of times is a spiritual battle between the Adventist and the Catholics, the good versus the bad."
[http://www.biblesearchers.com/christian/replacement/replacement1.shtml]
Then there is Islam. Those of the Islamic faith falsely claim that Ishmael is the child of promise offered as a sacrifice by Abraham rather than Isaac. Both Joseph Smith and Mohamed were visited by an “angel” who gave them a series of revelations.
Replacement theology is a heresy and perhaps the advocates of this corrupt theology are risking their eternal soul. Also, by rejecting Israel the church rejects much of the truths found in the Old Testament thereby losing connection to our Jewish roots. We have been warned in Genesis 12:3 and in Zechariah 12:3, “And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.”
We in the United States should take heed to Jeremiah’s warning. God will take care of Israel; however, our country runs the risk of being cut in pieces by this burdensome stone.
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