Supersessionism (Replacement Theology) Pt. 2

Supersessionism has left a definable trail of division and destruction in the church. The truthful historic record of antisemitism is subject to interpretation and patterns of behavior. But the truth is also difficult to refute and stands the tests of time. Antisemitism has been ongoing ever since Joshua and Caleb lead Israel into Canaan. The struggle between the descendants of Jacob, Israel, and descendants of Esau, the Edomites. In the beginning of Israel’s existence after leaving Egypt they conflicted with the Edomites. The Edomites wouldn’t allow them to pass through their land when Israel was traveling to Canaan. Since then they have been in conflict for over three thousand year to today. Israel has had to consistently fight for its existence.

The Jews have struggled to find refuge anywhere in the world, even amongst Christians. The early church turned their backs on Israel as they endured assaults from the Greeks, Romans, and many others. Even Martin Luther, who spawned the reformation, wrote antisemitic literature against the Jews. Here are quotes from early church leaders:

Martin Luther: “Set fire to their synagogues or schools,” Martin Luther recommended in On the Jews and Their Lies. Jewish houses should “be razed and destroyed,” and Jewish “prayer books and Talmudic writings, in which such idolatry, lies, cursing, and blasphemy are taught, [should] be taken from them.” Also, “their rabbis [should] be forbidden to teach on pain of loss of life and limb.” Still, this wasn’t enough.

Luther also urged that “safe-conduct on the highways be abolished completely for the Jews,” and that “all cash and treasure of silver and gold be taken from them.” What Jews could do was to have “a flail, an ax, a hoe, a spade” put into their hands so “young, strong Jews and Jewesses” could “earn their bread in the sweat of their brow.” (Christianity Today, “Was Luther Anti-Semitic?” ERIC W. GRITSCH

Justin Martyr (50-117 AD) claimed that “God’s covenant with Israel was no longer valid and that the Gentiles had replaced the Jews”.

The Council of Nicaea (325 AD) Changed the celebration of the Resurrection from the Jewish Feast of First Fruits to Easter to separate any Jewish festivals from Resurrection observances.

Eusebius (275-339) Taught that the promises of Scripture were meant for the Gentiles and the curses were meant for the Jews. He stated that the church was the true Israel.

Augustine (354-430 AD) Asserted that the Jews deserved death but were destined to wander the earth to witness the victory of the church over the synagogue.

Origen of Alexandria (185-254 A.D.) – A ecclesiastical writer and teacher who contributed to the early formation of Christian doctrines. We may thus assert in utter confidence that the Jews will not return to their earlier situation, for they have committed the most abominable of crimes, in forming this conspiracy against the Savior of the human race…hence the city where Jesus suffered was necessarily destroyed, the Jewish nation was driven from its country, and another people was called by God to the blessed election.

St. Augustine (c. 354-430 A.D.), Confessions, 12.14

How hateful to me are the enemies of your Scripture! How I wish that you would slay them (the Jews) with your two-edged sword, so that there should be none to oppose your word! Gladly would I have them die to themselves and live to you!

These church leaders laid the foundation for an antisemitic undercurrent in the church that is evident today. Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that they are the chosen people of God. They claim that the 144,000 witnesses in Revelation 7 are all Jehovah’s Witnesses even though chapter 7 names the tribes of Israel the 144,000 witnesses come from.

The early church oppressed and ostracized the Jewish people for centuries. Origen, who heavily influenced Augustine, added the aspects of amillennialism to the replacement theology doctrine. Although amillennialism supports the replacement theology’s prophetic view and explanation for the absence of Israel at that time, it completely refutes what the Bible says about the future promises of God. 3/4 of the book of Revelation refers to Israel in the future. Amillennialism also allegorizes the millennial period, when Jesus rules on Earth in Jerusalem and restores the nation of Israel. The covenants God made with Israel will be kept. All covenants that have not been fulfilled at any point in time in the past will be fulfilled in the future. At the time of the early church, there was no nation Israel. They didn’t feel the need to have faith that God would fulfill His promise to restore Israel (Ez. 37). The truth of Bible prophecy requires 100% faith in the Word of God being accurate. Despite the conditions of the day, the perspective of Christians should be to trust in God. The barometer of scripture context is that no true scripture should cause other scriptures to be false. They all fit together when kept on proper context. Unfortunately, the early church leaders looked at the barren and desolate state of Palestine in their day and concluded that God was done with Israel. This is likely why many people in the church from 70 AD to the first half of the 19th century interjected themselves in the place of the church. There is a list of prophetic scriptures that prophesy the restoring of Israel to the land of Canaan:

Genesis 12:6-7 Ezekiel 34:13

Genesis 17:7 Ezek. 36:24

Genesis 26:1-4 Micah 2:12

Jeremiah 31:8 Luke 21:24

Antisemitic statements from early church leaders were powerful in their ability to shape the opinion of society at the time of the early church. They created an environment of hatred and rejection of Jews that permeated for centuries. During the “dark ages”, the Catholic church held power over Western Europe. The remaining Eastern half of the Roman Empire lasted until approx. 1300 AD. The 1st Crusade from Rome lead to knights from Europe to Jerusalem. They ended up killing the Jews in the Holy land that they were supposed to be liberating and converting. The Frankish knights forced the conversion of Jews and slaughtered over 25,000 others in Germany. This was followed by the Spanish inquisition where more Jews were forcibly converted or killed by the church in the name of Christianity. It was truly sad to see people who professed to be Christians oppressed and killed the people Jesus came from. Antisemitism in Germany lead to Jews being put into ghettos. Churches aided and turned over Jews to the Nazis for favor with the 3rd Reich. On many occasions, Hitler quoted Martin Luther’s writings about the Jews. A biography of Hitler written by John Toland stated of Hitler, "a member in good standing of the Church of Rome despite his detestation of its hierarchy". The lack of condemnation of Hitler from the church emboldened his antisemitic rhetoric. Hitler murdered Jews without rebuke from the church.

Numerous denominations and religions either claim to be the Jews of promise or claim to have replaced them. The Black Hebrew Israelites claim to be the “true Jewish nation”. They regularly denigrate the Jewish descendants from the 12 tribes of Isaac. Recently, a member of the Black Hebrew Israelites murdered Jews in New Jersey at a Kosher market. If the Jewish people have been replaced, then God has broken His promise. It would also mean the conditional curses given to the descendants of Abraham would apply as well. So many preachers regularly quote prophetic promises given to Israel as a condition of the millennial period and apply them to the church today. When they want to raise money or increase their congregations. You hear promises of houses and cars. So-called prophets and apostles do drive-by sermons and revivals where everything they prophecy is good. They tell congregations everything they want to hear. These false prophets, spoken of in the book of Jude, have had a devastating effect on the church over time. People become discouraged and begin to doubt God. They lose faith and become vulnerable to other false doctrines. They confuse and mislead countless numbers of Christians. They cause damage to the church internally which does more damage than what anyone outside the church could cause.

Most churches in America are not antisemitic but many have adopted the amillennialistic attitude toward prophetic scriptures. Revelation 20 states that there will be a 1,000-year period when Jesus will reign on the earth. Amillennialism identifies this as being symbolic. There at least 50 scriptures that describe a literal millennial period involving Israel.

Isaiah 11 – This chapter begins verse 1& 2 with the statement that makes it clear this chapter is talking about the nation Israel. The following verses are talking about the conditions of the millennial period:

Isaiah 11

1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

2 And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;

The conditions of the millennial period have yet to be fulfilled. Isaiah chapter 11 is a scripture that is commonly taken out of context in the Bible:

6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

Replacement theology also teaches Amillennialism, which has become popular in many black churches. It teaches that there is no future for Israel in the scriptures. This belief cannot be true because in no time in history has the conditions of Isaiah 11 been met. No one has ever recorded a Lion eating grass like an ox or a parent being comfortable with their child playing in the hole of a poisonous snake:

Isaiah 11

7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.

Isaiah 65 – Repeats the condition of Isaiah 11.

Many Christians quote this scripture without even knowing who the child is leading. The next two verses also say that a bear and cow shall lie down together, a lion shall eat straw like an ox, and a child shall play in the hole of an asp (a poisonous snake). These conditions and many others in this chapter don’t exist now. The entire chapter is describing the future conditions of the Kingdom reign of Jesus Christ on Earth for 1,000 years. The destiny of the church us different from the destiny of the nation Israel. The acceptance of God’s Son, Jesus Christ is what separates the two. Israel rejected the Messiah as a nation so they cannot be accepted by God until they repent as a nation. Israel’s acceptance of Jesus Christ will not happen until Jesus’ second return.

Zechariah 14 – This chapter gives a vivid description of Jesus return. The Jews in Jerusalem are under attack from the antichrist and his armies. Jesus returns to the Mt. of Olives just as prophesied in Acts 1:11. The condition of Jerusalem and a description of how will look when Jesus lands on the Mt. of Olives is found in this passage. The Jewish people who’ve gathered in Jerusalem will be under duress from the attacking armies of the world under the direction of the antichrist. At this point, the nation of Israel will call out to Jesus. Jesus’ second return is a rescue mission and establishment of His kingdom on Earth. We pray for this whenever we say the Lord’s prayer, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven”, Matt. 6:10. Jesus; Kingdom will be on Earth for a thousand years.

The East Gate of Jerusalem

Ezekiel 44 – This chapter begins by telling us that Jesus will return to Jerusalem and enter through the Eastern gate of the city, otherwise known as the “Horse gate”, is an important passage to read to understand the consequences of Israel’s disobedience. Israel has endured hardship because they rejected Jesus, but they haven’t eternally been cast away by God. Israel will lose the position of priesthood in the 3rd and last temple during the millennial period. The Jews will serve in the outer court ministering and offering sacrifices in the temple. But because they sinned and rejected Jesus, they will not be priests and conduct the duties of the priesthood during the millennial reign of Jesus on Earth.

Romans 11

1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel saying,

24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

In Romans 11, Paul clarifies God’s intent to keep His covenant to Israel. God has loved them and preserved them through their rebellion. God has not cast away His people. The best way to understand the relationship with Israel is to look at it through the eyes of a parent. A good parent does not cast away a disobedient child. I would never kick any of my children out of the house because they are disobedient. God has much more love than I. He will not disown His children nor will God discard His children just because He’s adopted in Gentiles. Romans 11:24 states that God has grafted in the Gentiles that accept Him. God does chasten His children when they misbehave and rewards them when they’re obedient. Israel’s rejection of Jesus has cost them dearly:

• Israel has been taken in captivity repeatedly; Assyria, Egypt, Babylon.

• Israel was ruled over by numerous oppressive gentile nations: Persia, Greece, Rome, Ottomans.

• Israel has been the victim of genocide in Germany, Russia, and other nations.

• Israel will go through the Tribulation period and suffer under the rule of the .

Israel will be reconciled to God through the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ. It will be a great reunion to go along with Jesus magnificent return to Jerusalem. Each of the tribes of Israel will be given the land God promised them. The Earth will be divided into nation during the millennial period. The nations of the world will journey to Jerusalem, in Israel, to worship and take part in the feast of the tabernacle once a year Zech. 14: 16-21.

The church must pray for the nation Israel. Christians should reach out to Jews and everyone else to accept Christ. We should daily pray to love what God loves and hate what God hates to become more like Him. God loves Israel so we should love Israel. We will be blessed for blessing them.

Genesis 12:3

And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

PRAY FOR THE NATION of ISRAEL!