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For this article, the Lord has instructed us to deal with, or target, the doctrine of Replacement Theology. This is the teaching that says, because Israel broke their covenant with God, that they are forever, irrevocably cut off from the covenant promises of God. We are going to look at it in a couple forms and consider several levels of argument against it.

We will mention some articles by various writers as we go along, for convenience, we’ll list the references first, plus a couple other interesting tidbits, with links directly to those files.

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The first step is to consider the source of the teaching. The second is to look at the fruit of it. We’ll examine how it fails to consider both sides of the question, the outer appearance and the inner remnant, and how it does not consider the typology of Israel and The Church. Finally we will look at scriptural refutations and examine the end time pattern closely. Also we will not waste any time quibbling over who is a Jew, or who is a Hebrew, or who is an Israelite.

So what is Replacement Theology?

We will look at several definitions.

Michael L Brown writes:
Look at how relevant God’s prophetic word is to our day and age. For centuries the Church, in arrogance, because of ignorance, claimed that she alone was the true Israel, that she had replaced the ancient covenant people. The Church taught that it was the Christians alone who were the true Jews. (How strange that these Christians were not claiming to be Jewish during the Holocaust!) The Church taught emphatically that the physical people of Israel (those who were ethnically Jewish and those who joined the nation through conversion to Judaism) were eternally rejected.

Here’s a quote from a group that teaches Replacement Theology.

"Whatever the Jews, as a nation, may do, now or in the time to come, is in no way related to the former promises made to them. With the crucifixion of Christ they forever forfeited their special position as God's chosen people. Any idea that the return of the Jews to their ancestral home, that is, to the new state of Israel, may in any way be related to Bible prophecy is the product of wishful thinking on the part of misguided, even if sincere, religious enthusiasts, and is without valid Scriptural foundation." (Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 4, p. 33)

Note what’s being said here in that last quote from a solid Replacement Theology church. That is: The restoration of the Nation and State of Israel has nothing to do with bible prophecy. Talk about denying the obvious! That’s like saying lightning has nothing to do with thunder

Derek Prince writes:
In ministering to the body of Christ, I have discovered that many Christians find fault with God because He is restoring the Jewish people—and they feel the Jews don’t deserve it. But that is the very essence of favor: getting what you don’t deserve. One result of that way of thinking is “replacement theology,” which claims that because the Jews have fallen out of favor with God, all of their promises default to the church.

By implication, “the church” does deserve God’s favor. But this leaves me with an unresolved problem. In more than sixty years of ministry, I have yet to discover a church that actually does deserve God’s favor.

Note here how Prince, with elegant simplicity, nails the key issue of grace, Gods undeserved favor. He says the very essence of favor: getting what you don’t deserve.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

It was Derek Prince who came up with the idea of parallel restoration. That is that Israel is being restored and at the same time the Church is being restored. This was based on comparisons of parallel events in recent history. Zionism became popular early in the 20^th century while the church was having a the great Pentecostal revival. Israel became a state about the time of the great postwar healing revival. The recapture of Jerusalem took place about the time of the Charismatic renewal. So restoration was happening to both groups at the same time.

Back to our topic.

Clarence H. Wagner, Jr. writes:
Perhaps you have heard of the term Replacement Theology. However, if you look it up in a dictionary of Church history, you will not find it listed as a systematic study. Rather, it is a doctrinal teaching that originated in the early Church. It became the fertile soil from which Christian anti-Semitism grew and has infected the Church for nearly 1,900 years.

Replacement Theology was introduced to the Church shortly after Gentile leadership took over from Jewish leadership. What are its premises?

He lists 5:

1.      Israel (the Jewish people and the land) has been replaced by the Christian Church in the purposes of God, or, more precisely, the Church is the historic continuation of Israel to the exclusion of the former.

2.      The Jewish people are now no longer a "chosen people." In fact, they are no different from any other group, such as the English, Spanish, or Africans.

3.      Apart from repentance, the new birth, and incorporation into the Church, the Jewish people have no future, no hope, and no calling in the plan of God. The same is true for every other nation and group.

4.      Since Pentecost of Acts 2, the term "Israel," as found in the Bible, now refers to the Church.

5.      The promises, covenants and blessings ascribed to Israel in the Bible have been taken away from the Jews and given to the Church, which has superseded them. However, the Jews are subject to the curses found in the Bible, as a result of their rejection of Christ.

There is one more form of Replacement thinking that is sometimes found in the writings of teachers who are strongly anti-dispensational or anti pretrib rapture. This variation says that the Church has not replaced Israel but that the Church is Israel. By this they mean that God’s covenant was never with the people of Old Israel as a whole but only with those within that nation who were truly believers. And so the congregation of Israel today consists of all the believers who put their faith in Jesus. So that we call the church as a believing body is just a continuation of the congregation of Israel from old testament times. That’s what they mean by saying the church is Israel.

Wagner puts it like this: the Church is the historic continuation of Israel to the exclusion of the former …

We will look more at this idea later. Now while this is not strictly saying the church has replaced Israel, the results are the same as far as the attitude toward modern Israel. Modern Israel is totally disregarded.

Pt. One. The Source Of This Teaching.

Sometimes it’s a good idea to consider the source. Who teaches and believes Replacement Theology?

Below is a list of the 25 largest churches in America. [I don’t have any data for worldwide membership.] The churches that are highlighted in bold or have an ‘R’ after them are confirmed replacement theology churches.

U.S. Membership Denominational Ranking:
Largest 25 Denominations
2004 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches

1. The Roman Catholic Church - 66,407,105 ‘R’
2. Southern Baptist Convention ? 16, 427, 736
3. The United Methodist Church - 8,251,042 ‘R’
4. The Church of God in Christ - 5,499,875
5. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - 5,410,544 ‘R’
6. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America - 5,038,006 ‘R’
7. National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc. - 5,000,000
8. National Baptist Convention of America, Inc. - 3,500,000
9. Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) - 3,407,329 ‘R’
10. Assemblies of God - 2,687,366
11. The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod - 2,512,714 ‘R’
12. African Methodist Episcopal Church - 2,500,000 ‘R’
13. National Missionary Baptist Convention of America - 2,500,000
14. Progressive National Baptist Convention Inc. - 2,500,000
15. The Episcopal Church - 2,333,628 ‘R’
16. Churches of Christ, Corsicana, Texas - 1,500,000 ‘R’
17. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America - 1,500,000 ‘R’
18. Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc. - 1,500,000
19. American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A. - 1,484,291
20. African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church - 1,430,795 ‘R’
21. United Church of Christ - 1,330,985 ‘R’
22. Baptist Bible Fellowship International - 1,200,000
23. Christian Churches and Churches of Christ, Joplin, Mo. - ‘R’ 1,071,616
24. Jehovah's Witnesses - 1,022,397 ‘R’
25. Church of God, Cleveland, Tenn., - 944,857

So what is the point here?

The churches that embrace Replacement Theology 14, out of 25, are in general, not Spirit Filled. Also the ministries and teachers that you see embrace Replacement Theology are usually not Spirit Filled.

On the other side, most of those in this list that are not in boldface are dispensational in doctrine. They are various brands of Baptist, and Pentecostal churches [Bapticostal] They teach pretrib, and emphasize a strict division between Israel and the Church. You will find that while all these are well versed in the word of God, they are still a bit immature when it comes to understanding that word. The Baptists are certainly not Spirit Filled and the Pentecostals have all, for some odd reason, borrowed their teachings on prophecy from their doctrinal enemies. Go figure!

Well you may say, who does that leave? Well it leaves a great number of Spirit Filled teachers and prophetic ministries, who actually hear from God. Furthermore, rarely, if ever, will you find any of these ever teaching Replacement. Quite the contrary, they will usually emphasize support for Israel. And they will share God’s heart for the salvation of the Jewish people. That should be a big clue; in fact that should be all the convincing you need. Man can argue scriptures with earthly wisdom but He that Hath an Ear will hear.

To put it another way, Replacement Theology is a product of man’s wisdom, or maybe it’s a doctrine of demons. Either way, looking at the source tells us a lot. Mature Ministries that draw upon God’s ‘wisdom from above’ do not teach this doctrine.

Pt. Two – The Fruit of Replacement Theology

Matthew 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Briefly, The Fruit of Replacement Theology is Anti-Semitism and persecution of the Jews. Beside that, it introduces utter confusion into prophetic studies. Of course eschatology, i.e. prophetic studies of the end times, is full of utter confusion anyway! This just muddies the waters even more.

Christian Anti-Semitism through the centuries.

The antagonism towards the Jews quickly became a theme among the early church fathers. Among the first were:

Justin Martyr (c. AD 160)
Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyon (c. AD 177)
Tertullian (AD 160-230)
Hilary of Poitiers (AD 291-371)
Eusebius In the early 4th century
St. Jerome (AD 347-407)
Gregory of Nyssa, Bishop of Cappadocia (died AD 394),
John Chrysostom, the Bishop of Antioch, at the end of the 4th century
and the great St. Augustine who tackled this issue in his "Sermon Against the Jews."

Anti Jewish rhetoric was present in the Church Council in Elvira (Spain) in AD 305, the Edict of Milan issued in AD 313 and the Council of Nicea (AD 325).

By the Middle Ages, the teachings of Christian anti-Semitism were solidly established.

The result of these anti-Jewish teachings continued onwards throughout Church history, producing such events and actions as the Crusades, the Inquisition, the ghettoes, the pogroms. Even the great Martin Luther and other reformation leaders fell into this error.

Ultimately, the Hitler Holocaust was ‘justified’ by such thinking. Today we also see it in the writings of those who deny that Israel has any right to the land, or any right to exist. Some even go so far as to openly side with Islamic Palestinian activists in opposing Israel.

Clarence Wagner writes about the bad fruit in greater detail. :

What Happens When the Church Replaces Israel?

1) The Church becomes arrogant and self-centered.

2) It boasts against the Jews and Israel.

3) It devalues the role of Israel or has no role for Israel at all.

4) These attitudes result in anti-Semitism in word and deed.

5) Without a place for Israel and the Jewish people today, you cannot explain the Bible prophecies, especially the very specific ones being fulfilled in Israel today.

6) Many New Testament passages do not make sense when the Jewish people are replaced by the Church.

7) You can lose the significance of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Old Testament, for today. Many Christians boast of being a New Testament (NT) Christian or a NT Church as in the Book of Acts. However, the Bible of the early Church was not the New Testament, which did not get codified until the 4th century, but rather the Hebrew Scriptures.

8) You can lose the Hebraic/Judaic contextualization of the New Testament, which teaches us more about Yeshua and how to become better disciples.

9) The Church loses out on the opportunity to participate in God's plan and prophecy for the Church, Israel and the world today.

Of this list, 3 and 5 stand out especially. If you follow Replacement Theology you get to a point where you teach that God has no end time dealings with Israel at all. You can’t explain the prophecies being fulfilled today. You have to argue that the rebirth of Israel in 1948 has nothing to do with prophecy. And you have to explain away a host of other passages and prophecies still remaining to be fulfilled. The battle of Armageddon for example, gets ‘spiritualized away’ by some writers. Some, called preterists, even go so far as to try and make you think that all of Revelation has already happened and Jesus has already returned! Like they say, be careful where you buy a used car!

Pt. Three – The Outer Appearance And The Inner Remnant

Asher Intrater in his article The Destiny of Nations states that in every nation there are two groups of people in God’s view. They are the general population and the believing remnant. The general populace is the mass of sinful rebellious people [like an outer shell] and a group of true born-again followers of Jesus [the inner core]. Of course God sees and deals with both. Man usually misses it.

1st Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

He gives China as one example, a very wicked national government over a nation that has a very large underground church. His second example is the Palestinians, of all people. Here the leaders openly practice terror and oppression, yet there is a remnant of faithful Christian Arabs amongst them.

Then he challenges us to examine our attitude toward Israel. Do we see a nation led by atheist politicians and unbelieving Rabbi’s? Or, do we see that there is a believing remnant there. He cites the Lord’s rebuke to Elijah, as quoted in Romans 11 as a corrective example.

Romans 11:2 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,
3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.
4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.
5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

Israel idolatry and Replacement theology.

If we miss seeing this we may end up in one of two errors that are polar opposites. Let me quote him directly.

If you continue to try to see the spiritual destiny and purpose of Israel by looking only at the unbelievers, you will only get confused either on one side or the other. Either you might become an "Israel-worshipper"; in which case you might start believing that a right-wing politician or religious rabbi is saved just because he can quote some things from the Bible.

On the other hand, you might end up in "Replacement Theology", rejecting God's plan for Israel altogether because you say, ‘These people are not spiritual and not believers in Yeshua. Therefore they can't be Israel; and God has no special destiny for this nation.’ That is also a grave mistake. Both Israel idolatry and Replacement theology are errors. Both come from the mistake of missing the role of the Messianic remnant within the nation. The Messianic Remnant provides the correction for both Israel idolatry and Replacement theology.

Israel Idolatry is the unquestioning support of the State of Israel as a political entity, regardless of it’s policies. It is going far beyond supporting Israel and affirming her right to exist. In some cases this is called Christian Zionism. Commonly it’s a byproduct of dispensationalism, [try saying that 3 times real fast], which teaches the pre-tribulation rapture.

Replacement theology, as we have seen, goes back much farther in history. But in our time it is strengthened by a backlash [over-reaction] against dispensationalism.

Intrater sees the role of the Messianic remnant in Modern Israel to be the same as the remnant’s was in the time of Elijah, and the time when the book of Romans was written. And the existence of this remnant is why God has not cast off his people.

Pt. Four – Typology of Israel and the Church.

Types are pictures, figures, images, or patterns. The trendy buzzword for type is paradigm. The idea is derived from the word for footprint. A footprint gives the outline of the foot that made it; it’s just that the outline is not always a perfect outline. So type in a typewriter or in printing leaves a footprint on the page in the shape of the piece of type that made it. There is a built in vagueness that limits what you can do with types. The idea of a type comes into play when there are two things that resemble each other in some way, but not necessarily all. You can get the idea from the word similitude which is used in one place in the King James Version; it just means a comparison of things that are similar. Allegories are stories involving types, so are parables.

The idea that there is typology when it comes to Israel and the Church is contained in the following verse from first Corinthians, here the key word is example.

First Corinthians 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

This scripture is speaking of things that happened to the people of Israel that Moses led out of Egypt, and to Israel in general as recorded in the old testament. We must look upon them as examples and warnings for the church, especially as we move into the end times. This should serve as a clue that Israel can be considered as a type of the church. Here are some points to compare.

Israel is a group of people separated out from among all the nations to be holy unto the Lord.

The Church is also a group of people called out from among the nations of the world to be a special and holy before God.

Israel’s history is a continual cycle of falling away and coming back to God. God moves mightily on behalf of his people and delivers them from oppression. The following generation forgets God, and they are eventually turned over to an oppressor. Then the people return to God and cry for mercy. Then God delivers them once again.

The Church has a similar history of backsliding and revival in cycles. God grants a revival or awakening and many are saved. Later the people backslide again. As conditions get worse, some begin to pray and God visits them with another revival.

Israel is and was dedicated to God but always wanted to be like all the other nations.

The Church is supposed to be separate and not like the world, but is always slipping into worldly ways.

Israel is waiting for the coming of the Messiah.

The Church is waiting for the Second Coming of The Lord Jesus Christ.

Basically typology is a comparison or analogy. Old testament scripture that speaks of Israel or of certain places in Israel denotes God’s people. Since we understand that the church is God’s people, much of this scripture also can speak to the church. The typology of Israel and the Church also means that references to Israel, Jerusalem, Zion and the Temple, when they are prophetic, will often also refer to the Church. See my article, The Shape of Things To Come.

Typology must be witnessed by the Holy Spirit. Many cannot grasp it because they are using man’s logic. For example, we say Israel is a type of the church. This means there are scriptures where Israel is mentioned and we can see, if we have eyes to see, that these apply equally to the church. Yet man’s logic insists on all or none. It is based purely on our own limited understanding. When someone finds a scripture where ‘Israel’ clearly does not apply, they toss out the whole idea.

For example, the first time we find the word Israel is in Genesis 32.

Genesis 32:28
28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

Here the scoffer would say that according to typology, God is saying Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but the Church. Well that’s just plain silly! Let’s use a little of that rare commodity, common sense, people!

Here are other verses where it’s perfectly acceptable to substitute ‘the church’ for ‘Israel’.

Psalms 22:3
3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

Luke 1:68
68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,

Ezekiel 43:10
10 Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern.

Daniel 9:11
11 Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.

So what is what?

If the church has not replaced Israel, then what? Some say the Church is the church and Israel is Israel; they are totally different. Others say the church is Israel. Which is it?

Intrater provides us with one way to resolve this. You can look at physical Israel and compare it with the physical or cultural church. Clearly these are different. But if you look at the believing remnant, the spiritual side, then they are the same.

We can say that the Church is the continuation of ancient Israel but not to the exclusion of modern or ethnic Israel. But we’re talking about the believing remnant of the church as a continuation of the believing remnant of ancient Israel. This should be clear enough since we mean those who are standing on faith in the promises, and Habakkuk 2: says this.

Habakkuk 2:4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

And Hebrews 10 quotes this verse.

Hebrews 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

God’s People

A third way to look it is to say Israel and the Church are related by typology. Since we understand that Israel is God’s people, and we know that the church is God’s people, much of the scripture that talks about Israel also can speak to the church. New testament scripture tells us that the church is to be God’s dwelling place, a temple made up of living stones. This means that any old testament scripture which refers to God’s dwelling place, can also speak to the church. The dwelling place can be describes as a tent, a tabernacle, a house or a temple. One common use of types of this sort is when people quote Haggai and apply it to the church.

Haggai 2:9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.

Here Haggai is speaking of the rebuilt temple after the exiles returned from Babylon. Using typology, you substitute ‘church’ for ‘house’ and contrast the former and latter in a special way. Since ‘latter’ is used to mean latter day or end time, the ‘latter house’ therefore speaks of the end time church, and the former house speaks of the early church. Presenting it this way makes this scripture from Haggai a prophetic verse that in effect says the following. The glory of the end time church will be greater than that of the early church. Notice that typology is used twice here. First to compare the house of God, the temple with the church, and secondly to use the early church as a type of the end time church.

We mentioned earlier that God’s people are a group called out from among the nations. The first instance is Israel, which God chose from among the nations to be a holy people. The second instance is the church, who are the called out ones, believers from all nations. The third instance is the USA, made up of peoples from all nations. The pattern is the same in each case.

If we look these as Intrater suggests, the pattern continues. Each one has two elements, the outer appearance and the inner remnant. The institutional church, i.e. the ‘church system’ or organized religion is corrupt and ripe for judgment. At the same time the inner remnant is interceding to delay or mollify that judgment. Outwardly the USA, [and the other nations] are corrupt and ripe for judgment. While the inner remnant yet intercedes. The church system is often seen as Babylon; while many others offer proof that the USA is Babylon. Since the pattern is the same, could both be correct?

The Church of Israel?

The terms kahal [congregation in Hebrew], church [English], and ecclesia [called out in Greek] all mean the same thing. Only today we see a nation and people of Israel and a global movement of Christianity not linked to any one nation or people.

God’s Israel or God’s people. These should be seen as one group, the elect of God. This is so even if they are from Pre-Flood times, Old testament, New testament or End times. [so called tribulation saints]

Did the Church begin at Pentecost? Some say yes in Acts 2 and others say yes, in Exodus. But if God’s people are one group, then it goes back all the way to Adam and includes anyone who was justified by having faith in God’s promises. Like they say, it all depends on what you mean. So be careful when jumping to conclusions. Which is exactly what replacement theology does.

Judgment Begins At The House Of God

We spoke of scriptures that speak directly of Israel also possibly applying to the church. Here are a pair of verses, saying about the same thing, that mention Zion and Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 26:18 Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.

Micah 3:12 Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.

Here Zion and Jerusalem apply both to Israel and to the church. This prophecy was partly fulfilled in ancient times, and yet also refers to Judgments yet to come on both the church and Israel. For we know that judgment has to begin at the ‘house of God.’ And of course the term ‘house of God’ is another way of expressing ‘God’s People’ namely Israel and the church. This is how Israel and the church the paradox makes sense. Israel and the church are the same, yet different.

1 Peter 4:17
17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

Modern Israel and Jacob’s Trouble

Here is a passage from Exodus that contains some prophetic typology. In this case it’s not a case of Israel and the Church, but ancient Israel and Modern Israel.

Exodus 3:18-21
18 And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.
19 And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.
20 And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.

It breaks down like this. The king of Egypt is a type of Satan, and Egypt is the world. The king of Egypt has the Children of Israel, the Jews, in bondage [blindness]. The three days journey speaks of the end times. The Lord smiting Egypt with all his wonders speaks of the end time judgments of the tribulation. After that he will let you go speaks of the final deliverance of the Jews after the tribulation, [at the second coming]. This will have a bearing on the last segment of our discussion.

Pt. Five – Refutations from Scripture – What Does the Bible Say?

Here are the most common proof texts for Replacement Theology.

Romans 4:13
13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

This is used to shore up the claim that the Church inherits the world, and not Israel. What it is actually saying is the heir of the world will inherit by faith, not by the law. This does not automatically exclude the Jews at all. It just brings out the importance of faith.

Matthew 21:43
43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

This is given to support the idea that Jesus taught that the Jews would lose their spiritual privileges, and be replaced by another people. Here is the passage in context.

Matthew 21:42-45
42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.

Here in verse 25, you can see that Jesus is speaking of the Chief Priests and leaders of the people, not to the nation as a whole.

Even if it is talking about a nation it can’t possibly mean that the church has replaced Israel. Why? Because the church has not brought forth the fruits of the kingdom either. Jesus can say the exact same thing to today’s church: The kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a new generation of end time overcomers who will in fact produce the fruit God is looking for. Do you see the typology of Israel and the Church here? The church has failed to produce, just like ancient Israel failed. Here ancient Israel is not an example for the church, her fate is a prophecy for the church.

Next case:

Romans 2:28-29
28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

Galatians 3:6-9
6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

Galatians 3:29
29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

These verses show the importance of faith being needed to inherit the promise. But they do not say anything about Israel being replaced by the church or cut off in any way. So go figure!

God’s Instrument

Some believers think of God’s people, Israel, as his servant or instrument. That is in playing a part in the story of mankind’s redemption.

The land and people played the central role in the first coming of Messiah, and they are destined to play a central part in the Second Coming. The church also plays a part but it has not taken over Israel’s part. In fact several scriptures indicate that if the people of Israel are not in the Land of Israel, there would be no second coming of Jesus.

Restoration Of Israel

Here are some of the passages which speak of the restoration of Israel. Of course, it God is finished with Israel, how do you explain that they began to be fulfilled in the post war years? I mean how can someone say that the rebirth of the State of Israel in 1948 is just a coincidence? Or how can they claim that it has nothing to do with bible prophecy, and still expect to be taken seriously?

Isaiah 11:11-12
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

Jeremiah 16:14-15

14 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;

15 But, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.

Jeremiah 31:35-37
35 Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name:
36 If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.
37 Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD.

Isaiah 54:6-10
6 For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.
7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.
8 In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.
9 For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.
10 For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.

Zechariah 10:1-6
1 Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.
2 For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams; they comfort in vain: therefore they went their way as a flock, they were troubled, because there was no shepherd.
3 Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I punished the goats: for the LORD of hosts hath visited his flock the house of Judah, and hath made them as his goodly horse in the battle.
4 Out of him came forth the corner, out of him the nail, out of him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together.
5 And they shall be as mighty men, which tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle: and they shall fight, because the LORD is with them, and the riders on horses shall be confounded.
6 And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them; for I have mercy upon them: and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am the LORD their God, and will hear them.

It would be easy to come up with dozens more quotes that say similar things. The bible is full of them.

Here are some notes from Michael Brown:

What if Israel broke the covenant? What would then happen to them? Listen to these unmistakably clear truths: "Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only with justice; I will not let you go entirely unpunished" (Jeremiah. 30:11). God will completely destroy other nations, but He will not completely destroy Israel! He treats His people differently from other people; they are judged more strictly, but they will never be wiped out.

This is not some worn-out old doctrine. It is on the increase again in our day. Yet the Lord is not surprised. Twenty-five hundred years ago, He already addressed this issue:

The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: " Have you not noticed that these people are saying, 'The LORD has rejected the two kingdoms He chose?' So they despise My people and no longer regard them as a nation. This is what the LORD says: 'If I have not established My covenant with day and night and the fixed laws of heaven and earth, then I will reject the descendants of Jacob and David My servant and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes and have compassion on them' " (Jer.33:23-26)

Not only did He promise to bless Abraham and make him into a great nation; not only did He promise to multiply his seed; not only did He promise to make him the father of many nations; not only did He promise to bless those who blessed him and curse those who cursed him; He also promised Abraham the land of Canaan, with clearly defined borders, as an everlasting inheritance to his natural descendants –until this earth is no more.

Amazingly, some teachers have tried to get out of this perpetual land promise to Israel. They claim that in the New Testament, neither Jesus nor the apostles ever reiterate this particular aspect of the covenant. But why should they reiterate it? When almost all of the New Testament was being written, about one million Jews were living in the Land, Jerusalem was the spiritual and national capitol and the Temple was still standing. And Jesus made it clear that, despite Jerusalem’s soon-coming destruction – a destruction that would last "until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" – He would come back to a Jewish Jerusalem (Luke 21:24; Matt. 23:37-39).Obviously Jews would be in the Land!

His covenant with Abraham is just as unconditional and everlasting as His covenant with David. Read Genesis 15carefully. In ancient days, that is how covenants were made. Sacrificial animals were cut in two and their severed bodies placed in two lines. Both parties entering into the covenant would then walk between the carcasses. By doing so they were symbolically saying, "If I break this binding agreement, if I fail to uphold my side of the pact, then let me suffer the same fate that these animals have suffered." But something was different in Genesis 15. Only God passed through the pieces! This was a one-way deal (see Gen.15:17-21)

God's covenant with Abraham is just as unconditional and everlasting as His covenant with the Church. The Lord "saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy" (Titus 3:5). Praise God, we were chosen by grace! But we are not the only recipients of the Lord's unmerited favor. To Israel, Moses said:

The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt (Deut. 7:7-8).

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? God's covenants with Israel and with the Church are based on His promise, not our performance.

Old Testament Israel and the new Testament Church both stood, and still stand, by grace. Both received God's eternal promises. Together we make up the family of God: The faithful ones of Israel and the chosen ones from every nation become one new man out of the two, one body, one people. "For through Him[Jesus!] we both have access to the Father by one Spirit" (Eph. 2:18). Great is the wisdom of God.

Derek Prince wrote:

You will arise and have mercy on Zion; For the time to favor her, Yes, the set time, has come. Psalm 102:13

The current restoration of the Jewish people is a unique mark of God’s favor. In God’s calendar, there is a set time to favor Zion. I believe we are either living in it now or we are approaching it.

There are two words in that verse that describe something we can never earn: favor and mercy. The very fact that we need mercy means we cannot earn it.

Part 6 - Return To The Lord

Replacement Theology affects your understanding of scripture in 2 major areas.

1.      The return of the Jews to their land, and

2.      The salvation of the Jews in the Day of the Lord.

To put it another way the two issues are Return to the Land and Return to the Lord! Clearly a great number of Jews have returned to the land, and a great number more shall return in days to come. But also it’s quite clear that they have not yet returned to the Lord. You still have the veil of blindness on Israel and they are still enemies of the gospel as Romans 11 indicates. We have pretty well covered Return to the Land in the previous section. So let’s get into the most important area, Return to the Lord.

The Redemption Of Natural Israel

The key question is will All Israel be saved? And how and when will they be saved? Or to put it another way, what exactly does it mean in Romans 11 when it says:

Romans 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: ….

In a larger context, we have an end time sequence of events that form a finale to all that God has done. These are: a time of great tribulation, signs in the heavens, the second coming of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead [life from the dead], translation of the remnant, the redemption of natural Israel, and the final battle. All this happens in roughly the order given. The redemption of natural Israel is the sticking point. It can mean one of two things.

1. That all the Jews remaining alive after the tribulation will be saved, all at once, or it can mean:
2. That only a tiny remnant of the Jews remaining alive at that time will be saved.

Replacement Theology, or any theory which says that God has no more dealings with Israel will pick item B. This thinking is especially common to those who claim that the Church has not replaced Israel but that the Church is Israel. They deny that Israel has any claim to the Land, that God is through with them as a nation and that in the end only a remnant will be saved. And that remnant saved will be by means of the same repentance and acceptance of Jesus as any other people. Here they imply that it will only be a tiny minority, like the 2-3% of the population that are saved in normal times. This is stressed heavily in their writings to counter the Dispensationalist claim that ALL ISRAEL will be saved and have a physical earthly kingdom, ruling over the earth with Jesus as King and it’s capitol in Jerusalem. While the church, an entirely different entity will have a spiritual kingdom in the heavens. A typical case, and the source of these arguments is I Want To Be Left Behind by Ted Noel.

The major arguments against Israel’s redemption en masse are the following.

• Romans 11:26 is being misinterpreted.
• God’s covenant was only to those who believed, not to all Jews.
• Romans 9:27 states that only a remnant will be saved.
• God makes no distinction between Greek and Jew, and since he does not play favorites, he would not grant mass salvation to one group of people.
• Hosea’s prophecy of restoration applies to the Gentiles, not the Jews.

Rebuttals

Lets start with the first, that Romans 11:26 is being misinterpreted.

Romans 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: ….

Some critics of this notion [mass salvation of the Jews] state that in Romans 11:26 where it says ‘And so all Israel shall be saved’ has two problems. First to think that ‘so’ can be understood as then when it should be translated as in like manner, or thusly. This approach says it means ‘in this manner all Israel shall be saved’. The manner in they are talking about is the process of repentance and being graft back into the olive tree as described in vs. 23 and 24.

And second that ‘all Israel’ can’t possibly mean ‘all Israel’. [Duh!] No seriously, the idea is that ‘all Israel’ has to mean Israel and the church. In this case, one can only be talking about the believing remnant, not the whole of physical Israel alive at the time. Or, it must mean, all who are of Israel throughout the age. And this cannot be since we are told only a remnant would be saved. Do you follow that?

Well lets look at the Strong’s definition of the word they translate as ‘so’ in verse 26. You’ll notice the parts in bold show that it can be translated either or both ways.

[Greek. 3779] houto (hoo'-to)

adverb from 3778; in this way (referring to what precedes or follows):--after that, after (in) this manner, as, even (so), for all that, like(-wise), no more, on this fashion(-wise), so (in like manner), thus, what.

So which way fits the context? Look again at these key verses.

Romans 11:25 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.
28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.

If ‘so’ in verse 26 means ‘after that’, then ask yourself, after what? After the fullness of the Gentiles comes in is what. Then in following we read: There shall come … the deliverer, who shall turn away ungodliness, and shall take away their sin. Three ‘shalls’ in rapid fire succession that tell what happens next. So this has to be talking about a before and after situation. The sequence is that first the full number of Gentiles come in, then the blindness is removed from Israel and then they are saved, because God takes away their sin.

Who does this happen to? Jacob! All Israel! The gentile church can’t be the subject here because, it happens after the fullness of the Gentiles is come in. Here are some Old Testament quotes that say the same thing.

Isaiah 59:20-21
20 And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.
21 As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.

Jeremiah 31:34
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Therefore saying Romans 11:26 means ‘then all Israel will be saved’ makes perfect sense.

Now lets look at the question of what do we mean by ‘all’ in ‘all Israel’. The scripture usually cited at this point is from Romans 9:

Romans 9:27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved:

The verses just before that are then taken to refer only to the salvation of the Gentiles, not the restoration of the Jews. [This is done in spite of the very mention of the Jews in verse 24.]

Romans 9:24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
25 As he saith also in Osee, [Hosea] I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.
26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.

Also those that argue against ALL Israel being saved have to ignore quite a few parts of the bible. One of them following right on after Romans 9 is Romans 10: 1

Romans 10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.

Here God is saying he wants Israel to be saved. [God can speak to himself in the third person and get away with it because he is a trinity.]

Now lets take a closer look at the logic of saying only a remnant will be saved. One idea is that in the end times there will only be a small number of Jews saved, just like any other people. To accept this view, [B] you have to ignore a lot of scripture and interpret others in special ways.

The other view [A] is that all Israel will be saved in the end. To see this we will look at a lot of the scripture that supports it.

The support for the remnant idea is this verse from Romans 9; it refers back to Isaiah 10:

Romans 9:27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved:

Isaiah 10:20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
21 The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.
22 For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness.
23 For the Lord GOD of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined, in the midst of all the land.

This passage, in verse 20, is talking about a remnant of Israel that survives through a series of judgments and afflictions, so it is a minority of them that make up the remnant. But at the same time it’s saying all those who are part of the remnant turn to the Lord.

So it all hinges on your understanding of ‘all’ in ‘all Israel’. It’s clearly not all the Children of Israel from all time, but it certainly speaks of all of them who survive and are alive at the time. That is all of the remnant, not a tiny fraction. This passage from Isaiah 4 says something quite similar. He that is left in Zion is the same as saying all of the remnant.

Isaiah 4:
2 In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.
3 And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:
4 When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.

Also compare the Lord shall have washed away the filth to Romans 11:27 where it says: I shall take away their sins.

Romans 11:26 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.

What the Lord is saying is he will save all the remnant on that day by taking away their sins. Later we will look at just exactly how he does that.

The next point to refute is this.

• God makes no distinction between Greek and Jew, and since he does not play favorites, he would not grant mass salvation to one group of people over another.

We find this in Galatians 3. [Also Colossians 3:10-11]

Galatians 3:26-29
26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

These verses speak of those who are already in the Kingdom and baptized into Christ. There is still a difference between Jew and Gentile before they come into the faith. Once again Romans 11:27 speaks of ‘my covenant with them’ i.e. the Jews.

Next the idea that God does not play favorites comes from such verses as these:

Acts 10:34
34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:

Romans 2:11

11 For there is no respect of persons with God.

These verses are talking about individuals only, not tribes or nations, so it’s a mistake to use them in trying to deny God’s covenant with Israel.

Then there is the idea that Hosea’s prophecy of salvation for those who were not my people applies to the Gentiles, not the Jews. Which is to say that the salvation promised in Romans 9:25 refers to the Gentiles mentioned in verse 24. In spite of the fact that the Jews are mentioned in verse 24 also.

Even if you fall for that one, there are other promises of restoration found in Hosea, which clearly focus on the Jews; Here we go.

Hosea 1:10
10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.

Hosea 2:23
23 And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.

This is the verse quoted in Romans 9:25. Next quote:

Hosea 3:5
5 Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.

Hosea 5:14-15
14 For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him.
15 I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.

In the verses above, the Lord is speaking about how he will tear them as a lion, and go away till they repent and seek him. Below Israel is speaking about how they have been torn, and now they will seek their God once again.

Hosea 6:1-3
1 Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.
2 After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.
3 Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.

Hosea 13:14
14 I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.

Hosea 14:1-5
1 O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.
2 Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.
3 Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.
4 I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.
5 I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.

All of these passages either mention Israel or refer to her in context. You really have to bend over backwards and make like an Olympic gymnast to pretend otherwise. Some of these verses can apply more generally, typology again, to the Church and or to the Gentiles; especially Hosea 6:1-3 . But this does not take away the fact that they also apply to Israel.

Speaking of her that had not obtained mercy in Hosea 2:23 is a cross reference to the discussion in Romans 11.

Romans 11:7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded

Romans 11:30-31
30 For as ye [Gentiles] in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
31 Even so have these [Israel] also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.

Blindness and Restoration

There is a passage in Micah 5 that provides a major clue to what is going on here. Verse 2 is usually the only one quoted; because it speaks of the birth of Jesus, prophesying that it will take place in Bethlehem. Verse 3 is a little harder to figure. It concerns the blindness and restoration of Israel to take place at the second coming. And verse 4 alludes to the Glory of the Second Coming.

Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.
4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.

Here in Micah 5 verse 2 is the Father speaking prophetically of his son who was to be born in Bethlehem. He is said to come forth unto me meaning he will come out of Bethlehem and return to the father. He is to be ruler in Israel meaning he shall reign as King of Kings, the Messiah spoken of in Isaiah 9.

Isaiah 9:
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Also to say his goings forth are from old, and everlasting, is clearly referring to an eternal being, one of the trinity.

Then in verse 3 we read Therefore will he give them up. ‘He’ of course refers to Jesus, the Messiah in his earthly ministry at the first coming. ‘Therefore he will give them up’ speaks of giving up Israel because they rejected him at the first coming. He is giving them up but only for a certain time; until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth. The giving up is a reference to the blindness spoken of in Romans 11.

Romans 11:7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded
8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.
9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:
10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.
11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?

Romans 11:25 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.

Romans verse 25 mentions the fullness of the Gentiles, and notice how verse 12 mentions the fullness of the Jews. The number of Israeli’s [Israelites] to be saved is called the fullness or the full number or the full completion. The word used here can also be translated multitude, a lot of people.

The second part of Micah 5:3 reads until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth. This tells us that the time of the fullness of the gentiles, which leads to the removing of the blindness, is linked to the time that she which travails has brought forth. So what’s that all about?

Travail refers to the pain of childbirth. It can be used describing judgment coming on someone, or describing the process of intercessory prayer or repentance. Here are some quotes on travail. In Galatians it is used speaking of intercession. In the quotes following it tells of repentance. In John, travail is linked with sorrow, and in Second Corinthians sorrow is linked with repentance. Then in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Revelation it speaks of she which travaileth.

Galatians 4:19
19 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,

John 16:20-22
20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.
21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.
22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.

2 Corinthians 7:10
10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

Isaiah 66:8
8 Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.

Jeremiah 4:31
31 For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that bewaileth herself, that spreadeth her hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul is wearied because of murderers.

Revelation 12:1-2
1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

Zion here can mean Israel, the church or both. Travail is a purging process that goes with repentance. So the passage from Isaiah is talking about travail and repentance producing results in one day. And the whole passage in Micah 5:3 is saying He will give them up until they repent! We are looking forward to a time when the blindness or hardness will be removed from Israel. As this happens, the heavens are open and the light of the gospel will be free to shine upon those who before were enemies of the gospel. How can this be done for an entire nation or people at once?

Granting Repentance

Romans 11.15 where it talks about Israel’s acceptance meaning ‘life from the dead’ speaks of all Israel as all those who are still in unbelief. But they don’t just repent all on their own because it suddenly sounds like a cool thing to do. And they don’t just all of a sudden repent all on their own to call on God because they are surrounded by enemy armies with no chance of survival. At Masada, they chose another option.

No that’s not what happens. They repent because God grants repentance. Romans 11:23 says ‘God is able to graft them back in again’. That is God does it, for his names sake, by granting repentance. He takes away their sin, because that is what he promised when he promised the new covenant.

There are many places where God calls for repentance in his word. Certain passages make it clear that a special grace is also needed. God is able to graft them in again because he can grant them repentance. Here are some passages that deal with the idea of God granting repentance.

Acts 5:31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

Acts 11:18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.

Romans 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

2 Corinthians 7:9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.

10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

2 Timothy 2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

The Promise

In Genesis 12 the Lord makes a multi part promise to Abraham.

Genesis 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
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.

Let’s focus on the final part of that promise, the blessing to all the families on earth. Galatians 3 talks about it as follows.

Galatians 3:6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

Here the meaning of the blessing is spelled out. That God would justify the heathen by faith. Also in verse 8, this promise is described as the gospel! [In old testament texts you will find the phrase glad tidings.]

The gospel, then is a promise to the nations that they would be justified and receive this blessing, if they have faith like Abraham. For Abraham believed God and this was accounted as his righteousness, verse 6.

What God promised to Israel is to become a great nation, inherit the land of Canaan and to be a blessing to the nations. Is there an explicit promise of salvation? Is Israel among the nations to be blessed?

To put it another way, will all Israel be justified by faith. When the son of man comes will he find faith?

Luke 18:
7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Is there an explicit promise of salvation? A very clear one is found in Daniel; one which is to follow a time of great trouble. [Tribulation]

Daniel 12.1:
And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

Once again we are looking at the idea of mass salvation of Israel after the tribulation, at the second coming. Let’s look at exactly how the blindness is removed, and repentance is granted at the time of the second coming.

Removing the Veil.

That blindness on the part of Israel is symbolized by a veil. Here we find it mentioned in second Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 3:13 And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:
14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.
15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.
16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.

The key idea here is the blindness is removed when Israel’s heart returns to God.

In the Gospels Jesus weeps over Jerusalem, knowing they will miss the time of their visitation. Then he states a condition they must meet before he will come to them again. And in the same breath, he prophesies that they will meet that condition at a set time. The condition is that they must call upon him, saying: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. The time for this to happen comes, as we read in Romans 11 above, after the fullness of the gentiles comes in. Then follows the completion of the redemption of natural Israel. This is a key factor in the Second Coming.

Luke 13:
34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!
35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 4:30-31,
''When you [Israel] are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days, you will return to the LORD your God and listen to His voice. For the Lord your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.'' [Some translations say: if you will return.]

Zechariah 1

3 Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.

Here the word for turn can also be translated return. And seeing it this way makes it a direct reference to the second coming. This really blew me away when I first saw it. Like God is saying to Israel: Return to me and I will return to you. Luke 13:35 quoted above says you won’t see me again till you repent and say Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Which means that when you repent, etc. you will see me again. And here in Zechariah 1 he is saying when you repent, I will return. Exactly the same thing! And here is how he grants that repentance:

Zechariah 12:10
And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

Revelation 1 refers to the same scripture.

Revelation 1
7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

Here are a few more references that link the redemption of Israel with the second coming.

Jeremiah 50:
4 In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the LORD their God.

Jeremiah 50:
20 In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve.

Amos 4:
12 Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel
13 For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name.

Here in Amos, verse 12 speaks of Israel meeting their God while verse 13 where it says maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth speaks of the second coming. In effect this is saying Israel will meet their God at the second coming.

A Wrap Up

Let’s spell this all out very clearly. God grants repentance to ‘all Israel’ just prior to his second coming. He does this by removing the blindness and pouring out his spirit on them as a group. Then they ‘look unto the hills’ and call upon Jeshua, the salvation of YHVH and declare: Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Replacement theology and it’s variants would deny this, but the bible indicates otherwise.

Ezekiel 39:
25 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name;
26 After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid.
27 When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations;
28 Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there.
29 Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.

Summation

1. We know the Spirit is needed to properly understand scripture. Also, we can see that Replacement Theology comes from sources that are not likely to be hearing from the Spirit.

2. The fruit or results of Replacement Theology are a lot of really bad news.

3. The theory of Replacement Theology does not take the believing remnant into account.

4. Replacement Theology has no grasp of typology. Hence it has very limited understanding of the word. This is a direct result of point 1 above.

5. It’s very easy to find bible verses that contradict Replacement Theology.

6. Replacement Theology goes against a fundamental understanding of end time events.

Folks, it just doesn’t cut it!

Teachers of this theory point out that God is only in covenant with the faithful remnant, but they forget that His promises of restoration are to the whole people, backslidden and unbelieving enemies of the gospel though they may be. Otherwise how God speak of his covenant with them and speak of them as enemies of the gospel at the same time?

Romans 11:32-36
32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

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