Does The Church Replace Israel?

There has been a teaching circulated within the church since before the time of Constantine that says, the church has replaced Israel as our heavenly Father's chosen people. Some call it replacement theology, fulfillment theology, or supersessionism. The basic idea is that the church has replaced Israel, and the covenants the Almighty made with Israel, no longer apply to them, but they now apply to the church. They say that all of the scriptures in the Tanakh (Hebrew Scriptures, or Old Testament), which refer to Israel, are allegorical, and are actually referring to the church. Who decides what part of Scripture is allegorical, and what Scriptures are literal? Men, or the Eternal Father? In other words, according to this teaching, the church and Israel are two separate entities, and the Almighty Father is no longer dealing with Israel, as His chosen people. He has rejected the Jewish people, and is now showing His mercy to the Goyim (Gentiles), who are now the spiritual Israel. Can this be true? 

If the covenants which our heavenly Father made with the Hebrew people are now null and void, does that not put Him into the position of being a covenant breaker, and a liar? How can that be true? If our heavenly Father  has broken His covenant with the Hebrew people, what makes you think He will not break His covenant with the Gentile people? Will we soon need a New, New Testament, because our Father cannot keep His promises to His people?

 Some may say that our Father in heaven did not break the covenant, but rather the Hebrew people did, by not recognizing Yeshua (Jesus) as their Messiah. Can that be true? Many Hebrew people, did in fact recognize Yeshua as their Messiah, and have done so throughout history. As a matter of fact, it was the Hebrew people to whom the Good News was first given, and it was the Hebrew people who carried it to the rest of  the world. Because some did not believe, does that make the covenants the Almighty made with the Hebrew people null and void? If that were true, neither do many Gentiles recognize Yeshua as their Messiah. Does that mean a New, New Covenant will soon be needed, because the Gentiles rejected Yehsua, and our Father will have to find another people? I believe that idea to be absurd, but if that principle is applied to the Hebrew people, would not that same principle also apply to the Gentiles?

What do the scriptures say concerning this matter? 

 First of all, the Goyim, or Gentiles were always included in our heavenly Father's plan from the beginning of Israel's becoming a nation. B'Resheet (Genesis) 12: 1-3 has this to say;

"1 Now ADONAI said to Avram, 'Get yourself out of your country, away from your kinsman and away from your father's house, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation, I will bless you, and I will make your name great; and you are to be a blessing. 3 I will bless  those who bless you, but I will curse anyone who curses you; and (by you) [Literal = "in you"] all the families of the earth will be blessed.'" (CJB)

Notice in verse three exactly what Elohim is saying to Avram. He is saying that by him, or  in him, or in his seed, all the families, or nations of the earth will be blessed. Just prior to that, in verse two, Elohim just told Avram that he was going to make of him (speaking to him in a personal sense) a great nation. Notice that our Father is making a clear distinction between Avram (Later Avraham) and his seed (Israel) and the families, or nations of the world. The words spoken to Avram, "by you all the nations of the earth would be blessed" are pointing directly to Messiah, who would come into the world through the seed of Avraham, and be a blessing to the rest of the nations (families) of the world. One must remember that the Words of  the Almighty are eternal. There is no shadow of turning with Him.

When YHVH was bringing the Hebrew children out of the land of Egypt, there were many Egyptian people, and perhaps other of the Goyim, who chose to come out of Egypt with them.  YHVH made provision for them to also celebrate His feasts, which He was giving to the Hebrew people. The Goyim were not excluded from our Father's plan. The Goyim who chose to follow the Elohim of Israel, and His Torah were blessed right along with Israel.

B'Midbar (Numbers) 9:14 says;

"An alien living among you who wants to celebrate the LORD'S Passover must do so in accordance with its rules and regulations. You must have the same regulations for the alien and the native-born." [See EX. 19:19] (NIV)

Many churches today teach that the Jewish people were scattered among the nations of the world, because of their rejection of their Messiah. Is that the reason given in the Scriptures? Moshe (Moses) gave a warning to the Hebrew children as they were about to enter into the Promised land. In D'Varim (Deuteronomy) 4: 25-27, we read these words;

"25 After you have had children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time-if you then become corrupt and make any kind of idol, doing evil in the eyes of the LORD your God and provoking him to anger, 26 I call heaven and earth as a witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land you are crossing Jordan to possess. You will not live there long but will certainly be destroyed. 27 The LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the LORD will drive you."

Moshe does not stop there though.  In verses 29 through 31, we read the following;

"29 But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in the latter days you will return to the LORD your God and obey him. 31 For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath." (NIV)

Many, who teach the doctrine of replacement theology, try to  make the claim that the Israeli people have no rightful claim to the land of Israel. Many still call the land Palestine, and say it's rightful owners are the Palestinians. The truth to the matter is, there is no such race of people called the Palestinians. The name "Palestinians" did not even exist until Yassar Arafat started calling them by that name around 1966. They are Arabs. The land of Israel was renamed Palestine, or Palaestinia by the Roman Emperor Hadrian three years after the Romans defeated the Bar Kokhba rebellion in 132 C.E., and Jerusalem was plowed under with a yoke of oxen.

What does Scripture say about the return of the Jewish people to the land of Israel?

Yechezk'El (Ezekiel) 36: 24-28 says this;

"24 For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you;  I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. 28 You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God."

It should be quite evident by the passage above, that out heavenly Father is clearly speaking about the people and nation of Israel. He is clearly not speaking about a church that has replaced the Jewish people. The Almighty is not speaking allegorically. He is speaking in literal terms. When YHVH says, "You will live in the land I gave your forefathers," He is speaking of a literal Jewish people, living in a literal land of Israel. When has the church ever dwelt in the land that YHVH gave to its forefathers? When YHVH says, "I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land," He is speaking of a literal event that has happened in our lifetime. The Jewish people are living in their own literal nation of Israel, where their literal forefathers dwelt in a literal land that was given to them by a literal Elohim.  The whole idea of this being an allegory is preposterous. The teachings of replacement theology are the teachings of devils. Do not be deceived. ha Satan is a liar, and those who believe in replacement theology are deceived.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Shalom Ahlaychem,

 Barry W. Gaugler