Welcome, Guest.
23 July 2008 | 20 Tammuz 5768 | Matot

What Exactly is Replacement Theology? / May 2008


What Exactly is Replacement Theology?

Contents

Virtually everyone in the Messianic Movement says that Replacement Theology is not correct, that is a great teaching error of the historical church. Even Evangelical churches today deny Replacement Theology and go out of their way to prove they are “pro-Israel” in their support. For most, Replacement Theology is simply defined as “the church replacing Israel.” However, if you examine Replacement Theology a bit further, you will discover that it is much more extensive than just saying “the church has replaced Israel.” Replacement Theology is still very much with us, including Messianic congregations. So, what exactly is Replacement Theology?

Let me pose a set of ten Yes or No questions that may help you to understand how extensive replacement theology is. By the way, you may justify or qualify your Yes or No answers any way you wish.

  1. Do you believe that God has fundamentally replaced the Old Covenant with the New Covenant?
  2. Do you believe that God replaced Israel, cast them into the nations, and now manifests His will through the Gentile nations with the Church?
  3. Do you believe that God replaced animal sacrifices in the temple with the sacrifice of the Messiah for sin?
  4. Do you believe that the Old Testament has been replaced by the New Testament as the primary teaching text of the faith?
  5. Do you believe that the Messiah replaced the Law of Moses with the Law of Christ?
  6. Do you believe that the teachings in the books of Galatians and Hebrews have justified the replacement of the Law of Moses at Mount Sinai?
  7. Do you believe that spirit-filled prophetic preachers of today have replaced the prophets of Israel?
  8. Do you believe that church theologians have the authority to replace written commandments in the Old Testament or the New Testament?
  9. Do you believe that the Grace of God has replaced the Law of God for today?
  10. Do you believe that first day worship (Sunday) has replaced the seventh day Sabbath (Saturday)?

If you answered Yes to any of these questions, you are still a participant in Replacement Theology. If you want to find out whether your spiritual teacher or leader is still subject to it, let him answer the same questions.

Before we examine each question, let’s understand the history of “Replacement Theology.” It began first with the Jewish theologians. They were concerned about their fellow citizens disobeying the Lord (which is a noble concern) but they kind of took a wrong turn in trying to help the brethren. Rather than simply teaching what Moses gave them in the Torah, they began to build a “fence” around the Torah, to ensure that the Torah was kept. But the whole plan backfired. Instead, they became caught up in their fence building project and lost sight of what the Torah really said. Further, their purposes overshadowed God’s purposes. Instead of being inclusive, they became very exclusive.

By the time the Messiah arrived, they had replaced the commandments of God for their precepts and traditions. Suddenly, the Messiah was being accused of not obeying the elders of the land. They were right. Yeshua did break the precepts and traditions of the religious leaders, but He did so while keeping the commandments of God. The Pharisees and Sadducees had replaced the commandments of the Torah with their teachings and ways.

The same process made its way into the disciples and believers of Yeshua in the first centuries of the common era. By 325 A.D., the institution of the church was entrenched. Church law (canon) had now replaced God’s law, the Torah. The church formed its own priesthood to replace the Levites. Rome eventually replaced Jerusalem and it just never stopped.

Today, Protestant Christianity doesn’t hold to its Catholic origins but they still hold to the baseline teaching of Replacement Theology. Where did the Church concept really come from? Answer: Replacement Theology. The Messiah never came to establish any organization beyond Israel – He came for the lost sheep of Israel. In the course of saving Israel, the Gentiles are invited to join in the same salvation of God. Salvation is to the Jew first and also to the Greek, Paul said.

How did we get so turned around with the thought that the Church was pre-eminent in God’s plan and that good Christians try to share their faith with the Jews so they can get saved too? Answer: Replacement Theology.

Now, for those of you who pride yourself on your pragmatism, the present reality of the existing church does not change in the least the purposes or truths of God. Christian history and the large numbers of churches and Christians does not blunt God’s intentions one bit. Instead, Church history and its expanse across the globe is just a measure of how Replacement Theology has spread. The call of Israel to be a light to the nations is irrevocable and the “church age” is nothing more than the “fullness of the Gentiles” that will be finished at the end of the ages with the Messiah’s return.

I have always shared with my brethren that the Messiah is going to wreck church theology when He returns. He is going to replace Replacement Theology with what is taught and promised in the Torah and the Prophets – the Messianic Age.

Let’s examine some of the tentacles of Replacement Theology that still entrap our brethren.

Do you believe that God has fundamentally replaced the Old Covenant with the New Covenant?

According to the Church, the book of Hebrews teaches exactly this.

When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.
Hebrews 8:13

The book of Hebrews is part of the Church’s Biblical Canon (Law), the Law that replaces the Law of God. I disagree. I do agree that Hebrews is part of the Church Canon, but I disagree with the writer of Hebrews when he says that Jeremiah said the word “new” means the annulment or replacement of any previous covenant. In fact, I believe that this statement made in the book of Hebrews is flat false. Jeremiah prophesied something completely different from what the writer of Hebrews said. Jeremiah said that God was going to establish a new covenant by writing His commandments on our hearts instead of on tablets of stone with Moses. He didn’t say He was going to write “New” commandments nor did He say that the previous commandments would disappear. He said the new covenant would usher in a future day when all men would know the Lord and no man would need to tell another of the Lord, for all men would know the Lord. By the way, that has not happened yet. We are still waiting for the fulfillment of the new covenant to that degree. And we do testify that God has written His commandments upon our hearts. Conversely, Replacement Theology has replaced the commandments of God and written a new theology into the hearts of believers.

Replacement Theology was embedded into the New Testament Canon by churchmen who wanted to replace Israel and God’s covenant with Israel. The book of Hebrews is a theological book, not a first-hand eye witness account of first century events with the Messiah and the Apostles. There are parts of the book of Hebrews that are good and worthwhile just like all theological books written by religious men; however, you cannot call the book Holy Scripture with the authority of the Word of God if it directly misrepresents what God or His prophets have said.

The biggest reason why the statement that the “new” has replaced the “growing old” is wrong comes from the Messiah. The Messiah has said we are not to THINK that He came to do away with, annul, abolish, set aside, or allow the Law and the Prophets (the Scriptures) to disappear.

Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and so teaches others, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:17-20

If you follow the THINKING expressed in the book of Hebrews about the New Covenant replacing the Old Covenant, you will offend exactly what the Messiah said not to do. I said to you before that Replacement Theology first originated with the Pharisees and the Sadducees. In particular, they believed that when the Messiah came many things would change (to the good). However, some of these also thought that the Torah would diminish compared to the Messiah. Here is Messiah addressing that specific idea. He said it is not true and to not even think about it.

This is Replacement Theology and it is contrary to Scripture and the Messiah’s direct words.

If you want to examine even more closely why the book of Hebrews does not measure up to the rest of Scripture, may I suggest you read another article I have written entitled, “The Paradigm of Hebrews” (November, 2005). It examines other examples of where the writer of Hebrews misrepresents and does not repeat other Scriptures, nor does it testify to the work of the Messiah accurately.

For the record: I am not calling for the decanonization of the book of Hebrews. I do not care what the church considers to be church law (the canon). I believe in the Scriptures referred to by the Messiah and the Apostles, not church law.

The book of Hebrews was not written by any Apostle; it was written by a Greek believer trying to get Hebrew believers to agree to his Replacement Theology. He wanted them to leave the Law of Moses, the covenant God made with Israel, the temple service, the authority of the Levitical Priesthood, the festivals of the Lord, and the city of Jerusalem. Moses warned us against such a teaching, the Messiah warned us against such a teaching, and the book of Acts says such a teaching is the words of false witnesses. This is the very accusation made falsely against Stephen, the first martyr after the Messiah.

And they put forward false witnesses who said, “This man [Stephen] incessantly speaks against this holy place, and the Law; for we have heard him say that this Nazarene, Yeshua, will destroy this place and alter the customs which Moses handed down to us.”
Acts 6:13-14

Given my opinion of the book of Hebrews, do I still reference it for teaching? Yes, especially the parts where it does repeat accurately what other Scriptures say. For example, concerning the idea of annulling the Law of Moses, I quote from Hebrews when he says:

Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
Hebrews 10:28

Amen and Amen.

Do you believe that God replaced Israel, cast them into the nations, and now manifests His will through the Gentile nations with the Church?

This is the most common expression of Replacement Theology. The church has historically justified their very existence based on God’s rejection of Israel. Has God really rejected Israel? It is true that God has punished Israel many times. It is also true that Israel’s sins have forced a separation between them and God. This became very apparent when Israel, while waiting for Moses to return from the mountain, fell into sin and made a golden calf. They even went so far as to say that the golden calf brought them out of Egypt and they wanted to return to Egypt again. (I have never understood the logic of that but that is what they said.) Since those days, the history of Israel has been up and down (blessings and curses) with good kings and bad kings. It was during this time that a major division took place in Israel. The northern tribes led by Ephraim rebelled and separated from the southern tribes led by the House of David from the tribe of Judah. Prophets were sent from God to both houses of Israel warning of enemies who would attack and take them captive. Did the children of Israel heed the warnings? No. Did the enemies come and take them captive? Yes. Did this mean that God was done with them? No. It was simply prophesied to be. What exactly did God say about their punishment and captivities? God said that He would not forget them, He would remember the covenants made with their fathers, and He would gather them again with the Messiah and bring them back, forgiving them of their sins.

Here is what Moses said:

If they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their forefathers, in their unfaithfulness which they committed against Me, and also in their acting with hostility against Me — I also was acting with hostility against them, to bring them into the land of their enemies — or if their uncircumcised heart becomes humbled so that they then make amends for their iniquity, then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and I will remember also My covenant with Isaac, and My covenant with Abraham as well, and I will remember the land. For the land shall be abandoned by them, and shall make up for its sabbaths while it is made desolate without them. They, meanwhile, shall be making amends for their iniquity, because they rejected My ordinances and their soul abhorred My statutes. Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, nor will I so abhor them as to destroy them, breaking My covenant with them; for I am the Lord their God. But I will remember for them the covenant with their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God. I am the Lord.
Leviticus 26:40-45

The Law of Moses concludes with the same prophecy:

So it shall be when all of these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind in all nations where the Lord your God has banished you, and you return to the Lord your God and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you today, you and your sons, then the Lord your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you. If your outcasts are at the ends of the earth, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you back. And the Lord your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers.
Deuteronomy 30:1-5

Does this sound like a prophecy where Israel is to be replaced in some future age by a church? No. It sounds like there is going to be a time when Israel is scattered in the nations and will under the right conditions be gathered again by God and brought back from captivity to live in the promised land.

Here is what the prophet Jeremiah said. You may remember that he also prophesied about a New Covenant that would also be given to the House of Israel and the House of Judah.

“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “When I shall raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely; and this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The Lord our righteousness.’ Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when they will no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ but, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought up and led back the descendants of the household of Israel from the north land and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ Then they will live on their own soil.”
Jeremiah 23:5-8

Jeremiah is talking about the same thing Moses spoke of, but he adds that the Messiah will be the One leading the House of Judah and the House of Israel back. Why would God forgive Israel with all of their transgressions of the Law and their breaking of His covenant with Israel?

Now you know why it took the Messiah to come be our Redeemer. By the grace of God and the Lamb of God all of Israel is to be saved. This is what Paul taught in the book of Romans.

For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and thus all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.” “And this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.” From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
Romans 11:25-29

From Moses and the Torah to the Prophet Jeremiah to the writings of the Apostle Paul, there is one consistent message of God’s intent toward Israel. Israel is not to be replaced nor is it the justification of the church today. It is the testimony of God’s mercy and faithfulness toward Israel.

What then does the prophecy say about the Gentiles and their part in God’s great plan of gathering Israel from the nations? They are to join with remnant believing Israel just as was promised to Abraham.

And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
Genesis 12:3

Isaiah spoke of the Gentiles being gathered with Israel. He said it this way:

Also the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants, every one who keeps from profaning the sabbath, and holds fast My covenant; even those I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; for My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples. The Lord God, who gathers the dispersed of Israel, declares, “Yet others I will gather to them, to those already gathered.”
Isaiah 56:6-8

The Apostle Paul called himself the Apostle to the Gentiles. He specifically spoke of Israel and the Gentiles and clearly stated that Israel had not been rejected, despite their many mistakes, and replaced by the Gentiles. He taught that what was originally promised to Israel could be enjoyed by the Gentiles if they approached God the same way the remnant of Israel did–by faith (believing His promises).

I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? “Lord, they have killed Thy prophets, they have torn down Thine altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” But what is the divine response to him? “I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God's gracious choice.
Romans 11:1-5
For I say that Messiah has become a servant to the circumcision [Israel] on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers, and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy; as it is written, “Therefore I will give praise to Thee among the Gentiles, and I will sing to Thy name.” And again He says, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people.” And again, “Praise the Lord all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise Him.” And again Isaiah says, “There shall come the root of Jesse, and He who arises to rule over the Gentiles, in Him shall the Gentiles hope.”
Romans 15:8-12

Does this sound like Israel is going away or is being replaced by the Gentile church? Of course not, you only get that idea from Replacement Theology.

Do you believe that God replaced animal sacrifices in the temple with the sacrifice of the Messiah for sin?

If you accept the book of Hebrews as Scripture and the word of God, then as it says the Levitical priesthood and the temple service has been done away with. Rather Israel was cast into the nations for their disobedience and thereby lost the temple service. Does that mean God has changed the law as the book of Hebrews says?

For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also.
Hebrews 7:12

But did God change the priesthood? Not according to the prophet Jeremiah, the same prophet who prophesied the New Covenant.

For thus says the Lord, “David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel; and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man before Me to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to prepare sacrifices continually.”
Jeremiah 33:17-18

The Messianic promise of an eternal king upon the throne of David is cited by many churchmen. Maybe they should apply the same interpretation to the same promise made to the Levites.

Jeremiah offers a challenge to anyone suggesting that the Levitical priesthood will be replaced.

Thus says the Lord, “If you can break My covenant for the day, and My covenant for the night, so that day and night will not be at their appointed time, then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levitical priests, My ministers.
Jeremiah 33:20-21

No one to date has ever altered the day and the night (stopped the rotation of the earth) so the Levites’ position as priests offering sacrifices is as sure as the promise of the Messiah, the son of David.

By the way, the writer of Hebrews quoted from the Greek Septuagint when he quoted the Old Testament Scriptures. The Greek Septuagint does not have the second half of Jeremiah 33 (these verses I just quoted) in it. I can understand how the mistake was made. Replacement Theology must make a lot of other Scriptures go away or just be ignored to be taught.

Do you believe that the Old Testament has been replaced by the New Testament as the primary teaching text of the faith?

This is the central tenant to believe in Replacement Theology. You must stop reading and listening to the Old Testament Scriptures so Replacement Theology can be taught. No prophet of Israel ever said that any additional Covenant and resulting Testament (Scriptures) would ever replace any previous Covenant and Scriptures. When David received his covenant from God and many portions of the Bible were added (Chronicles, Kings, Nehemiah, Ezra, Psalms, Proverbs, the Prophets) this did not cause the covenants with Adam, Noah, or Abraham to grow older and disappear, nor did the Torah (the Law of Moses) diminish one bit.

Here is what the Apostle Paul had to say about the Old Testament.

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
II Timothy 3:16-17

Stop and think for a moment. Did the New Testament even exist when Paul wrote these words to Timothy? No. Paul was referring to the Scriptures (the Torah, the Prophets, and the books of wisdom). Paul was saying that the primary teaching of Scripture for all believers, including Gentiles, was what the book of Hebrews calls the Old Testament.

Did you notice that again? It is the book of Hebrews that is suggesting that the New has replaced the Old. That is Replacement Theology.

For the sake of discussion, if all we had was the New Testament Scriptures today, would Christianity survive more than one generation? The answer is no. The only way you can prove that Yeshua of Nazareth is the Messiah to every new generation is to compare the promises and prophecies of the Messiah (only given in the Old Testament) with the words and deeds of Yeshua. It is no wonder that Christianity is not succeeding in our growing generation. Churchmen do not know what the Torah and Prophets say; they have lost their moral compass and don’t know which end is up or what will happen next. This is what Replacement Theology teaches.

Do you believe that the Messiah replaced the Law of Moses with the Law of Christ?

Here is a favorite verse of replacement theologians from 1 Corinthians:

to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, that I might win those who are without law.
I Corinthians 9:21

Well, there it is! That’s the verse that clearly shows that the Law of Christ is the replacement for the Law of Moses, or is it? If you put this verse back into the sentence and paragraph it came from, you will discover that Paul is describing his ministry with two groups of people: Jews who are under the Law of Moses (as taught by the Pharisees) and Gentiles who don’t have any law except the Law of God in their hearts. In each case, he says that he approaches each group based on their starting point in order to win them over to the Messiah.

For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win the more. And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law, though not being myself under the Law, that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some.
I Corinthians 9:19-22

This is not a doctrinal teaching to replace the Law of Moses; this is Paul explaining how he ministers to every man depending on his starting point. Only a replacement theologian could stretch this verse to self-justify himself.

Do you believe that the teachings in the books of Galatians and Hebrews have justified the replacement of the Law of Moses at Mount Sinai?

Before we go any further, let’s ask a much more fundamental question. It is believed that the Apostle Paul wrote Galatians; we do not know who wrote the book of Hebrews. In either case, does writing a book that is included in the New Testament canon qualify a person to change the word (decision or teaching) of God or the Messiah? I don’t believe that any person has that authority, even if they did write portions of the New Testament. No man can change what God has commanded.

Let’s go a step further. Can the Messiah change any of the commandments of God given in the Torah (when God gave His commandments at Mount Sinai)? Can God change His mind like a man does and reverse Himself? The answer is No to both of these questions. The Word of God is perfect, forever settled in Heaven. Moses said it this way:

God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
Numbers 23:19

If Yeshua has annulled any commandment previously given by God then He has disqualified Himself as being the Messiah. If the Apostle Paul in the book of Galatians changed anything about God’s commandments, then he has disqualified himself as being an Apostle of the Messiah.

I do not for one moment think that Yeshua changed any commandment previously given by God nor do I see any evidence that Paul changed one teaching whatsoever concerning the Torah. I do believe that many of Paul’s teaching are complex and difficult for some to understand. According to the Apostle Peter, unstable and untaught men are sometimes confused by Paul and twist his teachings to their own destruction. That is the case in the book of Galatians.

The book of Galatians addresses a very specific kind of problem. A group of Gentile believers were misled by Jewish Pharisaic teachings about Moses. This caused them to abandon the teaching of Paul. Paul was very upset, as you could understand, and he let them have it. In particular, he emphatically taught that following the Pharisaic teaching will not get you into the promised land; faith (believing in the Messiah) is what brings salvation. This is a very important point. Salvation is by faith according to the Torah, not by works which is the teaching of the Pharisees.

Paul summed up the doctrine of Salvation in the book of Galatians this way:

I have been crucified with the Messiah; and it is no longer I who live, but Messiah lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.
Galatians 2:20

The Torah teaches that faith is counted for righteousness, righteousness has kissed justice, justice demands sacrifice, and with sacrifice you receive salvation. Salvation by faith is just the simpler way to say all of it. The Pharisees taught that obedience produced righteousness which led to salvation (the “fence”). They replaced the faith component with their commandments. According to the Torah, obedience results in blessings.

Today, some replacement theologians teach that faith results in blessings. They have replaced obedience to God with faith.

So, what does Paul really say about the Law in Galatians? Many things. The Law is a whole host of teachings about life, the definitions for faith, what is holy or profane, what is clean or unclean, what is right and what is wrong. When all is said and done Paul says that the Law is our teacher that leads us to understand the redemptive work of the Messiah. Unless we understand the need, we don’t believe in the solution. The Torah reveals sin and explains what the Savior does and how God accepts Him as our payment for sin.

Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Messiah, that we may be justified by faith.
Galatians 3:24

Consider this verse a bit further. How did Paul say we should be taught to understand the Messiah and come to faith? Answer: by learning from the Law. This is exactly what the Apostle James said when the judgment was made concerning the new Gentiles coming to faith and what they should be taught.

Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. And with this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, “‘After these things I will return, and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen, and I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, in order that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name,’ Says the Lord, ‘who makes these things known from of old.’”
Acts 15:14-18

The Apostle James quoted from the prophet Amos to justify his judgment citing how the Gentiles who came to faith were to be included in the expansion of the kingdom called Israel. The “Tabernacle of David” is not the temple as is commonly misunderstood. It is the “sukkah” of David’s throne. Sukkah is the same word for the Feast of Tabernacles (the feast of ingathering). The Son of David (on David’s throne) is the Messiah, and He is to greatly increase the size of His kingdom by gathering all of Israel and all of the nations that want to be part of His kingdom. The first Gentiles brought into the faith by Peter and Paul were the first evidences of the Messiah doing exactly what He was prophesied to do: “gather others [Gentiles] to those already gathered [believing Israel]. James then concludes his judgment for the Gentile believers.

Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.
Acts 15:19-21

James recounts the essential commandments of the Torah of idolatry, kosher, and sexual perversion. This is what Torah teachers call the "Heart of the Torah." He then concludes that the source for teaching the Gentiles properly in the Messiah is to lead them to wherever Moses is being taught in each city on the Sabbath.

He said what!?!?!? You heard it right. Peter, Paul, and James agreed with this. If a Gentile wants to learn about the Messiah properly, he is instructed to go where Moses is taught each Sabbath.

I told you. Replacement Theologians ignore a lot of Scriptures, even ones written in the New Testament explaining exactly what the Gentiles believers should be taught.

Do you believe that spirit-filled prophetic preachers of today have replaced the prophets of Israel?

I have heard some “spirit-filled” prophetic teachers actually say that the Old Testament, including the prophets and the Gospels up to the book of Acts, are essentially done away with and have no bearing on believers today. By the way, I am referring to most of the public television evangelists of our day. Replacement Theology doesn’t just stop at the first page of Matthew.

I mentioned this earlier but the predominant teaching of “spirit-filled” prophetic teachers is what some call the “health and wealth” theology. They have replaced the teaching of “obedience results in blessings; disobedience results in curses” with “faith results in blessings.” That is why they encourage you in their programs to “send in a little seed faith money and see what God gives you back in the harvest.”

Today, Christian bookstores sell millions of dollars worth of prophecy books, mostly about the pretribulation rapture. They don’t prophecy anything. They are for profits, not by prophets.
But it is classic Replacement Theology. As a result, God’s people don’t read from the prophets of Israel and have no idea what God has planned for the end of the ages or the Messianic Age.

Do you believe that church theologians have the authority to replace written commandments in the Old Testament or the New Testament?

The Church Fathers of Christianity absolutely do believe they have this authority. Furthermore, they openly state this authority and use it. They believe they can declare who has eternal life and who doesn’t. They believe that they can declare who is a heretic and who is a saint. Church history (Catholic and Protestant) is filled with declarations and decrees that have brought death to believers and unbelievers alike. As churchmen rise in leadership, as advanced decrees are bestowed their decisions increasingly become subjective rather than objective. Their world view of themselves so deceives them that even the bare Word of God does not seem to curb them.

Yeshua had the same problem in His day with the religious leadership.

Then Yeshua spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things, and do not do them. And they tie up heavy loads, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries, and lengthen the tassels of their garments. And they love the place of honor at banquets, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called by men, Rabbi.
Matthew 23:1-7

Allow me to give you a modern version of these words by Yeshua for today.

The Doctors of Divinity and Masters of Theology of today have seated themselves as Fathers and heads of the church; therefore you have to do what they say if you are in their churches, but you should not follow their hypocritical ways; for they say you should obey God, but they don’t. They have many religious explanations and put upon men lists of do’s and don’ts, which they themselves neither do nor don’t; they don’t keep the least of the commandments. They just want to look religious and pious, stately and scholarly, lengthening their resumes with honorary positions of importance for this organization or that program. They love to be honored, especially by one another, and assume the lead position in any assembly, expecting respectful admiration at every occasion, requiring that you address them as Rabbi, Senior Pastor, Doctor, Reverend, etc.

By the way, there are some leaders in the Messianic Movement who fit very nicely into this example. They too believe in Replacement Theology.

Do you believe that the Grace of God has replaced the Law of God for today?

How in the world did Grace get on one side of the ledger and the Law get put on the other side? Where did the idea come from that Grace is something so different from the Law and they are mutually exclusive (one cannot exist if the other is present)?

Replacement theologians define grace and law in these terms: if you have grace, you don’t have law; if you have law, you don’t have grace.

Grace is the positive side of mercy. The Scripture defines mercy as “not getting what you deserve in the way of punishment” and grace as “getting some kind of favor that you do not deserve.” The Law of Moses is the foremost teaching for the mercy of God; the Messiah is the foremost teacher of the grace of God. The Apostle John said it just this way:

For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Yeshua the Messiah.
John 1:17

John’s statement is not mutually exclusive; he is saying that we learned about God’s mercy (His mercy endures forever) through the Torah, and the Messiah has now shown us (unmerited favor) with the gift of forgiveness of sin and eternal life. We have been set free by His truth.

Grace didn’t just show up when the Messiah came on the scene. Noah found grace and was saved from the flood. The grace of God was evident when the first-born of Israel were passed from death to life because of the blood of the lamb on their doorposts. God’s grace was plenty present when the children of Israel “walked on dry land across the Red Sea.” There are many times when positive favor (unmerited favor) was given to Israel in the Scriptures. Anyone suggesting that grace didn't show up until the Gospels and the teaching of Paul is simply a replacement theologian. Grace (the positive form of unmerited favor) does not replace mercy (the negative form of unmerited favor). It is all unmerited favor from God.

Do you believe that first day worship (Sunday) has replaced the seventh day Sabbath (Saturday)?

Wow! So you just had to throw that one in, didn’t you? Well, that just about leaves a few Messianics, some Seventh-day Adventists, and Baptists that are not believers in Replacement Theology.

Not really.

Now, do you see what EXACTLY Replacement Theology is? Anytime you replace what God has said with something else, you are practicing Replacement Theology. We are all guilty of it, just like our ancient fathers did in one form or another.

Oh Lord, just as you set our fathers free from the bondage of Egypt to be a free people walking in the truth of the Torah, I ask that you would set us free in this day from the bindings and hooks of Replacement Theology. Transform our minds to walk uprightly in Spirit and Truth. Cause the Torah to light our path toward your kingdom.

Amen.

Monte

YAVOH, He is Coming is a monthly newsletter published as an outreach ministry of Lion and Lamb Ministries
The ministry is a non-profit organization with an end time prophetic message in a Messianic Jewish context.
Subscription to YAVOH, He is Coming is without cost and supported only by donation.

Permission is granted to reprint any article in YAVOH, He is Coming with attribution given to YAVOH, He is Coming.

Editor - Monte Judah
Electronic Editor - Ephraim Judah

Lion and Lamb Ministries
PO Box 720968
Norman, OK 73070
Phone: (405) 447 4429
Fax: (405) 447 3775
E-mail: info@lionlamb.net
Web: lionlamb.net