NOTES ON REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY: ‘GOD HAS NOT NOW NOR EVER SHALL CAST ISRAEL AWAY!’ – (WITH VIDEO)

1. THEOLOGY

SCRIPTURE. “I ask then: Has God totally rejected and

disowned His people? Of course not! Why, I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin! No, God has not rejected and disowned His people [whose destiny] He had marked out and appointed and foreknown from the beginning.” – ROMANS 11:1-2, AMPC

KEY TERM: “REJECTED.” ‘Apótheó [ἀπώσατο]: “From original terms meaning, ‘To shove, push off or cast away.’” Also: “To repulse, reject, refuse; to drive away from oneself, i.e., to repudiate.” NOTE: “The verb ‘apótheó’ is used in the New Testament to convey the act of rejecting or thrusting something or someone away. It implies a deliberate and forceful action of pushing aside or refusing to accept. This term is often used in contexts where individuals or groups reject Divine messages, messengers, or truths.”

QUOTATION. “Deep inside the smoldering stump of Israel, a ‘Remnant of Life’ was rising to push back the Darkness and break through the crust of the Desolation of the people of God to find the Light of Day. Though they struggled to see it, God loved them. He loved them with an everlasting, unfailing love. Salvation was coming, and when all was said and done, ‘He will dwell with them and they will be His people and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore’ (Revelation 21:3-4). ‘Behold,’ He says, ‘I am making all things new.’ ― RUSS RAMSEY, Behold the Lamb of God: An Advent Narrative, 2014; edited

COMMENTARY. [Predestination versus Obedience]: ‘God makes no Covenant of Salvation with those who are in their sins!’ And if the Unbelieving and the Wicked, however many external privileges they may have enjoyed, ‘are rejected,’ it does not follow that He has been Unfaithful to one whom He had foreknown or designated as an Heir of Salvation. It follows from this, also, that it is One Principle of the Divine Government that God will not reject those who are Foreknown or designated as ‘His friends.’ ‘It is a part of The Plan, therefore, that those who are Truly Renewed shall Persevere, and obtain Eternal Life.’” – ALBERT BARNES, Notes on the Old and New Testament, 1834; edited

II. TEACHING

REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY. “Replacement Theology (also known as ‘Supersessionism’ and ‘Fulfillment Theology’) essentially teaches that the Church has Replaced Israel in God’s Plan.’ Adherents of Replacement Theology believe the Jews are no longer God’s chosen people, nor does God have future plans for the Nation of Israel.

Among the DIFFERENT VIEWS  of the Relationship between the Church and Israel are: (1) The Church has ‘Replaced’Israel (Replacement Theology); (2) The Church is an ‘Expansion’ of Israel (Covenant Theology); or (3) The Church is completely ‘Different and Distinct’ from Israel (Dispensationalism/Premillennialism/Pre-Wrath).” – Adapted from the EDITORS, Got Questions, ret. Mar. 4, 2025; edited

• PRE-WRATH. I teach the substantial but not hostile Refinement of the Dispensational-Premillennial View, wherein Israel is theologically distinct from the Chistian Church, the Body of Christ, and that the Gentile Church (including Jewish Messianic believers) will not be Raptured until “God’s Wrath” begins to be poured out in The Sixth Seal of the Book of Revelation (vv. 12-17).

TRUMP CHURCH ESCHATOLOGY. The “Christian Nationalism” of what I derisively term, “Trump (rhymes with ‘Chump’) Church” adheres to the broad and largely Heretical Corpus of doctrines generally known as “DOMINIONIST RECONSTRUCTIONISM.” It was pioneered by the aggressive doctrinal reformulations of the Hyper-Calvinist, ROUSAS RUSHDOONY and his theologically aggressive Chalcedon Foundation.

An excellent Overview of Trump Church Eschatology is offered by DR. GARY GILLEY, pastor, author, and theologian with a B.A. from Moody Bible Institute and his M.B.S. and Th.D. from Cambridge Graduate School. The title of his monograph: “Christian Nationalism and Eschatology” (Tott Ministries, Volume 28, Issue 7, October 2022; edited).

• OPEN. “‘If we change our Eschatology, we will change the world — and ‘Take Dominion’ of it for the glory of God. That is the single most important task in all of Christendom second only to spreading the Gospel.’ So says Andrew Torba and Andrew Isker in Christian Nationalism [2022].”

• DEPARTURE. “These Christian Nationalist leaders believe that America is a nation of Christian people; as a matter of fact, Christians make up a Supermajority within the West. Given this Premise, the primary reason Christians are not dominating the Western culture at this moment is because of the triumph of Premillennialism. Especially Futuralistic or Dispensational Eschatology, which they believe originated in the early 1800s and has permeated much of Evangelicalism during the last century. Prior to the spread of Dispensationalism, with its teachings that the world is deteriorating spiritually and morally and only the Return of Christ can remedy this sinful decline, Postmillennial Eschatology was highly popular. In their view, a Return to Postmillennialism, and in particular Preterism, is necessary if Christians are to take control of the world and establish Christ’s Rule over all human systems and institutions.”

• PRETERISM. “Preterism is an offshoot of Postmillennialism and asserts that ‘Most or all eschatological passages describing a Tribulation and Return of Jesus were fulfilled with first century events surrounding the AD 70 destruction of Jerusalem.’ TWO VIEWS exist: (1) ‘Full or Consistent Preterism’teaches that Christ came in the form of the Roman army in AD 70, and we are currently in the new heaven and new earth. (2) A second form is ‘Partial or Moderate Preterism,’ which proclaims that much of End Times Prophecy has been fulfilled, but Christ will yet Return, at which time ‘some’ Resurrections and Final Judgments will also take place. Representatives include R. C. Sproul, Hank Hanegraaff, and some in the Redoubt Movement [i.e., Neo-Monasticism].

• DK. “Since the Mid-Twentieth Century, it has become common to hear about the ‘Figurative’ and ‘Allegorical’ approach to Scripture employed by the Church Fathers. Augustine, due to his orthodoxy, is generally one of the most oft-cited examples of this tradition. One of the problems, however, with claiming the Allegorical Approach is the misleading perceptions that it might suggest for contemporary readers. This is grotesque understatement, since the comparatively poor Greek scholar Augustine devastated the Early Church Literalist View of Eschatology in one fell swoop, setting the stage for all the Non-Literal, Dominion Heresies that were to follow.” – Adapted from Paul Krause, “Revealing the Christ: Understanding Augustine’s ‘Allegory,’ Crisis Magazine, Aug. 28, 2021; edited

• CONCLUSION. “The goal of these essays is not to support a particular Eschatological View (the writer is a Dispensational Premillennialist) but to explain better why Christian Nationalists believe a Postmillennial/Preterist understanding of the End Times is necessary to change the world and prepare for Christ’s return, as well as what efforts they are making to bring about this change.”

1. III. IMPACT

Beloved, I have been doing mortal combat with the foundational precepts of Replacement Theology since my days at Regent University (1983-2000). During my nearly 20-year sojourn there under the mentorship of faculty from the School of Government, I was introduced to it from several sources.

ORIGINS. When I was appointed as Founding Director of the Institute of Public Affairs Journalism in 1984 as a still matriculating young Christian, I was immersed in the entire nascent and then more pronounced Theology of Dominion. Such thinkers as ABRAHAM KUYPER’S “Sphere Sovereignty” alongside TIM LAHAYE AND LOREN CUNNINGMAN’S “Seven Mind Molders” (Arts, Business, Church, Distribution of Information, Education, Family, Government) – Institutions that need to be ‘taken over’ by us Christians.

All of which gave birth to the insidious formulations of LANCE WALLNAU’S “Seven Mountain Mandate” heresy consisting of the nearly identical Social Institutions that need to be ‘Conquered for Christ:’ Family, Religion, Government, Business, Education, Arts & Entertainment, and Media.

Which in turn has been Canonized tight inside the Belly of the Beast of Donald Trump’s Christian Nationalism movement. But it has been lethally curated in the hot fires of STEVE BANNON’S “Chaos Model” and, to be blunt, ADOLF HITER’S concept and strategy of “The Big Lie” and “Lügenpresse” (Lying Press).

All of this augers viciously Antagonistic toward the Jewish people and Israel, as the Scriptures make clear as they explain the true nature of the Antichrist’s designs toward God’s Chosen.

DOMINIONISM’S SIX FALSEHOODS. Once again a search of the literature revealed an excellent analysis of these obscene ideas penned by FRED WRIGHT, writing for the online journal, Prophecy Today. His essay is titled, “The Six Errors of Replacement Theology” (Oct. 18, 2019; edited).

• OPEN. “It is obvious that differing views exist within the Church concerning the theological place and role of the Jewish people, their right to live in their Ancient Homeland and their relationship to the Hebrew scriptures in light of the New Covenant. One widespread view pervading most Christian denominations is that the Church has supplanted the Biblical Role of Israel in the Purposes of God.”

1. 1. ISREAL USED & DISCARDED. “Replacement Theology contends that the Jewish people were used to ‘Prepare the way for the Messiah,’ but with Jesus’ Coming, this particular period of salvation history came to an end and the Church became the new expression of God’s election and saving power. In the extreme, this view is used to preface the argument that as the Jews rejected Jesus, God has now rejected them. They have forfeited the Scriptures and the Prophets, which are now the property of the Church (as the Church’s first apologist, Justin Martyr, argued in the 2^nd Century). They have ‘lost’ the Covenants (according to the popular apocryphal ‘Gospel of Barnabas’, written around 130 AD). The Jewish people have no destiny, no elective distinction, no calling and no future.”
   
   
   2. OCCUPIERS OF PALESTINE. “A second stream of Replacement Theology is not based so much in theology as in a misunderstood, misread or revisionist history of the Arab-Israeli Conflict which is dragged into the theological arena under the guise of Ethics and Justice. In this schema, the Jews are evil oppressors who have no right to the land – while the Palestinian people have the primary moral claim on Christians. A central problem with this approach is that it is selective and based on a very partial, warped understanding of the Arab-Israeli Conflict. Another problem is that it applies the notion of Justice in a secular fashion and not by biblical standards.”
   
   
   3. ISRAEL NOT RELEVANT-YET. “A third stream of Replacement Theology is ‘Eschatological’ (i.e. concerning the End Times) and arises out of the doctrine of ‘Dispensationalism.’ Briefly, this doctrine originated in the 1880s and early 1900s from J.N. Darby, C.I. Scofield and other Christian clergymen. It proposes that there are Seven Dispensations of God’s dealings with Mankind. We are living in the Sixth Dispensation, the Seventh being when Jesus Returns. In this scheme of things, the Jewish people return to The Land and find salvation ‘after’ The Second Coming. To uphold this teaching, the Scriptures are divided into Three Groups: Those for the Church, those for the Jews, and those for Unbelieving Gentiles. The Scofield Bible lets the cat out of the bag with its chapter heading for Isaiah 40:1-2: ‘God comforts His Church,’ whereas the passage specifically applies to the Nation of Israel.
   
   
   4. ABRAHAMIC COVENANT OBSOLETE. “Replacement Theology’s fourth strand is an essential misunderstanding of the Biblical concept of ‘Covenant.’ A Covenant is far more than a handshake agreement. Covenants were for the safety and protection of participants. God’s Covenants with His people called for exclusive worship and obedience in exchange for their protection and blessing. ‘His Covenant with Abraham concerning The Land was Eternal, as is indicated (not least) in Psalm 105. The Davidic Covenant, some 1,000 years later, did not replace the Abrahamic Covenant but simply added to it. The New Covenant, first introduced not in the New Testament but in Jeremiah 31, replaces the Mosaic Covenant – but not the Abrahamic, nor the Davidic.”
   
   
   5. BLESSING FOR CHURCH, JUDGMENT FOR JEWS. Another assertion concerns the twin concepts of Judgment and Blessing in Prophecy. Supporters of Replacement Theology fall into the same error as the Early Church Fathers by separating these two elements of Prophecy rather than leaving them co-joined, as originally intended. In this thinking, all the Bible’s Blessings and Promises are allocated to the Church, which should now be considered as Israel, while all the Judgments are retained or directed to the Jewish people and the Nation of Israel, who are outside the scope of any Spiritual Blessing.”
   
   
   6. THE ANTI-SEMITIC IMPULSE. “Replacement Theology’s sixth strand is less the result of distorted Bible teaching or ignorance than plain old Anti-Semitism, often very thinly disguised. An example is South Africa’s Anglican Church using denial of Modern Israel’s link with the people of the Bible to justify support of the Anti-Semitic BDS Campaign (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions). Modern Christian Anti-Semitism is usually shrouded in Left-wing Anti-Zionism, which many have noted shades all too easily into and covers for age-old Anti-Semitic tropes and Conspiracy Theories.”

THE PROTOCOLS OF THE ELDERS OF ZION. “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is a fabricated text purporting to detail a Jewish Plot for Global Domination. Largely plagiarized from several earlier sources, it was first published in Imperial Russia in 1903, translated into multiple languages, and disseminated internationally in the early part of the 20th century. It played a key part in popularizing belief in an International Jewish Conspiracy. The text was exposed as fraudulent by the British newspaper The Times in 1921 and by the German newspaper Frankfurter Zeitung in 1924. ‘Beginning in 1933, distillations of the work were assigned by some German teachers, as if they were factual, to be read by German schoolchildren throughout Nazi Germany.’” – EDITORS, Wikipedia, Feb. 27, 2025; edited

‘All of which has led us on an inevitably bloody and precipitous path to an American Fourth Reich, and nothing less!’ This being rapidly cobbled together daily before our very eyes on the rubble of Trump’s Deconstruction of America’s 250 year-old Constitutional Order.

‘And the White Church remains abominably Silent!’

CODA. In light of America’s accelerating Descent into the Old Hatreds of our not-so-distant past (see the Graphic for an indelible reminder), I shall close with the Severe Remonstrance from the Great Apostle to the Gentile Church of his day. Now all the more in furious Reproof to the White Christians of Trump Church today.

“And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, DO NOT BOAST against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you!” – ROMANS 11:17-19, NKJV

HUBRIS. ‘At the heart of all this, beloved, God shows us that The White Church and Culture are soaked in “Nationalist Pride” that frankly borders on Arrogance.’ What Paul is confronting here among the Gentile Christians of his day is precisely what I see everywhere in America. What a young Ecuadorian professional and immigrant named Andrea told me she now sees in our country:

“Entitlement:” – “An entitlement is the right to a particular privilege or benefit, granted by law, custom, or race.” – Adapted from an AI Summary, Mar. 16, 2025; edited

The reproof offered in this passage from the Apostle to the ‘White’ Church is: “DO NOT BOAST!” Taken from the Greek term, ‘Katakauchaomai’ [κατακαυχᾶσαι], it means, literally:

“Stop exulting yourself over the Natural (Jewish)

Branches! You are mere Grafts by God’s mercy, so if you boast, boast on that and nothing more!”

The entire Dominionist Spirit that is at the heart of Trump’s Christian Nationalism is fundamentally about Gentile Pride as over against any nativist claims to equal status in America. WAKEUP CALL: Beloved, it has always been here, but as my Ecuadorian friend observed:

“It’s as if Trump has permitted all of what was just below the surface in America become okay now, so it is now celebrated!”

CODICIL. In closing then, allow me to remind you of A Warning from another Apostle that goes straight to the American White Church of today:

“But He gives us more and more grace (power of the Holy Spirit, to meet this evil tendency and all others fully). That is why He says, ‘God sets Himself against the proud and haughty, but gives grace [continually] to the lowly (those who are humble enough to receive it).’” – JAMES 4:6, AMPC

Beloved of God, the Lord is fiercely opposed to the Christian Nationalist Movement! ‘He hates it!’ Yet He shall give an inordinate and constant flow of Grace and Favor to His Remnant, that lives and breathes the pure doctrinal air of Humility.

So, get it right once and for all, or prepare for the Eternal Consequences of making ourselves an Enemy of the God Who we swear we love and follow.

Selah. Selah.

YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/RLlSRrkr_Qs