Theologically conservative and evangelical Christians are once again looking at the issue of replacement theology and concluding that the Bible does NOT justify belief that the church replaced Israel regarding God's promises: John and Charles Wesley were convinced Israel would again be gathered to God per His promises, though for a time their eyes would be veiled to the Messiah:
And how did replacement theology develop?
Quote:
The Wesleys
The following are hymns written by Charles Wesley and accepted for inclusion in the early hymnals They clearly show that both John and Charles Wesley prayed for the Jews, looked for them to have their land again, and longed for them to come to know their Messiah. How delighted they would be that they are once again in the land God gave them- a real answer to prayer.
ALMIGHTY God of love (Diademata)
Set up the attracting sign,
And summon whom thou dost approve
For messengers divine;
From favoured Abraham's seed
The new apostles choose,
In isles and continents to spread
The dead-reviving news.
Them, snatched out of the flame,
Through every nation send,
The true Messiah to proclaim,
The universal friend;
That all the God unknown
May learn of Jews to adore,
And see thy glory in thy Son,
Till time shall be no more.
O that the chosen band
Might now their brethren bring,
And, gathered out of every land,
Present to Zion's King!
Of all the ancient race
Not one be left behind,
But each, impelled by secret grace,
His way to Canaan find.
WE KNOW IT MUST BE DONE,
For God hath spoke the word:
All Israel shall the Saviour own,
To their first state restored;
Rebuilt by his command,
Jerusalem shall rise;
Her temple on Moriah stand
Again, and touch the skies.
Send then thy servants forth,
To call the Hebrews home;
From East, and West, and South, and North,
Let all the wanderers come;
Where'er in lands unknown
The fugitives remain,
Bid every creature help them on,
Thy holy mount to gain.
An offering to their God,
There let them all be seen,
Sprinkled with water and with blood,
In soul and body clean;
With Israel's myriads sealed,
Let all the nations meet,
And show the mystery fulfilled,
Thy family complete!
http://www.methodistfriendsofisrael.com/the-wesleys/
And how did replacement theology develop?
Paul refutes replacement theology in RomansQuote:
Editor's Note: Much of the anti-Semitism in the world today can be traced to a concept called "Replacement Theology". This principle presents the thesis that the church has replaced Israel in God's plan. Replacement Theology teaches that the church is the replacement for Israel and that the many promises made to Israel in the Bible are fulfilled in the Christian Church, not in Israel.
Aurelius Augustinus, the bishop of Hippo (354430), better known as Saint Augustine, was a leader of the Church during the fourth and fifth centuries AD. Under his influence, Christianity embraced a doctrine of antiSemitism.
From Augustine teachings, the Church came to a view that the Jews were a lost race without hope of redemption. The Church determined that Israel had forfeited her covenants by rejecting Christ. This concept produced a dramatic shift in early Church politics, worldviews, and eschatology.
The leaders of the Church of Rome began to teach that all the future messianic promises of natural Israel were transferred to the new spiritual Israelthe Church.
What follows is Part One of a two part series on the errors of Replacement Theology. The author, Dr. William Welty, is the Executive Director of the ISV foundation and also serves as Research Analyst in Advanced Communication Technologies and Adjunct Professor of Middle Eastern Studies on the faculty of Koinonia Institute.
All Biblical citations are taken from the International Standard Version (ISV) translation of the Bible.
Chuck Missler on unconditional covenants in the Word of God:Quote:
Romans 911: The Apostle Paul's Refutation of Replacement Theology
The Apostle Paul answers the errors of Replacement Theology in the ninth through the eleventh chapters of his letter to the Christians who were living in Rome. He writes in Romans 9:45 that to the Israelis alone:In the post-Crucifixion world of the first century, A.D., the Apostle Paul reminds us that God's plan for Israel has never been abandoned. Paul informs us in Romans 9:68:Quote:
4 belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the Law, the worship, and the promises. 5 To the Israelis belong the patriarchs, and from them, the Messiah descended, who is God over all, the one who is forever blessed. Amen.His comments in Romans 9:7 that "not all of Abraham's descendants are his true descendants" serve as a reminder that there is more to being Jewish than merely being a descendant of Abraham. It will be this truth that forms the basis for the salvation of the non-Jews to whom Paul directed the majority of his evangelistic efforts. Paul also reminds us that God is righteous to take this posture with respect to belief in him. In Romans 9:1416, he writes:Quote:
6 Now it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all Israelis truly belong to Israel, 7 and not all of Abraham's descendants are his true descendants. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that descendants will be named for you." 8 That is, it is not merely the children born through natural descent who were regarded as God's children, but it is the children born through the promise who were regarded as descendants.God's willingness to base salvation on the requirement to believe stands opposed to being related to Abraham. In Romans 9:2326, the Apostle Paul asks the following not-so-rhetorical question:Quote:
14 What can we say, then? God is not unrighteous, is he? Of course not! 15 For he says to Moses, "I will be merciful to the person I want to be merciful to, and I will be kind to the person I want to be kind to." 16 Therefore, God's choice does not depend on a person's will or effort, but on God himself, who shows mercy.http://www.khouse.org/enews_article/2015/2362/Quote:
Can't he also reveal his glorious riches to the objects of his mercy that he has prepared ahead of time for glory including us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but from the gentiles as well? As the Scripture says in Hosea,
"Those who are not my people
I will call my people,
and the one who was not loved
I will call my loved one.
In the very place where it was told them,
'You are not my people,'
they will be called children of the living God."
It is better to light a flamethrower than to curse the darkness- Sir Terence Pratchett
“ III stooges si viveret et nos omnes ad quos etiam probabile est mittent custard pies”
“ III stooges si viveret et nos omnes ad quos etiam probabile est mittent custard pies”