Replacement Theology

Replacement theology, introduced in the late 300s A.D., is based on the premise that Israel has been replaced by the Christian Church in God's plan. Those subscribing to this idea believe that God's chosen people are not the Jews, but rather, the chosen are those believers within the Christian Church. Replacement theology promotes the view that God no longer has specific plans for the future of Israel. Instead, the Church is a replacement for or continuation of Israel.

According to replacement theology, the promises made to Israel will not be fulfilled in Israel, but will be fulfilled in the Christian Church. This belief requires the prophecies concerning Israel and its restoration to the Promised Land be considered a prophecy to the Christian Church as a promise of God's blessings. The views taught by replacement theology proponents are highly contested and refuted by Biblical scholars of various backgrounds and affiliations.

One of the refuted issues of replacement theology concerns the idea that God has condemned the Jewish nation and no longer has plans for its future existence. If the idea of God's turning away from the Jews were true, it would require God to break or cancel the everlasting covenant He made with Abraham and his descendants in Genesis Chapters 12, 22, 26, and 28. Breaking the covenant would make God a liar, which is in complete conflict with the nature and character of God as taught in the Holy Bible.

While both the Old and New Testaments outline the plan for the restoration of Israel, the book of Revelation states clearly that Jerusalem will be the capital, and John's writings in Revelation make it very clear that Israel is to be the leader of all nations. In spite of the fact that through the years there have been ongoing attempts to remove the Jewish heritage from existence, the most notable being the Holocaust, the Jews continue to thrive in the eternal plan of God.