Israel today: Replacement, Covenant or Displacement theology?

Replacement theology: Over many years, various cults and false ideologies have tried to write Israel off as no longer having any future in God’s planning. It does seem to stem from a desire by these groups to be God’s special people, replacing Israel as God’s covenanted people. They want to be God’s chosen people; anything less would reduce their feelings of exclusiveness (and therefore increase their feelings of low self-worth). They do not like Israel having such importance in God’s will, desiring to gain that importance for themselves. This desire to write Israel out of God’s will is known as Replacement theology. Their theology demands that Israel’s time as God’s chosen people has ended either (a) from simply completing God’s will for them as a nation, or (b) due to their iniquities being so great that God has replaced them with an allegedly more-righteous people (generally assumed to be the Church). Replacement theology is the belief that the Church has replaced Israel as God’s chosen people, that a new covenant through Jesus supersedes the covenant God made with Abraham. According to Replacement Theology, Israel is no longer God’s chosen people; the Church is now God’s chosen people.

Covenant theology for Israel: This view believes in Israel’s right to remain God’s chosen nation as per the Abrahamic covenant, and that God’s promises to Israel remain fully valid despite their current unbelief, and ultimately that Israel’s relationship with God will be fully restored. This teaches that Israel has never been (and never will be) replaced by the Church in any prophetic statements referring to Israel. While the Church is currently God’s people, one day they will effectively (in the Rapture) hand back to Israel that final 7 years remaining on their timeline before Armageddon. Most biblically-correct Church groups believe in Israel’s covenant with God remaining forever independently of the Church. In the Old Testament, Israel is seen as the unfaithful wife of God, and sometimes is portrayed as His rebellious children; the Church instead is seen as the Bride of Christ.

Displacement theology: I also add an extra term – Displacement theology – where Israel is not actually removed or replaced, but merely continues to exist as a junior partner of the Church (or is even seen as a part of the Church itself). It would have the idea of having been moved (or displaced) from its previously-held position of being God’s chosen people, to a lesser position usually subordinate to the Church. The term Displacement theology is sometimes used in place of (that is, synonymous with) the term Replacement theology, but the two terms should be seen as somewhat different. Displacement theology did become more popular after Israel came back as a nation in 1948 (something which seriously changed a lot of thinking about Israel being written off as God’s chosen people), when it became clear that Israel might still be an active part of God’s prophecy. In a way it’s a half-way point between Replacement theology and Covenant theology; Israel is still in the running, but may not be permitted to regain the promises that the Church is claimed to have taken on when Israel failed. It’s generally seen as a way to explain Israel’s current existence without impinging upon what is seen as the right of the Church to replace Israel as God’s chosen nation. The Church remains God’s chosen people but accepts Israel as part of the work of the Church. Sometimes Israel is portrayed as being integrated into the Church and sometimes as a separate but definitely junior partner in ministry for God. Effectively it is a theology which allows Israel to exist as long as they do not interfere with the overall jurisdiction of the Church, especially in end-times prophecy.

In general, Replacement and Displacement theologies are doctrines of those groups who also believe that they are in some way exclusive members of the only doctrine that can truly save to the uttermost. Such groups teach that you either have to belong to their religious doctrine to be saved or at the very least you must acknowledge their exclusive doctrines as necessary for true salvation. These exclusionist groups include the catholics, calvinists, mormons, JWs (jehovah’s witnesses) and SDAs (seventh day adventists), plus a multitude of weird exclusionist cults. Such groups hold salvation beliefs that exclude all who do not believe likewise.

Catholics: The catholic teaching is that you must be baptised as a catholic and hold to that baptism for life. If you leave the catholic church, you are declared anathema, lost forever, for they teach that there is no genuine salvation outside the catholic church. They also hold to Replacement theology for Israel; although some now would teach Displacement theology as defined above, especially since Israel came back as a nation in 1948. Catholics generally believe in no actual millennial reign of Christ on earth, instead believing that Christ already reigns in heaven in a spiritual sense. They believe that the Church (that is, catholics) would remain until that final battle of Armageddon. after which they will be taken up to heaven. For those who accept Israel’s existence in some way as God’s people, this would normally mean any of Israel whom God would also take to heaven with (and possibly also as part of) the Church. Catholics do not generally believe in an actual 7-year period of Tribulation as such; instead, they affirm that the Church will undergo a final trial and tribulation period before Christ’s second coming, which may involve significant suffering and persecution. Israel, if included, is almost a non-event in catholic end-times theology.

Calvinists: Their teaching is very similar to the catholic teaching here; no wonder, for Calvin himself never left the catholic church and taught that his catholic baptism was that which saved him from sin for all his life; he persecuted the Anabaptists for teaching that the catholic baptism alone could not save anyone. Calvinists believe that unless you are chosen (via the calvinist unconditional election) you can never be saved; and that praying a prayer to be saved is of no use unless you have been firstly chosen and regenerated by their God. Effectively their gospel is that you have to be a calvinist to be saved. Until the 20^th century calvinists generally believed that they had replaced Israel, and that the Rapture (if it existed) was at Armageddon at Christ’s second coming. The original calvinists (such as Presbyterians) did not believe in a literal millennial reign of Christ, but, like the catholics, believed instead in a spiritual reign of Christ in heaven. “New calvinism” today generally believes in a literal millennial reign of Christ (over the Church, not Israel), with the Rapture occurring just before or at the same time as Christ’s second coming. Calvinists generally believe in a time of tribulation which may be 3½ or 7 years before Armageddon, with the Church replacing Israel in all events. Once Israel began to show signs of a return to their land, some calvinists have taken a more Displacement theology stand, with Israel permitted to exist in the end-times but all major prophecies still apply to the Church alone. Israel, if it is involved, may not be permitted to have any authority with the Church in any way.

Mormons: They believe that they are the only group who can be truly saved according to their claimed “new revelation”; such new revelation is the foundation of their church and that it remains an essential element of their self-claimed “true” church today. Without this new revelation (and thus not a mormon) you cannot be saved. They teach that the gathering of Israel in the end-times is a significant event in the restoration of God’s covenant people. However, mormons also believe that they are part of the house of Israel, sharing a common ancestry with the Jewish people. They teach that they are included in the covenant relationship between God and His people. They believe that they will play a major role in fulfilling God’s promises to gather His people. Effectively, therefore, Israel will be God’s people only in conjunction with the mormons, and thus it appears the mormons have actually replaced Israel unless Israel are also mormon by belief. This may be seen as a displacement of Israel from their true role as God’s covenanted people; however, any of Israel who are not mormon by belief are effectively Replaced.

jehovahs witnesses (JWs): They teach that they are the Replacement for the 144,000 sealed of Israel as per Revelation 7:3-8. They claim that salvation is only through their JW watchtower society, and that they must remain in good standing as a JW including doing good works and remaining faithful to their society. This is as exclusionist as it can get; and Israel is effectively totally demolished as God’s chosen people. JWs identify as “Israel” in scripture, especially in prophecy; they declare themselves to be God’s chosen people Israel. They do not accept the ethnic people of Israel today as the “spiritual Israel” with which JWs identify. They do not believe in a literal millennial reign of Christ on earth, instead teaching that Jesus has ruled in heaven since 1914 and that since then satan rules on earth until God’s kingdom is established. Christ does not return nor reign on earth physically. JWs believe in a time of tribulation culminating with Armageddon, after which God established his kingdom on earth. This is an extreme version of Replacement theology.

Seventh day adventists (SDAs): The SDA gospel does sound biblical at first glance, but such salvation can be rendered null and void if you break any of the 10 commandments. In particular, worshipping on a day other than Saturday is taught by their “prophet” as taking the mark of the beast.  And therefore any church that worships on any other day but Saturday is leading their people into hell. It must be noted that SDAs do teach that Israel’s covenant with God still remains in force, and that God will honour all Old Testament promises made to Israel. (This is because the SDAs place far greater emphasis on OT law rather than NT revelation.) However, they do not believe in a specific 7-year Tribulation period but instead a time of global crisis preceding Christ’s return to earth. They do not accept a Rapture of the righteous before the Tribulation; instead they believe that all believers (as defined by SDA doctrine) will be taken to heaven at the same time, as described in the Bible. They teach that this event will be seen worldwide, and not hidden or secret. That is, while SDAs teach that Israel is a separate covenanted people, there will be only one taking to heaven of all “believers” simultaneously; effectively the Church and Israel are combined as a single group of God’s chosen people. Therefore the SDA teaching on Israel may be somewhat similar to the mormon teaching: that Israel will be part of God’s eternal covenant if they are together with the SDA believers. It is likely that SDAs view Israel as covenant holders as per the OT along with SDAs who also view themselves as having a similar yet separate covenant with their emphasis upon obedience to all the OT law of Moses. Perhaps this could be seen not as Displacement theology, but a Co-working theology, in an equal-share partnership. Effectively though it waters down Israel’s separateness as God’s chosen people by defining them as somewhat yoked together with the SDAs in ministry for God.

In general, those who choose Replacement theology (or even Displacement theology as defined above) have certain characteristics.
(a) They tend to be comprised of people who think they are better spiritually and therefore more eligible to be God’s chosen people.
(b) They tend to consider that they are the only true people of faith in God; that God has chosen them alone to bring salvation to others; and that such salvation cannot be found outside their belief group. They preach an exclusionist gospel.
(c) They see any acknowledgement of Israel as God’s chosen people as a reduction of their own exclusive spiritual standing. They do not like to share their spiritual standing with those whom they see as not eligible.
(d) They generally see Israel as competing with them for God’s favour and thus do what they can to reduce the concept of the effectiveness of Israel spiritually, even to the extent of denying that they are God’s chosen people in any way.

Replacement theology is biblically unacceptable. Nowhere in the Bible does it even suggest that Israel will not return to being God’s chosen people for that final 7-year Tribulation. Likewise Displacement theology as described above cannot be justified biblically because, while Israel is still permitted to exist, they have no effective ministry due to the Church taking it from them. Any doctrine that diminishes Israel’s eternal status with God as His separated people is unscriptural.

The only correct end-times doctrine for Israel is that they remain God’s covenanted people forever, and that one day God will restore their righteousness forever.
Daniel 9:24 – Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Daniel 9:24-27 teaches that Israel has one week of years (= 7 years) remaining on their timeline with God before their everlasting righteousness is granted to them by God. That 7 years is almost upon us; it will commence once the righteous of the Church are taken away in the Rapture. Israel will then experience the most extreme affliction of all time for 7 years during which many will repent and return to God for ever, after which those saved of Israel will go into the millennial reign of their Messiah, redeemed for eternity. This does not exclude the Church from being a people of God, a people which will be taken away in the Rapture before Israel recommences her final 7-years as God’s chosen people before Christ the Messiah returns at Armageddon.