What is Replacement Theology?
Replacement Theology, which is also called Supersessionism, has been common throughout most of Church history and still exists today. It is the false supposition that the Church has replaced or superseded Israel and the Jews in God’s purposes. According to this theology, when the Church began, God forsook the Jews, because they did not accept Jesus as their Messiah and because they had a part in His death.
Under this doctrine, all of God’s promises, prophecies and blessings in the Old Testament now apply exclusively to the Church and no longer apply literally to Israel or the Jews. Where the word “Israel” occurs in the Bible, it really means the Church, which is the true, spiritual Israel. Consequently, all the verses referring to Israel returning to their land and dwelling there are seen as spiritual allegories for the blessings of the Church, and not as something to be literally fulfilled by the Jews and the nation of Israel. However, the curses and distresses in the Bible (e.g. Deuteronomy 28:15-68) still do apply literally to the Jews, due to their role in the death of Christ.
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