Supersessionism, also called replacement theology or fulfillment theology, is a theological doctrine held by some on the current status of the church in relation to the Jewish people and Judaism. It holds that the Christian Church has succeeded the Israelites as the definitive people of God or that the New Covenant has replaced or superseded the Mosaic covenant. Paul clearly contradicts this when in Romans 11 he writes “Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew.” I have just finished reading “Why Every Calvinist Should Be a Premillennialist” by John MacArthur. The following is an excerpt from this work. I highly recommend that you read the article that is linked below as a pdf to get a full understanding that God is not done with the Jewish people. Following the excerpt is a stirring testimony by Mottel Baleston who is a Jewish believer in Messiah.
“But Scripture is very clear about one thing. Foundational to any accurate understanding of the end is an accurate understanding of the future of Israel. This is the cornerstone of biblical eschatology. What I’ve been saying is pretty simple. If you get Israel right, you’re going to get eschatology right. If you don’t get Israel right, you will never get eschatology right. It is impossible to fully understand biblical teaching about the end times apart from understanding the future of Israel, the future of ethnic Jews in God’s plan. And if you don’t get Israel right, then your eschatology is confused and you cannot be blessed and you cannot give God appropriate glory and you cannot have a full hope for what lies ahead so that His glory is diminished, your joy and blessing are diminished as well. Getting Israel right means understanding what God has promised to do with Israel for Israel in the future. That all goes back to the Old Testament where God made irrevocable, unconditional, unilateral promises and covenants to Israel to be fulfilled in the future. And within those covenants, He promised that the nation would one day be saved, a generation of ethnic Jews would be saved, that they would inherit their originally promised land which God pledged to Abraham, that they would become a blessing to the whole world, that they would enjoy a Kingdom over which God’s anointed King, the Messiah, would rule from Jerusalem with justice and righteousness and peace for a thousand years, that He would rule the whole world from Jerusalem, Israel being given a special place of blessing. This must come to pass because God has chosen Israel for this purpose in the end. It is then a matter of election. Israel is God’s elect. The Bible calls Christ, “My Elect.” The Bible calls the church, “God’s Elect.” And the Bible calls Israel, “My Elect.” And thus it is strange, very strange, that it is the very historic theology of sovereign election whose advocates have denied this [sovereign election] to Israel.”
“Why Every Calvinist Should Be a Premillennialist” by John MacArthur
“Why Every Calvinist Should Be a Premillennialist” John MacArthur Sermon Series Part 1
“Why Every Calvinist Should Be a Premillennialist” John MacArthur Sermon Series Part 2
About Post Author
Leave a Reply