Doctrines of Devils: Replacement Theology, Antisemitism, and the Prophetic Destiny of Israel
Throughout history, theology has not only shaped Church doctrines but has also deeply influenced social and political ideas, national policies, and public opinion.
Among the theological systems that have had far-reaching consequences, replacement theology stands out for its historical and ongoing influence on the development of antisemitism.
While seemingly based in biblical interpretation, this system has often served as a theological framework that spiritualises and replaces Israel’s role in God’s redemptive plan, delegitimising the Jewish people’s unique identity. Replacement theology, undergirded by the ideas of Augustine and Martin Luther, laid the groundwork for the systematic theological exclusion of the Jewish people, ultimately facilitating the horrors of the Holocaust and contributing to the current rise in antisemitic sentiments, including within many parts of today’s deceived Church.
In contrast, dispensationalism, a system of biblical interpretation that sees Israel and the Church as distinct, affirms that Israel will literally fulfil Old Testament prophecy about Israel. It offers a more faithful interpretation of Scripture and a defence against antisemitism.
The failure of major Christian denominations to stand firmly on scriptural ground concerning Israel further reveals a doctrinal compromise shaped more by the winds of public sentiment than biblical truth.
Replacement Theology and the Seed of Antisemitism
Replacement theology rests on the framework of two or three theological covenants: the covenant of works, the covenant of grace and sometimes the covenant of redemption. It postulates that the Church has replaced Israel as the true people of God. This view asserts that the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are now fulfilled spiritually in the Church, rendering Israel as a nation obsolete in God’s ongoing redemptive plans.
Though not always expressed with malice, this theological construct has had dangerous consequences. Once the Jewish people were no longer seen as central to the Church age, they were vulnerable to becoming scapegoats and outsiders within Christian society. Over centuries, this led to their marginalisation, forced conversions, ghettoisation and expulsions.
The Influence of Augustine
Augustine of Hippo (354–430 AD) remains one of the most influential voices in Western Christianity. He spiritualised the promises made to Israel, arguing that the Church was the “New Israel.” Augustine’s City of God posited that the Jews were a witness people – preserved only to confirm the truth of Scripture, but without any divine favour or future.
Augustine did not advocate physical violence against Jews. However, his theology stripped them of any divine election and relegated them to theological relics—an attitude that made it easier for later generations to view them with contempt.
His allegorical hermeneutic encouraged a reading of the Old Testament that bypassed literal interpretation, giving the Church license to redefine God’s promises.
This “doctrinal de-Judaising” of Christianity, spearheaded by Augustine and cemented by the medieval Church, fed into the bloodstream of Western Christian thought for over a millennium.
Martin Luther
If Augustine sowed the seeds, Martin Luther (1483–1546) watered them with toxic rhetoric. Early in his career, Luther advocated kindness toward Jews in the hope of converting them. But when Jews rejected his overtures, Luther’s tone shifted drastically.
In his infamous tract “On the Jews and Their Lies” (1543), Luther wrote:
“What shall we Christians do with this rejected and condemned people, the Jews?… I advise that their synagogues be set on fire…”
Luther’s writings went beyond theological speculation. They were political and social prescriptions. His ideas formed the theological backdrop for centuries of German antisemitism. The Third Reich found in Luther a useful ideological ally, quoting him in Nazi propaganda to justify their genocidal policies.
From Theology to Atrocity: The Holocaust
The systematic extermination of six million Jews during World War II was not merely a product of secular nationalism or racism. It was rooted in centuries of Christian theological hostility. The dehumanisation of Jews was built on a foundation laid by Christian doctrine – specifically the idea that Jews were Christ-killers, enemies of the gospel, and rejected by God.
Though many Christians opposed the Nazi regime, the broader Church remained disturbingly silent. The Lutheran Church in Germany largely cooperated with Hitler, and even the Catholic Church, though more cautious, did little to resist.
The question must be asked: How did the people of God become so morally compromised? The answer lies in their theology. When a doctrine teaches that Israel is no longer God’s chosen people and that their national restoration is meaningless, it becomes easier to tolerate – or even facilitate – their destruction.
Dispensationalism: A Biblical Defence of Israel
By the mid-19th century, a corrective theological movement arose that affirmed that God has distinct plans for Israel and the Church. This system – sometimes called dispensationalism – insists on a literal interpretation of Scripture, particularly Old Testament prophecy.
This doctrine, broadly understood, is not new. It has had high-profile supporters all throughout Church history, including Irenaeus and Tertullian.
Dispensationalists argue that the promises made to Abraham (Genesis 12, 15, 17), David (2 Samuel 7), and the prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel) concerning the land, the throne, and a restored Israel are irrevocable and non-redefinable. These promises have not been fulfilled spiritually in the Church, but await literal fulfilment.
The rebirth of the modern state of Israel in 1948 is seen not as a political accident but as a prophetic milestone. Dispensationalists point to passages like Ezekiel 36–37, Isaiah 66:8, and Zechariah 12–14 to argue that Israel’s return to the land is a foretaste and beginning of the final chapter in God’s redemptive history.
By affirming Israel’s ongoing covenantal role, dispensationalism combats antisemitism at its root. If the Jewish people are central to God’s plan, then persecuting them is an affront to God Himself.
Theological Consequences and Moral Responsibility
Ideas have consequences. When churches teach that the Jewish people are irrelevant to God’s plan, it inevitably influences the moral compass of their followers. This theology has real-world consequences, including:
- The legitimisation of antisemitic ideologies.
- Apathy toward Jewish suffering.
- Opposition to the modern state of Israel.
- The loss of biblical literacy regarding prophecy.
Dispensationalism, despite being mocked by so-called theological elites, offers a necessary corrective. It upholds a high view of Scripture, recognises God’s sovereign plan for Israel and fosters a theological posture that defends, rather than demonises, the Jewish people. As a result, it insists on the necessity and priority of proclaiming the gospel to them (Romans 1:16).
Reclaiming a Biblical Theology of Israel
Christians must return to a biblical theology that respects the literal promises of God. Romans 11 offers a rebuke to replacement theology:
“Has God cast away His people? Certainly not!… For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:1, 29)
Paul anticipates and rejects the idea that Israel has been permanently rejected. The olive tree metaphor reveals that Gentile believers are grafted in—but the natural branches (Israel) will be grafted in again. Replacement theology too often skips this chapter, or spiritualises it beyond recognition.
The Church must repent of its arrogance and recognise that Israel remains central to God’s redemptive plan. This plan is not based on their righteousness, but because of God’s unchanging covenantal promises. The prophet Ezekiel, who wrote much about Israel’s unrighteousness, affirmed:
“This is what the Lord God says: It is not for your sake that I will act, house of Israel, but for my holy name, which you profaned among the nations where you went.” (Ezekiel 36:22)
Conclusion
The history of antisemitism is not merely a story of cultural prejudice – it is also a story of bad theology. Replacement theology, shaped by Augustine and exacerbated by Luther, laid the ideological groundwork for centuries of Jewish persecution. Its failure to recognise the ongoing role of Israel in God’s plan has had catastrophic consequences, including complicity in the Holocaust and ongoing antisemitic rhetoric today.
In contrast, dispensationalism stands as a prophetic voice, reminding the Church that God’s promises are irrevocable and that Israel’s modern restoration is not an accident but a divine appointment.
If antisemitism is indeed a “doctrine of devils,” then it has often been dressed in the robes of religious respectability. The Church must repent, realign its theology with Scripture, and embrace the whole counsel of God – including His plans for Israel. Anything less is not only theologically deficient but morally reprehensible.
___
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Great work Peter. Gutsy and powerful article!!!!!
Thank you, Peter. Another excellent article. On a personal note, over the past year God has been impressing upon me the reality of being grafted in to Israel and needing to understand my faith through the Jewish culture of Jesus and Paul. This has been a profoundly deepening and humbling, life changing process.
Thank you Peter, you have whetted my fledgling appetite for a deeper dive into dispensationalism :))
How vast the mercy and grace – and redemptive power – of our glorious God and Saviour, Christ Jesus our Lord !!
I think Augustine is being misinterpreted. His intention in the City of God is to contrast the City of human beings with the City of God, the new Jerusalem. He draws on a number of metaphors common at the time. His focus is not God’s covenant with the Jews. Augustine has been subjected to much misinterpretation over the years, including by Luther.
In 2001, the Sisters of Mary from Theresa Park, took a small group of Australians to Jerusalem for the “Changing the Future by Confronting the Past”. it was a life changing time for me. As an ex lutheran, with German ancestry, i remember going to sit with the German group for one of the repentance times. There was so much tears and sorrow over how the Jews were treated. i came away from that session greatly humbled, and the understanding of God’s plan for the one new man, has remained with me.
Excellent piece! Here is my theological summary.
Replacement theology, also called supersessionism, is the belief that the Christian Church has replaced Israel in God’s plan, and that the promises made to Israel in the Old Testament now apply only to the Church. Critics of this theology argue that it misrepresents the biblical narrative and undermines God’s faithfulness to His covenant with Israel.
Here is a detailed explanation of the case against replacement theology:
1. God’s Covenant with Israel Is Everlasting
🔹 Genesis 17:7-8
“And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.”
Argument: God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants is called everlasting. Replacement theology implies that God has broken or altered this covenant, which contradicts this passage.
2. God Will Not Reject His People
🔹 Romans 11:1-2
“I ask then: 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.”
Argument: Paul directly refutes the idea that God has rejected Israel. If the Church had fully replaced Israel, this reassurance would be unnecessary.
3. Gentiles Are Grafted Into Israel, Not Replacers
🔹 Romans 11:17-18
“If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others… do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches.”
Argument: Gentile believers are grafted into the root (Israel), not replacing it. The metaphor emphasizes inclusion, not replacement.
4. God’s Promises to Israel Are Irrevocable
🔹 Romans 11:28-29
“As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.”
Argument: Even in Israel’s unbelief, Paul asserts that God’s calling and promises to them remain. Replacement theology would imply that God has revoked His promises.
5. Jesus Affirms the Future for Israel
🔹 Matthew 19:28
“Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things… you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.’”
Argument: Jesus refers to a future judgement and leadership role over Israel, which implies Israel continues to have a prophetic role.
6. The Prophets Foretell Israel’s Future Restoration
🔹 Ezekiel 36:24-28
“For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you… Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors…”
Argument: This prophecy speaks of national and spiritual restoration of Israel. If Israel were permanently replaced, these promises would go unfulfilled or need to be reinterpreted allegorically.
🔹 Zechariah 12:10
“They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him…”
Argument: This looks forward to a national repentance of Israel, recognising their Messiah—something yet future and incompatible with replacement theology.
7. Revelation Speaks of Tribes of Israel in the End Times
🔹 Revelation 7:4
“Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.”
Argument: In the eschatological vision, the twelve tribes of Israel are still distinct and present in God’s plan.
Summary of the Case Against Replacement Theology
Point Summary Key Scripture
1. Everlasting Covenant God’s promises to Israel are eternal Genesis 17:7-8
2. Not Rejected Paul says God has not rejected Israel Romans 11:1-2
3. Grafted In Gentiles join Israel’s blessings, not replace them Romans 11:17-18
4. Irrevocable Calling God’s covenant with Israel stands Romans 11:28-29
5. Future for Israel Jesus affirms Israel’s role Matthew 19:28
6. Prophetic Restoration OT prophets foretell Israel’s return Ezekiel 36, Zechariah 12
7. Israel in Revelation Israel is present in end-time prophecy Revelation 7:4
Final Thoughts
The case against replacement theology is rooted in a consistent, literal interpretation of both Old and New Testament scriptures. It maintains that God’s character is faithful, and His promises to Israel—though delayed in some respects—are not revoked or reassigned. This view affirms both God’s ongoing plan for Israel and the inclusion of the Gentiles through Christ, without negating either.
Pre-empting any comments about Israel not being the Biblical Jewish people…
Modern Israelis are indigenous. To be indigenous to a land means to be the original inhabitants of that land. For example the Native Americans are considered indigenous since they had lived in North America for tens of thousands of years before Christopher Columbus had discovered it. Native Americans have lived in North America for such a long time that they even have a distinct lineage which can be traced using a DNA test. This also applies to most Jews. Most Jews have very distinct genetic markers which trace back to the Middle East. To tell a Jew from Europe that he has no place in Israel is like telling a Native American who lives in Egypt that he has no place in America. On top of this there are overwhelming amounts of archaeological evidence that supports the existence of Jewish people living in the land of Israel since ancient times. From coins with Hebrew writing to the Masada and who could forget, the Western Wall. Jews are undeniably the most indigenous people to modern day Israel.
Genetic studies overwhelmingly confirm that the Jewish people share deep ancestral roots in the Middle East, particularly in the ancient region of Judea (modern-day Israel).
Major peer-reviewed research, including landmark studies published in journals like Nature and The American Journal of Human Genetics, demonstrate that Jewish populations—Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Mizrahi—retain a strong Middle Eastern genetic signature despite centuries of diaspora.
Key findings include:
• Jewish populations exhibit clear genetic continuity with ancient Israelites, with markers shared with other Levantine populations such as Samaritans and Druze.
• Studies using Y-chromosome and mitochondrial DNA show that Jews trace paternal lineages to the Middle East, especially around Judea, and maternal lines that reflect localized admixture during the diaspora without severing Middle Eastern ties.
• A comprehensive 2010 study by Doron Behar et al. found that “all Jewish communities are linked to the Levant,” supporting historical claims of origin in the Land of Israel.
This genetic evidence debunks modern revisionist narratives that deny Jewish indigeneity to the land of Israel. It underscores that Jews are not colonial newcomers, but a native people returning to their ancestral homeland after millennia of forced exile and persecution.
More on this by By Tony Masiuk & Dani Ishai Behan: https://medium.com/@tony.masiuk/no-ashkenazi-jews-are-not-genetically-european-1d21657d0c19
There is plenty of evidence that the modern State of Israel was founded with the backing of the Ashkenazi-Jewish wealthy Rothschild family. In 1917, the Rothschild’s used their fortune and influ-ence to make a secret deal with the UK government to the establishment of the modern state with the name ‘Israel’. Just because this modern state uses the name ‘Israel’, does not make it Israel. Do your own research.
Our Lord castigated the Jewish leaders all through His earthly ministry. They recognised He spoke of them in His parable of the absent landowner in Matthew 21:33-41.
The Apostle Paul in many times stressed who exactly was Israel, writing: ‘So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham . . . . and, ‘Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring (seed). It does not say, “And to offspring’s”, i.e., referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring”, who is CHRIST.’ (Galatians: 3:7,16). The Scriptures are perfectly clear! The seed of Abraham is Christ. Those who are in Christ, are of the faith of Abraham.
It was also Rothschild’s influence and money that spawned the Scofield Bible with bible footnotes that popularized dispensationalism first appearing in 1909. The propaganda and misinformation in this so-called bible has influenced the thinking of Evangelical Christians ever since, and is responsi-ble for the replacement of Christ with and by the modern state of Israel. Yes, a huge replacement of Christ has taken place in many thousands of evangelicals –replacement of Christ by the adulation of ‘Israel.’ This calls for repentance. Back to Jesus Alone. The true replacement!
Ian there are a bunch of factual and logical errors in your statement.
1. The Modern State of Israel Was Not a Rothschild Conspiracy
While the Rothschild family did indeed support Zionist causes—most notably through philanthropy such as funding agricultural settlements in Ottoman Palestine—the claim that they secretly orchestrated the modern State of Israel is a conspiratorial distortion of history. The re-establishment of Israel was a complex political, legal, and grassroots movement spanning decades.
Key milestones in this process include:
– Theodor Herzl (1860–1904): Considered the father of modern political Zionism, Herzl organized the First Zionist Congress in 1897, launching a political campaign for a Jewish homeland.
– Chaim Weizmann (1874–1952): A pivotal Zionist leader and later the first President of Israel, Weizmann played a key diplomatic role in obtaining the Balfour Declaration of 1917, which stated British support for “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.”
– The San Remo Conference (1920): This international meeting of Allied powers affirmed the Balfour Declaration, and incorporated it into international law via the British Mandate for Palestine under the League of Nations. San Remo granted legal recognition to the right of the Jewish people to reconstitute their national home in their ancestral land.
Reference: “The Mandate for Palestine,” League of Nations, 1922.
Reference: Howard Grief, The Legal Foundation and Borders of Israel under International Law (Mazo Publishers, 2008).
2. Ashkenazi Jews Are Not “Imposters” but Ethnically Jewish
The notion that Ashkenazi Jews are not real Jews is a discredited antisemitic trope. Numerous genetic studies have confirmed that Ashkenazi Jews, despite centuries of dispersion, are closely related to Sephardi, Mizrahi, and other Jewish groups from the Middle East.
A 2010 study published in Nature found that all Jewish populations “shared common ancestry in the Levant” and that Ashkenazi Jews “formed a distinct cluster closely related to other Jewish populations and Middle Eastern groups.”
Reference: Atzmon et al., “Abraham’s Children in the Genome Era”, The American Journal of Human Genetics, 2010.
These findings disprove the “Khazar theory” and affirm a shared ethno-religious origin.
3. Biblical Theology Affirms the Ongoing Role of Israel (As I stated above)
The claim that Israel has been replaced by the Church is a misreading of Scripture and a core tenet of Replacement Theology, which has been historically used to justify antisemitism.
While Galatians 3 does emphasize faith in Christ, it does not nullify God’s covenant with ethnic Israel. The Apostle Paul writes:
“Has God rejected His people? By no means!” – Romans 11:1
And further:
“As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.” – Romans 11:28–29
These verses affirm the continued validity of God’s promises to national Israel, even as Gentiles are grafted into the olive tree of faith (Romans 11).
4. The Scofield Bible Is Not the Foundation of Christian Zionism
Christian support for Israel long predates the Scofield Bible (1909) and is rooted in a biblical understanding of God’s covenantal faithfulness. Early Christian Zionists like William Hechler supported Herzl in the 19th century. The modern movement is diverse, and reducing it to “Scofield propaganda” is simplistic and dismissive.
Moreover, honouring God’s faithfulness to His promises does not replace Christ—it exalts Christ as the fulfilment and guarantor of those promises (2 Corinthians 1:20). Support for Israel is not a distraction from Jesus, but a recognition of God’s redemptive plan unfolding through both Israel and the nations.
Conclusion
The modern State of Israel is not an impostor nation created by financial manipulation but a legally established and historically rooted homeland of the Jewish people. The return of the Jewish people to their ancestral land was foreseen by biblical prophecy, endorsed by international law (San Remo, League of Nations), and supported by Zionist leaders like Herzl and Weizmann.
The Ashkenazi Jews are part of the global Jewish family with shared ancestry in the Land of Israel. And while salvation comes through Christ alone, the covenants made with Israel remain in place, as affirmed by both Old and New Testament Scripture.
To claim that support for Israel is a “replacement of Christ” is to misunderstand both the heart of the gospel and the faithfulness of God.
“For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet,
until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,
and her salvation as a burning torch.”
— Isaiah 62:1
Thank you Kym for an outstanding apologetic with regard to the erroneous Replacement Theology heresy.
I applaud your scholarly approach to this subject.
Regards
Eric Harrison
Thanks Kym for a thorough but concise Biblical case.
Without faith, it is impossible to please God!
‘By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is GOD.
All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the EARTH.
For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.
But as it is, they desire a BETTER country, that is a HEAVENLY one.
Therefore GOD is NOT ashamed of them, to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.’ (Hebrews 11:8-16)
As to inheritance of the physical land, God KEPT His promise. The land WAS given under Joshua’s leadership.
‘So the Lord GAVE Israel ALL the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it.
And the Lord gave them rest on every side, according to ALL that He had sworn to their fathers, and no one of their enemies stood before them; the Lord gave ALL their enemies into their hand.
Not ONE of the good promises which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel failed; ALL CAME TO PASS.’ (Joshua 21:43-45)
The promises were CONDITIONAL!
Moses was clear about this.
‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Then it shall come about when the Lord your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob … then watch yourself, lest you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt … fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship HIM … You shall not follow other Gods … for the Lord your God in the midst of you is a jealous God; OTHERWISE the anger of the Lord your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth.’ (Deuteronomy 6:1-19) The word ‘earth’ here refers to the land of Israel.
Likewise, God, speaking through Joshua was clear: ‘WHEN YOU TRANSGRESS THE COVENANT of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, and go and serve other gods, and bow down to them, THEN the anger of the Lord will burn AGAINST you, and you will perish quickly from OFF the good land which He has given you.’ (Joshua 23:16)
Circumcision was required as a sign of the covenant.
Abraham was circumcised in the flesh AFTER the promises (Genesis 12:1-3 and 7) were given to him as a SIGN that covenant was made. (Genesis 17:10-14)
Forty years AFTER the death of those who had made the exodus from Egypt and had perished in the wilderness, their descendants were required to be circumcised as a sign of the covenant and in order to enter the physical land. (Joshua 5:2-7)
BUT the great theologian and Apostle Paul was clear about the TRUE nature of the circumcision – it was of the HEART as Moses had commanded: ‘Circumcise then the foreskin of your heart, and stiffen your neck no more.’ Deuteronomy 10:6)
Paul declared: ‘For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one INWARDLY; and circumcision is that which is of the HEART, by the SPIRIT, not by letter, and his praise is not from men but from God.’ (Romans 2:28-29)
Genealogies and genetic lineage are totally irrelevant!
Listen to the beloved Apostle John.
‘He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.
But as many as received Him, to THEM He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in HIS name;
Who were born NOT of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of GOD’. (John 1:10-13)
The question of whether God’s covenant with Israel is eternal can be examined through key biblical covenants associated with Abraham, Moses, David, and the New Covenant.
1. The Abrahamic Covenant
The covenant with Abraham is foundational for Israel, promising land, descendants, and blessing. In Genesis 17:7, God says, “I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.” The term “everlasting” (Hebrew: *olam*) suggests permanence. Genesis 17:8 further promises the land of Canaan to Abraham’s offspring “as an everlasting possession.” This covenant is reiterated in Genesis 15:18, where God binds Himself to the promise without conditions on Abraham’s part, emphasizing its unilateral and eternal nature. The covenant’s focus on Abraham’s descendants through Isaac (Genesis 17:19) ties it directly to Israel, indicating an enduring commitment.
2. The Mosaic Covenant
The covenant with Moses, given at Sinai, includes the Law and establishes Israel as a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:5-6). Unlike the Abrahamic covenant, this covenant is conditional, requiring Israel’s obedience: “If you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession” (Exodus 19:5). Deuteronomy 28 outlines blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, suggesting the covenant’s benefits depend on Israel’s faithfulness. However, Leviticus 26:44-45 states that even if Israel is unfaithful, God will not “reject them or abhor them so as to destroy them completely, breaking my covenant with them,” recalling the covenant with their ancestors (Abraham). This implies that while the Mosaic covenant’s blessings are conditional, God’s commitment to Israel’s existence endures, rooted in the Abrahamic promise.
3. The Davidic Covenant
God’s covenant with David promises an eternal dynasty: “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16). Psalm 89:3-4 reinforces this: “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant, ‘I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.’” The term “forever” underscores permanence. This covenant focuses on the Davidic line ruling Israel, suggesting an eternal role for Israel as a nation under God’s chosen king. Even when Israel faced exile, passages like Jeremiah 33:20-21 affirm that God’s covenant with David (and the Levites) is as unbreakable as the day and night, reinforcing its eternal tie to Israel.
4. The New Covenant
The New Covenant, prophesied in Jeremiah 31:31-34, is explicitly made “with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.” It promises forgiveness of sins and a renewed relationship with God: “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people” (Jeremiah 31:33). The eternal nature is implied in Jeremiah 32:40: “I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them.” Ezekiel 37:26-28 also ties this covenant to Israel, promising an “everlasting covenant” of peace and God’s presence among them forever. In the New Testament, Hebrews 8:8-12 cites Jeremiah 31, applying the New Covenant to believers, including both Jews and Gentiles through Christ (Hebrews 9:15). However, the original promise in Jeremiah is directed to Israel, showing continuity with prior covenants.
The BIG question raised: Is the Covenant with Israel Eternal?
The Abrahamic and Davidic covenants explicitly use “everlasting” language, tying God’s promises to Israel’s existence, land, and Davidic rule. The Mosaic covenant, while conditional in its blessings, does not negate God’s enduring commitment to Israel as a people, as seen in Leviticus 26 and its link to the Abrahamic promise. The New Covenant, while fulfilled in Christ and extended to all believers, is rooted in God’s promises to Israel and Judah, maintaining continuity with the earlier covenants.
Romans 11:25-29 provides insight: Paul states that “Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in,” yet “all Israel will be saved” because “God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.” This shows that God’s covenantal relationship with Israel remains intact, even as the New Covenant broadens salvation. The eternal nature of these covenants is tied to God’s faithfulness, not Israel’s performance, as seen in passages like Psalm 105:8-10: “He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he made, for a thousand generations, the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac. He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant.”
Conclusion
Based on the biblical references, God’s covenant with Israel—through Abraham, Moses, David, and the New Covenant—is eternal in its core commitments to Israel’s existence as God’s people, their connection to the land, and their role in God’s redemptive plan. While the Mosaic covenant’s blessings are conditional, the overarching promises to Abraham, David, and through the New Covenant use “everlasting” language, affirmed by God’s irrevocable call in Romans 11. Thus, the covenants collectively point to an enduring relationship with Israel, fulfilled ultimately through Christ in the New Covenant, which includes but does not replace Israel’s unique role.
And….those who stated their culpability for the blood of the Christ of the cross, are first to be made aware of the plea of the crucified eternal Saviour, the Father’s well-beloved Son. He said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do?”
I, for one, am so thankful that a covenant -keeping God fulfilled Abraham’s and my anticipation of that city, whose builder and maker is God.
Eph 2:8,9.
This morning, I came across this. May I share it with you?
I can do no other than quote this dear person’s heart felt message:
‘DELIVERED FROM DECEPTION MY REPENTANCE FROM CHRISTIAN ZIONISM
For many years, I embraced Christian Zionism and Dispensationalism, having been taught these belief systems by my local church.
I believed that the modern secular state of Israel and the Jewish people, by virtue of their ethnicity, remained the central focus of God’s redemptive plan – even apart from faith in Christ. I interpreted the Bible through this lens, viewing history and prophecy around the physical descendants of Abraham and a geopolitical nation.
But the Lord, in His mercy, intervened. Over time, the Lord began to show me that Genesis 12:1-3 cannot be understood apart from Christ.
One day, during a time of confession, I asked the Lord for forgiveness for having idolized Israel and subscribing to Christian Zionism as well as Dispensationalism. The Lord spoke clearly to my heart: “By My grace I have forgiven you – but more than that, I have delivered you from deception.” It was God’s glorious kindness that He opened my eyes to the truth of His Word – NOT as I had been taught to see it by my church – but as it truly is, in Christ. The Holy Spirit showed me that Scripture must be interpreted canonically and Christologically.
Christ is not an add-on to the story of Israel – He IS the fulfilment and center of all God’s promises. Everything before Him pointed to Him, and everything after flows from Him. The Spirit helped me to understand the Word with clarity.
Passages I have read in Romans, Galatians, Hebrews, Ephesians, and Corinthians now came alive with clarity and conviction.
The book of Hebrews reveals that the old covenant is obsolete (Heb 8:13), and that Christ is the mediator of a new and better covenant established on better promises.
In Gal 3, I see clearly that those who belong to Christ – regardless of ethnicity – are the true children of Abraham and heirs of the promise.
Through the cross, God has made one new man – Jew and Gentile united in Christ (Eph 2:14-16). All the promises of God find their “Yes” in Jesus (2 Cor 1:20).
Jesus is the true Israel, the final temple, the Seed of Abraham, and the fulfilment of every shadow in the Law and Prophets.
And then came the hardest realization of all: Christian Zionism is not just a theological error – it is a form of idolatry. I had given my loyalty, hope, and attention to a nation, a land, and a political cause. I had exalted something created over what the Holy Spirit reveals in the New Testament. I revered a temporal nation as if it were still the centerpiece of God’s covenant, failing to see that God’s promises are now and forever fulfilled in Christ alone.
This misplaced allegiance was spiritual adultery. It was a Christological heresy. It diminished the glory of Christ and denied the completeness of His work. I grieve over the years I embraced what I now know was another gospel – one that divides what God united, and which distracts from the Kingdom that is not of this world. But God, in His mercy, did not leave me in deception. He forgave me, and more than that, He delivered me.
I now confess with joy that the people of God are not defined by ethnicity or geography, but by union with Jesus Christ through faith.
The Church – comprised of both Jew and Gentile believers – is the true Israel of God (Gal 6:16).
I no longer look to an earthly Mount Zion, but to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God, where Christ reigns and where His people are gathered by the Spirit from every nation, tribe, and tongue.
My heart is no longer stirred by maps or borders, or plans about rebuilding a Jewish temple with animal sacrifices, but by the majesty of Christ, who is building His Kingdom – one that cannot be shaken.
I share this testimony not out of pride but in humble gratitude. The same God who delivered me can open the eyes of others, and He has done so.
My prayer is that many who are still caught in the errors of Christian Zionism and Dispensationalism will come to see the glory and sufficiency of Christ in all the Scriptures.
Let us not return to the shadows when the Light has come. Let us not exalt the types when the Substance stands before us. To Christ alone be the glory – now and forever.
Scripture References: Galatians 3:28-29 New International Version 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Ephesians 2:14-16 New International Version 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. Hebrews 8:13 New International Version 13 By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear. 2 Corinthians 1:20 New International Version 20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. Colossians 2:17 New International Version 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.’
As someone who’s been to Israel twice and grew up in (and still attends) a dispensationalist church, sorry, this article is so one-sided it’s not funny.
It completely misses the historical fulfilment of prophecy as has come to pass in the time since Jesus ascended, it completely discounts Paul’s writings about the true Israel, it discounts our Lord and Saviour’s own words about how the people that he had set aside rejected him, mocked and killed his servants and prophets, and as a result were cut off. Jesus calls Jews who are not real Jews the synagogue of Satan!
That said, replacement theology is trash. The church doesn’t REPLACE Israel, I believe it always WAS the TRUE Israel. The faithful remnant, Jesus’ disciples and the thousands that became followers before Paul began his ministry, etc.
Luther was an unashamed antisemite, and we should all denounce that side of what he believed. But if you think God is going to once again reside in a rebuilt physical third temple on Mt Moriah after all that Jesus came to do and to sacrifice for us, please do some serious Bible study and stop working on ushering in the wholesale slaughter and destruction of millions of people in the Middle East who need to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and accept Him instead of slaughtering one another and dying in their sin.