Open Letter to Andrew Torba on Replacement Theology (Part 1)

For those that don’t know, Mr. Torba is the owner of the social media platform, GAB.

Mr. Torba, first, I will take this opportunity to thank you for your platform, and the work you have done to maintain it. I am also thankful for your desire to share Christ with all who will read your words. You are to be commended for these things.

I do however feel the need to address your most recent newsletter, “What is a “Good Christian?” In this, you are not to be commended whatsoever at all. In this letter you have made it plain your feelings on Israel, and none of them are good. To wit:

“The problem isn’t only on the left with the secularists. We must also reject the definition of a “good Christian” offered by the Zionist heretics who have captured so many of our churches. They command us to bow to the golden calf of a foreign nation-state and a people defined by their 2,000-year rejection of the Messiah. They preach a false gospel that usurps the Church’s identity as the true Israel and hands our spiritual birthright to those who deny the Son.

“The Zionist heresy diverts the energy of God’s people and commands them to secure the borders of a foreign land while the spiritual and cultural borders of our own Christian nations collapse. We are called to disciple all nations, most especially to claim our own lands and our own people for the dominion of Christ, not to serve as political chaplains, an on-demand bomb squad, and a piggy bank for a foreign ethnostate and a people that stands in direct opposition to Christ’s throne.”

That’s quite the statement to make. It practically screams derision and possibly even hatred for the Jewish people, at the very least, it proclaims a strong dislike for them, and a willful distain for the nation of Israel – yet, you are entitled to your opinion. I would remind you however that the God you worship, Jesus Christ, was born a man (The God-man), and is of the tribe of Judah, Jewish! The Jewish people are the chosen people of God, and that will never change.

I can’t say as I’m clear on what you mean by bowing to the “golden calf of a foreign nation-state,” but it is apparent that you reject those who support Israel, and are attempting to teach others to do the same.

The “Zionist heretics” preach a false gospel, one that “usurps” the Church’s “identity” as the real Israel. Wow, that’s pretty strong language, and oh so wrong, not to mention insulting.

For those that don’t know, Mr. Torba is the owner of the social media platform, GAB.

What is the idea behind the Church replacing Israel? It’s called replacement theology, or supersessionism. This belief violates the teachings of the Bible in many ways, it is theologically corrupt, it is antisemitic, and highly disrespectful to God.

Basically, those that hold this view conform to the idea that God’s covenant with Israel is null and void. Israel (The Jewish people) then is/are no longer the chosen people of God, and God has cast off the Jewish people, and chosen the Church as His “replacement” for the Jews. All who worship God (The Church) have then become the new chosen people of God, replacing the Jews as the chosen people of the Lord. This is unbiblical, and it is also preaching a false gospel.

“⁷And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. ⁸And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” Genesis 17:7-8

This covenant that God made with Israel is eternal, without end, God never revoked this promise that He made to Abraham! Notice also that the very land of Israel belongs to them as an “everlasting” possession. It is theirs, and not to be given away, ever. God also says here, “I will be their God.” He does not say, “I will be their God, but only if they accept my Son Jesus.” Can anyone really be so foolish as to imagine that God did not know that His own people would cast Him off?

God says in Genesis to Abram to be “perfect,” and then says that He will make a covenant with him. Obviously, God knew that Abram could not, and never would be perfect, yet He made a covenant with him, one that was not and has not been withdrawn.

This isn’t anything new, replacement theology has been around since shortly after the time of Christ, it was wrong then, and it’s wrong now.

“⁶The Lord said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. ⁷And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. ⁸And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.” Jeremiah 3:6-8

The above verses are often used as a justification for replacement theology – “I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce.” Yes, the Jewish people are finished, so says this verse, right?

“Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.” Matthew 21:43

This also sounds like God is done with the Jewish people, especially as it is Jesus who is speaking.

But hold on a moment, there is a serious problem however with those who read these verses, and some others as well, and decide that God is done with Israel, and her people – it’s the cardinal “sin” of Bible reading, study etc., taking verses out of context. Context is king, the Bible can say almost anything you desire it to, just cherry pick your verses, and ignore other verses that provide a fuller explanation, therefore erasing the meaning you only thought was the truth.

The entire Bible is written in a way that surrounds the Jewish people if you will. God by no means wrote them off, or replaced them – never happened, and never will happen.

The Israelites came out of Egypt, and were witness to a great many miracles. Yet, they still sinned against God. And yet God still did not “replace” them.

During the time of the Judges in Israel, the people wandered away from God and committed much evil: “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” Judges 21:25 And yet, even after the continued disobedience of Israel, God blessed Israel greatly through King David, and subsequently through Solomon.

“¹⁵Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations; ¹⁶Even of the covenant which he made with Abraham, and of his oath unto Isaac; ¹⁷And hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant, ¹⁸Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance;
1 Chronicles 16:15-18

This is during the time of King David, and was in fact part of his prayer to God in thanks and praise to Him after the recovery of the Ark of the Covenant.

David had become king after the not-so-good reign of Saul, from whom God took the kingdom and gave it to David, calling David a man after His own heart (Acts 13:22).

“But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.” 1 Samuel 13:14

It is significant that God says this about David, after all, God knew the future sins of David, yet He made him king, and blessed him abundantly, and through him, sinful Israel as well.

After King David came Solomon, who was greatly blessed of God, even though he later turned to sin, which of course God knew full well was going to happen.

God affirmed His covenant promise to David:

“¹²And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. ¹⁴I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: ¹⁵but my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. ¹⁶And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.” 2 Samuel 7:12-16

Note that God promises that He will not remove His “mercy,” there will be no withdrawal of the promises, David’s throne would last forever, not for a while, not only if Israel behaves herself, forever.

Jesus is to sit upon the throne of David:

“³¹And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. ³²He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: ³³and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” Luke 1:31-33

Notice God will give Jesus the throne of David, and not only that, but He (Jesus) shall reign over the house of Jacob – forever! There will be no end of His Kingdom. Of whose kingdom? Jacob is a direct reference to Israel, obviously the Gentiles will be included in the future Kingdom of Christ, but this verse alone tells us that the Jewish people will be included in this Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Isaiah confirms this as well:

“⁶For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
and the government shall be upon his shoulder:
and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor,
The mighty God,
The everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace.
⁷Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end,
upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom,
to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice
from henceforth even for ever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” Isaiah 9:6-7

The Apostle Paul also confirms the inclusion of Israel, that the promises of God are not null and void:

“¹I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. ²God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew.” Romans 11:1-2a

Paul goes on to witness to this fact yet still more:

“¹¹I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. ¹²Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?” Romans 11:11-12

The salvation of the Gentiles was to stir up the Jewish people, to provoke them, to awaken them from their apathy – that doesn’t sound like God is done with them to me. It sounds more like they were punished, and God desires them to come back to Him and reap the benefits of being His children once again.

“For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?” Romans 11:15

The temporary casting away of the Jews has resulted in the saving of the Gentiles, period.

There should be by now just in this article alone; a pattern noticed – as in what the Bible relays, Israel sins, and God chastises them, eventually, Israel comes back to God, this repeats time and again, there is no permanent discarding of Israel! This is no different than our own children, they are disciplined when they do wrong, often they are angry, stomp their feet etc., and refuse to speak to us for a while, later on, they “come back” to us, it is no different with Israel, Israel are the children, and God is the Father.