Whether Zionist, Dispensationalist, or Pre-Millennialist, there seem to be a number of individuals who believe in Restoration Theology. They do this in ignorance and defiance of the clear evidence Scripture provides to the contrary. These individuals have turned the nation of Israel into an idol of worship and elevated this nation above Christ Jesus. They make the Scriptures to be about Israel rather than about the Lord Jesus. Restoration Theology is not only unbiblical, it it godless!
Restoration eschatology dies hard, notwithstanding fatal systemic flaws. Restoration Theology has been demonstrated to be fundamentally in error in terms of exegetical failings and theological expression. The writings of Restorationists are constantly and consistently laced with error,
misinformation, inferences, presumptions, assumptions, conclusions drawn
on assumptions, pretext, front-loading, and eisegetical interpretations
based on his feelings and opinions. They cannot even attempt to respond to the major thrust of the argument.
In order to arrive at the belief of Restorationism, you must ignore the historical context of the Scriptures, as well as every other context your passages fall under. You must also ignore the words and teachings of Christ Jesus Himself, as well as everything taught in and by the entire New Testament. In so doing, Restorationists willfully call Jesus and His Apostles liars!
Restorationism believes in a literal 1000-year kingdom. They believe that national Israel will rule over every other nation, that the physical temple will be rebuilt, that Jesus will sit on a physical throne, that sacrifices will be re-instituted, and a bunch of other problematic beliefs. All of these beliefs must reject the natural, contextual, exegetical interpretation of numerous passages of Scripture.
Restoration Theology was first developed late in Judaism. It was revived by the heretic Cerinthus just prior to the deaths of all the Apostles. The Apostle John had even condemned Cerinthus over these beliefs. The majority of the early Jewish church did not believe in Restorationism and all it entails. The majority of the church for the past 2000 years, although the term is relatively new, were Amillennialists. Amillennialism is the only position that makes the most sense out of all the passages of Scripture without having to ignore and rip passages from their immediate contexts.
Restoration Theology believes:
- There will be a restoration of all things Jewish.
- There will be a literal 1000-year kingdom.
- There will be a rebuilt physical temple.
- There will be a return to sacrifices.
- The throne Jesus sits on is a literal, physical throne.
Second Peter 3:10-13 says:
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.
Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.
The coming like a thief can only refer to one thing. Either it refers to the mythical "Rapture," or it refers to the Second Coming of Christ Jesus. In either case, it presents a colossal problem for all Restorationist theologies. Both Dispensationalism and Pre-Millennialism fail and die in light of this passage. If the coming like a thief refers to the "Rapture," then immediately after this happens, "heavens will pass away with a roar
and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and
its works will be burned up." So much for the "7-year Great Tribulation" and the "1000-year Millennial Kingdom." If the coming like a thief refers to the Second Coming, then immediately after this happens, "heavens will pass away with a roar
and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and
its works will be burned up." So much for the "1000-year Millennial Kingdom."
Restorationists must explain this passage away and make its simple interpretation more difficult in order to support their system of unbiblical and godless theology. Restoration Theology turns national Israel into an idol of worship and make the Scriptures to be predominantly about Israel rather than about Christ Jesus.
Contending against the unbiblical and godless interpretations of Restoration Theology are these truths of Scripture:
- The Cursed Fig Tree
- True Israel
- Will There Be A 1000-Year Kingdom?
- The Temple
- What Kind of Throne Was It?
- Romans 11:17-24
- Expansion Theology
- The Mystery of the Gentiles
- The Land Promise
- History and Truth of the Land
Restorationists cannot and will not attempt to answer these because they are not up to the task. Until they acknowledge the proper historical context of the various passages of Scripture they attempt to use as their "proof texts," and accept what the Bible (especially the New Testament) has to say, their interpretations will continue to deviate from the truth and indoctrinate people with lies.
Scripture is not about the nation of Israel. It never was! From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture is wholly, entirely, and completely about Christ Jesus! Those who put Israel at the center of history and make Scripture Judeo-centric are ignoring clear passages of Scripture and calling the Lord Jesus a liar! You think the promises made to Abraham concerning his see were made to national Israel. They were and they were not. Paul makes it clear in Galatians that the "seed" refers to Christ and not to the physical descendants! And that the promises belong to those who have the same faith as Abraham, whether Jew or Gentile. When the Jews referred to Abraham as their father, Jesus made it clear that God could make children for Abraham from the stones, and even said that the Devil was their father. But Restorationists ignore everything taught in the New Testament and focus on a wrongly dividing false interpretation of the Old Testament that the Pharisees held to. Jesus even corrected them on their many falsely held beliefs, yet Restoration Theology aims to repeat those same errors.
As I have said before, the more I realize just how sloppily Restorationists interpret the Scriptures, their method being eerily
similar to that of the Jehovah's Witnesses (ripping randomly isolated
verses of Scripture from their immediate contexts and tying them to
other randomly isolated verses of Scripture ripped from their immediate
contexts), the more difficult I find it to call them "my brother in
Christ" and "a Christian." Would a Christian distort Scripture to the
extent that Restoration Theology has done? Revelation 22:18-19 warns, "I
testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book:
if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are
written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the
book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life
and from the holy city, which are written in this book."
If you believe in Restoration Theology, you have made national Israel an idol, and you worship it as your god through your theological beliefs. You reject and deny what the Saviour Jesus had to say, calling Him a liar. You willfully and deliberately ignore, reject, and deny the plain teachings of Scripture. Repent today and believe the Lord Jesus!