Sunday, August 2, 2020

The False Gospel of Restorationism

Jacob Prasch: "Once the harpazo transpires, the Lord will refocus His primary intentions on the salvation of Israel, although not salvation in the sense that we understand it, not by grace; it will revert back to the Old Testament way of dealing with man and the nations."
This sentiment is held by every Dispensationalist, Zionist, and Restorationist. Whether spoken by Jacob Prasch, L. S. Chafer, John Walvoord, Charles Ryrie, Dwight Pentecost, Tim LaHaye, John Hagee, Jack Van Impe, John MacArthur, or any other individual holding to these beliefs, the statement is completely and utterly false! It is unbiblical and betrays an ignorance of these individuals as regards Scripture.

What this statement is saying is that after the "rapture," the new covenant will cease and everything will revert back to the old covenant. What this statement is saying is that after the "rapture," Jews will not have to believe in Jesus as the Messiah. Again, such a statement betrays the ignorance of these individuals and their ignorance of Scripture. In the Old Testament, believing Jews were looking forward to the coming of the Messiah. In other words, they believed in Him and trusted in Him for their salvation. In the New Testament, this has come to light and it has been seen and testified to.

All these individuals who believe such a ridiculous, asinine, and foolish statement such as this need to read the book of Hebrews. There will not be a return to the things of old. Not even God Himself can return to what once was. Individuals teaching such things are teaching another Gospel—a false Gospel!

These individuals really need to read and pay careful attention to Galatians 3, Ephesians 2:11-3:13, Romans 11:17-26 (in connection with Romans 2:28-29 and 9:6-8), and the book of Hebrews. All of these passages (and more) dismantle and destroy Restoration Theology. Restorationism is a false gospel. All through the Old Testament, God prophesied concerning the Gentile inclusion (inclusion into what?). The passages I provided above (and more) speak toward this fulfillment. Romans 11:17-26 makes it clear that it is expansion theology (expansion of what?)—not "Replacement" Theology.

In the Old Testament, who was typified as the vine? The nation of Israel. When Jesus came, He said, "I am the true vine." What was He saying? He was saying, "I am the true Israel." Hence all the quotations of Old Testament passages applied to Jesus, such as "Out of Egypt I called my Son." Jesus was in the desert for 40 days and fulfilled what Israel could not fulfill in the desert for 40 years: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of the Lord." Jesus fulfilled all that the nation of Israel foreshadowed. The nation of Israel prefigured the spiritual community that would one day display God's eternal nature on the Earth—that is, the Church, the Body of Christ, His Bride. Christianity is the fulfillment of Judaism. It was never about national Israel; and it never will be! Just as Jesus is the second Adam, He is also the second Israel. The true Israel becomes the Church of Christ and the Church of Christ emerges as the true Israel. Anyone who does not teach and believe this, does not believe God or His Word!

In Romans 11:17-24, the apostle Paul divides national, physical, ethnic Israel into two groups: believing Israel and unbelieving Israel. According to Romans 2:28-29, unbelieving Israel are not true Jews. According to Romans 9:6-8, unbelieving Israel do not belong to Israel. John the Baptist said, “And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.” What does Galatians 3 have to say about those who are the true children of Abraham? Even Jesus said, “You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do,” and, “But you believe not, because you are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.” Paul then takes believing Gentiles and places them in with believing Israel. If believing Israel are true Jews (Rom. 2:28-29) belonging to true Israel (Rom. 9:6-8), what does that make the included Gentiles?

Ergo, true Israel is expanded by the Gentile inclusion, becoming the Church, thereby becoming the true people of God (1 Pet. 2:9-10), the "Israel of God" (Gal. 6:16). How these individuals miss this is beyond me. Clearly God has put scales on their eyes "so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not hear." I praise God that He removed those scales from my eyes, and I pray He continues to remove those scales from the eyes of others for His glory.

The Bible is not Israel-centric; it is Christ-centric. The entire Bible, from beginning to end, is about Jesus. On the road to Emmaus, when Jesus went through the Scriptures (the entire Old Testament), He did not show them "Israel"; He showed them Himself. All Scripture is about Jesus. He is the fulfillment of everything! Again, read Hebrews and pay attention to what it says. The same goes for the other passage I provided above. The only way a Jew gets saved is like everybody else. They must come to Jesus and accept that He is the Messiah, God incarnate. Until or unless they do this, they will spend eternity in Hell along with every other unbeliever.

Individuals holding to this bankrupt theology can accuse me of being an "anti-semite" all they want (I get the impression they throw that phrase around the way Muslims throw "Islamophobe" around and homosexuals throw "homophobe" around), but I accuse them of far worse: they are anti-Christ! If I am anti-semitic, then they are anti-Christ. It is these individuals who are the anti-semitics because, if the bankrupt theology they hold to is the least bit true, they are encouraging Jews to return to their land knowing full well that when they do, 1/3 of them will be annihilated. It is these people who are the anti-semites! If they truly believed their false, bankrupt theology of demons that idolizes and worships the nation of Israel, they would warn them not to return to the land. And if it was a thing from God, they would return regardless of your warnings. That is how prophecy works!

By the way, when such individuals relate the "rapture" to the shutting of the door of the ark, not only are they betraying their own ignorance, but they are agreeing with Amillennial theology. When the door of the ark was shut, everything outside the ark perished. If the "rapture" is in kind with the shutting of the door of the ark, then, guess what? Once the "rapture" takes place, everyone that remains perishes. Guess what? That is what 2 Peter 3:10 teaches as well. The "thief" comment either refers to the "rapture," or it refers correctly to the Second Coming of Christ Jesus. If it refers to the "rapture," guess what? Once the "rapture" takes place, the heavens and earth and everything in them will be burned up, which means that everything perishes. No "7-year great tribulation"; no "millennial kingdom." If it refers to the Second Coming, which it does, guess what? Once it takes place, the heavens and earth and everything in them will be burned up, which means that everything perishes. No "millennial kingdom." After the Second Coming comes the Age to Come—eternity.

Dispensationalism, Zionism, and Restorationism are bankrupt theologies. They are doctrines of demons. They are false gospels. Jewish believers should be nothing apart from Gentile believers, and Gentile believers should not be proud because without the Jewish believers they would be nothing. The two together make up the whole. God broke down the dividing wall and made of the two one new man. The Church consists of both believing Jews and believing Gentiles, both Old Testament saints and New Testament saints. Pray that God would remove the scales, open the eyes, and enlighten the minds of these individuals to receive and believe the word of God (the Bible) and the Word of God (Jesus), and to stop calling Him a liar.