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A Rebuttal to the Doctrine of "Replacement Theology"
by Dr. Denis O'Callaghan, Ph.D., Th.D., D.Litt., D.Phil., D.D.
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Replacement Theology | Replacement Theology Rebuttal | Anti-Semitism
God's Special Gift Paul now writes to the Ephesians and unfolds the "great secret" of the Dispensation of the grace of God. He writes about a sacred truth in which Jews and Gentiles were being "called out" to form the "church, which is His body" (cf. Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:24). This Church is to be "to the praise of the glory of His grace" (cf. Ephesians 1:6) throughout the ages, world-without-end. The riches of God's grace are so superlative that it is incomprehensible, even to saints who have been begotten by the Spirit (cf. John 3:6). In order for the saint to "see" the glorious truth of this mystery, the Lord must impart a special heavenly gift — Spiritual enlightenment. In order for the saved to comprehend the exclusive revelation given to Paul, the prisoner of the Lord, concerning Christ who is "the head of the church, which his body, the fullness of God" (cf. Ephesians 3:19). Paul is so pleased with what he has heard regarding the saints at Ephesus, he writes: The Eyes of Understanding Being Enlightened 17That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 18The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power," (Ephesians 1:17-19 KJV) Look at this prayer of Paul's and notice that it is, basically, divided into two parts: Notice the order. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, must give before the believer may know. God must grant the believer: Unless God grants the above, the believer will never get to know what follows. No amount of study, no amount of reading, no amount of prayer, no amount of education will bring an individual to the point where he is able to comprehend, or discern, the truths associated with the "calling" of the Church over which Christ Jesus is the Head. It must be emphasized that in order for any believer to see [i.e., to perceive] the uniqueness and glory of this calling, God must give Divine Light upon these truths. The first 14 verses of this epistle make known a most profound truth regarding the calling of the Church of the mystery. These truths are just mere religious doctrine until such time as God sheds the light of revelation upon them in the heart of the believer. When God gives the "Spirit of wisdom and revelation", the truth of the mystery grips the heart of the believer. Then, he begins to "see" the glory of the calling. What is more, he then, begins to "see" the glories of Christ Jesus. Paul's concern in this prayer is that others may be given the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ. Also, that they would have the "eyes" of their understanding enlightened to the truths embodied in the mystery. When Divine intervention takes place, then the believer may know: When the "eyes" of our understanding are Divinely illuminated, we are in a position to get to know "what is the hope of His calling". "The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints." (Ephesians 1:18 KJV emphasis added) This tells us that, apart from Spiritual enlightenment, we are unable to know what is the hope of God's present calling. The reason is that the "eyes of understanding" must be enlightened. When the enlightenment is given, then the believer is enabled to distinguish between the various callings of God. If one does not have this Spiritual discernment to distinguish between the different callings, it is impossible to know what is the hope of God's calling. Keep in mind that it is His calling, not ours, or yours, or mine — it is His calling. The Calling "For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance." (Romans 11:28 KJV) "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:" (1 Corinthians 1:26 KJV) "Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called." (1 Corinthians 7:20 KJV) "The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling…" (Ephesians 1:18 KJV) "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;" (Ephesians 4:4 KJV) 2 Thessalonians 1:11— "...understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers..." 2 Timothy 1:9— Hebrews 3:1— 2 Peter 1:10— The nine references above can be "rightly divided" into three callings. We will not so divide them, but we will set forth three headings under which they would be classified:
To believe that callings 2 and 3 are the same is an elementary mistake in First Grade arithmetic. We have shown that there are three callings considered, not two. Most all of Christendom makes this fundamental mistake, teaching that the Church of God and the Church of the Mystery are the same. The Acts period calling is different from today's calling of the Church of the Mystery. Of course, this mistake is not the result of a low IQ, but the result of not having been enlightened by the Spirit of God — which is to say, their "eyes of understanding" have not been illuminated. The calling of the Church of God began in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost. It ran its course from Acts 2 to Acts 28. This calling was, exclusively, Jewish until Acts 10. In Acts 10, the Apostle Peter opened the door to the Church of God calling to a Gentile: Cornelius and his whole household. From Acts 10 until the end of "The Acts of the Apostles", believing Gentiles became incorporated into this calling. However, they did not have all of the privileges that the Jewish member did. During the Acts period, Gentiles who believed this Pentecostal truth were "grafted in" to this calling. The "grafting in" was the effort "to provoke [unbelieving] Israel to jealousy" (cf. Romans 11:11). The believing Gentiles were considered to be a "wild olive tree" (cf. Romans 11:17) grafted into "a good olive tree" — that being the Israel of God (Romans 11:24). This "grafting in", Paul wrote, was "contrary to nature" (cf. Romans 11:24). This grafting in was supposed to provoke Israel to emulate the faith of the Gentiles. Instead of emulating the faith of the Gentiles, it caused their hearts to be hardened and "waxed gross, and their ears dull of hearing,and their eyes have they closed." (Acts 28:27 KJV) Resultant upon this, the Apostle Paul said in Acts 28:28, "Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and they will hear it" (Acts 28:28 KJV). This verse ought to "ring in the ears" of Christians. This is a landmark in all of Christendom. This was a Dispensational "boundary line", drawn in the Bible, separating the Acts period calling from the calling of the Mystery. With the pronouncement in Acts 28:28, the purposes of the calling of the Church of God were suspended and set in abeyance [temporary pause or inactivity]. The Bible contains seven letters pertaining to this new calling: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and Hebrews. With the shocking announcement in Acts 28:28, those with enlightened understanding see the Biblical "road sign" which says in bold capital letters: NOW ENTERING UNPROPHESIED TERRITORY Christians, who have not had the "eyes of their understanding" enlightened, miss this signpost and drive into this new territory, bringing with them baggage from the past Dispensation. When we cross this border, we find in the new territory "a form of sound words" (cf. 2 Timothy 1:13). Paul's Prison Epistles... Those who cannot see the Dispensational boundary line of Acts 28 are unable to appreciate the importance of God's present purpose. This truth is of paramount importance. Upon this, hinges all present truth. It is here, at Acts 28, that the "Pentecostal Dispensation" ended, and the "Dispensation of the Grace of God" begins. In this post-Acts period, a new calling is being formed: the calling of the "Church over which Christ Jesus is the Head" (cf. Ephesians 1:22-23). As members of the "Church over which Christ is the Head", Paul tells us: "Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus." (2 Timothy 1:13 KJV) These "sound words" are found in Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Titus, 1 and 2 Timothy, and Philemon. When these two callings are recognized as being different, confusion disappears, and then we can advance to become "a perfect man"— "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect [mature] man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:13 KJV). Only when we rightly divide the calling of the "Church of God" and the "Church, which is His Body" (cf. Ephesians 1:22-23), can progress be made in understanding the "hope of His calling".
------------------------------------------- 1 Dispensationalism, as articulated by Scofield, understood the gifts of the Spirit to have been withdrawn from the Church. Rejecting the "latter rain" views by which Pentecostals legitimated their place in God's plan, dispensationalists effectively eliminated the biblical basis for Pentecostal theology; and although Pentecostals embraced most of Scofield's ideas, they remained irrevocably distanced from fundamentalists by their teaching on the place of spiritual gifts in the contemporary church.  
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The "ambassador in bonds", the Apostle Paul, while in a Roman prison, had heard of the saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ of the Ephesians. This was probably in the 62nd year of our Lord. The boundary line of Acts 28 had been crossed. "Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen." (Acts 28:28) The Pentecostal Dispensation1 had been left behind and so also the "hope of Israel".
