Fulfillment Theology- Two Responses

 

The arguments presented here are very popular position—often called Christian Zionism or Progressive Dispensationalism—which holds that God still has a separate, future plan for national/ethnic Israel apart from the Church.

Let’s now examine and provide a thorough, biblical, and theological response to each major point raised in the screenshots ( Click on the image to read them ) 

1. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭: 𝐀 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬. 
 𝑅𝑒𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑠 :  𝑅𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑠 9-11 , 𝑅𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑠 11:28-29 , 𝑅𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑠 11:26, 
2. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
𝑅𝑒𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑠: 𝐸𝑧𝑒𝑘𝑖𝑒𝑙 36:24-28 , 𝐽𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑎ℎ 31:35-37 , 𝑍𝑒𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑎ℎ 12:10

✅  "𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐆𝐨𝐝'𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥."

This is a common objection to what’s often (wrongly) called “𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲.” A better term is Fulfillment Theology, which says:

✅ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥.

Rather, Jesus Christ fulfills Israel, and those united to Him—Jew or Gentile—become heirs of all God’s promises (Gal. 3:16–29).

This view is not anti-Semitic or arrogant. It exalts Christ as the true Seed, the true Son called out of Egypt (Hos. 11:1; Matt. 2:15), the true Vine (Isa. 5:1–7; John 15:1), and the true Israelite who perfectly kept the covenant.

𝐀𝐫𝐠𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝟏: “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭 –  𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝟏𝟏:𝟐𝟖–𝟐𝟗  ”𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝

Claim: Paul says “the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.” So national Israel still has a future role.
🔹Biblical Response:

1. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐤𝐞𝐲:
• Romans 9–11 does not argue that God has a separate plan for national Israel.
• It explains how God’s promise to Israel is fulfilled through the inclusion of Gentiles and a remnant of Jews who believe in Christ (Rom. 9:6–8, “not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel”).

2. 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝟏𝟏:𝟐𝟔 – “𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐝”:

• "All Israel" does not mean every ethnic Jew or the modern nation-state.
• Many scholars (Augustine, Calvin, John Stott, and even modern NT scholars) understand it as:
• The full number of spiritual Israel, the Church, comprising Jews and Gentiles united in Christ.
• Paul defines Israel spiritually, not racially (see Rom. 2:28–29; Gal. 6:16).

3.  𝐈𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠:

• Paul is affirming that God’s promise to Abraham is not nullified. But the true children of Abraham are those who have faith in Christ (Gal. 3:7–9, 29).

4. 𝐏𝐚𝐮𝐥’𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝟏𝟏:

 He grieves over unbelieving Jews (Rom. 9:1–3), prays for them (Rom. 10:1), and longs for some of them to be saved (Rom. 11:14). He never suggests a guaranteed mass salvation of national Israel after the Church age.

 A𝐫𝐠𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝟐: “𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ( 𝐄𝐳𝐞𝐤𝐢𝐞𝐥 𝟑𝟔,  𝐉𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐚𝐡 𝟑𝟏, 𝐙𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐡 𝟏𝟐 )” 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝

Claim: These passages speak of a physical return to land and national revival (e.g., 1948 seen as fulfillment).
🔹Biblical Response:
  
1. 𝐄𝐳𝐞𝐤𝐢𝐞𝐥 𝟑𝟔:𝟐𝟒–𝟐𝟖:

•  Yes, this prophecy mentions land. But the main point is a new heart and Spirit (v. 26–27)—regeneration, which happens in Christ, not via national boundaries (see John 3:5; Titus 3:5).

 2. 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭:

• The new covenant promised in Jeremiah 31 is explicitly fulfilled in the Church:
• See Hebrews 8:6–13: "In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete..."
• It is the people of faith, Jew or Gentile, who receive the Spirit and new heart (Rom. 2:29).

 𝟑. 𝟏𝟗𝟒𝟖 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭:

• The modern nation of Israel is largely secular, with many rejecting Christ.
• Biblical prophecy is not fulfilled by geopolitical events, but by faith in Christ.
• God doesn’t bring people back to the land so they can reject His Son and still be blessed (John 3:36).

4. 𝐙𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐡 𝟏𝟐:𝟏𝟎 – “𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐝…”:

• Quoted in John 19:37 as fulfilled at the cross.
• Peter in Acts 2 says "all the house of Israel" was responsible for piercing Christ and calls them to repentance then—not in a future event (Acts 2:36–39).
• Those who repent and believe in this age are the Israel of God.

𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥”𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝
Romans 11 says Gentiles are grafted into the olive tree—𝑏𝑢𝑡 the tree is not Israel the nation. The tree represents:

• The people of God
• Rooted in Abraham’s covenant
• Christ is the root and trunk (Isa. 11:1; Rev. 22:16)
• Unbelieving Jews are broken off (Rom. 11:20), and believing Gentiles are grafted in by faith.
• God doesn’t have two peoples—Israel and the Church. He has one people in Christ (Eph. 2:11–22).

𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭

📌 Land Promise- In Christ, who brings us to the eternal inheritance (Rom. 4:13; Heb. 11:16)
📌 Temple- Christ is the true temple (John 2:19–21); the Church is His body (1 Cor. 3:16)
📌 Priesthood- Christ is the High Priest (Heb. 4:14); believers are a royal priesthood (1 Pet. 2:9)
📌 Israel- Christ is the True Israel; we are His body (Gal. 3:16, 29; Matt. 2:15; John 15:1)
📌 Covenant- New Covenant fulfilled in Jesus’ blood (Luke 22:20; Heb. 8)
📌 Circumcision    - Of the heart, by the Spirit (Rom. 2:29; Phil. 3:3)
📌 Salvation- Only by faith in Christ, not ethnicity (Acts 4:12; Rom. 10:9–13)

So this is not about "𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭" 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. The mystery revealed in the Gospel is that Gentiles are fellow heirs (Eph. 3:6). There is no distinction in Christ (Gal. 3:28). To reintroduce distinctions (land, race, temple) after the cross is to go backward in redemptive history.

If Christ is the fulfillment of all God's promises (2 Cor. 1:20), then we must interpret all prophecy through Him—not through geopolitical developments.

𝐓𝐎𝐏 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐃 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐒

1. “The Israel of God: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow”
     Author: O. Palmer Robertson
2. “Kingdom Come: The Amillennial Alternative”
     Author: Sam Storms
3. “Has the Church Replaced Israel? A Theological Evaluation”
    Author: Michael J. Vlach
4. “God's Kingdom through God's Covenants”
    Authors: Peter Gentry and Stephen Wellum
5. “The Church and Israel in the New Testament” (Short Booklet)
     Author: D. A. Carson
6. “Jesus and the Land: The New Testament Challenge to 'Holy Land' Theology”
    Author: Gary Burge

𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐁𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠
7. “Romans (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament)”
     Author: Thomas Schreiner
8. “Echoes of Exodus: Tracing a Biblical Motif”
    Authors: Alastair Roberts & Andrew Wilson

𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐂𝐄𝐒
Monergism.com – Excellent Reformed articles and sermons (search "Israel and the Church").

🔹 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 (𝐑.𝐂. 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐥) – Many teachings on Romans 11, Israel, and prophecy.
🔹 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 –Videos on covenants and the exile are great primers.

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