If God can replace Israel, He can replace the Church, too

If the sun still rises, God’s covenant with Israel still stands.

That’s the startling logic of Jeremiah 33 where the fixed order of creation is offered as proof that God’s promises to the Jewish people are unbreakable. Yet in an age of rising theological confusion and mounting hostility toward Israel, many in the Church have begun to waver. Replacement Theology is back, often dressed in more “respectable” robes. But let’s be clear: if God can abandon Israel, then no one is safe. If He breaks that promise, why wouldn’t He break yours? Has God truly revoked His covenant? Has the Church replaced Israel in His plan? Or is the continued existence of Israel as certain as the sunrise?

The answer, resoundingly and unmistakably, is found in the mouth of the prophet Jeremiah:

“Thus says the Lord: ‘If My covenant is not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth, then I will cast away the descendants of Jacob and David My servant, so that I will not take any of his descendants to be rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will cause their captives to return and will have mercy on them” (Jeremiah 33:25-26, NKJV).

These two verses are both a prophetic rebuke and a theological anchor. God Himself sets the terms: Only if the rhythm of day and night ceases — only if the laws that govern the cosmos unravel — then, and only then, would He cast off Israel.

That’s not poetic hyperbole. That’s divine certainty.

In this passage, God draws a direct comparison between His covenant with Israel and the natural laws He established in creation. Just as no human can stop the sun from rising or night from coming, no nation, church, ideology, or theological system can nullify His covenant with the descendants of Jacob.

This isn’t an isolated Old Testament sentiment. It echoes God’s unbreakable promise in Genesis 17:7: “I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you…”

“Everlasting” does not mean temporary. It does not mean “until Jesus came” or “as long as you don’t mess up.” Everlasting means everlasting. The New Testament did not nullify the Old but fulfilled it, and Jesus Himself said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17).

Christian critics of modern Israel often point to her secularism, her political flaws, or the Jews' historical rejection of Jesus. But this too is anticipated in Jeremiah’s prophecy: “I will have mercy on them.”

God’s covenant with Israel has never been based on her performance. Time and again in Scripture, Israel fails, and time and again, God restores. God promises mercy not because of Israel’s righteousness but because of His own faithfulness. “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable,” Paul wrote in Romans 11:29. Irrevocable. Permanent. Unconditional.

In fact, Romans 11 is Paul’s definitive argument against Replacement Theology. He warns the Gentile believers not to become arrogant, saying, “You do not support the root, but the root supports you” (Romans 11:18). We, the Church, have been grafted into the tree. We have not replaced the tree.

Jeremiah’s words are not just theological but profoundly practical for the Church today. If God can abandon His covenant with Israel, what confidence do we have that He won’t abandon us? If “everlasting” turns out to mean “until further notice,” how can we trust John 3:16 or Romans 8?

Standing with Israel is not about endorsing every political decision of the modern Israeli government. It’s about acknowledging the faithfulness of God to His Word. It’s about aligning with God’s heart and prophetic timeline.

When we lose sight of God’s faithfulness to Israel, we inevitably weaken our own understanding of covenant, grace, and divine purpose. Jeremiah’s words serve as a prophetic antidote to this drift. God’s covenant is not based on cultural trends or human opinion. It is grounded in His unchanging nature.

The continued existence of the Jewish people and the rebirth of the modern state of Israel in 1948, after nearly 2,000 years of exile, is nothing short of miraculous. It is living proof that God keeps His Word.

No other people group in history has been scattered to the ends of the earth and yet returned to their ancestral homeland, reviving their language, culture, and national identity. This, too, was prophesied in this passage by Jeremiah: “I will cause their captives to return.”

The Church should not just marvel at this miracle; we should recognize its prophetic significance. We are living in days of fulfillment, and it is our responsibility to understand the times like the sons of Issachar in Chronicles.

Jeremiah 33:25–26 leaves no ambiguity. God’s covenant with Israel is as enduring as the rising sun and as fixed as the stars in the sky. For the Church, this is not a side issue, but is central to our understanding of God’s character, the reliability of Scripture, and the unfolding plan of redemption.

Standing with the reborn state of Israel and the Jewish people is to stand with the Word of God and the character of God. Understanding God’s covenant with Jacob is to grasp the depth of His mercy. Honoring God’s promises is to align ourselves with His unchanging purpose.

Let us reject the arrogance of replacement theology and embrace the humility of being grafted in. Let us long for the fulfillment of God’s Kingdom, pray for peace in all Israel, and await the day when Jerusalem will be the praise of the whole earth, as Scripture says.