Watchman on the Wall

Southwest Radio Ministries: Welcome to Watchman on the Wall, a daily outreach of Southwest Radio Ministries and swrc.com. God is still on the throne and prayer changes things. Today, we continue to learn about replacement theology and its real-world effects from author and pastor Dr. Mike Spalding. Then, Micha Van Huss will share a marginal mystery from the Bible.

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Replacement theology has opened the door for anti-Semitism to enter the church, but much of the theological argument centers on the nature of God's covenant with Abraham. What is this covenant, and what does it mean for the land of Israel? Is a two-state solution biblically legitimate? Further, are Israel and the church identical in scripture? Dr. Mike Spalding joins Josh Davis for part two of their discussion on replacement theology on today's Watchman on the Wall.

Josh Davis: Greetings, friends. We're going to be discussing replacement theology again with Dr. Mike Spalding. He's a pastor and author, and God has laid it upon his heart to address this critical need that's facing our world today: replacement theology. If you missed yesterday's program, we laid a lot of groundwork for what we're going to be discussing today, so I encourage you to visit swrc.com, go get our free mobile app, and you can listen to yesterday's program and understand the foundation that we've laid.

Mike, as we get back into it today, let's start with some of the covenants of God because a lot of the arguments over replacement theology focus on God's covenants. Are they conditional? Are they unconditional? Help us understand this important issue and how it ties to replacement theology.

Dr. Mike Spalding: It's a very important question, and as you stated, Josh, it is foundational to understanding the scriptures, to understanding eschatology, to understanding prophecy. It is so very important. There are covenants that are conditional and unconditional. The Mosaic is an example of conditional. That's why the Lord said in Deuteronomy 28, "Do this and you'll be blessed," and in 29, "Do this and you're going to be cursed." So, that's conditional.

In the Abrahamic covenant, that's unconditional, and it's demonstrated as such in the scriptures when you read in Genesis. You read about the animals being split, and then the Lord walking between those animals. That is a picture of an unconditional covenant because typically the parties to the covenant walk together through, between the animals. Only the Lord did here symbolically, of course, which meant that the fulfillment of the covenant was on Him. It was dependent on His promises, His integrity, and nothing that Abraham could or did do was expected to do.

So it's unconditional in that sense. Then, understanding that as the foundation, then you look at the oath. Okay, what was spoken? What was actually said? The oath is the key ingredient or element of the covenant. What was said, and then who was it said to? Who was it spoken to? It's common today, I know that you've heard it as well as I, people say, "Well, that covenant, the Abrahamic, was just made with Abraham. That doesn't have anything to do with the Jewish people or the nation of Israel."

That is one of the most demonstrably false statements and should never come out of the mouth of a Christian, and it's especially egregious when it comes out of the mouth of someone who's a scholar or is considered a scholar. When they make statements like that, anyway, the Abrahamic covenant was spoken to Abraham, but it was reiterated to Isaac. It was reiterated to Jacob, and each of those times, it was to the descendants of these patriarchs, which means the Jewish people, the nation of Israel.

That covenant, an unconditional covenant, I'll say this: the Lord can add others to the covenant, other reference to the covenant. He has with Gentiles, the new covenant; we've been grafted in. But what He will not do, cannot do because of who He is and His word is true, is He cannot take that covenant from the people that He promised it to and give it to another. That's what replacement theology adherents try to argue. Well, those promises have now been given to the church. Well, that's simply not the case. So Israel has a future national restoration. I think in our last conversation, we brought up some of those scriptures that show that point.

It's interesting to me how all the covenants work together. When the Jewish people look on Christ when He returns and they receive Him, that fulfills the Mosaic covenant for those people. And that, when that's fulfilled, that triggers the Abrahamic covenant, the fulfillment of all of those promises. And then that in turn makes way for the Davidic covenant and the coming millennial reign of the Lord Jesus upon the earth. So the covenants are bound together. You cannot separate them, and once they are fulfilled and triggered, they will flow quite naturally as the scripture presents them. So it's a beautiful picture of the promises of God.

Josh Davis: It is. And part of the Abrahamic covenant was a land promise given to Israel, and that's really hot and heavy in today's debate over the two-party state between Israel and Palestine and all those kinds of things. Can you explain that side of the covenant that God made with Abraham regarding the land that's there as well?

Dr. Mike Spalding: Yeah. So the United Nations inserted themselves way back in the forties, and they almost got it right, Josh. They almost got it right. Now, that still wasn't the full promise, but it was a lot closer than what it is today with the Balfour Declaration and all of those machinations that went on after World War II and the Holocaust.

So Palestine, let's address that because that's popular today: the Palestinians and Palestine, free Palestine from the river to the sea, and all of this kind of nonsense. There has never been a Palestinian people. The Palestinians are simply Arab Muslims. That's what they are. You could call them Syrian Muslims, or you could call them Lebanese Muslims, or Jordanian Muslims, but they are Arab Muslims. There's never been a people that has been called the Palestinians.

That is a contrived word, and in my research, I went back and looked at some of the historical accounts of the Palestinian leaders down through the years, and they all admit in their candid moments when they were telling the truth, they all admit that the Palestinian, the word and the name given to a people, was simply a political sleight of hand. It was simply a political deception, and they used that as leverage against the nation of Israel and against Jewish people to foment hatred toward the Jewish people and favor toward these poor displaced Palestinians.

You know and I know and many of your listeners know that Israel wanted those Arab Muslims to stay, and they listened to those other nations, the Arab Muslim nations around them, and so they left when Israel declared their independence thinking that those nations would take them in, and they simply did not. They refused to allow them in. That's how the whole refugee situation became, and it's grown.

This whole picture, Josh, about a genocide in the so-called genocide—it's an entire fabrication. The whole thing is fabricated. It is Hamas propaganda is what it is. There is no genocide. Has there been loss of life? Absolutely there has been. In what conflict has there never been? We shouldn't allow that kind of propaganda, because that's what it is, to distort the reality in Israel and in Gaza. So this whole conversation about the land, when the Lord Jesus returns and that promise is fulfilled, Israel is going to occupy all of the land that was promised in the Abrahamic covenant. People are going to be quite amazed when that happens.

Josh Davis: Yes, absolutely. Friends, we're visiting with Dr. Mike Spalding and we're discussing his book, Replacement Theology: Its Root, Fruit, and the Consequences for the Jewish People and the Nation of Israel. You can pick up a copy of the book by giving us a call at 1-800-652-1144. One more time, that's 1-800-652-1144 or visit our website, swrc.com. Again, that's swrc.com.

And Mike, what you're saying there is so true. And it's not just Hamas propaganda, but also the United Nations, and you see the Gaza flotilla and all of that is just part of this propaganda. I've told our listeners before that anytime that they see Greta, that they know that that's the UN propaganda machine at work.

And of course, I saw recently that in early March, there are plans for a flotilla. I don't know if it's part of the spring break vacation that they're going to take or what, but it's just ridiculous. And how people are buying into the lies, the propaganda, it's just very disturbing to me because it seems like some of the things from the 1930s with the rise of Hitler and Nazism is really being recycled and our world is buying it hook, line, and sinker. What do you think about that? Am I on the wrong track in that?

Dr. Mike Spalding: No, that's exactly right, Josh. And that's one reason why I put Hitler, head of Hitler, on the cover. Some Christians might scratch their head at that, but let me tell you something: the history proves that that is a valid assertion to make. Hitler quoted Martin Luther in his infamous, I'll say this, his infamous Mein Kampf. He quoted Martin Luther as justification for his final solution of exterminating the Jewish people.

Martin Luther at the end of his life and ministry, he was one of the most wicked anti-Semites on the planet. I mean, he advocated—and he wasn't the only one, but he was a very well-known figure—and he advocated for simply destroying Jewish settlements, burning down their homes, taking all of their possessions. That leads quite naturally to violence against Jewish people.

So Hitler used that as an excuse. Also, during World War II from '39 to '45, my research discovered that the churches in Germany—everybody wants to think, well, the German churches opposed Hitler and Nazism. No, they didn't. They actually supported it. Between '39 and '45, there was an alliance of churches, Christian churches within Germany, that came together to work with the Nazi government to help eradicate the Jewish people. Churches, folks, to eradicate the Jewish people.

I've got the flyers and the information on these organizations, the stuff they used to publish and put out about destroying the Jewish people. The church has blood on its hands concerning the Jewish people. And that, Josh, sadly, I'm sad to say this, that's not changing today. There are many churches today who have blood on their hands, and a time of reckoning is coming for those believers who have taken up this propaganda and this error of replacement theology to attack Jewish people and the nation of Israel. There's going to be a time of judgment for that in my view.

Josh Davis: Yes, absolutely. And you point out that there's a strong demonic influence in the anti-Semitism that we're seeing today. Even some Christians have jumped on conspiracy theory bandwagons. They say the Jews today are not the Jews of the Old Testament, or Israel today has nothing to do with the Israel of the scripture. Can you explain some of that demonic influence and why people are falling for these kinds of bad ideas?

Dr. Mike Spalding: Yeah, it goes all the way back to Pharaoh, doesn't it? And then it just goes from there. Biblical history is replete with those examples. I mean, we can point to Haman; that was clearly demonic. We can point to the patriarchs and some of the church fathers that had an anti-Jewish mindset and advocated for violence against the Jewish people.

The Middle Ages, the Dark Ages, rightfully named for the absence of clear biblical teaching and the rise of the Crusades that oftentimes the stated purpose was to make it safe for pilgrims from Europe to get to the Holy Land. And what it really did, it was a cover for mass murder of not just Muslims on their way but also Jewish people.

We can go to Revelation chapter 12. We can talk about the dragon attempting to destroy Israel, attempting to destroy Messiah, but Israel by extension. And that has continued. They make it very clear. I just watched Dinesh D'Souza's The Dragon Prophecy, I think it was called, the recent documentary that he did. And they did a lot of filming and interviewing of Palestinian people in Gaza. Again, Arab Muslims.

And they're teaching their children—and this is the children speaking and answering these questions—"Yes, I want to stab the Jews. I want to run over the Jews with a vehicle. I want to shoot the Jews. I want to kill the Jews. The Jews are subhuman. The Jews are this and that." They're propagating this in their children. And the United Nations was behind that too. The United Nations Relief organization was found to be embedded by Hamas terrorists that participated in the October 7th invasion and massacre of Jewish people. These are United Nations employees. So it's global.

It's been almost from the beginning of time, this hatred toward the Jewish people. You can't avoid it; it's right out there in the open. And I don't think Christians should be shying away from that, Josh. I think they should be saying they were wrong then and they're wrong today, and I'm going to stand up and oppose that kind of wickedness. We can look at Jeremiah 32. God made many promises to Israel that have not yet been fulfilled.

Josh Davis: Yes.

Dr. Mike Spalding: He said this: he said, "Behold, I will gather them out of all the countries where I have driven them in my anger, in my fury, and in my great wrath. I will bring them back to this place and I will cause them to dwell safely." Josh, that's in the process of happening right now. That's prophecy being fulfilled right in front of us in my view.

In fact, we had a speaker, a representative for an organization, at our fellowship this past Lord's day and was talking about how they support financially and in other ways the Aliyah of Jewish people back to Israel. That's happening right now, folks, and that's prophecy being fulfilled. And that's in preparation for the return of the Lord Jesus, which I believe is drawing very, very close.

And there are so many other scriptures, Josh, that we could mention that speak of this. I like Jeremiah 31 especially. It talks about, and the Lord says, "You see the established order,"—this is a paraphrase—"you see the established order, the sun and the moon and the stars. If that ever ceases, then my love for the Jewish people, for my people Israel, will cease. If that established order goes away, then Israel has no future." Well, guess what? It's not going away, and that means that He has a future for His people.

Josh Davis: Amen. Amen. Well, we're short on time, but I want to give you the opportunity just to wrap things up for our audience and give any final words that you would like to share.

Dr. Mike Spalding: Yeah. So, thank you first of all, Josh, for the opportunity. I've really enjoyed this conversation, and you're right, we've just scratched the surface. There's so much more that could be said. And I just remind people this: listen, there's always been haters, people that hate the Jewish people. They've been in our midst always. They're louder now, I'll give them that. They're louder now; they have more influence now.

But that's from wicked, evil money, and we know what the scripture says about those who attempt to prosper on the back of wickedness or evil. They're not going to succeed. So just remember that. Don't be rattled. Don't lose your peace or your rest. Continue on in the strength and the power of the Lord Jesus Christ and speak the truth to anyone who will listen to you, that God has a future for His people. He is not done with them. You want to support Israel in these days.

Josh Davis: Amen. Thank you so much, Dr. Mike Spalding, for joining us. Friends, one more time, I encourage you highly: get a copy of this great resource. It'll equip you and it'll also give you the information you need to know the answers when people question those kinds of beliefs. The book is called Replacement Theology. It's available at swrc.com or give us a call, 1-800-652-1144. 1-800-652-1144. Again, thank you so much, Dr. Mike.

Dr. Mike Spalding: You're very welcome, Josh. I really appreciate this conversation. God bless you.

Josh Davis: Yeah, God bless you too.

Southwest Radio Ministries: Today's featured resource is the book Replacement Theology: Its Root, Fruit, and Consequences for Jewish People and the Nation of Israel by today's guest, Dr. Mike Spalding. Replacement Theology: order your copy of this compelling book today. Call 1-800-652-1144. That's 1-800-652-1144. Or order Replacement Theology on our website, swrc.com. Clear, direct, and firmly rooted in scripture, this resource equips believers to think critically, stand confidently on God's word, and better understand Israel's place in God's unfolding plan for the last days. Replacement Theology by Dr. Mike Spalding, 1-800-652-1144.

How is the biblical story of Eve in the garden of Eden echoed in mythologies? Do the Greeks borrow the concept of good and evil from a tree that God placed in the garden? Marginal Mysteries host Micha Van Huss is here with the answers.

Micha Van Huss: Scattered across the mythologies of the world are stories of a once ordered creation, a forbidden boundary, and a single moment where everything broke. These stories were not random inventions; they were echoes. Humanity remembered something. And though the nations drifted into idolatry and imagination, the shape of Eden still lingered in their collective memory.

The Bible stands alone as authoritative truth. Genesis did not whisper; it declared. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it. For in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die." That was not mythology; that was history.

Yet when we turn to the Greeks, to Hesiod and the story of Pandora, something felt strangely familiar. Perfect world, a divine boundary, a woman, a forbidden object, a choice, suffering unleashed. The question was not whether the Bible borrowed from Greece; the timeline alone made that impossible. Genesis was recorded long before Hesiod ever put stylus to parchment. The question was whether the nations preserved a distorted memory of what truly happened in Eden.

In the Greek account, Zeus responded to Prometheus's theft of fire by crafting Pandora. She was beautiful, gifted, and alluring. She was given a sealed jar and warned not to open it. Curiosity swelled, and she lifted the lid, and out poured sickness, sorrow, toil, envy, and death. Only hope remained inside. The parallels were unmistakable.

In Genesis, the serpent approached Eve and said, "Ye shall not surely die, for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." The fruit was desirable. It was beautiful. It promised wisdom, and Eve took of it. Adam followed and the world fractured. Pain in childbirth, toil in the ground, thorns and sweat, death itself entered history.

Did the Greeks borrow the concept of good and evil from a tree that God placed in the garden? They didn't preserve the tree; they replaced it. The fruit became a jar and then a box. The serpent became curiosity. The rebellion became inevitable, and Zeus became petty. That was the difference.

In Greek myth, the gods play games. Pandora was engineered as a punishment. Humanity was collateral damage in a divine rivalry. The suffering of mankind was the byproduct of Zeus's pride. In scripture, the Lord God was not insecure, not manipulative, not vindictive. He created Adam and Eve in His image. He placed them in a garden which He called very good. He gave them the freedom to choose disobedience. The command was clear, the boundary was simple, and the choice was real.

The Greeks remembered the boundary. They remembered the transgression. They remembered that suffering was introduced, not inherent. But they forgot the holiness of God. They remembered the fall and obscured the Father. The story of Pandora revealed something about human nature. It testified that humanity instinctively knew the world was not as it was meant to be.

The Greeks knew that evil entered history. The Romans knew that innocence was lost. They knew death was not original. Every culture wrestles with the question: why do we suffer? The Lord was not threatened by humanity. He was grieved by rebellion. Pandora's story ultimately told us that humans would open the jar. Eve's story told us that humans would eat the fruit. And history has confirmed it. We crossed lines, we justified ourselves, we blamed others. Adam blamed Eve; Eve blamed the serpent. Pandora's tale did the same. The gods blamed humanity and humanity blamed the gods.

But scripture pierced through the blame and declared accountability. And yet grace overshadowed judgment. The greatest contrast between Eden and Olympus lay here: in Greek myth, the gods remained distant. In the Bible, God walked in the garden in the cool of the day. He clothed Adam and Eve with coats of skins. He covered their shame; He initiated redemption.

The Bible stands not as one myth among many, but as the light that explains them all. Where the nations groped in shadows, scripture shone with clarity. Where mythology whispered, God spoke. And the final word was not sorrow; it was hope in Jesus Christ.

Southwest Radio Ministries: Today's featured resource is the book Replacement Theology: Its Root, Fruit, and Consequences for Jewish People and the Nation of Israel by today's guest, Dr. Mike Spalding. In this bold and thought-provoking work, readers are challenged to examine the theological foundations and real-world consequences of replacement theology. The book exposes how redefining or spiritualizing God's promises to Israel has led many to dismiss His covenant faithfulness and overlook Israel's continuing role in biblical prophecy. It also confronts the sobering historical and moral implications of this doctrine, urging believers to consider its impact on Christian attitudes toward the Jewish people.

Replacement Theology: order your copy of this compelling book today when you call 1-800-652-1144. That's 1-800-652-1144 or order online, swrc.com. Tomorrow, Josh Davis will share the latest headlines from the end times. So be sure to tune in on your favorite radio station, online at swrc.com, or by downloading our free SWRC mobile app. Watchman on the Wall is a production of Southwest Radio Ministries and is supported by faithful friends like you. To learn more, visit swrc.com.