For example, adherents of Replacement Theology claim that God rejected Israel after Jesus’ crucifixion. As a result, they teach that Ezekiel 36:22-38 refers to the church rather than the Jewish people. They regard the references to cleansing from sin, a new heart, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as proof positive that these verses refer to New Testament saints.
With the use of symbolism, they allegorize the other specifics of this passage in order to make them fit with their predisposed understanding of the text.
What does this have to do with sound biblical sense of direction? Notice the words of verse 24:
I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. (emphasis added)
In Ezekiel 36, along with several other passages regarding the regathering of Israel back to their Land, the Lord promises to bring His people back from the ends of the earth to the Land He promised to the Patriarchs.
Jesus, on the other hand, commissioned His followers to go out to the nations of the world (Matthew 25:19-20; Acts 1:8).
How can a passage that’s based on the Lord bringing His people back to the Land fit the church and that of Jesus’ sending His followers from Israel out to nations? It cannot. It’s like attempting to fit a round peg in a square hole.
Although many additional reasons exist as to why Ezekiel 36:22-38 can’t possibly refer to the church, a key argument for rejecting the Replacement Theology interpretation is that it confuses the comings and goings of God’s people.
With Israel, God brings His people back to the land of Israel from the ends of the earth. Jesus, however, sends His church out to the ends of the earth.
Many of those who teach that there’s no Tribulation period and thousand-year reign of Jesus also say there’s no such thing as the Rapture. Some in this crowd, however, still believe that we will meet Jesus in the air in the future. But they equate this event with the Second Coming.
Such an interpretation of our “blessed hope” is impossible for a great many reasons. For one, the resurrection of the “dead in Christ” happens first, immediately, at Jesus’ appearing for His Church (1 Thessalonians 4:16) whereas at His Second Coming, the Lord raises the tribulation saints last in a sequence of several other events; it might not even occur until many days after His return to the earth (Revelation 19:11-20:4).
But there’s also the matter of the comings and goings.
With the Rapture, we go up to meet Jesus in the air after which He takes us to His Father’s house in Heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:17; John 14:2-3). Colossians 3:4 says that when Jesus appears, we “also will appear with him in glory.” Our destination at the time of the Rapture is “glory,” which is most definitely not a place on the earth.
Jesus made it clear that at His appearing, we go to where He is, to His “Father’s house” (John 14:2-3). We go from the earth to Heaven.
However, at His Second Coming, we return with our Lord back to the earth (Revelation 19:11-20:4). The direction is from Heaven to earth.
It’s an important distinction that along with many other considerations, make it impossible to equate the Rapture with the Second Coming.
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