Amnesia is a medical term describing a partial or total loss of memory. Derived from a Greek word meaning “to forget,” it’s a condition in which a person loses awareness of who they are and what they’ve experienced. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon offers us a classic illustration of this. In Daniel chapter 4, the mighty monarch temporarily loses his reason and identity, forgetting who he is and the authority he holds.
While the vast majority of evangelical Christians remain steadfast supporters of the state of Israel and defenders of the Jewish people, a small but growing segment of our tribe has developed a troubling case of theological amnesia when it comes to God’s present and future plans for Israel. This forgetfulness is especially alarming at a time when antisemitism is rising worldwide at levels not seen since the Holocaust.
Those affected by this theological amnesia often operate within a framework known as replacement theology—the belief that God has rejected the Jewish people because of their unbelief in Yeshua as Messiah, replaced them with the church and revoked His covenant promises to them. Such thinking reflects a forgetfulness of plain Scriptural teaching concerning God’s everlasting promises to His chosen people, Israel.
The end result of this toxic theology is the conclusion that Israel has no future role in God’s redemptive purposes and that the modern Jewish state holds no greater Biblical significance than any other nation. Worse still, replacement theology often produces a subtle—and sometimes overt—form of antisemitism. If God Himself has rejected the Jewish people and revoked His promises to them, the logic follows that they hold no special place in God’s unfolding plan.
When the church forgets Israel, it may justify indifference—or even hostility—toward the Jewish people. In this way, antisemitism often becomes the adopted child of replacement theology.
One of the most frequently repeated commands in the Torah is the call to remember. Again and again, God calls His covenant people to remember what He has done for them. When Joshua led Israel across the Jordan River into the Promised Land following Moses’ death, their first stop was Gilgal. There they erected memorial stones so future generations would remember “that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty” (Joshua 4:24).
Centuries later, King David declared, “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill!” (Psalm 137:5). For nearly 2,000 years of exile, scattered among often-hostile nations, the Jewish people remembered. Each Passover they retold the story of redemption and declared with faith-filled hope, “Next year in Jerusalem.” Even today, the mezuzah affixed to the doorposts of Jewish homes serves as a daily reminder of God’s promises.
Amnesia has never been an option for the Jewish people—and it must not be an option for Bible-believing Christians. History has shown tragic consequences when the church forgets God’s purposes and promises for Israel.
Replacement theology rests on what may be described as a three-legged stool with three unstable legs—three false premises rejected by Scripture. It teaches that Israel has been rejected, Israel’s purposes have been replaced, and Israel’s promises have been revoked.
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