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Debunking Replacement Theology: Church Origins in the Mosaic Law and Shavuot

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Pentecost/Shavuot/Feast of Weeks, Replacement Theology with tags , , , , , on May 11, 2026 by paulthepoke

Welcome to part 5 of the series, Debunking Replacement Theology.

Beginnings of the church…

The church or the body of Jesus Christ has ties to the Old Testament Mosaic Law and God’s Appointed Holiday of Shavuot. I realize this will be blasphemy in some circles of theology reading this. Hear me out before going ballistic and deeming me a heretic. God has a plan down to the day!

The Law was given on Mount Sinai to Moses roughly 1,600 years before Christ. In the Old Testament and in the Hebrew, this God appointed holiday is referred to as Shavuot.

The word means: weeks. Shavuot or the Feast of Weeks is a memorial of God giving Moses and Israel the Torah. Hebraic belief is redemption from Egyptian slavery was not complete until they received the instruction or teaching. The holiday is one of God’s seven appointed holidays. Nation Israel honored Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, every year.

Provisions for the holiday include two loaves of bread, sacrificial lambs, a bull, two rams, a goat, and a drink offering of wine. God gives directions on how to make bread. Specifications for choosing livestock are given.

God loves the smell of grilled meats by fire. Toasted bread smells great. The holiday is also a day of rest with no work, a Sabbath. And He wants His people to do this celebration and exercise it every year on the same day.

Is God being unreasonable? He offers a holiday with grilled meats, toasted bread, and alcohol. It is an outdoor party in the late spring around a camp fire. Celebrate the harvest and give thanks to God. Road trip to Jerusalem!!!

See the Scripture for the complete details.

Leviticus 23:17-21 You shall bring in from your dwelling places two loaves of bread for a wave offering, made of two-tenths of an ephah; they shall be of a fine flour, baked with leaven as first fruits to the Lord. Along with the bread you shall present seven one year old male lambs without defect, and a bull of the herd and two rams; they are to be a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the Lord. You shall also offer one male goat for a sin offering and two male lambs one year old for a sacrifice of peace offerings. The priest shall then wave them with the bread of the first fruits for a wave offering with two lambs before the Lord; they are to be holy to the Lord for the priest. On this same day you shall make a proclamation as well; you are to have a holy convocation. You shall do no laborious work. It is to be a perpetual statute in all your dwelling places throughout your generations.

Shavuot or the Feast of the Harvest is one of the three holidays where Jewish men are required to come to Jerusalem. The other two holidays are the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of the Ingathering (Tabernacles or the Feast of Booths). The men were to make their presentation and sacrifice before God at the Temple.

Exodus 23:14-17 “Three times a year you shall celebrate a feast to Me. You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. And none shall appear before Me empty-handed. Also you shall observe the Feast of the Harvest of the first fruits of your labors from what you sow in the field; also the Feast of the Ingathering at the end of the year when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field. Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord God.”

Eating and drinking dairy products are part of the celebration of Shavuot. Many think the custom of dairy products is in reference to Bible verses referring to a promised land flowing with milk and honey. See the example below.

Exodus 3:8a “So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey…

As stated in the Leviticus passage, the Feast of Weeks is seven weeks after Passover. It is a celebration of the completed grain harvest. The holiday is also a celebration of God giving the Torah (instruction or law) to nation Israel. Because of this, Shavuot is considered as the beginning or birth of Judaism.

Fast forward to 33 AD. Nation Israel has been celebrating and living God’s Appointed Spring holidays. Jesus Christ, the Passover Lamb, had been sacrificed. He was the buried Unleavened Bread. Christ is the First Fruits of the resurrection.

Then fifty days later… It is seven weeks after the death of the sacrificial lamb, Jesus. Nation Israel is celebrating and living the holiday. Shavuot or Pentecost is also the day God the Father gave God the Holy Spirit. Because of this, Pentecost is considered the beginning or the birth of the church or the body of believers in Jesus Christ.

Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they (apostles) were all together in one place.

Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

In the Greek New Testament, Shavuot (Hebrew) is translated as πεντεκοστε/pentekoste (Greek). Per Strong’s Concordance, it means: the fiftieth day; the second of the three great Jewish feasts, celebrated at Jerusalem yearly, the seventh week after the Passover, in grateful recognition of the completed harvest. We have transliterated the word to Pentecost (English).

This is the day promised by Jesus of the giving of the Holy Spirit.

John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit…”

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This series is an excerpt from the book, Rapture the Bride Redeemed. https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

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Mother’s Day, 2026

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Culture with tags , , , , on May 10, 2026 by paulthepoke

Luke 1:41-44 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.

the baby leaped… baby or βρέφος/brephos; an unborn or newborn child, infant.

Notice, the term is not called a ball of cells or a fetus. Luke, through the Holy Spirit, chose the term “baby” as translated in English.

Scripture is very consistent. Babies are formed in mother’s wombs. Scripture also points out that wombs are located in mothers. In our 21st century culture, it is necessary to point out these fundamental truths.

Granted, there are elements within our society who would like you to believe these are little clumps of cells that happen to be inside of a woman. Critics and experts in reproductive health would have you believe life does not begin until the fetus is outside of the woman’s body. Some of these reproductive experts take motherhood and life away from women. Scripture says something contrary to the culture and women’s reproductive experts.

Two times in the verses above, babies leaped for joy. Babies were capable of hearing and understanding what was going on outside of the womb. Babies also had a physical and emotional response to what they were hearing from outside of the womb. In both cases, joy was expressed.

Colorful bouquet of roses and ranunculus with a Mother's Day greeting card on a wooden table
Happy Mother’s Day

Remember, the fruit of the womb is a blessing. Let us give thanks to the women in our lives who chose to be a mom. These women chose our lives.

Here is to all the moms out there wishing you a Happy Mother’s Day!

Ecclesiastes 11:5 As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the bones are formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.

~

https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

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This Week in Prophecy: Hantavirus; Alien Soft Disclosure

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Culture, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on May 7, 2026 by paulthepoke

Luke 21:11 There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. -Jesus

Plagues and pestilence…

The main stream media is back on the hype boat, literally. Introducing… Hantavirus

The US Army published a study from June 28, 2023 regarding the same strain of Hantavirus.

Patent Application for Hantavirus MRNA Vaccine from April 2025.

Patent application publication document detailing mRNA vaccines against hantaviruses, including authors, application number, classification, and abstract section with illustrations of RNA and peptide structures.
A male volunteer receiving a needle-free DNA vaccine injection for the Andes strain hantavirus, with an illustration of the vaccine mechanism showing delivery into muscle cells and subsequent protein production.

https://academic.oup.com/jid/article/229/1/30/7209758

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Infographic about hantavirus, detailing causes, symptoms, prevention, and care, featuring illustrations of rodents, various symptoms, and preventive measures.

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Here come the aliens… allegedly

The Bible has answers. The verses below are incredible statements!!! ALL things were created by and for Him (Jesus). And because of His work on the cross and His resurrection, ALL things in the universe are under His subjection.

Colossians 1:16 For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him.

Colossians 1:20 and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross.

Religious leaders told ‘prepare now’ for UFO disclosure to unleash Bible-changing revelations

https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/article-15792747/religious-leaders-ufo-disclosure-bible.html

Matthew 24:37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. -Jesus

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https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

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Debunking Replacement Theology: Hephzibah & Beulah

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Replacement Theology with tags , , , , on May 4, 2026 by paulthepoke

Welcome to part 4 of the series, Debunking Replacement Theology.

The nation of Israel and the church, the body of Jesus Christ, are two separate entities. God has not changed His mind. The church has not replaced Israel. God has a unique plan for both.

Jeremiah 31:35-37 Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day, who sets in order the moon and stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD of Hosts is His name:

“Only if this fixed order departed from My presence, declares the LORD, would Israel’s descendants ever cease to be a nation before Me.”

This is what the LORD says: “Only if the heavens above could be measured and the foundations of the earth below searched out would I reject all of Israel’s descendants because of all they have done,” declares the LORD.

Can any one change the order of the sun, moon, or stars? Can any one accurately measure the universe, known or unknown? Can any one measure let alone identify the foundations of the earth as God created them? If the church replaces Israel, then God is a liar…

The church has not and will not replace Israel.

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Arguably, there is yet another name coming for the people and nation who are currently known as Israel. God Himself will make the change. The Bible says that name will be Hephzibah.

Isaiah 62:1-4 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet, until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, and her salvation like a torch that is burning. The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; and you will be called by a new name which the mouth of the LORD will designate. You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. It will no longer be said to you, “Forsaken,” nor to your land will it any longer be said, “Desolate”; but you will be called, “My delight is in her,” and your land, “Married”; for the LORD delights in you, and to Him your land will be married.

The name Hephzibah is noted one other place in the Bible. She was the mother of King Manasseh and queen to King Hezekiah.

2 Kings 21:1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Hephzibah.

Hephzibah in the original Hebrew means: My delight is in her.

The land will undergo a name change as well, “married” or Beulah. Per Strong’s Beulah means: to marry, rule over, possess, own, be lord (husband) over. The relationship between God and the land is that of a marriage covenant.

“Beulah Land” is a well-known gospel song written by Edgar Page Stites in 1876.

Some know the term from the southern hymn “Sweet Beulah Land” by Squire Parsons.

Along the way, God has healed and preserved His chosen people. And they have wrestled with Him. God prevails. For the nations hostile to Israel who say, “Israel will be no more…” They are correct. Israel will no longer wrestle with God or with the nations of humanity. The struggle will end. God and Israel will prevail. God’s delight will be in His chosen people, Hephzibah… and the land, Beulah.

Amos 9:15 I will also plant them on their land, and they will not again be rooted out from their land which I have given them,” Says the LORD your God.

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This series is an excerpt from the book, Rapture the Bride Redeemed. https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

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Baal Worship

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Culture with tags , , , on April 29, 2026 by paulthepoke

Numbers 22:41 And in the morning Balak took Balaam and brought him up to Bamoth-baal, and from there he saw a fraction of the people.

Numbers 25:1-5 While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab, who also invited them to the sacrifices for their gods. And the people ate and bowed down to these gods. So Israel joined in worshiping Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD burned against them. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the LORD, so that His fierce anger may turn away from Israel.” So Moses told the judges of Israel, “Each of you must kill all of his men who have joined in worshiping Baal of Peor.”

At its core, Baal is a Phoenician deity. He is the chief rival of YHWH or the LORD God.

The name “Baal” (Hebrew: בַּעַל, baʿal) means “lord,” “owner,” or “master”. Baal-_____ or Lord of whatever the topic. Baal-zebub or Lord of the flies, another name for Satan.

Geographically, this is just east of the northern portion of the Dead Sea in what is modern day Jordan.

Baal appears in Scripture as the chief male deity of the Canaanites and Phoenicians, celebrated as lord of storm, fertility, and political power. After Israel entered the land, the name surfaces about eighty times, nearly always in contexts of apostasy. Baalism combined agricultural rites, sexual immorality, and child sacrifice, drawing Israel into covenant-breaking idolatry despite repeated warnings.

https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1168.htm

How convenient, engage in sexual perversion and call it worship. And give thanks with a child sacrifice, the consequence of the actions.

A small bronze figurine with an elongated body and a distinctive conical head, posed with one arm raised in a fist.

Worshippers also believed Baal controlled the weather. Baal could bring rain.

Elijah vs. Prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18): The most famous story. During a three-year drought (which Elijah declares as judgment), Elijah challenges 450 prophets of Baal (and 400 of Asherah) on Mount Carmel. They prepare a bull on an altar but receive no fire from heaven despite frantic prayers, dancing, and self-harm all day.

Elijah rebuilds Yahweh’s altar, soaks it with water, and prays. God sends fire that consumes everything. The people declare “The Lord, He is God!” Elijah then has the prophets of Baal executed, and rain returns. biblegateway.com

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Worship of Baal or any other false god is unfaithfulness to God (Father, Son, and Spirit).

Judges 2:11 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals.

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https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

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Debunking Replacement Theology: Israel Origins

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Prophecy, Replacement Theology with tags , , , , , on April 23, 2026 by paulthepoke

Welcome to part 3 of the series, Debunking Replacement Theology.

The nation of Israel and the church, the body of Jesus Christ, are two separate entities. God has not changed His mind. The church has not replaced Israel. God has a unique plan for both.

Eventually, the offspring of Abram would become the promised nation.

Abram (Abraham) to Isaac to Jacob (Israel) to 12 tribes which comprise the nation.

This is the story of the birth of a nation. The verses below are how the man named Jacob had his name changed to Israel. The nation Israel would come from this man Jacob. This is a brief history, present, and future of God’s chosen nation.

Genesis 32:24-28 And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

In the Hebrew, Jacob or Ya`aqob means “heel holder” or “supplanter”. It can also mean he cheats or deceives. Jacob was given this name because of the events at his birth.

Genesis 25:26a Afterward his brother came forth with his hand holding on to Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob…

A close-up view of a pot filled with cooked lentils in a thick, savory sauce, with a ladle partially submerged in the mixture.

This name accurately describes Jacob. He cheated and deceived his brother Esau for his inheritance. Remember the lentil incident in Genesis 25.

The deceiver met his match in his future father in law, Laban. See Genesis 29-31 for the complete details with Laban the master manipulator and his daughters.

Any one watching modern day Israel in action today in the 21st century since their rebirth as a nation would agree, Israel continues to demonstrate mastery levels of deception. If you don’t believe that, watch their intelligence capabilities and Mossad in action.

Mossad (Hebrew: המוסד, “the Institute”) is Israel’s national foreign intelligence agency, officially known as the Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations.

  1. Intelligence collection (primarily human intelligence/HUMINT)
  2. Covert operations
  3. Counterterrorism
  4. Strategic special missions abroad

Mossad is estimated to have around 7,000 staff and an annual budget of roughly $3 billion (second-largest in the Western world after the CIA). Key units include the Caesarea department for special operations and the elite Kidon (“Bayonet”) unit, known for targeted actions.

Its official motto draws from Proverbs 11:14: “Where no counsel is, the people fall, but in the multitude of counselors there is safety”

The above verse is often loosely associated with themes of deception in intelligence work, though that’s not the literal motto. -Wikipedia

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God changed Jacob’s name to Israel. In the Hebrew, Israel or Yisra’el means “God prevails”. Per Holman’s Bible Dictionary, Israel means God strives, God rules, God heals, or he strives against God.

Genesis 32:28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

The verse above has proven to be prophetic for nation Israel. The country struggled against Egypt and was held captive for 400 years. God delivered His people out of slavery and bondage in the Book of Exodus.

God’s chosen people were taken captive by Tiglath-Pileser and the Assyrian Empire. Nebuchadnezzar led the Babylonians and plundered Jerusalem. Those who survived were taken back to Babylon. Israel was under Persian rule after they conquered Babylon.

They were dispersed throughout the world in the first century at the hands of the Roman Empire. They survived the Spanish Inquisition in the late 1400’s. Hitler attempted to exterminate the Jewish people during the middle of the 20th century in World War II.

Israel was reborn as a country in a day in 1948. The rebirth of Israel in one day was prophesied in Isaiah 66:8-9.

Isaiah 66:8-9 “Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons. Shall I bring to the point of birth and not give delivery?” says the LORD. “Or shall I who gives delivery shut the womb?” says your God.

The same promise of Ezekiel 37 and the vision of the valley of dry bones was fulfilled.

Today, Israel is a nation again. The fact Israel is a nation again defies history. Name one other country who disappeared for about 2,000 years and resurrected into being from the past.

This nation, Israel is going to survive and overcome. The promise is made to Israel. God keeps His promises. This fulfillment is not about the corporate actions of the nation Israel. This nation is not morally superior because God chose them. God can manage the sins of Israel.

I support Israel, God’s chosen people. As a member of the church, I want what is best for them. The church should love, uphold and bless Israel. This does not mean we should enable or condone all of their actions. The church should not kick Israel to the curb. I will not tell them every thing they do is good.

That said, Israel has a right to defend themselves against people who openly state they seek their destruction. Israel has enemies who do not hold life valuable or sacred.

Ultimately, it is about God keeping his word and demonstrating His righteousness and sovereignty. Israel means God Prevails.

“Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

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This series is an excerpt from the book, Rapture the Bride Redeemed. https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

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This Week in Prophecy: Christlam & Tickling Ears; Quakes in Japan & Indonesia

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Culture, Earthquakes/Volcanoes, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 21, 2026 by paulthepoke

Exodus 20:3 You shall have no other gods before Me.

Exodus 20:13-17 You shall not murder.

Allah says… kill the infidel.

You shall not commit adultery.

Allah… ravish and molest the infidel.

You shall not steal.

Allah… pillage the infidel.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Allah… lie to and deceive the infidel.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Religion of peace?

Two religious leaders in traditional attire stand side by side in a historical setting, with ornate architecture in the background.

Photo Credit: Vatican Media

The last 5 of the 10 Commandments assume personal property, not the government’s or Allah’s property to be redistributed.

God of the Bible is different than Allah, not the same God.

Great Mosque of Algiers, “space proper to God.” -Pope Leo

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Jaden Ivey refuses to support pride month in the NBA.

Meanwhile, north of the border in Canada…

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Quakes in various places… -Jesus

Japan: A magnitude 7.4–7.7 earthquake (MJMA 7.5 per some reports) struck off the Sanriku Coast of northeastern Honshu, Japan, on April 20, 2026, at approximately 16:53 JST (07:53 UTC). The epicenter was in the Pacific Ocean along the Japan Trench, roughly 100 km offshore from Iwate Prefecture (near Miyako), at a depth of about 19–35 km.

Impacts and Casualties: Reports indicate 6–8 minor injuries (e.g., a woman in her 20s with a broken leg in Aomori). No deaths or major damage to homes/infrastructure have been widely confirmed. Over 170,000–180,000 people in coastal areas were advised or ordered to evacuate temporarily as a precaution.

Summary provided by Grok.

Indonesia: April 2, 2026 (local time; April 1 UTC), a significant magnitude 7.3–7.4 earthquake (reported as up to 7.6 by some agencies) struck in the Molucca Sea (northern Maluku Sea), offshore between North Sulawesi and North Maluku provinces in eastern Indonesia.

Casualties: 1 death (from falling rubble at a sports facility in Manado) and at least 4 injuries.

Damage: Over 450 structures damaged or destroyed.

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https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

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Debunking Replacement Theology: Greater Israel

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Replacement Theology with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on April 16, 2026 by paulthepoke

Welcome to part 2 of the series, Debunking Replacement Theology.

The nation of Israel and the church, the body of Jesus Christ, are two separate entities. God has not changed His mind. The church has not replaced Israel. God has a unique plan for both.

Genesis 15:18-21 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates: the Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Girgashite and the Jebusite.”

Map showing 'Greater Israel' as proposed by Theodor Herzl, highlighting regions including Israel, Palestine, parts of Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and neighboring countries.

This is the original land grant promised to the future nation Israel. These are the land boundaries of Israel’s future. This configuration has never been realized. This calls for the geography of Israel to stretch from the Nile River in Egypt to the Euphrates River in Iraq. One could argue if this includes the Arabian Peninsula or not.

Now this sounds impossible in today’s world and geo-political climate. Can you imagine the uproar if this was proposed at the United Nations?

But, there will be a land for peace deal when Jesus returns. It will look something like above assuming current geography.

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The key issue for Abram is the same issue we have today. Do we believe God? Do we take what God says seriously? Does God really mean it? In Abram’s case, did he believe the promises of things to come?

There are Jews in Israel’s government today who believe in this promised land grant.

Today in the 21st century, do we believe the good news of Jesus Christ? His death, burial, and resurrection are the issues for our eternal salvation.

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Genesis 15:6 Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.

So…will God make Israel great again? Over twenty times in the book of Genesis alone, God stated His covenant with the offspring of Abram is an eternal and everlasting promise. He made the claim to Abram (later Abraham), Isaac, Jacob (later Israel) and his descendants.

Map of the Middle East showing countries including Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Iran, with highlighted regions in light blue.

Will God keep His promise to Israel in regards to the land grant? In the book Toward an Old Testament Theology, Walter Kaiser commented, “sixty nine times the writer of Deutoronomy repeated the pledge that Israel would one day ‘possess’ and ‘inherit’ the land promised to her.” (p. 124-5).

Is God going to bless the world through Israel? Do you believe the record?

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What Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli right really mean when they invoke ‘Greater Israel’ -David Levy, The Guardian

Israel’s war aims were to maximally degrade the capacity of the Iranian state, achieving not so much regime change as state implosion. Despite the ceasefire, Netanyahu has emphasized that this is “not the end of the campaign” and that Israel’s “finger is on the trigger” to resume combat. A seasoned strategist, he has spent the second Trump administration seizing the opportunity of geopolitical fluidity to reach for his end goal: a Greater Israel.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/13/benjamin-netanyahu-middle-east-greater-israel

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What is Greater Israel? From biblical origins to modern-day Zionism, the vision of Greater Israel continues to shape Israeli rhetoric and regional tensions

Since the current Israeli government came to power in 2022, references to “Greater Israel” have become more common. 

Last year, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was filmed advocating for the expansion of Israeli borders to include Damascus, the capital of Syria.

He suggested that Israel would gradually grow to encompass not only all Palestinian territories but also parts of Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/explainers/what-greater-israel

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What is Greater Israel, and how popular is it among Israelis? Recent US and Israeli comments on ‘Greater Israel’ trigger regional concerns over sovereignty and territorial expansion.

American right-wing podcaster Tucker Carlson with US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee started the current furore. Carlson, an influential figure who has been vocally critical of Israel over the past year, repeatedly asked Huckabee whether he supported Israel controlling all the land between the Nile River in Egypt and the Euphrates River in Iraq.

Huckabee, a Christian Zionist, would not disavow the belief that the Bible promised that land to Israel – even though it now encompasses all or part of Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Syria.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/26/what-is-greater-israel-and-how-popular-is-it-among-israelis

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This series is an excerpt from the book, Rapture the Bride Redeemed. https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

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Debunking Replacement Theology

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Replacement Theology with tags , , , , , on April 9, 2026 by paulthepoke

Welcome to the introduction of a new series, Debunking Replacement Theology.

The nation of Israel and the church, the body of Jesus Christ, are two separate entities. God has not changed His mind. The church has not replaced Israel. God has a unique plan for both.

There seems to be a lot of disorder between the concepts of the nation Israel and the body of Christ, the church. If one gets this concept wrong there will be confusion in understanding prophecy as well the Bible. Understanding of the Scriptures will take different paths pending one’s view of the church and Israel. Some people take the view Israel and the church are different. Others believe that Israel messed up so bad, God gave up on Israel and replaced the nation with the church, the body of Christ, or spiritual Israel.

A simple, clean definition of Replacement Theology is provided by Matt Slick of https://carm.org/questions-replacement-theology.

Replacement theology is the teaching that the Christian church has replaced national Israel regarding the plan, purpose, and promises of God.

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This line of thinking is also called Supersessionism. These folks believe the church is the fulfillment of Judaism. If Jews do not believe in Jesus, they are out. In other words, non-believing Israel has been superseded by the church. No kingdom for you…

The practical results include Israel no longer being God’s chosen people and nation. The geographical land promised and designated in the Middle East would belong to the church instead of a group of people living in what is modern day Israel and surrounding countries. The covenants in the Old Testament to Abraham and Moses would be null and void.

Carrie Prejean Boller with Tucker Carlson podcast- “Replacement theology is that the church has replaced Israel, and that we are the new Israel. We are the spiritual semites, which has been taught for 2000 years. Original church fathers would be rolling in their graves if they knew that we taught 1948 Israel is some sort of fulfillment of prophecy.”

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Replacement Theology makes God a liar. God’s view on this topic as well as any other has not changed. He cannot change. God is immutable. This aspect of His character is defined in the Old Testament.

Malachi 3:6 “For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.

This same concept is noted in the New Testament.

James 1:17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

The fact that God does not change should be reassurance that what He says is true. God keeps His word and His promises.

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

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Both Israel and the church have different origins and beginnings.

The promise of God’s nation started in the plain of Shinar in what is modern day Iraq. Abram was minding his own business in Ur. Then God revealed Himself to this man. God made several promises to Abram.

Genesis 12:1e To the land which I will show you;

The first promise was to give Abram some land.

Genesis 12:2a And I will make you a great nation,

The second item was the promise to be a great nation. That nation would become Israel.

Genesis 12:2b-3 “And I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

The Hebrew word for “bless” is barakah.

And the last promise to Abram was blessing. Five times a form of the term “bless” is used. Abram and anyone in the world from that point forward who associates with him or his offspring positively, blessing from God!

Israel is not specifically mentioned in the passage above, true. However, Abram’s offspring would become a nation named Israel. Abram is also in the lineage of Jesus Christ and He, Jesus, would be and is the ultimate blessing from God.

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Genesis 15:12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him.

It was not enough to tell Abram. God made a contract or covenant with him for all time. Genesis 15 provides the details of the covenant. A direct son was promised to Abram. The number to come from his body would number the stars in the heavens. Animals and birds with specifications were part of the covenant.

God put Abram to sleep and sealed the deal Himself. The contract is on God to be completed. Abram did not have to do anything, he was out cold. Frankly, he would not have been able to do anything because of his mental status. It was dark and Abram was scared to death. There is nothing any fallen man can do. The responsibility belongs to God.

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Amos 9:13-15 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when the plowman will overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes, the sower of seed. The mountains will drip with sweet wine, with which all the hills will flow. I will restore My people Israel from captivity; they will rebuild and inhabit the ruined cities. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will firmly plant them in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land that I have given them,” says the LORD your God.

Well, modern day Israel was replanted and recognized as a nation in 1948. This event was the Super Sign. Israel, as flawed as they may be, is back and they are not going anywhere says the LORD your God.

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This series is an excerpt from the book, Rapture the Bride Redeemed. https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

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Resurrection Sunday, 2026

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Gospel, Prophecy, Resurrection with tags , , , , , , on April 4, 2026 by paulthepoke

What does a rabbit have to do with Jesus, why are eggs involved, and why did Jesus have to die?”

There are many traditions as to how “Easter” gets its name. Ishtar (Easter) is the Babylonian queen of heaven. She is the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility, love, war, and sex.

Astarte (Easter) is the Syrian sun goddess, known as the queen of heaven. According to legend, she allegedly laid a golden egg which became the sun.

There is also a pagan tradition concerning a bird who wanted to be a rabbit. The goddess Oestre (Easter) turned the bird into a rabbit. According to legend, this rabbit could still lay eggs. From this, the egg became a symbol of the start of new life, rebirth, and fertility. A rabbit became a symbol of fertility and new life.

What does any of this nonsense have to do with Jesus? Absolutely Nothing!!!

One small problem, the early Christian church joined the fun and adopted the egg as a symbol of the resurrection of Jesus. This has done nothing but add to the confusion to the point and purpose of Jesus’ death.

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Why did Jesus have to die? This point is specific and clear according to the Bible. At this time, I will let the Bible speak for itself.

1 Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures…

Hebrews 9:26b …but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

1 Peter 2:24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

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Some would say the idea of a “resurrection” is only noted in the New Testament. Resurrection is not a New Testament only concept. There are many examples of the idea of resurrection in the Old Testament.

Resurrection events are promised and noted from the arguably the oldest book of the Bible, Job, to the end of the Bible in the Book of Revelation. We will all be resurrected one way or another. At issue is the eternal destination of our individual resurrected body.

Job 14:13-15 “Oh that You would hide me in Sheol, that You would conceal me until Your wrath returns to You, that You would set a limit for me and remember me! If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my struggle I will wait until my change comes. You will call, and I will answer You; You will long for the work of Your hands.”

Job is aware of the concept of resurrection and being brought back to life. He is pleading with God. Will I live again? Job expresses awareness of his bodily change to come. Job knows that God will call before this change.

Job 19:25-27a “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth. Even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall see God; whom I myself shall behold, and whom my eyes will see and not another. My heart faints within me!”

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Just in case anyone is wondering, the message of a sacrificial death for sin rings loud and clear in the Old Testament in Isaiah. Look at the detail of these verses. This was written approximately 700 years before Christ. It reads as a narrative of the events along with the accounts in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Isaiah 53:3-12 He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death, because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth. But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong; because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors.

See also Psalm 22

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https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

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