others as you would have them do
unto you", although Jewish in origin, have been presented to the greater
population through the Christian faith.
In addition,
much of the
humanitarian efforts in the world today are sponsored by Christian
organizations.
Christianity seems
to have affected the world in dramatic ways, and yet when you read through the the
prophecies of the Bible about the end times, there is little (if any) indication
of
its existence.
There have been several attempts to solve the apparent gap in the Bible
when it comes to recognizing the Christian faith outside of the New Testament.
Three Christian Theologies
Three prominent theological perspectives that attempt to bridge that gap are:
Replacement Theology, Dispensational Theology, and Covenant Theology.
Replacement
Theology is basically where the word “Christianity” simply replaces the word
“Israel” wherever it is mentioned (in a positive way) in end-time Bible
prophecy.
Dispensationalists believe that God works with different people at different
times in different ways. God’s laws, therefore, are not universal but, rather,
are the somewhat arbitrary guidelines he uses at different times throughout
history.
Covenant Theology
is where God’s relationship with people is dependent upon the covenant or
agreements between them.
All of these views
have the same basic premise. The Jews WERE God’s chosen people who were given
certain laws UNTIL he sent their messiah to them. Since they rejected their
messiah, God rejected them and chose a NEW people and new set of laws.