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Thread: Why I am a Christian Zionist

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    Why I am a Christian Zionist

    Why I Am A Christian Zionist


    By Ohev Yisrael

    Christian Zionism is rooted in the Bible, which declares God's eternal covenant with the Jewish people. Our assertion that the Jewish people have a biblical right to their historic homeland generates no small controversy, and this is due in part to both a misunderstanding of what the Bible teaches regarding the future of Israel from a prophetic standpoint, as well as a lack of understanding regarding the history and dynamics of the current conflict. As a result Christian Zionism, itself has been mischaracterized. The purpose of this paper is to clarify what Christian Zionism is and what it is not, and why I believe it to be both biblically and intellectually sound.

    What is Christian Zionism?

    First, Christian Zionism needs to be defined and to do that Zionism itself must be defined. Zionism is:

    • The National Liberation movement of the Jewish People.
    • It is the modern expression of the ancient longing by the Jewish People to return to their land and live as a free people once again.
    • It is the desire to secure a modern state for the Jewish nation.
    • It is the conviction that the Jewish people have the right to live in freedom and security in its homeland.
    • It is the determination to aid and encourage the return of any and all Jewish refugees of the Diaspora who wish to return home.
    • It is the concern for the safety and security of that modern state, and the desire to see it strong enough to defend itself and the Jewish people as a whole from any present or future existential threat.


    Zionism, despite every attempt by Israel's enemies to say otherwise, is not anti-Arab, or "anti" anything else. The above definition of Zionism could apply, in principle, to the wishes and desires of any other people to life in freedom, security, prosperity in their own nation, free from persecution or any other threat. Christians who support Israel are supporting the above. I am a Christian. I am also a Zionist. A Christian Zionist is one who believes that the above-captioned desire of the Jewish people to return to their Land and the right of the Jewish people to return to their Land is ultimately based on the promises made by God to the Jewish people. We believe those promises to be irrevocable, unconditional and firmly rooted in the eternal covenant made by God to Abraham (Gen. 17: 8,9). That is the basis of Christian Zionism.

    What Christian Zionism Is Not

    To be clear, Christian Zionism is not anti-Arab. We do not hate the Arab people. We stand against any ideology that sets itself against the biblical right of the Jewish people to live in their homeland. Christian Zionism is not a geo-political movement. It is not enough for us who love Israel to simply support Israel from a political basis; rather we affirm that Israel's chief claim to the Land is a Divine promise made by God to Abraham and His descendents through Isaac and Jacob by means of an eternal covenant.

    As Christian Zionists, we do not support unconditionally every policy, decision, or action by the Israeli government. While we love Israel unconditionally, unconditional love must not be confused with unconditional support. That is, perhaps, one of the biggest misunderstandings about what it means to support Israel.

    Furthermore, Christian Zionists typically do not believe that our support of Israel is based on a misguided belief that we are in any way hastening the second coming of Christ. God has already set in his time, when the second coming can occur and there is nothing any one can do to either delay or hasten that event. Our support for Israel, generally speaking, has no ulterior motive such as the second coming or any type of apocalyptic fantasy as the basis for our support of Israel against terrorism. While I am sure that there are individuals that can be found who do have such ulterior motives, they do not represent true Christian Zionism and should not be used as the standard by which this movement is measured.

    God is a Zionist

    I am a Zionist because God is a Zionist. Zionism is biblical. That may sound strange to some, but Israel is God's nation and as long as this earth exists (Jer. 31: 35-36). God makes a promise which is found three times in the Bible, and is given directly to Abraham and his descendents:

    Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. (Genesis 12:1-3)

    This promise regarding blessing and cursing is reiterated twice more in Gen. 27:29 and Num. 24:9. The promise is made to Abraham, to Jacob and finally pronounced upon all the children of Israel. To date, God has never rescinded this promise.

    God loves Israel with an unconditional love, and Christian Zionists, we seek to emulate that love for Israel:



    For thou art a holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face. (Deuteronomy 7:6-10)


    That love is not only unconditional but is also perpetual.

    Notice what God says about Israel in the prophetic future:

    And the word of the LORD of hosts came, saying, "Thus says the LORD of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. Thus says the LORD: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts, the holy mountain. (Zechariah 8:1-3, ESV)

    I like the way the Good News Bible says it:

    The LORD Almighty gave this message to Zechariah: "I have longed to help Jerusalem because of my deep love for her people, a love which has made me angry with her enemies. I will return to Jerusalem, my holy city, and live there. It will be known as the faithful city, and the hill of the LORD Almighty will be called the sacred hill.
    (Zechariah 8:1-3)

    The word used "jealous" can also be properly rendered as "zealous." God is has an intense jealousy over Israel. It is akin to the jealousy that a man or woman has for their spouse, which is inflamed if there is a feeling that the relationship might be threatened.

    When God says He is jealous for Zion, He is speaking of a passion and singular exclusive love one would have for their spouse. He loves Israel to the point that He is willing to fight for her against anyone foolish enough to want to do her harm.

    For thus said the LORD of hosts, after his glory sent me to the nations who plundered you, for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye: (Zechariah 2:8)

    There are two possible and valid ways of understanding the latter portion of this verse, namely the part that says, "he who touches you touches the apple of his eye."

    First is the most common understanding that he touches Israel touches the apple of God's eye. The "apple" is the very center and the most sensitive part of the eye. The implication is that God is very sensitive and protective of Israel and to come against Israel is to set ones' self at enmity with God and God, by virtue of the Abrahamic Covenant is bound to defend Israel to the death. To "touch" Israel in a violent manner is incur the wrath of God. One must needs be careful how he "touches" Israel. God uses very interesting imagery when He wants us to understand His love and passion for Israel. For example:

    And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory in her midst.'"
    (Zechariah 2:5)

    The second understanding of Zechariah 2:8 and just as valid is that he who touches Israel, touches the apple of his own eye. In other words, those who seek Israel's demise are only ensuring their own demise. No man, no nation, can break God's covenant with Israel. They can only succeed in breaking themselves against it, to their own destruction. So to "touch" Israel in the sense of cursing Israel, is to bring ones's self under God's curse. That is a place you don't want to be. So, either way you understand Zech. 2:8, to "touch" Israel in the sense of cursing Israel is to bring a curse and destruction upon yourself. It is possible that there is an intended "double" understanding intended by God in that verse.


    God's Prophetic Promises

    I am a Christian Zionist because I believe in God's prophetic promises for Israel. The Bible teaches in many places both old and New Testament that Israel will be exiled scattered and regathered in the last days, to her land. I am not going to write out all of the prophecies, but Israel's end time restoration to the Land is ubiquitous throughout the entire word of God. Here are some examples:

    The Jewish People will always be God's People; Jer. 31:35-37

    God Promises the Jewish People's return to the land (Jer. 30:3 Isa. 43:5-7; Eze 36: 24; Eze. 37:11-14)

    God's promise to reunite all twelve tribes of Jacob/Israel (Jer. 3:18; Eze. 37:15-23; Hos. 1:10-11)

    The Lord promises both a physical and spiritual restoration of Israel (Jer. 31:31-34 Is. 40:1-2; Eze. 36:24-28 Zec. 12:10 Amos 9:14-15)

    One passage worth singling out is the passage in Amos 9:

    And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God. (Amos 9:14-15)

    This was never true of Israel either preexile or post Babylonian exile. It is true of Israel today. Israel, currently has the 4th most powerful military in the world behind the US, Russia and China. Israel cannot be uprooted and multiple wars have been fought to bring about the collapse of Israel, to no avail. In spite of the attempts of Israel's enemies to destroy Israel, Israel has not only continued to survive, but has gone on to outstrip her enemies in every field of endeavor, and has only gotten stronger and more prosperous in the face of threats of annihilation. As I previously indicated, you cannot break God's eternal covenant with Israel. All you can do is break yourself against it.

    The promises of God for Israel's restoration are being fulfilled in our day, and as such continue to highlight the integrity of God's word. God keeps His promises and Israel is a showcase of the faithfulness of God. God's faithfulness to His word demonstrates that all of God's promises can be trusted and that He will do exactly as He promised.

    It is impossible to explain the existence of modern Israel apart from the hand of God. Israel did not have the military hardware or the numbers to defeat the Arab/Muslim onslaught of 1948; in fact, most countries were rooting for the other side. The Arab world with the assistance and training of the British Empire could not destroy the fledging nation. In fact, all three of Israel's major wars (1948, 1967, and 1973) are not even studied by the Generals of WestPoint, where all wars of antiquity and modern times are studied. Yet, these three wars fought and won by Israel are not studied. Why? Because their outcome cannot be explained militarily. There is no reason, from a tactical, militaristic standpoint, why Israel should have won. Israel should not have, from a military point of view, been able to exist 24 hours after declaring nationhood. The military experts in the US had predicted defeat for Israel in '48, '67 and '73. Israel's existence defies the odds, and defies reality. It would have been enough of miracle for Israel to merely survive, but Israel has gone on to bless the world in every scientific and technological field of endeavor. God has and is keeping His promises Israel. It behooves us as Christians to recognize God's promises to Israel and to align our thinking with God's thinking on this matter.

    Israel's Restoration in The New Testament

    The New Testament is not at all in contradiction with a literal understanding of Israel's end time restoration. I am not gong to list every place where the New Testament affirms a literal and final restoration of Israel, but I will hit on just two or three places given in the New Testament that show us that the saints of in the New Testament understood the literal restoration of Israel and were at no time corrected by God in their understanding.

    And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
    (Luke 1:30-33)


    Notice 5 promises made to Mary concerning Jesus:

    • He shall be great.
    • He shall be called the Son of the Highest.
    • He shall be given the throne of David.
    • He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever.
    • His Kingdom will have no end.



    Two of the promises are already true and have come to pass, namely that He is called great and the Son of God. The throne of David is an earthly throne. It is always connected to earth and is never referred to as being in heaven. So Jesus is not currently sitting on the throne of David. Secondly, when Jesus is sitting on the throne He will be ruling over the house of Jacob. Jacob is Israel. God, in the Scriptures, uses the terms "Jacob" and "Israel" interchangeably. Jacob is representative of the twelve tribes of Israel and always refers to the physical descendents of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob. Jesus is not currently reigning on the throne of David over the house of Jacob, so this is, even for us still in the future. Finally it says that this kingdom where Jesus will be reigning over the house of Jacob on David's throne will be eternal, without end. All of these promises is meant to be understood literally. There is nothing in this that is meant to be understood metaphorically. Furthermore, in Mary's response we see nothing but a literal understanding of what the angel promised concerning Jesus.

    Another passage worth examining is the prophecy of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist:

    And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; The oath which he swore to our father Abraham, That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. (Luke 1:67-75)

    Zechariah first refers to the horn of salvation spoken of by the prophets. He is referring to 2 Sam 22:3, Ps. 18:2 and Ezekiel 29: 21. It is God Himself, who is the horn of salvation. Therefore, it is clearly Jesus being referred to in this passage. Furthermore Zechariah under the unction of the Holy Spirit prophesies that this horn of salvation is raised up in the house of David so that "we" (the children of Israel) should be saved from their enemies and from the hand of them that hate "us." Zechariah then connects this final deliverance (which has yet to come) with the covenant that God made to Abraham. Zechariah is clearly looking into the future of Israel; not something that had already happened, but something yet to happen. Even in our day, this passage has not come to complete fulfillment where Israel is concerned. Israel has not been completely delivered from those who hate her, as history readily attests, but this will happen which is why a literal restoration of Israel is pictured in this passage.

    Finally, notice what is said in Acts chapter one:

    When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. (Acts 1:6-7)

    It is clear that the apostles having been raised as Jews understood the Scriptures to indicate a literal restoration of Israel, particular a restoration of the Kingdom to Israel. They asked Jesus if He was, going to take on the role of Messiah and fulfill that restoration, and Jesus was response was "it is not for you to know the times or the seasons..." Jesus' answer was not, "No." Jesus made no attempt to correct their understanding of His role as Messiah or of the prophetic future of the nation of Israel.

    I could go on about how the New Testament confirms a literal restoration of Israel, but those three examples are sufficient for the purpose of this paper.

    I am a Christian Zionist, because the Bible confirms God's end time prophetic role of Israel in the earth, because God's promises for Israel demonstrate His faithfulness and thus, show us that God can be trusted to keep his promises to us. I am a Christian Zionist because God is a Zionist, and the Bible declares that Israel's enemies are God's enemies. In the end, the world will see that there is a God in Israel and that Lord fights for Israel.

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