Some Thoughts on Christian Zionism
A lot of Christians are talking about Israel right now, and for good reason. Among these discussions is the idea of Christian Zionism. What is Christian Zionism, and is this an idea that we should support? There are many people who know much more about this than I do, but I do think this is a topic that we should learn about and consider carefully because there are some concerning implications.
In this article, I want to briefly look at the definition of Christian Zionism, then I want to look at some scriptures that are used in favor of this idea and scriptures that are used to oppose this idea. From there, I will share my own concerns about this teaching and do my best to conclude with some thoughts that can help us refocus on what matters most.
What is Christian Zionism?
According to my understanding, Christian Zionism is a religious and political stance held by many Evangelical Christians in support of the return of Jewish people to Israel, which was accomplished when the State of Israel was established in 1948.
This support seems to hinge on a couple of ideas. First, there is the idea that Jesus will not return until the Jews return to Israel and the third temple is built. Secondly, there is the idea that Israel are God’s chosen people, so as Christians, we should be supportive of them because failure to do so would offend God.
Scripture Used to Support Christian Zionism
Scriptures used to support Israel as God’s chosen people:
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 12:2-3).
In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates (Genesis 15:18).
For thou art an 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 (Deuteronomy 7:6).
Scriptures pertaining to Israel before the return of Jesus:
And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate (Daniel 9:27).
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) (Matthew 24:15).
Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God (2 Thessalonians 2:4).
And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh (Luke 21:20-28).
And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth…And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified Revelation 11:1-3,8).
According to the teaching of Evangelical Dispensationalists, after Jesus returns and “raptures” the church, Israel will recognize Jesus as their Messiah and the nation of Israel will be restored. Scriptures that are used to support this idea include:
And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn (Zecharaiah 12:10).
And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first. And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me (Jeremiah 33:708).
Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord God; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence. And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God (Ezekiel 11:17-20).
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father’s sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance (Romans 11:25-29).
Scripture Refuting Christian Zionism
The first scriptures that I would use to refute Christian Zionism are many of the scriptures that are used to support it. Misuse of these scriptures comes from a lack of understanding of the New Covenant that was brought about by Jesus Christ. Lord willing, I will write more articles looking at all these scriptures, and I will link them here. I already wrote an article on Genesis 12:2-3:
Additional Scriptures Against Christian Zionism
For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God (Romans 2:28-29).
They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, if ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, we be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it (John 8:39-43).
And think not to say within yourselves, we have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore, every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire (John 3:9-10).
Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee (Revelation 3:9).
Why I Believe Christian Zionism is Problematic
First, I want to say that I don’t personally have a problem with Israel’s right to exist peacefully. I also do not hold any antisemitic views of hatred of the Jewish people in general. I will write more on that in the next section. However, I am concerned about Christian Zionism. Here is why:
Whoa to You Who Desire the Day of the Lord
The first reason is how overly zealous Christians are about the return of Jesus. The scriptures state that the “day of the Lord is darkness and not light.” Because of false Dispensationalist teachings, many Christians believe that they will be “raptured” before the tribulation, so they have no concern about it. Instead, they want to force the time of the end to come so that Jesus will return and take them away.
I understand that we want Jesus to return, but at what cost? Do we really want to be the cause of such days of darkness—days that usher in the coming of the false Christ and much suffering and persecution of Christians? This lack of patience is something that the scriptures warn us about.
Confusion About End-Times Prophesy
Many Christians seem to forget that Jesus will not come until there is a falling away and the Son of Perdition is revealed. There is much talk about Jesus returning anytime now, and it concerns me that lack of good teaching regarding the “end times” will lead many to believe that the false Christ is actually Jesus.
Blind Loyalty Despite Ungodliness
The United States’ Christian Zionist stance is an excuse for much bloodshed, supposedly in the name of God. Jesus said that “many will kill you, thinking they do God’s service, but this they will do because they have not known the Father nor me.” The nation of Israel is largely secular, and this is not a godly nation by and large.
Are we supposed to support Israel no matter what they do, simply because many believe that they are God’s chosen people? The people of God will do as God does—not as Satan does—which is to “kill, steal, and destroy.” To do the work of Satan in the name of God seems more to me as those who “say they are Jews and are not but do lie.”There are many Jews and Messianic Jews who do not support what their nation is doing, and we should rememeber this as well.
Christians Are Israel. Yet, Boast Not Against the Branches.
As Christians, we were grafted into the Olive Tree, which is Israel. All who follow the One and True God are Israel, and those who follow the One and True God acknowledge and worship the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Christians are the Israel of the New Covenant, and this is not an Israel that is confined to one geographical region or race. In Christ, we are all the children of God.
However, as Paul instructed us, we should not “boast against the branches.” They were cut off because of their unbelief, and we stand by grace through faith. Many Jews have converted to Christianity and many more will continue to convert, so we should always hold a place for them to do so. We do not hate or persecute them or anyone else for that matter. We do not “despise the patience of God that leads us to repentance.”
Also, it is worth stating that there are many in the State of Israel who do not condone the actions of their leaders. We should never condemn an entire group of people because of the wickedness within their governments. This goes for Palestinians as well. We do not want to be condemned because of the actions of our government, so we should extend the same grace to all people.
Remember Who the Real Enemy Is
As Christians, we “wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and rulers of darkness in high places.” Satan and the spirits of devils are the real enemy. We should not hate people, and we should always remember that our brothers and sisters in Christ are found all over the world, including in Israel, Gaza, and Palestine. The destruction caused by all war is unfortunate, and we should pray for all people. We should pray that Jesus reveal Himself to many, and we should pray for all our fellow servants who are persecuted.
By and large, everyday people are caught up by various forms of propaganda, and they do not know what they are doing. By and large, most people are not eager for war and destruction. It’s the elites in power who are doing the real harm.
It seems like the United States government wants to play all sides, creating and funding terrorist groups on one hand while funding those who fight them. They do the same within our nation, so why should we think it’s different abroad? They perpetuate propaganda on both the “left” and the “right” so that we are so busy fighting one another that we do not stand against them.
It seems that all things happening in our world are a means to a globalist end, and I don’t think anything is as it seems. We should be very careful about what we believe and what we are willing to support. Remember Jesus who did not “judge by the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears, but with righteousness shall he judge the poor and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth.” Jesus is the Truth, and we need Him to guide us through all the lies, confusion, and treachery.
Remember Who the Real Object of Our Loyalty Is
As Christians, our first loyalty is to Jesus Christ. How would He have us to handle ourselves in this time? We should never be eager to side with any movement that perpetuates lies about their opponents to cause division and to justify the slaughter of many. We should do our best to be at peace with all people, to preach the gospel, and to keep ourselves humble by remembering that we are sinners who need to be forgiven. We cannot join with anything that is “drunken with blood” or that would cause us to be as those who are “smiting their fellow servants” or else we will be cut off ourselves.
There is so much that could be said and written about this topic. I’m not very educated in political matters, and I’m still trying to learn about the ideas written about here. However, in my conscience I felt it necessary to attempt to address the idea of Christian Zionism, and I would like to spend more time on it because of the reasons stated above. If you have any thoughts that you’d like to share, please leave a comment, or email me at kindlingtruth@hushmail.com.
