Christian Zionism

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During my time in the Jesus People as an Evangelical Charismatic Protestant, it was taken for granted that the modern State of Israel, established by the Great Powers in 1948, was the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy and a sign of the End Times.   How clever, Biblically-discerning, and prescient we were may be gauged by the fact that we also took it for granted that the Rapture would happen any day and that it would occur by 1988 at the latest. The oracular Hal Lindsey (of Late, Great Planet Earth fame) said so: Jesus must return no later than a generation after the establishment of the State of Israel, and “a Bible generation” was 40 years, so 1948 + 40 = 1988. We were “the terminal generation”. It was all in the Bible. Read it for yourself.

Hal’s predictions are now of course in the ashcan, and his books are (presumably) only read for their nostalgic value by the same sort of people who keep their Pet Rocks (remember those?) But despite the fact that the dated imminence of the Rapture has been proven wrong, some people still cling to elements of the original system, including its center-piece, the Biblical significance of the modern State of Israel.

There is a lot one could say about the modern State of Israel, much of it depressing. Anyone declaiming its excellencies and virtues is invited to read books like Palestine: a Personal History. But here my concern is not with the tortuous and complex politics of the Middle East, but with the more straight-forward theology of the Bible. Those who quickly and easily translate their understanding of Bible prophecy about the End Times into political loyalty and lobbying often go by the label “Christian Zionists”. They differ from normal Zionists in that normal Zionists usually confine themselves to saying that the establishment of the State of Israel was a good thing and that Israel has the right and duty to defend itself from internal enemies (i.e. the Palestinians).

Christian Zionists go further, and say that the establishment of the State of Israel was not simply a good thing, but the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy to regather Israel to the Promised Land, and that this was a necessary event presaging the imminent Second Coming of Christ. Christian Zionists also usually spend lots of time poring over the books of Daniel and Revelation, and believe that the Antichrist must make a covenant with Israel, and then break it and take over the Temple in Jerusalem before the Second Coming can occur. They therefore assert that the Temple will be rebuilt (on the space, no less, where the Dome of the Rock has stood for 1327 years), and some even spend money to make this happen. They expect a mass conversion of Jews to the Christian faith prior to the End, and offer enthusiastic and unambiguous support to the State of Israel in their struggle with the Palestinians. These latter are usually cast in the role of villains and terrorists, despite the fact (possibly unknown to Christian Zionists) that many of those Palestinians are fellow-Christians. One imagines that the Israelis look at the Christian Zionists with a kind of puzzled pleasure: they privately think them crazy, but are happy for the American support and the American dollars.

There is a lot wrong with the Biblical interpretations of the Christian Zionists. Since this is a blog and not a book, I will mention only three of them.

First, the Biblical prophecies about the gathering of Israel to the Promised Land were completely fulfilled in the return of the Israelites to the Promised Land after the Babylonian captivity. One needs to date the scattering of Israel properly to understand the regathering. The northern kingdom of Israel/Ephraim was scattered by the Assyrians in 722 B.C., and then later to the southern kingdom of Judah was scattered by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. This being the case, the prophesied regathering was the one which occurred after the Babylonian captivity, under Cyrus the Persian after 538 B.C. The exiles returned to the Land (in small numbers) and formed a little community in the area around Jerusalem, led by such men as Nehemiah and Ezra. One can see these prophecies of regathering in oracles such as Ezekiel 37:15f, which makes the point that after the regathering the pre-exilic hostility between the northern and southern kingdoms will be overcome “and they shall no longer be two nations and no longer divided into two kingdoms” (v. 22). Obviously this dates prophetic fulfillment to the time immediately after the Babylonian captivity and not to a time after 1948, since prior to 1948 the distinction between the “two kingdoms” of Israel and Judah did not exist.

Secondly, our Lord’s prophecies about the post-exilic further scattering of Israel by the Romans in 70 A.D. contained no such hint of a subsequent divinely commanded regathering. In Matthew 24, He says that those days will be days of tribulation such as had never occurred before (v. 21). In Luke 21 we have a clearer version of the same prophecies (made clearer for a Gentile readership not familiar with such Jewish terms as “the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place”; Matthew 24:15). In this version Christ says, “Great distress shall be upon the earth and wrath upon this people, and they will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations and Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (v. 23-24).   Every Jew knew that “the times of the Gentiles” were the times when the Gentiles ruled the earth, and that it would end when the Messiah established His kingdom over all and ended Gentile domination. Then Jerusalem would be free from threat, and all the Gentiles would acknowledge her sovereignty. In other words, Jesus was saying that Jerusalem would be trodden down until the Second Coming and the end of the world. The Book of Revelation refers to “the times of the Gentiles” by the term “the kingdom of the world” (Revelation 11:15). The apostles initially hoped that the time of the Gentiles would soon be over, and the Jerusalem would arise to rule the world (Acts 1:6). They were told to leave such things with God, and to preach the Gospel. The point here is that the prophecies concerning the devastation of the Jewish State in 70 A.D. and afterward contained no hint of divine restoration before the times of the Gentiles had run their course.

Thirdly, all the prophecies of the Old Testament about the blessing and restoration of Israel after the exile find their fulfillment in Christ and His Church. If you doubt this, try this simple experiment: go through the New Testament and find every Old Testament citation and note how the New Testament interprets the Old. You will find that the New Testament writers apply to Christ and His Church the prophecies where God promises to bless Israel in every single instance. It is not that the Church has replaced Israel. It is simpler than that: the Church is Israel. In Romans 11:1-12, Paul makes the point that in the days of Old Testament apostasy such as in the days of Elijah when most of Israel worshipped the Baals, the true Israel consisted of the small remnant who remained faithful to God. Paul says that it is same now in his day with Christ: now that most of Israel has apostasized and rejected Christ, the true Israel consists of the small remnant who remain true to God and Christ. That is why Paul refers to the Church as “the commonwealth of Israel” in Ephesians 2:12 and as “the Israel of God” in Galatians 6:16. The Jews who rejected Christ were not true Israel any more than the worshippers of Baal were. God’s promises to bless His people Israel were fulfilled in the blessing upon the Christians, whether they were Jew or Gentile.

What then about the modern State of Israel? By anyone’s figuring it is a source of tragedy. Even before the creation of the State of Israel, Capt. T.E. Lawrence (i.e. “Lawrence of Arabia”) who knew the situation intimately prophesied, “If a Jewish state is to be created in Palestine, it will have to be done by force of arms and maintained by force of arms amid an overwhelming hostile population”. The Jewish state was indeed created by force of arms, and is indeed maintained by force of arms (i.e. by a perpetual war against the Palestinians), and represents an insoluble problem and deadly conflict in the heart of the Middle East. It was created as a sop to western consciences after the sinful catastrophe that was the Holocaust. Some have said that whether or not the sop was worth it can only be judged by those who suffered in that catastrophe. Maybe and maybe not. What also cannot be known is how the modern State of Israel may be used by God to accomplish His purposes in the future. What can be known is the meaning of the Scriptures. And from the Scriptures it is clear that, whatever its use to God in the days to come, the State of Israel has nothing to do with the prophecies of the Bible. Christian Zionism therefore may take its place among the discredited detritus of history, alongside such classics as The Late, Great Planet Earth.

Used with permission.
Comments
Bonnie Belknap 5/13/2024 1:09 am
I happened upon this article, and I find it to be sad and disturbing. I am unsure about his interpretation of prophecy; he may very well be correct on that score. As far as debates concerning when the Lord Jesus Christ will return, I find them to be extremely foolish since the Lord said only the Father knows. As a convert to Orthodoxy, I love everything about the Orthodox Church, except the ugly anti-Jewish and anti-Israel sentiment expressed by the leadership. The fact of the matter is that the Palestinians could have had their own state 24 years ago. It was offered to Arafat on a silver platter, and he rejected it. Therefore, I have absolutely no sympathy for the Palestinians. They have never wanted peace. Laying aside prophecy interpretation, which is always a rocky road, and laying aside the Orthodox notion that the Jews are lost and Christians are the new Jews (I've always wondered what God thinks about those decrees, since salvation of the Jews is actually up to him, not us), there is the matter of reasonableness and fairness, which seems to have been forgotten. Israel has been a nation for 47 years. And it is a very small SLIVER of land, which was given to them by a legal process. I think it particularly egregious that Palestinian Chrisians and other Arab Christians are just as bloodthirsty towards Jews and Israelis as their Muslim neighbors. It makes me believe they never truly converted at all. The fact remains that the Orthodox Christians in the region are supposed to be leading Orthodox lives. We follow St. Porphyrios, who said "people can speak to us however they want" let alone how the Lord Jesus Christ suffered indignities. If he'd been like Orthodox, and Catholic for that matter, Christians, he would have had his disciples take up arms when he was arrested to break him out of jail. We follow the Russian saint who chased after the robbers saying, "you forgot these." Our homeland is not to be on earth or anywhere on earth. I think that the Orthodox Christian, especially the leadership, who have been so ungracious and bigoted in their attitude towards Jews and Israelis, are going to have some explaining to do at the judgment seat of Christ. Because rather than shining a light so Israelis could be converted to Christianity, you projected nothing but hate and cruelty. Be fair. Be kind.Be gracious.Be Orthodox Christian. Let the Israeli Jews have their little sliver of land, and stop encouraging the Muslim and Christian Arabs in their murderous rage.
Deborah Pendleton 12/6/2023 1:54 pm
In the Orthodox Christian authored book of the end times Ultimate Things the Antichrist will be a Muslim. I converted to Orthodoxy 23 years ago because the services reminded me of Jewish services I attended because my father was Jewish. I had no inkling the Orthodox Church was so antisemitic. I disagreed with everything about the Catholic theology I was raised in but as it turns out I think they have correct theology about Judaism. That’s ironic because it was the Catholic church who burned several of my Jewish ancestors at the stake. I attended an Antiochian church for almost 15 years and my daughter’s godparents were from Palestine. Despite the high level of education and affluence of the many Palestinians at this church they were shockingly virulent in their antisemitism. I found the same poison in the Russian Orthodox Church with their infection of Jacob Brafman’s antisemitic works. It’s been very disappointing to see how little people know about the region. I lived in the Middle East and studied its history yet I think most people swallow simplistic propaganda.
Devin6/13/2018 5:13 am
Good article and Anthony is correct in that their messiah will be the anti-Christ. According to Orthodox Judaism, their messiah must arrive on the scene by the year 6000 in the Jewish calendar to fulfill prophesy. That is about 225 years from today. Therefore, I do believe we are living near the End Times.
The only point I may quibble with the article is that, from my understanding, the Zionist State was planned many years prior to World War II. In fact, its origin begins in the 19th century. Much of what we have witnessed in BOTH world wars set the stage for the arrival of the state of 'Israel'.
Jackson6/12/2018 10:09 am
Rob M: I don't think anyone here is making a point against the sliver of vast desert being inhabited by a civilized Western-style democracy, or Israelis receiving Nobel Prizes. But is that an end in itself? I think Christians have to take a sober view of the cost of human lives involved in maintaining that sliver. For whose sake? For Christ's sake? Anyway it is a very complicated problem for Christians.
Rob M6/12/2018 4:45 am
Yes a tragedy indeed that one small sliver of a vast desert,both literal and metaphorical, is inhabited by a civilized Western-style democracy. Look up how many Nobel prizes have been awarded to Israelis and how many to the Mohammedan of any land. Israel may or may not be the fulfillment of a prophecy, but it is the only land the Jews may call their own. Do you think that Iran's constant chant of "Death To Israel!" is a simple turn of phrase, like a baseball fan calling out "Kill the ump!"? Then look this up -- count the number of churches and mosques in Israel, then count the number of synagogues and churches in Saudi Arabia. Actually do that FIRST -- it will be a LOT easier.
Anthony6/11/2018 6:58 pm
The tragic thing about the Jews is that their ''messiah'' is none other than the antichrist as Christ Himself said - ''I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive''. And this is why they are preparing to welcome him through the destruction of the mosque of omar and the rebuilding of the temple, as their antichrist messiah won't come until this has been reconstructed. So the Christian zionists alongside the Jewish Zionists are the greatest threat to world civilisation since they both seek the coming of some messiah who will lead the world to perdition. And this in a nutshell is why heresy and ecumenism so abhorrent. Oy vey.
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