Christian Zionism

Christian Zionism is the belief that God will restore the nation of Israel to the Promised Land. Then, after the second coming and during the Millennial reign of Christ, Jesus will be ruling from Jerusalem. This view of Israel is supported by the Bible when the Bible is interpreted literally, as it should be. This fulfills the promises made in Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 36, also Jeremiah 31:31-34 is quoted in Hebrews 8:8-12. Then we find John 3:5-7 referring to Ezekiel 36:25-27. The Bible speaks of God bringing His people to the Promised Land to live forever, Jeremiah 31:35-40; Ezekiel 36:1-24; 36:28-38.

A Zionist supports the return of the Jews to their homeland. It is a movement to establish the religious and political state for the Jews in the land of Palestine. Anti-Zionism, of course, is just the opposite. Anti-Zionists believe that God is done with Israel and will not be re-establishing Israel again.

Christian Zionism is different than Replacement Theology. Replacement theology teaches that God has ended His relationship with Israel because of her rejection of Jesus as the Messiah and so the church has now replaced Israel and has become the new Israel. The church has inherited the blessings promised to Israel but the judgments and curses still remain with the Jewish people.

Christian Zionism teaches that the covenant with Abraham is still valid today and there still remains a time in the future that Israel will be restored to her homeland with Jesus setting up his Millennial kingdom after His second return.

Pew Research Center says 63 percent of white evangelicals believe in Christian Zionism. Christian Zionism is popular in most evangelical churches, Assemblies of God, Pentecostals, charismatic, independents, and Southern Baptist churches. However, many of the Southern Baptist churches are anti-Zionists and believe in Replacement Theology or Supersessionism. These anti-Zionist twist the UN resolutions and international laws to support Palestinians against Israel. However, there are no international conventions, UN resolutions, nor any agreements between the parties for a right to return. These anti-Zionists claim that Christian Zionism is detrimental to peace between Palestine and Israel. That Israel is engaged in colonialism and militarism.

It is Christian Zionists that see the regathering of the Jews in the land of Israel as a fulfillment of biblical prophecy. They see the Jewish people as God's chosen people and that God will fulfill the promises He made to His chosen people, including the promises of restoration to their homeland in the Abrahamic Covenant. Christian Zionists see Bible prophecy being fulfilled and realize that God will establish Israel as a nation forever in Palestine and will one day return and rule over the world from Jerusalem.

Those who believe in Christian Zionism know that God doesn't endorse all the actions of Israel and her leaders since most of the Jews live in unbelief. Neither do they feel it necessary to support all the polices of the political agenda of Israel. However, Christian Zionists do understand the biblical teaching that God will defend Israel despite their unbelief. The Bible teaches that there will be a future full restoration of Israel when Israel comes to a place of national repentance during the tribulation. When Israel is restored to her land the Bible says that the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord, Luke 12:35-40; 17:26-30; 18:8 Acts 15:14-17; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Titus 1:11-15.

Dispensationalists and Premillennialists believe the Bible says what it means in a literal or plain-sense interpretation of the Bible. They believe that the Church will be taken out of the world at the rapture or be caught up in the air to go to heaven, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. All the nations will come against Israel, Zechariah 14:2; 12:9. At the end of the Tribulation all Israel will be saved, Romans 11:25-26, which is one purpose of the Tribulation.

The Dispensational and Premillennial viewpoint denies that God has replaced Israel with the Church or forever rejected Israel, as Replacement Theology, Supersessionism, and Christian Palestinianism teach, Romans 11:1-2. A preservation of the Jewish people was prophesied in Jeremiah 20:11; 31:35-57. Contrary to Replacement Theology, Supersessionism, Christian Palestinianism, and others, the Jews have not been set aside by God because of their unbelief. God's Word maintains three ethnic divisions in the New Testament called, the Jews, the Gentiles, and the Church, 1 Corinthians 10:32; Romans 11:1-2. The Bible tells us that all Israel will be saved, Romans 11:26, so God is not through with the Jews. Scripture also says that the blindness of Israel to God's truth is only temporary, Romans 11:25,

Some say the Jews were put out of the land because of their unbelief. The Abrahamic covenant gave Israel a land as an everlasting covenant. The Land Covenant was also given as an everlasting covenant. Because they were evicted from the land for disobedience, they still hold title to the land today,
Psalms 105:6-11, O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen. He is the LORD our God: his judgments are in all the earth. He hath remembered his covenant forever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations. Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant: Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance:

Scriptures tell us that the land belongs to the Jews and that they will be regathered to the land, even while in unbelief, in the end, times, Isaiah 11:10-12; Romans 11:25-26. This regathering began in 1948 and continues today. Many say this could not be an act of God, but as we have seen, it is Bible prophecy. We can also see that the Jews did not steal the land from the Palestinians, and the nation of Israel is not an accident but is in the plans of God. The Bible says that God has chosen Zion, Psalms 132:13. The Bible also says that the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob, Psalm 87:2. Notice that the word Zion refers to the land of Israel, Jerusalem, or the people of Israel.