Keywords: Christian Zionism * Christians Israel * Christian Zionist * Isreal * Replacement Theology * Israel *  Supersessionism

Christian Zionism and Israel

Christian Zionism Opposition

Ever-willing to quickly dismiss the biblical significance of Israel as a nation and the Jews as a people, the opponents of Christian Zionism have identified and labeled God's "everlasting" and "irrevocable" Covenant with Abraham as "conditional". In so doing, they have indirectly called into question the very faithfulness upon which the Abrahamic Covenant was established. Contrary to what the misguided pastorial leadership of Stephen Sizer would have you believe, Christian Zionists are "Biblical advocates" for the Jewish people and the land of Israel. Furthermore, they stand in firm, diametrical opposition to land concessions of any sort involving the forfeiture and/or concession of God's divine province, as it is a sacred manifestation of the promises of God to the people He calls the "apple of His eye". Why is this a cornerstone of Christian Zionist doctrine? One need look no further than the Word of God for the answer to such a question:

"I will gather all the nations And bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there On behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; And they have divided up My land." Joel 3:2

Christian Zionists also seek to stand with Israel, showing her unconditional support, solidarity and love whilst praying for her spiritual return to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who "foreknew" her.

A common opponent of Christian Zionism is the doctrine of Replacement Theology, also known as Supersessionism. The underlying, doctrinal belief that seeks to belittle and discredit the objectives of Christian Zionism is the misguided assertion purporting that the objective of all Christian Zionists is to act as the "catalyst" to the literal fulfillment of Bible prophecy. In some cases, said opponents of Christian Zionism go so far as to falsely accuse Christian Zionists as "extremists" who seek to bring about the end of the world and the return of its Messiah, Yeshua.

Some of Christian Zionism's most staunch opposition, such as Stephen Sizer--arguably Replacement Theology's most misguided and biased spokesperson--identify themselves as "Christian" yet fail to recognize God's biblical commands for Christians to support the Jewish people. In fact, they emphatically reject it as an "error in biblical interpretation". Moreover, in their misguided efforts to make conditional the Abrahamic Covenant, opponents of Christian Zionism claim, in a manner nothing short of blasphemous, that God's promises and covenants with the Jewish people were rendered null and void by their disobedience to God, as well as the New Covenant ushered in by Yeshua. Quite literally, they advance a doctrine purporting the "replacement" of the Jewish people, by the Christian Church, as the "apple of God's eye".

Naturally, "Christian Zionism" gets its origin from the term, "Zionism"--a movement that is considered secular and political in many circles--while entirely biblical in others. Zionists seek to support, facilitate and advance the return of the Jewish people and sovereignty to their native homeland--the land of Israel. Christians who see the regathering of the Jewish people in their land, as well as the establishment of the sovereign nation of Israel in 1948, as the literal fulfillment of biblical prophecy are known as "Christian Zionists".  Christian Zionists see the Jewish people as the "apple of God's eye"--His Chosen people, and hold firm that God's promises, established in the Abrahamic Covenant, remain in effect today.

In previous articles, we have provided extensive, Scriptural support that not only identifies God's Covenant with Abraham as "everlasting" and "irrevocable", it entirely solidifies is as such. Period. To advance any other doctrine outside of and contrary to the Word of God is to place oneself in diametric opposition to it. Now, I ask you, is God a God who backs away from His promises? Is He a God who changes? To answer "Yes" to either is to identify God as "unfaithful". To assert that the Holy One of Israel is a God who needs to "alter" His Divine plan due to a specific outcome, or "condition", is to maintain that such an outcome was unforeseen. In so doing, an attempt to "assassinate" the very character of God--his divine Omniscience--has been indirectly and unsuccessfully made. This puts the origin of said attempt in an unfavorable, untenable position.

The following article provides an in-depth look at the doctrine of Christian Zionism. It's content is the sole opinion of its author, Dr. Booker, and appears here as an instructional tool only. The ministries of Christians Standing with Israel cannot and will not lay claim to its authorship, although we highly-recommend it's premise.

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Christian Zionism and Israel
Dr. Richard Booker
Christian Zionism
 

"Shalom! We are living at a time when Christians and Jews are discovering one another in their shared love for Israel. This has caused a monumental paradigm shift in Jewish and Christian relationships. Whenever there is a shift of such magnitude between people groups, there is a natural and understandable caution as former foes reach out to become friends.
When Jews and Christians begin relating to one another, we experience normal human challenges relating to trust, judging or misjudging one another's motives, and learning to communicate with sensitivity and respect. We must not let these challenges deter us because the risks of remaining separated are much greater than the risks of being united.

Christians who love Israel are often referred to as Christian Zionists. I am a Christian Zionist and there are millions of us around the world. I want to say to my Jewish readers that Bible-believing Christian Zionists are your best friends. But what is a Christian Zionist?

A Christian Zionist is first of all a Christian. The word Christian means many things to many people. The word has become so generic that it has lost its true meaning. While there are many different Christian denominations, and theologies, a biblical Christian is a person who has a personal relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob thorough Jesus. Our faith is not so much a religion as it is a relationship.

Christian Zionists believe that the God of the Bible made an everlasting covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob which is still in force today. Part of the covenant includes the promise of the land that would eventually be called Zion or Israel. We believe that the modern ingathering of the Jewish people back to Zion is a work of God that will bless the whole world.

Zionism and Zionist are words that technically relate to Jews. However, at the first Zionist congress in 1897, Theodore Herzl acknowledged his gentile friends attending the Congress as Christian Zionists. From that time until now, Jewish and Christian Zionists have worked together to fulfill the centuries old dream of "Next Year in Jerusalem".

Christian Zionism actually pre-dates Herzl. The Puritans published many books in the 16th and 17th century declaring that one day the Jews would return to their ancient homeland. In 1587, a Christian Zionist named Frances Kett was burned alive for saying that the Bible promised a return of the Jews to Eretz Israel.

There were many influential Christian Zionists in England and America in the 1800's. Lord Shaftesbury, who led the abolition of slavery in England, proposed the return of the Jews to Palestine under the supervision of the British government. Jean Henry Dunant, the founder of the International Red Cross, established the Palestine Colonial Company to assist Jews in making Aliyah. American minister William Blackstone sent petitions to the United States government requesting American support for the return of the Jews to Palestine. His petition was signed by many prominent American leaders.

William Hechler was the Anglican minister who opened doors for Herzl and won support from the Church of England for sponsoring the return of the Jews to Palestine. The result was the Balfour Declaration written by Christian Zionist, James Balfour.
Christian Zionist organizations in our time are working tirelessly on behalf of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. I will discuss these in future articles."

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Dr. Richard and Peggy Booker are the Founding Directors of the Institute for Hebraic-Christian Studies (IHCS), a non-proselytizing, Christian Zionist educational organization. They have dedicated their lives to educating Christians in their Judeo-Christian heritage and the holocaust, building relations between Christians and Jews, and working tirelessly to give comfort and support to the people of Israel. To learn more about their work and study materials, or to have Dr. Booker speak to your group, contact them at http://rbooker.com.