The Theological Background of Christian Zionism
Part III — Reconsideration

"The Apple of His Eye" — Zechariah 2:8

Of fundamental importance to all Christian Zionists is the belief that the Jews are God's "Chosen People" — the "Apple of His Eye". This belief, widely supported throughout both the Hebrew Tanakh and the New Testament, is centered on the biblical description of the Jews as a people who have been "set apart as holy":

Moreover, several biblical passages describe the Jewish people as being the "Apple of God's Eye", and Christian Zionist dogma reflects accordingly. Scripture lends support for the Jewish people donning such a title on no less than five separate occasions (Deut. 32; Psa. 17; Prov. 7; Lament. 2; Zech. 2):

The Hebrew prophets — custodians of the Covenant

A cornerstone of Christian Zionist dogma is biblical prophecy. In both the Hebrew Tanakh and New Testament can be found a plethora of writings — many of which were written thousands of years ago by Hebrew prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel — which foretold of an ingathering, in the latter days, of the Jewish people in their biblical homeland; a restoration of the Jews to Eretz Israel.

The Hebrew prophets served as "custodians" of the covenant between God and Abraham, each tasked with communicating an essential message to the House of Israel. Exegeses of the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and Ezekiel reveal a common, divine pattern in their warnings: each foretold of God's impending divine punishment for continued disobedience, idolatry, and unwillingness to repent. Yet these prophetic warnings were routinely followed by prophecies through which God promised deliverance and redemption — such can only be the nature of a God who remains faithful to His promises.

The importance of God's faithfulness cannot be overstated. Simply put, the answer to many of today's essential questions pertaining to Israel and the Jewish people may be effectively linked to the faithfulness of God — the One who is called "Faithful and True" (Rev. 19:11, 22:6) to His promises. Biblical prophecy is accurate when it is viewed and interpreted through the "prism" of God's faithfulness.

May 14, 1948 — Israel reborn as a nation

While opponents of Christian Zionist dogma see little value in the biblical parallels that exist between Israel and prophecy, few can deny the clear and present significance of what the prophet Isaiah foretold thousands of years ago. Isaiah 66:8 represents prophecy that unfolded before the very eyes of this generation — a foreshadowing of a time when Israel, as a nation, shall be reborn. The circumstances and reality of what happened on May 14, 1948 simply cannot be overlooked. For thousands of years — a time in which the Jewish people were scattered and dispersed across "the four winds" (Isaiah 43:5–6) and left without a homeland — no other historical event can come even remotely close to resembling what the prophet Isaiah foretold nearly 2,700 years ago:

Biblical scholars far and wide — some of whom are opponents of Christian Zionist belief — cohesively recognize the declaration of Israel as a sovereign nation on May 14, 1948 as the single most definitive fulfillment of prophecy in the modern era. As Dr. David Reagan, founder of Lamb and Lion Ministries, so eloquently states:

Jerusalem reunified — Six-Day War, 1967

Christian Zionists also consider the Jewish reunification of Jerusalem in 1967, as a result of the Six-Day War, as another example of modern prophecy fulfillment. This surrounds the prophecy spoken by Christ in the Gospel of Luke:

Christian Zionists maintain that for the first time since their dispersion — a period encompassing over 2,000 years of non-Jewish dominion — Jerusalem's sovereignty was once again returned to the Jewish people in 1967.

In addition to biblical prophecies already fulfilled, the doctrine of Christian Zionism looks to several prophecies yet to be fulfilled — and Christian Zionists assert that a portion of said prophecies are unfolding in the present. One such prophecy can be found in the book of Zechariah:

Considering the nature of and circumstances surrounding the current Middle East peace talks — specifically, the "final status" issues concerning Jerusalem, as well as the overwhelmingly biased international pressure on Israel to divide her Jewish capital — a justifiable argument may be made surmising that there may be no better time to defend the legitimacy of this prophecy's imminence than now. Pursuant with Zechariah's prophecy, Christian Zionists emphatically believe that God will render judgment upon those nations who align themselves against Jerusalem.

The War of Gog and Magog — Ezekiel 38

Another prophecy yet to be fulfilled — on which Christian Zionists keep a watchful eye — can be found in the book of Ezekiel. This is an event commonly known as the "War of Gog and Magog". Written approximately 500 years before the time of Yeshua, Ezekiel's 38th chapter foretells of the emergence of an Iranian-Russian alliance that will bring war "against the mountains of Israel". Christian Zionists also believe, pursuant with Ezekiel's prophecy, that the aforementioned alliance will garner the support of a host of smaller nations including Turkey, Libya, and Sudan. Ezekiel states that the enemies of Israel will cover the Holy Land "as a cloud" — and the world will see that Israel is seemingly on the verge of annihilation. However, the prophecy confirms that the enemies of Israel will be eradicated on a level that is unfamiliar with recorded history:

Finally, Christian Zionists hold sacred the prophetic foretelling of Israel's redemption, examples of which can be found in both the Hebrew Tanakh and the New Testament:

It is with this prophecy that Christian Zionist dogma is aligned in its belief that the salvation of Israel follows God's divine timetable. Furthermore, Christian Zionists maintain that it is a prophecy indicative of not only God's mercy and love, but of His faithfulness to His promises as well.

As previously stated, Christian Zionism rises and falls on the "irrevocable" (Rom. 11:29) and "everlasting" (Gen. 17:7) nature of the Abrahamic Covenant, found in the book of Genesis. God's unconditional covenant with Abraham can be effectively broken down into three essential components.

First, God promised Abraham personal blessings:

Second, God promised Abraham and his descendants a great land — to make him a "great nation":

Third, the final component consists of God's promise to bless others through Abraham:

Christian Zionists — watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem

The backbone of Christian Zionism consists of a Biblical "mandate" under which Christians are directed, by the Lord, to bless His people. Christian Zionists know that God blesses those who seek to bless His people, and curses those who would curse them. The mandate of Christian Zionism consists of numerous Scriptural passages found in both the Hebrew Tanakh and the New Testament:

Christian Zionists willfully and joyfully act as the "watchmen" appointed by God to never keep silent "for Zion's sake". They seek to honor this by "educating the nations" in the cultivation of a sound, Biblical doctrine that recognizes not only the Biblical significance of the Jewish people, but God's command to serve, support and love them as well. Christian Zionists also fulfill their roles as "watchmen" when they become intercessors through unceasing prayer on Israel's behalf. Today, several Christian Zionist organizations in Israel — such as CFI (Christian Friends of Israel) and Bridges for Peace — serve and love the Jewish people unconditionally.

The theological foundation of Christian Zionism is predicated upon the faithfulness of God to His promises — specifically, those found in the Abrahamic Covenant. This represents a formidable obstacle for Replacement Theologians — those who would maintain that God is "finished" with the Jewish people — who, as a result of their disobedience and rejection, can no longer be called the "Apple of His Eye". God's faithfulness not only discredits Replacement Theology, it completely renders it as a position that is as unbiblical as it is untenable.

In response, the Christian Zionist would ask: what if God is a Faithful God? What if the Holy One of Israel is an omniscient God — knowing beforehand the transgressions and backslidings of His people? What if God is a God of forgiveness and mercy? Are these not the fundamental character attributes of our Divine Creator? If we truly know God as such, then how is it we've failed to acknowledge His promises accordingly? Is our God a God who would intentionally facilitate a Covenant with a people He chose [Deut. 7:6–8], label it as "everlasting" [Gen. 17:7–8] and "irrevocable" [Romans 11:29], with the full knowledge that He would nullify said Covenant at a later time when His people failed to live up to it — a failure of which He knew beforehand?

If God is truly "faithful", and He is [1 Cor. 1:9; Lament. 3:23; Psa. 86:15], then He is faithful to His promises. To accept this biblical truth is to acknowledge that God's covenantal promises to the Jewish people remain alive. In so doing, one can see that the doctrine of Christian Zionism is not indicative of "extremism", but of a manifestation and implementation of a sound, theological doctrine predicated upon Scriptural truth.

Fallacious misconceptions aside, both skeptics and opponents of Christian Zionism would be hard-pressed to deny one basic truth: the roots of Christianity are entirely Jewish. To deny, disregard, or even downplay the Hebraic roots of the Christian faith would be to compromise its very identity. The Word of God — in which can be found the very reason for the hope shared by all Christians — was written by Jewish hands, originally spoken with Jewish tongues, and delivered to the nations on the heels of Jewish feet.

To acknowledge and accept this as fact is to acknowledge the infallible nature of God's Word. To accept this as truth is to acknowledge that Gentiles, even in this day, owe the Jewish people a debt of gratitude that is as colossal as it is just. Indeed, it is time that Christians everywhere acknowledge that our 2,000 year history has done a most grievous injustice to the Jewish people. It is time to recognize and obey our Savior's commandment to be known by our love — a love on which it is neither our place to attach condition nor assign longevity. In so doing, we can see Christian Zionism not as a "fundamentalist movement", but as an unflinching and passionate desire — in both word and deed — to share our hope with the very people who gave it to us: