You are a complicated fellow! I will take the time, because I think YOU will understand, and I hope you will not be close-minded. I will try to not be as well.
"Christian Zionism" could be called Christian support for Zionism because of the belief in the abiding relevance of the promise God made to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
Christian Zionists tend to see themselves as defenders of, and apologists for, the Jewish people, and in particular, the State of Israel. This support involves opposing those deemed to be critical of, or hostile toward Israel.
I have grave problems with a "Christian Zionist" who is only interested in helping God fulfill His prophetic plan through the physical and political Israel, rather than helping Him fulfill His evangelistic plan through the Body of Christ. BUT, I also know the prophecies for the end of the age, and I know that this "physical and political" part must be fulfilled. I am simply pointing out the prophecies and hoping that America will "at least" stand by Israel so they will not be on the wrong side of the Genesis 12:3 verse above! What I "wish" would happen in the meantime, is that so-called "Christian Zionists" would be busy carrying about the evangelistic plan for the Jewish people AND the Palestinian people as well! BOTH of these need Jesus.
A Jewish fellow wrote, "If Yitzak Rabin could stand in front of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem people and other "Christian Zionists" who only care about the fulfillment of physical and political prophecy, he would say 'You loved me? Do you know where I am going to spend eternity because of your ‘love’? Jesus was my Messiah. He died for me. He was one of my people, and you did not want to tell me about Him, because you ‘loved’ me?'"
Sure there has been a "Christian Zionist" movement since the late 1800's. I guess you can "humanize" all the actions that it took to have Israel become a state again and say they have a "God-given" right to this land, but how would you have it done? Suppose that God had ordained that Israel would return to the homeland. Do you think He would simply wave a magic wand, and "poof", the Jews would simply appear there? It is usually man's actions and beliefs that spawn the fulfillment of prophecy. Who cares that evangelical William Blackstone advocated the reestablishment of a Jewish state and circulated a petition urging the United States to return the land of Palestine to the Jewish people in 1891? It was signed by 413 Christian and Jewish leaders and through the State Department was distributed to the principal nations of the world. During World War I, Blackstone urged a new petition on Woodrow Wilson, and in 1918 he was invited to address a "Zionist" meeting in Los Angeles. How do you think things happen? Just because some people don't agree to your interpretation of Scripture, do they not have a right to pursue things they think are "right"? Can God not use unaware people to accomplish the fulfillment of Scripture? When Israel became a state in 1948, prophetically-minded Christians viewed it as a miracle of God, and you view it as a manipulation by "Zionists". You are BOTH right! What you call "Christian Zionism", you believe is a erroneous political philosophy based on a false interpretation of the Bible which states that Palestine is the Jew's special piece of land which totally ignores the rights of the Palestinian people, and that the Jews forfeited their "right" to the "promised land" by their unfaithfulness many years ago. Does that about cover your position? Well, do you not find it the least bit curious that our interpretation of how the end of the world will come about with a 7-year Tribulation, and a 200 million man army, and a one-world government, religion, and currency, and an identification system for the hand (or finger print?) and forehead(or iris scan?), and information being able to be "seen" by the whole world at once, and Russia, China, and most of the Arab countries aligning against Israel for a final battle, and conditions that will bring a one-world leader called the antichrist whom all will follow, and weird weather patterns, and increased earthquakes, and, and, and . . . . sure does "seem" to be coming to pass? Are "Christian Zionists" "making" all of these things happen just so they can put forth a false interpretation of Scripture?
I am going to quote from a paper written by a Jewish Christian someone gave me:
In Judaism there are two pictures of the Messiah: HaMashiach ben David, the Messiah the Son of David and HaMashiach ben Yosef, the Messiah the Son of Joseph. The son of Joseph is the suffering servant Messiah of Isaiah 52 & 53. The son of David is the conquering King Messiah, who sets up the Kingdom.
The rabbis in the Talmud understood that the Messiah was to be both in the character of David and in the character of Joseph. Joseph was betrayed by his Jewish brothers into the hands of Gentiles. God took that betrayal, turned it around, and made it a way for all of Israel and all the world to be saved.
Jesus, the son of David, was betrayed by His Jewish brothers into the hands of Gentiles. God took that betrayal and turned it around and made it a way for all Israel and all the world to be saved.
Joseph was the beloved son of his father. Jesus, the son of Joseph, was the beloved son of His Father. Joseph knew the wickedness of his brothers. Jesus, the son of Joseph knew the wickedness of His brothers. Joseph was condemned with two criminals, and as he prophesied, one lived, and one died. Jesus, the son of Joseph, was condemned with two criminals, and as He prophesied, one lived and one died. They brought Joseph’s tunic to prove he was not in the pit. They brought Jesus’ shroud to prove He was not in the tomb. Joseph went from a place of condemnation to a place of exaltation in a single day. Jesus, the son of Joseph, went from a place of condemnation to a place of exaltation in a single day. When Joseph was exalted every knee had to bow to him, and when Jesus is exalted, every knee shall bow to Him. Joseph was betrayed by his brother Judah (Judas) for twenty pieces of silver. After inflation, the Lord Jesus, the son of Joseph, was betrayed by His brother Judas for thirty pieces of silver.
"And I will pour out upon the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look upon Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him, like the bitter weeping over a first-born" (Zechariah 12:10).
Joseph’s brothers did not recognize him at his first coming. They recognized him at the second and wept bitterly. Jesus’ brothers, the Jews, did not recognize Him at the first coming. They are going to recognize Him at the second, and weep bitterly. The one they rejected and betrayed is the one who is going to save the Jews in the Great Tribulation — the son of Joseph.
From your writings, Emile, I assume you are an amillennialist and a preterist -- you reject the notion of a 1,000 year reign of Christ upon this earth and believe that biblical prophecies were fulfilled in the first 300 years of Christian history.
This an invention of Roman Catholicism with no biblical basis. All of the pre-Nicean fathers held to pre-millennial eschatology and also said that the Apostles held pre-millennial views. It was only after Constantine ‘christianised’ the Roman Empire, making it the religion of the state, that they began saying Israel was spiritualized in the church. The "Kingdom Now" and "Dominionist" stuff you see today is part of the same post-millennialist error that has been around since Constantine’s day. If there is no millennium, Jesus is not the Messiah of the Jews. And if He is not the Messiah of the Jews, neither is He the Christ of the church. A Jewish understanding of eschatology can allow for nothing but pre-millennialism.
The final words of Jesus were:
Now when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord is it at this time that you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know the times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit is come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest parts of the earth.” (Acts 1:6-8).
What the Apostles were saying here is, "When are you going to set up the Kingdom?"
The last thing Jesus said is, "That’s God’s worry. You let God worry about restoring the Kingdom." The Bible never says the Kingdom will be restored to the church. It says the Kingdom will be restored to Israel. Replacement theology (which says that the church has replaced Israel in God’s plan) is false! The Jews going back to Israel is the fulfillment of what Jesus said: Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled (Luke 21:24). It is one of many signs that Jesus gave to let us know that the end is near. If the devil cannot blind people to pre-millennialism and the prophetic purposes of God for Israel and the Jews, he is going to blind them the other way. Instead of worrying about what Jesus said to worry about, they worry about things He said not to worry about!
Jesus is the Bridegroom. The last thing He said is the thing the church is forgetting the most. On the one hand we have people forgetting that the Kingdom must be restored to Israel — that is the post-millennial, Kingdom Now, Replacement Theology types — but on the other hand we have Christian Zionism -- "Lord when are you restoring the Kingdom?" That is God’s worry. What is your worry? Evangelism. Be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest parts of the earth (Acts 1:8). "Christian Zionists" should let God worry about bringing the Jews back to Israel and restoring the Kingdom. They should worry about giving them the Gospel.
There are TWO, distinct things going on here. I am giving you what I think "Christian Zionists" SHOULD be doing, but at the same time, I KNOW God's prophecies WILL be fulfilled, even if they are brought about by "ill-informed" or even "evil" people.
Romans 9:9-11 is the heart of God’s purpose for Israel and the Jews, and the relationship between Israel and the church. National restoration is subordinate to Israel’s salvation. The Jews are being regathered to Israel, not for a blessing, but for the "time of Jacob’s trouble", the Great Tribulation. The regathering of Israel is a sign of the last days. So are famines, wars and earthquakes.
According to Romans, because the gospel was first available to the Jews, the consequences for rejecting it are manifested against them first. The Law is either a blessing that points the people to the Messiah, or it is a curse that will judge them for rejecting Him (Deuteronomy 18:18-19). The Jews are under the curse of the Law. Only Jesus can break that curse, because He became a curse on the cross.
But all mandkind is under the curse of Sin. And, only Jesus can break that curse. I ask you once again, Emile, How do you think a person gets into Heaven? I have not rejected the "new covenant". You seem to be allowing your interpretation of the physical and political prophecies to cloud your judgment of other's spiritual beliefs. I have given you my interpretation of the prophecies, and none of my beliefs excuses Jewish behavior in the past or present -- the Jews killed Jesus! But I also do not let this fact cloud my judgment of the prophecies as they apply to the nation of Israel! I suppose one could have a different view of ALL of this as long as they accepted Jesus as their Savior and asked Him to forgive their sins. I think as the end of the age plays out, they may be in for some shocking revelations, but if they get into Heaven, that is what counts. What do you believe on this most important question, Emile? Is Jesus the ONLY way? I am truly not being confrontational -- I really want to know your thoughts.
I remain,
SOROS |
