Christian Zionism: Do I support Israel?

Throughout the twentieth and the twenty-first centuries, we have witnessed a number of Christian individuals and collective entities that have a "pro-Israel" mindset.  These Christians tend to support the present State of Israel on the basis that they are considered to be "God's chosen people."  This concept being of "chosen" is what drives many sincere and well-meaning Christians to lend their support to the present governmental and political entity which calls itself  "Israel."  They believe that by supporting Israel, that they are acting in accordance with God's plan for Israel and for the world as a whole.

This writer has a different take on the issue.  Let me begin, however, by attempting to put things into proper biblical and historical perspective.  There is no intent, whatsoever, on my part to speak against Judaism, and for that matter, against any religion.  I have respect for people of all religious traditions.  Furthermore, the Hebrew/Jewish faith is the parent faith of my own faith, i.e. the Christian faith, and it would then, be not only blasphemous, but also preposterous to speak against the Jewish faith.

In a biblical/theological perspective, the term "Israel" refers to the biological descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  It was to these individuals and their descendants that Yahweh God promised the land of Canaan. In the Christian Scriptures (New Testament), the Apostle Paul, in his letters to the Roman and Galatian Churches states that those promises are now passed on those who whether Gentile or Jew, profess Jesus the Christ (the Yeshua Hamasiach of Israel) as Lord and Savior.  He states that the Gentiles who embrace Christ are now "ingrafted" into and made recipients of those promises.  He is not advocating for what some present-day Christians call "replacement theology," but rather a theology of incorporation, a theology which includes Gentiles by virtue of faith, in those promises that were made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the patriarchs of the Hebrew/Jewish nation and faith.

One of the many reasons why Christians support Zionism is because Zionism, since its inception as a movement in the 1800's, under the influence and leadership of Theodore Herzl, emphasized a "homeland" for the Jews.  Many Christians tend to take that as a fulfillment of the divine promise that Israel would return to her land.  They do not realize that those promises of returning had absolutely nothing to do with the Zionist movement or with what happened in 1948 with the establishment of the modern-state of Israel.  Those promises, which included the rebuilding of the Temple, were fulfilled when the Jewish people returned from their exile in Babylon.  After that, there is never any mention in Scripture, about promises for a future restoration of national Israel.  Jerusalem was destroyed in the year 70 C.E. (or A.D., depending on one's historical frame of reference) and the Jews (Abraham's biological descendants) were scattered throughout different lands and nations, including, but not limited to, Eastern Europe.

The Zionist movement was started as a result of the mistreatment of people of European background who had embraced the Jewish faith.  This movement emphasized, not from a biblical/theological perspective, but rather from a perspective of "reparation," the notion of a homeland for Jewish people because of their displacement.  This movement was not a theologically-based, but rather a humanist and secular-based  endeavor.  Later on, certain sectors in Judaism and Christianity gave it a biblical/theological twist, utilizing the Scriptures of both the Old and New Testaments to justify the establishment of the State of Israel with the subsequent uprooting and displacement of the Palestinians who had been living there for centuries.

There are some who believe that the land of Palestine was given to the Jews as a "consolation prize" for both their historical displacement and for the Holocaust in Germany.   I will not enter into a discussion or debate the merits of that position.

I will say, that I do not believe for one single second, that there is any biological or historical continuity between biblical Israel (Abraham's biological offspring) and the entity which today is called "Israel."  If anyone can, on the basis of Scripture or history, demonstrate otherwise, and take me out of my error, I would be most grateful and indebted to that person for the rest of my life.

Do I support Israel? I definitely do.  Having said that, however, I need to clarify just exactly who am I referring to when I say "Israel."  When I say that I support "Israel," I am referring to the "Israel" of God, i.e. Abraham's biological descendants together with the Gentiles who have claimed and professed Christ.  The Apostle Paul reminds us that the "true Jew"  is not merely one who has been circumsized outwardly, but also inwardly, i.e. by operation of the Holy Spirit.  I DO NOT support the entity which calls itself "Israel."  In my humble and personal opinion, that entity is a colonialist, imperialist, and racist (white supremacist) entity which treats with contempt not only our Palestinian sisters and brothers, but also Jewish people who proceed from places other than Europe. Again, if any one can conclusively demonstrate that I am wrong on this, I will stand corrected and revise my position, and apologize for taking this position and making such statements.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.