This week I want to focus on the importance of Israel for the Christian. There is a movement called Christian Zionism. This movement began to have traction in the mid 1800’s. Three prominent pastors in the mid 1800’s, Charles Spurgeon, J.C. Ryle, and Horatious Bonar, taught that the promises of God regarding Israel were on the cusp of fulfillment. What is amazing is that they thought God was even then beginning to fulfill His promises to Israel. They believed that God promised to give the land of Israel to Jews in the last days so He could fulfill His plan for the world.

What these pastors saw was a renewal of scriptural teaching regarding the promises of God for His chosen people Israel. They saw God moving Jews back to the land. This movement was called Zionism. Zionism for Jews is simply the desire to return to their own land and have a nation of their own. God scattered Israel fulfilling His judgment, and now He was bringing them back.

‘Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, nor will I so abhor them as to destroy them, breaking My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God. But I will remember for them the covenant with their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God. I am the LORD.” Leviticus 26:44-45

What I appreciate about these men is that they believed the scriptures despite growing up in churches that taught that God was done with Israel. They saw promises like this in Leviticus and believed God instead of church teaching that wrote off the Jews. God says that He will not reject His covenant people. Since the 1800’s Christian Zionism has grown in strength.

“From Balfour to Nikki Haley: A Century of Christian Zionist Support for Israel. Christian Zionism is a belief by Christians that the return of the Jews to their Holy Land and the restoration of the Land of Israel is a promise made by God and in accordance with Biblical prophecy. God promised to restore the Jewish people from their exile and good Christians need to help God fulfill his Biblical promise to the Jews, Oren explained to Breaking Israel News. The idea is that God does not lie. The most famous early Christian Zionist event occurred in 1881, when William Blackstone, author of “Jesus is Coming”, advocated for a Jewish state. He collected more than 400 signatures of prominent American leaders on a petition that was presented to then-President Benjamin Harrison. The petition called for the establishment of a Jewish state in the Holy Land.” cufi.org

God is a great and merciful God who worked both to move the hearts of Jews to return to the land and Christians to pray for their return.

“So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.” Romans 9:18

God was having mercy on the Jews and moving their hearts to return to the land. Christians who had love in their hearts, who loved what God loves, supported the Jews in their return. They also began missions to Jews to show them their Messiah – Jesus! At this time, many enemies of Christian Zionism arose as it is today.

“CONFRONTING CHRISTIAN ZIONISM, ISLAMOPHOBIA, AND ANTISEMITISM. Last month, I shared an image on Facebook of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar with the statement: “We Stand with Ilhan. Palestine will be free.” The powerful image centers Congresswoman Omar, a Black Somali-American Muslim woman in hijab, who has been targeted for her critique of the pro-Israel lobbyist group AIPAC. As a seminarian, I have begun to deconstruct my own Christian Zionist beliefs: I am learning that Ancient Israel was not a modern nation-state, the people of Judah were not the Christian colonizers of the Americas, and the salvation of the Israelites does not look like American intervention in the Middle East to protect fossil fuel companies.” presbypeacefellowship.org

This young seminarian has chosen to deny the promises of God and reject what God is doing on the earth at this time. I wish I could say that this is uncommon.  Unfortunately, it is not! This seminarian will be cursed according to Genesis 12:3.

“And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” Genesis 12:3

What do Christian Zionists believe?

1. God promised to bring Israel back into the land of Israel.  This is the beginning of the last days.  Amos 9:13-15
2. The world will oppose Israel returning to the land. Psalm 2, Joel 3
3. It is the obligation of the nations to support Israel in her return to the land. Jer.31:10
4. God’s covenant with Israel and the land is unconditional, unchanging and eternal. Genesis 17:7-8
5. According to the prophets of the Bible, we are living in the end times and we will see the nations fulfill Daniel 2, 7, and 9!
6. The Gog Magog prophecy is on the verge of fulfillment. Ezekiel 38-39.
7. God will fulfill the new covenant in Israel during the tribulation period. Romans 11:25-27, Jeremiah 31.

“Therefore behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt, but, ‘As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of the north and from all the countries where He had banished them.’ For I will restore them to their own land which I gave to their fathers. Behold, I am going to send for many fishermen,” declares the LORD, “and they will fish for them; and afterwards I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them from every mountain and every hill and from the clefts of the rocks.”  Jeremiah 16:14-16

God is telling us some important facts about Himself in this passage.

1. A day is coming when He will act.
2. He will cause people to say a new thing. He compares what He did in Egypt with what He will do in the future.
3. He says twice that He lives. In other words, He is the One who acts and no one can stop Him!
4. He will bring Jews back to the land of Israel from all over the world.
5. He will send both fisherman for His people and hunters. Why these two? Some will come willingly and some will have to come by force.

In 1864, Charles Spurgeon preached “The Restoration and Conversion of the Jews”, a sermon on Ezekiel 37:1-10.  This passage is about dead bones coming together and coming to life.

“He was talking about the people of Israel, and prophesying concerning them; and evidently the vision, according to God’s own interpretation of it, was concerning them, and them alone, for “these bones are the whole house of Israel.” It was not a vision concerning all men, nor, indeed, concerning any men as to the resurrection of the dead, but it had a direct and special bearing upon the Jewish people.  The meaning of our text, as opened up by the context, is most evidently, if words mean anything, first, that there shall be a political restoration of the Jews to their own land and to their own nationality; and then, secondly, there is in the text, and in the context, a most plain declaration, that there shall be a spiritual restoration, a conversion in fact, of the tribes of Israel.” spurgeon.org

Spurgeon was a Christian Zionist. He was very clear that the scriptures taught that God was going to bring Jews back to the land and he saw it happening in his day! Spurgeon depended on the context of the scripture to teach the scripture! This is why I, and many others, believe that the Bible teaches that God has a plan for Israel in the end times! Unfortunately, Christian Zionists are being called heretics for believing that God is restoring Israel.

“Christian Zionism: The New Heresy that Undermines Middle East Peace. At least one in four American Christians surveyed recently by Christianity Today magazine said that they believe it is their biblical responsibility to support the nation of Israel. Christian Zionism is pervasive within mainline American evangelical, charismatic and independent denominations including the Assemblies of God, Pentecostals and Southern Baptists, as well as many of the independent mega-churches. It is less prevalent within the historic denominations, which show a greater respect for the work of the United Nations, support for human rights, the rule of international law and empathy with the Palestinians. Christian Zionism as a modern theological and political movement embraces the most extreme ideological positions of Zionism. It has become deeply detrimental to a just peace between Palestine and Israel.” middleeastmonitor.com

J.C. Ryle was another preacher in the mid 1800’s who started a mission to reach Jews for Jesus. He was very passionate to remind Christians of their duties to the whole Word of God. He contemplated an imaginary conversation between a Jew and a Christian who did not believe the promises of God. I found it very enlightening.

“But suppose the Jew asks you if you take all the prophecies of the Old Testament in their simple literal meaning. Suppose he asks you if you believe in a literal personal advent of Messiah to reign over the earth in glory, a literal restoration of Judah and Israel to Palestine, a literal rebuilding and restoration of Zion and Jerusalem.  Suppose the unconverted Jew puts these questions to you, what answer are you prepared to make?  Will you dare to tell him that Old Testament prophecies of this kind are not to be taken in their plain literal sense?  Will you dare to tell him that the words Zion, Jerusalem, Jacob, Judah, Ephraim, Israel, do not mean what they seem to mean, but mean the Church of Christ?  Will you dare to tell him that the glorious kingdom and future blessedness of Zion, so often dwelt upon in prophecy, mean nothing more than the gradual Christianizing of the world by missionaries and gospel preaching?  Will you dare to tell him that you think it “carnal” to expect a literal rebuilding of Jerusalem, “carnal” to expect a literal coming of Messiah to reign?  Oh, reader, if you are a man of this mind, take care what you are doing!  I say again, take care.” middletownbiblechurch.org

I stand with Spurgeon and Ryle that the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Micah, Zephaniah, Zechariah, and Malachi all predict that the Jews will be restored to their land, restored as a favored nation, prosper economically, politically, militarily, and spiritually come to the Lord in an amazing salvation experience! Scripture is absolutely clear that God is moving to fulfill all of His promises to Israel!

I appeal to you Christian to consider the heart of God for His people Israel. Can you find it in your heart to love Israel as our God does? Listen to this verse:

“Is Ephraim My dear son? Is he a delightful child? Indeed, as often as I have spoken against him,

I certainly still remember him; Therefore My heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him,” declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 31:20

Does your heart yearn for Israel? Consider our brother Paul who said:

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them (Israel) is for their salvation.” Romans 10:1

Listen to the heart of our God in Romans 11.

“From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” Romans 11:28-29

It is very important for us to realize, Christian, that God loves Israel. He is even now fulfilling His promises. We are so privileged to live in the day that God is fulfilling prophecies written over 2000 years ago! Pray with me for the peace of Jerusalem, for God to give His land back to His people. If God keeps His promises to Israel, He will keep His promise to you! The Rapture of the church is right around the corner my friends, pray hard and be ready for His coming. Blessings to all of you!        www.joemaggelet.com