The Biblical Foundation of Christian Zionism - CUFI

TheBiblicalFoundationofChristianZionism

CHR I S T I A N S U N I T E D F O R I S R A E L

ACUFIPRIMER:

“ChristiansupportforIsraelstartswiththeBible,isstrengthenedbyanunderstandingofhistoryandenduresbecauseofourcommitmenttoJudeo-Christianvalues.”

–PastorJohnHagee,CUFIFounderandChairman

DebtofGraFtudeChris&answhosupportIsraeldosobecausetheyacknowledgethistruth: Judaism did not come to an end with the death andresurrec&on of Jesus Christ—nor was it displaced by the birth ofChris&anity. Without Jesus who was a Jewish Rabbi, nor theapostleswhowereJewishdisciplesofJesus,northewri&ngswhichGod’s Spirit inspired andwrote through Jewishmen that becametheBible,Chris&answouldhavenofounda&onfortheirfaithatall.

Chris&answhosupportIsraelrecognizethattheyoweadebtofgra&tudetotheJewishpeoplefortheircontribu&onswhichgave

birthtotheChris&anfaith.Regardlessofna&onalityorpeoplegroup,everyChris&anowestheirthankstotheJewsfortheirspiritualinheritance.TheApostlePaultoldChris&ansthousandsofyearsagothattheywerelikewildbranchesthatweregraJedintothetreeoffaithwhichwastheJewishpeople,God’speople,Israel.PaulwarnedChris&ans,eventhen:

Saint Paul Writing His Epistles by Valentin de Boulogne

Butifsomeofthebrancheswerebrokenoff,andyou,beingawildolive,weregraftedinamongthemandbecamepartakerwiththemoftherichrootoftheolivetree,donotbearroganttowardthebranches;butifyouarearrogant,rememberthatitisnotyouwhosupportstheroot,buttherootsupportsyou.

Romans11:17-18

The first part of Pastor Hagee’s remark, that Chris&an Zionism “starts with the Bible,” reflects the Chris&anZionist’s understanding that the Jewish people have a place in the heart of God. And this is not just acommentary about God’s aRtude toward themodern state of Israel. Rather, it is an understanding of God’scharacter.

IsHeaGodwhokeepsHispromisestoHispeople?OrisHeaGodwhochangesHisplanatwillregardlessofHisword?Chris&answho support Israelbelieve that theGodof theBible is apromise-keeping, covenant-keepingGod,whoneverfailsnorforsakesHispeople,betheyJeworGen&le.TheybelievethatGodisfaithful,evenwhenpeopleflounderintheirfaithfulnesstoHim(2Timothy2:13).

God’sBiblicalMandateJustasChris&ansare called to singbasedonmanyPsalms, sotoo are they commanded to pray for the peace of Jerusalem(Psalm122:6).

Chris&ansarecalledtoloveandblessallpeople,buttherearespecificblessingspromisedtobelieversthatare&edtoblessingtheJewishpeople.TheApostlePaulrecordedinRomans:

ForiftheGentileshavebeenpartakersoftheir[theJews]spiritualthings,their[Gentiles]dutyisalsotoministertotheminmaterialthings.”

Romans15:27

Time and &me again Scripture chronicles the principle that Godblesses thosewho bless the Jewish people. Chris&answho supportIsrael takeGod atHiswordwhenHe says that blessingswill followthose who are kind to His people, the Jewish people. They alsoshudderattheflipsideofthecoin:Godopposesthosewhoopposethena&onandpeopleofIsrael.

IntheBookofMa]hew,JesusdescribestheJudgmentoftheNa&ons:

“…‘Lord,whendidweseeYouhungryandfeedYou,orthirstyandgiveYoudrink?WhendidweseeYouastrangerandtakeYouin,ornakedandclotheYou?OrwhendidweseeYousick,orinprison,andcometoYou?’AndtheKingwillanswerandsaytothem,‘Assuredly,Isaytoyou,inasmuchasyoudidittooneoftheleastoftheseMybrethren,youdidittoMe.’”

Matthew25:37-40

Theterm,“Mybrethren”referstotheJewishpeople.Everymanandna&onwillbejudgedinpartonhowtheyhavetreatedtheJewishpeopleandthena&onofIsrael.

GodsumsitupbestinGenesis12:3whenHecallsAbrahamtofollowHimandpromises,“Iwillblessthosewhoblessyou,andtheonewhocursesyouIwillcurse,andinyouallofthefamiliesoftheearthshallbeblessed.”

Promise-Based,NotProphecy-BasedChris&ansupportofIsraelisbasedonthepromisesofGodinScripturethataffirmafuturefortheJewishpeopleand God’s con&nued faithfulness to that na&on, not on prophecies regarding the end &mes or speeding thereturnofChrist.

JesusHimselfsaid“Ofthatdayorhournooneknows”(Mark13:32).EvenaJerteachingHisdisciplesfor40daysaboutthekingdomofGodaJerHisresurrec&on,Jesusdoesnotansweraboutwhenfuturethingswilltakeplace(Acts 1:6). Notably, He also does not deny that God s&ll has a plan thatincludestheJewishpeople-blessedandablessingtoallna&ons.

Chris&ansdonot believe they can speedup the endof days by evenonesecond.Onthecontrary,Chris&ansacknowledgethatonlyGodisincontrolofthe&metableoffutureevents.Healone isresponsibleforthefutureofthena&on,land,andpeopleofIsrael,aswellasthatoftheChurch.

LightUntotheNaFonsGodpromisedintheBiblethatIsraelwouldbealightuntothena&ons(Isaiah49:6).Today,modernIsrael’smedicalandtechnologicalbreakthroughsareblessingallofhumanity.

Asaleadinginnova&ondes&na&onforanincreasingnumberofmul&na&onalcorpora&onsu&lizingIsrael’sover6,000startupsfornewideas,Israelisahubofinnova&on.Thecrea&vityflowingoutofIsraelhasledtobreakthroughssuchastheUSB,iPhonetechnology,thetechnologytocreatewateroutofthehumidityintheair(Watergen),andtheworld’sfirstever3Dprintedheartwithhuman&ssueandvessels.

Inaddi&on,Israelisafrontrunnerinhumanitarianaid,consistentlybeingoneofthefirstresponderstodisastersallovertheworldsuchasdeadlystormsinMozambique,recordfloodinginKerala,andearthquakesandtsunamisinSulawesi.Crea&ng“streamsinthedesert”andcontribu&ngmajormedicalbreakthroughs,Israeltrulyisalightuntothena&onsandcon&nuestomakenewdiscoveriesthatarebrighteningtheworldasweknowitforthebe]ereverysingleday.

FaithtoAcFonChris&ans who support Israelacknowledge the sins of thepastincludingthecomplicityofchurches and Chris&ans duringcenturiesofduringcenturiesofpersecu&on of Jews in thename of Christ. Instead ofmerely mourning the past,Chris&ans who support Israeldemonstrate true repentancebymakinga180-degreeturntodefending the State of Israeland protec&ng the Jewishpeople.

TheytakeDietrichBonhoeffer,aGermanpastorandtheologianwholosthisliferesis&ngNaziGermany,andhiswordstoheart:“Silenceinthefaceofevilisitselfevil:Godwillnotholdusguiltless.Nottospeakistospeak.Nottoactistoact.”