the biblical foundation of christian zionism - cufi
TRANSCRIPT
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.”