Zionism - Is God A Zionist?
Pastor Leslie Chua
“I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land.”
In the aftermath of the brutal Hamas attack on Israeli civilians on 7 October and Israel’s retaliatory attack on Gaza, I witness a rise in antisemitic and anti-Israel sentiments throughout the world.
It comes as no surprise to me. This is merely history repeating itself. Israel and the Jews have always been a target of persecution and pogroms throughout history. But I am shocked at the rising tide of anti-Israel feelings and narratives among Christians, especially among those who are discerning the soon return of Christ.
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Among several anti-Israel narratives, Zionism stands out prominently. The argument is Christians ought to reject Zionism. The main objection stems from the fact that Zionism is a secular movement. Some Christians go so far as to say that it is evil because the Rothchild family and the deep state are involved.
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To put it mildly, it is ironic. That is because End-Time biblical prophecies clearly reveal the world’s intense hatred toward Israel and the Jews, which will culminate in the invasions of the Promised Land by many nations and the death of several million Jews.
Among several anti-Israel narratives, Zionism stands out prominently. The argument is Christians ought to reject Zionism. The main objection stems from the fact that Zionism is a secular movement. Some Christians go so far as to say that it is evil because the Rothchild family and the deep state are involved.
In some quarters, it is also alleged that some 97 per cent of the Jews in Israel today are genetically not the real Jews and the Palestinian Arabs have more Jewish blood in them than the Jews.
The conclusion of all this is that God has absolutely nothing to do with Zionism and the modern state of Israel. Therefore, the modern state of Israel is an illegitimate entity and Christians must not support Israel, even in prayer.
I am very concerned with Christians who are persuaded and taken in by such narratives. Some of these arguments might sound factual and logical, but Christians should not accept them unthinkingly without considering them in the light of the biblical revelations.
In this reflection, I would like to address this grave issue by considering the meaning of Zionism and then asking the question of whether God is a Zionist.
Zion, Zionism & Zionist
First, let us begin with Zion. What is Zion? In the Bible, Zion means several things.
Geographically, Zion is one of the hills in Jerusalem on which the city of David was built (2 Samuel 5:7). Zion is also used as a synonym for Jerusalem as well as the land of Israel as a whole (Psalm 102:21; Psalm 147:12).
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For over two millennia before the rebirth of Israel in 1948, Zion stood as a powerful symbol of the longing of the exiled Jewish people for their homeland (Psalm 137:1).
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Spiritually, God dwells in Zion ( Psalm 76:2; Isaiah 8:18) and it is God’s favourite place on the earth (Psalm 87:2; Psalm 132:13-14). Zion is the city of the great King and He rules from Zion (Psalm 48:1-2; Psalm 2:6; Psalm 9:11; Hebrews 12:22).
For over two millennia before the rebirth of Israel in 1948, Zion stood as a powerful symbol of the longing of the exiled Jewish people for their homeland (Psalm 137:1).
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Put simply, Zionism means the effort to get the Jews, who have been scattered throughout the nations, to move back to their ancestral homeland… After the establishment of Israel as a nation in 1948, Zionism becomes an ideology that supports the development and protection of the state of Israel.
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Now that you have a reasonably good idea of the meaning of Zion, let us consider what the term, Zionism, means. Put simply, Zionism means the effort to get the Jews, who have been scattered throughout the nations, to move back to their ancestral homeland. This refers to land that God has given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, or Israel.
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A Zionist is someone who believes that the Jewish people are entitled to a homeland in what is Israel today and that the security and continual existence of Israel as a sovereign country must be guarded.
Following this train of thought, God is a Zionist.
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After the establishment of Israel as a nation in 1948, Zionism becomes an ideology that supports the development and protection of the state of Israel.
Given the definition of Zionism, it follows that a Zionist is someone who believes that the Jewish people are entitled to a homeland in what is Israel today and that the security and continual existence of Israel as a sovereign country must be guarded.
Following this train of thought, God is a Zionist.
God is a Zionist
Perhaps this is the first time you have come across someone claiming that God is a Zionist. It is not a controversial statement and I do not say that frivolously or to catch people’s attention.
Let me show you from the biblical prophecies in the Holy Scripture that Zionism is God’s will. It has been His divine plan all along to bring the Jews in the diaspora back to the land which He had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.
God scattered the Israelites and the Jews to the nations because of their disobedience and rebellion against Him.
But He also promised to bring them back to the Promised Land. There are many such prophetic promises in the Bible, which are explicitly stated in the Old Testament Scriptures and clearly implied in the gospels, epistles, and the book of Revelation.
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Zionism is God’s will. It has been His divine plan all along to bring the Jews in the diaspora back to the land which He had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.
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Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and many other prophets prophesied concerning the regathering of the Jews and the rebirth of the nation of Israel.
Consider one of Jeremiah’s prophecies.
Jeremiah 32:37 (ESV) - Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation. I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety.
Some people might argue that Jeremiah was referring to the return of the Jews from their Babylonian exile. But notice that this prophecy indicates that they will return “from all the countries to which I drove them.” Notice that the Jews would not just be returning from one country but from many countries. So, the reference cannot be the return from the Babylonian exile.
Here is another prophecy from Jeremiah. It contains even more details.
Jeremiah 16:14-15 (ESV) - “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when it shall no longer be said, ‘As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ but ‘As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ For I will bring them back to their own land that I gave to their fathers.
Again, God promised that He would gather the Jews from “out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.”
Jeremiah highlighted the north country. It most likely refers to Russia and the surrounding regions. In recent decades, many Russian Jews have emigrated to Israel. More than a million Jews left Russia following the fall of the Soviet Union.
Jeremiah was even more specific in this prophecy about how God would bring the Jews back from the nations. Look at the next verse.
Jeremiah 16:16 (ESV) - “Behold, I am sending for many fishers, declares the LORD, and they shall catch them. And afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the clefts of the rocks.
First, God would resort to drawing the Jews back to Israel just as fishermen draw in the fish with their nets. This refers to those who returned to settle in Palestine following the Zionist Movement in the early part of the last century. They did so on their own accord.
After that, God would send the hunters to hunt down the rest of them from every nook and corner of the earth. It is a prophetic imagery of the fierce persecution and pogroms against the Jews in various countries. While the Holocaust ranks as the worst pogrom where 6 million Jews were systematically rounded up and liquidated, the Jews suffered more than a thousand pogroms in Eastern Europe, northern Africa, and the Middle East during these few decades. Consequently, many Jews fled to Palestine.
A Stunning Miracle
God is a determined Zionist. He would see to it that the prophecies of the regathering of the Jews and the rebirth of Israel come to pass. On 14 May 1948, Israel was born again. Israel became an independent nation-state and regained sovereign control over the Promised Land after 2,600 years.
How amazing is that!
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God is a determined Zionist.
The Jews had been scattered throughout more than 100 nations for more than 2,000 years. During this time, they were frequently persecuted, assigned to ghettos, expelled from their adopted countries, hunted down like animals, and massacred en masse. Yet, they manage to retain their unique Jewish identity and they survive to this day.
Yet, the Jews remain Jews, and they are back in their God-given land. These two realities are a testimony of God’s power, sovereignty and faithfulness.
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No one can deny that the rebirth of Israel is a stunning miracle. It is undoubtedly the work of the Almighty God. God’s fingerprints are all over this astounding phenomenon.
Consider this fact. The Jews had been scattered throughout more than 100 nations for more than 2,000 years. During this time, they were frequently persecuted, assigned to ghettos, expelled from their adopted countries, hunted down like animals, and massacred en masse. Yet, they manage to retain their unique Jewish identity and they survive to this day. When given the opportunity, they even have the audacity to thrive.
Nothing like that has ever happened before in human history. People groups that were scattered due to wars and conflicts either perished or were quickly assimilated into the surrounding nations. Even the peoples of the mighty empires of the past such as the Babylonians and Romans are no longer in existence today.
Yet, the Jews remain Jews, and they are back in their God-given land. These two realities are a testimony of God’s power, sovereignty and faithfulness.
God continues to be committed to His chosen nation, Israel. He will judge Israel for her sins. The worst lies ahead during the 7-year Tribulation. However, God will preserve her. Ultimately, all the remnants of Israel will be saved (Isaiah 10:22; Romans 9:27), which is one-third of the entire Jewish population at the end of the Tribulation (Zechariah 12:10; 13:8-9).
Answering Two Objections
I shall end this reflection by addressing the 2 specific allegations against Zionism.
First, the allegation that the Zionist Movement is secular. Therefore, it is illegitimate in the eyes of God. So is the modern state of Israel.
This argument is flawed. The fact that the Zionist Movement was started and supported by some highly influential and other very wealthy Jews who were secular does not invalidate the legitimacy of the modern state of Israel in the eyes of God.
God uses all kinds of people to accomplish His will. He uses both good and evil people. He uses both religious and secular people. He uses governments and organisations. It does not matter whether these entities are righteous or corrupt.
Consider how God accomplished His redemptive plan. Jesus was to be the sacrificial Lamb of God. But God did not lay His hands on Jesus. It was the religious leaders who framed Jesus and the Roman authorities that authorised His crucifixion.
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The fact that the Zionist Movement was started and supported by some highly influential and other very wealthy Jews who were secular does not invalidate the legitimacy of the modern state of Israel in the eyes of God.
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So, though Zionism is a secular movement, it played an important role in encouraging Jewish immigration to the Promised Land and in the creation of the modern state of Israel. God used some influential secular Jews with political clout and connections with the British Empire to accomplish His purpose of establishing a homeland for His chosen nation.
Second, the allegation that the majority of the Jews in Israel today are not Jews, genetically speaking. It is pointed out that the Ashkenazi Jews, one of the largest Jewish ethnic divisions in Israel, do not descend from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This is a very serious and troubling allegation if it is true.
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To think that the regathering of the Jews and the rebirth of Israel are such a stunning fulfilment of biblical prophecies and God brought back the wrong people is ludicrous.
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Cutting through the chase, my response is simply this. God could not have been mistaken. He could not have possibly brought fake Jews back to Israel. God knew His chosen people and He knew exactly what He was doing when He brought them back to Israel.
To think that the regathering of the Jews and the rebirth of Israel are such a stunning fulfilment of biblical prophecies and God brought back the wrong people is ludicrous.
God does not make mistakes! You can be certain of that.