Christian Zionism Fails the Linear and Circular Test

Christian Zionism is very real and present in our world. Proponents who believe in its mission passionately extend their voices in favor of Israel’s dominance and sovereignty in their God-given homeland. Opponents who disagree likewise extend their voices against this movement.

The challenge of this situation is that both those for, and those against Christian Zionism pull out their Bibles to defend their position. Many have taken sides, while millions look on not sure who to believe, which side to join since both use biblical evidence to justify their beliefs.

To whom should we listen?

Who has the “correct” biblical outlook and why would this biblical outlook be indubitably correct?

Many people may have these genuine questions simply out of sincerity, not wanting to be a proponent or an opponent, but wanting to be on God’s side.

Bible doctrine is circular and linear, as explained in “The Circularity of the Bible” and “The Linearity of the Bible.” These two tests guide perspectives to ensure they are Biblical and will shape God’s view in our understanding.

Synonymous to making laps on a circular track, Bible study, once directed by the Holy Spirit, is unified. With the right interpretation, we can never mess up or break the circle.  With diligence, we are sure to get the full understanding as we take “spiritual” laps searching the scriptures.

Biblical truth is also linear; truth follows a straight line from Genesis to Revelation. If we started in Genesis where the Jews received the promise that they would get the land, can Christian Zionists carry this promise straight to revelation, with no gaps in the doctrine?

Let us test Christian Zionism with the circular and linear test.

Zionism is not a 21^st century movement.  Jewish struggle to return to their promised land is evident during Bible times. They have been captured and displaced in the Bible. The Jews have been sort of a nomadic kind of people, tossed all over the world, trying to find their place.

In the book of Genesis (15), God promised the land to Abraham. Throughout the books of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers, we see God delivering the people, disciplining and teaching them in the wilderness. In Deuteronomy we see Moses coaching them and preparing them to inherit the land, though Moses himself was not allowed to enter the land.

In Deuteronomy 28, Moses gave some conditions associated with the complete inheritance of this land. With obedience, they would receive blessings and would keep the land; with disobedience to God, they would receive cursing and would lose the land. In the book of Joshua, they conquered the land and settled. The rest of the Old Testament shows their inconsistent obedience. God sends prophets to warn them, help and encourage them. According to the conditions of Deuteronomy, eventually God allowed them to be exiled from the land for 70 years, then He later restored them to the land.

So far, we have no gaps. Each word God spoke has been fulfilled.

However, the Bible doesn’t end in the Old Testament it continues into the New Testament. After returning to the land, did the Jews continue in obedience?

Right here Christian Zionism begins to show the first some signs of gaps. The first is that most Christians believe in Jesus as the Messiah, the savior of the world. The Jews do not believe in Jesus as the Messiah and most significantly, they defiantly do not even read the New Testaments.

We can find another contradiction, if we circle back to the Old Testament to help us understand.

What did God ask Moses to build in the wilderness? Yes, a sanctuary (Ex 25:8). Why? It was a type, an example of the real thing, the anti-type, the real sanctuary in heaven (Heb 8:2). During the sanctuary services the people had to kill an unspotted lamb, a type, representing the anti-type Jesus, who would eventually die for their sins as the ultimate sacrifice (Matt 27:51, Heb 4:14, 1 John 2:2, Isaiah 53). Regarding the sanctuary, we can clearly see there is no gap between these Old and New Testament doctrine. In Genesis 3:15, God announced that the Messiah would come to earth. In Exodus, God was preparing the people for the first coming of the Messiah, and Moses confirmed this in his admonition to the people (Deut. 18:15). Isaiah 53 described the event, and Hosea demonstrated the love behind the ultimate sacrifice.

Now most people already know that the Jews rejected the Messiah, and they want nothing to do with the New Testament. Here is the big question, does this Christians push for Zionism make sense for the gospel of Jesus Christ? Christian Zionism, therefore, is an unbiblical combination. Christian and Zionism together bellow contradiction. They are like opposite magnets repelling each other, and some Christians are forcing, pushing, struggling to magnetize them.

Christians Zionists want to see the Jews in their homeland. The Jews want to build a third temple to begin offering sacrifices as they did back of old in the wilderness. Is there a gap in Bible doctrine here? Would this break the doctrine circle for Christians? Of course it would. Would it break the circle for the gospel of Jesus? Of course it would, because Jews do not read the entire Bible, and Jesus is the High Priest and has already made the sacrifice for humanity.

Which leads us to the next test. The linear test. Jesus also took scriptural laps as He referenced many Old Testament scriptures. He pulled from Moses, Kings, Psalms and Isaiah to support New Testament doctrine. That is the beauty of the Bible’s circularity and linearity.  Like a bicycle wheel connecting spokes from one side to the other side but working together in unity.  Since Jesus came and died, does building a third temple conjoin with scripture? Would this action brighten or belittle the gospel? Should Christians support something that belittles or something that brightens the gospel of Christ?

Christians in general love and worship Jesus. Jews in general reject Jesus as Messiah. Can Christian Zionists follow the truth of Jesus Christ and simultaneously honor Jesus in financing and supporting the Jews? Jesus and His offer of salvation is the center of this circle, and He keeps the circle in motion, remove him and the circle crumbles. Most Christians accept Jesus as the center, the ultimate truth; for the Jews this center does not exist. “Can two walk together, except they be agreed? (Amos 3:3).

There are obviously many gaps here because the line of truth stops at the Old Testament for the Jews but for Christians it continues into the New Testament. The Jews designed their own endpoint on the line of truth, and they have no spiritual center with which to form a doctrinal circle.

Everybody is entitled to religious liberty. Jews can believe what they want to believe, but that is not our focus point here. What we are trying to pinpoint is whether Christian Zionism is circular doctrine with no gaps, following the biblical line truth.

Some may think, the Jews don’t read the New Testament, we can read it for them! Certainly, we can, and that is what some Christian Zionists do; they read verses like Romans 11:26 which states “all Israel will be saved” and use this as an excuse to patch up the gaps between Christian belief in Jesus and Jewish disbelief in Jesus.

We can discuss this Romans verse independently, but it doesn’t even make doctrinal sense to begin the discussion when we already found so many gaps, the main one being that Jews do not read the New Testament and ignore Jesus as the center. Can we excuse their disbelief? Do they follow God’s line of truth all the way to revelation?

We can respect their choice, but we cannot support their disbelief. Also, Christian Zionists’ interpretation that God would just save the Jews in their rebellion contradicts, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness?” (1 John 1:9) Each Jew, like any other individual, must willingly come to repentance, confession and new walk in Christ. Salvation is not wholesale; it must be accessed by individuals.

Based on the circular and the linear test, can Chrisitan and Jews join hands in the circular doctrine of Jesus Christ? Can Jews and Christians walk like the “living creatures” (Ezekiel 1) straight forward in the same line of truth simultaneously honoring Jesus and the gospel?

Christian Zionism is a doctrinal contradiction, and it fails both the circular and the linear test.

So where does that leave us? Do we just say the Jews are done for because they are disobedient??

Daniel and Revelation detailed the events preceding the second coming of Jesus, and nowhere in those books, is an indication that the Jew must return to their homeland as a prerequisite for Jesus to return.

However, heaven did solicit our help.

In Matthew 28:18 – 20, Jesus gave us the commission to go evangelize the world.

Every Christian follower of Jesus has a responsibility to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with all people, including the Jews. The Bible says all have sinned, but by grace we are saved through faith (Eph 2:8). Many Jews have already come to join the circle of Bible doctrine and follow God’s line of truth, and others will make the choice for Christ.

Our Christian mission is not to help dishonor the suffering of Jesus by helping Jews to building a third temple. Our Christian mission is to evangelize Christ and preach the gospel to all the world then the end will come.

I am praying we will be ready when the end comes.