bibleprophecyaswritten.com ― BIBLICAL ― ZIONISM “...so that your days and the days of your sons may be multiplied on the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens remain above the earth .” (Deu11:21) Now the angel of the LORD [Jesus, Exo 3:2 - 4] said, "I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land which I have sworn to your fathers; and I said, 'I will never break My covenant with you ’” (Judges 2:1) "But as for Me, I have installed My King [JESUS CHRIST] Upon Zion , My holy mountain ... (Psalms 2:6 - 7) For those who carry their “theology” on signboards, the term “Zionism” is an evil word. But what is Zionism? There is political Zionism, essentially defined as, “a movement for the re - establishment and the development and protection of a Jewish nation in the land of “Palestine” (Biblical Israel).” It was formalized as a political organization in 1897. In 1948 political Zionism led to the establishment of modern Israel. BUT. . . . . A Cancer? Apartheid? Land - grabbing? Illegal Occupation? Colonialism? . . . . . there is also BIBLICAL ZIONISM. When we open our Bibles, Biblical Zionism becomes very prominent. 1. God is a Zionist ― And His tabernacle is in Salem [Jerusalem]; His dwelling place also is in Zion. ( Psa 76:2; also Zec 2:10, 8:2 - 3) 2. Jesus is a Zionist ― Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion ! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey...(Zec 9:9; fulfilled at Jesus’ first coming, Mat 21:5 - 9; cmp , Mat 23:39 & Psa 118:26 for future fulfillment at His second coming). If the Lord God, and the Lord Jesus are both “Biblical Zionists”, what about the Lord’s CHOSEN PEOPLE? Are the Jews (Israel) Zionists also? 1. God Calls His People Israel To ZION― Israel doesn’t just pick up their “political mantle” and rush onward to occupy another people’s land. God “whistles”, “calls” and “shouts” through the voices of His prophets, puts a longing for Zion in the hearts of Israelites, and directly “brings” Israel to Zion. 2. God’s Chosen People Israel are called “sons of Zion”― Joel 2:23, 27 “ So rejoice, O sons of Zion , And be glad in the LORD your God... " Thus you will know that I am in the midst of Israel...” 3. The Lord calls Israel to Zion through the voices of His prophets ― Jer 31:6 (also Isa 52:8; Zec 10:8) "For there shall be a day when watchmen On the hills of Ephraim shall call out, 'Arise, and let us go up to Zion, To the LORD our God.’” 4. The Lord uses the Light and Truth of His Word to draw Israel to Zion― Psa 43:3 (“holy hill” is Zion, Psa 2:6) O send out Thy light and Thy truth , let them lead me ; Let them bring me to Thy holy hill [Zion ], And to Thy dwelling places [Zion, Psa 76:2; also Zec 2:10, 8:2 - 3 ]. 5. The Lord directly “gathers” and “brings” Israel to Zion― Jer 3:14 (also Zep 3:19 - 20, see v. 14 - 16, “Zion”) 'Return, O faithless sons,' declares the LORD; 'For I am a master to you, And I will take you one from a city and two from a family, And I will bring you to Zion.’ 6. The Lord inspires in the hearts of believing Jews a longing for Zion ― Jer 50:5 (also 51:50 and Ezra 1:5) "They will ask for the way to Zion, turning their faces in its direction ; they will come that they may join themselves to the LORD in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.” Based on the above and many other Scriptures, the destiny of God’s Chosen People Israel includes BIBLICAL ZIONISM - - & necessitates POLITICAL ZIONISM. Why and How Biblical Zionism is incorporated within God’s comprehensive plan to restore Israel/Zion in the Last Days 1. God has promised to return Israel to it’s God - given Land. "For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands, and bring you into your own land . ( Eze 36:24) " And say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land ; (Eze 37:21) 2. In the intervening years between the God - enforced exile of Israel from its Land and the God - induced regathering of Israel to its Land, the Land has been occupied and inhabited by the nations. 3. For Israel to reinhabit the land of Israel at its return, God must remove the nations that concurrently inhabit that same land — consequently — “POLITICAL ZIONISM”. 4. We must “look ABOVE our heads”, and beyond today’s posters shown below, to see God’s view of Zionism (see graph below) HEAD LEVEL ― human knowledge (finite - sources) Let’s look ABOVE our heads and see if there is another opinion... INFINITE Knowledge Below Jesus replied, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. (Mat 22:29, NIV) When we search God’s Word, how does “Biblical - Zionism” relate to “Political - Zionism”? 1. God links them by “stirring up the spirit” of kings and political leaders of nations to authorize and activate plans for the Jews to return and inhabit Zion. 2. That Divine - Link incorporates Political Zionism as a subset of Biblical Zionism — under the sovereign Hand of God! 3. God established this pattern when He “stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia” at the end of the Babylonian captivity. (Ezra 1:1; Isa 44:28) 4. God also “stirred up the spirit” of Zerubbabel and other Jewish leaders, and the spirit of 49,897 of the “remnant” of Israel, motivating them to return and reinhabit Zion (the Promised Land). (Ezra 1:5; Hag 1:14) God had to do this after the Jews were exiled to Babylon, since the land was taken over by the nations. As a result, so - called “Zionism” became a “political (and spiritual)” issue with ungodly minds blinded to the overriding Divine purpose of Biblical Zionism. 5. There is a ‘KEY’ then, that triggers political Zionism — it is when "the Lord stirs up the spirit " of both political leaders and Jews in diaspora (exile), Ezra 1:1 - 5; Hag 1:14). 6. Since the time God “stirred up the spirit” of such twentieth century political leaders as Chaim Weizmann, Arthur Balfour, and President Harry S. Truman, which led ultimately to the State Of Israel in 1948, “Zionism” has been an oppressive concept to all except a minority of Bible believers and politicians (see “ Headlines ” below) 7. The world remains blind to the fact that Political Zionism is a necessary subset of Biblical Zionism, ordained and implemented by the Lord our God. This basic fact is not new. When God promised the Land to Abraham and his offspring forever ( Gen 17:7 - 8 ; Acts 7: 5 ), the necessary subset of that promise was that Israel would dispossess the nations who occupied that Land ( Deu 4:1 ; Acts 7: 45 ). The HEADLINES in Ezra & Nehemiah’s Day ... not unlike TODAY! Note the Hateful reaction when Israel returns to inhabit Jerusalem/Zion and its Land! The Persians, who had conquered Babylon, permitted the Jewish leader Zerubbabel, and later Jewish scribe Ezra to lead the Jews back to their land., and the God - fearing Jewish patriot Nehemiah to govern newly restored Judea (Israel) and rebuild Jerusalem. This was to fulfill God’s promise to “gather (the Jews) ...and bring them to the place [Israel] where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell.” (Neh 1:9; after 70 yrs in Babylonian exile). Here are some of the “Headlines” of those days as given in the Bible “... the sons of Israel...were terrified because of the peoples of the land...” (3:3) “... the enemies of Judah and Benjamin... discouraged the people of Judah, and frightened them ...” (4:1, 4) “...[the enemies of the Jews] went in haste to Jerusalem to the Jews and stopped them by force of arms .” (4:23) Sanballat (a political leader of the Gentile inhabitants settled in Israel’s land during the Babylonian captivity) “ became furious and very angry and mocked the Jews ” ... [to such a degree that Nehemiah prayed to God] ‘Hear, O our God , how we are despised!’“ (Ne 4:1, 4) And our enemies said, "They will not know or see until we come among them , kill them , and put a stop to the work.“ ( TERRORISM ; Ne 4:11) Haggai 1:14 So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people ; and they came and worked on the house (ZION) of the LORD ...their God, Today’s anti - Zionists marching signs (flashing their antisemitic “theology”) is not new. It mirrors the same hateful attitude of the Moabite and Arab land settlers who violently resisted the returning Jews in Ezra and Nehemiah’s day. They would have carried the same signboards had they been available. The ‘KEY’ that triggers political Zionism is when " the Lord stirs up the spirit " of both political leaders and Jews dispersed among the nations to activate a plan to bring back the Jews to their homeland in ZION. (Ezra 1:1 - 5; Hag 1:14). “ Sanballat and Tobiah ” (Neh 2:19 — haters of Zionism) Zephaniah 3 14 Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion ! Shout in triumph, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem ! Zion is synonymous with Jerusalem, the centerpiece of Israel. “Zionism” is destined for Eternal Joy! 15 The LORD has taken away His judgments against you, He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; You will fear disaster no more. Jesus Christ, the Lord & King (Zec 14:9) will reign triumphant from Zion. 16 In that day it will be said to Jerusalem : "Do not be afraid, O Zion ; Do not let your hands fall limp. “Zionism” will never again experience fear when Christ reigns from Jerusalem. 17 "The LORD your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy. Jerusalem (Zion) will be the dwelling place of God in the Millennial Kingdom. 18 "I will gather those who grieve about the appointed feasts―They came from you, O Zion ; The reproach of exile is a burden on them. Exiled from Zion in 70 AD, the Jews were gathered to Israel in 1948 and will be once more in the Future 19 "Behold, I am going to deal at that time With all your oppressors, I will save the lame And gather the outcast, And I will turn their shame into praise and renown In all the earth. 20 "At that time I will bring you in, Even at the time when I gather you together; Indeed, I will give you renown and praise Among all the peoples of the earth, When I restore your fortunes before your eyes," Says the LORD. Zion’s oppressors, who shame Israel with the term “Zionism”, will see Israel “gathered” to Zion and restored, and Biblical Zionism praised worldwide. Biblical Zionism at the End Time in the prophet Zephaniah My friend, this is not political. It is Biblical, coming from the very Word of God. If you know Jesus Christ as your Savior, then remember daily to thank Him, and tell others, so they also may know Jesus as their Savior. If you do not know Jesus as your personal Savior, here’s why you should, and how you can, in Jesus’ own words. John 8:24 "I said therefore to you, that you shall die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins.“ Mat 20:28; John 10:L5 “I give My life a ransom for you...I lay down My life for you” John 11:26 “...everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die.” Friend, if you want the Eternal Life Jesus offers, believe in Him and ask Him, and He will give it to you as a free gift , immediately and forever! Yours in Christ, Phillip Goodman