Inter-Varsity Press

CONTENTS

Preface

1. Introduction: For the love of Zion
2. The Bible tells them so: Is it possible to read the Bible too literally?
3. Israel and the church: Who are God’s chosen people?
4. The Promised Land: From the Nile to the Euphrates?
5. Battle for Jerusalem: The eternal capital of the Jews?
6. The coming last days temple: Ready to rebuild?
7. Overture to Armageddon: Want to be left behind?
8. Conclusions: The last word on the Middle East?

The Place of Israel: A sermon by John Stott

Extracts from Preface

Whether you have been recommended this book or have just picked it up out of curiosity, I’ve probably got only another thirty seconds to convince you to read it. So let me ask you this question: What subject do Christians find most controversial? Abortion? Sex? Climate change? The correct answer is probably Israel. No other subject ignites such strong emotions.

A large proportion of Bible-believing Christians are convinced that God blesses those nations that stand with Israel and curses those that don’t. This movement, known as Christian Zionism, provides a biblical justification for US intervention in the Middle East. It is deeply mistrustful of the United Nations and the European Community and actively opposes the implementation of international law and the right of Palestinians to a sovereign state alongside Israel.

It is my contention that this world-view is not shaped by the Bible. As a young Christian, I was raised on books like the Scofield Reference Bible and Hal Lindsey’s The Late Great Planet Earth. It took me a while to appreciate that the theology these books assume has radical implications for how we view our faith and the world we live in. The church in Palestine is close to extinction. Jewish Zionism, militant Islam and Christian indifference exacerbate it, but Christian Zionism probably has a greater detrimental effect than the other three causes combined.

Ten years ago, apart from Colin Chapman’s Whose Promised Land?, Gary Burge’s Who Are God’s People in the Middle East?, Grace Halsell’s Forcing God’s Hand and Donald Wagner’s Anxious for Armageddon, no other evangelicals seemed bold enough to tackle the subject. It is still largely uncharted territory, and that is why I published Christian Zionism: Road-map to Armageddon? When IVP invited me to write a second book for a wider readership, I needed no convincing.

Writing this book has got me into a lot of hot water and made me a few enemies along the way. Type my name into Google and you will soon discover who they are. It has also been a lonely journey; there are few evangelicals, it seems, who are willing to challenge the assumption that Bible-believing Christians will automatically support Israel. Why is that? The fear of being labelled ‘anti-Semitic’ is a powerful disincentive. The power of the pro-Israeli, Christian Right in the USA is very strong and opposes anyone who criticizes Israel or defends the Palestinians. Christian publishers are boycotted, sponsorship for academic institutions is denied and subscriptions to Christian journals are cancelled.

The battle over intellectual freedom is waged in universities on both sides of the Atlantic. Organizations such as Campus Watch and the Union of Jewish Students monitor staff and students and put pressure on the authorities to censure them. Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) has sought to counter this pressure through their own website. Called rather appropriately, Muzzlewatch, JVP exposes efforts (written and verbal) to prevent open debate about US-Israeli foreign policy. Not surprisingly, they have come under severe attack in the US for doing this.

There are plenty of books that examine ‘Zionism’ and ‘Bible prophecy’. There are few, however, that explain the relationship between the two from a biblical perspective. This one does. My hope is that it will also encourage dialogue on the relationship between Israel and the church, and offer a more constructive view of the future and our role in it. ...

I owe a deep debt of gratitude to a handful of writers who have had the courage to address aspects of this subject and from whom I have learnt so much. They include Don Wagner, Gary Burge, Colin Chapman, Peter Walker, Gilbert Bilezikian, Naim Ateek, Timothy Weber, John Stott, Gary DeMar, Hank Hanegraaff and Garth Hewitt.

Finally, I want to thank John Stott for his inspiration and leadership, and for an unpublished sermon included here, entitled ‘The Place of Israel’, which he preached in London many years ago. We have indeed saved the best till last.

All the best material has been borrowed from these people. I gladly accept responsibility for the rest.

Stephen Sizer
Ash Wednesday 2007
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Extract from Chapter 1 Introduction: For the love of Zion

Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.
(Romans 10:1–2)

Unanswered questions?

Why is there such a close relationship today between the Christian Right, the American political establishment and the State of Israel? Why, after forty years, does Israel continue to occupy territory in Lebanon (the Sheba Farms), Syria (the Golan Heights) and Palestine (the West Bank), while Syria has been pressured to withdraw from Lebanon? Why is Israel allowed to retain nuclear weapons, while Iran is threatened with a pre-emptive attack for aspiring to obtain nuclear technology? And how have Britain and America become the focus of so much hate in the Arab world and the target for Islamic terrorism, despite our commitment to the rule of international law, democracy and human rights?

The answers to these questions remain inexplicable unless we factor in what is now probably the most influential and controversial movement amongst Christians today – Christian Zionism.

The significance of Christian Zionism

Let me give you a flavour of the movement and its strategy from a recent speech given by John Hagee. Hagee is the founder and senior pastor of Cornerstone Church, an 18,000-member evangelical church in San Antonio in Texas. Hagee broadcasts a national radio and television ministry to Americans on 160 TV stations, fifty radio stations and eight networks into an estimated 99 million homes worldwide on a weekly basis. In 2006, he founded Christians United for Israel with the support of 400 other Christian leaders:

'For 25 almost 26 years now, I have been pounding the evangelical community over television. The Bible is a very pro-Israel book. If a Christian admits ‘I believe the Bible,’ I can make him a pro-Israel supporter or they will have to denounce their faith. So I have the Christians over a barrel, you might say.'

The assumption Hagee makes, that Bible-believing Christians will be pro-Israel, is the dominant view among evangelical Christians, especially in the USA. In March 2007, Hagee was a guest speaker at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference. He began with these words: ‘The sleeping giant of Christian Zionism has awakened. There are 50 million Christians standing up and applauding the State of Israel . . . ’

As The Jerusalem Post pointed out, his speech did not lack clarity. He went on to warn:

'It is 1938. Iran is Germany, and Ahmadinejad is the new Hitler. We must stop Iran’s nuclear threat and stand boldly with Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East . . . Think of our potential future together: 50 million evangelicals joining in common cause with 5 million Jewish people in America on behalf of Israel is a match made in heaven.'

The Pew Research Center recently discovered that 60% of evangelicals said they supported the State of Israel, and 32% cited their religious beliefs as the primary reason for such support.

The Unity Coalition for Israel, which brings together over 200 different autonomous organizations, is the largest pro-Israel network in the world. They claim to have 40 million active members, and lobby on behalf of Israel through 1,700 religious radio stations, 245 Christian TV stations, and 120 Christian newspapers. Besides Christians United for Israel, the other three largest Christian Zionist organizations are the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, Christian Friends of Israel, and Bridges for Peace. A powerful lobby movement? You bet. Christian
Zionism is undoubtedly a dominant force shaping US foreign policy in the Middle East. Why else will you not find a single serving US politician openly critical of Israel?

What about your presuppositions?

Discovering what the Bible has to say about the relationship between Israel and the church,in history and prophecy,is not just an academic exercise. What we believe and understand affects how we behave and act. Let me illustrate. If you believe the Bible predicts an imminent war of Armageddon, with Israel and the United States on one side and the Islamic and communist world on the other, then you will not lose any sleep over the stalled peace process. And when you read about yet more bloodshed and suffering in the Middle East, it will confirm what you already think is going to happen.

However, if you believe peace and reconciliation between Jews and Arabs in the Middle East is not only possible, but is also God’s will; that the UN Declaration of Human Rights, while generally considered to be a humanist document, reflects Judeo-Christian principles; and that the consistent implementation of international law should form the basis for our diplomacy in the Middle East, then you will act to achieve peace with justice. Our presuppositions shape not only our beliefs but also our actions.

Postponement or fulfilment?

Why does this subject arouse such strong emotions among Christians, and evangelicals? Because the very gospel is at stake. ...