For Zion’s sake: The case for Christian Zionism

“Christian Zionists made Jewish Zionism possible.” This amazing declaration, attributing the contributions of Christian Zionists to the awakening of Jewish Zionism, were spoken by none other than the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and reported in the Jerusalem Post on January 1, 2026. The Prime Minister continued: “It is hard for me to conceive of the emergence of the Jewish state without the support of Christian Zionists from the United States and Britain in the Nineteenth century. So Christian Zionism facilitated the rise and success of Jewish Zionism. And, it has been an enormous partnership since then.” 

There is no label attached to Bible believing evangelicals that is more misunderstood and misrepresented than that of “Christian Zionist.” One of the reasons is that for too long we have allowed others to define the term for us. Among the more recent “re-definers” of Christian Zionism is Tucker Carlson, former Fox News personality, and now a major player on the field of social media with massive numbers of followers.  His continued misrepresentation and mockery of the millions of Christian Zionists seems to know no limits. He has referred to leading evangelical friends of Israel such as Ambassador Mike Huckabee and Senator Ted Cruz as having a “brain virus” for their unwavering support of the Jewish State. He went further even confessing, “I dislike them (Christian Zionists) more than anybody else.” More than anybody else? That is quiet a confession. 

Does this mean he would find more pleasure in sitting down with the likes of Osama Bin Laden (al-Queda mastermind of 9/11), Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (Isis leader who normalized the beheadings of the Yazidis), or Yasser Arafat (long time PLO chief) than with Christian men and women who simply believe the Bible and make their stand upon what they believe to be the plain teachings of the word of God.  But, Carlson is not finished. He goes so far as to label Christian Zionism, in his own words, as a “Christian heresy.” 

Christian heresy is the denial of a core creed or of an authoritative doctrine of the faith, such as a denial of Christ’s deity, of the Trinity, or of the infallibility of the Bible. I have yet to meet a Christian Zionist who denies any of the essential doctrines of the Christian faith. Calling Christian Zionism a heresy would require calling the Apostle Paul mistaken when he declared that “the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29), affirming the fact that God has not rejected the Jewish people.

So, what really is Christian Zionism? Some readers of this article may admit they have never given the term much thought, while some others will discover they are, in fact, a Christian Zionist and may not have even known it. A proper definition is in order at this point. Christian Zionism is the belief that God’s covenant promises to Israel regarding the land are unconditional and that the miraculous return of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland, accompanied by the reestablishment of the Jewish state, is their God-given right. Christian Zionists are motivated far more by theological and Biblical convictions than by any perceived political persuasions.

Understanding the essence of Zionism needs no more research than examining the root of its very name—Zion. “Zion” appears over 150 times in the Hebrew Bible referring to the city of Jerusalem. Mount Zion sits in the very epicenter of Jerusalem and is known as the place where God dwells. Zionism is nothing more…and nothing less…than the historical reality that Jerusalem is the home of the Jewish people and has been since the well documented fact of its establishment by King David some 3,500 years ago. To be a Christian Zionist simply means that we, as follows of Yeshua, affirm this indisputable truth.

Defining and defending Christian Zionism demands answers to three important questions—What? Who? And, Why?  First, a WHAT question: What is a Christian Zionist? And, equally as important, what one is not. Next, a WHO question: Assuming the truth of the Prime Minister’s declaration that “Christian Zionists made Jewish Zionism possible,” who were these Christian Zionists of the past and who are they today?  Finally, the discussion demands a WHY question: Why become a Christian Zionist, and why does it matter today, especially since the modern State of Israel is a well established reality approaching her 80th birthday?

A “WHAT” QUESTION

What is a Christian Zionist? The best place to begin is with a discussion of what  Christian Zionism is not. It does not mean giving unconditional, uncritical support to every single Israeli government policy. It emphatically does not. Nor does it mean ignoring the plight of many innocent, suffering Palestinians. The Jewish Torah is clear: “Do not oppress an alien, for you know the heart of an alien, seeing you were aliens in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 23:9). Support for Israel should never deny the dignity or human rights of others. As the Jewish prophet Micah says we are to “do justice” (Micah 5:8).  Biblical justice applies to all. Any theology that simply dismisses the pain of the truly oppressed is one that has departed from the Lord’s own heart.

Christian Zionists realize that no political entity is infallible. This is true of every nation on earth, including the United States as well as the State of Israel. They do not serve as a rubber stamp for every single policy that might emerge from the Prime Minister’s office or the Knesset. But, make no mistake: Christian Zionism does affirm supporting Israel’s right to exist and opposing efforts to eliminate her “from the river to the sea” or any other efforts to delegitimize the Jewish State.  

What is Christian Zionism? Simply stated, it is the conviction that the Bible teaches God’s promises to Israel—especially the ones related to the land—remain in effect and valid today. As the Bible repeatedly declares, they are “everlasting” and “forever.” It affirms Israel’s right to a Jewish homeland on the same bit of earth crust they began inhabiting over three and a half millennia ago. Christian Zionism teaches that while the church shares in the spiritual blessings with Israel it does not replace Israel in the unfolding plan of the ages. The fact of Israel’s existence is a powerful demonstration of God’s own faithfulness as a promise keeper.

You can be a Christian without being a Zionist. The reverse is obviously as true, you can be a Zionist without being a Christian. To be a Christian means that you, realizing your sinful nature, through repentance have placed your faith and trust in Yeshua, the Lord, whom evangelicals believe to be the Jewish Messiah. A Zionist is someone who believes God has given unconditional promises to His chosen people, the Jews, and they have an unalienable right to their ancient homeland. 

For the Christian Zionist order in this title is important. We are not Zionist Christians.  We are Christian Zionists. Nothing is more important than our own personal relationship with our living Lord. Personally, I am, first and forever foremost, a Christian. My main devotion is to my Lord. Because of this, I take His promises in the Bible as faithful and true. Thus, I am also a Zionist for the simple fact that I believe God is a promise keeping God and I hold in my hands, and in my heart, a Bible that is trustworthy and infallible and that never changes. 

My Jewish friends are well aware of this fact. No apologies are made that the primary essence of evangelical commitment is a personal faith in Yeshua and in His life, death, burial and resurrection. I often share with my Jewish friends who might wish for me to not speak of this gospel that they are asking me to do something I would never think of asking them to do. That is, I would never ask a Jewish friend to stop being a Jew. And, I would hope they would not ask me to stop being a Christian, for the sharing of our faith is the essence of our own spiritual experience. In the end I do not ask my Jewish friends to convert to my religion because, in a sense, I feel I have converted to their’s in my own belief that Yeshua is the promised Messiah.  In the end we must ultimately leave this discussion with the words of the Torah, “Shall not the Judge of the whole earth do what is right?” (Genesis 18:25).

This is what a Christian Zionist is. True Christian Zionism stands with humility and gratefulness, void of a spirit of arrogance, with reverence to the Lord and His word. True Christian Zionism is not held hostage to any political platform. Ultimately, Christian Zionism is a defense not only of the plain teaching of scripture, but of God’s own character and trustworthiness. It stands, or falls, on the fact that God states the promises to Israel are “irrevocable” (Romans 11:29) meaning that Israel’s place in history is not cancelled, spiritualized away or transferred to anyone else. Not now. Not ever.

A “WHO” QUESTION

Christian Zionism is not a modern invention. It long predates the founding of the modern State of Israel appearing long before Theodore Herzl’s famous Zionist Conference in Switzerland in 1897 which called for the establishment of a Jewish state in their ancient homeland. Fifty years before Israel’s rebirth in 1948, Herzl famously prophesied in his diary, “At Basel I founded the Jewish state…perhaps in five years, certainly in fifty.” 

Who were these 19th century Christian Zionists, preceding Herzl, of whom Prime Minister Netanyahu stated, “It is hard for me to conceive of the emergence of the Jewish state without the support of Christian Zionists from the United States and Britain in the Nineteenth century?”

One of the most prominent and powerful of these advocates was William Eugene Blackstone. Born in 1841 and greatly influenced by the overflow of the Second Great Awakening, he became an influential American evangelist and author. His landmark book, “Jesus is Coming,” (1878) strongly advocated for the reestablishment of a Jewish State and insisted upon it being  in the Holy Land. This volume played a significant role in shaping the views of new generations of evangelicals and provided the theological foundation and spiritual impetus for Christian support of the Zionist cause. Among the many prominent voices that saw him as a spiritual mentor of sorts for this cause were the likes of President Benjamin Harrison, John D. Rockefeller, Sr., J.P. Morgan, and D.L. Moody. 

Blackstone’s major contribution came when the British government offered to establish a Jewish homeland in Uganda and Theodore Herzl, the Father of Zionism, and other Jewish leaders began to give it serious consideration. Blackstone took his own Bible and marked every prophetic passage that called for the Jewish people to return to their ancient homeland, commonly referred to as the Holy Land. He gave the Bible to Herzl and it seemed to have had a considerable impact, even inspiring Herzl’s own book “The Jewish State” (1896).  Herzl’s thesis completely aligned with Blackstone’s lifelong advocacy for the location of a future Israel. When Herzl died, Blackstone’s Bible was found still resting in a prominent place on his desk. 

The movement gained momentum in America through the preaching of D.L. Moody, founder of the Moody Bible institute in Chicago. Moody trained multitudes of young men and women graduates to appreciate premillennial dispensational truth resulting in young advocates of Christian Zionism going to the ends of the earth preaching the gospel. This movement influenced C.I. Scofield whose notes in “The Scofield Bible,”one of the first widely circulated study Bibles, began to influence future generations to call for the return of the Jews to their ancient homeland. 

While Christian Zionism was flourishing in America, a voice was becoming known not only in England but around the world.  Charles Haddon Spurgeon, known in the 19th century as the “Prince of Preachers,” was the most Influential pastor of his time.  He preached, not only to the thousands who flocked to his church each Sunday, but to the entire world through the weekly printing and vast distribution of his sermons. In a message preached on June 16, 1864 at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, Spurgeon took his text from the 37th chapter of Ezekiel’s prophesy as it relates to the vision of the valley of the dry bones. Spurgeon saw a prophecy that was to unfold in two stages. First, God would miraculously regather the Jewish people from the four corners of the earth. Then, secondly, a future spiritual awakening would take place among the Jews resulting in what can be called Biblical Israel. Eighty eight years after the preaching of this message the first part of his prophetic word came true with the establishment of the Jewish State in the land of Israel in 1948. In this sermon on the restoration of the Jews he stated, “The meaning of our text…is most evidently…first, that there shall be a political restoration on their own land and to their own nationality. And, then, secondly…a spiritual restoration…in fact, a repentance of the tribes of Israel.” Christian Zionists still view the Jewish state in such terms and while the regathering of the people in 1948 remains a miracle, we are still awaiting the restoration of spiritual Israel which is certainly to come as surely as the declaration of the political state did some eighty years ago.

No discussion of Christian Zionism would be complete without mention of President Harry Truman, himself an evangelical of the Southern Baptist variety. It was his recognition of the State of Israel a mere eleven minutes after David Ben-Gurion announced its establishment that gave weight and strength to the young nation, especially when its War of Independence immediately ensued. But, it did not come without a struggle in his own heart, eventually leading to his own conviction that it was God ordained. It is said that Truman wept only three times in his life. Once when his mother died. Again, when his life long Jewish friend and business partner,Eddie Jacobson, died. And, the final time when the Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Issac Halevi Herzog visited the Oval Office in 1949 immediately upon Israel’s victory in its War of Independence. The Chief Rabbi blessed the President with these words, “God put you in your mother’s womb so you would be the instrument to bring about Israel’s rebirth after two thousand years and save the Jewish people.” Truman lived to see the Jewish nation thrive, win its famous Six Day War in 1967, then he died in 1972. He remained a true Christian Zionist and supporter of Israel until he breathed his final breath. 

The list of Christian Zionists who have played significant roles in undergirding the Jewish state goes on and on. It includes the likes of William Hechler, the Anglican clergyman and close ally of Theodor Herzl, who was influential in the days leading to the signing of the Balfour agreement in 1917 opening the way for Jewish immigration to the Holy Land. Major Orde Charles Wingate, the innovative, evangelical, British military officer during the days of the British Mandate who, moved by his Biblical convictions, trained the Jewish underground armies who were the forerunners of what is now known as the IDF, the mighty Israel Defense Forces. Other well known Christian Zionists were Lewis Sperry Chafer, founder of the Dallas Theological Seminary, who brought an intellectual dimension to premillennial, dispensational thought—Charles Ryrie, author of the Ryrie Study Bible which strongly affirms the distinction between Israel and the church—Pat Robertson, founder of CBN who strongly advocated on the grounds of geopolitical as well as Biblical thought—J. Frank Norris, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Fort Worth (1909-1952) whose constant letter writing to President Truman on the Biblical basis for the reestablishment of the State of Israel helped solidify the President’s own Biblical convictions at a strategic moment in history—W.A Criswell, Pastor of the First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas (1944-1994) of whom Zalli Jaffe, President of the Jerusalem Great Synagogue, once said, “To speak of Christian Zionists without mentioning the name of W. A. Criswell would be like speaking of the circulatory system without mentioning the heart.”—Jerry Falwell, Sr., founder of Liberty University and among the strongest, most vocal supporters of Israel who was awarded the prestigious Jabotinsky Medal in 1980 for his pro Israel advocacy—Joel Rosenberg, New York Times best selling author, international journalist and leading voice opposing antisemitism—Mike Evans, founder of the Friends of Zion Museum in Jerusalem—John Hagee, founder of CUFI, Christians United for Israel, who annually raises millions of dollars for Israeli relief causes—and, among many others, Ambassador Mike Huckabee, perhaps the leading Christian Zionist voice of this generation. To continue the list of those past and present who have played a part in standing with Israel would turn this article into a full length book.

Grand Rabbi Y.A. Korff, spiritual leader of the Jerusalem Great Synagogue, best incapsulated the relationship of Christian Zionism and Israel. Expressing his deep appreciation for the long time support of evangelicals for the State of Israel and the Jewish people, the Grand Rabbi refers to a rabbinical axiom that instructs us in the Hebrew language, “Chashdeihu v’ Chabdeihu.” In his own words, “Chashdeihu means to suspect or to not trust. Chabdeihu means to honor and respect. On the surface this appears to be a dichotomy, seemingly a conflict. After all, how can you be suspicious of someone and trust and respect them at the same time? But the two words are not in conflict for Chashdeihu, being suspicious, comes before we know someone. Chabdeihu, honoring with respect, comes after we know someone. Many years ago when the Christian evangelical community began to come to the fore in publicly expressing their support for the Jewish people and the State of Israel, there was a lot of Chashdeihu, suspicion. We were asking ourselves, “Who are these people? What is their agenda? Can we trust them?” As the years have passed we have come to know many evangelicals. You have become close friends. We now know you. And, in our close friendship the Chashdeihu has become Chabdeihu, honor and respect, and deep gratitude for your faith and support.”

Having seen what Christian Zionists believe and who they are, we now turn to a “WHY” question. That is, why such unwavering and passion support? What is the real motivation behind these radical, and sometimes rabid, defenders of the Jewish people and their homeland they call Israel?

A “WHY” QUESTION

To some of our Jewish friends the support of Israel by evangelical Christians like me is a complex and complicated phenomenon. It is not lost on me as I pen these words that many of our Jewish friends are skeptical of our support and for several reasons, some justified and some not. History has recorded many attempts down through the centuries of persecution at the hands of the church and blatant forced attempts at conversion which has led to skepticism on the part of some Jews to any acceptance of Christian support. Understanding the enthusiastic and near unconditional support of evangelicals for the state of Israel still feels for some an uneasy and unhealthy alliance.

Perhaps one of the most recurring accusations is that our primary support is a consuming interest in seeing the Jews back in their homeland for the express purpose of hastening the arrival of the Battle of Armageddon. The Bible foretells that this final, climactic conflict of mankind will be fought at Megiddo where the valleys of Esdraelon and Jezreel intersect in northern Israel. Armageddon will usher in the return of the Messiah (Revelation 16:16). In my decades of dialogue with fellow Christian Zionists I have never once heard this to be the motivation of our continued support. In fact, when we pray for Jerusalem regularly in our churches we do not pray for war but we pray earnestly for “the peace of Jerusalem” (Psalm 122).

Our main motivation is not found in personal politics nor any public policies. The drive behind our passionate support is rooted in a literal hermeneutic that emphasizes a grammatical-historical interpretation of scripture that declares the trustworthiness and truthfulness of the Bible. That is, when we open our Bibles and we read the word, Israel, it means Israel, land means land, everlasting means everlasting, and forever means forever. Christian Zionists believe God made unconditional promises and covenants with Abraham and his offspring which are still “everlasting” and “forever” (Genesis 12,15,17, 28). 

When it comes to the Jews, our guide, the Bible, is extremely specific and particular as to why we support them in times such as this with such conviction and commitment.  As scripture unfolds we find it is because we believe God has given a particular promise (“I will make you a great nation”—Genesis 12:2)…to a particular people (“To you I will give the land as an everlasting possession”—Genesis 17:8)…in a particular place (“The land (of Canaan) on which you lie I will give you”—Genesis 28:13)…for a particular purpose (“In you all the nations of the earth will be blessed”—Genesis 12:3).

When some elements of the church have taught that God was finished with the Jews, that they had been rejected, the purposes of God for them had been replaced with the church, and the promises of God to them had been revoked, it inadvertently, but inevitably, has helped fuel the fires of an ungodly antisemitism. Evangelicals of my stripe are on the frontlines of this battle and reject outright the calls to adhere to a Replacement Theology which suggests that God has “replaced” Israel with the church and bestowed His covenant promises once given to the Jews to them as well. We join the Apostle Paul in affirming, “As regards election, they (the Jews) are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:28-29).

Perhaps there is no greater illustration of the divide between the way adherents of replacement theology and those of Christian Zionism view scripture than in a statement issued by “The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem” on January 17, 2026. It is of note that these leaders primarily from the Catholic and Orthodox traditions have a long church history of adhering to replacement theology believing that God has rejected the Jews, replaced them with the church, and revoked His promises once given to them. Claiming “they alone represent the churches…in the Holy Land,” the statement speaks of “damaging ideologies such as Christian Zionism” which “mislead the public and sow division.” Here we see the stark difference between those in the Roman-Orthodox tradition who generally are inclined to view scripture through the lens of politics and/or social concerns and evangelicals who seek to view the culture through the lens of scripture. True Christian Zionists do not give unconditional, uncritical support to every single Israeli government policy. Nor, should these “Patriarchs and Heads of Churches” give unconditional, uncritical support to every single Palestinian policy. Christian Zionism does not mean ignoring the plight of many innocent, suffering people whomever they may be. But, this does not negate the fact that God has promised the Jewish people the “Land of Canaan” and has done so as an “everlasting possession.”

Our support is rooted in logic. God made unconditional promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their descendants regarding ownership of the land of Canaan (Genesis 12,15,17). God’s covenant with Israel is everlasting and forever. These everlasting promises to them for the “Land of Canaan” remain intact. The Prophets of old foretold in detail the restoration of Israel. The Apostle Paul explicitly states that these particular promises have not been revoked even in light of Israel’s unbelief in the Messiah (Romans 11). Thus, Israel is still Israel. The Jews have not been replaced, redefined in terms of the church, nor have their “everlasting” and “forever” promises been revoked. 

Since God’s calling of Israel is irrevocable, the Jewish State exists today as Israel and thus the accusation that Christian Zionism is a heresy is invalid. The fact must remain that to hold to these principles and promises to His chosen people, the Jews, is indeed Biblical fidelity. Christian Zionism is simply the conviction by followers of Yeshua that, according to scripture, Israel has a right to their promised land and their own self-determination.

Christian Zionists refuse to be shamed or put to the side by the notion that support of the Jewish people is some kind of a “brain virus.” We are here and are not going away. We intend to engage the conversation, expose the errors of adherents of replacement theology, and encourage the millions of fellow evangelicals to join us in the struggle for Biblical truth. 

We are extremely grateful to live as a “wild branch” grafted by grace into the root to which we are now firmly attached (Romans 11). With humility and gratitude we stand in solidarity with our Jewish friends. Our continued love and unwavering support for the Jewish people, the “apple of God’s eye,” (Zechariah 2:8) is not a political issue for us, but it is motivated by obedience to enduring Biblical truth. We rest on the assurance that our God keeps His promises.

In the Prime Minister’s words, “Christian Zionists made Jewish Zionism possible.”  Standing firmly upon this affirmation, we continue to heed the words of the prophet Isaiah, “For Zions sake we will not be silent…for Jerusalem’s sake we will not be quiet” (Isaiah 62:1). Our voices will not be silenced. We are not going away. We are not through yet. We are in the battle for truth. We stand with our Jewish friends now…tomorrow…and forever. Am Yisrael Chai…The people of Israel live!