“For Zion’s Sake I will not be silent.”
A Zionist is someone who supports and stands with Israel believing in a national homeland for the Jewish people. The term “Zion” is derived from a hill near the city of Jerusalem but is used to describe the whole of Israel. A person who loves Israel loves Zion. Even God, Hashem, is described as loving the gates of Zion more than all the other dwellings of Jacob, “The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the other dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are said of you, city of God.” (Psalms 87:2).
In Scripture, God uses the term Zion to refer to Jerusalem as in the text above. He calls Zion His holy hill. (Psalms 2:6). The Lord declares that He reigns from Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and His glory will be before the elders in Jerusalem. (Isaiah 24:23/Micah 4:7). Finally, Scripture affirms that God has chosen Zion for His dwelling, “For the Lord has chosen Zion, he has desired it for his dwelling.” (Psalms 132:13).
Isaiah and the Zionist Cry.
The prophet Isaiah describes the heart cry of a Zionist in Isaiah 62:1-2. He writes, “For Zion’s sake I will not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness and her salvation as a lamp that burns. The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, and kings your glory.”
The true Zionist has God’s heart to see Zion fulfill a divine purpose in the earth and supports efforts to see this purpose fulfilled. A Zionist can be a Jew or a non-Jew. History and the biblical record are full of “Unlikely Zionists” who Hashem uses to support the establishment of Israel.
Nehemiah and an Unlikely Zionist King.
Nehemiah, while in captivity in Persia, heard that the walls of Jerusalem had been broken down and her gates burned with fire. (Nehemiah 1:3). He sat down and wept. He prayed and fasted for many days for Jerusalem. (Vs-4). Nehemiah was the cupbearer for King Artaxerxes. When the king noticed Nehemiah was sad, he asked the reason for this sadness. Nehemiah explained to the king, he was sad because the city of his fathers, Jerusalem, was in ruins. The king asked what Nehemiah would request of him? What divine favor! Nehemiah’s bold request was that the king would send him back to Jerusalem to rebuild it. (Vs-5). The king, himself, became an “Unlikely Zionist” when he supported the efforts to restore Jerusalem, the City of Zion.
President Trump – An Unlikely Zionist
When President Trump came into office, he was not considered to be a deeply religious person. He did, however, surround himself with Evangelical Christians to pray for him. He is also a man who keeps his word. On October 23, 1995, the U.S. Congress passed the “Jerusalem Embassy Act” requiring the move of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The law set a deadline for the move but conceded that the same move could be put off for six months at a time if the President reports to Congress in advance that such a suspension was in the interest of national security. This means that from 1995 to 2018, when the Embassy was moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem by President Trump, that U.S. Presidents asked to delay this move over the course of 23-years forty-six times. When President Trump saw this obligation to move the embassy, he had the embassy moved on May 14th, 2018, the 70th year anniversary of Israel, finally declaring Jerusalem to be the Capital of Israel. He then recognized the Golan as belonging to Israel. President Trump did more to help the Jewish people than any other President except for President Truman who was the first to recognize the Jewish state. He stood up for Israel when other presidents refused to stand up.
I was in Jerusalem for this event and celebration. Christians talked about the prophetic implications of this occurring on the anniversary of one generation since the founding of Israel in 1948. Many around the world criticized President Trump for taking this action, but he did what he felt was the right action to honor America’s commitment to Israel. In taking this action for Israel, President Trump functioned as a “Unlikely Zionist” in helping to establish Jerusalem as the capital for the Jewish people.
I remember standing on media mountain overlooking the dedication at the new embassy in Jerusalem. I was interviewed by Sky News when they found out I was a Christian leader from America. They asked me if I felt this action would hinder the peace process? I gave them a two-part answer. First, every country has the right to determine the placement of their own embassy. No other country or political body has the right to dictate to them where it will be placed. Secondly, Israel has no peace partner in terms of negotiating peace. The Palestinian leadership refuses to recognize Israel, or accept peace proposals, because their bylaws commit them to the destruction of the Jewish people from the Jordan river to the Mediterranean Sea. Their motto is “From the river to the sea.” The Palestinian Authority and the other Palestinian groups are committed to the destruction of the Jewish State and to the genocide of the Jewish people. With this bylaw in place, there can be no peace with Israel. The idea of peace with terrorists who are committed to the destruction of Israel is only a myth. Giving terrorists more land for a Palestinian State is only assuring Israel will be attacked in the future and more attempts to kill and remove the Jewish people will follow. The Two-State Solution is not a solution but a prescription for more terrorism.
The Zionist Movement had the Help of a Christian Zionist.
Herzl is considered the father of modern Zionism which is the belief in the establishment of a Jewish state and a homeland for the Jews. Zionism was established as a political organization in 1897 by Theodore Herzl following the Congress for Zionism in Basel, Switzerland held that same year. Mr. Herzl authored a book to promote the vision of a Jewish homeland called, “The Jewish State.” It is worth noting that Herzl was an atheist. Herzl worked hard towards the goal of changing the reality for the Jewish people, for purely pragmatic reasons. He was an atheist but understood that persecution of the Jewish people was not going to stop, and that a homeland in which to find refuge was critical. It is still critical to maintain this homeland.
Theodore Herzl’s Christian Mentor
What many supporters of Zionism do not know is that Herzl had help from a Christian mentor by the name of William Hechler, who came alongside Herzl to assist him in his vision. William Hechler was trained in the Anglican church and sent to be the chaplain to the British Embassy in Vienna. Like many of his fellow clergymen and contemporaries, he saw great import in the year 1897. It was a well-known date among students of prophecy based on the rich numerical symbolism found in the books of Daniel and Revelation. While there, he came across Herzl’s book “The Jewish State” and he determined to seek out the author.
Please note like a good chaplain Hechler did not preach at Herzl or try to convert him. He came alongside him affirming what the man was trying to do for the Jewish people. He gave him an encouragement that what he was doing was supported by a biblical mandate and by prophecy.
Because of his connections, Hechler was able to arrange for Herzl an audience with the German Kaiser, who became incredibly supportive, and who had considerable influence with Turkey, then rulers of Palestine. However, the Turkish Sultan would not hear of an independent Jewish state in the Holy Land. Nonetheless, the friendship and partnership between Herzl and Hechler continued to grow.
Herzl said of Hechler, “He gives me excellent advice.” He wrote of Hechler, “He is full of unmistakably good will. He is at once clever and mystical and naive. His counsel and precepts have been excellent to date.”
Hechler was even with Herzl to the end at his bedside when he died, where the Jewish leader bid Hechler to, “Greet Palestine for me. I gave my life’s blood for my people”. Hechler was a good and faithful chaplain understanding that you join people on their journey and find out how to support them, instead of imposing your own agenda. However, their dreams would not begin to become a reality until the Balfour Declaration of 1917, which promised to create a Jewish homeland in Palestine under the British Mandate. The seeds of Zionism they sowed helped lead to this declaration for a Jewish homeland.
Herzl called Hechler a “Christian Zionist,” due to his great love for Jewish people, and determination to see Israel restored once again. Hechler was not only concerned with the prophetic and political ramifications relating to Israel, but was eager to align with God’s heart and plans for the people themselves, that they would be protected from danger and evil, and be restored to the land as God ordained in His Word. His passion and faith were used to inspire Herzl. Hechler was an “Unlikely” Christian Zionist.
Secular Zionism is not racism, but as Herzl rightly saw, it is necessary because of racism. Christian Zionism is not primarily about politics, but about great love for God, for his people, and a willingness to align with Hashem’s prophetic plans made long ago, as William Hechler demonstrated. He exemplified the statement of the gentile woman Ruth spoken to her Jewish mother-in-law:
“Your people will be my people, and your God my God.” Ruth 1:16
Today, there are many opportunities for Christians to be involved in partnering to help Israel. There are organizations like, Friends of Zion, Christians United for Israel, International Fellowship of Christians, and Jews. If you are asking, “What can I do to make a difference?” First pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for Israel. (Psalms 122:6). Spend some time learning about Israel and issues facing the nation by reading online newsletters such as “Israel365News.Org. Make it a priority to visit Israel and to encourage others to visit. Give into organizations making a difference for Israel.
Through partnering in prayer and giving to support a Jewish State for the Jewish people you can be a “Zionist” and join others who stand with Israel to support God’s people. You can become an “Unlikely Zionist.” Like the example of chaplain Hechler, we can love the Jewish people and their land showing our heart for God to fulfill their destiny without trying to convert them. This chaplain simply came bringing a prophetic word of affirmation from the Lord. God has His own special relationship with Israel as His chosen people and makes it clear that He will put His Spirit within them when they return to their inheritance in the land of Israel and that He will cause them to walk in His ways. (Ezekiel 36:24). He also clearly says, He is going to “redeem” the returning tribes. He says, “I will whistle for them and gather them, for I will redeem them (when they return to their inheritance in the land of Israel); and they shall increase as they once increased.” (Zechariah 10:8). Our part is to pray for their return and stand with them as did chaplain Hechler long ago.
One of the greatest needs is to break down past barriers and to build trust by loving the Jewish people and seeking to show them support.
As a Christian Zionist, you can fulfill the ancient prophecy spoken by God for His people, and be used by him as a Zionist:
“Thus, saith the Lord God, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles (Christians), and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.” (Isaiah 49:22).
You too can become an “Unlikely Zionist” for Israel.
