Zionism: Man’s idea or God’s plan?

Zionism : Man’s Idea?

Zionism is typically thought of as man’s idea, a political movement, a religious ideology, a human effort based on man’s intellect, power, and influence.

typical sites about political Zionism:

http://www.zionismontheweb.org/zionism_definitions.htm

http://www.mideastweb.org/zionism.htm

Zionism : It is God’s idea !

The restoration of the Jews to Israel was promised by God thousands of years ago, before the Jews were even scattered to begin with. Throughout history, God has used both Israel’s leaders and the leaders of their enemies to accomplish his divine will. They do not get the credit for these massive events !

Those that may have thought the Zionist movement was their idea, were only being used by God to accomplish a higher purpose. In all the history of the Jewish nation, there has never been a phenomenon of Israel being born as a nation in one day. There is a divine intervention involved.

Only God could have allowed the multiple connections, the political support, the finances, the massive movement of individuals and multitudes, and the leadership to all coincide harmoniously, so that a nation could be born overnight. The survival of the Jews since 1948, against incredible odds and attacks, created by billions of hostile neighbors is truly miraculous, and a testimony to the faithfulness and protection of God over his people Israel.

God predicted several events involving the Jews.

1. they would sin

Deu 4:26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land [Israel] whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong [your] days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.[because of disobedience]

2. they would be scattered to the 4 corners of the earth

And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you. And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find [him], if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. Deuteronomy 4:27-29

3. in the last days, they would return….. Gentiles would help them return.

When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, [even] in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the LORD thy God [is] a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them. Deuteronomy 4:30-31

Jeremiah 23:3-6
“I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the Lord.

** only a remnant is able to return. Many Jews have been killed over the centuries, and only a small number of what could have been remain. The Jews were scattered, and now they will return.

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.

** in order for Judah to be saved, it has to be there. The Jews have to be living in the land. The Branch (Messiah) cannot come to save the Jews in Israel, if they are not there. This is just logic.

For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause [you] to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded. And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities [are become] fenced, [and] are inhabited. Ezekiel 36:24,33-35

Isa 60:1¶ Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.
Isa 60:2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
Isa 60:3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

Isa 60:10¶ And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.
Isa 60:11Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that [men] may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and [that] their kings [may be] brought.

“The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, “Thus speaketh the Lord God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book. “For, lo, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the Lord: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it” (Jeremiah 30:1-3).

If this passage referred to the Babylonian captivity, God would not have included Israel along with Judah. The ten northern tribes (Jeremiah’s “Israel”) were not taken to Babylon, but only Judah. Israel was destroyed by the Assyrian invasion in 722 B.C.

Furthermore, those tribes did not return after the Babylonian captivity as Judah did. Israel never returned at all. In this passage, however, God refers to a future generation when both factions would return. The Lord makes that clear in verses 10 and 11:

“Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the Lord; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid.”

4. once there, the time of Jacob’s trouble would occur, and the tribulation would start

Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of “Jacob’s Trouble”; but he ( Israel ) shall be saved out of it” (Jeremiah 30:7). The chapter in which this verse is found is decidedly prophetic of the end-times.

Down through the centuries, theologians have viewed the passage as speaking of the seven-year Tribulation Period, or the 70th week of Daniel, through which Israel must face a world gone mad with hatred.

Jeremiah said that there had never been a time like it, nor ever will be again.

Jesus made the same prediction in his Olivet Discourse hundreds of years later, adding that for Israel’s sake, the time of trouble would be interrupted (shortened) by his literal return to save his people from their encircling enemies..

*** The holocaust was terrible, and trouble for the Jewish people in Europe and the mid-east. Together, the Nazi’s and Pan-Arabic axis powers intended to exterminate Jewry from the Eurasian region. But it was not the time of trouble that Jeremiah, and Jesus alluded to, since the Jews were not yet gathered back in their own land.

That time of trouble is depicted by Jesus own words as recorded in Matthew 24 :21-22 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

*** the elect are those elected to return to the land. The elect are not Christians, who have either been raptured ( if a pre-tribulation rapture is true), or who have not been re-gathered there, and still live everywhere outside of Israel. It would not make sense for faithful Christians, who live outside of Israel, to be considered not part of the elect.

“For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished” (vv. 10, 11).

God further designates the timing of the prophecy to that day when He will make a “full end of all nations.” This can only refer to the final judgment. This is the awesome “end of the world” that Jesus and the disciples discussed in Matthew 24. That day will be marked with the Tribulation Period, the Battle of Armageddon and the spectacular return of Jesus Christ to this world, whereupon he will establish his throne in Jerusalem.

Jeremiah’s use of the term “Jacob” specifically ties this prophecy to verse 7, which contains the reference to “Jacob’s trouble.” Furthermore, “Jacob” refers to the genetic connection of the entire clan, Israel and Judah. In 1948, the nation was reestablished without the distinction between the two houses. Today, the nation is simply called “Israel,” a homeland for all Jews.

For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and [for] my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink. Joel 3:1-3

** even in the last days, God still considers Israel his heritage and his people. How faithful God is to his covenant. !!

Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer [is] nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, [even] at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Matthew 24:32-34

Israel the fig tree has put forth its leaves and been reborn as a nation therefore the coming of Christ draws near. Luke 21:32 also states that a generation would not pass. A generation is between 70-100 years, Israel was established again on May 15, 1948. Jews are still immigrating back to Israel from nations far and wide, just like the Bible said they would.

ISAIAH CHAPTER 10:20-23

Isaiah predicts that when the Jewish exiles return, “the destruction” and “the final end” will occur:

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.
For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet A REMNANT OF THEM SHALL RETURN: THE CONSUMPTION (destruction) DECREED shall overflow with righteousness. FOR the Lord GOD of hosts SHALL MAKE A CONSUMPTION (destruction), EVEN DETERMINED, in the midst of all the land.

*** The “destruction decreed” is the Great Tribulation. Isaiah predicts that this “destruction decreed” will “overflow in righteousness,” as God will judge in favor of his people, Israel.

5. the Messiah would come and save Israel from its enemies after the remnant returns.

Jer 23:3 And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.

Jer 23:4 And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.

*** the remnant returns, and leaders are set up over them. But then, the final shepherd comes to rule and save his people in the next verse:

Jer 23:5 ¶Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

Jer 23:6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this [is] his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

** note that it is Judah (the Jews) that will be saved. It does not say the Christians. Judah cannot be saved unless it exists, which means that the nation of Israel-Judah has to be reborn before Messiah comes.

6. Israel would be restored and never be moved from the land again, since its enemies will be destroyed. Israel is given a new covenant and its iniquity is forgiven.

Ezekiel 36 : 8-10 (restoration)

“`But you, O mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home.
I am concerned for you and will look on you with favor; you will be plowed and sown,
and I will multiply the number of people upon you, even the whole house of Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt.

Jeremiah 46: 28 (destruction of enemies)

Do not fear, O Jacob my servant, for I am with you,” declares the LORD. “Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only with justice; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.”

Jeremiah (a new covenant with the house of Judah and the house of Israel accompanied by forgiveness forever)

Jer 31:31 ¶Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

Jer 31:32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day [that] I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:

Jer 31:33 But this [shall be] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Jer 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Never to be moved out of the land again after restoration:

Amos 9:14-15 thunders forth these remarkable words: “‘Also I will restore the captivity of My people Israel, and they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will also plant vineyards and drink their wine, and make gardens and eat their fruit. I will also plant them on their land, and they will not again be rooted out from their land which I have given them,’ says the Lord your God.”

The Time of Jacob’s trouble : Replacement theology is wrong. This trouble is for natural Israel, as it waits for and cries out for the promised Messiah.

For those replacement theologists who say the “Church is Israel” in the last days, and that natural Israel does not figure into things, they need to rethink what they are choosing for themselves. Several points here:

1. the scripture never says it is the church. Most prophesies were from the old testament, when the church did not exist yet

2. the prophesies clearly state that Israel would be scattered around the world, and then re-gathered into the land of Israel. Christians have never been scattered like that, and will not be re-gathered into the land of Israel.

3. The book of Daniel describes the tribulation of the Jews in the end times.

4. the book of Revelation describes the church as being in heaven, while Jews from each Jewish tribe remain in Israel marked for preservation.

5. there are world-wide efforts now to extinguish Israel once again from the land. There can be no movement like this against Christians because they do not all live in one land.

6. for those who think the tribulation is against only Christians in Israel, this makes no sense. The land of Israel is multi-faith in nature. It has more Muslims than Christians. Christians are to be gone by the time of the tribulation, unless they are not faithful and they are really unsaved people.

7. for those that think “everything is about Jesus and the Christians in the bible” they are wrong. The old testament may have had some prophesies about the messiah, but for the most part, the entire text was addressed to the nation of natural Jewish Israel. God has an everlasting covenant with the Jews, and he plans to keep his promises to them.

8. The Promised Land was never given to the church; she never occupied it as a “nation.” The church was never removed from the Promised land because of her disobedience, or taken captive into foreign lands. The word “Israel” is always descriptive of the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In the Scripture, we find the Church is not Israel the nation, but a separate entity under an entirely new and different covenant.

9.. The Church is made up of both believers in Jesus, from both Jews and Gentiles, not so for Israel. Israel we are told is in unbelief. The word Israel is used 73 times in the New Testament, not once is it used for the Church. And God treats Israel differently than the church.

Anti-Zionism – Jewish self-betrayal…..Click here for more

Anti-Zionism – Roman and Christian (Western) roots…… Click here for more

Anti-Zionism : ancient Arab roots…. Click here for more

Israel’s Divine Right to the land…… Click here for more

References:

http://focusonjerusalem.com/embarkinguponthetimeofjacobstrouble.html

http://testimonyofprophecy.com/signs001.html

http://www.aboutbibleprophecy.com/jeremiah_23_3.htm