A Biblical Response to the Claim That Christianity Is Anti-Zionist
There are times when silence is not humility. There are times when refusing to answer is not grace. And there are times when the people of God must open the Scriptures and ask the only question that truly matters:
What saith the Scriptures?
Not what does emotion say?
Not what does politics say?
Not what does bitterness say?
Not what does hatred say?
Not even, “What do I personally think?”
What has God said?
Recently, I read an article claiming that Christianity has always been an aggressively anti-Zionist religion. The argument was not merely critical of modern Israeli politics or government policy. It went much further than that. It spoke of the Jewish people in sweeping, hostile, and deeply troubling terms.
That grieved me.
Not because every action of the modern State of Israel must be defended. It does not. No earthly government is righteous in itself. No nation today is above sin, corruption, pride, or judgment. Israel’s government is not the gospel. The modern Israeli state is not the Savior. And no Jewish person is saved by ethnicity, covenant history, land, ancestry, or national identity.
Salvation is only through the Lord Jesus Christ.
But we must also say this with equal clarity:
God has not cast away His people Israel.
That is not my opinion. That is Scripture.
“I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.”
— Romans 11:1
Paul does not leave the question open. He does not say, “Yes, God is finished with Israel.” He does not say, “The Church has replaced Israel.” He does not say, “The promises have been transferred away from the nation forever.”
He says:
Certainly not.
That should settle the matter for every Bible believer.
The Issue Is Not Politics First — It Is Scripture First
The Opposition’s Claim
The opposing view argues that Christianity itself is fundamentally anti-Zionist. In that view, support for Israel’s future restoration is not biblical faithfulness but a betrayal of the message of Christ. It claims that Christians who believe God still has promises for Israel are clinging to the same earthly, nationalistic expectation that caused many in Israel to reject Jesus.
What Saith the Scriptures?
Before going further, let me be clear.
This is not a call for blind political loyalty. This is not a defense of every decision made by Israel’s leaders. This is not a claim that Jewish people are saved apart from Christ. And this is not an excuse for hatred toward Arabs, Palestinians, Muslims, or anyone else.
The gospel of grace is for all.
“For there is no difference between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.”
— Romans 10:12“For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”
— Romans 10:13
Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. Jew and Gentile alike need the same Savior. There is no salvation outside of Him.
“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
— Acts 4:12
But when people use the failures, unbelief, or sins of Israel to claim that God is finished with Israel, they have gone beyond politics. They have entered into direct contradiction with the Word of God.
The question is not, “What do we think about the current headlines?”
The question is:
What has God promised?
And if God has promised it, then no unbelief, no failure, no rebellion, and no political confusion can make His Word void.
“For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not!”
— Romans 3:3–4
That principle matters. Israel’s unbelief does not cancel God’s faithfulness.
Jesus Came to Israel as Her Promised Messiah
The Opposition’s Claim
The opposing view claims that Jesus rejected Israel’s national hopes and came to dismantle the very expectation of a restored kingdom. According to this view, the Jewish people wanted a political Messiah, but Jesus came only to establish a spiritual kingdom with no future national promises attached to Israel.
What Saith the Scriptures?
The Lord Jesus did not appear in a historical vacuum. He came according to promise. He came through Israel. He came as the Son of David, the Son of Abraham, and the rightful King of Israel.
The very first verse of Matthew’s Gospel introduces Him this way:
“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.”
— Matthew 1:1
That is not accidental. “Son of Abraham” connects Christ to the covenant promises. “Son of David” connects Him to the throne and kingdom promises.
The angel Gabriel told Mary:
“He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.”
— Luke 1:32
And then Gabriel continued:
“And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
— Luke 1:33
Notice the wording.
The throne of David.
The house of Jacob.
A kingdom with no end.
That is not replacement language. That is fulfillment language.
Paul also writes:
“Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers.”
— Romans 15:8
That verse matters.
Jesus came “to the circumcision.” That means He came in connection with Israel. Why? “To confirm the promises made to the fathers.”
- Not to cancel them.
- Not to mock them.
- Not to spiritualize them away.
- Not to transfer them permanently to another people.
He came to confirm them.
Jesus Himself said:
“I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
— Matthew 15:24
Israel rejected her King. That is true.
“He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.”
— John 1:11
But Israel’s rejection did not cancel God’s faithfulness.
Paul says:
“For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”
— Romans 11:29
That verse sits in the context of Israel’s future. God’s gifts and calling concerning Israel are not revoked because Israel is presently in unbelief.
Acts 1 Does Not Cancel Israel’s Kingdom Hope
The Opposition’s Claim
The opposing view argues that when the disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” they were still trapped in a fleshly, nationalist misunderstanding. According to this argument, Pentecost corrected that expectation, and Spirit-filled Christianity no longer looked for Israel’s restoration.
What Saith the Scriptures?
Some argue that when the disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” they were asking a foolish or carnal question.
But the text does not say that.
Before the disciples asked that question, Luke tells us what Jesus had been teaching them for forty days after His resurrection:
“To whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.”
— Acts 1:3
The risen Lord spent forty days speaking to them about the kingdom of God. After that teaching, they asked:
“Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
— Acts 1:6
Now look carefully at the Lord’s answer:
“And He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.’”
— Acts 1:7
Jesus did not say, “There will be no kingdom restored to Israel.”
He did not say, “You have misunderstood the prophets.”
He did not say, “That hope is now abolished.”
He corrected their concern about timing, not the reality of the promise.
That distinction is important.
The apostles were not wrong to believe that God would restore the kingdom to Israel. The Old Testament prophets had spoken repeatedly of Israel’s restoration, Israel’s land, Israel’s Messiah, and Israel’s future kingdom.
Jesus had also promised the apostles a future role connected to Israel.
“Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
— Matthew 19:28
That promise has not yet been fulfilled.
There are still twelve tribes of Israel in view. There are still twelve thrones in view. There is still the Son of Man sitting on the throne of His glory in view.
Jesus also said to Jerusalem:
“For I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’”
— Matthew 23:39
That statement contains judgment, but it also contains future hope. Jerusalem would not see Him again until a future day of recognition.
The disciples’ error in Acts 1 was not believing the promise. Their limitation was not knowing the timing.
The Father had reserved that timing in His own authority.
Peter Still Preached to Israel After Pentecost
The Opposition’s Claim
The opposing view claims that after Pentecost, the apostles abandoned any expectation of Israel’s national restoration. It argues that once the Holy Spirit came, the question of Israel’s kingdom disappeared because the Church had moved beyond Israel’s earthly promises.
What Saith the Scriptures?
The claim that Pentecost erased Israel’s kingdom hope does not fit the book of Acts.
After Pentecost, Peter still addresses Israel.
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you…”
— Acts 2:22
Peter does not preach as though Israel has vanished from God’s dealings. He speaks directly to Israel and lays the responsibility for Christ’s rejection at the nation’s feet.
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
— Acts 2:36
Then in Acts 3, Peter again speaks to Israel:
“Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this?”
— Acts 3:12
Peter continues by identifying Israel’s covenant relationship:
“You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’”
— Acts 3:25
That is after Pentecost.
Peter does not say, “You were sons of the prophets.”
He does not say, “You were sons of the covenant.”
He says, “You are.”
Then Peter connects Israel’s repentance with the return of Christ and the times of refreshing.
“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”
— Acts 3:19
Then he continues:
“And that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before.”
— Acts 3:20
And then Peter says:
“Whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.”
— Acts 3:21
That is not anti-Israel theology. That is a kingdom proclamation being preached to Israel after Pentecost.
Peter does not say, “God is finished with you.”
He does not say, “Your promises are gone.”
He does not say, “The Church has replaced you.”
He calls Israel to repent.
Paul Did Not Teach That Israel Was Finished
The Opposition’s Claim
The opposing view argues that Paul abandoned Jewish identity and therefore dismantled any future theological significance for Israel. It often appeals to Philippians 3, where Paul counts his Jewish credentials as loss, to claim that Israel’s covenantal identity no longer matters in God’s plan.
What Saith the Scriptures?
Paul is often misused in this discussion. Some point to Philippians 3, where Paul counts his Jewish credentials as loss, and claim that Paul discarded Israel’s covenantal significance altogether.
But that is not what Paul was doing.
Paul was not saying God’s promises to Israel were worthless. He was saying his own fleshly credentials could not justify him before God.
There is a massive difference.
Paul wrote:
“Though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so.”
— Philippians 3:4
Then he listed his Jewish credentials:
“Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews…”
— Philippians 3:5
But then Paul says:
“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.”
— Philippians 3:7
Paul was rejecting confidence in the flesh for righteousness before God.
He was not denying that God still had promises connected to Israel.
The same Paul who wrote Philippians 3 also wrote Romans 9–11. And there he speaks of Israel with deep grief and covenant clarity.
“I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit.”
— Romans 9:1“That I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart.”
— Romans 9:2“For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh.”
— Romans 9:3
Then Paul identifies Israel’s covenant privileges:
“Who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises.”
— Romans 9:4
Notice the word “pertain.”
Paul does not say, “To whom once pertained.”
He does not speak as though everything has been erased.
He identifies real covenantal privileges connected to Israel.
Then in Romans 10, Paul says:
“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.”
— Romans 10:1
Paul did not hate Israel. He prayed for Israel.
In Romans 9:3, Paul states:
“For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.”
Then in Romans 11, Paul asks the question directly:
“I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not!”
— Romans 11:1
Later, Paul explains Israel’s present condition:
“Blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”
— Romans 11:25
Blindness has happened “in part.”
Not totally.
And it lasts “until.”
Not forever.
Then Paul says:
“And so all Israel will be saved.”
— Romans 11:26
That is future language. That is national language. That is covenant language. That is prophetic language.
Israel is presently in unbelief. But Israel’s present unbelief is not the end of Israel’s story.
Gentiles Are Partakers — Not Takers
The Opposition’s Claim
The opposing view claims that because Israel rejected Christ, Gentile believers now occupy the place Israel once held. In this framework, the Church becomes the true Israel, and the promises are reinterpreted spiritually in the Church rather than fulfilled literally to Israel.
What Saith the Scriptures?
One of the great errors of replacement theology is that it turns Gentile blessing into Gentile boasting.
But Paul warned against that very thing.
In Romans 11, Gentiles are compared to wild olive branches grafted in among the natural branches.
“And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them…”
— Romans 11:17
Then Paul says the Gentiles became partakers:
“And with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree.”
— Romans 11:17
Partaking is not the same as taking over.
Paul immediately warns:
“Do not boast against the branches.”
— Romans 11:18
And then he adds:
“But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.”
— Romans 11:18
That warning is needed today.
Gentile believers should not boast against Israel. We should not hate Israel. We should not speak as though God’s promises failed. We should not act as though Jewish unbelief makes Gentiles superior.
Paul also writes:
“For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things.”
— Romans 15:27
Again, Gentiles are partakers.
Not takers.
Paul uses similar language in Ephesians:
“That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel.”
— Ephesians 3:6
Gentiles are blessed in Christ. Gentiles are reconciled in one Body. Gentiles are saved by grace. But Gentile blessing does not require God to break His promises to Israel.
We are saved by grace.
And if we understand grace, we have no room for boasting.
The Church Does Not Replace Israel
The Opposition’s Claim
The opposing view teaches that the Church is now the fulfillment or replacement of Israel. Therefore, Israel no longer has a distinct future in God’s prophetic plan. Any future hope for Israel as a nation is considered a return to earthly thinking rather than spiritual Christianity.
What Saith the Scriptures?
The Body of Christ is a distinct work of God revealed through the Apostle Paul. Jew and Gentile are reconciled in one Body by the cross. In Christ, there is no spiritual superiority based on ethnicity.
But that does not mean Israel’s prophetic promises vanished.
Paul describes the Body of Christ as a mystery that was previously hidden and later revealed.
“If indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you.”
— Ephesians 3:2“How that by revelation He made known to me the mystery.”
— Ephesians 3:3
Then Paul explains:
“Which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets.”
— Ephesians 3:5
The Body of Christ is not simply a continuation of Israel’s prophetic program. It is the revelation of a mystery.
Paul also writes:
“According to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began.”
— Romans 16:25
Israel’s kingdom promises were not kept secret since the world began. They were spoken by the prophets since the world began.
Peter says:
“Which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.”
— Acts 3:21
Paul’s mystery was different.
It was “kept secret since the world began.”
That distinction matters.
The Church is not Israel.
Israel is not the Church.
Gentile believers do not become covenant thieves.
And Israel’s future restoration does not threaten the gospel of grace.
God can fulfill His heavenly purpose for the Body of Christ and still fulfill His earthly promises to Israel.
That is not contradiction. That is rightly dividing the Word of truth.
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
— 2 Timothy 2:15
Love for Israel Must Include the Gospel
The Opposition’s Claim
The opposing view often reacts against a shallow form of Christian Zionism that seems to support Israel politically while saying little about Israel’s need for Christ. It rightly sees a problem when Christians defend Israel but fail to preach the gospel to Jewish people.
What Saith the Scriptures?
Here we should be honest.
If someone claims to love Israel but never prays for Jewish people to be saved, something is wrong.
If someone supports Israel politically but never speaks of Christ crucified and risen, something is missing.
If someone treats Jewish people as already right with God apart from faith in Jesus Christ, that is not biblical love.
Standing with Scripture does not mean pretending Jewish people do not need Christ. They do.
A Jewish person without Christ is lost.
A Gentile without Christ is lost.
A religious person without Christ is lost.
A moral person without Christ is lost.
Every sinner needs the Savior.
Paul writes:
“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.”
— Romans 10:1
That should be the heart of every believer.
Not hatred.
Not arrogance.
Not political idolatry.
Not ethnic hostility.
Prayer.
Paul also says:
“For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.”
— Romans 10:3
That is Israel’s problem in unbelief. It is not ethnicity. It is unbelief. It is rejection of God’s righteousness in Christ.
And Paul gives the answer:
“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”
— Romans 10:4
Jew and Gentile alike must come to God through Christ.
“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.”
— 1 Timothy 2:5
Paul did not hate Israel because Israel was in unbelief. He grieved. He prayed. He preached Christ.
In Romans 9:3, Paul states:
“For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.”
That is our pattern.
We Must Reject Hatred Without Rejecting God’s Promises
The Opposition’s Claim
The opposing view assumes that if someone believes God still has promises for Israel, then that person must be defending everything Israel does politically or militarily. It treats biblical support for Israel’s future restoration as though it were the same thing as unconditional approval of the modern Israeli government.
What Saith the Scriptures?
This is where believers must be careful.
We can reject antisemitism without worshiping the modern State of Israel.
We can reject political idolatry without rejecting biblical prophecy.
We can criticize government actions without despising Jewish people.
We can preach salvation in Christ alone without denying God’s covenant faithfulness.
We can love Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims, Jews, and all people without surrendering what Scripture says about Israel.
Paul warns Gentile believers directly:
“Do not boast against the branches.”
— Romans 11:18
He also warns:
“Do not be haughty, but fear.”
— Romans 11:20
That is strong language.
Gentile believers have no permission to boast over Israel. We also have no permission to hate Israel. But neither are we called to make an idol out of any earthly nation.
Our allegiance is first and finally to the Lord Jesus Christ.
“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
— Philippians 3:20
The Word of God gives us clarity where the world gives confusion.
God’s Promise to Israel Still Stands
The Opposition’s Claim
The opposing view says Israel’s promises have either been canceled, spiritually transferred, or fulfilled in the Church. In this view, the land, nation, throne, and kingdom promises no longer require a future fulfillment for Israel as Israel.
What Saith the Scriptures?
From Genesis onward, God made promises concerning Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the land, the nation, the throne of David, and the future restoration of Israel.
Those promises are not fragile. They do not depend on Israel’s current righteousness. They depend on God’s faithfulness.
God said to Abram:
“I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.”
— Genesis 12:2
Then God said:
“I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
— Genesis 12:3
The land promise was not vague.
- “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are — northward, southward, eastward, and westward.”
— Genesis 13:14
Then God said:
“For all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.”
— Genesis 13:15
God later made the land boundaries clear:
“To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates.”
— Genesis 15:18
God also called it an everlasting covenant:
“And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant.”
— Genesis 17:7
And He continued:
“Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession.”
— Genesis 17:8
The Psalms confirm this same promise:
“He remembers His covenant forever, the word which He commanded, for a thousand generations.”
— Psalm 105:8“The covenant which He made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac.”
— Psalm 105:9“And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant.”
— Psalm 105:10“Saying, ‘To you I will give the land of Canaan as the allotment of your inheritance.’”
— Psalm 105:11
The prophets also speak of Israel’s future restoration.
Jeremiah records the Lord’s promise:
“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.”
— Jeremiah 31:31
That New Covenant is made “with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.”
Then God ties Israel’s continued existence to the fixed order of creation:
“If those ordinances depart from before Me, says the LORD, then the seed of Israel shall also cease from being a nation before Me forever.”
— Jeremiah 31:36
Then He says:
“If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel.”
— Jeremiah 31:37
In other words, Israel’s future is as secure as God’s control over creation.
Ezekiel also speaks of a future regathering:
“For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.”
— Ezekiel 36:24
Then God says:
“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean.”
— Ezekiel 36:25
That shows both physical restoration and future spiritual cleansing.
Ezekiel 37 continues:
“Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land.”
— Ezekiel 37:21
Then God says:
“And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel.”
— Ezekiel 37:22
Zechariah also speaks of Israel’s future repentance:
“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication.”
— Zechariah 12:10
Then the prophet says:
“Then they will look on Me whom they pierced.”
— Zechariah 12:10
That has not yet been fulfilled nationally.
Paul confirms this future in Romans 11:
“And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: ‘The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob.’”
— Romans 11:26
Then Paul says:
“For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.”
— Romans 11:27
And then:
“For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”
— Romans 11:29
That is the whole point.
If God’s promises to Israel can fail, then how can we trust His promises to us?
If God can permanently cast away the people He foreknew, then what confidence would any believer have in His Word?
But God is faithful.
Israel has failed many times.
The Church has failed many times.
We have failed many times.
But God does not fail.
“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent.”
— Numbers 23:19
‘For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, ‘
Hebrews 6:13
Christ Will Reign Over All the Earth
The Opposition’s Claim
The opposing view argues that Jesus rejected the idea of an earthly kingdom connected to Israel. It presents the kingdom of Christ as purely spiritual, universal, and detached from the promises God made to Israel through the prophets.
What Saith the Scriptures?
Jesus is not merely a political Messiah. He is not merely Israel’s King. He is King of kings and Lord of lords.
But we must not create a false choice.
He can be Israel’s promised Messiah and the Savior of the world.
He can fulfill the promises made to the fathers and bless the nations.
He can reign from Jerusalem and rule over all the earth.
He can restore Israel and judge the nations.
He can keep every word He has spoken.
The prophets repeatedly connect Messiah’s reign with Israel, Jerusalem, and the nations.
Isaiah writes:
“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder.”
— Isaiah 9:6
Then Isaiah says:
“Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice.”
— Isaiah 9:7
That is throne language. Davidic language. Kingdom language.
Daniel also saw a coming kingdom:
“Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.”
— Daniel 7:14
Zechariah writes:
“And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east.”
— Zechariah 14:4
Then he says:
“And the LORD shall be King over all the earth.”
— Zechariah 14:9
That is not merely inward or symbolic. The passage names Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives, and the Lord reigning over all the earth.
Revelation also declares:
“The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”
— Revelation 11:15
And again:
“And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”
— Revelation 19:16
The prophets did not present Israel’s restoration as a small thing. They connected it with the glory of God among the nations.
God’s purpose for Israel was never merely about Israel. Through Israel, God would bless the nations. Through Israel came the Messiah. Through Israel came the Scriptures. Through Israel came the covenants and promises. And through Israel’s future restoration, God will display His faithfulness before the world.
A Better Christian Response
The Opposition’s Claim
The opposing view sees Christian support for Israel as hateful, political, and unspiritual. But in reacting against political extremes, it often falls into another error: speaking against Israel and the Jewish people in ways that Scripture itself forbids.
What Saith the Scriptures?
So how should believers respond?
Not with hatred.
“Let all that you do be done with love.”
— 1 Corinthians 16:14
Not with racial contempt.
“For there is no partiality with God.”
— Romans 2:11
Not with conspiracy.
“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification.”
— Ephesians 4:29
Not with blind nationalism.
“For our citizenship is in heaven.”
— Philippians 3:20
Not with political worship.
“You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.”
— Matthew 4:10
But with Scripture, prayer, humility, and truth.
We should say what Paul said:
“Has God cast away His people? Certainly not!”
— Romans 11:1
We should believe what Jesus confirmed:
“To confirm the promises made to the fathers.”
— Romans 15:8
We should remember what Peter preached:
“Repent therefore and be converted…”
— Acts 3:19
We should understand what Paul revealed:
“Blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”
— Romans 11:25
We should hold fast to the gospel:
“Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:3–4
Jew and Gentile alike must be saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Final Summary
Christianity is not anti-Jewish.
Christianity is not ethnic hatred dressed in religious language.
Christianity is not a denial of God’s promises to Israel.
Biblical Christianity proclaims that Israel’s Messiah has come, that Israel rejected Him, that salvation has gone to the Gentiles, that God is now forming the Body of Christ by grace, and that God is not finished with Israel.
That is not politics.
That is Scripture.
And when the dust of human opinion settles, Scripture will still stand.
So the question remains:
What saith the Scriptures?
They say God is faithful.
“God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
— 1 Corinthians 1:9
They say Christ is the Savior.
“The Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.”
— 1 John 4:14
They say Israel is presently blinded in part.
“Blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”
— Romans 11:25
They say Gentiles must not boast.
“Do not boast against the branches.”
— Romans 11:18
They say the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.
“For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”
— Romans 11:29
They say all Israel will be saved.
“And so all Israel will be saved.”
— Romans 11:26
They say Jesus Christ will reign over all the earth.
“And the LORD shall be King over all the earth.”
— Zechariah 14:9
And because God has said it, we can stand firmly on it — with grace, with love, and without apology.
This response was not written to defend every action of the modern State of Israel, nor to suggest that Jewish people are saved apart from faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
But Scripture is clear: God has not cast away His people. Gentiles are partakers, not takers. Israel’s blindness is partial and temporary. The gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.
As hostility toward Israel, Zionists, and the Jewish people continues to grow — even within Christendom — believers must be careful not to be carried away by the spirit of the age. We must stand where Scripture stands, speak with grace, reject hatred, and hold fast to the promises of God.
What saith the Scriptures? That is where every faithful answer must begin and end.
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