There is a litmus test you can administer in order to determine whether someone is a Christian Zionist or not. It is a single question that you can ask, and it is non-invasive. In fact, it is very welcomed.
"Do you believe that the state of Israel is the fulfillment of biblical prophecy?"
That is it. That is the question. If the person says, "Yes", this person is a Christian Zionist, whether they know it or not and whether they admit it or not. If they say, "Yes", you could ask them a further question: "Then where does Jesus fit in?" Jesus or Israel, one or the other, is the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. There is no room for both. Christian Zionists believe that political Israel is God's plan for the future (i.e., it is all about Israel). They believe that the Bible is Israel-centric, not Christ-centric.
Furthermore, these same individuals are the greatest anti-Semitics ever! They encourage Jewish people to return to their land knowing full well that when they do (if their theology were correct in the least, that is), 2/3 of them will be slaughtered by the Anti-Christ. They claim to be friends of Israel when they are anything but. If they were true friends of Israel, and if their theology were correct, they would be urging Jews not to return to their land. Urging them to return to the greatest holocaust ever is not what I would call a "friend".
Christian Zionism is a cult! Their teachings are heretical! Very few, if any, scholarly Christian theologians support the views of Christian Zionism. It is a belief advanced mostly by powerful TV evangelists and lobby groups, such as Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Tim LaHaye, Thomas Ice, Hal Lindsey, Chuck Missler, L. S. Chafer, John Walvoord, Charles Ryrie, J. Dwight Pentecost, Oral Roberts, Kenneth Copeland, Paul Crouch, Benny Hinn, James Dobson, Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, Ralph Reed, and Jews for Jesus (to name a few). Christian Zionism is an elephantine form of Gnosticism, for it presumes to eschatologically decode the Bible and give secret knowledge (i.e., gnosis). Christian Zionism makes the gnostic DaVinci Code, which is mere fiction, look like small peanuts. If you do not know what a Christian Zionist is, perhaps you might know them better by another title: Dispensationalists. Christian Zionism, a.k.a. Dispensationalism, is nothing more than revived Judaism.
The whole concept behind the different dispensations is a false man-made system. The term "dispensation" appears only four times (1 Cor. 9:16-17; Eph. 3:2; Col. 1:25; Eph. 1:10) in the entire Bible, and its context informs you of its meaning. The word "dispense", from where we get "dispensation", has two definitions:
Another lie progressed by Christian Zionists (read Dispensationalists) says that "Paradise" (Luke 23:43) used to be a compartment in hell, separated by a fixed gulf. They claim that in the Old Testament the saints went to Paradise while in the New Testament they go to heaven. However, the word "Paradise" is not found in the Old Testament. The word "Heaven" is. The word "Paradise" is found only in the New Testament, and three times (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 12:1-4; Rev. 2:7). Anyone who examines the context of these passages closely will realize that "Paradise" is another word for Heaven.
Yet another lie produced by Christian Zionists is that the term "sons of God" in the Old Testament, which occurs five times (Gen. 6:2, 4; Job 1:6; 3:1; 38:7), refers to fallen angels. If this is true, it must include Satan as one of the "sons of God" because he is a fallen angel. Is Satan a son of God? The problem here resembles that heresy of Mormonism that claims Jesus and Lucifer are spiritual brothers. Satan wants to be a son of God, and that was part of his pride that resulted in his fall. Christian Zionists argue that since Greek and Roman myths have gods coming down to co-habitate with mankind, then it must stand to reason that they got these ideas from the Bible and therefore the "sons of God" must refer to fallen angels.
Christian Zionism, and everything it stands for, is a lie straight from the pit of hell. Christian Zionism, like Mormonism and Islam, makes salvation by “race” rather than by grace. Mormonism says it is all about the white man; Islam says it is all about the Arabs; Christian Zionism says it is all about the Jews. There are about 101 other heretical lies that Christian Zionists teach (apart from all their eschatological lies), but there is not enough room in this blog entry (or even several blog entries) to cover them all and answer them biblically according to the Bible. The heretical Bible that helped spread these lies across Europe and America was the Scofield Reference Bible. Through expensive campaigns and propaganda, it replaced many genuine Bibles used at many seminaries and the false notes were treated as if they were inspired by God and belonged there.
After the death of C. I. Scofield, the notes in the Scofield Reference Bible exploded and were accelerated to advance the Zionist aims. Much of Scofield's original notes were removed and replaced with more heavily Zionist-friendly notes. In 1908, Scofield wrote concerning John 8:37:
Take this brazen and outrageous newly inserted footnote from the 1967 edition concerning Genesis 12:3: “For a nation to commit the sin of anti-Semitism brings inevitable judgment.” There is no word for “anti-Semitism” in the New Testament, nor is it found among the Ten Commandments. “Sin” is a personal concept. It is something done by individuals in conflict with God’s words, not by “nations.” Even Sodom did not sin—its people did. The word “judgment” in the Bible always refers to God’s action. In the New Testament, Jesus promises both judgment and salvation for believing individuals, not for “nations.” There was also no “State of Israel” when Scofield wrote his original notes in his concocted Scofield Reference Bible in 1908. All references to Israel as a state were added after 1947, when Israel was granted statehood by edict of the United Nations. The Oxford University Press simply rewrote its version of the Christian Bible in 1967 to make antipathy toward the “State of Israel” a “sin.” Israel is made a god to be worshiped, not merely a “state.” That is exactly what Christian Zionism does: it worships the state of Israel as a god. Hence why they teach and believe that the entire Bible is Israel-centric; all about Israel.
The Oxford 1967 edition continues concerning Genesis 12:1-3:
Beware of Christian Zionists and their false gospel. Stick with “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3), the things that were taught by the church for the past 2,000 years rather than so-called “new revelation” taught in the last 200 years. “If it’s new, it probably isn’t true.” One of the reasons I will never recommend so-called "Study" Bibles to people is because 99% of them contain the heretical Christian Zionist/Dispensationalist notes. Bibles should not have such notes. That is what commentaries are for!
For biblical responses to Christian Zionism errors and heresy, see all my blog entries for the month of May.
"Do you believe that the state of Israel is the fulfillment of biblical prophecy?"
That is it. That is the question. If the person says, "Yes", this person is a Christian Zionist, whether they know it or not and whether they admit it or not. If they say, "Yes", you could ask them a further question: "Then where does Jesus fit in?" Jesus or Israel, one or the other, is the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. There is no room for both. Christian Zionists believe that political Israel is God's plan for the future (i.e., it is all about Israel). They believe that the Bible is Israel-centric, not Christ-centric.
Furthermore, these same individuals are the greatest anti-Semitics ever! They encourage Jewish people to return to their land knowing full well that when they do (if their theology were correct in the least, that is), 2/3 of them will be slaughtered by the Anti-Christ. They claim to be friends of Israel when they are anything but. If they were true friends of Israel, and if their theology were correct, they would be urging Jews not to return to their land. Urging them to return to the greatest holocaust ever is not what I would call a "friend".
Christian Zionism is a cult! Their teachings are heretical! Very few, if any, scholarly Christian theologians support the views of Christian Zionism. It is a belief advanced mostly by powerful TV evangelists and lobby groups, such as Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Tim LaHaye, Thomas Ice, Hal Lindsey, Chuck Missler, L. S. Chafer, John Walvoord, Charles Ryrie, J. Dwight Pentecost, Oral Roberts, Kenneth Copeland, Paul Crouch, Benny Hinn, James Dobson, Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, Ralph Reed, and Jews for Jesus (to name a few). Christian Zionism is an elephantine form of Gnosticism, for it presumes to eschatologically decode the Bible and give secret knowledge (i.e., gnosis). Christian Zionism makes the gnostic DaVinci Code, which is mere fiction, look like small peanuts. If you do not know what a Christian Zionist is, perhaps you might know them better by another title: Dispensationalists. Christian Zionism, a.k.a. Dispensationalism, is nothing more than revived Judaism.
The whole concept behind the different dispensations is a false man-made system. The term "dispensation" appears only four times (1 Cor. 9:16-17; Eph. 3:2; Col. 1:25; Eph. 1:10) in the entire Bible, and its context informs you of its meaning. The word "dispense", from where we get "dispensation", has two definitions:
- to give something (e.g., a soap dispenser)
- to do away with something (e.g., "Let's dispense with the formalities.")
Another lie progressed by Christian Zionists (read Dispensationalists) says that "Paradise" (Luke 23:43) used to be a compartment in hell, separated by a fixed gulf. They claim that in the Old Testament the saints went to Paradise while in the New Testament they go to heaven. However, the word "Paradise" is not found in the Old Testament. The word "Heaven" is. The word "Paradise" is found only in the New Testament, and three times (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 12:1-4; Rev. 2:7). Anyone who examines the context of these passages closely will realize that "Paradise" is another word for Heaven.
Yet another lie produced by Christian Zionists is that the term "sons of God" in the Old Testament, which occurs five times (Gen. 6:2, 4; Job 1:6; 3:1; 38:7), refers to fallen angels. If this is true, it must include Satan as one of the "sons of God" because he is a fallen angel. Is Satan a son of God? The problem here resembles that heresy of Mormonism that claims Jesus and Lucifer are spiritual brothers. Satan wants to be a son of God, and that was part of his pride that resulted in his fall. Christian Zionists argue that since Greek and Roman myths have gods coming down to co-habitate with mankind, then it must stand to reason that they got these ideas from the Bible and therefore the "sons of God" must refer to fallen angels.
Christian Zionism, and everything it stands for, is a lie straight from the pit of hell. Christian Zionism, like Mormonism and Islam, makes salvation by “race” rather than by grace. Mormonism says it is all about the white man; Islam says it is all about the Arabs; Christian Zionism says it is all about the Jews. There are about 101 other heretical lies that Christian Zionists teach (apart from all their eschatological lies), but there is not enough room in this blog entry (or even several blog entries) to cover them all and answer them biblically according to the Bible. The heretical Bible that helped spread these lies across Europe and America was the Scofield Reference Bible. Through expensive campaigns and propaganda, it replaced many genuine Bibles used at many seminaries and the false notes were treated as if they were inspired by God and belonged there.
After the death of C. I. Scofield, the notes in the Scofield Reference Bible exploded and were accelerated to advance the Zionist aims. Much of Scofield's original notes were removed and replaced with more heavily Zionist-friendly notes. In 1908, Scofield wrote concerning John 8:37:
"Cf. John 8:39. The contrast, 'I know that ye are Abraham's seed' — 'If ye were Abraham's children' is that between the natural and the spiritual posterity of Abraham. The Israelitish people and the Ishmaelitish people are the former; all who are 'of like precious faith with Abraham,' whether Jews or Gentiles, are the latter; Romans 9:6-8; Galatians 3:6-14. See 'Abrahamic Covenant,' Gen 15:18."Compare that with the Oxford note substituted in the 1967 edition:
"All Jews are natural descendants of Abraham, but are not necessarily his spiritual posterity; Romans 9:6-8, Galatians 3:6-14."Scofield's original footnote was accurate with Christian teachings and belief of the previous 1900 years. The revised footnote is a fallacious heresy. How can "all Jews" be "natural descendants of Abraham," a Chaldean who lived some 3,000 years ago? People of all ethnicities and nationalities are Jews, and new Jews are being converted every day from every ethnicity and nationality. You might as well say that all Lutherans are the natural descendants of Martin Luther. That is how preposterous and nonsensical this new footnote is. The publishers of this Bible (The Oxford University Press) clearly have an agenda: the advancement of the fallacious, erroneous, and heretical teachings of Christian Zionism.
Take this brazen and outrageous newly inserted footnote from the 1967 edition concerning Genesis 12:3: “For a nation to commit the sin of anti-Semitism brings inevitable judgment.” There is no word for “anti-Semitism” in the New Testament, nor is it found among the Ten Commandments. “Sin” is a personal concept. It is something done by individuals in conflict with God’s words, not by “nations.” Even Sodom did not sin—its people did. The word “judgment” in the Bible always refers to God’s action. In the New Testament, Jesus promises both judgment and salvation for believing individuals, not for “nations.” There was also no “State of Israel” when Scofield wrote his original notes in his concocted Scofield Reference Bible in 1908. All references to Israel as a state were added after 1947, when Israel was granted statehood by edict of the United Nations. The Oxford University Press simply rewrote its version of the Christian Bible in 1967 to make antipathy toward the “State of Israel” a “sin.” Israel is made a god to be worshiped, not merely a “state.” That is exactly what Christian Zionism does: it worships the state of Israel as a god. Hence why they teach and believe that the entire Bible is Israel-centric; all about Israel.
The Oxford 1967 edition continues concerning Genesis 12:1-3:
"(2) God made an unconditional promise of blessings through Abram's seed (a) to the nation of Israel to inherit a specific territory forever"This bequeath is joined to an Oxford prophesy that never occurs in the Bible itself:
“"(3) There is a promise of blessing upon those individuals and nations who bless Abram's descendants, and a curse laid upon those who persecute the Jews."
"It has invariably fared ill with the people who have persecuted the Jew, well with those who have protected him." and "The future will still more remarkably prove this principle."None of these notes appeared in the original Scofield Reference Bible or in the 1917 or 1945 editions. The state of Israel did not exist in 1945, and according to the best dictionaries of the time, the word “Israel” only referred to a particular man and an ancient tribe, which is consistent with the Bible text. See “Israel,” Webster’s New International Dictionary 2nd (1950) Edition.
Beware of Christian Zionists and their false gospel. Stick with “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3), the things that were taught by the church for the past 2,000 years rather than so-called “new revelation” taught in the last 200 years. “If it’s new, it probably isn’t true.” One of the reasons I will never recommend so-called "Study" Bibles to people is because 99% of them contain the heretical Christian Zionist/Dispensationalist notes. Bibles should not have such notes. That is what commentaries are for!
For biblical responses to Christian Zionism errors and heresy, see all my blog entries for the month of May.