Christian Zionism and the End of Judaism

Dan Cohn-Sherbok

At the end of the 19th century, secular Jewish Zionists pressed
 for the creation of a Jewish state. They saw anti-Semitism as
 inevitable. Figures such as the German socialist Moses Hess
 believed that the only solution was to create a new state that
would enable world Jewry to undergo a renaissance, and
serve as a spiritual center for all humanity. Similarly, the
Russian writer Leon Pinsker contended that Judeophobia
is inextricably part of Western society: the only remedy
 for anti-Semitism is for Jewry to reconstitute themselves
as a separate people in their own land.

Echoing such sentiments, Theodor Herzl undertook political
steps to bring about the vision of a Jewish homeland. In The
 Jewish State, he argued that assimilation would not cure
Jews' problems. "We have sincerely tried everywhere to
merge with the national communities in which we live,
seeking only to preserve the faith of our fathers….
It is not permitted us. In vain are we loyal patriots ...
 in vain do we strive to enhance the fame of our native
 lands in the arts and sciences, or her wealth by
trade and commerce."

Christians, too, sought to bring about the return of the
Jewish people to their ancestral homeland. One of the most
 important proponents of Christian Zionism in the late
19th century was the Rev. William Hechler, a British
 clergyman of German origin. After the pogroms in
 Russia in 1881, he participated in a meeting of Christian
 leaders in London which discussed the possibility of settling
 Jewish refuges in Palestine. He met Herzl, who described
 him in his diaries as "a sympathetic gentle fellow....
He also considers my movement a 'prophetic turning point.' "

In recent years, Christian Zionism has become a significant
movement, particularly in the United States. It seeks to bring
about the restoration of the Jewish people on their ancestral
homeland, in expectation of the Second Coming.

Drawing on the dispensational theories of such figures as
John Nelson Darby, Christian Zionists predict that an
 evil global empire will emerge under the leadership of a
mysterious leader, the Antichrist. It will attack Israel, and
 eventually there will be a Battle of Armageddon. After
seven years of Tribulation, Jesus will return as the Jewish
Messiah and king, to reign in Jerusalem for 1000 years,
and the Jewish people will enjoy a privileged place in history.
(See Bill Moyers' interview with Michael Lerner on PBS for a
discussion of dispensationalism).

This vision of Rapture and Tribulation places the State of
 Israel center stage. The Christian Zionists believe that when
 the Jewish people will return to their homeland to establish
 their state, biblical prophecy will be fulfilled, and everything
 will be in order for the countdown to the end of history.

The popularity of Armageddon theology extends from
ordinary believers to the highest levels of government.
 The former Secretary of Defense Casper Weinberger,
for example, remarked, "I have read the book of Revelation
and, yes, I believe the world is going to end by an act of
God." President Ronald Reagan advanced similar views,
 and such theological opinions are thought to have
 influenced the policies of the Bush administration.

Although Jewish leaders categorically reject the religious
 presuppositions of Christian Zionism, they have been
 anxious to draw support from sympathetic Christians.
The former Prime Minister, Menachem Begin, for example,
enjoyed a close relationship with leading figures of the
Christian Zionist movement, including the Rev. Jerry Falwell.

Benjamin Netanyahu spoke frequently at Christian Zionist
 functions, including the Feast of Tabernacles hosted by
 the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem. Within
 a few months of his election as Prime Minister in May,
1996, Netanyahu convened the Israel Christian Advocacy
Council, bringing seventeen American Christian Zionist
 leaders to Israel. On their return to the United States,
these leaders launched a national campaign, using
full-page advertisements in newspapers under the banner,
"Christians call for a united Jerusalem."

Likud also sought Christian Zionist help in offsetting the
decline in contributions to Israel from American Jews.
As a result, the International Fellowship of Christians and
 Jews raised more than five million dollars, largely from
extremist Christians. Later, Christian Zionists worked
with pro-Israel groups to mobilize constituencies to
 make telephone calls and send emails and letters to
President Bush, encouraging him to stop putting pressure
 on Ariel Sharon to withdraw his forces from Palestinian areas.

The paradox of this Jewish-Christian alliance is that
Christian Zionist theology envisages the ultimate
 disappearance of Judaism as a living religion. In the
final days, millions of Jews will lose their lives, along
 with the rest of humanity. Only a relatively small number
 will remain, who will proclaim the truth of the gospel.

In The Late Great Planet Earth, Hal Lindsey explains
that God will supernaturally deliver 144,000 Jews to
serve as his evangelists: "I say loud and clear the 144,000
described here are not Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormon
 elders, or some symbol of the Church, they are
Jews, Jews, Jews."

Yet these Jews will in fact be converted Christians, who
have at the end of time embraced Jesus as Lord. They
 will be all that remain of the Jewish nation. Hence, by
 advancing the claims of the Jewish people for their
 ancestral homeland, Christian Zionists are looking to
 the day in which Israel will disappear in a nuclear
 Holocaust, and the Jewish faith will vanish from the earth.

Dan Cohn-Sherbok is the Professor of Judaism at the
 University of Wales and the author and editor of over
eighty books including The Politics of Apocalypse:
The History and Influence of Christian Zionism (Oneworld, 2006).

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