Christian Zionism is a theological and political belief system held by many Christians (especially in the United States) that supports the modern state of Israel as the direct fulfillment of biblical prophecy and a central part of God’s ongoing plan for humanity.
At its core, Christian Zionism teaches:
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That God gave the physical land of Israel to the Jewish people as an eternal inheritance.
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That the return of Jews to the land in 1948 was a prophetic event predicted in Scripture.
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That Christians have a duty to support the modern state of Israel politically, militarily, and financially.
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That any opposition to Israel is opposition to God’s will.
Many Christian Zionists believe that supporting Israel will hasten the return of Jesus and is a requirement for receiving God’s blessing, based largely on a reading of Genesis 12:3 (“I will bless those who bless you…”).
But here’s the problem: Jesus never taught any of that.
Sadly, Christian Zionism often skips right over the red letters of Jesus. It ignores what Christ actually said about loving enemies, turning the other cheek, laying down the sword, and tearing down the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile. It turns the gospel into a geopolitical situation and, even worse, baptizes war in the name of God.
Below, you’ll find twenty serious, scripture-based questions every Christian Zionist needs to honestly answer. As you consider each one, return to Jesus’ own words and ask yourself if the theology you hold matches what He explicitly taught.
20 Questions Every Christian Zionist Must Answer
Fact #1: Jesus commanded Israel clearly: “Love your enemies.” (Matthew 5:44)
Question #1: Are we to believe that Jesus wants modern Israel to kill their enemies after explicitly commanding ancient Israel to love its enemies?
Fact #2: Jesus warned explicitly, “All who draw the sword will die by the sword.” (Matthew 26:52)
Question #2: Why does America ignore Jesus by spending trillions on its military-industrial complex (“sword”) while serving as top supplier of bombs and weaponry for modern Israel’s military campaigns, enabling it to wage eye for eye vengeance against its enemies with the “sword”?
Fact #3: Jesus revealed exactly what God is like: nonviolent, compassionate, forgiving (Hebrews 1:1-3, John 14:9).
Question #3: How can a follower of Jesus reconcile today’s violent, enemy-hating America and Israel with the nonviolent, enemy-loving character of God revealed in Christ?
Fact #4: Paul says clearly in Ephesians 2:14-16 that Christ tore down the barrier dividing Jews and Gentiles, creating “one new humanity.
Question #4: What is the Christian justification for aiding and financing homicidal violence and ethnic hostility between modern Israel and their neighbors while claiming to follow the same Christ who specifically came to destroy all such hostilities?
Fact #5: Jesus explicitly taught His Jewish listeners to “turn the other cheek” and to return good for evil. (Matthew 5:39).
Question #5: What is the Christian justification for supporting modern Israel in its homicidal violence against the same enemies Jesus told ancient Israel to love?
Fact #6: Jesus explicitly said His kingdom is not of this world and refused to rule by force (John 18:36).
Question #6: What is the Christian justification for arming and financing a modern nation that explicitly rejects Jesus and his teachings of enemy love and radical inclusion?
Fact #7: Jesus called His disciples to forgive those who mistreat them and rejected retaliation toward enemies (Luke 6:27-29).
Question #7: If Jesus specifically told ancient Israel to love their enemies because it was the way of God, who are you (or I) to tell modern Israel that Jesus is wrong?
Fact #8: The early church followed Jesus in choosing martyrdom over military resistance.
Question #8: Because Jesus taught and lived a life of nonviolent love towards both friends and enemies, shouldn’t modern followers of Jesus be known by these same fruits?
Fact #9: Paul says explicitly, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, but all are one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)
Question #9: If Jews and Gentiles are made “one” in Christ, wouldn’t it oppose the work of Christ to insist there were “two” peoples?
Fact #10: Jesus proclaimed, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” (Matthew 5:9)
Question #10: Which country on earth would Jesus bomb and who would Jesus shoot?
Fact #11: The New Testament teaches that Jesus fulfilled the promises made to Israel (2 Corinthians 1:20; Galatians 3:16).
Question #11: Why do Christian Zionists treat the promises made to ancient Israel as unfulfilled and instead tie them to the fortunes of a temporal kingdom “of this world,” when Jesus specifically said the kingdom of God was “within?”
Fact #12: Jesus wept over Jerusalem and warned that its violent path would lead to destruction (Luke 19:41–44).
Question #12: What the Christian justification for supporting and financing the same kind of violent nationalism that Jesus lamented?
Fact #13: In Acts 1:6, the disciples asked Jesus if He was going to restore the kingdom to Israel.
Question #13: Why did Jesus avoid that question? And why do Christian Zionists still find themselves ensnared by it?
Fact #14: Jesus told His followers to be witnesses to the ends of the earth, not political cheerleaders for a select group of nations (Acts 1:8).
Question #14: Because God shows impartial love and compassion to all, shouldn’t that be the ultimate aim for followers of Christ as well?
Fact #15: The Book of Revelation calls followers of the Lamb to overcome not by killing, but by the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 12:11).
Question #15: If Christ and His disciples never used homicidal violence, how can any form of homicidal violence be considered “just” or “Christian?”
Fact #16: Jesus fulfilled the temple, the priesthood, the sacrifices, and the land (Hebrews 8–10).
Question #16: Why do Christian Zionists still deem a physical temple, priesthood, and land as spiritually necessary?
Fact #17: Scripture says God shows no favoritism, whether Jew or Gentile (Romans 2:11; Acts 10:34).
Question #17: How does giving one nation divine privilege over others square with God’s impartial character?
Fact #18: Jesus taught that mercy is the weightier matter of the law (Matthew 23:23).
Question #18: How do Christian Zionists justify supporting policies of occupation, blockade, and displacement in the name of the nonviolent enemy-loving Christ?
Fact #19: Jesus rebuked Peter for rejecting His predicted suffering at the hands of wicked and violent men and said, “You do not have in mind the concerns of God” (Mark 8:33).
Question #19: How would you respond if you discovered that Christian Zionism did “not have in the mind the concerns of God,” but was actually rooted in eye-for-eye violence against enemies and supported by a sense of spiritual superiority?
Fact #20: Jesus warned against false prophets who would come in His name and deceive many (Matthew 24:24).
Question #20: How would you respond if you discovered that Christian Zionism was a spiritual deception, dressed in biblical language yet designed to exacerbate the same ethnic hostilities Christ came to destroy?
Conclusion
These are not easy questions. They’re not meant to be.
Instead, they’re meant to confront a popular but dangerous theology with the words of Jesus Himself. They’re meant to expose the tension between modern Christian support for violence and the nonviolent gospel of the kingdom.
If Christian Zionism cannot answer these basic questions, then maybe it’s not built on the Rock.
Christ never gave Israel (or anyone else) a blank check for violence. Instead, He gave us one powerful command: love.
Jesus didn’t come to bless nationalism, war, or ethnic supremacy. He came to create one new humanity. That is, one people (not two peoples) of God. And one law of love for all.
We should listen.
Blessings,
P.S. You can help innocent children caught in the crossfire of religious hatred by donating to credible charities that are operating in the Gaza and West Bank areas. One that I personally support is Save the Children. You can donate here.
Have a thought or question? Please feel free to share it below.
