By RYAN JONES, ISRAEL TODAY—
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday stated that Zionism and the rebirth of the Jewish state would not have succeeded without the backing and support of Christian Zionism.
Netanyahu was speaking at a rededication ceremony for the landmark windmill situated at the entrance to Mishkenot Sha’ananim, the first neighborhood built outside Jerusalem’s Old City walls.
Built in 1858 by Jewish philanthropist Moses Montefiore, the windmill quickly became a recognized symbol of Jerusalem. But over the years, it fell into disrepair.
The windmill’s restoration was made possible by the cooperation of various government bodies and private charities, but the bulk of the funding has come from the Dutch organization Christians for Israel.
Last month, Dutch experts oversaw the installation of a new dome and blades on the iconic structure, and managed to return the windmill to working order.
Acknowledging the role played by Christians for Israel in this particular project, and the involvement in general of Christian Zionists in Israel’s restoration, Netanyahu said:
“I don’t believe that the Jewish State and Modern Zionism would have been possible without Christian Zionism. I think that the many Christian supporters of the rebirth of the Jewish State and the ingathering of the Jewish people in the 19th century made possible the rise of…modern Jewish Zionism. We always had the deeply ingrained desire to come back to our land and rebuild it. …That was made possible in the 19th century, by the resurgence of Christian Zionism… It’s well represented here today by our Dutch friends.”
Wikipedia estimates that there are over 600 Million Evangelical Christian in the world. The majorit of Evangelicals look to the Jewish and Christian Scriptures as inspired by the Holy Spirit and they consider seriously the injunctions to be a blessing to the Jewish people everywhere. The people of Israel are NOT alone !
I swallow hard at the word “evangelical”. If memory serves me correct, 30% of so-called evangelical Christians voted for Obama in 2008 and many of these same would do it again in 2012, while 76% of American Jews voted in like manner. I applaud PM Netanyahu’s standing-up for genuine God-fearing, Bible-literate evangelicals (those who take God at His Word and reject replacement theology) in their support for Israel. The PM recognizes that his enemies, beside the current Administration, include false Christianity and liberal American Judaism that has gone as far to declare Israel an apartheid state. What nonsense.
I spent two years among the Jewish people of Tehran, Iran in hopes of reaching them for the Messiah. The year was 1977 and what a time it was with a thriving bustling economy under the Shah. The people were all very friendly. I found that many of the pastors and elders in the churches were from Jewish backgrounds. I spent most of my time learning Farsi until the revolution broke out in the fall of 1979. I was inspired by William Blackstone who wrote the classic, “Jesus is Coming”. You can Google the book and find it online. He was an early Christian Zionist that paved the way for Theodore Hertzel in the early 1900’s. Blackstone placed his book that was professionally bound with a blue and white cover, in plastic and put the work in Petra and other cities by faith knowing God would keep His Word. He died before Israel became a nation. Today my heart is broken that so few Christians realize that we have an obligation to pray for Israel and work to make her whole according to Isaiah 62. God is faithful and we must follow Christ, the King of the Jews, our Savior and our God in the flesh!
I spent two years among the Jewish people of Tehran, Iran in hopes of reaching them for the Messiah. The year was 1977 and what a time it was with a thriving bustling economy under the Shah. The people were all very friendly. I found that many of the pastors and elders in the churches were from Jewish backgrounds. I spent most of my time learning Farsi until the revolution broke out in the fall of 1978. I was inspired by William Blackstone who wrote the classic, “Jesus is Coming”. You can Google the book and find it online. He was an early Christian Zionist that paved the way for Theodore Hertzel in the early 1900’s. Blackstone placed his book that was professionally bound with a blue and white cover, in plastic and put the work in Petra and other cities by faith knowing God would keep His Word. He died before Israel became a nation. Today my heart is broken that so few Christians realize that we have an obligation to pray for Israel and work to make her whole according to Isaiah 62. God is faithful and we must follow Christ, the King of the Jews, our Savior and our God in the flesh!