In simple terms, Zionism is defined as the movement or belief that the Jewish people have a right to live in the Jewish ancestral homeland of Israel. So, is God a Zionist? Yes, we believe so! Since God is the one who promised the Jewish people an eternal home in Zion (the biblical term for both Israel and Jerusalem), God is a Zionist.
At Alliance for the Peace of Jerusalem, we affirm that God is faithful, unchanging, and keeps His covenants and promises to individuals and nations. We also affirm that these covenants include the formation and preservation of the Jewish people, and the promise of the land of Zion for the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel).
The Chosen People
In Deuteronomy 7:6, Moses told the people of Israel, “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” Psalm 135:4 likewise states, “For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel for His own possession.”
Why did God choose Israel? The Bible says He chose the Jewish people because of His love for Israel (Deuteronomy 7:7–8) and because He wanted to bless the world through Israel (Genesis 22:18). In Deuteronomy 7:7–8, Moses told the Jewish people, “The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers.” In addition, the nations witness God’s faithfulness when they see His faithfulness to Israel.
The Promise of Zion
One of the ways in which the world can observe God’s faithfulness to Israel is through His keeping of His promise to give the land as an eternal possession. The Lord made a covenant to Abraham, telling him, “Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever” (Genesis 13:14–15; 15:18).
How long was this covenant to endure? Forever. Psalm 105:8–11 states, “He has remembered His covenant forever, the word which He commanded to a thousand generations, the covenant which He made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac. Then He confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying, ‘To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion of your inheritance.’”
The New Testament affirms that God’s covenant with Israel is irrevocable: “From the standpoint of the gospel they [the Jewish people] are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:28–29).
After Jesus’ teaching on the kingdom to His twelve disciples, they understood that this future kingdom included Israel’s restoration, and they anticipated it, as evidenced by their question to the Lord before His ascension “Lord, is it at this time you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). Jesus affirmed the validity of their question by telling them the timing of Israel’s restoration was in God’s hands, and their focus was to be on preaching the gospel (Acts 1:7–8).
The Future of Zion
The ingathering of the Jewish people back to the land of Israel has begun, as promised in Scripture. Ezekiel prophesied this regathering would happen while the Jewish people were profaning God’s name among the nations. God would regather Israel back to the land not because of their faithfulness, but to show the world His faithfulness (Ezekiel 36:22–24).
Scripture prophesies that the second coming of Jesus will occur while the Jewish people are back in the land, tying the Jewish people’s spiritual restoration with its physical restoration in the land (Ezekiel 36:22–28; 37:21–28; Zechariah 12:2–10; Luke 21:24; Romans 11:25–26; Acts 3:18–21). The Jewish people’s presence in the land God promised will bless not only Israel but also the entire world. In God’s future kingdom, Jerusalem will serve as a city of praise with nations streaming in and out of it, worshipping the Lord (Isaiah 2:2–4; 19:23–25).
This latter point negates the argument that Zionism is racism.1 God has always been the God of both Israel and the nations. He loves everyone and wants all to come to the knowledge of the truth so they can live eternally in His glorious kingdom.
In this future kingdom that will be centered in Jerusalem, all nations will worship together in Zion, as the prophet Isaiah foresaw:
Now it will come about that in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it. And many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways and that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He will judge between the nations, and will render decisions for many peoples; and they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war. (Isaiah 2:2–4)
We look forward to this glorious kingdom in Zion, but until then, we continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6).
We affirm that God is a Zionist because the promise of the land of Israel as an eternal possession to the Jewish people came from Him. The Zionist belief that the Jewish people have a right to live in the Jewish ancestral homeland is good news not only for Israel but also for the world, because it reveals we worship a God who keeps His promises. He has kept His promise to the Jewish people, and He will keep His promises to believers—Jewish and Gentile alike.
Jennifer Miles is the director of communications for the Alliance for the Peace of Jerusalem and a staff apologist for Chosen People Ministries. She earned her master’s degree in Christian Apologetics from Biola University and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Stockton University. She is passionate about sharing biblical truth about Israel and the Jewish people and reaching God’s chosen people with the good news of their Messiah.
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1 See our article, “Is Israel an Apartheid State?” to read about this accusation and our response.
