Christians and Israel -
Dr. Richard Booker

Zion and Zionists

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Shalom! There is a word we see in the news media these days that has not been part of the average Americans vocabulary. It doesn’t come up when discussing sports, politics, economics, religion, social issues, jobs, money, sex, the movies, death and taxes, etc. Yet, this unfamiliar word is becoming more and more recognized by the American people. This word, which incites powerful feelings, has somewhat of a foreign sound and old-world connotation.

While the word has traditionally been understood as it applied to Jews, to the surprise of many, this word is now also being associated with Christians. I’m talking about the word, “Zionist.” Because there are significant numbers of Christians in America and around the world who consider themselves to be Zionists, we now read and hear the phrase “Christian Zionist.”

I am a Christian Zionist. There are millions of us around the world who have a fervent, unwavering love for Israel and the Jewish people. The great majority of us have no agenda but to bless and serve God’s chosen people.

Since Zion and Zionists are words unfamiliar with the American public, but are finding their way into the American press almost daily, and since many of our most active and visible politicians claim to be Zionist, I thought it might be helpful to explain what these words mean.

The word Zion comes from the Bible where we find it mentioned 159 times. It is found 152 times in the Tanakh and 7 times in the New Testament.

While there are different views, the word Zion most likely means stronghold. It was a Jebusite fortress (stronghold) before King David captured it as recorded in 2 Samuel 5:6-9 and 1 Chronicles 11:5.

Biblical Zion at this time was the southeastern ridge of Mount Zion and was called the City of David. David brought the ark of the covenant to Mount Zion where he set up the Tabernacle of David to worship Adonai (2 Samuel 6:12,16; 1 Kings 8:1; 1 Chronicles 8:1; 15:1,29; 2 Chronicles 5:2).

At this time, David bought the threshing floor on Mount Zion from Araunah the Jebusite. He paid him fifty shekels of silver (2 Samuel 24). Mount Zion was also called Mount Moriah and is the same location where Abraham offered Isaac and where Solomon would build the Temple.

This is the same Temple Mount today where the Arabs claim there was never a Jewish presence. I feel it my duty to point out that King David bought this contested property around 1000 BCE. This was almost 1000 years before the beginning of Christianity and 1600 years before the rise of Islam.

King Solomon built the first Jewish Temple on this site around 960 BCE. At this time, he moved the ark to the Temple Mount and the name Zion was extended to include this area (1 Kings 8:1; 2 Chronicles 3:1; 5:2). Eventually Zion referred to the whole of Jerusalem as well as to the people themselves (2 Kings 19:21; Psalm 87:2; Isaiah 30:19; 49:14; etc.).

Zion is called the city of God (Psalm 87:2-3; Isaiah 60:14). The Lord of Zion promised to restore Zion (Isaiah 51:3,11,16; 52:1-2,7-8; 59:20; 60:14; etc.), and the Messianic age will be centered in Zion (Psalm 2:6-12; Zechariah 14:3-5,9; etc.).

This is the background of the hopes and yearnings of the Jewish people as expressed at the end of the seventeenth blessing of the Amidah which says, “Blessed are You, Hashem, Who restores His presence to Zion.”

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Dr. Richard and Peggy Booker are the Founding Directors of the Institute for Hebraic-Christian Studies (IHCS), a non-proselytizing, Christian Zionist educational organization. They have dedicated their lives to educating Christians in their Judeo-Christian heritage and the holocaust, building relations between Christians and Jews, and working tirelessly to give comfort and support to the people of Israel. To learn more about their work and study materials, or to have Dr. Booker speak to your group, contact them at www.rbooker.com

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