“Zionists” to Israel’s enemies almost always certainly mean Jews…and it also applies to Christians who believe in the Jewish people’s right to the Land of Israel. Therefore, this antisemitic word-play affects us all. Christians should share the Jewish people’s concerns about these threats and ensure that the Jewish people do not face them alone.
- Iranian Supreme Leader’s latest threat to destroy Israel
- The Bristol uni lecturer who has called for targeting “Zionists”
- How replacement theology attempts to redefine “Zionism”
Twitter, now known as X, is banned in the Islamic Republic of Iran by the country’s regime. Well, except for the regime itself. Iran’s supreme leader is one of the select few to enjoy full freedom of speech in Iran.
On Eid, the Muslim festival marking the end of Ramadan, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei used his free speech to call for the elimination of Israel. In a tweet on March 31st, he wrote: “The Zionist criminal gang must be totally eliminated from Palestine.”
In other words, Khamenei is calling for the total destruction of Israel and for the genocide of Jews.
When antisemites say “Zionists”, they almost certainly always mean Jews. It just makes their genocidal Tweets sound a little less antisemitic to the world’s ears. The same applies to the street chants in Western cities, where pro-Palestinian protesters use their relished freedom of speech to decry hate towards “Zionists” – but they do so as a cloak to their Jew-hatred. Ironically at the pro-Israel counter-protests at the Iran-sponsored al Quds day last week, London members of the Jewish community stood alongside Iranians in support of Israel. These Iranians are denied the freedom to speak out against the regime in their own country – the regime that pro-Palestinian protesters in the UK strangely align with.
The word “Zionist” has been deliberately redefined by Israel’s enemies to mean something poisonous. Many leaders in the Church have contributed to this problem – failing to give a clear and uncompromising definition of what Christian Zionism means. Essentially, a Christian who believes in what the Bible says concerning Israel is a Zionist. God is a Zionist, because He says in His Word that He loves and has chosen Zion. Psalm 87:2 says, “The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.” In Psalm 132:13-14, we read, “For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place: This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it.”
God has chosen Zion – the Mount, the City and the Land – as an eternal inheritance for the Jewish people. Christians should also recognise that Jesus Christ came to Zion. The Apostle cited Scripture in 1 Peter 2:6, saying, ““Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”
If God was a Zionist then, He is STILL a Zionist today and forever. Romans 11:26 says, “And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: ‘The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.’”
Replacement Theology – the lie that the Church has replaced Israel – has contributed by smearing the term “Zionist”. Congregations have been told that Israel is simply a political issue, but this denies the full revelation about everything God says in His Word.
Supporting Israel is not a political issue, it is a Bible issue. If you believe that the Bible is true and that the Land of Israel was given as an eternal inheritance to the Jewish people, that Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish people, and that God has not forsaken Israel, then you are a Zionist. Some people may simply prefer to just be described as “Christian” rather than an “ist” – and in many senses that is fine – after all, you cannot say you are a Bible-believing Christian and not have a love for Israel and the Jewish people.
When people like the Supreme Leader of Iran say “Zionist”, it is important that we acknowledge the genocidal hate that it represents towards the Jewish people specifically. Without lessening their primary use of the term applying to Jews, it also applies to Christians. Christian Zionists are the Jewish people’s closest friends. We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our Jewish brethren and with the Israeli people and therefore when “Zionists” are threatened, we share that burden with the Jewish people.
The Supreme Leader of Iran is not alone in his disdain of Zionists. Closer to home, David Miller was a lecturer at the University of Bristol before being sacked in 2021 after Jewish students reported that they felt intimidated by his anti-Zionist views. But last year, an employment tribunal found that he was unfairly dismissed and his anti-Zionist views were “worthy of respect in a democratic society”.
But he has since doubled down on his anti-Israel activities – even attending the funeral of Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon and joining Iran’s state propaganda channel, Press TV. Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick told the Telegraph after Miller’s visit to Lebanon: “David Miller isn’t even bothering to hide his antisemitism anymore.”
Miller’s latest tirade has gone even further. Last month, he posted on X: “Protests are not enough… Those who are interested in ending this genocide must begin by targeting those responsible near them: the entire Zionist movement globally must live in fear of accountability until it is dismantled and its ideology eradicated. And let’s be clear, there are Zionists everywhere. In every town and city.”
“Find out where they are,” Miller continued with the hashtag “Dismantle Zionism”.
These threats are nothing short of incitement against both Jews and Christians. Miller’s threat has been rightly reported to the Home Office. Calling for “Zionists everywhere” to be targeted is also possibly a matter for the police.
It is important to defend the true definition of Zionism and take the term back to what it represents. Israel’s enemies have for too long claimed they are anti-Zionist but not anti-Jewish. This is a deception that needs exposing, so that antisemites are held accountable for their words and actions, and not allowed to take positions such as university lecturers, for example.
“Zionists” to Israel’s enemies almost always certainly mean Jews…and it also applies to Christians who believe in the Jewish people’s right to the Land of Israel. Therefore, this antisemitic word-play affects us all. Christians should share the Jewish people’s concerns about these threats and ensure that the Jewish people do not face them alone.
