Spiritual Zionism

Zionism is the Jewish national freedom movement whose goal is a Jewish state with secure borders. Zionism is a movement that wants to encourage the voluntary emigration of Jews to Israel. Zionism is not capitalistic, neo-colonialist, or imperialistic and it does not strive to form a Greater Israel stretching from the Mediterranean to the Euphrates.

Christian Zionism is a Christian freedom movement whose goal is a restored assembly. Its purpose is not to establish a new denomination. It seeks to lead believers out of denominations. The assembly does not need to expend effort on the collection of funds because it will not possess real estate and it will not have salaried officials or any other kind of personnel. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers who have been appointed by the Spirit (Eph. 4.11) will function as the responsible ones in the assembly. They will not consider godliness a means of gain but will “follow righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and meekness” (I Tim. 6.5,11) ” … for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Messiah: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Messiah: that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Messiah: from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, makes increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love” (Eph 4.12-16).

Yeshua called it a little flock (Luke 12.32); thus it would never become a large company. The opposite large company the Bible calls Babylon the Great (Rev. 18.2) and unfortunately the largest part of Christendom will end up in its bosom. Only during the Kingdom of Peace under Messiah’s rule will natural Israel obtain the boundaries promised to her and the little flock lead by Messiah Yeshua of Nazareth will rule Greater Israel and the whole world.

The return to rebuilding the early church has begun in a Zionism on the spiritual level. Zionism is the principle by which restoration will be achieved. If the restored local apostolic assembly wishes to be a real center of spiritual life, it is vital that believers want to and know how to live in interaction with that little flock. At the end time as a result of receiving admonition or experiencing persecution they will depart from Babylon, that is from the denominations, to form a genuine Christian Zionist movement.

When part of the Hebrews (the Levites, the tribe of Judah, and half of Benjamin) returned from Babylonian captivity about 2500 years ago, God awakened in their innermost being the desire to return to Jerusalem. In a remarkable way this has also happened to Israel in our time. The Zionist movement has been God’s instrument to fish the Jews back to their homeland. Zionism is a movement which God originated. God will also liberate spiritual Israel from Babylonian captivity, that is, denominations. He wants to awaken in their innermost being also the thought of returning to the original assembly.

The old Jewish Passover greeting “Next year in Jerusalem” also applies to spiritual Jews, those who desire the life of the original assembly pictured by the city of Jerusalem (Psalm 87). This greeting expresses the hope that the church would return to what it was in the beginning. During the entire course of church history there have been those believers who have desired it.

For ages in their religious observance the Jews have Prayed for the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem as well as for the regathering of their scattered people. Nevertheless only a few of the early Jewish thinkers gave this idea any concrete shape. Exceptions were Yehuda Ha-Levi (1075-1141) and Isak Luria (1543-1572). Perhaps the most significant forerunner of Zionism was Rabbi Löw eli Maharal of Prague (died 1609). He believed that not even one ethnic group should have to live in submission to another; the dispersion of the Jews was not a tolerable condition. In his mind they had the right to anticipate their liberation by Messiah but they were not permitted to attempt to return to their homeland on their own initiative.

Elija Gaon (1720-1797) of Vilna, an opponent of Hasidism, was very learned and held in exceptionally high regard. In his criticism of Hasidism his starting point was that Hasidism placed greater importance on inwardly directed mystical experience than on the study of the word and put unrestrained subjectivism at the center. He was disciplined and self-possessed, a thorough researcher of literature and wrote commentaries on the Bible, the Mishna, and the two Talmuds. His disciples went in three large groups to Palestine in the years 1808 and 1809 and founded a Jewish community in Safed. They sent heralds to Europe to encourage other Jews to follow their example. In seven years the number of immigrants to Safed rose from 200 to 700.

Rabbi Zvi Kalischer (1795-1874) and Yehuda Alkalai should be included among the early Zionist thinkers. They both rejected the common belief of the Jews that salvation was only something that God could do. They believed that the individual could hasten salvation. Consider what Peter said ” … looking for and hastening the day of God… ” (II Peter 3.12).

The Jews have been extremely undesirous of returning to their own land. Many of them have preferred to consider as their homeland the land where they have lived. Many spiritual Jews have also been so sold on their denominations (whose cradle is Rome) that they prefer to remain in them rather than come into visible unity. In 1862 Moses Hess in his book ROME AND JERUSALEM pointed out the impossibility of assimilation of the individual and undertook to become the spokesmen for national liberation. In his opinion the Jewish state had to be established in Palestine where the revival of intellectual and religious life would be possible. He was the first who clearly understood that racist anti-Semitism would become  an obstacle either to liberation from a subordinate position – or to assimilation which they considered better.

Neither can true spiritual Jews assimilate into denominations. At the end time they will gather into an assembly based on the original apostolic model and thus will believers return from worldly religiosity to their first love for Yeshua – the return from Rome to Jerusalem – the return from the bosom of the harlot Jezebel to pure worship of God as before. Like many of the early Zionists Moses Hess wrote too early and he was largely ignored. It has also happened to those who spoke in earlier times about the return of the spiritual Jews to their homeland. God’s will will nevertheless be done regardless of the indifference of men.

The pogroms in Russia especially beginning in the year 1881 hastened the development of Zionism. Jews began to widely understand that at least for the Jews of Russia there were no great hopes for achieving civil rights. Emigration appeared to be the only solution and thus it began mainly to the West. In 1882 Zionist activists in Russia founded an organization called Hibbat Tsion (Love for Zion). Its first group emigrated that same year and established a community called Rishon-le-Tsion (meaning “the first ones to Zion”) in Palestine. In the same year Romanian Jews established the community Rosh Pina in Galilee. In the following years several new settlements were born. In 1882 a doctor, Leo Pinsker (1821-1891), emphasized in his paper AUTO-EMANCIPATION the right of the Jewish people and their obligation to stand up on their feet and liberate themselves. He had earlier worked for the cause of assimilation but now he dismissed all such thoughts. He became convinced that it was impossible for the Jews to mix with other nations. The only thing to do was to establish a Jewish state in Palestine. Spiritual Jews also have to stand up on their feet. They also can no longer assimilate into the denominational mixture of Babylon. They can no longer take a stand for any particular denomination. Their only possibility is to return to the original assembly.

The term Zionism originated with Nathan Birnbaum (1864-1937). But the founder of modern Zionism was Theodor Herzl (1860-1904) who in 1896 laid the foundation in his book THE JEWISH STATE. Herzl’s parents were assimilated Jews and he did not know his predecessors Hess or Pinsker at all. But he was soon in contact with the Hibbat Tsion organization. But Baron Rothschild who had begun a fund for the purchase of tracts of land for Jewish settlements in the middle of the 19th century and Baron Hirsch considered his plans foolish and did not want to support them.

Herzl’s book on the Jewish state became Zionism’s classic. Besides arousing support, his political Zionism also aroused fear and bitterness among both orthodox and liberal Jews. Even though they gave their approval to the thought of the Jews returning to their homeland, they feared that Herzl’s political declaration would cause Palestine to be closed to all Jews. Regardless of all the opposition Herzl’s line became the winner. His words appealed to the deepest feelings and most powerful longing of the Jewish people. Christian Zionism will also awaken in groups of believers similar feelings and also action. The response of many will be positive to the prospect of the unity of all believers but they will want to avoid all practical and visible unity. But true unity will win. Attaining such unity will satisfy the deepest desires of believers’ spirits and alleviate the great sorrow that has been caused by the scattering of the body of Messiah (Eph 5.30).

In the beginning Herzl had attempted to gain international recognition for his organization and its plans. When this did not happen, they began to turn to other issues. Different factions appeared in the Zionist movement. Great Britain’s proposal to establish a Jewish national home in Uganda in East Africa was discussed at the 1903 Zionist Congress. Herzl was ready to approve this as a temporary measure because the situation of the Jews in East Europe had become so unbearable that they had To do something. But a large East European delegation nevertheless decisively resisted any alternatives to Palestine. This was due to the diplomatic efforts of  World Zionist Organization’s Chaim Weizmann (1874-1952) who later became the first president of the Jewish state (1948-1952).

Israel and also Jerusalem finally belong to the Jews. Their goal has been realized. At the same time God has been bringing spiritual Israel together. He has begun in a visible manner to answer Yeshua’s prayer that the believers would be one. God’s people are beginning to return from the prison of denominations to the original way of assembling. But there are still countless Christians who are not desirous of leaving their denominations, just as the majority of Jews living in the Diaspora are undesirous of moving to Israel. God will send the fishers who will fish them and he will send hunters who will drive them out of denominations (Jer 16.16, Luke 6.22). True spiritual Jews are beginning to undergo persecution at the hands of religious people and likewise anti-Semitic powers all over the world will persecute, kill, and drive Jews away.

The opponents of Zionism considered the establishment of the state of Israel a hopeless cause; they treat the restoration of the church in the same manner. Nevertheless in 1948 the state of Israel became a reality and likewise the restored assembly will be a reality before Yeshua comes to take away his own. Heaven will keep him as long as it takes to accomplish it.

The World Zionist Organization is the connection between the Jews living in Israel and those living in exile. In the same way the restorers need to keep contact with all those who are born of God’s Spirit. Those who have moved to the promised land and those who are still in their homelands or denominations are by virtue of their birth spiritual Jews. They are brothers and sisters. The Jews maintain unity with the help of the World Zionist Organization . There must also be contact among spiritual Jews.

In question is not a particular individual’s cause; neither is it a matter of a new denomination with a prophet or other figure who can be presented as its founder. Believers together will build the church in their own localities. It appears that younger believers are more desirous of stepping onto the road of restoration, because they have not yet managed to become so attached to their denominations and their first love for Yeshua still burns in them. Those believers who desire the faith and power of the early church will obtain it in a restored assembly. To achieve it they must become a clean slate. Their thoughts must be cleansed of the old denominational teachings which are not in line with the Bible. Some will realize that they are spiritually poor (Matt 5.3) and will want to experience true living faith; they will leave first because they are sure that by doing so their spiritual life will change for the better.

The restorers will encounter much opposition because many older prisoners will not voluntarily leave their prison. But let every opponent find in God’s word a justification for his opposition. Anyone who does not want to leave may remain where he is. There is no intention of seizing someone by force out of his denomination. In this regard God’s Spirit will function as Abraham’s servant did when he met Rebekah at the well (Genesis 24). God’s Spirit had already prepared Rebekah and she was ready to leave with the servant to become the wife of Isaac, who foreshadows Messiah.

It appears that there will be a battle with the mean, narrow-minded, and shortsighted church people just as Yeshua in his time encountered the opposition of his learned orthodox countrymen. But we must remember that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph 6.12) because the enemy knows that this age will end with the restoration of all things.

When Israel went through tribulation and persecution, it always ended with a celebration. Pharaoh wanted to destroy the Jews when they lived in Egypt but the result was פסח Passover (Exodus 12). Haman also wanted to get rid of The Jews; the result was פורים Purim (Esther 9.26-28). Antiochus Epiphanes tried to do likewise and the result was חנכה Hanukkah or the Dedication of the Temple (John 10.22). The pogroms of Russia brought to birth the Zionist movement. After Hitler’s cruel genocide came Israel’s יום-העצמאות Independence Day. Israel still has its last great tribulation ahead of her but that also will end in a celebration. On that occasion Israel will accept her משיח ישוע הנצרי Messiah, Yeshua of Nazareth, and will crown Him King. The last tribulation of the church of God when all the false brethren will turn against her will end with a wonderful celebration when her Bridegroom, Yeshua of Nazareth, will come and take her to the wedding of the Lamb.

Now is the time for a spiritual exodus. Now is the time for every believer truly born of the Spirit and walking in the Spirit to depart for the promised land, to take part in the restoration of the local assembly. According to the Word of God, all spiritual Israel is to leave denominations, there will not remain in them one who is circumcised in the Spirit (Ezekiel 39.28).

Original text in Finnish: Hengellinen Sionismi

(Spiritual Zionism), Moshe Zew, 1983

Translation to English: Steve Mintiyev, 2001