Foreword by Denis G Beedie
Main Article by Elmer A Josephson
Foreward:
And greatly to be praised, In the City of our God,
In the Mountain of His Holiness, Beautiful for Situation,
The Joy of the Whole Earth Is Mount Zion on the Sides of the North, The City of the Great King`
Our church, `Zion Tabernacle` home of the well-known evangelistic Cameron Family of Scotland loved singing the `old-songs of Zion`.
`We`re marching to Zion The Beautiful City Of God`; `Let`s Go Up To Zion, The City of our God` and `To Zion, To Zion, the Beautiful City of God` were but a few of the many `Zion` songs we loved and exulted in singing.
When we sang and spoke of `Zion` we felt as King David felt when he penned the words,
"Then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongues with singing"
(Psalm 126).
Well then, just what is `Biblical Zionism`
In his deeply interesting and informative book,
`Israel, God`s Key To World Redemption`
- (copyright 1974 by Bible Light Publications, Hillsboro, Kansas USA ) -
the author Elmer A Josephson devotes the entire 16th chapter to this subject.
Although written over 42 years ago the chapter is as pertinent today in 2016 as it was when written in 1974.
The following article is the complete chapter as it appears in the 1974 edition of his book:
`Israel, God`s Key To World Redemption`
Chapter 16
MAIN ARTICLE:
QUOTE: .....................
WHAT IS ZIONISM?
SOVIET UN BLAST AT ZIONISM UNITED NATIONS (Reuter). The Soviet UN mission on Wednesday asserted that world public opinion had "long ago condemned" Zionism, and that the UN and the non-aligned group of nations had called for it`s eradication.
The statement was in reply to one by the Israeli mission taking issue with the Soviet representative on the UN human Rights Commission for advocating the eradication of Zionism, along with racism and colonialism.
The Soviet statement cited an anti-apartheid resolution adopted last December by the General Assembly which also condemned the "unholy alliance between Portuguese colonialism, South African racism, Zionism and Israeli Imperialism."
What is Zionism? Where and how did it begin? Who is involved? What are it`s aims? Why is Zionism so hated by the enemies of God and righteous-ness? Is it an international "Jewish plot" or a worlwide Zionistic blessing? Where, when and how will it consumate? How do Christians relate?
`Zionism` is one of the least understood and most ignorantly used terms in print and on radio and TV today. Many unlearned apply their own distorted interpretations and use it to promote their own evil and selfish ends.
An intelligent person is careful in the use of words, for
"in the multitude of words there lacketh not sin, and havoc"
(Prov. 10:19).
The Redeemer warns;
"Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement; for by thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned"
(Matthew 12: 36-37).
(Psalm 141:3).
Words are dynamite and especially, `Zionism,`
We must know the truth before we speak.
What is `Zion-ism?
1. `Zion` is a city
The references in Scripture to Zion and Jerusalem are to be taken literaly as the context may indicate, though they may also be spiritualised since they are a type of heaven. Those therefore who speak against Zion, speak both against God`s earthly and heavenly city.
"The Lord loveth the gates of Zion (as the door to world redemption) more than all the dwellings of Jacob . . . and of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: (a high God-given honor) and the Highest Himself shall establish her"
(Psalm 87: 2,5).
Christ warned against `forswearing` by Jerusalem (Matt. 5:35).
The Bible speaks of Zion and Jerusalem interchangeably:
"Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion"
(Psalm 147:12).
2. Zion and Israel are synonymous names for God`s people.
"Let Israel rejoice in Him that made him; let the children of Zion be joyful in their King"
(Psalm 149:12)
"For the Lord shall comfort Zion: He will comfort all her waste places . . . Say unto Zion, Thou art my people" (Isaiah 51: 3, 16).
The sceptical mind might say, "Of course, the Jews wrote the Bible to their own advantage." But a statement of this kind reveals a vast ignorance of the Bible`s contents, written by divine inspiration.
Over 2,000 times the O.T. declares, "Thus saith the Lord," that pronounces judgements upon Israel`s unbelief and rebellion which were fulfilled to their bitter sorrows, as well as promises of blessings upon their obedience to their great joy and prosperity.
3. Zion was chosen by the Eternal.
"For the Lord has chosen Zion; He hath desired it for His habitation"
(Psalm 123:13) - -
as an instrument of world blessing (Isaiah 41:8, 15-18; 44:1-3).
"This people have I formed for Myself; They shall show forth My praise"
(Isaiah 43:21)
"The Lord thy God has chosen thee to be a special people unto Himself"
(Deut. 7:6).
"Ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests"
(Exodus 19:6; 1st Kings 8:53).
4. The Word of God from Zion
The Almighty states,
"I have put My words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, thou art My people"
(Isaiah 51:16).
"Out of Zion shall go forth the Law, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem"
(Isaiah 2:3).
5. The Messiah and personal salvation from Zion
"O Zion, that bringest Good Tidings (Gospel) Get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest Good Tidings, Lift up thy voice with strength; Lift it up. Be not afraid; Say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God"
(Isaiah 40:9).
Read Isaiah 40 to "behold" the God of Zion.
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that brings Good Tidings (a prophecy of the `Gospel` to the world, revealed in the N.T.) of good, that publishes salvation, that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!"
The Lord has made bare His Holy Arm in the eyes of all the Nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the Salvation of our God"
(Isaiah 52 : 7,10)."
"His Holy Arm" is Messiah, as in Isaiah 53:1,
"to whom is the Arm of the Lord (Messiah) revealed?"
"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the Name of the Lord shall be delivered; For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the Remnant whom the Lord shall call." - -
speaking here of physical deliverance as the context indicates (Joel 2:32).
In Acts 2:21 the Apostle Peter is attributed to quoting only the first line of this passage on the Day of Pentecost.
6. The Almighty dwells in Zion
"Sing praises to the Lord Which dwelleth in Zion; declare among the people His doings"
(Psalm 9:11).
"Out of Zion, the Perfection of Beauty, God hath shined"
(Psalm 50:2).
"In Salem (early name for Jerusalem) also is His Tabernacle, and His dwelling Place in Zion"
(Psalm 76:2)
"So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion, My Holy Mountain; then shall Jerusalem be Holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her anymore . . . But Judah shall dwell forever and Jerusalem from generation to generation. For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed; For the Lord dwelleth in Zion"
(Joel 3:17, 20, 21). There is need of cleansing in the whole Judeo-Christian framework.
7. God`s judgement on wicked nations.
"The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter His Voice from Jerusalem; and the Heavens and the Earth shall shake; but the Lord will be the Hope of His people, and strength of the Children of Israel"
(Joel 3: 16).
8. And Blessings on Zion:
"For the Lord shall comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places; and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the Garden of the Lord; Joy and Gladness shall be found therein, Thanksgiving and the voice of melody . . . Therefore, the Redeemed of the Lord shall return and come with singing unto Zion and everlasting joy shall be upon their Head: They shall obtain gladness and joy; And sorrow and mourning shall flee away."
"Thus saith thy Lord, the Lord, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of His people. Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of My fury; thou shalt no more drink of it again. But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, `Bow down, that we may go over; and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over"
(Isaiah 51: 3, 11, 22, 23).
Enemies Of Israel, Take Note:
"The sons of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; And they shall call thee, `The City of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel"
(Isaiah 60:14).
9. Coming World Redemption, peace and prosperity from Zion.
"For Zion`s sake will I not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem`s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a Lamp that burneth."
"Behold, the Lord has proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold thy Salvation cometh; behold His Reward is with Him and His Work before Him."
(Christ quotes this in Revelation 22:12).
"And they shall call them, The Holy People, The Redeemed of the Lord: And thou shalt be called, Sought Out, A City not forsaken,"
(Isaiah 62: 1, 11, 12 ). Read The Whole Chapter.
"When the Lord shall build up Zion, He shall appear in His Glory"
(Psalm 102:16).
The Lord`s rebuilding Israel through His people, is the greatest sign of Messiah`s soon coming.
Here is an enlightening look into the heart of a true Zionist:
From A Jerusalem Official
Dr. Pinchas E. Lapide, who served as Liaison Officer between Anglo-American and Russian armies in Vienna, Austria (1945-46), an Israeli Army Officer (1948-50), formerly Director of the Israeli Government Press Office in Jerusalem and presently (1974: Editor) is Head of the School for Interpreters at Bar IIan Uni-versity near Tel Aviv. He is the author of 14 books , some in as many as 9 languages. It is our privilege to know Dr. and Mrs. Lapide as treasured friends.
We here wish to share an excerpt from one of Dr. Lapide`s new books that disproves the belief held by some that the majority of Jews are returning to Israel as unbelievers and athiests:
Dr. Lapide writes, "Few in numbers, small in geography and weak in power, what has given us the strength to make a nation out of exiles from the four corners of the earth; to build up the ruins of a neglected country, and to establish a bold, free society based on justice and equality?
"The root-reason is that as a nation we believe in God, The Sovereign Ruler of the Universe, Omnipotent, One and Indivisible, The Loving Father of all creation. Mind you, many in Israel have found new terminologies to circumscribe the Rock of Ages, but in a recent public opinion poll, (1974: Editor) 81% stated that they believe in the basic principles of the Jewish Faith, and if the crowds who overfilled all of Jerusalem`s 560 Synagogues this past Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year 1973) are any sign to go by, more and more of us are seeking new ways back to the old creed.
"We also believe in Man, made in God`s image. Throughout the Bible - - and in Jesus` sayings in the New Testament - - the twin concepts of the love of God and one`s fellow man are intertwined and inseparable. We believe in Man - - be he a refugee from Arab countries, a survivor of Nazi death camps, a student from Africa, a technician from Russia or a scientist from the New World, eager to apply modern know-how to the age-old vision of Israel`s redemption."
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"But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the Mountain (Kingdom) of the House of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains (kingdoms) and It shall be exalted above the hills (lesser powers) and nations shall flow into It.
"And many nations shall come, and say, `Come, and let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord, and to the House of the God of Jacob ; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His Paths:
for the Law (God`s Order) shall go forth from Zion, and the Word of the Lord (true liberation) from Jerusalem ."
"And He (Messiah) shall judge among many people,
and rebuke strong nations afar off (such as Russia); and they shall beat their swords into plough-shares, and their spears into pruninghooks. Nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. (enduring peace)
"And they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
"And the Lord shall reign over them in MOUNT ZION from henceforth, even forever"
(Micah 4: 1- 4, 7b)
(Compare Isaiah 2: 2-5 Editor)
To sum up:
`ZION-ISM` is the Eternal`s Plan of World Redemption for all People and a Harbinger of a true "Utopia" of Peace and Prosperity for all the Earth unto all Ages
"BLESSED BE THE LORD OUT OF ZION, WHICH DWELLETH AT JERUSALEM"
(Psalm 135:21)
"THE LORD SHALL REIGN FOREVER, EVEN THY GOD, O ZION, UNTO ALL GENERATIONS. PRAISE YE THE LORD"
Psalm 146 :10 `
.
END OF QUOTE FROM ELMER A JOSEPHSON`S BOOK
___________________
Denis G Beedie...
"I am persuaded that there are literally millions like me who refuse to be made to feel a `bigot` for declaring that `We are Zionists who look for the complete fulfillment of true biblical `Zionism` upon the return of our long-awaited Moshiach`.
Yes, we rejoice with King David in being not only a `Zionist` but also to be so called".
Amein
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"PRAISE YE THE LORD"
(Psalm 146:10)