By Muhammad Ismail Hussain
What does US President Donald Trump’s announcement recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and an Zionist Evangelical Theologian named C.I. Scofield who died in 1921 have in common? Both are crucially important markers on the roadmap of the highly influential movement known as Evangelical Zionism.
Evangelical Zionism is a campaign that is especially popular amongst Evangelicals in the United States, who believe that the migration of Jews to Palestine is linked to the return of Jesus Christ and the coming apocalypse. Therefore, they believe that it is a religious obligation to support the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Without their support this prophecy may not be fulfilled and the apocalypse may remain in jeopardy.
This new religious attitude is the result of a deliberate and ongoing attack against traditional Christianity within America. This move was initiated by Zionist organizations and their intellectuals. One such intellectual was C.I. Scofield, a Civil War veteran turned biblical scholar who was born in 1843.
Before the creation of Israel, the Zionists knew that a major roadblock to the creation and existence of a Jewish state would be the United States of America and its Christians who were traditionally opposed to Jewish people due to their rejection of Jesus Christ. In order for the creation of Israel to be a success, there would need to be a shift in religious attitudes towards Jewish people. This feat was accomplished by creating a pro-Zionist subculture within Christianity. C.I. Scofield was responsible for the editing of the King James Version of the Bible. The revised edition included many pro-Zionist footnotes and explanations of its chapters and verses.
The Scofield Reference Bible, originally published by Oxford University Press in 1909 has become one of the most popular versions of the Bible in print since, and has introduced many American Christians to the doctrine of Dispensationalism. Dispensationalism is a system of interpreting the Bible which emphasizes the ways in which God relates differently to mankind during different eras, called dispensations. It is the view of Evangelical Zionists and their supporters that in the current dispensation, they must support Israel at any cost in order to fulfill biblical prophecies so that Jesus can return to Earth.
The American Evangelicals who follow the Zionist leanings of Scofield and his followers should realize that they have been duped by a doctrine that does not originate from the teachings of Christ or his earliest followers. They should be aware so that they will not become tools in the hands of Zionism. Zionism does not have the best interests of the United States or its people at heart. Christ taught compassion, mercy, and generosity towards your fellow man. None of these qualities are exemplified by Israel’s treatment of the people of Palestine. So why should followers of Christ support them?
