For Prophecy: Evangelicals in Jerusalem

When trying to understand the nature of Jerusalem, I find it best to set aside all that is politics, culture, or economics and instead focus on religion. Because I’m of the mentality that all of the afromented is encapsulated within the black box that is religion. Thus, as I observed national newscasts report on the moving of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem or to cite a more local example of a political action committee that has raised millions of dollars for the state of Israel, I found that the best way to understand these things is through the lens of religion. More specifically, through the lens of American Evangelicals who have been able to mobilize into a powerful voting bloc which actions can be felt halfway across the world. My analysis on this segment of the American religious climate is meant to highlight how religious motives for Jerusalem are coded into political, economic, and social messages. Although it appears that evangelical interest spans across many dimensions I will argue that it infact is powered through one: religion. As Evangelicals persistently advocate for a pro-Israeli solution in the region they are not necessarily concerned with the well-being of the Jewish people but instead they opt to influence the volatile region in order to ultimately align with their Biblically-grounded expectations for the region and the second coming of Jesus Christ.   

It will be advantageous to first address why Evangelicals have such a vested interest in the region as a whole but specifically Jerusalem. Historically, Israel has been recognized as the land where Jesus was born, came to maturity, preached, and was crucified. This alone is enough reasons to garner such significance as this ground housed their Messiah. However, what continues to garner the affection of the evangelicals in this region is not what happened but will happen. Biblical prophecy explicitly states that Jesus will return first to the Jerusalem, more specifically the Mount of Olives, and from there the second coming will commence. Just how Jesus ascended into heaven, he will descend once more to cast the final judgment on humanity. The concept of sacred space as the center of religious significance can be applied to this group as they see Jerusalem as the “ground-zero” of the second coming. In order to aid this messianic timetable, Evangelicals have tasked themselves with preparing the way. Meaning that they are on a mission to fulfill all prerequisite scenarios that must occur prior to the second coming.

This is where the centrality of Biblical prophecy and Jerusalem intersect as the grounds and actions are mandated in scripture. According to prophecy, Israel must be a unified Jewish state which will lead to a cultural/religious resurgence resulting in the rebuilding of the temple. Once this occurs, a series of cataclysmic events will ensue as the antichrist takes as a result of the battle of Armageddon. Once the world seems bleak then Jesus will descend and rapture all “born-again” believers and escort them to the new earth. All this is understood and validated due to the centrality of the Bible. To Evangelicals, the Bible is scripture that provides God’s revelations to humanity as it lacks falsities. Thus, the attention extended to Jerusalem is rooted in what the Bible has to say about the region and the implications for its future.

Evangelical support for Israel is often packaged through economic or political support however the driving force behind that support is their religious views. Views that provide a timetable that must be fulfilled in order to achieve their ultimate objective: the return of Jesus. Thus, the partnership that has formed over the decades is summarized by religious scholar Robert P. Jones, “the end goal isn’t what’s good for the Jewish community, the end goal is what’s good for the second coming of Christ”. And according to Evangelical logic, what’s good for Christ can be achieved through the heart of the region: Jerusalem. Thus, millions of Evangelicals oceans away have made it their mission to expedite the dominance of Israel. Out of the 70 million Evangelicals in the US over 80% of them are in support of Israel. Signifying that Evangelicals are the largest voting bloc in the world in favor of a Israeli-solution so much so that they are willing to back organizations that fund the fight for Israel (Pew Research). Political action committees such as Christians United for Israel (CUFI) has raised millions of dollars which have translated into political action in the United States and has changed the nature of Jerusalem.

The focal point of the Evangelical gaze has been fixed on Jerusalem due to its centrality in scripture. The book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament states “this is Jerusalem, which I have set in the center of the nations, with countries all around her” (Ezekiel 5:5). Prior to the embassy move, support for an Israeli controlled Jerusalem was never a question but instead the only thing that changed was the way in which Evangelicals attempted to aid in the region. A long history of Christian Zionism had flourished in the US as such an outlook became the cornerstone of Evangelical mentality. Pioneers of the movement such as William Blackstone created a framework that urged its adherents to actively engage with the messianic timetable. Evangelicals often see themselves as dispensationalist stewards who are invigorated by God to act in his will. Evangelicals have consistently asserted how they are to play a special role in God’s plan for humanity due to the “moral superiority over other nations” which has been alloted to them by God (Ariel). Aside from financial and political support they have also made their presence felt in Jerusalem. After the Six Day war, Evangelicals were giddy at the idea of the temple being rebuilt so much so they funded archaeological surveys to locate the exact sight of the original temple, searched for the red heifer ashes needed to properly enter the temple, and breed them domestically and imported them into Israel (Ariel). These were all worthy investments due to the belief among Christian Zionist that the return of Jewish power to Jerusalem is in accordance with Biblical prophecy.

As the Trump administration opted to move the US embassy to Jerusalem this political move was plagued with Christian incentives. I would argue that the voting bloc that got Trump elected did so due to key campaign promises that were favorable to the messianic timetable. With this move, Evangelicals believe that they are one step closer for an undivided Israel state which will trigger the next phase of the prophecy to begin. The promise of a US embassy in Jerusalem to legitimize the Israeli state and garner political leverage over their Palestinian counterparts was in true form according to Evangelical interpretation of scripture. Serving as a major victory and most importantly as validation of Biblical prophecy.