
I was wondering what was taking prominent Christian Zionists so long to visit Israel. And then I saw him…Scott Morrison landing with the arrogance of someone totally convinced he’s betting on the winning horse.
Morrison has never shied away from his Christian Zionist beliefs, and nor should he…in private. But when he had the power…in public…he declared Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel and gave unwavering support for the State of Israel. This was a religious-political decision that bulldozed decades of diplomacy and careful attention to religious and cultural sensitivities of the three monotheistic faiths. And he’s at it again.
For those unfamiliar with the term Christian Zionism (CZ) it may sound confusing. It is not a blend of Judaism and Christianity, yet they serve a purpose for each other and make very comfortable bed mates. Christian Zionists believe that Christ will return to earth in a place called Megiddo, which happens to be smack in the middle of Israel. From Megiddo we get the term Armageddon; and that never ends well. There are of course, different interpretations within CZ but generally they wait impatiently for the End-Times to occur so that they can be taken to heaven to be with Christ.
This is one such exegesis of End-Times: First the Rapture occurs which is Christ taking all Christian believers to heaven. Then seven years of tribulation on earth unfold with violence, lawlessness and unrestrained evil and a final battle – Armageddon. Christ then returns to earth for a thousand-year reign. Finally, Christ will ascend into heaven with those who believe in him. Jews have the opportunity to convert or be damned to hell during the tribulation. There’s no mention or accounting for the Muslims because the Qur’an had not been written when the scribes penned the violent book of Revelation. “Wars and rumours of wars” are to herald the imminent Rapture and that is perhaps why Morrison has decided to visit Israel now. He’s not there to support Jews or Muslims, but for himself and his fellow Christian Zionist believers.
It may sound like science fiction to many readers but those who believe it take it very, very seriously. And that means those outside their thinking have to endure the ramifications of such religious zealotry. The influence of Christian Zionism on Israel is evidence of the fallout of religion on the rest of humanity who think differently. CZs have funded illegal Jewish settlements in the Occupied Territories for years. They fund tours and conferences in Israel for the many eager Christians who want to walk the area where Christ is to return. They unflinchingly uphold an apartheid regime with the violent leader, Netanyahu, as their running mate in the race to Armageddon. Israel welcomes Christian Zionists with open arms because Israel will take on board anyone who supports them – it’s irrelevant whether Jews think Christians are deluded.
We should not be fooled by Christianity being touted as the ‘civilised faith’. This faith has caused immeasurable grief to our world; from the accusation of deicide against the Jews fostering anti-Semitism, to the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Reformation and Christian Britain’s Balfour Declaration. Christianity has a laundry list of horrors to its name, and to watch ScoMo grinning like he has won the lottery of redemption is just obscene. He is wilfully blind and ignorant to the catastrophic suffering around him because it doesn’t suit his religious agenda.
Scott Morrison must be one of the most heartless public figures Australia has had the misfortune of calling one of our own. From bushfire victims to those who’d lost their homes, he was barely touched by any of the tragedies in Australia. So now he is going to different victims on the other side of the world to not necessarily lament the 1,400 killed in Israel, but to perhaps rejoice in his belief that End-times are imminent. Of course, nobody would deny that the act of Hamas on October 7th was heinous and bloody, but why is Scott Morrison not concerned with the families of the 9,000 people (of which 4,000 were children) who have been butchered under illegal collective punishment and war crimes? Are they of the wrong faith perhaps, the wrong ethnicity or just the wrong place at the wrong time? You can’t convince religious zealots that they have somehow overlooked or ‘lost in translation’ other verses such as those on love and kindness. Salvation means everything to them; theirs, not yours. They are trying to desperately make it through the Pearly Gates before they slam shut on the rest of humanity.
You may well wonder why Israel entertains (actually fawns over) such people as ScoMo when they are worshipping in a diametrically opposed position. After all, Jews don’t believe the Messiah has come yet, but Christian Zionists believe he’s been and gone and will return. But when he does return, he will only be taking to heaven those who believe in him as their saviour. That counts the Jews out. Harsh, but that’s what the New Testament says, and Morrison and his ilk are all about the word of God and literal translation. He has said on numerous occasions that he serves God first and everyone else can take a number.
I’m not so sure that many people realise what religion is doing to us all. I wonder what God would say to Christian zealots peering into Gaza and getting giddy that the End Times are upon us all? The murder and decimation of thousands of children and the utter inhumanity visited upon Gaza by Netanyahu and his henchmen look like scenes out of Armageddon.
If Jesus ever truly existed and was just a peace-loving hippy wandering around Galilee, he surely would be horrified to know that all kinds of inhumanity and evilness has been deemed justifiable in his name. Like many people the world over at present, perhaps Jesus would be holding a sign that read, ‘NOT IN MY NAME’.