Once primarily associated with British thinkers and more recently espoused with enthusiasm by American evangelicals, the idea that Christians should support the return of the Jews to their biblical homeland on theological grounds accounts for a significant portion of the immense popular support for Israel in the U.S. Now, writes Emma Green, American evangelicals are on their way to becoming a minority in an emerging worldwide movement whose adherents were abundantly conspicuous in Jerusalem during the holiday of Sukkot:
European pilgrims wore Star of David jewelry as they swayed among the palm trees of Ein Gedi, an oasis in the Judean desert. Spanish delegates sported matching “España loves Israel” T-shirts. . . . The crowd sang songs from the Psalms, following transliterated Hebrew on giant television screens. As night fell, their chorus of “holy, holy, worthy, worthy” seemed to fill the desert. This was the opening ceremony for the 2017 Feast of the Tabernacles, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem’s (ICEJ) annual celebration held during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. More than 6,000 Christians from all over the world had come to show their love for Israel. . . .
This year’s Feast drew attendees from nearly 100 countries. . . . ICEJ has expanded in tandem with the rise of global Pentecostal movements. Parsons said the Embassy’s presence has been growing in Asia, Latin America, and Africa, where Pentecostal revivals among the middle class are reshaping the religious landscape. . . .
Many of the delegates came from countries that explicitly oppose Israeli policies. On the day of the Jerusalem March, when thousands of Feast participants parade through the city, a group from [notoriously anti-Israel] South Africa wore T-shirts declaring, “Am Yisrael Chai,” or “the People of Israel lives.” . . .
Read more on Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/10/feast-of-the-tabernacles/543378/