The Long Road to Christian Zionism

 Lacunza, Prophecy Conferences, and the Politics of Restoration

In times of political upheaval, Christians often turn to the prophetic scriptures searching for signs of the times. Throughout history, such moments have sparked intense debates about the meaning of biblical prophecy. One of the most influential of these movements arose in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and eventually shaped modern Christian attitudes toward the modern state of Israel.

Few Christians today realize that the roots of these ideas stretch back to a little-known Jesuit writer, a fiery Scottish preacher, and a series of prophecy conferences held in England nearly two hundred years ago.

Understanding this history is important because it reminds us that interpretations of prophecy do not arise in a vacuum. They develop within particular historical circumstances and theological traditions.

A Jesuit Writer and a Future Kingdom

The story begins with Manuel de Lacunza (1731–1801), a Chilean Jesuit priest who spent much of his life in exile after the Jesuit order was expelled from Spanish territories.

While living in Italy, Lacunza wrote a lengthy prophetic work titled The Coming of the Messiah in Glory and Majesty. To avoid suspicion, he published the book under the Jewish pseudonym Juan Josafat Ben-Ezra.¹.

In this work, Lacunza argued that many Old Testament prophecies concerning Israel had not yet been fulfilled and would be fulfilled shortly before the return of Christ. He interpreted passages such as:

Isaiah 11:11–12 (KJV)

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people…"

Ezekiel 37:21 (KJV)

"Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen… and bring them into their own land."

Romans 11:26 (KJV)

"And so all Israel shall be saved…"

From these passages, Lacunza concluded that a large turning of the Jewish people to Christ would occur near the end of the age.

This idea was not entirely new. Some Protestant interpreters had previously entertained similar expectations. But Lacunza presented the concept in a comprehensive prophetic framework that captured the imagination of later readers.

Yet Lacunza himself did not advocate modern political Zionism, nor did he propose the creation of a Jewish state. His concern was primarily theological rather than political.

Still, his book would eventually spark a chain reaction that would shape Christian thought for generations.

Edward Irving and the English Translation

The next major figure in this story was Edward Irving (1792–1834), a Scottish Presbyterian preacher who became famous in London for his passionate sermons about the Second Coming of Christ.

In 1827, Irving translated Lacunza's book into English, bringing its prophetic interpretations into the English-speaking Protestant world.²

Irving's translation circulated widely among:

• evangelical clergy

• prophetic study groups

• members of Parliament interested in biblical prophecy

At the same time, Britain was experiencing intense interest in the prophetic books of Daniel and Revelation. The upheavals of the French Revolution, the wars of Napoleon Bonaparte, and the slow decline of the Ottoman Empire led many to believe that the world was entering the final stage of history.

Within this climate, discussions about the future of the Jewish people became increasingly common.

The Albury Prophecy Conferences

One of the most important centers of this prophetic revival was the Albury Conferences, held between 1826 and 1830 at the estate of banker and Member of Parliament Henry Drummond in Surrey, England.³

These meetings gathered:

• Anglican clergy

• evangelical theologians

• prophetic interpreters

• political leaders

The participants sought to examine biblical prophecy systematically. Their discussions focused on several questions:

• the identity of the Antichrist

• the fall of the Ottoman Empire

• the restoration of the Jews

• the Second Coming of Christ

At these conferences, the idea that the Jewish people would someday return to their ancient homeland began to circulate widely within influential Protestant circles.

This developing belief came to be known as Christian Restorationism.

Restorationism Before Political Zionism

Long before modern Jewish political Zionism emerged, several British Christians were already advocating the return of the Jews to Palestine.

Among the most prominent were:

• Lewis Way

• Edward Bickersteth

• Anthony Ashley-Cooper, the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury

These men believed that biblical prophecy pointed toward a future restoration of the Jewish people.

For example, Edward Bickersteth wrote extensively about the restoration of Israel, arguing that prophecy predicted the Jews' return to their ancient homeland before Christ's reign.⁴

Lord Shaftesbury later became one of the most influential political advocates of Jewish restoration in Palestine. In the 1840s, he promoted the idea that Britain should support Jewish settlement in the area.

Remarkably, this was decades before the emergence of modern Zionism.

Darby and the Systematizing of Dispensationalism

While the restorationist movement was developing in Britain, a new theological system began to emerge through the work of John Nelson Darby (1800–1882).

Darby, one of the leaders of the Plymouth Brethren movement, developed a detailed interpretation of prophecy that later became known as dispensationalism.

His system emphasized several key ideas:

• a sharp distinction between Israel and the Church

• a future restoration of the nation of Israel

• a millennial kingdom centered in Jerusalem

Darby traveled widely through Britain and North America, teaching this system of prophecy.

According to historians, he became one of the most influential figures in shaping modern premillennial thought.⁵

The Scofield Reference Bible

Darby's ideas spread even more widely through the publication of the Scofield Reference Bible in 1909.

Edited by Cyrus I. Scofield, this study Bible placed interpretive notes directly alongside the King James text. These notes presented dispensational theology as the framework for understanding the Bible.

Because the Bible was so widely distributed, Scofield's notes shaped the prophetic expectations of millions of evangelical Christians in the twentieth century.⁶

The Intersection with Political Zionism

Modern Jewish political Zionism emerged later in the nineteenth century under leaders such as Theodor Herzl.

Herzl's movement was largely secular and motivated by the persecution of Jews in Europe and the desire for political self-determination.

Yet when Zionist proposals for a Jewish homeland began appearing in international diplomacy, they found support among many British Christians whose restorationist interpretations of prophecy had already influenced them.

In this sense, Christian restorationism and Jewish political Zionism developed independently but eventually converged.

From Theology to British Policy

These developments helped shape Britain's cultural and religious environment in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

By the time the British government issued the Balfour Declaration in 1917, expressing support for "the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people," the idea already had a long history within British religious thought.⁷

Political motivations, strategic interests, and humanitarian concerns all played roles in the decision. But the earlier theological tradition of restorationism helped make the idea culturally plausible within British society.

A Different Christian Interpretation

Not all Christians accepted this restorationist interpretation of prophecy.

Many Wesleyan and Quaker theologians believed that the New Testament teaches that the promises to Israel are fulfilled in Christ and in the Church composed of both Jews and Gentiles.

They pointed to passages such as:

Galatians 3:28–29 (KJV)

"There is neither Jew nor Greek… for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

Ephesians 2:14–16 (KJV)

"For he is our peace, who hath made both one… having abolished in his flesh the enmity…"

Hebrews 12:22 (KJV)

"But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem."

From this perspective, the kingdom of God is not defined by national boundaries but by the reign of Christ in the hearts of believers.

Jesus himself declared:

John 18:36 (KJV)

"My kingdom is not of this world…"

For many early Christians and later Quaker theologians, the central promise of Scripture is not the restoration of an earthly nation but the gathering of a redeemed people from every tribe and tongue.

Conclusion

The story of Lacunza, Irving, the British prophecy conferences, and the rise of dispensational theology shows how theological ideas can travel through history in surprising ways.

The chain of influence looks roughly like this:

• Lacunza revived premillennial interpretations of prophecy in the late 1700s.

• Edward Irving spread these ideas in Britain through his translation.

• British prophecy conferences popularized restorationist expectations.

• John Nelson Darby systematized dispensational theology.

• The Scofield Reference Bible spread these interpretations worldwide.

• Christian restorationism later intersected with modern Zionism and British policy.

Understanding this history helps us remember an important truth: Christians throughout the centuries have interpreted prophecy in different ways.

But the central message of the New Testament remains the same.

The kingdom of God is not built through political power or national restoration.

It is built through the reign of Christ.

And as the apostle Paul reminds us:

Romans 14:17 (KJV)

"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."

Footnotes

1. Manuel de Lacunza, The Coming of the Messiah in Glory and Majesty (Spanish ed., 1812).
2. Edward Irving, trans. The Coming of the Messiah in Glory and Majesty (London, 1827).
3. Timothy P. Weber, Living in the Shadow of the Second Coming (Oxford University Press, 1979).
4. Edward Bickersteth, The Restoration of the Jews to Their Own Land (London, 1841).
5. "John Nelson Darby," Encyclopaedia Britannica.
6. Cyrus I. Scofield, ed. The Scofield Reference Bible (Oxford University Press, 1909).
7. The Balfour Declaration, British Foreign Office, November 2, 1917.