We Got It Wrong!

Last Updated on: May 25, 2026

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6)

Yes, this is the beginning of the Ascension story. Three verses later Jesus is “taken from their sight”, never to be seen in the same way again, but we make a mistake if we rush past this moment to get to the drama of the Ascension itself, as this turns out to be the last question the disciples ever ask Jesus.

“Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”

It’s their last question, and it was probably also the question that drew them to Jesus in the first place. Was he the one who would restore their national sovereignty and political independence – the kingdom they were so longing for?

Strangely enough, this is the same question many people are still asking today. As Israel and the United States escalate towards a final confrontation with Iran, there are Christian leaders everywhere praying — quite literally — “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”

Some of those Christian leaders gathered in the Oval Office, laying hands on President Trump after his initial strike on Iran. They prayed for victory – praying for what they imagined to be God’s geopolitical plan – though, of course, they couched their prayers in spiritual language. Franklin Graham prayed that Iranians would be “set free from the bondage of Islam” (regardless of whether any Iranians were actually asking for that form of ‘liberation’).

At the heart of this is a movement within the church referred to as ‘Christian Zionism’ — people who believe that the modern state of Israel is the fulfilment of biblical prophecy and that Israel’s regional triumph is a prerequisite for the return of Jesus.

If you’re not familiar with this ideology, that’s probably because you’re not American. Estimates suggest there are somewhere between 20 and 50 million Christian Zionists in the USA, and even if it’s “only” 20 million, that’s still five million more than the total number of Jewish people worldwide – many of whom are not supporters of the modern state of Israel. So if you’re wondering who is propping up the devastation in Gaza and the attacks on Iran and on civilisation itself, it’s not just governments. It’s us! It’s a significant bloc within the global Christian community.

You may have seen Tucker Carlson’s interview with the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, earlier this year. Huckabee — a former Baptist minister and a proud Christian Zionist — claimed that Israel had the right to control all the land from the Nile to the Euphrates, saying it “would be fine if it took it all”, though he struggled to remember the Scripture that he claimed undergirded this conviction.

Even more painful than this was the US Secretary of Defense, Peter Hegseth, attempting to quote the prophet, Ezekiel in support of military action — but quoting the version of Ezekiel 25:17 featured in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction.

These failures to quote the Bible actually mirror the failure of the disciples at the Mount of Ascension to grasp Jesus’ teaching about the Kingdom.

“Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6)

Jesus doesn’t say “no”. Instead, He redirects them.

“It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:7-8)

Jesus shifts their attention from national restoration to their global mission. Their mission includes ‘all Judea and Samaria, and the ends of the earth’, and it’s a mission of witness, rather than one of blood and fire.

I suspect that those disciples had made the same mistake that Christian Zionists make today. They looked at the words of the Hebrew prophets about Israel being restored and had taken it as a roadmap for political action, but prophecy in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures never works that way.

In the Hebrew Bible, when Jonah says, “Nineveh will be destroyed in forty days,” it’s not an invitation to help destroy Nineveh. When Jeremiah or Ezekiel prophesy the collapse of Judah, it’s not a call to join the Babylonian army and gird up for the attack. Prophecy in scripture functions as a form of shock therapy — meant to wake people up, call them to repentance, and draw them back to God. It never acts as foreign policy. It never directly tells us what to do. The commandments tell us what to do. And in this case, Jesus’ commandment is very clear:

“You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

The disciples wanted political independence. Jesus, instead, sent them to the ends of the earth, where they had to learn to love their enemies!

In terms of our current global conflict, as you know, I’e been to Iran multiple times. I’ve spoken at their universities, visited churches, sat with clergy, academics, students, and families, and I can tell you, Iranians are not an ‘evil empire’, and they’re not waiting for American bombs to bring them democracy any more than they are begging to be ‘freed from Islam’ by foreign armies, and when Christian leaders lay hands on a president and pray for victory, they are not continuing Christ’s mission. They are repeating the mistake of the disciples on the Mount of Ascension.

The world does not need more war, and it doesn’t need more Christians praying for war. The world needs Christians who can tell the difference between the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world. The disciples’ last question is still being asked. And Jesus’ answer is still the same: Not that kingdom. Not this time. Not that way.

But you — you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. Not the power of armies or empires but the power of God’s Spirit. And you will be my witnesses — witnesses of my love and truth — in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, in Iran, in Gaza, and to the ends of the earth. Amen.

Our Sunday Eucharist

We celebrated another wonderful online Eucharist last Sunday. I had the privilege of having Rob Gilland and Doug Pyeatt with me on the panel. Along with the rest of the team, we dealt with some powerful readings from the New Testament, including the wonderful passage in John 14 where Jesus promises, “I will not leave you desolate” (John 14:18). I’ve clipped our discussion of the larger passage from John 14 below, and I believe it’s well worth the 19-minute investment if you weren’t a part of it.

As per usual, you’ll also find our two most popular shorts from the last week below. They focus on the sense of humour of Jesus and Saint Paul (respectively). Enjoy, and remember that you can see all our shorts on the Sunday Eucharist Instagram page and all our videos, long and short, on my YouTube channel.

This week I’m very much looking forward to having Brynn Reesse and Andry Madry with me on the panel, and I hope you can join us too via Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Faithia, Streamyard or TheSundayEucharist.com.

Invite your friends by directing them to Facebook, giving them the YouTube link, or directing them to the Streamyard registration page.

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What’s On?

Sunday, May 17th – Our Eucharist from noon thesundayeucharist.com, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Faithia or Streamyard
Tuesday, May 19th – Boxing at the Mundine Gym in Redfern from 7 pm
Thursday, May 21st – Online Bible study group meeting from noon @ www.thesundayeucharist.com/bible
Thursday, May 21st – Boxing at the Mundine Gym in Redfern from 7 pm
Saturday, May 23rd – Boxing at the Legends Gym in Kensington from 3 pm

You’ll forgive me for being so late sending out the newsletter this week. My daughter and I have moved house. I closed the door on the flat in Petersham last night at almost exactly 2 am with a prayer of gratitude for the wonderful Muslim family who were my landlords and who looked after me so well over the last five years.

We’ve moved to Concord, and I will miss the inner west of Sydney, where I have lived almost all my life. Even so, I am deeply grateful for this opportunity. Fran and I have been offered a place to live rent-free for a year, and it’s not too far from Joy nor from my traditional haunts, and it’s not much further from Fran’s school.

I am curious as to what the Lord is up to. Not having to pay rent will make me less dependent on paid work. Perhaps the Lord wants me to direct more energy into unpaid work? Perhaps He just wants me to get more sleep? Either way, I think I’m ready for whatever comes next. I feel like I’m reaching the end of my wilderness wandering. I’m ready for a new mission.

When I think about the future in the light of today’s reading, I do get a little nervous. The disciples had some glorious ideas as to where they were heading next with the resurrected Jesus. Jesus had other ideas.

“You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth,” He told them (Acts 1:8). It wasn’t what they had in mind.

What comes next? Where will He send us? Perhaps He’ll send me to start a yacht ministry on the Riviera? I doubt it somehow. Even so, His will be done.

Your brother in the Good Fight,