The number of people claiming some connection to Christian Zionism has grown during the last decades, recently surging to increase many fold. Most of these recent additional supporters evidently take a more "sophisticated" view, and reject or ignore the original theology of Christian Zionism with its dark apocalyptic scenarios of death and destruction during the "end times" of planet earth predicted for the near future. Instead, these millions of new Christian adherents simply support Israel, spiritually and/or politically, and view Christian Zionism as a vehicle by which to express their friendship and affection for the Jewish people living there.[29][30][31] Accordingly, some of the Declaration's characterization of Christian Zionism may no longer apply to the new majority of those who claim it.