 and realize the prophecy of Isaiah, there will no longer be stealing at your borders and your gates will be of glory. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a speech that for some Christians, as he quotes parts of the Bible, they may not be familiar with what he's quoting and even why he's quoting it. Because we live in a world that we are consumed with just ourselves, not necessarily being selfish, but we think about ourselves. And so sometimes we forget that there's a bigger world than the one that we live in. We also sometimes forget that God has a plan for not just us here in America or other parts of the West, but also in Israel. Remember, God has made plans and promises for us and we expect him to fulfill his promises. He's not a God that lies. Well, he's also made promises towards Israel. And so in a recent speech concerning the war, Benjamin Netanyahu actually invokes the Bible and refers to the Bible on two occasions. You must remember what Amalek has done to you, says our holy Bible. And we do remember and we are fighting our brave troops and combatants who are now in Gaza. What he is referring to is a few times in the Bible where the Bible brings up Amalek. Remember when the Jews were leaving out of Egypt that they were harassed and attacked by the Amalekites. And then also in Deuteronomy 25, look at what the Lord says about them. He says that, remember what Amalek did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt, how he met you along the way and attacked among you all the stragglers at your rear. And when you were faint and weary and he did not fear God. Sound familiar? Therefore it shall come about when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your surrounding enemies in the land which the Lord your God gives you as inheritance to possess. You shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. You must not forget, which is what he invoked, which is what he's bringing up. And now the problem is though, when Israel goes into the land, God tells them to do certain things. But we know the story. Israel has been disobedient. Israel began to have idols. Israel did not obey the Sabbath, the land Sabbath and so forth. One thing in particular that is rear is ugly head right now is Israel did not drive out the descendants of the land as God told them to. Joshua is told in chapter 23 to make sure that he puts them out. If not, then they will be a snare and a trap to them. But they did not. And so as each tribe goes into the land and takes possession of the land that they've been apportioned, they don't do what God has told them. And so because of that in Judges 2 21, notice what it says, I also will no longer drive out before them any other nations with which Joshua left when he died in order, look, he says, to test Israel by them, whether they will keep the way of the Lord to walk in it as their fathers did or not. So the Lord allowed those nations to remain not driving them out quickly. And he did not give them into the hands of Joshua. And so because of that disobedience, God says they will be with you. And how long will they be in their land until God removes them? However, there's another part of the Bible that Netanyahu quotes that also bodes well for Israel, not now, but in the future. A profound belief in our justness, a profound belief in the eternity of the Jewish people, we shall realize the prophecy of Isaiah. There will no longer be stealing at your borders and your gates will be of glory. Together, we will fight and he says together, we will win. Now, what he's quoting is Isaiah 60, specifically verse 18. But before we get to verse 18, I want to start off with what he's talking about from 53 on, you start seeing these prophecies about what Israel is going to do. We'll come back to 53 in a second. But in Isaiah 60, he's speaking about the restoration of Israel back to the land and how it's going to be forever. Obviously, this hadn't happened, but this is what Netanyahu invokes. And this is what God says is going to happen. So in verse one of Isaiah 60, he says, a rise shine for your light has become has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will come to the earth and deep darkness the people. But the Lord will rise upon you and his glory will appear upon you. And nations will come to your life and kings to the brightness of your rising. So he's speaking about how at some point in time in the future, Israel is going to have this glory and nations are going to come to her. Now, I also want you to notice what he says in verse 10. He says, foreigners will build up your walls and their kings will minister to you. For in my wrath, I struck you. Remember, in the past, Israel was disobedient. And so even before they go into the land, God promises that he will scatter them and bring them back at some point in time. But after he brings back the land, something's going to happen to them. Their hearts will be changed and they will turn towards God. But he strikes them because of a wrath. But also as Paul lets us know that that was done. A partial hardening was given to them. Some Jews are coming in, but not all. And a spirit of stupid has been given over Israel. Why? So that he will now deal with the Gentiles. And how long will this partial hardening? How long will Israel have their backs turned on God as a nation? Paul says, until the fullness of the Gentiles have come in and he lets us know that Israel as a nation will be grafted back into the root. Will all of Israel be safe? No, there are going to be a lot of Jews, especially in this war, they're going to die as well as those in God, as well as everywhere else in the world. And so ultimately, anyone who has placed their faith in Christ, those are the ones are going to be safe, whether it be for someone from an Islamic nation, someone here in America. If you place your faith in Christ, you will be part of the church. You will be brought into eternity with the Lord. But God has promised that he will also do this specifically with Israel as well. And so he says, for in my wrath, I struck you. And in my favor, I have had compassion on you. So notice the tense of it. In my wrath, I struck you. And in my favor, I have had compassion on you. So your gates will be open continually. They will not be closed day or night so that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations with their kings. For the nation and the kingdom, which will not serve you, will perish. And the nations will be utterly ruined. Now, this is also referencing back to Amalek, all the nations that have come against him. Remember the prophecy that he has with what he states to Abraham. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. That at some point in time in the future is going to be completely realized. And notice what he says later. Let's start in verse 14. He says, the sons of those who afflicted you will come bound to you. And those who despise you will bow themselves at the soles of your feet. And so he's speaking of what's going to happen with Israel. He says, and they will call you the city of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Verse 15, whereas you have been forsaken and hated with no one passing through, I will make you an everlasting pride, a joy from generation to generation. You will also you will also suck the milk of nations, suck the breast of kings. Then notice what he says. Then you will know that I, the Lord, am your savior and your redeemer, the mighty one of Jacob. Well, he's speaking of, obviously, the Lord, they are going to turn their hearts to Christ. And notice what he says. Instead of bronze, I will bring gold. Instead of iron, I will bring silver. Instead of wood, bronze, instead of stones, iron. And I will make peace your administrators and righteousness your overseers. And here is where Netanyahu quotes Isaiah, what he brings about the peace at their borders. He says, violence in verse 18 will not be heard again in your land nor devastation or destruction within your boards, but you will call your walls. And notice what he says you call your wall. You will call your walls. The Hebrew word that's used there in salvation is the word Yeshua and your gates praise. No longer will you have the sun for light by day, nor for brightness. Will the moon give you light? Now notice what he's saying and notice who he's talking about. He says, but you will have the Lord as an everlasting light and your God for your glory. So he invokes the Bible and Bible prophecy. Now, I don't know if he's understanding fully who this is referring to, but obviously we do. As a matter of fact, if we read a little further in Isaiah 61, Jesus actually quotes this in 61 1 through 3. He says, the Spirit of the Lord is upon me because the Lord has appointed me to bring good news to the afflicted. We're not going to read the whole thing, but obviously Jesus quotes this in Luke 4. And so here we see what God is doing. All of the things that are happening in the world, everything is going to ultimately culminate in what God has determined to happen in terms of with Israel and salvation to the world. All of these things are going to work in the way that God has promised in the work through his covenants. Remember what he says in Isaiah 53 that Israel at some point in time, they're going to look back at the Lord and they will say that he was despised and forsaken of men. A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and like one from whom men hid their, hide their face. He was past tense despised and we did not past tense esteem him. Surely our griefs himself. He bore past tense and our sorrows he carried. Now notice the past tense because Israel is going to say this in the future, looking back to what the Lord has done. Finally realizing that Jesus is their Messiah and we ourselves esteemed him stricken, smitten his guide and afflicted. But he was pierced past tense pierced through for our transgression. He was crushed past tense for our iniquity. The chastening of for our well-being fell upon him and by his scourging, we are healed. And so at some point in time, Israel is going to return to them, return to their Messiah, their borders will be safe, the land will be prosperous, their hearts will be turned towards God and the Lord will reign. The amazing thing is that we're literally seeing what was told in the old, now playing out, pointing to what's going to happen in the future. And interestingly enough, when you see a leader quote of the Bible, quote Isaiah, quote, do the right of me or Exodus, that should bring some sort of comfort to you that God is in control. Unlike any other God, unlike Muhammad, unlike Buddha, unlike the God of Hinduism, unlike anyone else, our God is fully in control. Amen.