TH150430/Why Israel Matters

Harvest messages are brought to you by harvest partners receive free email daily devotions or to become a harvest partner, please visit us online@harvest.org. Although we are glad to be here this evening and we pray now as we open your word, we would hear your voice send and get a better understanding of your unique relationship with your covenant people Israel and the Jewish people, help us to get a biblical understanding of what's happening in our world and and what's taking place around… So we commit this time of Bible study to you now in Jesus name we pray.

Amen. All right, well let's grab our Bibles and turn to Genesis chapter 12. This is a special message that I'm doing tonight it will be as long as my normal messages I don't be that happy about that. The title of it is why Israel matters. You hardly a day goes by when you don't hear at least one mention of the nation Israel or the city of Jerusalem are the Jewish people in general. Why do these people, the Jews occupy such a singular position in the world today. Why is it that the nation Israel, which is 154th among the nations in land size play such a prominent role in the world today. By the way, you could fit 32 nation Israel and the state of Texas.

Why is Jerusalem not New York or LA or Paris or Moscow or Beijing. So often mentioned here is a simple and short answer because the Jewish people have been chosen by God. Amos chapter 3, verse two says of Israel. You only have I chosen among all the families of the earth. But why did God choose the Jewish people. Deuteronomy 77 gives the answer. The Lord did not set his love upon you or choose you because you were more in number than other people, for you are the fewest. He chose you because he loved you. Now some today would set aside the Jewish people set aside the nation Israel, and say they have no relationship with God. There is no covenant that God has with them any longer. But that is not correct nor is it biblical. The original promise that God made to Abraham and his descendents has not been completely fulfilled.

These are promises God gave to Abram, later to be called Abraham and his descendents and their very specific God says in Genesis 12 and that sort of my anchor text here. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you all make your name great and you will be a blessing and I will bless those that bless you and I will curse those that curse you, and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you and is in that true the whole world is been blessed by the Jewish people.

I mean, think about this God delivered his word through Hebrew prophets to the Jewish people. The Jewish people gave us the 10 Commandments that of the basis of morality and God gave us our Messiah, our Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ, who was a Jewish man. Sometimes people forget this. Christianity did not form in a vacuum. Our faith came from a place called Israel and through a chosen people, the Jews, the gospel is the Jewish message about a Jewish Messiah given the Jewish disciples. In effect, is not being Jewish myself I knew nothing about this people or about their nation.

Before I was a Christian, but after I became a believer I began to read the word of God old and New Testament, which is all inspired by him and I started discovering the unique role that the Jewish people play and I realized that Isaac Gentile is a non-Jew have been grafted in to the promises God made to his people as Jesus said to the woman at the well salvation is of the Jew, and Paul identifies the unique role they have.

When he said I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. And that is probably why Satan hates the Jewish people because Satan hates what God loves the devil is the author of anti-Semitism which is growing of late tragically and the antitheft conservatism that is been directed by the Jewish people.

Historically, in the name of Christ is been so misguided, sinful and wicked. Sometimes the people of said will, these are the people that killed Jesus news/the Jews didn't kill Jesus.

I killed Jesus. You killed Jesus, who our sins put Jesus on the cross and more to the point. The father sent the son to die for the sin of the world. So use that as a basis for justification for anti-Semitism is just absolute insanity, and this goes back many years. Probably the first anti-Semitic act we saw's in the book of Exodus, when the Pharaoh gave the command that all the Jewish baby boys would be put to death. Fast forward to the book of Esther. There's a wicked plot hatched by amending payment were all of the Jewish people were to be exterminated now fast-forward to the Holocaust were 6 million people just 6 million Jewish people die in the concentration camps of Adolf Hitler. So as that Scripture said those who have cursed Israel and the Jewish people have paid a price look back historically at nations like Egypt, Syria, Babylon role. They all persecuted the Jews. They all collapsed as world powers already alluded to Germany once a world power devastated after World War II and justly so. Spain is another illustration in 1492 the Jews were told to leave Spain or convert to Catholicism. None of their money or possessions to be taken with them.

Spain collapsed as a world power will curse those that curse you, but he also said bless those that bless you and the United States has stood as a staunch ally of the nation Israel since her formation as a nation.

On May 14, 1948, and one of the reasons God has blessed our country is because we'll bless the nation Israel Bellamy make a provocative statement. I think that America needs Israel more than Israel needs America because we need the blessing of God and I don't like the way things are going right now in our relation with them in our nation. I hope that turns back in the future, but God goes on to say in verse seven.

Here in Genesis 12 to your offspring I will give this land and then in Genesis 1518. God makes clear what the land is that he's giving to Israel. It says in the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abraham I given this land, your seed from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates. Then in Joshua chapter 1 God reiterates that the land of Israel belongs to the descendents of Abraham.

As we read there.

After the death of Moses the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of nun, Moses minister, saying Moses my servant is dead now arise go over this Jordan you and your people to the land I will give Kim and to the sons of Israel.

Every place the sole of your foot will tread upon that I have given you from the wilderness and this Lebanon even to the great river Euphrates of the land of the Catoctin so the Israelis, the Israelites eventually possess the land. Their capital became Jerusalem, but as time passed, they constantly turn to false gods and the Lord warned them through the prophets did not do this or a time of judgment would come will they continue to disobey and that judgment came in the Jewish people were taken into captivity and Babylon for 70 years. They eventually were released to return to the land. This is where the story of Nehemiah comes in. Whether rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Again, to establish their and their land. Fast-forward now to the time of King Herod, also the time when Jesus Christ started his public ministry, Israel is under Roman occupation.

Christ has his ministry.

He is crucified he rises again from the dead, and he ascends to heaven but to give a warning about the Jewish Temple called Herod's Temple. Sometimes he says this Temple will be dismantled stone by stone and he talked about great hardships that would come and that happened in 70 A.D. when Titus in the Roman legions came in and drove the Jews out, and though there were some still left in the land. By and large it was not an Israeli nation for many many years. Then the Bible is very specific and pointing out that the Jewish people would be spread around the world. They would be sent to the four corners of the earth. And then God told us one of the signs of the last days would be the regathering of the Jewish people into their homeland.

Ezekiel 37 and 38 deal with this in great depth in Israel sees me as Ezekiel predicted that they would rise from their graves. In fact, the Lord directed Ezekiel to go to a graveyard and preach to the people and I preach us and that audience is not the worst of everything and he said that these bones are are the people of Israel in the live again on the rise again and there we see them coming back to life and that was alluding to the fact that the whole house of Israel are going to return again to the land God says I'll open your graves cause you to come up from your graves and bring you to the land of Israel speaking on the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz in Poland is really prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the following statement and I quote the Jewish people rose from ashes and destruction from a terrible pain that can never be healed. Arm with the Jewish spirit of the justice of man in the vision of the prophets. We sprouted new branches and grew deep roots and dry bones became covered with flesh and a spirit filled them and they lived, and stood on their own feet as Ezekiel prophesied." That is pretty amazing that the Prime Minister of Israel understood that this nation is indeed a fulfillment of prophecy and the return of the Jewish people of their homeland is indeed a supersonic people ask me what you think is the main sign the biggest sign that points to the return of the Lord. I say it's certainly the return of the Jewish people to their homeland against all odds, after the horrors of the Holocaust after 6 million of their people had been lost. They began to return to their land again but God normally said they would return to their land, but he told us that Jerusalem would pay play a key role in the end time scenario and after the modern state of Israel was accorded 1948, Jerusalem was still divided. Jordan retain control over the old city including the Temple Mount in most historic sites, but during the six day war 1967 when Israel was attacked Israeli forces were able to drive back their enemies and also capture the old city of Jerusalem reunify in it and bringing it under Jewish control for the first time in over 2000 years and fulfilling Bible prophecy to a T, but that for the rub comes it because Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with many Arab leaders worldwide insisting Jerusalem and the entire West Bank are rightfully Palestinian territory, and must be given back as a condition of peace, but we need to remember God gave this land to the Jewish people.

It's their land in the city of Jerusalem.

What an amazing city that is and isn't an amazing that this tiny little city. A create such a stir. More wars have been fought at the gates of Jerusalem, then any city on the face of the earth.

By the way, the name Jerusalem means city of peace why this hostility toward this tiny little city. Why this significance because she plays a key role in God's plan for today and tomorrow Jerusalem is the nerve center of the world geographically. It's a salvation center of the world spiritually. It's the storm center of the world prophetically. It's the glory center of the world. Ultimately Jerusalem is the city of the past, the present and the future versus the city of the past. I mean what we travel to Israel and we can go there next year. Leave the tour.

Hope y'all can join us but it's assist such an amazing place to watch the sunset and rise on this Golden city and to think of the events that happen there. This is the place where David ruled this was the place of Solomon's Temple. This was the place where the very glory of God came down.

This is the place where Jesus Christ had a good part of his public ministry where he was crucified.

This is the place where he rose or just so much history and Jerusalem, but Jerusalem is not only the city of the past are also the city of the present when the Jews form a nation May 14, a modern-day miracle took place and now they're back in their land again. So that reminds us it's very current, but it's also the city of the future because world history focuses on the Middle East, specifically around Israel and specifically around Jerusalem. God says he would make her a burdensome stone and all that raised her hand against her would suffer as a result so as Christians we are commanded to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and God says of the Jewish people and Zechariah 28 whoever touches you, touches the apple of his eye, or is another translation puts it, whoever touches you, touches my most precious possession.

That is why we have a harvest stand with the Jewish people and we stand with the nation Israel. We bless God and we thank God for one of my favorite books is the hiding place by Corrie 10 boom.

How many of you read the book.

If you've never read it. Just go find a copy and read it in amazing true story of the 10 boom family who were watchmakers in Holland and they were also committed followers of Jesus Christ will as the Nazis were coming in the power of the persecution of the Jews began at 10 boom family thought it was their responsibility to take in these Jewish folks and hide them from the Nazis so they took them into their home, and we've actually visited their home. There in the hall and did and they would have a wall but behind the wall there would be what you might call a small room better described as a hallway so sort of a false wall hiding places work Jewish people could be hit and when it was all said and done the 10 boom family save hundreds of Jewish lives from the Nazis but the words are getting around in the Nazis were suspicious and they would raid the homes they can never find anybody because they were hiding in these carefully crafted walls and so forth. But finally someone betrayed them. Actually a Dutch citizen and the entire family was was given the choice, the Nazis, and if you stop hiding these Jewish people will leave you alone, but if you continue to do this organist send you to concentration camps well but they couldn't stop.

And so Casper 10 boom Cory's father, a very old man at this point Betsy Cory sister and Courier self were sent to concentration camps. A Casper 10 boom, the father died quickly after he was put in this camp and Corey and Betsy ended up in a camp called ravens Brooke and there they brought hope and comfort to so many of the others that were in that camp, but there's an interesting story that Cory tells him one of her books, while they were watching the Jews rounded up by the Nazis. She says and I quote one day his father and I were returning from our walk we found the Grote market coat cordoned off by a double ring of police and soldiers. The truck was parked in front of the fish part in the back were climbing men, women and children, all wearing the yellow star.

Remember, the Nazis would take this armband and have the Star of David on it, and the Jewish people were forced to wear this to identify themselves to the Nazis so Cory's his father. These poor people. These poor people father echoed but to my surprise they saw he was looking at the soldiers now forming in the ranks to march away. He says I pity the poor Germans Cory they've touched the Apple of God's body and that is true, so just like the 10 boom we as Christians need to stand by our Jewish friends. We need to speak up for the nation Israel because they are still God's chosen people, and God is a very special plan for them and we have a very special guest with us tonight representing the nation Israel. His name is David Siegel. Now David is a senior representative of the state of Israel in the southwestern United States are. Previously, he served at the Embassy of Israel of Washington did you see in successive roles as chief of staff of three of Israel's ambassadors to the United States and he was a counselor for congressional affairs and a spokesperson. These become a friend. He's gonna tell us a lot of things we would not normally hear in the news about what's really going on in this part of the world of what other people of Israel are facing at this very moment, let's welcome David Siegel, the consul general of the nation Israel. The southwestern United States.

They have, thank you very much your dress. Much better than I am. That's because of the consul general in I'm just me so long of the title… It's great to have you here again we eventually spoken before we did an interview before the radio and the pacifistic of broadcasting. You also were interviewed out in Riverside at our church there in a Wednesday night by Pastor Jeff the same but were so glad to have you.

Harvest Orange County and just find out a lot more about what's happening in the nation Israel hears kind of a heavy question to start with but we alluded to this in my little talk. What role did the Holocaust play in the establishment of the nation of Israel while you know the Holocaust was a defining moment in our history. It was a devastating one third of our people were destroyed 6 million people over almost a decade, 1.5 million children. But this did the modern miracle of Israel begins 2000 years before that the promise of next year in Jerusalem guests, which we say every year during our Passover on it three times a day. As we pray, was the light at the end of the tunnel so we were people that were dispersed in 100 nations all over the world and we came back 2000 years later. So the Holocaust was maybe a final chapter in it, and it's amazing that the same generation that almost saw the end of the Jewish people in 1945 at same generation fought for its rebirth in 1948 so I would say the last chapter, but certainly not the reason there's that word out there that the cause of the Holocaust, Israel was created will Israel was created for thousand years before that time 2000 years before Christianity. Both of our religions have been here for very long time and are here to stay x-ray but yet there's a force on the move in our world today. Militant Islam and I and anti-Semitism is on the rise. I read a headline in the newspaper that said that 2014 was the first worst year for anti-Semitic attacks since 2009.

Of course we remember what happened, not that long ago in Paris were Jewish people were specifically targeted. I believe the media culture market of some kind so why do you think I mean after all that happened in the Holocaust.

You would think that that anti-Semitism would just stop and get it rolling. Why do you think that is David well you know you're up spread the virus to the Middle East.

The virus of anti-Semitism in the 19th century.

In the 20th century. It just found it's a home in the Middle East and hatred of Jews in Israel and outs migrating back to Europe because as the Middle East is in flames you have populations shifting and moving and extremist moving out there not well integrated in the European countries. You have the old anti-Semitic forces converging with the new ones, and it's a very dangerous moment. So, seven decades after the Holocaust, here we are again in Europe where you cannot be a Jew safely in public places. Two thirds of Jews polled say that they feel the danger of anti-Semitism in their everyday lives. In Europe it saw its terrible. It's one of the great threats Iran the delegitimization of Israel and the hatred of Jews which is anti-Semitism are the three major threats that we face today in Iran is obviously working on a nuclear weapon were negotiations with them or some kind of a treaty and I you recall that tight Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke not that long ago for the United States Congress and he alluded to the book of Esther which is in a really a parallel story because here's ancient Persia. Trying to eliminate the Jewish people hears modern-day person I called Iran. I think they were called furs until the mid-30s and the change her name to Iran and Prime Minister Netanyahu made the statement I quote today the Jewish people face another attempt by another Persian potentate to destroy us Iran supreme leader Ayatollah Khomeini spews the oldest teacher. The oldest hatred of anti-Semitism with the newest technology between said Israel must be annihilated. I and he says you know they don't really have free Internet and I ran but he tweets in English. Israel must be destroyed. You take the threat seriously, don't you.

We do very much. Iran is a huge danger to the world than the number one sponsor of terrorism in the world today. According to the State Department nudges, according to Israel there major threat in the Middle East. They are now in Lebanon and Syria in Iraq and Afghanistan and Libya and now in Yemen and there part of this endless war that is going on throughout the Middle East between all of these collapsing states and societies there very, very dangerous, and over the last 25 years they've been developing a nuclear weapons program in ICBM program that now reaches deep into Europe and it's on its way to the United States its way over the heads of Israel. The threat is not just Israel except the entire world in the Middle East. When the call for our destruction and they deny the Holocaust and they have cartoon competitions for denial of the Holocaust by all the world participants. This is a force of evil that has to be confronted has to be stopped before it's too late when the last termination threatened to eliminate the Jewish people. Look how many Jewish people died so you typically spread seriously and so should we in the United States.

They call us the great Satan call Israel. The little Satan and then the other proxy forces.

In addition to developing these nuclear weapons they of Hezbollah who we were talking earlier is because how many potential rockets aimed at the nation Israel right now hundred and 20,000. That's more than Russia has today some believable and they say they want to threaten Israel are they want to destroy Israel. Be specific. They said they want to wipe Israel off the face of the map they make no bones about that when we enter into a negotiation with this nation. Can we trust what they say.

Well, we cannot trust Iranians because it's a dictatorship at suppressing 70 million people today they've been lying about their program for the last three decades. You go and you inspect them. They don't let you in the know let you into all their secret sites so inspectors don't really know and it's very similar to North Korea only more dangerous you so you cannot trust them, and we believe that it has to be rolled back and has to be dismantled just like the chemical weapons were removed from Syria before Syria collapsed like were in the midst of its collapse.

So Iran should not have nuclear weapons because they're dangerous, but the breed a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. The other Arab countries are threatened by Iran just like Israel is and they will armed with nuclear weapons in order to contend with Iran.

This is no way to heal the Middle East our time. It's very – well, I think that a minister net you have set some along the lines of unit to win the conflict with ISIS and the lose with Iran is to win the battle and lose the war is a formidable foe in in years past Israel had to take matters into their own hands when Iraq was building the nuclear reactor and course roundly criticized but that was a great move. I think for all of the world as we entered into a conflict. Later the United States with direct but if I ran develops or enriches uranium to weapon rate status weapons grade status what you think is overdue and is it even possible through a military solution to stop this program. We have no doubt that is possible, and certainly if the United States with all of its capabilities took those steps to make sure that the Iranians understand that the world to seriously run would pay notice, but Israel even though were small we are tiny country were smaller than New Jersey.

As you said before were number 160 something in the world, but we know how to defend ourselves. We are very very quick on her feet. We also have faith in a God that he sustained us for 4000 years. That year he will sustain us well you know Isaiah promises that no weapon formed against us will prosper that any tongue which rises against us in judgment. They themselves will be condemned for those who curse Israel, and so on so weak this were aware of this but it doesn't mean that it's not in our hands to do what we need to defend ourselves and we work very hard at it. The smartest missile defense systems in the world iron dome that is taken down 90% of the rockets were fired at us is was probably the most strongly equipped country in terms of its own self defense after the United States and the world we work together with America, with the military with we just met with a group of firefighters from Arizona yesterday who came back from Israel. You should see the passion in their eyes and in their hearts of this this real camaraderie that they have the room is really calling to first responders and how we learn from each other how to do our jobs better to service our communities. That's what democracies do.

That's what American is together yet.

I think that's one of the unknown things about the nation Israel is all the amazing things that you do around the world. We were talking earlier about how you been involved over in Haiti and Nepal. I with a huge group of people even more lenient than the United States supplied.

Maybe you could elaborate on that is something of a terrible tragedy in the power, but a moment of great pride for Israel were small country were far away from Nepal. We sent the largest medical delegation in the world. We have 260 medical professional, surgeons, doctors on the ground right now. We set up the only militant field hospital in Nepal today in Israeli team rescued a young woman in her early 20s who was under the debris. For five days. Thank you, but interestingly the other people on the ground or American and they saved a young boy today both both the young woman and the young boy were taken to the Israeli field hospital for lifesaving treatment babies being born operations are being conducted. This is an amazing story of you know, hospital directors and leave their hospitals at a moments notice.

Join this crew of 260 people planning the hospital as the plane is flying into an earthquake. They get there so quickly they can even land because of the aftereffect aftershocks and they had to wait a further eight hours. The hospital is up and running it will be there as long as it's needed.

This is what Israel does in Nepal in the Philippines in Haiti and Japan, and Turkey – as in the last five years, realizes basement and will do you think that's because your people have suffered so greatly that you have an empathy for others who are suffering and you want to do something for them. Yes, absolutely.

It's it's a Jewish ethic is an Israeli ethic. It's a local ethic is medical ethic strategy Judeo-Christian etc. repairing a hurting world. There was a medical conference in Israel last year during the Ebola crisis in Africa that was when you and in you went in at your own risk. There were hundreds of doctors in the hall and they were asked are you willing to go to Africa right now to treat Ebola patients. 80% of the people in room razor in their hands to help. So this is the ethic the medical ethic to humanitarian ethic which we share as to democracies, and if something were very proud when there's so many similarities between our countries, you know, I mean, you guys did. First of course with the 10 Commandments and God choosing you but we took, as you said that Judeo-Christian ethic, and we build a nation on those principles and I think one of the reasons that our nation is struggling today is we've gone so far from that foundation and we need to return to it again but do you think that most Jewish people in America today support the nation Israel. I think the short answer is yes. You know, we support that we debated at the same time so you know we have this joke that the difference between a Christian doesn't believe in God and a Jew who doesn't believe in God is at the Drew continues arguing with God so so we have we have arguments we have our politics. NATO everything is very partisan but II know as a representative of Israel here. I embrace anyone who wants to have a relationship with Israel whether they disagree or not. It's not about politics it's about 4000 years of history and the, the, the redeeming miracle of returning you is was almost 7 years old. We celebrated her 67th anniversary last week.

Birth happy birthday Israel thing I the kingdom of David was 80 years and then Solomon came and built the temple and I was another 40 years. I was 120 years as our golden era wherever well disposed to reach that goal and two over 2 Even Go Way beyond that, because were a democracy. This is something I'm looking at my kids in the next generation after us there smarter.

They are just as patriotic even more passionate in defending this this this cause of the nation of Israel. The only democracy in the Middle East. The only place where everyone can practice a religion freely right and in peace with your Muslim or Christian or Jewish or Baha'i or anything else. And this will continue in perpetuity. The prophecies say there were two dispersions not three and is a very significant thing to keep in mind we are here to stay were the only democracy in the only pro-American country in the Middle East after and that brings us to topic work here. There are people that that may be opposed Israel because they don't understand what's going on because you're sometimes criticized for not letting the Palestinians have a homeland and tie. They don't understand the relationship that Israel has with Arab people and how they're allowed to use as you said to freely participate in the elections in your country to vote and what is it 20% of your population did you tell me earlier zip.

So let's talk a little bit about this. The Palestinians and and their plight right now and in what would you say to the critics who would say, why don't you let them have a homeland. Why won't you give them more territory. First of all the Palestinians do have a homeland right now on the West Bank and what we call Judea and Samaria and historic terms. They have their own government right and we wish them well.

The problem is and maybe give you an anecdote just to drive home to a few years ago there was a terrible tragedy.

There was a Jordanian soldier who evidently had had emotional problems he opened fire into Israel and seven schoolgirls were killed and this was a good 15, 20 years ago, the King of Jordan was on his way to Great Britain, and he flies his own aircraft as a pilot – the moment he heard and he already had peace with Israel. Israel and Jordan have a peace treaty. The motive moment he heard about this tragedy. He turned around the plane and he asked for permission to land in Israel and he went to each and every one of those seven grieving households and beg for forgiveness and repentance. That's what a piece leader does.

The leader of the Palestinians today calls public squares in the names of mass murderers, terrorists call soccer stadiums in the names of terrorists, hills, and glorifies and pays bonuses and salaries of the families that bred terrorism educates to hate in the schools. This is a peace partner that is deeply flawed. Now Israel is tiny in our narrowest point we are 9 miles wide between Isis and Iran in the ocean. We have to be very careful when we give back more territory to make those compromises which were willing to do with a partner that is safe, reliable and bold enough to make peace with us. The tragedy is were not there yet. But even if were not there are many other good things are happening on the ground because people human beings are human beings and Palestinians.

Most Palestinians want a future for their children, and a good education for the children. Health care for their parents and jobs for themselves. These are what normal people want and of the majority of Israel want a peaceful solution and I believe that eventually will get there because the Middle East needs Israel. We are number one in the world in creating water. We will need your help now.

Yes, there is a reason why I'm sorry I'm there is there is a reason why California chose Israel as its strategic partner in fighting the drought and signed an agreement with us last year.

The problem is it's complicated. You have 2000 water authorities and utilities in the state. We have one so were number one in the world and recycling water and desalinated water in plugging leaks on the city's Tel Aviv is losing less than 10% of its water. Jordan is losing 60%.

It is give you an we have taken water in the desert in science and culture and cybersecurity now as national priorities we tackle them and were very good at it work after California is Rosa number two innovation center in the world. There's a reason why Apple your iPad maker and iPhone maker is now opening its second-largest research and development center in the world in Israel hiring 1000 engineers and computer programmers and Facebook and Google and on and and IBM and Intel is the largest private employer in Israel with six plans including us billion-dollar plan. They must be doing good because her blessing us and were blessing them half of Israel's exports are high-tech, much of it is coming from the global American companies that are sitting in Israel, gobbling up startups as we speak and I want to say one more thing, we're known as a start up nation, but were also startup were 67-year-old startup and so is America. It's a little bit older than us, but in historical terms were two startups were two democracies, the art arc of history is not about democracy. This is very special which is why were very close, which is why I believe that the deep roots that connect us from the Puritans until today and connect us with Israel are roots that are here to stay, so we may have political disagreements in the news, but that comes and goes, the basics of their absolutely know your x-ray initiative answered it. But you know I would ask the biggest misconception about Israel. I don't think will realize how high-tech you guys are in really many ways with with all that you develop, it's because you have to you have to know how to defend yourself because your enemy could strike and be in your country within seconds, I suppose, perhaps minutes and I am not that long ago Hamas was firing rocks over in Iraq.

It's over. The Israel and then you discovered all these intricate and complex tunnels that the bill probably with money that's been sent for aid for the Palestinian people that they were using to come into your nation and you destroy those tunnels, but you have to be on your toes as they say, because your very survival depends upon a definite absolutely does and we are on our toes and we have to be very strong and very smart to continue doing what were doing in the Middle East and will continue to do that and will do that together with America and Congress and future administrations and friends that we have in people of faith because this this is what will save Israel. The biggest misconception is looking at us and look at the Middle East and judging us only by the headlines on Santa because if you did that yourself.

If you judge your communities by your local news.

It wouldn't be a very welcoming place either term Israel is a real, it's not a political campaign that needs to be one it's a real country with 8.3 million human beings Jews from over 100 countries. The ingathering of the exiles, the prophecies of come true. Speaking over 80 languages and 20% as you said that her Arab that are Christian that are Muslim Baha'i people that are persecuted in Iran and throughout the Middle East are converging in Israel their world headquarters is in Israel. Christian groups come to Israel you know that the Middle East is to be 20% Christian is now less than 4% Christian because of the persecutions in Egypt and Syria and Lebanon and in Iraq and everywhere else you look work and Hamas in Gaza. What they did to the Christian population. It really doesn't exist there anymore. Many of them escaped Israel Israel to become a refuge for the minorities in Middle East for the Christian community in the Middle East. They sit there they broadcast TV and radio back to their communities in the Middle East because I can't do it elsewhere. So I think it's a very special place. It's misjudged by the headlines. Just flatten out everything there's no soul, and that we need to bring the soul back in whenever we lead attorney Israel people say are you crazy it's so dangerous over there and also you know what I feel safer in Israel than I would feel in many American cities at night you know and that's the absolute truth. We can do for starters you know you have soldiers everywhere who if something were to happen if the terrorist were to do something that would be an immediate response, but no, I mean, relatively speaking, every time there's an act of violence initials on the front page of the newspapers, but we have cities in America that would far suppress the violence of Israel. But those things you know people get the perspective of that do you think it I mean we can only speak relatively there is danger everywhere begin to get safe to take a tour to Israel on the father of three kids and I would go today, tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, with no questions. I have complete confidence in Israel's ability to defend itself were probably the best organize in the world in defending ourselves of the crime rates in Israel are almost nonexistent. If you would come to my community and please don't come all at once, but come when you want.

We live in the mountains of Jerusalem. It's beautiful. We live in the in a place that is so special that you can build without a permit from the archaeological society and in case your building on the ruins from Byzantine times or or or what have you kids walk our streets at 9 o'clock at night 10 o'clock at night, completely safe. C kids completely free, it is a completely different reality than what you might assume from the headlines and I'll just end by telling you that Hollywood has become enamored with Israel. That's good about but anyway I know if you seen the show dig which is about antiquities in Jerusalem, so that is very interesting and they had a debate last summer whether to continue or not. Because the situation and they brought in consultant from Chicago and it was Fourth of July after Fourth of July weekend and there were 32 shootings in Chicago mass and is it safe to go to Israel and he started laughing and he said, just like you said, think of what we we just went through this July weekend in Chicago so again, everything has to be taken into context, you can't live a risk-free life there there obviously are challenges Israel faces, but I think it handles him very well.

Every tourist feels very confident as you know we we been many trees over there over the years and I think my grandchildren over and I've actually had Israeli people thanked us for bringing our grandchildren will be. We feel it's a safe place. They have a great time and what great memories for a child a coffin for anyone to have. I think a trip to Israel literally can change your life and there's a lot of beautiful places you can go on the world and to be very honest, you know you'll go to more beautiful places than Israel but you will never go to a more significant place in another never be able to walk in a place in and look at things that Jesus would have seen the sea of Galilee in the road that he walked all the rich biblical history that just unbelievable and and I find that these memories stay with you and then later you know when you're reading your Bible, you remember, you know that the sound this well the feel the warmth of the year. As you read these stories are especially many good a place like Galilee, which is so much like it would've been in the time of Christ and in and much more.

But you will we go to Israel David we don't just visit biblical sites we take people to God.

The sham I because we want people to understand because if you have to understand the suffering that your people of experience to understand what Israel is about the day and what you have faith in what you are facing still and we want to educate Christians on that so they have an understanding and a love for the Jewish people, but it was speaking of antiquities, I we have some of your amazing antiquities in California right now.

Don't wait.

Tell us a little bit about the exhibit up there in Los Angeles right now, not that far away. So if you come to Los Angeles and you go to the California science Center you will find the largest ever.

Exhibit ever coming out of Israel of Dead Sea Scrolls and antiquities. We have 10 scrolls right now on display original scrolls from 2000 years ago there in Hebrew that I can read my kids could read about this is you can actually read that we can actually read and understand them. We are speaking the same. We brought the language the bones of the language of of of his romantic passages are in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

What books are in that collection so there are half that of never been seen in United States before on some that never been seen even in Israel. So there are 13,000 fragments of Dead Sea Scrolls known in their quirk because a discovery more because through space technology were finding that under the levels that we knew of. There are additional levels really written over and written over again so were actually going through with multiple using scanning's were going into the into into the actual animal skin and and finding much more tax return of endless process of discovery, but we have the book of apart portions of Isaiah we have one of the world's oldest marriage certificates between a man and a woman. We almost got the debt, the 10 Commandments here, but they wanted in the vault, so we have a replica and this is amazing. Of those, 13,000 fragments, most of the book, so we know the Old Testament, the debt, the 10 Commandments were found intact not touring completely intact and the entire verse of that includes it for you we we feature that we have a 3 ton stone from the Western Wall here.

Hundreds of thousands of prayers as he taken his carry-on on the plane or they took it as carry-on, it actually is in the overhead feeling tells me for minute so the so the scrolls are so precious that you can't fly them on on you can fly all the scrolls on the same plane, so to experts or to scrolls per expert. They have to take at least two or three different planes to get here, but the entire 600 artifacts were sent on one transport plane 40 tons with the rock from the Western Wall and we certainly aren't you worried if it crashes it will be lost. They started laughing.

They said will open our hangers and you'll see how much we have, this is nothing a while so it just gives you a sense of of it. It is incredible.

There antiquities there from them. The time when the Israelites left Egypt and entered the promised land. There are a line of ancient viruses from that journey that are being featured. It is unbelievable.

An added bonus is an IMAX 3D 45 minute movie that took five years to make of Jerusalem the holy city and its the story is told through the eyes of three teenage girls, one Christian, Jewish and Muslim and tells the stories of the various quarters and there is such a raw, rare footage of the festival of holy fire in the church of the holy sepulcher practiced by the Eastern churches of the Middle East. It is you'll see things that you've never seen before and will give you context when used visit Jerusalem it's zoom out and you really see you get a sense of the totality of the city and all of its history and all of its geography. It's amazing fantastic. Please come. Yes, that's a great we want to see that David, we want to thank you for coming out here tonight and we want you to know that times you guys like it makes those over there as to where our country stands what we want to know speaking for this church and for thousands and thousands of evangelical believers around the United States that we love the nation Israel.

We love the Jewish people.

We pray for you and we stand with you or your friend to give her come to think David Siegel for coming