going to deal with this special topic. Will Israel be destroyed by the nation of Iran? It's obviously a topic that is in the news, and if you've been paying attention to the news or the newspapers, You will notice that Israel is on every news broadcast, this tiny little nation at the center of the world. That shouldn't surprise the discerning Bible student, because God says in Ezekiel chapter 5, I have put Jerusalem, he said, in the midst of the nations. and all the great continents, Africa, Asia, and Europe meet at that tiny location, the city of Jerusalem in the nation of Israel. It's the most mentioned place in the Bible. It's the only city that God says will exist in eternity, the New Jerusalem. And because Israel and the city of Jerusalem are at the center of God's plans for the end times, it's also at the center of the devil's plans. That's why you're seeing such a hatred, such a focus on the nation of Israel today. But it's not the city of the United Nations. It's not the city even of Benjamin Netanyahu. God calls the city of Jerusalem, my city. He calls it the holy city. And he calls the nation of Israel, his people. Now, if you were to read the first 11 chapters of the Bible, you will discover that they detail almost by way of introduction, how this world was created, how this universe was created. how man was created, how sin came into this world, and how nations were formed. But after you get to chapter 12, really the rest of the Bible pertains to the unfolding of the history of the new Jewish people. How God began to work through a man called Abraham. through the patriarchs, and then the prophets, and the priests, and the kings of Israel, to rediscover the perfect man, Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah. Never forget that Jesus Christ was born a Jew, and he died a Jew, and he rose from the dead a Jew, and he ascended into heaven as a Jew. and he's coming back again to be received, where? On the Mount of Olives, at the city of Jerusalem, by the Jewish people. So, the Jewish people and the city of Jerusalem are tied up, not just with the first coming of Christ, but with the second coming of Christ. It's no wonder the devil hates the Jews. It's no wonder the devil hates the nation of Israel. Now, if you turn to Isaiah chapter 11 and verse 10 to 12, Isaiah tells us, now, when Isaiah has this prophecy, remember, the nation of Israel exists. And Isaiah is a prophet in the nation of Israel. But he tells us that in the futures, as in that day, there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an end sign. Now, that is an old word that means banner. You know, in Lauren, we have a lot of banners, don't we? We even have Jason who makes them, if you're looking for some after. We have a lot of banners, a lot of flags. God says he has planted Israel as his banner to the world. Now, what does a banner do? A banner displays a public message. A banner displays a powerful message. And Israel as a nation, God has put in on your news every day, on the BBC, on the ITV, on Sky News, in the Daily Mail, in the Guardian. He has put it there because he wants the whole world to see his banner. They're on display. And he says in verse 11, and it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time. Now, they hadn't actually left the promised land at this point. But old Isaiah was told by God, they're going to be scattered not just one time, but two times. And he says, and the Lord shall set his hand again the second time, to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Parthos, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign." Notice this, God shall do this. God shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah." Where from? The four corners of the earth. 2,600, 700 years ago, God declared, before the nation was ever scattered the first time, he declared they're going to be scattered the second time. And when they're scattered the second time, they're going to go to the four corners of the earth. And then sometime in the future, God's going to re-gather this nation. In 1948, from a hundred nations, God brought groups of Jews from South America, from Africa, from Asia, from Europe, from Russia, and he gathered them all back just as he promised. And today they are there in rebellion against the Lord, no question, in disobedience to the gospel message, but as a banner to the nations, that God keeps his promises, as a declaration to the nations that they are God's people, as a declaration to the nations that when God says something, he really means it. Is it any wonder the devil hates them so much? Is it any wonder that Satan has all his emissaries around this world screaming abuse 24 hours a day, screaming to wipe them off the face of the earth, because they are there as a banner to the failure of the devil and to the greatness of God. Now, this week, we saw an attack on the nation of Israel. It came from a nation that is many hundreds of miles away. In fact, more than a thousand miles away. Iran, And any Bible student, immediately their antennae should be up when they hear of Iran attacking the nation of Israel. Because in the book of Ezekiel, 2,600 years ago, God said in chapter 36 and chapter 37 of the book of Ezekiel that one day the dry bones would live and be regathered back to the nation of Israel, the same message as he gave to Isaiah. And then he described a period called the millennium in Isaiah chapter 40 onwards, when Jesus Christ is going to reign for a thousand years on this earth. But in between those two sections of the prophecy of Isaiah are two chapters, Ezekiel chapter 38 and Ezekiel chapter 39. Let's turn to them and see what God has to say to you and me from them. Because in Ezekiel chapter 38 and 39, there's a reference to a war, a regional war. in a sense, not a global war. It's a war that has not yet taken place, but is yet to take place before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it describes a confederacy of nations that are going to come together and attack the nation of Israel. And verse 5, the first word in verse 5 tells you that one of the nations involved in this confederacy, and by the way, almost all these nations that are mentioned in this chapter are Islamic-majority nations. Libya, Sudan, Algeria, Morocco, that area is mentioned. Iran itself. And then is mentioned these nations, Tolgamar and Gomer. We'll talk in a moment where they are. So the majority of these nations that are mentioned in this confederacy with Iran that are going to come to attack Israel are Muslim-majority nations. Now here's the surprising thing. For the last 2,600 years, Not one of these nations, to my knowledge, has ever attacked Israel. Not one. Of all the nations mentioned here, not one has declared war on the nation of Israel. So this week, the BBC stated that this attack was unprecedented. And they were right. Not often they're right, but they're right this time. And they said this was an unprecedented assault of hundreds of missiles being fired from Iran at the nation of Israel is a declaration of war. And the Bible says that somewhere between the reinstatement of the nation of Israel in 1948 and the return of Jesus Christ, there's going to be a war. between Iran and its allies and the nations of Israel. Now, let's look at chapter 30 and get a few clues as to when this might likely be. It says, verse 2, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshach and Tubal, and prophesy against him. Who is this Gog? Gog is a title like Pharaoh, like the Tsar. Where is he from? Well, verse 15 tells us where exactly he's from. Thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts. It's based from Israel now, remember. And if you were to look up in the original Hebrew, it's even stronger than that. It says, out of the uttermost north parts. So just in case you get out your map and say, well, that's Turkey. That's north of Israel. God says, no, no, no. I just want you to know it's from the uttermost north. North, north. When you look at yourself on the map, you'll discover there's one nation that dominates that whole area. And it's one nation that's a great ally of Iran. It's one nation that's led by a man who's a bloodthirsty man. a man who's ruthless, a man who fancies himself as a great leader, a military leader, not a very tall man, but a man with a big impact on this world, Vladimir Putin. That's where it is. And you'll discover that along with him will come Iran, Persia, verse 5, Ethiopia, Libya, And then it says, verse six, Gomer and all his bands, the house of Togarmar. Now, where is that? Well, there is some debate, but most people believe that's the land of Turkey. It may even go as far as part of Germany. You say, well, I didn't think the Germans were Islamic. Well, you just watch. They're about to be taken over by Islam. but certainly would include most of Turkey. So there's going to be this gathering of these nations, and they're going to come against Israel. Now, when will they come? It says in verse 16, and thou shall come up against my people. Now, I just want us to pause at verse 16, because there's two statements made there that are worth underlining in your Bible. God says in verse 16, thou shalt come up against my people. He says they're not Benjamin Netanyahu's people. They're not the people of the United Nations who owns them. They belong to me, my people, the people of Israel. And then he goes on to say in verse 16, to cover the land, it shall be in the latter day. So we're now told the time frame is towards the end. And I will bring thee against," now notice the next one worth underlining, my land. There was a lot of dispute about who owns the land. And all the world, they said, well, there needs to be a two-state solution. There needs to be this and that. God says, no, it's not your land to give away, it's my land. It's not your people to divide it among, it's my people. And God says this great confederacy will come up against the nation of Israel in the last days. But if you read on, what's God going to do? Verse 4, go back. He gives a summary. I will turn thee back. God says, makes it clear, I'm going to step in, and I'm going to deal with this confederacy. and I'm going to really get a hold of them. Now, when will this take place? Well, we're given a couple of clues in the passage. We're told in verse 11, Thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of on wall villages. I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell. So he says, I'm going to permit this invasion, or this attempted invasion, at a time in history when the nation of Israel is fooled into thinking they're at peace, if not at peace, at safety. Now, those are two different things, because safety does not necessarily mean you're at peace. They could feel safe because of their iron dome protecting them. They could feel safe because the United Nations has promised to protect them. They could feel safe because a man called the Antichrist might come and say, I'll make peace with you. I'll take care of you. They may feel safe because of their IDF army or their nuclear weapons. The Bible doesn't say they're at peace. Read very carefully when this happens. It just says they dwell safely. They dwell self-confidently. thinking that they're okay, they can defend themselves, and this great confederation will come against them. But then in chapter 39, which is really part of the same story, we're told that when God steps in, and I won't take time to detail all the things God's going to do to them, he'll send earthquakes, and he'll send fire, and hailstone, and brimstone, and he'll wipe out this army, We're told at the end of it, God will leave them, verse 2 of chapter 39, with just a sixth of their army. So five out of six of their troops will be wiped out. And it says in verse 9, they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, the handstaves and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire. How long? seven years. It's going to take seven years. Now, very interesting to note that when a nuclear attack or an atomic weapon attack or a biological attack, it takes seven years to decontaminate the area. God says that when this army, this confederation of armies is wiped out by God, it's going to take seven years Now, that would suggest that this particular war, the Ezekiel 38 and 39 war, doesn't happen during the millennium, doesn't happen during the seven years of the tribulation period, or at least if it does, it happens at the start of the tribulation period. Now, why is that so important for us? because that means that potentially this war could begin at any time. This war could actually be the start of the tribulation. When you see Iran and all these forces beginning to realign themselves together and begin to take actions, direct military action, it's a sign potentially, I won't say it any stronger than that, that Ezekiel 38 and 39 is about to begin. Now, so we don't know when this will occur, but we do know it could occur at any time. But there's one thing we do know with absolute certainty. We know the participants, in a broad sense, We know that they're going to come against Israel in a specific sense. We know they're going to come at a time when Israel feels itself safe, if not at peace. But this is the great thing we know overall. And this is really what we want to get to tonight. Will Iran be victorious, either in this current conflict or in this final conflict with Israel. And Ezekiel 38 and Ezekiel 39 say, absolutely not. They've got no chance. And it's very interesting where God puts Ezekiel 38 and 39 after 36 and 37, because in 36 and 37 he details the regathering of the nation after 2,000 years. the establishment of them in their own homeland, the dry bones living again. And God is really saying, I've kept my promise, a miraculous promise, to bring them and put them as a banner to the nations. And because I kept my promise in chapter 36 and 37, you can trust my word in chapter 38 and 39, that what I said there is going to happen. at a low for 2,600 years, the nation of Iran have not fired a bow and arrow at the nation of Israel. God says it's going to happen. And you and I are living in the moment in history that even the BBC, of all people, have to accept this unprecedented when the leading member of this confederacy of nations, what the Americans call the axis of evil, have dared to fire not just one missile or one bullet, but hundreds of rockets and ballistic weapons or ballistic missiles at the nation of Israel. Now, will Iran fail? Yes. Why? Is it because the Israelis have better weapons than them? No. Is it because the Israelis have a better army than them? No. Is it because the Israelis have more soldiers than them? No. They will fail for one reason, and only one reason. God has promised. to destroy them, and God has promised to defend Israel. And you can read the history of this world that's reflected in this book, and you'll discover that any time, any time, any individual, whether they're a Pharaoh or a Haman or an Adolf Hitler, or an ayatollah dares to threaten the plan and purpose of God in respect of the nation of Israel every time they lose. God doesn't just win most of the times. He wins all the time. And he wins completely. And he wins absolutely. But one last chapter, Zechariah chapter 12, because Ezekiel 38 and 39 described one great regional war that is yet to come. But this great regional war, the war sometimes called of Gog and Magog, will lead eventually to the last great war of Zechariah chapter 12. If you turn to the book of Zechariah, we're going to finish there tonight. And this is the war that we call the Battle of Armageddon. In Zechariah chapter 12, notice how God begins in verse 1. 12, 13, and 14 is one great prophecy. It says, the burden of the word of the Lord for Israel. So it's about Israel. Keep emphasizing this. It's about the Jewish people. It's about us. That's why Satan has got his eye on Israel. He knows. He reads the Bible. Unlike many Christians, he knows. It's about Israel. saith the Lord which stretches forth the heavens and layeth the foundations of the earth and formeth the spirit of man within. Now what's God saying in that verse? Sometimes we read these verses and we don't pause to think, what does he mean by that? Why does he put it there? Well, he puts it there for two reasons. Here's the first reason. To let you know that he is the creator of heaven and the earth. It's not been come by a big bang. We had a lot of big bangs in this country, didn't we, over the troubles. They didn't create anything. They destroyed everything. And he's letting you and I know, I'm the one who makes all things and controls all things. So what I'm about to say about Israel and the end times and the battle of Armageddon, you better take notice of it. So he says, number one, I'm the creator of all things. But then number two, he says, I form the spirit of man within him. In other words, I can see into the hearts of every man. I can read the minds and the plots and the plans. Nothing is hidden to me. So God's just getting that straight before he begins to tell us what's about to happen. And then he says this in verse two, behold, and notice the pronoun, I am going to do this. I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling. Now what's a cup of trembling? That's a cup that whoever drinks from it, will get intoxicated. Have you ever seen a drunk man stumble around the streets of Lorne or Ballymena? They say things they don't mean. They do things they wish they hadn't done when they sober up in the morning. In fact, you could say they lose control of their minds. for that period of time. And God says, those who come against Israel and come against the city of Jerusalem, they'll lose their minds. They'll almost go insane. I know we're seeing that today, aren't we? All these politicians and protesters, and they're screaming hysterically, against Israel. They've lost their minds. Some of them couldn't even tell you where the Middle East is, never mind where the nation of Israel is. Some of them couldn't spell the word Israel. And yet they're parading on the streets of Belfast, Dublin, London. not in their thousands, but in their hundreds of thousands. And they're screaming all kinds of abuse against the Jewish people. And they're screaming, from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. In other words, we're going to wipe out all the Jews. And the police walked past with closed eyes and hands over their ears. Don't want to say anything because there's too many of them. It's not just in this country, it's in every country of the world. Just yesterday, the French president, Macron, did you hear what he said? He says, we're not going to supply any weapons to Israel anymore. And not our friends, because there's too much pressure on him by the anti-Semitic groups within his nation who hate Israel and hate the Jews. And God says, any nation that gets involved with this conflict, they're going to lose their minds. Of course, the ultimate picture of it, you see it with these hordes of protesters, and they're screaming, some of them cutting themselves, and they're beating their chest, and they're screaming for jihad, murder. Saw ones carrying banners in London yesterday, just yesterday, And it said, Hezbollah, not terrorists. They were carrying that around the streets of London yesterday. In other words, what Hezbollah and Hamas do in murdering Jews, butchering children and women, is fine. It's normal. It's acceptable. God says they're going to lose their minds, these people. But then he says in verse three, And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone, a stone that you can't lift. It will crush you if you try to oppose it. If you try to take on the Jewish people, you can read through the rest of the story. Says in verse 8, here's a summary of what's going to happen at the Battle of Armageddon. In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David. Now, what was David, the greatest warrior of the Jewish people? God says, I'm going to step in, and I'm going to deliver them. Let me finish by saying this. There is only one explanation for the survival of the nation of Israel. And it says, God is with them. It's only one explanation. There's no natural explanation. There's no human explanation. Watch the Jew. Watch the city of Jerusalem, for the Jew is God's prophetic time clock for this world. Just this week in Tehran, they hung a banner after they'd fired those missiles. And on the banner they said, this is the beginning of the end of Zionism. And the supreme leader of the nation of Iran came on television. And he held a rifle in his hand. And he praised the 7th of October butchery of 1,200 women and children, Mechamaz. And then he said this, Israel won't last long. Well, they talk about fact-checkers, don't they? Well, I'm going to fact-check Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. This Bible says they will. This Bible says you're finished. This Bible says that your nation is going to be dealt with by God. So to answer the question we started out with, will Iran destroy Israel? Absolutely not. But will God destroy Iran? Absolutely yes. And any other nation? that dares to oppose the purpose and the plan of God. But let me finish by saying this. That doesn't mean, having said all of that, that does not mean that everything that the current nation of Israel, the government of Israel, does is right. They do many immoral things. They do many ungodly things. That's not what we're saying. That's not what this book is saying. What must we pray for the Jewish people? We must pray what Paul prayed in Romans chapter 10, when he said, my heart's desire and my prayer for Israel is that they shall be saved. That's what our prayer should be. If a Jew or a Gentile is not saved, they're lost. If a Jew or Gentile doesn't come by the way of the cross, they're lost. Jesus Christ was the greatest Jew who ever lived. Remember I said this at the start of the sermon? He was born a Jew, of the Jewish race, he lived as a Jew, he died as a Jew, he ascended from this earth as a Jew, and he's coming back, and he's described in the book of Revelation for all of eternity as from the root of David, and he's a Lion of Judah. He's always going to be identified with the Jewish people in that way. What a privilege it is for them. But notice what he said, and with this I close, to a group of Jews who refused to believe on him by faith. He said this in John's Gospel, chapter eight, verse 24. We'll put it on the screen. You can see what he says. The perfect Jew, the greatest Jew who ever lived listened to his words. John eight, 24, if you've got it there. He says, have you found it? Well, wait till they find it, because it's worth reading. John 8, 24. Jesus said, therefore I say, therefore unto you, that ye will die in your sins. For if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. Jesus says to the Jews, as he says to us Gentiles, If you don't come by the way of the cross, if you don't come through the door, he says, I'm the door, I'm the way, and if you don't come through me, you're lost. You'll be lost for all of eternity. Sin raises many questions and many complications, but the cross answers them all. It's the solution to them all. We live in a divided world. We live in a world that has all kinds of divisions, and strifes, and murders, and wars, and hatred, and malice, and jealousies, and all kinds of immoralities and idolatries. But the words of Jesus are just as true for the Jew as for the Gentile. If you don't come through the door, through the way of the cross, you'll die in your sins. and all your religion, and all your privileges, and all the promises that were given to Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all your patriarchs, and your prophets, and your kings, and all the great promises regarding Jerusalem and the nation of Israel, they'll mean nothing. If you die on your sins, you go to hell, Jew or Gentile, rich or poor, black or white, educated or uneducated, old or young, all must come to the foot of the cross. All must be saved the same way, through the same Savior. If you're here tonight and you're listening, I suspect we have no Jews here, but many Gentiles, and you're not saved. You're going to perish too, and you're going to die in your sins. and you're going to be lost. Imagine knowing all this information and going out that door and going out into a lost eternity. How foolish. How foolish. Don't do it. Tonight is your night. Jesus is passing through Lorne tonight. And he says to you, come to me, do your gentle and have your sins forgiven. Let us pray. Father, we thank you. that we have heard God's Word tonight, that God has a purpose and a plan for the nation of Israel, not because they're special in and of themselves, but because God has determined the world will end this way. And he said, I will make them a banner for the nations. I'm going to plant them, regather them. He said he's going to put them in the city of Jerusalem, in the nation of Israel. And he promises that when all the world gathers in their hatred to destroy them, empowered and inspired by the devil himself, God says, I'll deliver them. Praise God, he says in the book of Zechariah, he won't just save them physically, but far more importantly, Zechariah 12, verse 10, he will save them spiritually. And Paul says in the book of Romans, and then all Israel, shall be saved." What a wonderful day that's going to be. We pray for any in our meeting tonight still outside of Christ, still going to the same hell as those who oppose the nation of Israel do. O God, we pray that you would have mercy, you would open their eyes and their hearts, that they would come to the foot of the old rugged cross, lest they also die in their sins. For these things we ask in Jesus' precious name. Amen.