Benjamin Netanyahu’s autobiography (Bibi: My Story), published in October, is fascinating, entertaining, challenging, and highly educational on many levels, especially for Bible-believing Christians who are interested in the state of Israel. The book is an education in Zionism, Israeli and American politics, the military, economics, the United Nations, cutting-edge technology, Mossad, and a great many other things. Netanyahu’s speeches before the U.S. Congress and United Nations, which he recounts firsthand, are jewels. Recently elected to his third term of Prime Minister (December 2022), he represents the conservative side of the state of Israel. I like Netanyahu as a leader, and I’m glad to see him back in power. He is a Bible student but not a believer in Jesus as the Christ. He doesn’t understand that Israel today is in apostasy and is preparing for the coming of the Antichrist. But he loves the state of Israel and wants to prosper and protect it. He has long wanted to destroy Iran’s nuclear program. He has done a lot of good for Israel. He has served over 15 years as Prime Minister (1996-1999 and 2009-2021) and about 10 years as minister of Science and Technology, Foreign Affairs, Finance, and others. He had a major role in converting the nation from socialism to free market and removing government obstacles to business that have done much to make Israel the dynamic economic, technological, and military power that it is today. Netanyahu also had a major role in developing Israel’s now extensive economic relationships with nations all over the world. His family roots are deep in the Jabazinsky (non-socialist) side of the Zionist movement. His paternal grandfather was a rabbi and Zionist. His father immigrated to Israel before statehood. Born in 1949 in Tel Aviv, Benjamin spent part of his youth in the States (1956-58, 1963-67, 1972-76) and was educated at MIT. He and his two brothers were members of Sayeret Matkal, one the most elite Israeli military units. He participated in the Six-Day War of 1967 and took a break from MIT in 1973 to fight in the Yom Kipper War. His older brother, Yanatan (Yoni), was killed in 1976 in the raid on Entebbe that resulted in the rescue of more than 100 Israelis. Netanyahu gives an insider’s perspective of this raid. He writes with firsthand knowledge about Israel’s wars against the Muslim nations and the war on terror within Israel’s own borders. He describes his relationship with American presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden. It is clear that Israel is still living in the Times of the Gentiles, meaning she is under Gentile control to some extent. Also interesting are Netanyahu’s longstanding relationship with Vladimir Putin. The fact that Netanyahu is so viciously hated by the left in Israel and the States is a plus in our view. He has been constantly hounded and slandered by the press. Since the 1990s, multiple indictments for corruption have produced nothing of substance against Netanyahu and his wife and obviously have not destroyed his popularity with the Israeli people, who put him back in power in December 2022. In Bibi: My Story, there is considerable bragging about Israel’s chutzpah. There is a vague reference to the rebirth of Israel being a miracle, but God Himself, by name, gets no credit for Israel’s preservation. The book ends with these words: “Through three millennia we never gave up on our dream to live as a prosperous and free people in our homeland, the land of Zion. Having restored our independence, we cannot, we will not, let anyone bring an end to this miracle. We need not fret about the future. The Book of Samuel says, ‘The eternity of Israel will not falter.’ Throughout our journey, including in the tempests and upheavals of modern times, this has held true. The People of Israel Live!” So Bibi mentions “the eternity of Israel” but not the eternal God of Israel. Our prayer is that he will wake up to a true understanding of the Bible he reads. Some of Israel’s worst days are still ahead in “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7).
(Friday Church News Notes, January 20, 2023, www.wayoflife.orgfbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143)
