They Said It

They Said It: Reactions To Prime Minister Netanyahu’s UN Speech

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Friday, 9/26/25, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations General Assembly. Several UN members staged a walk-out as Netanyahu began his speech.

Here are some other reactions from world figures after the speech.

The Anti-Bibi

Taher al-Nunu (Hamas media adviser): “Boycotting Netanyahu’s speech is one manifestation of Israel’s isolation and the consequences of the war of extermination.” The Times of Israel

Adel Atieh (PA, European affairs dept.): “This speech showed neither vision nor perspective: it only reflected growing isolation, a headlong rush forward, and the anxiety of a power that knows it stands on the wrong side of history.” The Times of Israel

Yair Lapid (Israeli opposition): “Instead of stopping the diplomatic tsunami — Netanyahu today worsened Israel’s situation.” Reuters

Izzat al-Rishq (Hamas political bureau): “He had been left with ‘nothing but a chorus of cheerleaders who entered the UN hall only to clap in support of genocide.’” The Times of Israel

    The Pro-Bibi

    Bezalel Smotrich (Israeli Finance Minister, coalition ally) “He laid down once again necessary and clear principles, both morally and practically: We will not stop until Hamas is defeated and the hostages are returned. And we will never agree to a Palestinian state.” The Times of Israel

    Donald Trump (former U.S. President) “I think we have a deal on Gaza … It’s going to be a deal that will get the hostages back. It’s going to be peace.” Fox News

    Netanyahu (referring to critics in his U.N. speech, used in reactions) “We will not commit national suicide because you don’t have the guts to face down a hostile media and antisemitic mobs demanding Israel’s blood.” ABC

    Opposition reaction summarizing pro-Netanyahu praise “Great speech by PM Netanyahu, shattering these blood libels and false accusations against Israel.” The Times of Israel

    They Said It: The Importance Of The Middle East

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    Picture via Lara Jameson pexels.com

    Here are some famous quotes from influential historical leaders about the importance of the Middle East in world affairs.

    Winston Churchill (British Prime Minister, 1946):
    “The Middle East is of immense strategic importance. Control of its oil and air routes is control of the destiny of the world.”

    Dwight D. Eisenhower (U.S. President, 1957 – in the Eisenhower Doctrine):
    “The Middle East is the most strategically important area in the world today, and its stability is vital to the peace and security of all nations.”

    Henry Kissinger (U.S. Secretary of State, 1970s):
    “Peace in the Middle East is not simply a matter of regional concern; it is a matter of global necessity.”

    King Abdullah II of Jordan (2004):
    “The Middle East is the heart of the world. If it is at peace, the world is at peace. If it is in conflict, the world will be in conflict.”

    They Said It: Charlie Kirk On Faith

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    Conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was assassinated at a rally in Utah on Wednesday, September 10, 2025. He was 31 years old.

    Here are some quotes from him on his Christian faith.

    “I’ve been a Christian basically my whole life … It means more this year than it did last year, it means more this year than it did when I was 20. It’s almost a gift that grows sweeter with time. The more I read, the more I live, and the more it actually — I’m completely able to admit I’m a total, absolute sinner and I fall short from the grace of God.”
    Faithwire

    “We have to get back to kind of what being saved means. It means that I was drowning in an ocean and I happened to get picked up by a lifeboat, and that’s about it. It’s not like I earned it or that I swam better than anyone else.”
    Faithwire

    “Freedom is not sustainable if you remove religion … I’ll be even more specific, freedom is not sustainable if you remove Christianity.”
    MovieGuide

    “I love Jesus, love liberty, and love America.”
    ChurchLeaders

    “I realized that there is a desire for revival in this country, that there is a yearning for a different type of Christianity. It is about preaching a hot gospel and bringing a nation to repentance, which will then lead to revival.”
    NPR

    “Young men are returning to church … They want something that is lasting. They want something that is ancient, that is beautiful, something that has stood the test of time, something that’s not going to change, something that’s all of a sudden not going to … just flip around and have some sort of … transgender story hour.”
    Christianity House

    They Said It: In Support Of Premillennialism

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    Here are four famous quotes that express or support Premillennialism (the belief that Christ will return before a literal 1,000-year reign on earth, as described in Revelation 20):

    Justin Martyr (100–165 AD) – Early Church Father

    “But I and every other completely orthodox Christian feel certain that there will be a resurrection of the flesh, followed by a thousand years in the rebuilt, embellished, and enlarged city of Jerusalem, as was announced by the prophets Ezekiel, Isaiah, and others.”
    — Dialogue with Trypho, Chapter 80

    Irenaeus of Lyons (130–202 AD) – Early Church Father

    “For in as many days as this world was made, in so many thousand years shall it be concluded. And for this reason the Scripture says: ‘Thus the heaven and the earth were finished, and all their adornment. And God brought to a conclusion upon the sixth day the works that He had made; and God rested upon the seventh day from all His works.’ This is a history of the things formerly created, and a prophecy of what is to come. For the day of the Lord is as a thousand years; and in six days created things were completed: it is evident, therefore, that they will come to an end at the six thousandth year.”
    — Against Heresies, Book V, Chapter 28

    George Eldon Ladd (1911–1982) – Evangelical Theologian

    “Premillennialism is based on the exegesis of Revelation 20:1–6, which, if interpreted literally, teaches that Christ will come again before the millennium and will reign on earth with His saints for a thousand years.”
    — The Meaning of the Millennium: Four Views

    John F. Walvoord (1910–2002) – Dispensational Premillennialist

    “The premillennial interpretation is the only view that does justice to the plain statements of Scripture. When taken in their ordinary meaning, the promises of the Old Testament to Israel and the prophecies of the kingdom of God find their fulfillment only in a future literal reign of Christ on earth.”
    — The Millennial Kingdom

    They Said It: Alva McClain On The Kingdom Of Heaven

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    I’m finishing reading and studying The Greatness of the Kingdom by Alva McClain. Highly recommended as a master class on what Yeshua meant when he repeatedly said, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

    It’s not possible to understand the ministry of Yeshua, the plan of God, the role of Israel, or the overall theme of God’s Word and plan for His creation if you don’t understand what the phrase “the kingdom of heaven” means.

    Here are some quotes from McClain on the topic:

    The Universal Kingdom

    “In the universal and providential sense, the kingdom of God has already come and the will of God is being done on earth. This rule of God, in fact, has always existed and has never been abrogated or interrupted. … On the basis of blood-redemption it will put down at last all rebellion with all its evil results, thus finally bringing the kingdom and will of God on earth as it is in heaven. When this purpose has been accomplished, the mediatorial phase of the kingdom will finally disappear as a separate entity, being merged with the universal kingdom of God.” From LifeCoach4God

    Biblical Continuity with Prophecy

    “In announcing the approaching advent of ‘the kingdom of heaven,’ Jesus had in view the very kingdom which the prophets had foretold.”
    From LifeCoach4God

    Present and Spiritual Expression

    “Thus, as Christian believers, we actually enter the kingdom prior to its establishment on earth, something so remarkable that it is spoken of as a translation (Col 1:13).”
    From LifeCoach4God

    Restoration to Israel

    “Therefore, until Israel is where he ought to be, both religiously and politically, there can be no thorough and permanent solution of the international problems.”
    From Goodreads

    They Said It: Four Famous Quotes On Spiritual Warfare

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    When a horrific, inexplicable act of intentional evil is carried out by someone, should we always blame it on ‘mental illness’? I think we need to examine the reality more closely in many cases and acknowledge that we are engaged in a battle with spiritual wickedness in high places.

    1 Peter 5:8 – “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (KJV)

    Here are four famous quotes on the subject.

    C.S. Lewis (The Screwtape Letters, 1942):
    “There is no neutral ground in the universe: every square inch, every split second, is claimed by God and counterclaimed by Satan.”

      John Piper (Desiring God):
      “Life is war. That’s not all it is. But it is always that. Our weakness in prayer is owing largely to our neglect of this truth.”

        Charles Spurgeon (sermon on The Christian Soldier):
        “Satan always hates Christian fellowship; it is his policy to keep Christians apart. Anything which can divide saints from one another he delights in. Since union is strength, he does his best to promote separation.”

          A.W. Tozer (This World: Playground or Battleground?):
          “People think of the world not as a battleground, but as a playground. We are not here to fight; we are here to frolic. We are not in a foreign land; we are at home. We are not getting ready to live; we are already living. And the idea that this world is a battleground has now been rejected by the great majority of Christians.”

            They Said It: Four Famous Quotes On The Founding Of Modern Israel

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            Regardless of what one my think about the purity of the Jewish bloodline today, the founding of the modern state of Israel in 1948 was a remarkable historic event.

            Here are some quotes from some of the leaders of the time who witnessed and were part of that history.

            David Ben-Gurion, May 14, 1948 (Declaration of Independence):
            “The State of Israel will be open for Jewish immigration and for the Ingathering of the Exiles; it will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel.”

              Chaim Weizmann, 1948 (first President of Israel):
              “Miraculously, the Jewish people have survived through the centuries, and now, with the establishment of the State of Israel, we have returned to our rightful home.”

                Harry S. Truman, May 14, 1948 (U.S. recognition of Israel):
                “I had faith in Israel before it was established; I have faith in it now. I believe it has a glorious future before it—not just another sovereign nation, but as an embodiment of the great ideals of our civilization.”

                  Golda Meir (reflecting on 1948):
                  “When peace comes, we will perhaps in time be able to forgive the Arabs for killing our sons, but it will be harder for us to forgive them for having forced us to kill their sons.”

                  Prince Phillip’s ‘Haunting Desolation’

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                  In an excerpt from The Crown, Season 3 Episode 7 (“Moondust”) – a monologue delivered in the show by Prince Phillip the during his moment of mid-life crisis, speaking to a gathering of priests at St. George’s House, the writer and actor capture the essence of a meaningless existence as opposed to the wonder and ecstasy of knowing God.

                  “My mother died recently. She saw something was amiss. She saw that something was missing in her youngest child, her only son. Faith. ‘How’s your faith’, she asked me.

                  I am here to admit to you that I’ve lost it. And without it, what is there? The loneliness and emptiness and anticlimax of going all the way to the moon and finding nothing but haunting desolation, ghostly silence, gloom. That is what faithlessness is.

                  As opposed to finding wonder, ecstasy, the miracle of divine creation, God’s design and purpose.”

                  They Said It: Os Guinness

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                  I’ve recently read ‘The Call’ by Os Guinness, and I highly recommend it. Guinness has a remarkable ability to communicate profound truths in a very understandable and beautiful way.

                  Here are some of my favorite Guinness quotes.

                  “Calling is a ‘yes’ to God that carries a ‘no’ to the chaos of modern demands. Calling is the key to tracing the story line of our lives and unriddling the meaning of our existence in a chaotic world.”

                  Emphasizing the transformative power of responding to God’s call over worldly distractions, this quote captures Guinness’s central theme of purpose amid chaos.

                  “We are not primarily called to do something or go somewhere; we are called to Someone. We are not called first to special work but to God. The key to answering the call is to be devoted to no one and to nothing above God himself.”

                  This profound line shifts the focus from vocation or activity to relationship—underscoring devotion to God as the ultimate calling.

                  “Freedom is not the permission to do what you like. It’s the power to do what you ought.”

                  Guinness masterfully reframes freedom—not as license, but as responsible empowerment to do what’s right.

                  “I live before the audience of One—before others I have nothing to gain, nothing to lose, nothing to prove.”

                  A succinct, soulful declaration of living for divine approval alone. It reflects deep humility and singular devotion.

                  They Said It: Edmund Burke

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                  They Said It is a regular feature from Bible Rebel, highlighting quotes from various folks on various topics of interest and relevance to our readers. 

                  My favorite quote from Edmund Burke is, “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.”

                  Here are some more gems from the 18th Century Anglo-Irish philosopher, politician, and deep thinker.

                  “Man is by his constitution a religious animal. Atheism is against not only our reason, but our instincts.”

                  — Quoted in various writings and speeches

                  Burke argues that belief in God is a natural and essential part of human nature.

                  “Christianity is the most refined and exalted religion that ever enlightened the world.”

                  Burke praises Christianity as the highest expression of religious truth and moral guidance.

                  “People will not look forward to posterity, who never look backward to their ancestors. Besides, the science of jurisprudence… and the principles of a Christian religion, form together the education of a gentleman.”

                  — From “Reflections on the Revolution in France” (1790)

                  He connects Christianity with tradition, virtue, and civic education.

                  “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”

                  While this quote is often attributed to Burke and does not explicitly mention God, it reflects his Christian worldview, especially the idea of moral duty and divine accountability in the face of evil.