Narrative War And Mission Clarity

SPEAKER_03 0:07

Welcome to the Intersection of Faith and Culture. Thanks for joining us today on the Wall Builder Show. Rick Green here with David Barton and Tim Barton. Later in the program, Jonathan Feldstein's back with us. We're going to get an update on what's been going on with Iran, what it looks like for Israel right now, and of course, uh for the U.S. as well and the future of the Middle East. So definitely a hot topic of the day. And of course, we always take a biblical, historical, and constitutional perspective on all of these different topics that we cover. Guys, I guess honestly, if I could just ask you guys right up front, how important is the impact on the midterms? What's happening in Iran right now and whether or not it gets handled quickly? I'm getting asked that a lot over the last five or six days. So I gotta ask you guys what you think.

SPEAKER_02 0:50

I think a lot of it depends on uh not just how this is resolved, but how the framing happens. Uh, because right now, you know, one of the biggest stories out there is what Joe Kent is saying. Uh, he went on Tucker Carlson, he uh was removed from his position. There, there's uh reports that maybe he's under investigation for leaking and et cetera, et cetera. Uh, but what's worth noting is three months ago he was saying Iran is terrible and we got to stop him. And so what's happening now is there's a lot of narrative shift from people that used to openly, explicitly say how bad Iran was, we should oppose Iran, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Many of those people who used to have conservative voices, maybe they still claim to be conservative, are now totally shifted. And if they're able to frame this, it makes a difference. But also, it it makes a difference how clear the White House can be in helping bring clarity, not just shaping the narrative, but even bringing clarity. Uh, because with the idea that there's troops now going on the ground and people are going, this is the last thing we wanted. The reason we wanted President Trump and not Kamala Harris was to avoid World War III, is this starting World War III? But as all of us have talked about before, President Trump has shown himself to be a president bringing peace all over the world. And so this is not something that then we would say, Oh, he's just doing more of what he's always done. No, what he's always done has been pushed for peace the most effective ways possible. And sometimes that was taking out the really bad guys who were prohibiting peace from occurring. And so I think when you look at him and Marco Rubio and Pete Heggseth, some of these guys, I think they've earned the opportunity to go forward. And if they don't provide clarity, then I think it looks really, really bad. As far as clarity of what are we there for? What is the mission? What is the the point and purpose of accomplishment? What's the duration? How do we know what success looks like? If he can clearly define success and put parameters around this, then I think it makes a difference for the American people who want to support him but are against putting troops on the ground without, again, clarity and purpose. So I I think it's still a little early to say, but right now it certainly seems like uh the anti-Trump Republicans and maybe the Nazis conservative Republicans and the left seem to be shaping the narrative more than President Trump or the White House.

SPEAKER_00 3:13

I would say a lot of it also depends on how it turns out. Uh if it turns out with a good end, I think that's very different than if it turns into a uh, I'm gonna say a political Vietnam kind of a thing.

SPEAKER_02 3:24

And and I would say too, Dad, one of the things that we had talked about off air is if this is something troops on the ground, it's pressure to be able to open up some of the trade routes where ships can now go through, and then ultimately that helps bring oil and gas prices down, etc. To your point, not just how it w it how it finishes, but also what it accomplishes as it is finishing, because if he's able to go in and quickly open up some of these trade routes, these shipping routes, and now oil and gas prices go down, I don't think this is gonna trigger people in six or seven months when it comes time for the election.

Iran History And Preemptive Defense

Break And American History Moment

SPEAKER_00 3:59

And the other thing I think here that's important to remember is look, we've had trouble with Iran since Jimmy Carter. Uh this goes back a long time, and people have been threatening to do things forever, and Obama thought he had it fixed, and it just kind of escalated it, and Biden did his stuff, and everybody's done their stuff, and nobody's really gone in and kind of, if you will, cut off the head of the snake. And living in the West and being a fan of the West and studying the West, uh there was a thing with self-defense that guys carried guns, but if somebody told you I'm going to shoot you on site, at that point you have the right to preemptively shoot them, whether they pull their gun or not. If they shoot you on site, you don't know but what you might have your back turned when they see you next. So at that point in time, you have a right of self-defense that allows you to go preemptively take them out because they're the one that made the threat. And that's where we've been with Iran for a long time. They have made the threats. We have every reason to believe them because we've seen them do it. If we can take them out, can you imagine the greater amount of peace that you have in the world with all the terrorist groups that they are funding globally and all the countries that are having wars and fights now? If you can de-escalate that and take it out, uh I think that's great. Now, if it turns into, you know, this is a three, four, five-year battle, which I don't think it anyway it can, but if it would, that's the only way I think this thing backfires and blows up. Uh, I don't think the media is is having near the effect on on sound bites that they had even six months ago, but we'll see. But I think it could turn out well, could turn out right, and I think it probably will. And if this thing turns into a prolonged mess, that's gonna make a real difference, but I don't think it's going to go there.

SPEAKER_03 5:36

Well, when we come back from the break, Jonathan Feldstein will be back with us. Genesis123.co is the website. Great organization. Jonathan lives in Israel. He's actually in the U.S. right now, kind of stuck in the U.S., can't get back into Israel yet. Hopefully, in the next few days we'll be able to do that. But he's gonna give us a quick update on what he's seen. Uh, we'll be right back. You're listening to the Wall Builder Show.

SPEAKER_02 6:02

This is Tim Barton from Wall Builders with another moment from American history. American Patriot Paul Revere wrote to alert Americans of the impending arrival of the British, but he also stopped Patriot leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock to warn them that the British were sticking their execution. Adams and Hancock were staying with the Reverend Jonas Clark in Lexington. When they asked Pastor Clark if his church was ready for the approaching British, he replied, I've trained them for this very hour. They will fight and, if need be, die under the shadow of the House of God. Later that morning, 70 men from his church faced several hundred British in the first battle of the war for independence. As Pastor Clark affirmed, the militia that morning were the same who filled the pews of the church meeting house on the Sunday morning before. The American church was regularly at the forefront of the fight for liberty. For more information on this pastor and other colonial patriots, go to wallbuilders.com.

Feldstein On US Israel Alliance

SPEAKER_03 6:58

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SPEAKER_01 8:20

It's amazing. It's always good to be with you, Rick. Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 8:23

Well, you you you've obviously um got these massive changes with the Iran war happening. And then it seems like people that should have been allies at this point, uh still sitting on the sideline or even even working against America and Israel. So a lot has happened, and we just said we got to get you on to get your take on just sort of the geopolitical world situation. So I don't even know where to start today. There's been so much that's happened, but what's the what's the just your take on um at least the at least the uh the partnership with Israel and America seems stronger than ever right now. I I think that's where I want to start. I am so thankful that President Trump is is uh doing what he's doing and and not giving in to this ridiculous anti-Semitic, anti-Israel um attack from both the right and the left that's happening in America.

Appeasement And The Case For War

SPEAKER_01 9:14

Correct. No, I agree with you. I think that that's historic and very significant. Yes, just yesterday I was driving somewhere and a video popped up um from Hillary Clinton ten years ago when she was running for president, talking about how she would uh she would go in and she would take out Iran uh and their nuclear facilities, and and uh of course this was happening after uh Obama signed his uh his Iran deal to that didn't prevent them from having a nuclear weapon. It just kicked the can down the road to exactly where we are now. And and it's hard to imagine that in today's world that Hillary Clinton or or or certainly not Kamala or anyone else um would in fact be doing what is happening and what is so necessary. I know a lot of Americans are very concerned. Yes, I know gas prices are are up. I'm stranded here too, and I'm paying the same gas prices that everyone else is because and they're up around the world. But the problem is, and and this kind of leads to your question about President Trump, the problem is we're having this war now because of decades of appeasement, because of decades of funding. If it weren't for Obama and Biden, you know, I'm not a prophet. I'm called many things, I'm not a prophet. I don't know this. But if they hadn't sent billions of dollars to the Iranian regime over the over the last uh decade and a half, maybe we wouldn't be in this situation. Maybe the the Iranian Islamic Republic would have just collapsed on under its own weight because their inab inability to to uh deliver for their own people. But we're we're in a situation right now where there is a war, it is a just war, it is an essential war, it's a war that needs to be won, and it is a war that threatens Americans, or the threat which which is makes the war justified, is threatening to Americans, both because when they chant death to America, they mean it. It's not a cute chant that P you would see cheerleaders at a pep rally sing, but it's but it's in fact their war cry. And they've been doing it not for one month, for two years, for for a decade or more. They've been doing it since 1979. And America needs to stop looking at the world and especially the threats from Islamic terror through the prism of how we wish things were and rather how the world in fact is. And that's my generous tip of hat to Obama and Biden and others who maybe could have just been been seen as tremendously naive. Let's give them that, but that was wrong, and even Obama has acknowledged that it was wrong.

Why Visiting Israel Changes Minds

SPEAKER_03 11:53

Oh, that's a great way to say it, man. As uh, you know, i i there there is a um naivety, I think. Uh well, even if they weren't. I feel like right now there's such a naivety in the in the American church and in and on the right side of po you know, the the the political, you know, right um that is falling for just some of the most crazy things at this point. And you know, thus far obviously hasn't hasn't changed Trump's position. I mean, even this this guy that resigned, uh, who I've actually campaigned against him and uh when he ran for Congress, I I knew him to be a a um he was a Democrat before he was a Republican, and he just kind of finger to the wind, whatever was popular, and now he saw a chance to I don't know if it make become famous, maybe got caught with the leaks and he wanted to look like he was anyway. Even with that, it's like Trump hasn't flinched. And and so I'm I'm hoping it continues. And like you said, gas prices, you know, whatever. This has been 40. I mean, these people that say these naive things like I don't want another forever war. Well, Trump's ending a forever war. They've been at war with us for half a century. Um, so there just does seem to be a naivety. What's the best way to just educate people on more of this? I mean, obviously, we that's why we have you and and others on is to try to shine a light on on more of these things. But even even over time, over the next few years, getting more people to to go to Israel and to see what's happening. I was I was on my in fact, we may still go. I just one of the questions I have for you before we get off this interview. Um, I was bringing our 27 scholars to Israel uh next month. We we we have a trip scheduled right now to to bring them. These are students that are with us for a year. And um and that's one of the things I wanted to ask you about is how do we do more of that? I know you've got some great programs for that because it seems like when people come back from a visit, the the resolve is so much better than just if you're reading about it or listening to us on the radio today.

SPEAKER_01 13:43

Yeah, when you visit and see it, and and you know, unf I had a great podcast that I did some uh several months ago. It was at it was right after the 12-day war in June, again, also against Iran. Um, people can check out Inspiration from Zion. I don't remember the name of the episode, but I had these uh six young women on who had been who had been on the last flight out that June before the airport was shut, like it is basically now. And I was asking them about their experience and their trip, and why I said, what was the most impactful thing? And one of them disappointed me initially. She said, Oh, it was going down to the Gaza border and seeing the devastation from what Hamas did on October 7th. And I thought to myself, wow, how disappointing that that's what you came away with because that's temporary. Yes, it's it's something that happened recent, but it's temporary. And then she added and and completely redeemed my poor thought and and herself. She said, because it allowed me to connect with the thousands of years of persecution of the Jewish people. And I thought, wow, that's that's powerful. So people do need to come to Israel, not for brainwashing, just for a reality check. Truth is important. This is, you know, I'm stranded here in America. I I hope I'll get home on Tuesday, but we don't know what's going to happen. And I'm making my time the best I can. And then we just have to get the truth out. So, yes, people should come. And and and even if they're stressed, even if they're living under missile fire and having to run to the bomb shelter or know that others are, that's not a bad thing to ex to express and experience that reality that is the reality of this war of good versus evil in the world. And people just need to be a part of it. I ha by the way, I happen to be in Princeton, New Jersey, right now, where I grew up. And and on my way to where I am, I drove by the battlefield of Princeton, where my father used to take me. We would set off fireworks uh on the Princeton battlefield for from the from the uh Revolutionary War. This is a war that's no less significant and hopefully will bring peace to the world when the Islamic Republic no longer exists to a level that we've we we've not lived in the last certainly hundred years.

Can Iran Rebuild After Regime

SPEAKER_03 16:04

Yeah, I I think that too is a part of the naivety here in America, because we haven't been under missile fire, we haven't had to live with with these things. We don't we we don't get that part. And then just the the role that Iran has played in I mean, virtually every terrorist organization, every um, you know, m uh movement in that in that direction, every undermining of of democracy and and and certainly Israel, um you know, is it possible to to change a nation like that and and go back to you know 47 years ago? Um what does it take to to not just defeat them militarily? Are they gonna be like a this is one of the opinions I I would love to hear from you, are they gonna be like a uh a Japan or Hamas where I think you do have to go in and completely wipe out the education system, completely remake the culture, or are they are they a nation that there's enough is there any good soil left from prior to the regime that you can go back to? Does that question make sense? That's a really long question.

SPEAKER_01 17:05

It completely makes sense, but let's qualify my answer. I am neither a prophet nor an expert. However, I do have strong opinions and beliefs. Yeah, Iran, unlike Hamas, is a country that's been uh that was uh hijacked 47 years ago and and brought under the heel of this extremist Shiite Islamic ter uh terror regime. The Iranian people are not indigenous uh Moslems. That was that was part of the Islamic conquest. And and what we're seeing is tens of millions of Iranians have rejected Islam. They're i i in the protests that were taking place in January and February, they were burning mosques. That's really significant. The fact that funerals are are happening now of the people who have been killed by the regime without any Islamic rituals taking place is uh is poking the eye in the regime. Uh, I have a dear friend. I don't know if you've ever had her on, but you should. She was born in Iran, became a Christian in Iran, was arrested and sentenced to death because she became a Christian in Iran, and spent years evangelizing in Iran and believes that Iranians are ripe to become a Christian nation because the the Iranians have rejected Islam. They realize more than any other Arab or Moslem country in the world that Islam has failed them and they have been living under the heel of it. Unlike Hamas, where it's hard to imagine how the Gazans still when you follow their polls, yeah, they may blame Hamas, but they still celebrate Hamas and and and they they follow in the path of jihad and and killing their Jewish neighbors as compared to living peace peacefully alongside us in prosperity because they don't know the God of Israel. They have no relationship with the God of Israel who is who we know is the only true God. They have this false god that they worship and they he he's a god of death, the god of vengeance, a god of evil. Some say satanic. Um I I I I can neither agree nor disagree, but but uh the there's there's uh a radical difference. I'm hopeful that the Iranians, once free of the Islamic Republic, will indeed rise up whether they become Christian, which would be fabulous, or they just reject radical Islam and strive for peace and building their proud Persian culture that they still have been able to hold on to.

SPEAKER_03 19:30

That that's so exciting to me because it's not just stopping the terror, it's it's the shining example of what Islam does to a people and to a nation. That that not shining's obviously the wrong word, it's the horrible example, but it's needed so bad right now, right? Because of Islam's expansion into Australia and now America and to all these places where it's on the move and and and and it is a cancer, and and you need to see the carcass of a you know a culture that was destroyed, that now I think could come back and you could end up with all these great testimonies of of Iranian people saying we're free now, and and here's what you know hell was like for 47 years, and now we found I I just think that could be such a game changer for the whole world, not only stopping the terror, but just stopping Islam from spreading.

SPEAKER_01 20:17

Uh so it's so interesting that you say that because I'm thinking of two biblical analogies. Um, probably in historic order, we're about to celebrate Passover, the exodus of the Jewish people from slavery to redemption, uh in Egypt 3,500 years ago. That's remarkable, right? Because we were saved and and brought out of slavery, but it's also remarkable because God himself, through Moses, took on the world's superpower then and uh and showed them who's really really boss. And that brought people to God today. Not that Iran is the world's superpower, but but it's certainly a force to be contended with in the Islamic world. If we if we see how badly they're being devastated, and we see the j prophecy in Jeremiah 49, where God says he's gonna destroy Elam and uh and their the the their might, and then he's going to raise up his throne in Elam. I mean, I don't know what that means, and I'm not again I'm not a prophet, but how fascinating to think that maybe that could mean that God is talking about establishing his his throne as the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and per my friend Marzi, um, who has a vision to bring uh the whole nation of Iran uh to Christianity. You know, nothing we we we serve an un unbelievable God. There's nothing that's impossible. It's just hard for our small little human brains to imagine it all.

Prayer Donations And Fighting With Truth

SPEAKER_03 21:47

Yeah, yeah. No, that's it, that's that's exactly right. Well, it's so good to get you back. Um, what do you think will be that you so you're hoping to get home Tuesday? Um actually let me ask this best way for people to help, you've got A lot of great programs and they can learn about all of them at genesis123.co in this environment right now. When they go to your website, what would be some of the best projects that you think are most needed right now?

SPEAKER_01 22:11

Well, when they first of all, when they go to the website, I sincerely want people to be in touch, connect, use the con reach, contact us and be in touch. Because yes, of course, donations are important. Um we've we've relaunched our Israel emergency campaign and there are a lot of emergency needs. And I I don't like to be the guy always talking about emergency, emergency, emergency, but we are living in it in an emergency situation. So that's true. I want to encourage everyone, all your listeners, to please pray. You know, you can make a d financial donation to Genesis 123 Foundation, but you but prayer is God's currency, and that and and you want to be on the right side. Sure, bless Israel, he will bless you, but pray to him and he will answer your prayers. Uh we are working on some major projects. I just came out of a meeting discussing one of them, which is the need to turn around uh the the scholars that you're talking about, but pe even people who are younger, to give them a proper biblical and historic foundation as to what's going on in the world. And we should talk about that separate offline. But we're we're gonna leap into just before the war began, I started to be able to articulate we're gonna be moving forward in a post-war. And that we everything can't be about emergency, emergency. We need to be looking vision, building for the future. So this is a program where we're going to engage Christian high school students with a proper historic and biblical understanding of Israel uh and its role and and how that relates to us also as um Israeli and American, but us as Americans as well. So for people be in touch and be part of the solution because that's what we need. We need I I'm I'm fighting the battle here in New Jersey on my laptop talking to you. Other people can fight by by knowing what's the truth. We have to be armed with the truth and fight the battle because the battle, as you said, is on the left and on the right. And um there's a lot of work to do because there's a lot of evil out there.

SPEAKER_03 24:07

Amen. Amen. Ah, so good. Thank you once again. Genesis123.co, folks. Hit that website today and uh get signed up, get in touch, and uh be a part of the solution. Appreciate you. Thank you for coming back on.

SPEAKER_01 24:18

Always a pleasure. Anytime, Rick.

SPEAKER_03 24:20

Stay with us, folks. We'll be right back with David and Tim Barton.

SPEAKER_02 24:27

Hey, this is Tim Barton with Wall Builders. And as you've had the opportunity to listen to Wall Builders Live, you've probably heard the wealth of information about our nation, about our spiritual heritage, about the religious liberties, about all the things that makes America exceptional. And you might be thinking, as incredible as this information is, I wish there was a way that I could get one of the wall builders guys to come to my area and share with my group, whether it be a church, whether it be a Christian school or public school or some political event or activity. If you're interested in having a wall builder speaker come to your area, you can get on our website at www.wallbuilders.com and there's a tab for scheduling. And if you'll click on that tab, you'll notice there's a list of information from speakers' bios to events that are already going on, and there's a section where you can request an event to bring this information about who we are, where we came from our religious liberties and freedoms, go to the wall builders website and bring a speaker to your area.

SPEAKER_03 25:29

Welcome back to the Wall Builder Show. Thanks for staying with us. Got just about a minute left, guys. Comments on what Jonathan had to say.

SPEAKER_02 25:35

One of the great points was that had the Democrats not been sending billions upon billions upon billions of dollars over to Iran, we might not be having any of this in the first place. So just remembering who our elected officials are and the position they take and who they are funding really does make a difference.

SPEAKER_00 25:53

So Iran is this nation of 90 million. And how many Christians? Nobody knows for sure. It's an underground church. Uh, some say there's maybe a million underground church, some say as many as 5 million. It is the fastest underground growing church in the world. And some even say it could go as high as 20 million. Who knows? It's underground. But I think Jonathan's exactly right. If they get free from that, you're not going to see it retain itself as a traditional Muslim nation. You'll see it go back to that Persian nation that it was when it was called the Babylonian Empire and other things in the scriptures. Well, we appreciate Jonathan coming on. Give us an update.

SPEAKER_03 26:25

Of course, a lot will be happening even in the next few days. A lot to watch here and great impact it's going to have literally on the entire world. It's almost like we're watching the uh the table be reset all around the world. And uh certainly thankful that President Trump is the one at the helm for us as the United States. Thanks for listening today. You've been listening to the Well Boat of Show.