← Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey
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- [00:01]
Ali
Does the conflict in Iran tell us anything about when Jesus is coming back? Also, is war ever justified from a Christian perspective? We are exploring all of this and much more on today's episode of Relatable. Hey guys, welcome to Relatable. Happy Wednesday. Hope everyone has had a wonderful week so far. As promised, we are going to get into so much today. Not just a summer summary of what's going on in our geopolitics, but also how we look at this from a biblical perspective, an eschatological perspective. So our view of the end times and also how should Christians think about war? Surprise, surprise. I disagree with the Pope. But first I do want to talk about just generally what's going on and why this matters. Why everything that has occurred over the past few days has occurred. First, I just want to remind you, if you love this podcast, please leave us a five star review. Make sure that you are subscribed on YouTube Spotify. It really helps out the show and when you leave a positive review, it helps others see the show. So please do so. Also, if you are a Christian woman and you are looking for a no fluff, no nonsense, completely gospel centered, theologically profound Christian women's conference that's also a whole lot of fun. Make sure that you get your tickets for Share the arrows. It's October 10th, Dallas, Texas in it is an amazing day. We had 7,000 women from all around the world last year. We hope for as many this year that would be selling out the stadium, which would just be incredible. So go to share the arrows.com get your tickets today. Bring your mom, your friends, all the Christian women in your life that share the arrows.com all right, let's get into it. So Operation Epic Fury. That is the operation that was launched by the United States against Iran. So let's back up a little bit, talk about the why. So the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ali Khamenei, was killed on Saturday, February 28, after ruling for almost 37 years, along with several other top regime officials, Americans woke up that morning to learn that the US And Israel had launched what Trump is calling Operation Epic Fury. So this was this massive wave of airstrikes on Iran after Tehran fused, refused to dismantle its nuclear program despite weeks of negotiations. So diplomacy was attempted for a very long time. Even predating Donald Trump and Trump's position, the administration's position is that those negotiations simply did not work. Iran then, after Operation Epic Fury, then launched missiles toward Israel in retaliation and promised a quote, crushing response. Very sadly at Least six US Service members have been killed in the Iranian attacks. That's according to CBS News. Trump said that Iran's leaders have spent 4, 47 years. This is kind of his justification for it or his rationale behind all of this. They've spent almost 50 years calling for death to America. We see those videos circulating in the Middle East, Death to America. Death to Israel. Death to Christians. Death to the Jews. And he says because of this hatred that has just been fomenting and has amounted in a very real threat to the United States and our allies because they have waged these violent campaigns, he is now casting these strikes as respect response to that very real threat. He also, in a series of videos, urged the Iranian people to shelter during the bombing and then to rise up to overthrow the government. Here's salt one.
- [03:41]
Rick Crawford
When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.
- [03:51]
Ali
I'll be honest, I have no idea what that means or what that looks like or how the Iranian people are set to go about that. Maybe there is a plan in place. I'm sure that there is more detailed knowledge in the Trump administration and among those who have some kind of oppositional leadership in Iran or oppositional influence in Iran for how that's going to happen, I don't know. But he said that he gave Iran roughly 10 to 15 days from February 19th to accept the nuclear deal, warning that, quote, really bad things would follow if it did not. I just kind of love that about Trump, that he says things like really bad things, and everyone knows what he's talking about, that it's to be deadly. Trump says that he expects the operation to last between four to five weeks. And so, if nothing else, no matter where you stand on all of this, and I'll get to my particular perspective in just a second, no matter where you stand on it, like, let's be praying. Let's be praying for our troops. I do not take it for granted that we were all able to go to church this weekend, go to brunch, spend time with our families, go to birthday parties, sit in the backyard and enjoy the nice weather while our troops are fighting this war and are lodging this attack. Whether or not you agree with the motivations behind this attack, these are brave men and women putting their lives on the line for the United States, and we need to be praying for them. And also just grateful to the Lord that we live in this country. It doesn't just happen like this, where we can remain safe and we can remain at peace and we can mostly go about our lives while this violence is occurring. So why is this violence occurring? And I'm not just talking about why in the last few months or since Trump took office. But let's go all the way back 47 years to 1979 when these Islamic radicals actually overthrew the shah and then took power and then has unleashed just authoritarian and authoritarian nightmare over the past five or so decades. So let me pause first before we get into that. Tell you about our first sponsor for the day and that is Fellowship Home Loans. As we head into spring, many of us are thinking about refreshing our home, our finances. Right now there's something really important happening. Mortgage rates have recently dropped. When rates drop, monthly payments can drop. That can create real breathing room for you and your family, helping you pay bills, build margin, simply steward your resources more wisely. Fellowship Home Loans is helping many families refinance into these lower rates and reduce their mortgage payments. So if you're thinking about buying a home, lower rates increase your buying power, you may qualify for more home than you did just a short time ago. Call my friends at Fellowship Home Loans. They do business by the book. Plus everyone who uses my link fellowship home loans.com ally will receive a 500 credit at closing. Go to fellowship home loans.com ally nationwide mortgage bankers dba fellowship home loans equal housing lender nmls number 819382. So let's rewind 1979 Islamic radicals overthrew the Shah. Now this form of government was friendly to the US Ran a secular government. If you look back at some of the pictures, maybe we'll put some up if we can find some of Iran during the 60s and 70s. It looks extremely modern. It looks a lot like the United States. But revolutionary stormed the US embassy, held American diplomats in captivity for 444 days. They then installed the Ayatollah Khomeini. And this is the Khomeini that just died his predecessor. So in the shah's place and then enacted an Islamic theocracy and Iran became this hostile actor on the world stage, sponsoring terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas. And at the end of last year, the Iranian economy take tanked. You probably remember all of those protests that erupted all over Iran's 31 provinces. The government reacted with violent crackdowns, rolling Internet blackouts. I people were just being slaughtered in the street. Thousands, some sources actually say tens of thousands of Iranian citizens have been killed for protesting. More than 42,000 have been arrested. And so a lot of unrest A very weak Iran. The people being brave enough to rise up and say I don't want this theocracy anymore, I don't want this authoritarianism. A lot of people don't know, but a large percentage of people in Iran are Christian, are secular. There are Iranian Jews as well. Not every, everyone. I don't even think it's a vast majority of people in Iran are actually Muslim. And so the ideology that is represented in this authoritarian regime or was represented, is not represented among the people. And of course that kind of division leads to even more unrest. And so the debate's being had right now and it's a very good debate. And that is is Operation Epic Theory, this intervention by the United States in Israel, is it actually justified? And even beyond that is a smart idea. So let's look at the pro Iran strikes position first. So this position goes something like this. Iran has been a longtime enemy of the United States. It has been run by the Islamic Republic who openly chant death to America. We've heard Trump say that the strikes eliminated Iran's nuclear capabilities and bolstered the ongoing Iranian revolution to overthrow the current tyrannical regime. Congressman Rick Crawford was briefed on the attack before it took place and he claims that Trump did not commit an act of since the US has essentially been at war with Iran since 1979. Here's Sat too. I would argue that, you know this,
- [09:38]
Marco Rubio
the notion of starting war with Iran,
- [09:41]
Rick Crawford
I don't think that people realize we've been in that war with Iran for since 1979. So President Trump is not starting war. He's finishing one.
- [09:49]
Ali
On News Nation there's a journalist, Bhatia Angar Sargon. I've been on her show before. She is very smart, very sweet. She explained that President Trump strikes on Iran form part of a broader strategy to weaken China by cutting off its acts access to about 20% of its discounted oil supply from Iran and Venezuela. I have heard Victor Davis Hansen make a similar argument about weakening China. Here is top three.
- [10:13]
Victor Davis Hanson
The President Iran is not just Iran. We have this sort of new access of evil of Iran, China, Russia, Venezuela. And what the President seems to be doing to me anyway is isolating them from each other and then sort of picking them off one by one, forcing them into a more conciliatory posture vis a vis the United States. And honestly, what could be more America first than that?
- [10:41]
Ali
Yeah, that's interesting. If you remember the conversation I had with Justin Haskins a few weeks ago. He talked about the threat of bricks. That is a New axis of evil or new alliance that includes Russia, that includes China, that included Iran, that really wanted to lead the way and creating their own world order that is in direct opposition to the world order that was represented by the progressives like Obama and like Biden, but also in opposition to the Trumpian worldview. And the Trumpian view of geopolitics is that we have to be America first. America has to be leading the world. And so go back, listen to that episode with Justin Haskins. He breaks it all down in why it matters. Really interesting context. And then Iranian opposition leader and son of the deposed Shah Reza Pahlavi gave Trump really high praise for what just happened. Stop.
- [11:36]
Rick Crawford
4 what is your message to President Trump?
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Reza Pahlavi
My message to President Trump is that I'm here to echo and join millions of my compatriots inside and outside of Iran to thank him for having done and having the courage to do what is not easy, but intervene, and he will go down in the annals of Iranian history as the most celebrated foreign leader that changed the bowl game and changed the world as a result.
- [12:04]
Ali
Okay, so not only did Iran source sponsor encourage lots of Islamic terrorism in the Middle east, possibly one day toward America, but also they were part of an alliance with our other enemies, very powerful enemies, like China and like Russia. So the thinking goes that launching this attack against Iran, defeating them as an enemy once and for all, not only can cut off the head of the snake of terrorism, but it can also weaken our other enemies. So that's the thought on that side of things. And then, of course, there are a lot of people who are against these strikes. You have the progressives who are against these strikes. You've got people like Rashida Talib. She says both the US and genocidal Israel doesn't care about the laws. Such interesting grammar. This is who they are. Many people are pointing out that a sitting congresswoman, United States citizen, who is representing American citizens in her position as a congresswoman is saying they in reference to the United States. Whether or not you like the United States, you are still a part of the United States. You don't always have to agree with the United States government. But it sounds very traitorous to use this kind of other language for the country that you represent. I'm not saying that it's traitorous to disagree with what Trump did. I'm saying that it's traitorous to see the United States as anything other than the country that has given you incredible power, incredible influence, incredible opportunity, and you can use that platform to serve your constituents or you can use it to try to demonize the country that has given you so much. And we also see from the very radical side of things, unfortunately, violence already erupting in the United States, seemingly in retaliation to America's strikes against Iran. So there was a mass shooting in downtown Austin, Texas over the weekend Sunday morning. Left three people dead, 14 others wounded. I saw this terrible footage of this woman in a bar trying to resuscitate this person that was just laying there clearly dead. I mean, absolutely traumatic, gut wrenching scene. Law enforcement sources said that the shooter, he wore this sweatshirt that read Property of Allah and an undershirt that was displaying an Iranian flag during the attack. And this Iranian flag was the representation of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Authorities later found an Iranian flag in his car. Photos of regime leaders in the attacker's apartment. Items that raise concerns about potential ideological motives. They're always going to hedge there. I think it's probably pretty clear to those of us who have eyes and ears and common sense what the motivations were. He was a naturalized citizen originally from Senegal, 53 years old. He's got all kinds of sketchy things in his background. This person should not have been in our country in the first place. There is a whole other conversation that we can and should be having about legal immigration and our vetting process and how putting America first means that we have to curb immigration from these Islamic countries, from these third world countries, is not only a conversation about illegal immigration, but also legal immigration. We'll have to save the rest of that conversation for another day. So there's a truly radical part of this that opposes any kind of opposition to Iran. But then there's also the more mainstream kind of progressive view of geopolitics in general that's represented and by people like Biden and especially people like Obama. The Obama era Democratic approach to curb Iran's ambitions was the Iran nuclear deal, which was very, very different than what Trump just did. And it's really important to understand just the difference in worldview, the difference in the thought about America's position and responsibility in the world between Democrats and Republicans and between Trump and Obama. So we'll get to that in just a second. Let me pause, tell you about our next sponsor for the day and it's Legacy Box. Love this service so much. How incredible. For those of you who have boxes and boxes and cabinets and cabinets of VHS tapes and of maybe even CDs and DVDs of home videos and old pictures, even Polaroids from your grandmother's era and you're so worried about making sure that all of those stay organized, that they stay preserved, that you can pass them down to future generations. The easiest way to do that is to digitize all of them. And Legacy Box makes this really easy. They send you an empty cardboard box and you just put all of your items that you want digitized into the box. You send it back to them. It's totally secure. They put all of those items, all those videos, all of those pictures on a file. They send you back all the hard copies and they send you this file so you can so easily preserve these memories, pass them down to future generations. Right now, Legacy Box is giving you 50% off with my link. That's legacybox.com Alli for that discount account. Legacybox.com Ally. Okay, so you've probably heard people talk about the pallets of cash that were sent by Obama to Iran. That is literal. There were pallets of cash that were sent to them saying, hey, we're going to help you out. Please just don't make a nuclear bomb. And we're just going to trust you that you're not going to use any of this money to make the nuclear bomb.
- [17:52]
Rick Crawford
Here's sattin it is true that if Iran lives up to its commitments, it will gain access to roughly $56 billion of its own money. Our best analysts expect the bulk of this revenue to go into spending that improves the economy and benefits the lives of the Iranian people.
- [18:12]
Ali
Okay, so the money did not benefit the economy. It did not benefit the lives of the Iranian people. Surprise, surprise. The Islamic regime in Iran did not use to better the lives of Iranian citizens. In fact, it does seem like those billions of dollars were used to fund terrorism and to possibly kill Americans. But that's kind of that appeasement apology strategy that Obama put in place that was totally disastrous. And that is completely juxtaposed to the strategy that this current administration has. So those are kind of the progressive perspectives on this. I mean, you're going to have a side always of the progressive wing that really just doesn't like America. Okay? And they actually feel guilty about American strength, and they actually feel that putting America first is somehow bigoted and arrogant and wrong. And so they are going to try to signal to everyone else that, hey, we don't think we're better than anyone. We're not trying to be in charge. We're just trying to make people happy. So that is a particular perspective of just like this guilt about Western civilization that I think people like Obama and even Rashida Tlaib represent. But then you've got the conservative side of things thinks who are concerned about how this actually benefits Americans. They want a tangible, clear argument from the administration about how Operation Epic Fury is going to improve the lives of Americans or really keep us safe. Conservative commentator Matt Walsh has been very critical of this for the past few days. He posted this on X. So far we've heard that although we killed the whole Iranian regime, this was not a regime change war. And although we obliterated their nuclear program, we had to do this because of their nucle program. And although Iran was not planning, planning any attacks on the US they also might have been, depending on who you ask. And although we are not fighting this war to free the Iranian people, they are now free or might be depending on who seizes power. And we have no idea who that will be. The messaging on this thing is, to put it mildly, confusing. Okay, I do just want to say, since Caroline Levitt, the press secretary, responded specifically to Matt Walsh, I do just want to read part of her response to what he's saying. He's saying that the messaging is confusing and he's also just said, look, I just need someone to make the case to me that this is America first. And I couldn't post the entirety of Caroline's message because it is lengthy. You can read it on X, but let me read part of it to you. On Saturday, she says President Trump released a statement laying out clear objectives to the American people for this operation. Destroy the Iranian regime's missiles and raise industry to the ground. Annihilate the Iranian regime's navy. Ensure the regime's terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region or the world to attack our forces. Guarantee that Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon. Preventing this radical regime and its terrorist leaders from threatening America and our core national security interests is a clear eyed and necessary objective. Killing terrorists, she says, is good for America. While Operation Midnight Hammer did obliterate Iran's major nuclear sites, the regime was fully committed to rebuilding their nuclear program. And they refused to make a deal despite months of extensive talks and good faith efforts by President Trump's top negotiators. Simply put, the terrorist Iranian regime would not say yes to peace. So that was one of Matt Walsh's concerns. That was the press secretary's response to that concern. And then Marco Rubio, critics are saying, is basically admitting here, there, that's their interpretation, that it was Israel's fault, that Israel kind of forced America's hand. Here's up 5.
- [21:53]
Marco Rubio
We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that that would precipitate against American forces. And we knew that if we didn't preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties and perhaps even higher those killed. And then we would all be here answering questions about why we knew that and didn't happen.
- [22:12]
Ali
In response to that, Representative Thomas Massie, who is definitely against the strikes against Iran, he says the administration admits Israel dragged us into the Iranian war that's already cost too many American lives and billions of dollars before it's over. The price of gas, groceries and virtually everything else is going to go up. The only winners in America are defense company shareholders. Okay, so those are the various perspectives on Operation Epic Fury and America's intervention in the Middle East. And so let me give you my thoughts as a person who considers myself just a normal mom who lives in America, who loves America, who cares very much about American interests and cares very much about the country that we pass down to our kids and grandpa grandkids, not a foreign policy expert, not someone who knows everything about geopolitics, someone who pays attention as much as I can, who learns as much as I can, but just want to give a really honest, easy perspective for you to understand. That I'm sure is represented by a lot of your opinions out there too. So very basic. Number one, I don't like war. I would prefer there be no war. I really don't like it. It's costly both in life first and foremost and in treasure. Number two, on an earthly level, I care about American interests first, American safety, American stability, American prosperity. God has made me in his perfect providence, an American. I am tasked with seeking the well being of the place that he has put me. I don't want to fight wars on behalf of other nations whose well being has nothing to do with my nation's well being. The next thing, however, I understand that sometimes the well being of other nations does affect the well being of my nation. I understand that even if there has not been an Iranian sponsored terrorist attack on my soil recently, that their actions in funding and supporting terrorism abroad could have an effect on me, on my children and my future grandchildren, my country. But then, however, again, I don't know how far you take that justification of dropping bombs as a form of preemptive protection. Someone could probably make a case for that kind of action against any country at any time. So last, I would say that I'm in between the stances of America has the responsibility to police the world and fight against evil everywhere. And the other position, which is that we should be completely isolationist, never engaging in conflict until someone else attacks us directly within our borders. I'm not an isolationist, nor am I a war hawk. I hope to be a realistic seeing that sometimes fighting the enemy with violence is necessary and then sometimes it's not. The truth is though that I don't know right now enough about geopolitics and foreign policy to be able to tell you with complete confidence when that is, when that violence is necessary and when it's not. One position, however, that I do not represent and that I do really want to respond to because I think it is attempting one to believe in as a Christian is one of total pacifism. And so I want to respond to that in just a second and explain why we should believe in principle that war can be justified. Let me pause tell you about our next sponsor first and that is Shopify. Shopify is what we use to sell our merchandise to you. It makes it really easy. You don't have to be tech savvy if you are a business owner. If you sell products, you don't want to spend hours and hours setting up your e commerce site site, coming up with product descriptions, pricing, all of that. You want a tool that makes it as easy as possible so you can go back to creating and you can make as much money as possible on the creations that you are trying to sell. So try Shopify. This is your built in business partner that will make your life, that will make your business building so much easier. They have an awesome deal for my listeners, for my viewers. If you go to shopify.com alli you can sign up for a $1 per month trial today. So just see if you like it. Only $1 per month. That trial is an incredible opportunity to see how this could help you start your business today with the industry's best business partner, Shopify and start hearing. Sign up for your $1 per month trial today@shopify.com Alli that's shopify.com Ally. I saw this post from Pope Leo and he said this. He said, I am following with deep concern what is happening in the Middle east and in Iran during this tumultuous time. Stability and peace are not achieved through mutual threats nor through the use of weapons which sow destruction, suffering and death, but only through reasonable, sincere and responsible dialogue. I think a lot of Christians probably feel this way. Share this perspective. This is closer to an Obama era perspective and I could completely see why someone would think that this is exclusive exclusively the Christian stance. But let me tell you my response to that. The truth is, is that stability and peace are sometimes accomplished through the use of weapons. Sometimes evil does have to be fought, fought against by using force. For example, Christians in the Crusades have a bad rap, but people forget the brutal threat they were facing from Muslims. The Christian soldiers at the time saw their self sacrifice and battle a service to God and as agape love not only to God, but also to the women and children that they tasked with protecting by waging war against the barbarians who were raping and enslaving their people. And then if you think about it on a smaller, more modern scale, like if an armed thief was breaking into your home, the way to make peace in that moment is either to threaten to kill him so he runs away, or to actually kill him. Not sincere dialogue. The options in that scenario are either that the evildoer dies, or that you, your wife and your kids don't die. The idea that Pope Leo is asserting here that peace is only one through dialogue just so deeply misunderstands human nature and the fundamental differences in worldview that exist between Christians and non Christians and the Western nations and non Western nations. This is a very like John Lennon's imagine type mentality that the Pope has extremely rudimentary understanding in my opinion of theology and just how the world works, human nature. It is very unhelpful to say things in times like this and I would actually say harmful. And I just want to say to my beloved Catholic listeners and friends who I am so thankful for their presence and I'm thankful for how much we share in our views on life. But once you realize that the Pope is just a person, that he doesn't actually have any special wisdom that he can be, depending on who he is as an individual, prone to repeated errors, you will not feel the responsibility, as some do, to defend everything he says, because he's just, he's wrong here. And the truth is, is that the Pope has more than once asserted himself as nicer than God. Once when he said that you can't be pro life and pro death penalty. And now asserting that peace through force is not possible. So first God established the death penalty for murder in Genesis 9, 6 for a reason that's still true today. That was not abolished through the CR and was not exclusive to ancient Israel. And that reason is that we are made in God's image. We are so precious that the death penalty is the only just murder or only just punishment. For murdering us. So you can oppose the death penalty for a variety of reasons in America today, but to say, as the Pope did, that it's not pro life is to say that God is not pro life. And then this second instance, clearly, in the Old Testament, war, violence, conquest, killing, are demanded at various times by God as a means to preserve his people. So again, you can be against war today or against this particular war for all kinds of fair, reasonable positions or reasons. But to say as a rule that peace can't be made through war is to say that God is not peaceful. The government's responsibility is to bear the sword against the evildoer. And that is established in Romans 13. So I believe Pope Leo in this statement misunderstands Romans 13. I think a lot of people completely ignore Romans 13. And if we look at this passage, it actually helps us understand that war is at times justified and why it is justified. So let's read Romans 13:4. For he is God's servant for your good, but if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. He's talking about about government rulers. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. So this article that I'm about to read from is from RC Sproul. He's a reformed theologian. He's a late theologian now, but there's an article from Ligonier Ministries that explains what this verse actually means in relation to war. So God, through Paul, is stating here that God has given the civil magistrate a weapon to enforce the laws. We call this the power of the sword. It means that rulers have have the power under God to back up their decrees with the use of force. Now, they might do the right thing in using that force, or they might use that force the wrong way. But it is not a question biblically about whether the government has that ability or whether they have that responsibility. They do. If you look at war, all Christians, this article goes on to say, are called, in a sense to be pacifists, and that we are always making peace, we are always pursuing peace. But the use of the sword is a restraining device according to biblical theology, and it is a legitimate restraining device, but it is supposed to be a means of a last resort in fighting against evil. So there have been these kind of three major theories of war throughout Christian history that have been advocated. And so the first is that position of pacifism that you just heard from the Pope, which basically says that no Christian should ever take upon norms for any reason that peace can only be pursued through dialogue. And then you've got the second position, which basically says, my country, right or wrong, I am always going to defend my government. I am always going to wage violence and fight wars if it accomplishes the thing that I want to accomplish or accomplishes the thing that my government wants it to accomplish. And then there is the what's called the just war position. The just war theory is a collection of thoughts that has existed for thousands of years, but was really Christianized by, by Augustine. And it basically says that sometimes war is justified, sometimes violence is justified if it is for righteous reasons, that it is justified. If it is for unrighteous reasons, then it is unjustified. This article says that based on the Bible, the just war position states that some wars are justified and Christians may and often should bear arms in such circumstances, but that other wars are unjustified and Christians must oppose such wars. Now what determines the difference? That's the big question that I am considering and that you are considering. And this article Ligonier goes on to say, a just war is a defensive war. It is right improper for the magistrate to call Christians to help defend its borders against aggressors. On the other hand, Christians should oppose wars of aggression because they are nothing more than murder on a grand scale. Now, within that, there are going to be debates about what counts as defense and what counts as aggression, what is a righteous end to a war and what is not a righteous end to a war. And as I said in my earlier commentary, I can't tell you with 100% certainty, certainly in this case, what exactly the clear answer is. But I do want to oppose the idea that war per se or violence per se is always wrong, because that's clearly not true. John MacArthur said this got God himself has established that we do not have the right to take a life in an act of murder or in an act of vengeance, but there is a place for just retribution in the form of death. It is also true that not only has God established justice on an individual level through human government, but he has also established war as a means of judgment on a national level. Of course, we see war God ordained war throughout the Old Testament, and we can see throughout the Psalms that King David was a warrior and that he was praising God for helping him in battle. Psalm 18:34 he trains my hands for battle, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. Psalm 144:1 Blessed be the Lord my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle. So I just don't think that we can say that biblically we must always oppose war. We as Christians could have in good faith debates about what is a justified war and what's not. But clearly God uses war, ordains violence sometimes to achieve really good, good ends and to defend the most vulnerable. Now something that I want to explore and it's so deep we won't have as much time as I would like to get into all of the different aspects of this is what this means for end times prophecy, if at all. There are a variety of perspectives on it and you're probably seeing a lot on this. So let me just give you a rundown quickly of what the different eschatological perspectives active say about Iran and the conflict in the Middle East. Let me pause tell you about our next sponsor. It is Good Ranchers. So as America has a really big birthday this year, 250 years, we want to help celebrate America by supporting our farmers and our ranchers. And we do that by buying all of our meat from Good ranchers. They support these American farmers and ensure that our meat is super high quality. You don't have to worry about the quality of your beef when you're going to the grocery store. You have no idea where it comes from. From all of their cuts of steak, their ground beef, their wagyu chopped beef. It's also good, super high quality, better than organic chicken. They've got incredible seafood, they've got bacon, they've got seed oil free chicken nuggets. It's all so good and it's all supporting America. Plus this is an American family owned company. Corlee and Ben have sat on this couch, talked to you about their testimony, how God called them to this. So it's just a win all around. These are all the kinds of people that you want to support. Plus it makes your life easier, easier and tastier. Go to goodranchers.com use code ALI. You'll get 25 off your first order. Goodranchers.com code ALI. Okay, so the question is, does Iran play a role in the end times prophecy? Does this mean that we are inching closer towards Christ's second coming? Are the current strikes signs that the rapture or that his return is just around the corner? Some people, people would say yes. Within Christianity there are several faithful but differing perspectives on these questions. We have talked about these a lot. I did back in the day, probably 2019 is when I did my first end times episode where I go through each perspective, tell you what I think so go back and listen to that. It's about a 30 minute episode but very thorough. But then also More recently on episode1211 Ted vs Tucker on Israel, what the Bible really says. We also go through some of the end times perspectives on that, especially in relation to Israel, because all of these perspectives do differ on Israel's role and the role of the Middle East. So first, dispensationalist Dispensationalists believe that Scripture and history are divided into seven dispensations or seven different ways that God has related to man from the beginning. So most evangelicals today are dispensationalists and they look to Old Testament prophecies and New Testament passages as signs of Jesus's future return. And they are always looking to match up these passages with modern geopolitics to make the case for Jesus's imminent return. They also believe that believers will be raptured before the tribulation. And so if you were raised Baptist, this almost certainly is what you were taught, certainly what I was taught. And a lot of Baptists that I really love and respect certainly believe that, that before the tribulation that Christians will be raptured and get to go to heaven and be with God. But the third characteristic of dispensationalists is the belief that moder modern day geographical Israel is the same Israel as the Bible and the Jewish people are still God's chosen people and that he has a particular plan to fulfill his promises to them. Now they would still say that that plan is Christ, but that there will be a special chance that Israel, that the Jews have to come to Christ and be and be saved. Now dispensationalism has not been around for very long. It was popularized in the 20th century. We could go through the entire history of that. And a lot of dispensationalists have biblical prophetic commentary or commentary about biblical prophecy when wars are in the news, especially when the Middle east is in the news. Pastor Greg Lurie, I've met him, he has a lot of insight. He says, remember modern day Iran is ancient Persia, the land of Esther, Daniel and King Cyrus, whom God called his anointed in Isaiah 45. God has worked in that nation before. Iran is not simply a political talking point, but what many, including myself, believe is a land of biblical significance. He interprets Ezekiel 38 through 39 is predicting a coalition including Persia. So Iran and Magog, likely Russia attacking Israel, noting current events like Israel's regathering in 1948 along with rising antisemitism kind of as signs. He also emphasizes Russia's alliance with Iran is noteworthy. If Magog is Russia, contrasting his dispensational view with other Christian traditions that interpret the prophecy differently. And I also just want to say the fact that Persia is the land of Esther and these and these biblical figures, that does mean that no matter what your eschatology is, yes, there is biblical significance to it. There is just a debate about how these lands are fulfilling prophecy. Revelation 20 also references Gog and Magog. Revelation 27 through 8 and when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog to gather them for battle. Their number is like the same land of the sea. And so people believe that Russia and Iran, that alliance attacking Israel and this war that is happening right now, that it could be signaling the imminent coming of Christ. Now, I will also just defend dispensationalists a little bit because sometimes they are accused of only looking to the news to try to decipher for, you know, Jesus's second advent. And they would say that they're looking at scripture, that they're not primarily looking at the news. But it is fair to say that they are looking at both, that they are trying to match those things up. But that's not the only perspective of the end times. That's not my perspective of the end times. So there's post millennial, there's amillennial, and then there's historic premillennialist, which is what I am. But that premiere, pre, ah and post all refers to when you believe that a thousand year or millennial reign of Christ will occur. And there's so many vocabulary words that we could break down. Go back, listen to those previous episodes if you're curious about that. But post millennialists believe that it will happen after. So Christ's millennial reign will happen after Christians have established his kingdom here on earth. And so they believe that most of the end time prophets, prophecies, were fulfilled thousands of years ago, that the tribulation has already occurred and that we are advancing God's kingdom on earth, that we are establishing it by more and more people coming to Christ before He then comes back once and for all. They tend to reject the idea that modern Israel is spiritually significant. Then you have all millennialists who believe that we are currently living in Christ's thousand year reign, although they don't believe that thousand years is Actually literal. They believe that Satan is bound right now so that the Gospel can go out and that Satan will be released for a little while in the for some kind of future deception so that that will occur before Christ returns again once and for all. And then there's his historic premillennialist, which is what I am. And we believe that the prophecies of the end times have yet to be fulfilled, that there will be a future tribulation that Christians will have to endure if we are alive on earth. Then the second coming of Christ and his millennial reign will occur thereafter after I believe that God's people are all of his people through Christ, Jew or Gentile. I don't believe that modern day Israel is God's chosen nation. I think the plan for salvation for everyone is the same grace through faith in Christ. I support Israel generally because they're an ally in the fight against Islam. I can appreciate respect so much that I share half my Bible with the Jewish people, that my Savior is Jewish. But I don't have my views on Israel shaped by what I believe about the end times. So because of that I am just not as interested in looking at biblical prophecy through the lens of geopolitics. There have been wars and rumors of wars for millennia and ultimately we just don't know when the end will come. And we are all prepared or we are called to prepare by living faithfully every day. Matthew 24:36 but concerning that day and hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the father only. Matthew 24:42 Therefore stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. Revelation 16:15. Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about and be seen exposed. So those are my thoughts on, on all of that. And I think we should probably do a more in depth episode yet again, again on the end times and why what you believe about your eschatology really matters. All right, we've got a couple more things to say. Let me pause and tell you about our last sponsor for the day and that is We Heart Nutrition. I am so thankful for all of my supplements from We Heart Nutrition. I take their magnesium, I take their multivitamin, I take their Omega 3s, I take their iron, I take their, let's see, what else their immunity supplement when I need need it. They're probiotic. Everything works so well for my body. You know, some multivitamins make you feel sick or you just don't feel like they're actually doing anything for you. That's not the case with We Heart Nutrition. Not only do I feel great, I noticed a big difference in my hair, skin and nails. Got my nails done yesterday and the nail tech was saying how healthy my nails look. That's because of We Heart Nutrition. All of their ingredients come in the most bioavailable form, so your body is actually absorbing it. Plus, this is an unapologetic pro life Christian family owned company that you want to Support. Go to weheartnutrition.com use promo code ALI at checkout. You'll save 20% off when you use my code we heartnutrition.com code ALI. All right, I just wanted to end on some good news. So there was this big Supreme Court decision that was released on Monday, March 2. So the Supreme Court has ruled that so called gender transition policies, some gender transition policies are unconstitutional. These policies are in effect for thousands of schools nationwide. And these policies hide gender transition from parents. So in Mirabelli vs. Bonta, the U.S. supreme Court vacated a 9th Circuit stay reinstating a 2023 injunction that blocks California from enforcing secrecy policies on patents parents statewide. So the unsigned order highlighted California's approach likely violates parents 1st and 14th amendment rights to direct their children's upbringing and their education. While teachers claims remain on hold, the decision requires schools to notify parents in the certified class, marking a win amid reactions from both supporters celebrating family involvement and critics concerned for student safety. And so one side is saying this is great parental rights. Of course, that's my side. Parents should absolutely know if their child is going by different pronouns or declaring that they are a boy at school. Right now in California, a student can go to school, say that I want to transition to the opposite sex and the student doesn't have to notify parents. They can socially transition that child. They can also get that child to a particular professional that will help them get the psychiatric Patrick care and the different medical treatments that they are seeking in order to look like the opposite sex. There was a woman named Yaley Martinez several years ago. This is what happened to her. She decided that she was going to be the opposite sex. And the teachers and administrators as mandatory reporters actually reported her mom for not being supportive of her gender transition. Yaley was taken out of her mom's custody because her mom was like, this is my daughter. I'm not going to go along with his gender transition. And Yaley was put in a group home. Of course she became depressed. She became anxious she went on this path of going on testosterone, trying to be the opposite sex. She was eventually driven so far into loneliness and depression and this feeling of just not being, not being safe and not belonging to anyone that she committed suicide. That's what happens when you remove kids, kids from the homes of parents who simply want what is best for their kids. You see, you've got people framing this as like, oh, it's protection from abuse. When the school won't inform the parents of what's really going on. The opposite is true. No one cares about your child the way that you do. No one knows your child the way that you do. The school does not care if your child lives or dies, okay? They really don't. I'm not saying that there aren't good teachers out there, good administrators. There are, but none of these people know and love your child, child like you do. This is not the role of the state to say, yeah, your child can be the opposite sex and you shouldn't have a say in it. I said in the beginning, I, I read something that had been written that SCOTUS rules that gender transition policies are unconstitutional. That's not really true. This particular policy was ruled unconstitutional just because of the parental rights aspect of it. We've got a long way to go before all of this is completely illegal, legal and stigmatized and criminalized. It actually, you should actually go to prison if you are calling a child by the wrong non biological pronoun and encouraging them to change sexes. Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote the concurring opinion. She said gender dysphoria is a condition that has an important bearing on a child's mental health. But when a child exhibits symptoms of gender dysphoria at school, California's policies conceal that information from parents and facilitate a degree of gender transition, transitioning during school hours. These policies likely violate parents rights to direct the upbringing and education of their children. Correct when it comes to parental involvement. Wrong when it comes to gender dysphoria. The Supreme Court is not where they need to be in understanding what is actually driving this gender deception among kids. It's not genuine gender dysphoria. Actually, the science could tell you that that is an extremely rare disorder. That is not really what's going on among young people today. It is pornography, it is propaganda. It is sexual perversion and even sexual abuse that's going on. It has very little to do with gender dysphoria. So we're not yet to the root of all of this in driving this out legally and ideologically. But this absolutely is a win for parents. How evil do you have to be lawmakers in California and Gavin Newsom to allow something like this? Evil, evil, evil from the pits of hell. And so we are thinking thankful. We are thankful for this decision and reminder why elections matter. Why elections matter. Politics matter because policy matters. Because people matter. Politics affects policy. Policy affects people. It affects children. And children matter. All right. That's all you got time for today. We will be back here on Friday. Sam.