Iran And Israel Update - with Jonathan Feldstein

The headlines move fast, but the hard question stays the same: what does “success” actually look like when Iran is at the center of a regional firestorm and Israel is fighting for its future. We talk through why Americans feel whiplash right now from shifting narratives on the right and left, and why mission clarity matters more than slogans when troops, trade routes, and global stability are on the line. If leaders can define objectives, limits, and an end state, public trust holds. If they cannot, the fog of war turns into a fog of politics. 

Jonathan Feldstein returns with an Israel-focused update while temporarily stuck in the United States, and he doesn’t mince words about how we got here. We dig into decades of appeasement, the consequences of regime funding, and why “Death to America” is not a cute chant but a declared threat that should be taken seriously in any Iran policy analysis. We also explore the practical knock-on effects many listeners feel immediately, including shipping lanes, oil prices, and the fear of a prolonged conflict that drags on for years. 

Then the conversation widens into something most geopolitics shows won’t touch: what happens after the regime. Feldstein argues Iran is not Hamas, describing a hijacked nation with deep Persian roots and signs of widespread rejection of radical Islam, including the growth of an underground Christian church. We talk about why visiting Israel changes minds, how truth cuts through propaganda, and what people of faith can do right now through Genesis123.co, including prayer and tangible support. If you care about Israel security, US foreign policy, and the future of the Middle East, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review with your biggest question about what comes next.

Transcript

Rick Green [00:00:07] Welcome to the intersection of faith and culture. Thanks for joining us today on the WallBuilders Show. Rick Green here with David Barton and Tim Barton. Later in the program, Jonathan Feldstein's back with us. We're gonna get an update on what's been going on with Iran, what it looks like for Israel right now, and of course for the US 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 got to ask you, guys. What you think?

Tim Barton [00:00:50] I think a lot of it depends on not just how this is resolved, but how the framing happens. Because right now, you know, one of the biggest stories out there is what Joe Kent is saying. He went on Tucker Carlson. He was removed from his position. There's reports that maybe he's under investigation for leaking and et cetera, et cetera. But what's worth noting is three months ago, he was saying, Iran the cerebral and we got to stop them. 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, 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 makes it difference how clear the White House can be in helping bring clarity, not just shaping the narrative, but even bringing clarity. 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, ah, he's just doing more of what he's always done. No, what he has always done has been pushed for peace the most effective ways possible. And sometimes that was taken 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 Hegseth, some of these guys, I think they've earned the opportunity to, to go forward. And if they don't provide clarity, then I think it looks really, really bad as far as clarity of, 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 think, it's still a little early to say, but right now, it certainly seems like the anti-Trump Republicans, and maybe the not so conservative Republicans and the left, seem to be shaping the narrative more than President Trump or the White House.

David Barton [00:03:12] I would say a lot of it also depends on how it turns out. If it turns with a good end, I think that's very different than if it turns into a, I'm gonna say a political Vietnam kind of a thing. 

Tim Barton [00:03:25] 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, et cetera. To your point, not just how 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 prices go down, I don't think this is going to trigger people. in six or seven months when it comes time for the election. 

David Barton [00:03:59] And the other thing I think here that's important to remember is look, we've had trouble with Iran since Jimmy Carter. 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, there was a thing with self-defense that guys carried guns. But if somebody told you I'm going to shoot you on sight, 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 deescalate that and take it out, 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 any way it can, but if it would, that's the only way I think this thing backfires and blows up. I don't think the media is having near the effect 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 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. 

Rick Green [00:05:37] When we come back for the break, Jonathan Feldstein will be back with us. Genesis123.co is the website. Great organization. Jonathan lives in Israel. It's actually in the US right now, kind of stuck in the US. Can't get back into Israel yet. Hopefully in the next few days, will be able to do that, but he's going to give us a quick update on what he's seeing. We will be right back. You're listening to the WallBuilders Show. 

Rick Green [00:08:02] Welcome back to The WallBuilders Show. Thanks for staying with us. Great to have Jonathan Feldstein back with us, man. So much has happened since we had you on last time. But as always want to give out the website, Genesis123.co, not .com everybody, .co, Genesis 123.co. Hey man, great to have you back. Thanks for coming on. 

Jonathan Feldstein [00:08:20] It's amazing, it's always good to be with you, Rick. Thank you. 

Rick Green [00:08:24] Well, you, you you've obviously got these massive changes with the Iran war happening, and then it seems like people that should have been allies at this point 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, at least the partnership with Israel and America seems stronger than ever right now. I think that's where I want to start. I am so thankful that president Trump is doing what he's doing and not giving into this ridiculous anti-Semitic, anti-Israel attack from both the right and the left that's happening in America. 

Jonathan Feldstein [00:09:14] 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 from Hillary Clinton 10 years ago when she was running for president, talking about how she would go in and she would take out Iran and their nuclear facilities. And of course, this was happening after Obama signed his Iran deal 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 it's hard to imagine that in today's world that Hillary Clinton or certainly not Kamala or anyone else 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 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 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 the 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 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 decade and a half, maybe we wouldn't be in this situation. Maybe the Iranian Islamic Republic would have just collapsed under its own weight because their inability to deliver for their own people. But we're in the situation right now where there is a war, it is a just war, is an essential war, it's a war that needs to be won. And it is the war that threatens Americans or the threat 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 you would see cheerleaders at a pep rally sing, but it's in fact a war cry. And they've been doing it not for one month, for two years, for a decade or more. They've been 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 seen as tremendously naive. Let's give them that. But that was wrong, and even Obama has acknowledged that it was wrong. 

Rick Green [00:11:54] Oh, that's a great way to say it, man. As a, you know, there is a naivety, I think well, even if they weren't, I feel like right now there's such a naivete in the, in the American church and on the right side of, you know, the, the political, you know, right, 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. Who I've actually campaigned against him when he ran for Congress, I knew him to be a he was a Democrat before he was for Republican. He just kind of finger to the wind, whatever was popular. And now he saw a chance to, I don't know if it may 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. 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's 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 others on is to try to shine a light on, on more these things, but even, even over time, over the next few years, getting more people to go to Israel and to see what's happening. Now I was on my- In fact, we may still go. I was one of the questions I have for you before we get off this interview.  I was bringing our 27 scholars to Israel next month. We, we, we have a trip scheduled right now to bring them that these are students that are with us for a year. And, and that's one of 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 resolve is so much better than just if you're reading about it or listening to us on the radio today. 

Jonathan Feldstein [00:13:43] Yeah, when you visit and see it, and you know, I had a great podcast that I did several months ago. It was right after the 12-day war in June, also against Iran. People can check out Inspiration from Zion. I don't remember the name of the episode, but I had these six young women on 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 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 something that happened recent, but it's temporary and then she added and completely redeemed my poor thought 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 is 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 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. Then we just have to get the truth out. So yes. Should come 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 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. 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 on the Princeton battlefield for, from the, from the Revolutionary War. This is a war that's no less significant and hopefully we'll bring peace to the world when the Islamic Republic no longer exists to a level that we've, we've not lived in the last certainly hundred years. 

Rick Green [00:16:04] Yeah, 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 don't get that part. And then just that the role that Iran has played in, I mean, virtually every terrorist organization, every, you know, movement in that, in that direction, every undermining of, of democracy and, and, and certainly Israel. Is it possible to change a nation like that and, and go back to, you know, 47 years ago? What does it take to, to, not just defeat them militarily? Are they going to be like a, this is one of the opinions I would love to hear from you, are they going be like 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 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 even make sense? That's a really long question. 

Jonathan Feldstein [00:17:04] 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. Iran, unlike Hamas is a country that's been, that was hijacked 47 years ago and, and brought under the heel of this extremist Shiite Islamic, terror regime, the Iranian people are not indigenous Muslims. That was that was part of Islamic conquest and what we're seeing is tens of millions of Iranians have rejected Islam. They're in the protests that were taking place in January and February. They were burning mosques. That's really significant. The fact that funerals are happening now of the people who have been killed by the regime without any Islamic rituals taking place is poking the eye in the regime. I have a dear friend. I don't know if you've ever had Iran, 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 right to become a Christian nation because the Iranians have rejected Islam. They realize more than any other Arab or Muslim 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 they follow in the path of jihad and killing their Jewish neighbors as compared to living peacefully alongside us in prosperity because they don't know the God of Israel. They have no relationship with the God of Israel, who we know is the only true God. They have this false god that they worship, and he's a god of death, the god vengeance, a god of evil, some say satanic, I can neither agree nor disagree. But there's 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 onto. 

Rick Green [00:19:30] That that's so exciting to me because it's not just stopping the terror. It's the shining example of what Islam does to a people and to a nation that that not shining is obviously the wrong word. It's a 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 it is a cancer and you need to see the carcass of a, you know, a culture that was destroyed. That now if they 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've found, 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. 

Jonathan Feldstein [00:20:17] So, it's so interesting that you say that because I'm thinking of two biblical analogies. Probably in historic order, we're about to celebrate Passover, the exodus of the Jewish people from slavery to redemption in Egypt 3,500 years ago. That's remarkable, right, because we were saved and brought out of slavery, but it's remarkable because God Himself, through Moses, took on the world's superpower then. And showed them who's really, really boss and that brought people to God. Today, not that Iran is the world's superpower, but it's certainly a force to be contended with in the Islamic world. If we see how badly they're being devastated, and we see the prophecy in Jeremiah 49, where God says he's going to destroy Elam and their might, and then he's going to raise up. His throne in Elam? I mean, I don't know what that means, and again, I'm not a prophet, but how fascinating to think that maybe that could mean that God is talking about establishing his throne as the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and per my friend Marzi, who has a vision to bring the whole nation of Iran to Christianity. You know, we serve an unbelievable God. There's nothing that's impossible. It's just hard for our small little human brains to imagine it all. 

Rick Green [00:21:47] Yeah, yeah, no, that's exactly right. Well, it's so good to get you back. What do you think will be that you see you're hoping to get home Tuesday? 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? 

Jonathan Feldstein [00:22:11] Well, first of all, when they go to the website, I sincerely want people to be in touch. Connect, use the, reach, contact us and be in touch. Because yes, of course, donations are important. We've relaunched our Israel Emergency Campaign and there are a lot of emergency needs and I don't like to be the guy always talking about emergency, emergency, emergency, but we're living 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 financial donation to Genesis 1, 2, 3. Foundation, but you but prayer is God's currency and that 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. 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 the scholars that you're talking about but 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 going to leap into, just before the war began, I started to be able to articulate we're gonna be moving forward in a postwar. Everything can't be about emergency, emergency. We need to be looking vision, building for the future. So, this is a program we're, we're to engage Christian high school students with a proper historic and biblical understanding of Israel and its role and, and how that relates to us also Israeli and American, but us as Americans as well. 

Rick Green [00:23:42] Oh, love it. 

Jonathan Feldstein [00:23:43] For people be in touch and be part of the solution, because that's what we need. We need, 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 there's a lot of work to do because there's a lot the evil out there. 

Rick Green [00:24:08] Amen. Amen. So good! Thank you once again. Genesis123.co folks. Hit that website today and get signed up, get in touch and be a part of the solution. Appreciate you. Thank you for coming back on. 

Jonathan Feldstein [00:24:18] Always a pleasure, anytime, Rick. 

Rick Green [00:24:20] Stay with us folks, we'll be right back with David and Tim Barton. 

Rick Green [00:25:29] Welcome back to The WallBuilders Show. Thanks for staying with us. We've got just about a minute left. Guys, comments on what Jonathan had to say. 

Tim Barton [00:25:35] 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. 

David Barton [00:25:53] So Iran is this nation of 90 million and how many Christians? Nobody knows for sure. It's an underground church. Some say there's maybe a million underground church, some say 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, go back to that Persian nation that it was when it was called the Babylonian empire and other things in scriptures. 

Rick Green [00:26:24] Well, we appreciate Jonathan coming on giving us an update of course a lot will be happening even in the next few days. A lot to watch here and great impact it's gonna have literally on the entire world. It's almost like we're watching the table be reset all around the world and 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 WallBuilders Show