Why This Could Be a Defining Moment in the Middle East | 700 Club Israel (Transcript)

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Why This Could Be a Defining Moment In The Middle East | 700 Club Israel

Welcome to Seven Hundred Club Israel. 

Mass protests across Iran.

Thousands are taking to the streets in over two hundred locations nationwide. Many are chanting, raise your voice and death to the dictator. 

THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST SERIOUS CHALLENGES TO THE ISLAMIC REGIME IN YEARS. THE GOVERNMENT HAS RESPONDED WITH DEADLY FORCE AND DOZENS OF PROTESTERS HAVE BEEN KILLED. THIS ALL COMES AS IRAN IS IN TURMOIL. PEOPLE ARE GETTING THEIR HANDS OFF OF THEM. PUBLIC SERVICE IS BEING CUT AND THERE’S CONSTANT FEAR OVER ANOTHER ROUND OF U.S. OR ISRAELI MILITARY STRIKES. JOINING US NOW FOR MORE ON THIS IS MIDDLE EAST EXPERT JOEL ROSENBERG. JOEL, WELCOME BACK 

Gordon, it’s great to be with you. Thank you for having me back on The Seven Hundred Club, especially from Israel. Well, what’s the difference about this protest movement? We’ve seen it before. I mean, there have been numerous protests, revolutions, green revolution over the years in Iran. 

What’s different about this one? What’s different, Gordon, is that we’re an entirely different environment where Iranians increasingly perceive their regime, their wicked, cruel, evil regime as vulnerable. Right. For several reasons. 1, because Israel attacked. last June and decimated Iran’s ballistic missile force and did terrible damage, severe damage to the nuclear weapons program. Then President Trump came in and sent B-II bombers, dropped thirty thousand pound bunker buster bombs and finished off Iran’s nuclear weapons program. 

Then President Trump just a few days ago said, warned the Iranian regime, if you start killing Iranian protesters, America will come to the rescue. That’s a direct quote. And the second quote was the American military is, quote, locked and loaded and ready to go, unquote. 

So that’s an entirely different environment. Interestingly enough, Gordon, the protests aren’t as big as they were 3 years ago, but they are growing. 

WHAT’S THE TRUTH HERE? I’M HEARING REPORTS THAT SOMEHOW OR OTHER THE LEADERSHIP IS LOOKING TO EXIT THE COUNTRY AND EVERYTHING IS REALLY FRAGILE, THAT THERE’S A REAL POSSIBILITY OF, YOU KNOW, THE MONARCHY COMING BACK AND BEING RESTORED. IS ANY OF THAT POSSIBLE? 

Well, first of all, let’s really pray with your entire CBN audience that this wicked regime would come down once and for all. I think there’s one piece of positive news and one cautionary note. 

The positive news is, look, with the fall of Bashar al-Assad, the demon of Damascus, the former president of Syria, when he got worried that he was going to be thrown out or overrun by his own people, he got on a plane and flew to moscow with his family and his millions of dollars uh so that’s a model then uh president trump’s stunning and very successful and pretty brazen uh arrest his his raid into caracas and his arrest of venezuelan madman nicholas maduro this was another warning right so the supreme leader of iran ali khamenei is in poor health he’s he’s got to really calculate what where does he want to live out his last days or is he going to Is he going to fall? So that’s the good news. 

The cautionary note is that I think we have to be careful to think that if the Ayatollah, the Supreme Leader, goes, that that necessarily means that um is there iran is free okay let’s remember all the years we prayed that fidel castro would would leave or die yeah well that happened he died but then his evil brother took over and and cuba is not free so i just want us to keep praying but let’s be Let’s keep the full picture in view that just because one man leaves or one family leaves or even the inner circle leaves, there’s a lot of other wicked people at the top that could run Iran in a horrible way for a long time. So there’s a lot of elements at play here. How deep does the ideology of hate go in the leadership of Iran? 

It seems like they’re just continuing to breathe hatred against Israel. The entire nuclear program, the ballistic missile program, Hezbollah, Hamas, it’s all designed to wipe Israel off the map. How deep does that go in Iranian culture? In the culture, it doesn’t go down deep at all. This is all in the regime and in the broader government. I mean, when I say regime, I mean the people at the absolute top with full control. 

Then there’s a government that they manage, right, and then there’s the people. The people are done with this regime, and the faster the regime can be swept away, the better but i would say there’s 3 levels at the absolute top i would call this apocalyptic islam the supreme leader ali khamenei has an eschatology a shia islamic uh apocalyptic eschatology that he wants to destroy judeo-christian civilization destroy israel the little satan in his view and the united states the great satan and then usher in the way for the 12th Imam or the Mahdi to come and rule and govern the entire planet in Islam. That’s the apocalyptic Islamic inner circle. 

Then there’s radical Islam. That’s the next level, which is bad, but is not, let’s bring about the end of the world. level of the regime still wants to impose evil on its people and on its neighbors. Then there’s corruption, right, which is endemic in a lot of countries in the world. So apocalyptic Islam, radical Islam, and then corruption. 

That combination is pretty toxic since 19 79. But I believe prophetically there is a day coming when this is all going to be over. 

Are we APPROACHING THAT RAPIDLY? THAT I DON’T KNOW. AND I WANT TO BE CAUTIOUS NOT TO DRAW TOO QUICK A PROPHETIC ASSESSMENT, RIGHT? BECAUSE I JUST DON’T THINK WE HAVE ENOUGH DATA YET. ALL RIGHT. WELL, LET’S TALK ABOUT ONE OF THE STRANGEST STRATEGIC ALLIANCES I THINK OF THE LAST I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE RADICAL SOCIALISTS WHO TAKE OVER VENEZUELA AND ESTABLISHES A SOCIALIST GOVERNMENT THERE. INCLUDING TO THE POINT THAT THERE ARE DIRECT FLIGHTS BETWEEN KARAKAS AND TEHRAN. HOW IS, HOW WAS THAT EVER POSSIBLE? WHAT IS THE LINKAGE BETWEEN SOCIALISM, THAT SORT OF RADICAL LEFT, AND A RADICAL ISLAMIC IDEOLOGY? 

Well, Gordon, it’s a great question because, you know, in many ways, if if I had started writing political thrillers about, you know, secular socialists teaming up with apocalyptic Islamists, you know, on the face of it, it seems ludicrous even for fiction. But in this world that we live in, life is stranger than fiction. And what we have is anybody on the planet, any world leader who is evil, corrupt, cruel and hates America and hates Israel is immediately an ally of the Iranian regime. 

OK, so that’s why the Iranian regime is in alliance with Russia. Russia is a secular, corrupt mafia situation. Vladimir Putin is the godfather of Moscow and of Russia. But it doesn’t matter to the Iranian leadership that he doesn’t barely believe in God, and he certainly isn’t Muslim. 

He hates America, and he hates the West, and he’s willing to do business with the Iranian regime. Same thing with the communist Chinese. They’re godless communists, and the Iranian leadership doesn’t care. 

Why? 

Because communist China buys Iranian black market oil. And the same thing with Hugo Chavez and more recently, Nicolas Maduro. It’s an ally that allows Iran and Hezbollah, the Iranian wholly owned subsidiary terrorist organization, to operate in the Western Hemisphere and sell drugs and move terrorists into the region and build Iranian weapon systems in factories built in Iran. 

IN VENEZUELA. SO THAT’S THE REASON, BECAUSE THEY’RE COMMON ENEMIES. THEY HAVE COMMON ENEMIES EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT RELIGIONS AND IDEOLOGIES. HOW DEEP IS IRAN INTO VENEZUELA? I THINK MOST AMERICANS DON’T GET IT. SO DELCY RODRIGUEZ, WHO IS NOW THE ACTING PRESIDENT OF THE COUNTRY, SAYS THAT THE CAPTURE OF MADURO WAS A 

And then I read reports that she’s in business with Lebanese citizens. And are they tied into Hezbollah? 

Is Hezbollah have business ties with Venezuela? Are they really constructing weapon systems there? Yes, I can’t speak to the acting president. 

Her ties to terrorist or terrorism, that’s not yet clear to me. It probably is clear to others, but I don’t have enough data on that yet. But there’s no question that the Iranian regime and Hezbollah have been working very closely with Venezuela ever since Hugo Chavez opened the door and Nicolas Maduro just continued that. I just interviewed for 75 minutes on Sunday of this week. former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen. 

And yesterday, I spent an hour or so with the Israeli foreign minister, Guy Donsar, and together the assessment was, no, there’s no question how deep Iran’s economic, military, and terror ties are, as well as Hezbollah, into Venezuela. So while President Trump struck to arrest Maduro and his wife for American interests. It certainly helped Israeli interests. 

It wasn’t driven by Israel. I don’t think Israel would have even suggested such a brazen move. But that’s Trump realizing that, you know, reasserting the Monroe Doctrine in the Western Hemisphere, with, I got to say, a very impressive Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who himself is from a Cuban heritage. And Venezuela’s connection to the Cuban regime is horrible and very, very close. So Rubio gets it. Clearly, President Trump gets it. And Israel has been applauding the moves over the last week because it really does help us. 

YOU MAKE OF THAT? ONE LAST QUESTION. WITH ALL OF THE CHANGE IN VENEZUELA, THE LEAST ONGOING REVOLUTION IN IRAN, IT LOOKS LIKE GAZA HAS BEEN COMPLETELY TAKEN OUT OF THE CONVERSATION. I READ THAT THE GULF STATES HAVE NO INTEREST AT ALL IN PROVIDING SOME KIND OF PEACE KEEPING FORCE THERE TO MAKE SURE HAMAS DOESN’T REARM. WHAT IS YOUR PREDICTION THERE? AND PROVIDE SECURITY FOR GAZA, IS THERE ANY HOPE THAT THERE COULD BE A GULF STATE SOLUTION TO THIS? 

Well, to keep it brief, Gordon, it’s a great question. Yes, Gaza has been knocked out of the news, but not out of the conversation. I was just in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, and I just met with

a senior advisor to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, MBZ. And they are very much involved. 

Now, your nuanced question is, is the UAE and the Saudis and Bahrainis and others going to send troops That’s an open question, but they’re ready to send money, and they’re already thinking through how do you de-radicalize the schools and the mosques and the media. But your larger question is actually very much the conversation. Remember, Prime Minister Netanyahu was just with President Trump for almost a week in Mar-a-Lago at the Mar-a-Lago summit. which was just basically him and the president, Netanyahu and the president, the 6th time that Netanyahu has met with Trump in person in 20 25. You remember, President Biden didn’t even invite Netanyahu to come to the White House. 

So and Gaza was very much part of that conversation. All that to say, it is not yet clear exactly how Hamas is disarmed. Trump keeps saying it has to happen. Israel says it has to happen. They agree on that. The question is the how. And what Israel is very concerned about is that Trump seems publicly, at least, open to the possibility of Turkish troops in Gaza. 

That would be a disaster for Israel because President Erdogan of Turkey hates Israel and claims Jerusalem for his own, has threatened to invade Israel because of what we’re doing in Gaza to defend ourselves. And Turkey is bad and evil as their leadership is, they’re still a NATO country. 

So if God forbid Israel got into a self defense moment and accidentally killed Turkish troops in Gaza, that could trigger a war with NATO. So it’s a mess. So Israel is very clear. 

Absolutely not. I asked Guy Donsart, the foreign minister, about that. And tonight on my Rosenberg Report show on TBN, you’ll hear the interview as he goes into that. But bottom line, I think that Trump and Netanyahu, they have the same objective. I don’t think they figured out a mechanism to truly disarm Hamas. 

And that’s a concern, but something for us to keep praying about. I’m not pessimistic, but it is a concern. Well, Joel, thanks for being with us. And thanks for your insight. Joel is the editor-in-chief of All Israel News. 

You can keep up with the latest headlines in the Middle East by visiting their website, allisraelnews.com. And you can also sign up for their newsletter and get it right into your inbox. Joel, again, thank you for being with us. 

THANK YOU, GORDON. HAPPY NEW YEAR AND GOD BLESS YOU. GOD BLESS YOU. WELL, IT’S A QUIET REVOLUTION IN IRAN. INSTEAD OF TAKING TO THE STREETS, MANY ARE GOING UNDERGROUND AND THEY’RE ATTENDING SECRET HOUSE CHURCHES. AS MANY AS A MILLION IRANIANS ARE ABANDONING THEIR MUSLIM FAITH AND CHOOSING TO FOLLOW CHRIST. AND THEY’RE RISKING THEIR LIVES IN THE PROCESS.

Iranians are growing tired of the Ayatollahs and a nation led by the empty promises of their Islamic theocracy. An anonymous internal poll found that 80 percent now prefer a democratic government and many are leaving Islam. You have a country with one of the highest drug addiction rates in the world. You have a country where corruption runs rampant.

You have a country where more than half the people live below the poverty line. And the people of Iran are looking at this and they’re saying, wait a minute, If this is what Islam has brought us in the last 45 years, we’re not interested. We want to know what the other options are. 

According to Todd Nettleton of The Voice of the Martyrs, the faith option many are choosing is Jesus, with at least a million Muslims reportedly leaving Islam for Christianity. How’s the regime reacting to this? We’ve heard fifty thousand of 75 thousand mosques have closed, and I’m sure they aren’t accepting that very well. This is not something that is making the regime happy. And really, in many ways, they are seeking to solidify their power and to crush any kind of dissent. And they certainly see the growth of the church. 

They certainly see Christian evangelism as a form of dissent. We have heard multiple stories this year of a Bible study, a home church being raided, Everyone there is photographed, everyone there is questioned, but then the leader of the meeting is held onto. 

They are arrested, they are detained, they’re put in prison. Moreover, Nettleton contends family members and friends are more tolerant than the government about leaving Islam. They’re kind of had the attitude of, hey, if you found something that works for you, if it’s Jesus or if it’s atheism or if it’s whatever, if it works for you, I know Islam doesn’t work. So I’m happy you found something that works. Well, I think it’s what’s happening there is actually representative of what’s happening in the Islamic world. 

Don Shank serves as executive director of the Tide Ministry. He explains how Muslims are experiencing dreams and visions, leading many to find purpose and a different understanding of God. We get responses from listeners who say, you know, now I understand that God loves me. I always thought that God wanted to punish me. And I think there’s an awakening, as I said, that’s taking place across the Muslim world. Schenck states that Tide Ministry radio broadcasts are receiving positive responses in Afghanistan, where the Taliban pose great danger for those seeking information from secret Christians within the country. 

There’s a lot of suspicion of, okay, if I’m going to meet with these people and share that I’m now a believer, are they really true believers or are they just trying to identify me? It’s more than simply being ostracized or disowned by your family. It is actually the threat of death. So accepting new life in Christ means accepting the possibility of your life ending in this world. Christianity is also spreading in Yemen, where the Joshua Project reports Christian growth is almost double the global average. 

Next door, Nettleton sees the Saudi Arabian monarchy becoming a bit more tolerant of Christians and their churches. Not necessarily welcoming it with open arms, obviously, but just the understanding that it could happen, that there could be Christians here, and maybe that’s not the worst thing in the world. That’s such a change from what we would have seen ten or 15 or 20 years ago. A move of God’s spirit bringing change that may eventually transform not only Iran, but the entire Middle East. 

Gary Lane, CBN News. WELL, THAT’S A GOOD REPORT. YOU’RE NOT GOING TO SEE ANYWHERE ELSE. LET’S CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE OF IRAN, THE PEOPLE OF SAUDI ARABIA, THAT GOD’S LIGHT WOULD BREAK THROUGH FOR THEM. WELL, TERRORISTS FIRED HUNDREDS OF MISSILES INTO NORTHERN ISRAEL LAST SUMMER. ONE BLASTED THROUGH A STEEL REINFORCED BOMB SHELTER AND IT KILLED RUZAN’S MOTHER, LEFT HER TRAUMATIZED DAUGHTER WONDERING HOW TO REBUILD FROM NOTHING. 

On November 18th, 2024, a missile launched by Hezbollah slipped past Israel’s defenses and struck the apartment building of a Muslim family in northern Israel, where Rezan lived. Only her mother was home at the time. It was a direct hit into the bomb shelter. 

It came through the ceiling and into the floor below that had a reinforced shelter room. My mom was inside that room. Rezan’s mother Safa, a 50yearold school teacher with 4 children, was killed when the rocket tore through the walls of their safe room. A neighbor witnessed the tragedy and still remembers it vividly. It was a huge explosion. No one really knew where it was. 

Suddenly the whole neighborhood was buried in dust. And it was not just fragments, it was the rocket itself. It was a direct hit. So there is nothing you could do in such a situation. As the family grieves and tries to rebuild from nothing, their old home remains frozen in time. Dishes in the sink, laundry still hanging on the line. Quiet reminders of a normal life suddenly cut short. 

You enter the kitchen and remember how your mom would make food. Cooking was something very important to her. She would cook with her whole heart. She would send food with each of us and even to our friends at school. I have so many memories of her in the kitchen, in this house, how present she was. And every time I go there, it is so hard. It’s hard for me to understand that there is a life that ended, memories that will never be repeated. 

Thanks to you, CBN Israel was able to provide vital financial support, covering the family’s rent at a new home and helping Razan stay on track with her degree at Haifa University. CBN Israel also provided grief counseling to offer emotional strength and compassion in the wake of such a heartbreaking loss. it gives me hope that we are still here the family is still here and we will continue being strong in a new house without her thank you for giving me a safe place to actually just sit and talk about what actually happened so i really appreciate that thank you sir thank Thank you. 

It goes to you if you’re a supporter of CBN Israel. We don’t have any kind of religious test for helping people. If you’re in need, we want to help you. Whether you’re Muslim or Jewish or Christian or Druze or none of the above, we want to be of assistance to you. And if you live in Israel, we want to be a blessing to you. 

LET THAT STORY SINK IN. HERE ARE MUSLIM TERRORISTS FIRING ROCKETS AND THEY’RE KILLING MUSLIMS IN ISRAEL. AND THE STORY LINE THAT SOMEHOW OR OTHER ISRAEL IS AN APARTHEID STATE OR THAT MUSLIMS DON’T HAVE RIGHTS OR ANY OF THAT IS LOOK AT THAT STORY AND REALIZE 

Well, they had complete freedom to live and to be employed and to be educated and to vote. They’re Muslim members of the Knesset. But it’s all this wonderful thing called the modern state of Israel. If you want to be a blessing to Israel, join with us. All you have to do is call us, and say, I want to support Israel. 

I want to be a part of being a blessing to them. We leave you with this scripture. Here’s a word from Isaiah. Be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. God bless. We’ll see you again next week.