There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
Special Reporter anchor Bret Baier just got off the phone with President Trump: “He is very pleased with how things are going. Obviously, he is disheartened by the loss of life, and there may be more, he said, along the way. But as far as the progress, he said, they are ahead of… pic.twitter.com/dLdNjbt5sH
Footage circulating on social media early Monday appeared to show the first operational use of the new Iron Beam laser air-defense system against rockets and drones launched by Hezbollah from southern Lebanon.
The now-viral clip, first posted by Israel War Room on X, reportedly shows the high-energy laser system intercepting and destroying an incoming Hezbollah drone overnight along Israel’s northern frontier.
If officially confirmed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), this would mark the first known combat deployment of Iron Beam as part of Israel’s active air defense network since the system was delivered to the Israeli Air Force in late December 2025.
The Iron Beam has been under active development for more than a decade since its initial unveiling in 2014 and officially entered service with Israeli forces on December 28, 2025, following years of live-fire testing against rockets, mortars, and UAVs across southern Israel.
Israel War Room wrote on X:
“HISTORIC: For the first time ever, Israel used the Iron Beam to intercept rockets fired by Hezbollah.”
⚡HISTORIC: For the first time ever, Israel used the Iron Beam to intercept rockets fired by Hezbollah. pic.twitter.com/DU63REU22k
Israel’s Iron Beam, developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems in cooperation with Elbit Systems, represents a paradigm shift in counter-rocket, artillery, mortar (C-RAM), and UAV defense architecture.
Unlike kinetic interceptor systems such as Iron Dome, the Iron Beam utilizes a high-energy directed laser capable of destroying aerial threats at the speed of light by superheating structural components mid-flight.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee retweeted the Iron Beam footage with a message lauding Israel’s technological innovation and defensive resolve.
His caption read:
“Hezbollah gives IDF an opportunity to successfully test their new laser Iron Beam technology. Been in shelter twice in last hour. Grateful for Israeli innovation this morning.”
Hezbollah gives @IDF an opportunity to successfully test their new laser Iron Beam technology. Been in shelter twice in last hour. Grateful for Israeli innovation this morning. https://t.co/BQCyltFhDV
— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) March 2, 2026
According to Andrey Marochko, Kiev lost around 16,300 drones and 1,400 tanks and other armored vehicles in combat operations between December and February
Watch RSBN’s LIVE coverage as we bring you the latest updates on Operation Epic Fury, including new developments and official statements from Washington.
Plus, President Trump hosts a Medal of Freedom ceremony honoring distinguished Americans for their contributions to the nation. Stay tuned for real-time reporting, analysis, and key moments as they happen.
Day 3: War with Iran. The latest news, information and Christian perspective on Operation Epic Fury and Operation Roaring Lion, an ongoing joint military strike by the U.S. and Israel vs. Iran.
For over 20 years, CBN has beamed life-giving Farsi broadcasts into Iran despite internet shutdowns. Now, with war erupting across the country today and civilians facing mass displacement and suffering, CBN is ready to deliver prayer support, emergency food, humanitarian aid, and the hope of Jesus to families whose lives have been upended by conflict. DONATE HERE — cbn.com/iran
Former President Barack Obama furthered radical Islam inthe United States
Former President Barack Obama furthered radical Islam in the United States. It was Barack Obama who ended investigations of Hezbollah crime syndicates in the US despite the ATF warning of the dangers. When the Holy Land Foundation was caught raising funds for terror, he ended the probe. It was Obama and his acolytes who forbade probes into and surveillance of radical mosques.
The former president legitimized the Muslim Brotherhood, CAIR, and other radical organizations.
Masih Alinejad, the courageous Iranian-American journalist and current CBS News contributor who has survived multiple Tehran-backed assassination plots, took to X to expose the staggering hypocrisy of “Squad” member Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).
She issued a “letter from an Iranian woman wounded by the regime,” accusing Omar of maintaining a cozy ambiguity toward the Islamic Republic while the regime systematically slaughters its own people.
The heart of Alinejad’s message centered on the tragic story of Sara Saeidi, a 39-year-old mother of two who was executed by the regime while peacefully protesting.
At the time of her death, she was reportedly wearing a sweatshirt that said “MANHATTAN” with an American flag, which some activists claim symbolized her desire for freedom.
Following her death, Iranian authorities allegedly falsified her death certificate, listing the cause of death as a “collision with agricultural machinery” to mask the shooting.
Alinejad’s critique highlights a growing frustration among Iranian dissidents who see far-left U.S. lawmakers as “anti-war” only when it benefits the mullahs in Tehran. She slammed Omar’s “No War With Iran” campaigns as a shield for the regime’s internal massacre of over 30,000 civilians.
“I am a woman from Iran. Let me tell you honestly how women like me see politicians like you in America, women who speak about freedom from the safety of Congress while sympathizing with our killers under Islamic regimes.
You stand next to the American flag, speaking about freedom. Now you launch campaigns saying, “No War With Iran.”
Now I want to introduce you to a brave Iranian woman who understood America better than you ever will.
Her name is Sara Saeidi. Born and raised in Iran. 39 years old. A mother of two daughters, 19 and 6.
She was shot in the head for the “crime” of peacefully protesting while wearing a sweatshirt that said MANHATTAN, with the American flag beneath it.
While you stood in Congress under that flag, she carried its name on her chest, not as symbolism for a photo opportunity but as a dream.
Three days after she was killed, her body was returned to her family only after threats and money were taken from them. They were banned from holding a proper funeral. Authorities falsified the circumstances of her death.
That is the regime you refuse to confront clearly.
She wanted the freedom Manhattan represents, the freedom to live without fear, without morality police, without a bullet in her head. The same freedom protected by the Constitution you swore to uphold.
You speak of “No War With Iran,” but you refuse to condemn the war being waged against us, the Iranian people, by the Islamic Republic.
More than 30,000 unarmed civilians have been killed. Women blinded. Teenagers hanged. Mothers executed.
When American lawmakers like you reduce this reality to a partisan talking point, you do the regime’s work for it. Dictatorships thrive when moral clarity disappears and when lawmakers choose ambiguity instead of standing firmly with victims.
You call yourself anti war. But where is your condemnation of the regime’s massacre? Where is your outrage at its war against its own people? You are anti-Iranian women.
Peace without justice is surrender.
Your hatred of President Trump appears stronger than your love for America, stronger than your love for Manhattan, for freedom, for women’s rights. That is why you sound sympathetic to the Islamic Republic while remaining silent about women like Sara, like me, and like millions of Iranians who are victims of this barbaric regime.
You celebrating hijab day in Manhattan in beautiful New York and watching women get killed in Iran for not wearing hijab.
I dare you to share the picture of Sara, and say no to the war being wage by Islamist terrorist on us, Iranians.”
Help Persecuted Christians TODAY: https://csi-usa.org/Christian Solidarity International
On today’s Quick Start podcast:
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NEWS: WAR breaks out with Iran as missiles and drones hit multiple Middle Eastern nations, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, and the UAE. A fire erupts at Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura oil refinery, U.S. fighter jets crash amid heavy fire in Kuwait, and Israel claims to have eliminated senior Iranian intelligence officials in Tehran. The U.S. and Gulf allies condemn Iran’s “reckless and indiscriminate” attacks as the region teeters on the edge of full-scale conflict.
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FOCUS STORY: Rev. Shah Ahmadi lived in Iran for 22 years before fleeing after converting to Christianity. He shares what life is really like under the regime, what happens when someone leaves Islam for Christ, and how his family paid a price for his faith. His firsthand account offers a sobering look at the cost of discipleship inside Iran.
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MAIN THING: As bombs fall and global powers maneuver, what does this war mean for Iran’s underground church? Chris Mitchell, Joshua Swanson, and Pastor Robbie Dawkins weigh in on the spiritual battle behind the military one — and why persecution has historically fueled explosive church growth in Iran. Is this crisis a turning point for the region?
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LAST THING: 2 Timothy
3:12 — “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
Calling out President Donald Trump as a lawbreaker for initiating attacks on Iran is to lie. And Democrats are doing it knowingly and for political reasons.
A plume of smoke rises after a strike in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohsen Ganji)more >
OPINION:
Democrats, as Democrats do, areratchetingup criticisms against President Donald Trump over the U.S.-Israel attacks on Iran, saying the White House has violated the Constitution and broken both legal and moral codes and must immediately cease and desist military operations, and they’redemandingvotes in Congress tocurbhis executive powers. Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut put it this way, on “Face the Nation With Margaret Brennan” over the weekend: “This is a disaster. It is illegal and the president is obligated under the Constitution to come to Congress and ask for an authorization of military force.”
The Wall Street Journal, meanwhile,ranthis headline: “Democratic Lawmakers Decry Iran Attacks as Illegal.”
While trust has occasionally surged during moments of national crisis, the broader trajectory shows a steady erosion across generations.
From Postwar Highs to Vietnam-Era Decline
Trust peaked in 1964, when 77% of Americans said they trusted the federal government most of the time. Even in 1958, nearly three-quarters of the public expressed confidence in the federal government.
That began to change in the late 1960s and early 1970s. By 1970, trust had fallen to 54%, and it slipped further to 36% by 1974 in the aftermath of Watergate.
The Vietnam War, political scandals, and economic turbulence reshaped public opinion for decades to come.
Date
Trust the government (%)
9/28/2025
17
2/9/2025
19
5/19/2024
18
6/11/2023
19
05/01/2022
20
4/11/2021
21
8/2/2020
24
4/12/2020
21
3/25/2019
17
12/04/2017
18
4/11/2017
19
10/04/2015
18
7/20/2014
19
2/26/2014
18
11/15/2013
20
10/13/2013
19
5/31/2013
20
02/06/2013
22
1/13/2013
23
10/31/2012
19
10/19/2011
17
10/04/2011
15
9/23/2011
18
8/21/2011
21
2/28/2011
23
10/21/2010
23
10/01/2010
21
09/06/2010
23
09/01/2010
23
04/05/2010
23
04/05/2010
22
3/21/2010
24
2/12/2010
22
02/05/2010
21
1/10/2010
20
12/20/2009
21
8/31/2009
22
6/12/2009
23
12/21/2008
25
10/15/2008
24
10/13/2008
24
07/09/2007
24
01/09/2007
28
10/08/2006
29
9/15/2006
30
02/05/2006
31
1/20/2006
33
01/06/2006
32
12/02/2005
32
9/11/2005
31
09/09/2005
30
6/19/2005
35
10/15/2004
39
7/15/2004
41
3/21/2004
38
10/26/2003
36
7/27/2003
43
10/15/2002
46
09/04/2002
46
09/02/2002
40
7/13/2002
40
6/17/2002
43
1/24/2002
46
12/07/2001
49
10/25/2001
54
10/06/2001
49
1/17/2001
44
10/31/2000
38
10/15/2000
42
07/09/2000
39
04/02/2000
38
2/14/2000
34
10/03/1999
36
9/14/1999
33
5/16/1999
33
2/21/1999
31
2/12/1999
32
02/04/1999
34
1/10/1999
34
01/03/1999
37
12/01/1998
33
11/15/1998
30
11/01/1998
26
10/26/1998
28
8/10/1998
31
2/22/1998
35
02/01/1998
33
1/25/1998
32
1/19/1998
32
10/31/1997
31
8/27/1997
31
06/01/1997
26
1/14/1997
27
11/02/1996
27
10/15/1996
28
5/12/1996
31
05/06/1996
29
11/19/1995
27
08/07/1995
22
08/05/1995
21
3/19/1995
20
2/22/1995
21
12/01/1994
21
10/29/1994
22
10/23/1994
20
06/06/1994
19
1/30/1994
20
1/20/1994
22
3/24/1993
25
1/17/1993
25
1/14/1993
25
10/23/1992
25
10/15/1992
25
06/08/1992
29
10/20/1991
35
03/06/1991
42
03/01/1991
46
1/27/1991
40
12/01/1990
33
10/28/1990
32
09/06/1990
35
1/16/1990
38
6/29/1989
39
1/15/1989
41
11/10/1988
43
10/15/1988
41
1/23/1988
40
10/18/1987
43
06/01/1987
43
03/01/1987
44
1/21/1987
43
1/19/1987
42
12/01/1986
44
11/30/1986
43
09/09/1986
44
1/19/1986
44
11/06/1985
43
7/29/1985
42
3/21/1985
40
2/27/1985
42
2/22/1985
45
11/14/1984
44
10/15/1984
41
12/01/1982
39
11/07/1980
32
10/15/1980
30
3/12/1980
27
11/03/1979
28
12/01/1978
31
10/23/1977
32
4/25/1977
34
10/15/1976
36
09/05/1976
35
6/15/1976
35
03/01/1976
34
02/08/1976
35
12/01/1974
36
10/15/1972
53
12/01/1970
54
10/15/1968
62
12/01/1966
65
10/15/1964
77
12/01/1958
73
Temporary Surges During National Crises
Although the long-term trend is downward, trust has occasionally rebounded during moments of national unity. After the 9/11 attacks, trust jumped from 44% to 54% in a matter of months. It was one of the last times a majority expressed confidence in Washington.
Similar, though smaller, increases occurred during other crises. In early 2020, trust briefly rose to 24% amid the COVID-19 outbreak. However, these bumps have proven short-lived, with trust quickly returning to lower levels.
A New Era of Persistent Low Trust
Since the mid-2000s, trust in government has rarely crossed the 30% mark. In the 2010s and early 2020s, it often dipped below 20%.
As of September 2025, just 17% of Americans say they trust the federal government most of the time — near the lowest level recorded in Pew’s time series.
War in Iran. America’s AI vs. China’s AI. And Trump’s new tariffs aren’t legal either.
Israel is a partner the attacks. Iran has been launching missiles against Israel and U.S. military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar.
Some of the earliest targets were homes and offices of Iranian leadership, many of whom in addition to the Ayatollah were killed. President Trump called on the Iranian people to rise up and take over their government.
This is to say, the purpose of the attacks, as the president’s statement about them indicates, is regime change.
President Trump campaigned against the U.S. habit of launching wars for the purpose of regime change. He said in 2016, “Our current strategy of nation- building and regime-change is a proven, absolute failure.”
He said he would keep the U.S. out of “endless wars.” Vice President J. D. Vance, perhaps the biggest critic of U.S. involvement in unnecessary foreign wars, seems to be saying that military action may be fine, as long as it is quick and temporary, not “endless.”
Has President Trump become a neo-conservative? Maybe, if things keep going his way, a more lucky neo-conservative than George W. Bush was?
There are reports of Iranians dancing in the streets after hearing of Khameini’s death. This is certainly true of Iranian expatriates across the world. So the question is, what comes next?
Will another Islamic hard-liner succeed Khameini? Will the people install another Shah? Will the people turn to liberal democracy? Will there be a civil war?
And what will the United States do? Hit hard and leave, as in Venezuela? How deeply will we get involved in what happens on the ground? Will this turn into another endless war?
America’s AI vs. China’s AI
We Americans are developing AI that can imitate language; China is developing AI that can do math and science.
So observes Jack D. Hidary in his Wall Street Journal article, America Needs AI That Can Do Math, with the deck, “Language skills won’t be enough to stay ahead of China in the economic sectors that matter.”
While the U.S. is pre-occupied with developing AI that can talk to us, provide companionship, generate pornography, and take-over language-based jobs, China is developing “quantitative AI” that can help them develop weapon systems, quantum technology, pharmaceutical innovations, and other advances.
Says Hidary,
AI models trained on social media and Pinterest images are poorly suited for these applications, which need subatomic-level physics. We need new AI models for the real world—quantitative models trained on lab data and equation-based outputs that let them leapfrog current technology. Hallucinations aren’t an option for mission-critical applications. The country that has the best quantitative AI models and quantum technology will dominate the rest of this century. The Chinese know this and are focused accordingly. . . .
The AI with which American users are familiar is large language models, which can pump out text, songs, images, videos and other digital media. AI for the quantitative world is something else entirely, focusing on creating novel medical treatments, de novo material science, and advanced risk management and portfolio construction. The fields of robotics and autonomous driving are also moving quickly and need quantitative models that help these platforms navigate the world.
Trump’s New Tariffs Aren’t Legal Either
After the Supreme Court threw out President Trump’s tariffs, which he imposed on the authority of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), he imposed across the board 10% tariffs, which he said he’d raise to 15%, on the authority of a different law: Section 122 of the Trade Act.
But that’s not legal either! As Andrew McCarthy explains, quoting the text of the law, “In Section 122, Congress endowed the president with narrow, temporary authority to impose tariffs “to deal with large and serious United States balance-of-payments deficits.”
Well, you might say, our trade is way out of balance. We import far more than we export. That’s one reason why we need tariffs. People may differ over whether this imbalance is “large and serious,” but surely that’s the president’s call.
But the law deals with “balance of payments.” That’s not the same thing as “balance of trade.” McCarthy goes on to explain:
A trade deficit between the U.S. and a foreign nation occurs, mainly in connection with goods (which is just one aspect of international commerce), when imports are greater than exports. This is not really a problem for a variety of reasons — e.g., a trade deficit results in an investment surplus, the U.S. is a major services economy and often runs exported services surpluses that mitigate the imports deficit in goods, etc.
The balance of payments is a broader concept than the balance of trade. It accounts for all the economic transactions that take place between the United States and the rest of the world. Even without getting into every kind of transaction that entails, suffice it to say that foreign investment in the United States, coupled with the advantages our nation accrues because the dollar is the world’s reserve currency, more than make up for the longstanding trade deficit in goods.
Our overall payments are in balance. There is no crisis.
Doesn’t the White House have lawyers and economists who could have cleared up the president’s confusion between “balance of trade” and “balance of payments”?
TEL AVIV, Israel – The long-awaited attack against Iran by U.S. and Israeli forces began this weekend. By the time the sun set in Israel on Sunday night, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was dead, and Iran had attacked multiple Middle East countries and fired missiles that killed civilians near Jerusalem and in Tel Aviv.
Iranian citizens celebrated in the streets of Tehran, and expatriates exulted around the world after joint U.S. and Israeli military strikes killed Khamenei.
An Iranian underground church leader told CBN News, “This has been the wish of the Iranian people. We couldn’t wait to hear this news, and now that has happened, and people are rejoicing.”
More than 40 top Iranian officials are also dead, including the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Former Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson Jonathan Conricus, now with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, told us,”I would say that the military results are above and beyond – I think, a very high level of success.”
Regime change was part of the strategy in Saturday’s joint surprise attacks.
“Cooperation here is unprecedented,” Conricus said. “We have never worked this close with anybody, not even with the Americans before. And what we’re seeing is so far, I would say, world-class delivery by the U.S and by Israel.”
The IDF reports that they dropped more than two thousand bombs in 30 hours, achieving air superiority on day one.
Israel is also striking Lebanon after Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel near Haifa. On a Truth Social video recorded on Sunday, President Trump announced that nine Iranian naval ships were destroyed.
“Combat operations continue at this at full force; they will continue until all our objectives are achieved,” he stated.
Conricus observed, “I think we’re living in historic times, and this will go down in history as a brilliant move of two democracies fighting back, democracies fighting back against tyranny.”
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reports that three U.S. service members were killed in action, and video was released on Monday morning of a U.S. fighter jet crashing. Both pilots parachuted to safety.
Iran retaliated by targeting U.S. military installations in six Arab countries, rousing more hostility towards Iran and triggering Germany, France, and the U.K. to join the fray to protect their interests. That was followed by an Iranian missile strike early Sunday morning in the heart of Tel Aviv.
So far, one woman has died, and nearly a dozen people were injured when the ballistic missile hit an apartment building. Israel’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Oren Marmorstein believes it is a perfect example of how the U.S. and Israel are targeting Iran’s military, while Iran is targeting civilians.
Marmorstein told reporters, “This is the result of the Iranian regime: ballistic terror. As you can see, ballistic missiles were aimed at a civilian neighborhood. This is a civilian building. We have children inside this building.”
Another deadly missile strike on Sunday in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhood outside Jerusalem destroyed a synagogue and surrounding homes. So far, nine people are dead, and more than a dozen have been hospitalized as rescue crews dig through the rubble for those still missing.
Police Spokesman Master Sgt. Dean Elsdunne explained, “We know the purpose of this war. And this is a hard price to pay. One single life lost is unbearable, but the world knows the capabilities of Iran.”
He added, “If we don’t stop and eliminate the regime that calls for ‘death to America,’ and is against all Western values and society, this will be a drop in the bucket ”
Despite the onslaught against Tehran, Iranian missiles are being fired at Israel daily. Iranian state media announced on Sunday that an Interim Leadership Council will take over until another Supreme Leader is elected.
President Trump cautioned, “I once again urge the Revolutionary Guard, the Iranian military, to lay down your arms and receive full immunity or face certain death. It will be certain death. It won’t be pretty. I call upon all Iranian patriots who yearn for freedom to seize this moment. Be brave, be bold, be heroic, and take back your country.”
The president believes the war could last up to five weeks, and he has agreed to talks with Iran’s leadership, adding, “They should have done it sooner.”
The Iranian church leader said, “We are witnessing this part of history, and this will be a liberation of the Christian church, the underground church, so that hopefully in the future, we won’t call it (the) underground church anymore. And people can practice their faith, and they can spread the gospel again, not only in Iran, but in the whole region, in the whole Middle East.”
Trump gives update on Iran operations – Sunday, March 1, 2026
President Trump on Sunday addressed the nation, announcing the progress of the strikes on Iran, which have killed dozens of top Iranian leaders and the Supreme Leader of Iran.
During his address, Trump described Operation Epic Fury as “one of the largest, most complex, most overwhelming military offenses the world has ever seen,” noting that “combat operations continue at this time in full force, and they will continue until all of our objectives are achieved.”
He further highlighted strikes earlier on Iranian Naval ships, which sunk nine boats and destroyed Iran’s Naval Headquarters, “all in a matter of literally minutes,” he said.
Addressing the three fallen troops and others who were injured in the operation, Trump expressed grief for the “true American patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation,” adding that “there will likely be more before it ends,” but “we’ll do everything possible, where that won’t be the case.”
The President also sent a message to the Iranian forces, demanding that they surrender “and receive full immunity or face certain death.”
“It will be certain death. Won’t be pretty,” Trump said after boasting that the United States has “the strongest military the world has ever seen.”
He then spoke to the people of Iran, urging them to “seize this moment, to be brave, be bold, be heroic, and take back your country.”
“America is with you,” Trump said. “I made a promise to you, and I fulfilled that promise. The rest will be up to you, but we’ll be there to help.”
WATCH:
Trump: Over the past 36 hours, the United States and its partners have launched Operation Epic Fury, one of the largest, most complex, most overwhelming military offenses the world has ever seen. Nobody has seen anything like it. We have hit hundreds of targets in Iran, including Revolutionary Guard facilities, Iranian air defense systems.
Just now, it was announced that we knocked out nine ships plus their naval building, all in a matter of literally minutes. Iran’s formerly Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, is dead. This wretched and vile man had the blood of hundreds and even thousands of Americans on his hands and was responsible for the slaughter of countless thousands of innocent people all across many countries.
Last night, all over Iran, the voices of the Iranian people could be heard cheering and celebrating in the streets when his death was announced. The entire military command is gone as well, and many of them want to surrender into saving their lives. They want immunity. They’re calling by the thousands.
Combat operations continue at this time in full force, and they will continue until all of our objectives are achieved. We have very strong objectives. They could have done something two weeks ago, but they just couldn’t get there.
Earlier today, CENTCOM shared the news that three US military service members have been killed in action. As one nation, we grieve for the true American patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, even as we continue the righteous mission for which they gave their lives. We pray for the full recovery of the wounded and send our immense love and eternal gratitude to the families of the fallen, and sadly, there will likely be more before it ends.
That’s the way it is— likely be more, but we’ll do everything possible, where that won’t be the case. But America will avenge their deaths and deliver the most punishing blow to the terrorists who have waged war against, basically, civilization. They have waged war against civilization itself. Our resolve and, likewise, that of Israel has never been stronger. America is now again, the richest, most powerful nation in the world by far.
But the only reason we enjoy the quality of life that we do and the freedom and security is we have done things that others are unable to do. But it’s because of warriors who are willing to lay down their lives to do battle with our enemies, and they do battle better than anybody. An Iranian regime armed with long range missiles and nuclear weapons would be a dire threat to every American.
We cannot allow a nation that raises terrorist armies to possess such weapons that would allow them to extort the world to their evil will. Not going to let it happen. Not happening to us, and we’re not going to let it happen to others. The United States has the strongest military the world has ever seen. I rebuilt our military in my first term. There’s never been a military like we possess, and frankly, there’s nobody even close.
But we are now using that military for good. We want to have it for good purpose. We’re undertaking this massive operation not merely to ensure security for our own time and place, but for our children and their children, just as our ancestors have done for us many, many years ago. This is the duty and the burden of a free people. These actions are right and they are necessary to ensure that Americans will never have to face a radical, bloodthirsty terrorist regime armed with nuclear weapons and lots of threats.
For almost 50 years, these wicked extremists have been attacking the United States while chanting the slogan, “Death to America” or “Death to Israel,” or both. They are the world’s number one state sponsor of terror. We are the world’s greatest and most powerful nation, so we can do something about what they do. These intolerable threats will not continue any longer.
I once again urge the Revolutionary Guard, the Iranian military police, to lay down your arms and receive full immunity or face certain death. It will be certain death. Won’t be pretty. I call upon all Iranian patriots who yearn for freedom to seize this moment, to be brave, be bold, be heroic, and take back your country. America is with you.
I made a promise to you, and I fulfilled that promise. The rest will be up to you, but we’ll be there to help. Thank you. God bless you to our incredible warriors and God bless the United States of America, thank you.
Pastor David Nasser, who fled Iran as a child with his family in 1979, was on “Fox News Sunday” with host Shannon Bream.
Pastor Nasser talked about how his family left during the Islamic Revolution.
“David Nasser was 9 years old in 1979, when his family fled the violent revolution happening in Iran. They came to the US, where David is now an author, pastor, and speaker,” Bream said.
“David, you and your family have an amazing story. How does the news of this weekend sit with you in light of that?” Bream asked.
“We are waking up to the hope that this is the dawn of a new season. My family and I escaped from Iran when I was 9 years old, when the Iranian Revolution happened. My father was high-ranked in the military, and so we were forced to escape and run for our lives,” Nasser said.
“We found safe harbor as refugees under political asylum here in the United States. In one sense, we are the American dream. This was the land of opportunity for us, but in another sense, we had another dream, and that was to see the people of Iran liberated,” Nasser continued.
“This is both overwhelming hope, and terrifying and exhilarating for our people that we might actually see the people of Iran freed. It’s just such an incredible moment for us,” Nasser said.
“You have obviously stayed connected to your loved ones there. What does this mean for them because they have sort of been given this opportunity, but also the risk that comes with that. I mean, whether this regime is fully toppled or not?” Bream asked.
“I think you are right. I think the initial concern is that hopefully this is more than you know, kicking a hornet’s nest. This is actually the toppling over of a you know, of a tyrant regime,” Nasser said.
“But at the same time, if this actually does bring about a new day, a democracy for Iran, this is a nation for you know, four decades, has been under oppression. And so, they’ve got a lot of rebuilding to do,” Nasser continued.
“I think you are gonna see the people of Iran thrive. They are going to build their nation back,” Nasser said.
“I think President Trump said it best, you know, the involvement has been that we are gonna come in and, for lack of better terms, give an air war and do the help that we can,” Nasser said.
“But this is really the fight of the Iranian people. This is their revolution, and so, they need to do the groundwork,” Nasser said.
“What is the role of faith played here for your journey, and more broadly for the American, the Iranian people now?” Bream asked.
“To me, some of the most troubling places in the world are actually some of the most religious places in the world,” Nasser said.
“As a Christian pastor, my prayer for Iran is that ultimately, this will bring about more than the liberation of a nation, or this will bring about more than just a new revolution. That this will actually bring about revival,” Nasser continued.
“The fastest growing church in the world right now is actually the underground Christian Church in Iran,” Nasser said.
Watch:
WATCH: Tennessee-based pastor @davidnasser share his hopes and fears for Iran, a country his family fled in 1979 when he was a child. pic.twitter.com/9mLippMaZ2
I don’t think that most people in the western world fully grasp the importance of what has just transpired. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was not just the supreme leader of Iran. He was a direct descendant of the Muhammad, and that gave him the right to wear the black turban. For Shiite Muslims, the direct descendants of Muhammad are considered to be the only legitimate spiritual and political successors to Muhammad. They are believed to possess divine knowledge and authority, and killing such an individual is considered to be unthinkable. There are statues and photographs of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei literally everywhere you go in Iran, and now that he is dead there are 200 million Shiite Muslims all over the world that are extremely angry.
Of course it isn’t just Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that is dead.
The strike that killed him also killed his daughter, his grandchild, his daughter-in-law and his son-in-law…
Iran has confirmed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei died in joint US and Israeli strikes.
The Supreme Leader’s daughter, grandchild, daughter-in-law and son-in-law were also killed in the bombardment on his home in Tehran in the early hours of Saturday.
The family deaths were reported by state media on Sunday, just hours before Iran’s military made a promise to lead its most ferocious counterattacks on the US and Israel in history.
That would have been enough to unleash an unprecedented wave of revenge.
But there are dozens of other Iranian leaders that have also been eliminated.
In fact, President Trump is claiming that 48 top Iranian leaders are now dead…
President Donald Trump boasted on Sunday that 48 Iranian leaders had been wiped out ‘in one shot’ after confirming to the world Saturday that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was dead.
He also said in a Truth Social post that US forces ‘destroyed and sunk’ nine Iranian Navy ships.
‘We are going after the rest – They will soon be floating at the bottom of the sea, also! In a different attack, we largely destroyed their Naval Headquarters. Other than that, their Navy is doing very well!’ Trump wrote.
These Iranian leaders slaughtered tens of thousands of their own people.
So their deaths are being greatly celebrated all over the globe.
But for Shiite Muslims, a day of vengeance is here.
Following the death of its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran has raised the red flag of revenge above the Jamkaran Mosque in the city of Qom.
According to several media reports, a red banner, which symbolises justice and revenge in Shiite tradition, was seen atop the Jamkaran Mosque.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vows to punish the “murderers” of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, after his death is confirmed by state television, promising what it says will be the “most ferocious offensive operation in history” against US bases and Israel.
“The hand of revenge of the Iranian nation for a severe, decisive and regrettable punishment for the murderers of the Imam of the Ummah will not let go of them,” the IRGC says in a statement.
“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and what it called the vast popular Basij forces will powerfully continue the path of their leader in defending his legacy, standing firm against internal and external plots and delivering what it described as a lesson-giving punishment to aggressors against the Islamic homeland,” it says.
As expected, the Iranians have been viciously striking the land of Israel.
Nine people were killed and more than 40 were injured in Beit Shemesh, near Jerusalem, on Sunday afternoon by a direct Iranian ballistic missile impact.
The missile struck a residential area in the city, destroying a synagogue and causing extensive damage to a public bomb shelter beneath it and surrounding homes.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service said it declared the deaths of eight victims at the scene and took 28 others to hospitals, two in serious condition. The death of the ninth victim was declared a short time later.
Following Israel and the Untied States’ initiation of a coordinated large-scale military assault against Iran, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has conducted large scale ballistic missile attacks against Israel, and also targeted U.S. military bases in the Gulf region including in facilities Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Footage from countries across the region have shown explosions at the targeted bases, although the extent of the damage remains unknown. The United States has maintained a large military footprint across the Gulf region since 1990, when it first established bases in Saudi Arabia to stage a military buildup against Iraq, which paved the way to a full scale U.S.-led invasion of the country in 2003.
Sadly, it appears that the Iranian strikes have caused at least some American casualties.
U.S. Central Command is telling us that three service members have died and five others have been seriously wounded…
Three American service members were killed in action amid the ongoing conflict with Iran, U.S. military officials confirmed, one day after the United States and Israel launched airstrikes and Tehran quickly hit back.
Five others were seriously wounded, according to U.S. Central Command, which didn’t provide further details. The service members were not immediately identified.
Needless to say, this is probably just the beginning.
The FBI has issued a chilling warning to Americans as fears grow Iran will strike the US through its terrorist proxies.
FBI counterterrorism and counterintelligence teams are on elevated alert across the country, according to an agency official.
Terrorism fears are surging in the wake of Donald Trump’s military strikes on Iran, as reports circulate that the Islamic regime’s supreme leader was killed.
There are approximately 2.5 million Shiite Muslims living in the United States, and one of them just walked into a Texas bar and opened fire…
A gunman wearing a ‘Property of Allah’ shirt who opened fire on a Texas bar may have been an Islamic terrorist motivated by the US strikes on Iran, police have said.
Two people were shot dead and 14 more were wounded at a packed-out bar in Austin during the early hours of Sunday, before officers killed the attacker in return fire.
A law enforcement source identified the shooter to the Daily Mail as Ndiaga Diagne, 53, an ex-New York City resident and US citizen originally from Senegal.
It is impossible to predict where something like this may happen.
Authorities are telling us that this man had a Quran in his vehicle, and it is being reported that he “was possibly wearing an undershirt or t-shirt that had an Iranian flag or Iranian representations on it”…
He was found to have a Quran in his car, wore ‘Islamic’ clothing when he opened fire on the bar, and may have been motivated by US strikes in Iran.
Diagne was wearing a shirt reading ‘Property of Allah’, and according to Fox News he was possibly wearing an undershirt or t-shirt that had an Iranian flag or Iranian representations on it.
There have already been multiple instances where violent protesters tried to commit acts of terror at U.S. consulates, and as a result at least 22 people have died so far…
At least 22 people were killed and more than 120 wounded in clashes with police on Sunday in Pakistan after protesters supporting Iran tried to storm the U.S. Consulate and United Nations offices.
In the port city of Karachi, fire was set at the U.S. Consulate entrance gate during a rally to condemn the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by the U.S. and Israeli military.
In Iraq, violent protesters attempted to breach the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, and things got very messy…
Things are also popping off outside high-secured Baghdad’s Green Zone, where Iraqis are trying to breach the US embassy, with hundreds seen rioting and even bringing bulldozing equipment to the site. The mob threw stones and clashed with Iraqi security forces, which responded with tear gas. “Their attempts had been thwarted so far, but they keep trying,” an official told AFP. Iraq is a Shia majority country with heavy loyalty to the Shia religious establishment in Iran.
If this war drags on, this will be just the beginning of the terror.
For many Shiite Muslims, there is no limit as to what they would be willing to do to get revenge.
They will never forgive, and they will never forget.
Yes, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is gone, but his legacy will be with us for a long time to come.
How Many Children Questioning Their Gender Are On Psychiatric Drug “Treatments?” Republished with permission from AbleChild. AbleChild can’t help but wonder why transgender individuals commit a disproportionate share of mass … Read more
With so many people now closely following the situation in Iran, considering the possible fallout and aftermath of it, many might be feeling all rather shaken at the moment. Add to this all the other worries and trials of life, and lots of people – including Christians – can feel very fearful and quite concerned.
But the believer knows that the unshakeable and unchangeable God can use ‘a whole lotta shaking going on’ to achieve his purposes. They would include: to wean his people away from things that offer false security; to strip away our false gods and idols; and to get our focus, trust and attention fully on him.
So there are good purposes indeed in all this shaking that God allows or brings upon us. In his book Mere Christendom, Douglas Wilson had a useful thing to say about this:
We cannot pray for the purification of the silver, and then despair when we begin to approach the furnace that removes the dross. The church in America is shot through with corruptions. If we want that corruption removed, then we must also want God’s appointed instruments for removing it. When God wants to reveal what cannot be shaken, He does so by shaking. That is where we are right now, and it should be a great encouragement to us. That is, it should be a great encouragement for those whose ministries are not chaff, dross, or loose unmortared stones.
Such divine shaking can come in many forms to individuals, but there is also a bigger picture here. Scripture often speaks of the shaking of God which also includes the heavens and the earth. There is the ongoing work of God’s judgment and/or discipline now, but there is also an eschatological shaking that God has promised. Consider a few of these passages.
In Isaiah 2:19-21 we read this:
People will flee to caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth. In that day people will throw away to the moles and bats their idols of silver and idols of gold, which they made to worship. They will flee to caverns in the rocks and to the overhanging crags from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth.
Later in Isaiah (13:13) there is found this strong word:
Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the Lord of hosts in the day of his fierce anger.
Haggai 2:6-7 says similar things:
For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts.
And in Hebrews 12:18-29 we read about a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Here is what it says in verses 25-29:
See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.
Hebrews: An Anchor for the Soul (Preaching the Word Commentary): An Anchor for the Soul (2 Volumes in 1) by Hughes, R. Kent (Author)
Plenty of helpful commentary can be appealed to here, but one writer I have quoted before on this is R. Kent Hughes. He titles his 2015 expository commentary An Anchor for the Soul. In a world that is shaking and quaking, we certainly do need a solid anchor.
Hughes offers these helpful words:
The initial historical event where God’s voice shook the earth was at Mt Sinai when he verbally spelled out the Ten Commandments with a thunderous voice. Imagine how terrifying it was to have the ground under one’s feet tremble in response to God’s audible word. There were no sleepers in the congregation at Sinai!
But there is an infinitely greater shaking coming, an eschatological cosmic shaking of the whole universe, and it too will be triggered by God’s word. Here the writer has quoted God’s promise from Haggai 2:6 – “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens” (v. 26b) – indicating that every created thing will be shaken to utter disintegration. This is in accord with what the Scriptures teach us about the power of God’s Word. Genesis says that he created everything by his Word as He spoke the universe into existence. Therefore, one “little word” from him can and will fell creation!
The Psalmist tells us that creation is transitory. “Of old you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment” (Psalm 102:25, 26; cf. Hebrews 1:10-12). Isaiah says of the future, “Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the Lord of hosts in the day of his fierce anger” (Isaiah 13:13). And Peter identifies it with the day of the Lord: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will disappear with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed” (2 Peter 3:10). Think of it! All one hundred thousand million galaxies—each containing at least that many stars—each galaxy one hundred light-years across—will hear the word and shake out of existence! Just a little word from God, and it is done.
The reason for this is clearly spelled out: “in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain” (v. 27b). The people of God, as a part of the order of things which are unshakable, will survive. But everything else in the universe will be shaken and therefore purged. Everything that is wrong will be eradicated. No sin, no imperfection will remain. Then there will be a blessed reconstruction— “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away” (Revelation 21:1).
To those who are obedient this is good news. And the preacher means it to be a powerful encouragement to the beleaguered little church to which he writes, in which some feel as though their lives are being shaken to pieces by Rome. “Stand firm amidst the Roman tremors,” he seems to be saying, “because the ultimate shaking is coming when Rome and indeed the entire present evil order, will shake to oblivion. And you, as part of the new order, will survive. Take heart!” On the other hand, to those who are ignoring God’s Word and drifting further away, this was a disquieting revelation and challenge to obedience.
Quite so. In Revelation 3:2 where Christ speaks to the church in Sardis, he says this: “Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain”. Bob Dylan famously picked up this phrase in his song “When You Gonna Wake Up” from his 1979 album, Slow Train Coming. The song begins:
God don’t make promises that He don’t keep You got some big dreams baby, but in order to dream you gotta still be asleep.
When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up When you gonna wake up strengthen the things that remain?
Counterfeited philosophies have polluted all of your thoughts Karl Marx has got ya by the throat, Henry Kissinger’s got you tied up in knots.
When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up When you gonna wake up strengthen the things that remain?
The closing verses are these:
You can’t take it with you and you know that it’s too worthless to be sold They tell you, “Time is money,” as if your life was worth its weight in gold
When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain?
There’s a Man up on a cross and He’s been crucified Do you have any idea why or for who He died?
When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain?
In this world very little that exists will remain. That is why we must cling to that which will forever remain, to that which can NOT be shaken. As we do that, we can handle all the shaking that we see happening all around us, be it wars in the Middle East or any other worrying events and circumstances.
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