June 20, 2025 • 33 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hello, and welcome to this week's podcast on Prey dot com.
We call it Dateline Jerusalem. And for the first time
since we've been doing these podcasts and over a year now,
we don't have a guest, and I'm going to be
sharing myself about what's happening here in Israel. I know
most of the world is watching what's happening here and
(00:22):
interested in its ramifications, what's been happening, certainly what life
is like here in Jerusalem since Operation Rising Lion began
last Friday morning, And I'll share some of my personal
experiences and also hopefully some insight of what's happening now geopolitically,
(00:43):
especially spiritually as well. There's profound things happening in Israel,
in Iran, in the Middle East and the world today,
and that's what we're going to be talking about. So
what happened to me in Operation Rising Lion. It began
last Friday morning, and our production manager came over to
(01:06):
my house and he woke me up. It started around
three o'clock is when the news got out that Israel
had attacked Iran, something it had been promising, that had
been speculated about for months, something that actually had been
in the planning for more than twenty years, and so
at four point thirty in the morning, my production manner
(01:28):
came over to my apartment woke me up. So we
came in early that morning and we did a YouTube
live on CBN News. And since then, it's been quite
a challenging time, quite a exhausting time in many ways.
And what this is doing, Operation Rising Line, is helping
(01:50):
to defeat what has been an existential threat to the
people of Israel, to the state of Israel for maybe
more than twenty years. I came here in August of
two thousand and about twenty five years ago, and I've
been reporting on Iran's nuclear program for almost that long.
(02:12):
It had to be two thousand and two. In August
when the world began to know about Iran's nuclear program.
There was an Iranian opposition group that came to the
Washington Press Department there in Washington, d c.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
And announced it.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
And ever since then, it's been speculated what Israel might
do to eliminate this threat. Why I say it's existential
threat because the regime, the Iranian regime that began in
nineteen seventy nine, ruled by Shiite Ayatolis, has been pledging
to eliminate and destroy the state of Israel since about
(02:57):
that time. They mean what they say, They've said it
quite openly, they've said it quite often, and developing a
nuclear program that would enable them to go ahead and
destroy the people of Israel and the state of Israel.
So what has happened in the last five days now?
I'm recording this on Wednesday, June eighteenth. You will probably
(03:19):
hear this on June Saturday, June twenty first, and things
may happen between now and then. Obviously, the big speculation
right now is what President Trump will decide to do.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Will he actually.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Joined the war with Israel, Will it provide some of
the specific munitions that Israel needs to destroy one of
Iran's key enrichment facilities. And I can talk more about
that in a few moments. But what is it done
in the last several days. Some people are liking to
(04:03):
what happened in the nineteen sixty seven Six Day War.
At that time, Israel was surrounded by many nations that
were pledging to drive it into the sea. That would
be Egypt and Jordan and Syria in particular, and a
preemptive strike was done in June of nineteen sixty seven,
(04:25):
and here we are in June of twenty twenty five.
During that time, Israel was able to defeat those Arab armies.
It was able to recapture Judaea and Samaria what the
world calls the West Bank. It was able to recover
what Israel had not controlled in more than two thousand years,
(04:46):
the Temple Mount and the part of Jerusalem, including the
Temple Mount in the Western Wall.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
So that was in nineteen sixty seven.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Many people believe that was a miraculus battle that for Israel.
And here we are in twenty twenty five, and many
people see this happening right now is a hinge of
history where things are literally changing in such a profound
geopolitical way.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
So what has happened.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
We're talking about Israel, a country of about ten million
people striking a country of ninety million people about one
thousand miles away as an area about seventy five times
that of Israel. And despite within just the first seventy
two hours of Operation Rising Lion inflicting losses, approaching the
(05:46):
same thing that happened in nineteen sixty seven, they've destroyed
almost all of Iran's air defenses.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Its air force has been destroyed.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
A large part of the military and Revolutionary Guard commanders,
most senior among them, have been eliminated. And much of
this was an operation done by the Masad, which is
sort of the Cia of the.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
People of Israel live in.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Eliminated almost the entire air force command, the majority of
the senior nuclear scientists, half of Iran's nuclear facilities, many
of the government buildings in Tehran, most of the Mitchell
missile launchers, and also a severe shortage of fuel. And
(06:32):
right now there's massive actually right now, Tehran, the capital
of Iran, is much much like a ghost on right now.
President Trump, after several days after Operation Rising Line began,
just talked told the people to evacuate. Many of the
government buildings in Tehran are being hit even as we speak.
(06:55):
And there is a sense, well in what we've seen
on video on social media video is many Iranians have
taken to the streets and taken to social media asking
for Israel to continue so that the regime, which has
been an oppressive, persecuting regime for forty six years, that
(07:21):
they could finally be free of that. And so that's
what many Iranians are hoping and praying for What happened
is during these forty six years, is that Kasaan Sulimani,
he used to be the head of the IRGC, the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and he had built an army,
(07:43):
said he boasted six armies, and that would be Hesbalah
Hamas Islamic Shiahad, the Huti's down in Yemen, Syria, and
al Shababi that's in a militia in Iraq. And he said,
he boasted that any enemy that needs to fight Iran
will have to go through these six armies. And miraculously,
(08:06):
since October seventh, one of the worst days in all
of Israel's modern history since the Holocaust, Israel has been
able to defeat or degrade all six of those armies
and now is taking on Iran itself. Many people believe
this is a result of prayer and no coincidence, that
(08:27):
these miracles are happening shortly after the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast,
that's when a prayer conference of hundreds of people came
here to Jerusalem to pray people from all over the world.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
So this is.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
Something that this is part of what's happening here in
the last just several days now. Despite that, Iran has
been firing missiles, hundreds of missiles, maybe over four hundred
by now, and a lot of drones and UAVs. What
it's like here in Israel to be like that, to
(09:03):
be under missile attack is the home Front Command on
the everybody's phone will send an alert and the alert
goes out and then which means that within a short
time you will likely hear a siren. And then the
siren is your queue to go ahead and find a
shelter as soon as possible and get in the shelter
(09:27):
until the all clear sign comes out.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
Now, that doesn't happen all the time.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
And I'll tell you that we were here in the
bureau a few days ago and there was a siren
that went off. We went out to the balcony and
actually started videotaping and you can actually see in real
time many of these missiles that are coming in and
you see them intercepted. There's also sort of a unique
(09:55):
part of that is when these missiles are intercepted outside
the atmosphere, it almost makes it looks like a firework
display when it explodes. So we saw that as well.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Now, this is not the first time we've seen that.
Two years.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Last year there were two times when Israel when Iran
fired hundreds of projectiles, including ballistic missiles and drones and UAVs.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
About ninety nine percent of those was shot down.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
Most of these have been shot down, however, there have
been missiles that have gone through. And we on Sunday
we went to a place called bat Yam. It's a
coastal town not too far from the Mediterranean, not too
far from Tel Aviv, and we got to witness what
one of these missiles can do. These missiles, the ballistic
(10:50):
missiles have about one thousand pounds of explosives. Now, this
missile hit and literally sheared an eleven story apartment building
in half, destroyed the building beside it, and the damage
you could see was for blocks around. The shock wave
would knock off, would destroy buildings or destroy windows, knock
(11:16):
off trim from buildings, and you could see that for
blocks around. And despite that, what's remarkable is the resilience
of the people of Israel. And I'll give you one
first hand experience. During the time we were down there
in butt Yam doing stories for CBN News, a siren
was about to go off so many people, including probably
(11:40):
a couple of hundred of the rescue workers. They're in
the rubble looking for three missing people. Tragically, nine people
died in that attack, about two hundred were wounded. Three
of those the dead persons were children. But they were
looking through the rubble. But at this time, because of
the siren, we all went in to the underground parking garage,
(12:03):
which was the closest bombshelter that could hold all the
people of all the rescue workers as well as many
of the people in the local neighborhood. While we were
down there, you know, some people began singing spontaneously, I'm
Israel High, which is Hebrew for the people of Israel Live.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
And so that's just one example.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
I think of the resilience of the people here in
Israel to see them go through this crisis, this war
and yet still have their hopes and their dreams and
the resilience that the people of Israel will live despite
all that's going on right now. There's also a possibility,
(12:50):
because of the attacks by Israel, that this could lead
to a regime change in around itself. We talked to
correspondent George Thomas of CBN News who has reported extensively
on Iran. He's been to Iran itself. He's also interviewed
a man called Reza Pallavi who is the son of
(13:13):
the late Shah, and he is seen by some as
the possibility of a leader in Iran who may.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Take over if the regime falls now.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
In the meantime, since nineteen seventy nine there has grown
and maybe people sometimes believe it is the fastest growing
church in the world. Is the underground church in Iran.
Many people in Iran have come to faith through a
dream or a vision from the Holy Spirit. Back several
(13:46):
years ago, I was in Rabel, Iraq doing the story
and we had the opportunity to meet five Iranian believers
in Jesus, and four of the five came to faith
through a dream or a vision, seeing sometimes a man
in white. Sometimes these dreams would come multiple times, and
(14:07):
finally they may meet a believer and profess their confession
of faith. And these are people with just a joy
of the Lord that's infectious. Their faith is strong despite
the fact that they live under great danger being exposed.
They could be imprisoned, they could be tortured, they could
(14:30):
be executed, and yet much of their faith remains strong,
and so it was just a wonderful encouragement to me
to see them. When we were there, they all were baptized,
and actually the house where they were staying had a
couple of young children and they had a kiddie pool,
(14:52):
so they filled up the kiddie pool.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
And they had a baptism.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
And one of the ladies in particular struck me because
when she was baptized, she got up and she said
happy birthday to me, Happy birthday to me, and she
was just excited that she was born again and could
celebrate her faith. So that's part of what's happening as well.
And during this time, it's very important to be praying
(15:19):
for the people of Iran, and.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
Especially for the underground church in Iran.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
And so maybe they are on the verge of finding
the liberation, the political liberation that they had been praying
for for many, many years. Many of these people have
to live their lives or celebrate their faith in small cells,
and this church is marked by signs and wonders and they,
(15:49):
as I said, they have great faith, and many of
them love Israel. It's just a spontaneous part of their
faith that when they come to faith in Jesus that
they they love Israel. In fact, when we were saying
goodbye to these five Iranians, one of them said, tell
the people of Israel, we love them. And so there
(16:11):
is a great connection between the people of Israel and
the people of Iran. In fact, many people are hoping
what it's called the Cyrus Accords would one day be revived,
meaning that the history of Persia, which is modern day
Iran and any Israel, could be restored because twenty five
(16:34):
hundred years or so ago, King Cyrus of that part
of the world of Persia was able to help rebuild
the Temple here in Jerusalem. So that's why some people
are hoping and praying that the Cyrus Accords could emerge,
just as the Abraham Accords have emerged here in the
(16:57):
Middle East between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain and Morocco.
Perhaps in the future Saudi Arabia will come part of that.
But there's a great hope that the Cyrus Accords could
come to pass if this Iranian regime that has been
such a burden in such a dark place for the
(17:21):
whole Middle East is eventually removed. Now I'm talking about
you I'm talking to you on Wednesday. Many people are
looking at Thursday about a possible reversal of the decree
of Hayman. Explain, now, Sevan twenty three comes during the
(17:46):
month of Sivan, and it actually coincides on the same day.
Is what happened in the Book of Esther. In the
Book of Esther, you remember that Hayman wicked. Hayman was
a man, maybe one of the second in command or
third in command to the king, had the king issue
(18:08):
with decree that would annihilate all the Jewish people throughout
the land. Now, Queen Esther, brave Queen Esther, exposed a
plot of Hayman, and she did that at great peril
to her life, because she's if you went into the
king unannounced or uninvited, you could be executed. But she
(18:31):
did so, and she invited the king to a banquet
along with Hayman for one night, and then invited Hayman
and the King to a banquet the second night. And
during that time she exposed the plans of Hayman to
annihilate the Jewish people and her would include her being
a Jewish woman and the queen, and then the king
(18:54):
had Hayman built hanged on the gallows that Haman had
actually built for Mordecai because he hated Mordecai fervently. Well,
what happened is that the decree of Haymen was reversed.
And it says that in Esther, chapter eight, verse nine,
it says, so the king's scribes were called at that
(19:15):
time in the third month, that is the month of Sivan,
on the twenty third day, and it was written according
to all that Mordecai commanded. So since then it's been
known by many people as a day of divine reversal,
So when the edict of death was met with a
new decree of hope and deliverance. And so the question
(19:36):
is some people are asking, could Thursday be a day
when the decrees of Iran and the Ayatollah Hamane which
is called for the destruction of Israel and the Jewish people,
would be reversed. So just like Hayman, you know, twenty
five hundred years ago, wanted to kill Mordecai and the
Jews and Queen Esther and as well as Hamane, here
(19:58):
in twenty twenty five is wanted to destroy Israel and.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
The Jewish people.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
So that's part of what some people are considering that
maybe Thursday will be a pivot point and where this
edict of death has been reversed. One other thing that
would give some context and understanding of what this battle
is all about is the Ayatola Hamani is obviously cornered
(20:24):
and yet defiant of what they will do.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
As far as.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
As I'm recording this, he is not surrendered, and not
as President Trump has called for unconditional surrender. But he's
being defiant and he's saying that he's calling forth for
the Battle of Kaibar. Now why is that important? So
back in six hundred and twenty eight, the seventh century,
(20:54):
the Muslims were led by Mohammad and the Jewish. They
attacked the Jewish tribes of Kaibar. Now there was a
place north of Medina in the Saudi Arabian Peninsula, and
it turned out to be a decisive victory for Muhammad. Actually,
his cousin and son in law, Ali was given the
banner to lead the final charge and he ripped the
(21:17):
gates into the main fortress. So Hidar, the place and
the tribe of Kaibar has really been associated with the
heroic bravery in battle since that time. So that's why
he is calling for victory at Kaibar, and so that's
a very symbolic thing for many Muslims. So that's a
(21:40):
part of the context of what's happening. And it's a
very important time to be praying for the people of Israel,
for the people of Iran, for this hinge of history
to go to its ultimate end that many people are
praying for.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
That would be the freedom of the people of.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
Iran, the destruction of this regime that has oppressed so
many people, that has exported the Islamic Revolution all over
the world, and it has spawned terror groups all over
the world. It has killed many Americans throughout its history.
The US embassy barracks for one in Lebanon back in
(22:26):
the nineteen eighties. And during this what's happened is Ambassador
Mike Huckabee. He's the newly appointed ambassador to Israel, and
we had the opportunity to end privilege to interview him
not too long ago, about ten days ago in our studio,
just a few days actually before Operation Rising Line began.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
And many people see.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
Him called as they say, for such a time as this,
and it's really a remarkable man. We just loved having him,
and we just feel like the Lord's hand is on
him in the So what he's done in the last
couple of days. He's written a private note to President Trump,
which President Trump, when he received it, put it on
(23:13):
true social is his way that he gets out most
of his messages and not expected to be public, according
to Ambassador Coupee, but he wrote this, and I think
it's very inspiring. Mister President, God spared you in Butler,
PA to be the most consequential president in a century,
(23:36):
maybe ever. The decisions on your shoulders I would not
want to be made by anyone else. You have many
voices speaking to you, sir, but there is only one.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
Voice that matters. His voice.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
I am your appointed servant in this land, and I
am available for you. But I do not try to
get in your presence often because I trust your instincts.
No president in my lifetime has been in a position
like yours, not since Truman in nineteen forty five. That
would be Harry, President Harry Truman. I don't reach out
(24:12):
to persuade you, only to encourage you. I believe you
will hear from heaven and that voice is far more
important than mine or anyone else's. You sent me to
Israel to be your eyes, ears and voice, to make
sure our flag flies above our embassy. My job is
to be the last one to leave. I will not
(24:33):
abandon this post. Our flag will not come down. You
did not seek this moment. This moment sought you. It
is my honor to serve you. Signed Mike Cuckabee. And
I thought that was just such a wonderful, inspiring word
by the ambassador. He's not only ambassador to for the US,
(24:55):
he's ambassador I believe of the Kingdom. And also that
MA people have been talking about scripturally how to pray,
and I'll read a couple of the Psalms that many
people are referring to at this particular time. Certainly this
is something that we pray and redeclare while we under
(25:18):
a missile attack. From Psalm ninety one, it says he
who dwells in the shelter of the most High will
abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say
of the Lord my refuge and my fortress, my God,
and whom I trust, for it is he who delivers
you from the snare of the trapper and from the
deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and
(25:41):
under his wings you may seek refuge. His faithfulness is
a shield in bulwark. You will not be afraid of
the terror by night, or of the arrow that flies
by day, of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, are
of the destruction that lays waste at noon. A thousand
may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your
(26:01):
right hand, but it shall not approach you. You will
only look on your own eyes. You will only look
on with your own eyes and see the recompense of
the wicked. For you have made the Lord my refuge.
Even the most high your dwelling place, no evil will
befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent.
(26:22):
For He will give his angels charge concerning you, to
guard you in all your ways. They will bear you
up on their hands. Lest you strike your foot against
the stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra.
The young lion you will trample, and the serpent you
will trample underfoot. Because he has loved me, therefore I
(26:45):
will deliver him. I will set him securely on high,
because he has known my name. He will call upon me,
and I will answer him. I will be with him
in trouble. I will rescue him and honor him with
a long life. I will satisfy him and let him
behold my salvation. And one other's pal that many people
(27:07):
are looking for to these days is some There are
two more psalms, Psalm one twenty one, one of my favorites.
I will lift up my eyes to the mountains. From
whence shall my help come. My help comes from the
Lord who made heaven and earth. He will not allow
your foot to slip. He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold,
(27:31):
he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The
Lord is your keeper. The Lord is your shade on
your right hand. The sun will not smite you by day,
nor the moon by night. The Lord will protect you
from all evil. The Lord will guard your going out
and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.
(27:52):
And a lot of people look to that verse four. Behold,
he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. And
some says the Lord says, to my Lord, sit at
my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool
for my feet. The Lord will stretch forth thy strong
scepter from Zion, saying rule in the midst of thine enemies.
(28:15):
Thy people will volunteer freely in the day of your
power and holy raye from the womb of the dawn.
The youth are to you as the do The Lord
has sworn and will not change his mind. Thou art
a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek, and
the Lord is at your right hand. He will shatter
(28:36):
kings in the day of his wrath. He will judge
among the nations, he will fill them with corpses. He
will shadow the chief men over a broad country. He
will drink from the brook by the wayside. Therefore he
will lift up his head. So these are some of
the psalms that people are reciting, praying, and looking up for.
(28:58):
When Jesus said that you would see these things happening,
he said, to look up for your redemption. Draweth nigh
where I work, I can look over and see them
out of olives.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
Knowing that one day Jesus is going to come.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
Back, and it's so incumbent, I think on all of
us to be preparing for his coming whenever that does come,
and to prepare for his coming to be like the
wise virgins who kept their oil lamps trimmed and had
plenty of oil. So let me pray for you and
(29:36):
pray for what's happening here in the Middle East right now. Father,
we thank you for your word that does say you
will watch over Israel. You neither slumber nor sleep. We
pray your protection over the people of Israel from these
missile attacks. We pray your protection over each and every
(29:57):
person living in the land from day and Lord, we
pray as you encourage us to pray for leaders and
all those in authority. We pray for Prime Minister Netanyahu,
for all the idea, for all the security Cabinet, for
all the leaders making historic and life and death decisions.
(30:17):
We pray for great counsel, great wisdom from above for them.
We pray as well for the people of Iran that
have been on such a dark tyranny for decades. We
pray that they could finally be free and set free.
We pray for the underground Church, that there could be
an explosion of signs and wonders and dreams and visions,
(30:41):
and many people coming into your kingdom. We thank you,
Father for these brave men and women of whom it
says in Hebrews chapter.
Speaker 2 (30:50):
Eleven, of whom the world is not worthy.
Speaker 1 (30:53):
We just thank you that they have stood steadfast and
under great persecution. We pray as well for President Trump
for wisdom upon him, that he would have great wisdom
as he makes major, historic, even biblical decisions about what
to do. So we pray Father for him and all
his advisers, that he would have wise counsel. And Father,
(31:16):
I pray for each and everyone listening. Everybody, we're facing challenges.
They could be family matters, they could be financial matters,
whatever they may be, Father, we all face challenges, and
I pray for your peace that passes understanding that for
each and everyone listening, we pray that you would watch
(31:37):
over them, keep them safe.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
And Father, that each.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
Of each and every one of us has good works
ordained since the foundation of the world. Help us be
faithful to you, Help us walk in those good works,
so that when we see you face to face, and
we will see you face to face one day, you
can say to us, well done, good and faithful servants,
enter into the joy of your Lord.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
We asked this in Jesus' name.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
Amen, So I hope you've enjoyed this explanation about what's
happening here in Israel at this particular time of Operation
Rising Lion. We're going through historic times, we believe, biblical times,
and it's a time to keep looking up, keeping our
eyes fixed on Jesus, the Author and the finish of
(32:25):
our faith.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
So thanks for joining us.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
Please share this if you'd like, and tell people more
about pray dot com slash Chris Mitchell. We do pray
that we do ask if you could help us with
this podcast. You can give on this, but however, the
Lord leads you, and so again thanks for joining us
and hope to talk to you soon as well.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
We are putting on our.
Speaker 1 (32:50):
Page some of the YouTube lives, some of the Facebook lives,
some that you can follow what's happening here. You can
follow Jerusalem date Line as well. We do that twice
a week on Tuesdays and Fridays. You can check out
CBR Neews at cbrnews dot com, CBR News YouTube, Jerusalem
(33:10):
Dateline seven hundred club and I hope you enjoy what
we try to be like watchmen on the walls and
watch women on the walls, giving a sense of what's
happening here in Jerusalem and throughout the Middle East. So
God bless from Jerusalem, Bye bye,
Hello, and welcome to this week's podcast on Prey dot com.
We call it Dateline Jerusalem. And for the first time
since we've been doing these podcasts and over a year now,
we don't have a guest, and I'm going to be
sharing myself about what's happening here in Israel. I know
most of the world is watching what's happening here and
(00:22):
interested in its ramifications, what's been happening, certainly what life
is like here in Jerusalem since Operation Rising Lion began
last Friday morning, And I'll share some of my personal
experiences and also hopefully some insight of what's happening now geopolitically,
(00:43):
especially spiritually as well. There's profound things happening in Israel,
in Iran, in the Middle East and the world today,
and that's what we're going to be talking about. So
what happened to me in Operation Rising Lion. It began
last Friday morning, and our production manager came over to
(01:06):
my house and he woke me up. It started around
three o'clock is when the news got out that Israel
had attacked Iran, something it had been promising, that had
been speculated about for months, something that actually had been
in the planning for more than twenty years, and so
at four point thirty in the morning, my production manner
(01:28):
came over to my apartment woke me up. So we
came in early that morning and we did a YouTube
live on CBN News. And since then, it's been quite
a challenging time, quite a exhausting time in many ways.
And what this is doing, Operation Rising Line, is helping
(01:50):
to defeat what has been an existential threat to the
people of Israel, to the state of Israel for maybe
more than twenty years. I came here in August of
two thousand and about twenty five years ago, and I've
been reporting on Iran's nuclear program for almost that long.
(02:12):
It had to be two thousand and two. In August
when the world began to know about Iran's nuclear program.
There was an Iranian opposition group that came to the
Washington Press Department there in Washington, d c.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
And announced it.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
And ever since then, it's been speculated what Israel might
do to eliminate this threat. Why I say it's existential
threat because the regime, the Iranian regime that began in
nineteen seventy nine, ruled by Shiite Ayatolis, has been pledging
to eliminate and destroy the state of Israel since about
(02:57):
that time. They mean what they say, They've said it
quite openly, they've said it quite often, and developing a
nuclear program that would enable them to go ahead and
destroy the people of Israel and the state of Israel.
So what has happened in the last five days now?
I'm recording this on Wednesday, June eighteenth. You will probably
(03:19):
hear this on June Saturday, June twenty first, and things
may happen between now and then. Obviously, the big speculation
right now is what President Trump will decide to do.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Will he actually.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Joined the war with Israel, Will it provide some of
the specific munitions that Israel needs to destroy one of
Iran's key enrichment facilities. And I can talk more about
that in a few moments. But what is it done
in the last several days. Some people are liking to
(04:03):
what happened in the nineteen sixty seven Six Day War.
At that time, Israel was surrounded by many nations that
were pledging to drive it into the sea. That would
be Egypt and Jordan and Syria in particular, and a
preemptive strike was done in June of nineteen sixty seven,
(04:25):
and here we are in June of twenty twenty five.
During that time, Israel was able to defeat those Arab armies.
It was able to recapture Judaea and Samaria what the
world calls the West Bank. It was able to recover
what Israel had not controlled in more than two thousand years,
(04:46):
the Temple Mount and the part of Jerusalem, including the
Temple Mount in the Western Wall.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
So that was in nineteen sixty seven.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Many people believe that was a miraculus battle that for Israel.
And here we are in twenty twenty five, and many
people see this happening right now is a hinge of
history where things are literally changing in such a profound
geopolitical way.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
So what has happened.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
We're talking about Israel, a country of about ten million
people striking a country of ninety million people about one
thousand miles away as an area about seventy five times
that of Israel. And despite within just the first seventy
two hours of Operation Rising Lion inflicting losses, approaching the
(05:46):
same thing that happened in nineteen sixty seven, they've destroyed
almost all of Iran's air defenses.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Its air force has been destroyed.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
A large part of the military and Revolutionary Guard commanders,
most senior among them, have been eliminated. And much of
this was an operation done by the Masad, which is
sort of the Cia of the.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
People of Israel live in.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Eliminated almost the entire air force command, the majority of
the senior nuclear scientists, half of Iran's nuclear facilities, many
of the government buildings in Tehran, most of the Mitchell
missile launchers, and also a severe shortage of fuel. And
(06:32):
right now there's massive actually right now, Tehran, the capital
of Iran, is much much like a ghost on right now.
President Trump, after several days after Operation Rising Line began,
just talked told the people to evacuate. Many of the
government buildings in Tehran are being hit even as we speak.
(06:55):
And there is a sense, well in what we've seen
on video on social media video is many Iranians have
taken to the streets and taken to social media asking
for Israel to continue so that the regime, which has
been an oppressive, persecuting regime for forty six years, that
(07:21):
they could finally be free of that. And so that's
what many Iranians are hoping and praying for What happened
is during these forty six years, is that Kasaan Sulimani,
he used to be the head of the IRGC, the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and he had built an army,
(07:43):
said he boasted six armies, and that would be Hesbalah
Hamas Islamic Shiahad, the Huti's down in Yemen, Syria, and
al Shababi that's in a militia in Iraq. And he said,
he boasted that any enemy that needs to fight Iran
will have to go through these six armies. And miraculously,
(08:06):
since October seventh, one of the worst days in all
of Israel's modern history since the Holocaust, Israel has been
able to defeat or degrade all six of those armies
and now is taking on Iran itself. Many people believe
this is a result of prayer and no coincidence, that
(08:27):
these miracles are happening shortly after the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast,
that's when a prayer conference of hundreds of people came
here to Jerusalem to pray people from all over the world.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
So this is.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
Something that this is part of what's happening here in
the last just several days now. Despite that, Iran has
been firing missiles, hundreds of missiles, maybe over four hundred
by now, and a lot of drones and UAVs. What
it's like here in Israel to be like that, to
(09:03):
be under missile attack is the home Front Command on
the everybody's phone will send an alert and the alert
goes out and then which means that within a short
time you will likely hear a siren. And then the
siren is your queue to go ahead and find a
shelter as soon as possible and get in the shelter
(09:27):
until the all clear sign comes out.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
Now, that doesn't happen all the time.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
And I'll tell you that we were here in the
bureau a few days ago and there was a siren
that went off. We went out to the balcony and
actually started videotaping and you can actually see in real
time many of these missiles that are coming in and
you see them intercepted. There's also sort of a unique
(09:55):
part of that is when these missiles are intercepted outside
the atmosphere, it almost makes it looks like a firework
display when it explodes. So we saw that as well.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Now, this is not the first time we've seen that.
Two years.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Last year there were two times when Israel when Iran
fired hundreds of projectiles, including ballistic missiles and drones and UAVs.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
About ninety nine percent of those was shot down.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
Most of these have been shot down, however, there have
been missiles that have gone through. And we on Sunday
we went to a place called bat Yam. It's a
coastal town not too far from the Mediterranean, not too
far from Tel Aviv, and we got to witness what
one of these missiles can do. These missiles, the ballistic
(10:50):
missiles have about one thousand pounds of explosives. Now, this
missile hit and literally sheared an eleven story apartment building
in half, destroyed the building beside it, and the damage
you could see was for blocks around. The shock wave
would knock off, would destroy buildings or destroy windows, knock
(11:16):
off trim from buildings, and you could see that for
blocks around. And despite that, what's remarkable is the resilience
of the people of Israel. And I'll give you one
first hand experience. During the time we were down there
in butt Yam doing stories for CBN News, a siren
was about to go off so many people, including probably
(11:40):
a couple of hundred of the rescue workers. They're in
the rubble looking for three missing people. Tragically, nine people
died in that attack, about two hundred were wounded. Three
of those the dead persons were children. But they were
looking through the rubble. But at this time, because of
the siren, we all went in to the underground parking garage,
(12:03):
which was the closest bombshelter that could hold all the
people of all the rescue workers as well as many
of the people in the local neighborhood. While we were
down there, you know, some people began singing spontaneously, I'm
Israel High, which is Hebrew for the people of Israel Live.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
And so that's just one example.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
I think of the resilience of the people here in
Israel to see them go through this crisis, this war
and yet still have their hopes and their dreams and
the resilience that the people of Israel will live despite
all that's going on right now. There's also a possibility,
(12:50):
because of the attacks by Israel, that this could lead
to a regime change in around itself. We talked to
correspondent George Thomas of CBN News who has reported extensively
on Iran. He's been to Iran itself. He's also interviewed
a man called Reza Pallavi who is the son of
(13:13):
the late Shah, and he is seen by some as
the possibility of a leader in Iran who may.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Take over if the regime falls now.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
In the meantime, since nineteen seventy nine there has grown
and maybe people sometimes believe it is the fastest growing
church in the world. Is the underground church in Iran.
Many people in Iran have come to faith through a
dream or a vision from the Holy Spirit. Back several
(13:46):
years ago, I was in Rabel, Iraq doing the story
and we had the opportunity to meet five Iranian believers
in Jesus, and four of the five came to faith
through a dream or a vision, seeing sometimes a man
in white. Sometimes these dreams would come multiple times, and
(14:07):
finally they may meet a believer and profess their confession
of faith. And these are people with just a joy
of the Lord that's infectious. Their faith is strong despite
the fact that they live under great danger being exposed.
They could be imprisoned, they could be tortured, they could
(14:30):
be executed, and yet much of their faith remains strong,
and so it was just a wonderful encouragement to me
to see them. When we were there, they all were baptized,
and actually the house where they were staying had a
couple of young children and they had a kiddie pool,
(14:52):
so they filled up the kiddie pool.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
And they had a baptism.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
And one of the ladies in particular struck me because
when she was baptized, she got up and she said
happy birthday to me, Happy birthday to me, and she
was just excited that she was born again and could
celebrate her faith. So that's part of what's happening as well.
And during this time, it's very important to be praying
(15:19):
for the people of Iran, and.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
Especially for the underground church in Iran.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
And so maybe they are on the verge of finding
the liberation, the political liberation that they had been praying
for for many, many years. Many of these people have
to live their lives or celebrate their faith in small cells,
and this church is marked by signs and wonders and they,
(15:49):
as I said, they have great faith, and many of
them love Israel. It's just a spontaneous part of their
faith that when they come to faith in Jesus that
they they love Israel. In fact, when we were saying
goodbye to these five Iranians, one of them said, tell
the people of Israel, we love them. And so there
(16:11):
is a great connection between the people of Israel and
the people of Iran. In fact, many people are hoping
what it's called the Cyrus Accords would one day be revived,
meaning that the history of Persia, which is modern day
Iran and any Israel, could be restored because twenty five
(16:34):
hundred years or so ago, King Cyrus of that part
of the world of Persia was able to help rebuild
the Temple here in Jerusalem. So that's why some people
are hoping and praying that the Cyrus Accords could emerge,
just as the Abraham Accords have emerged here in the
(16:57):
Middle East between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain and Morocco.
Perhaps in the future Saudi Arabia will come part of that.
But there's a great hope that the Cyrus Accords could
come to pass if this Iranian regime that has been
such a burden in such a dark place for the
(17:21):
whole Middle East is eventually removed. Now I'm talking about
you I'm talking to you on Wednesday. Many people are
looking at Thursday about a possible reversal of the decree
of Hayman. Explain, now, Sevan twenty three comes during the
(17:46):
month of Sivan, and it actually coincides on the same day.
Is what happened in the Book of Esther. In the
Book of Esther, you remember that Hayman wicked. Hayman was
a man, maybe one of the second in command or
third in command to the king, had the king issue
(18:08):
with decree that would annihilate all the Jewish people throughout
the land. Now, Queen Esther, brave Queen Esther, exposed a
plot of Hayman, and she did that at great peril
to her life, because she's if you went into the
king unannounced or uninvited, you could be executed. But she
(18:31):
did so, and she invited the king to a banquet
along with Hayman for one night, and then invited Hayman
and the King to a banquet the second night. And
during that time she exposed the plans of Hayman to
annihilate the Jewish people and her would include her being
a Jewish woman and the queen, and then the king
(18:54):
had Hayman built hanged on the gallows that Haman had
actually built for Mordecai because he hated Mordecai fervently. Well,
what happened is that the decree of Haymen was reversed.
And it says that in Esther, chapter eight, verse nine,
it says, so the king's scribes were called at that
(19:15):
time in the third month, that is the month of Sivan,
on the twenty third day, and it was written according
to all that Mordecai commanded. So since then it's been
known by many people as a day of divine reversal,
So when the edict of death was met with a
new decree of hope and deliverance. And so the question
(19:36):
is some people are asking, could Thursday be a day
when the decrees of Iran and the Ayatollah Hamane which
is called for the destruction of Israel and the Jewish people,
would be reversed. So just like Hayman, you know, twenty
five hundred years ago, wanted to kill Mordecai and the
Jews and Queen Esther and as well as Hamane, here
(19:58):
in twenty twenty five is wanted to destroy Israel and.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
The Jewish people.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
So that's part of what some people are considering that
maybe Thursday will be a pivot point and where this
edict of death has been reversed. One other thing that
would give some context and understanding of what this battle
is all about is the Ayatola Hamani is obviously cornered
(20:24):
and yet defiant of what they will do.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
As far as.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
As I'm recording this, he is not surrendered, and not
as President Trump has called for unconditional surrender. But he's
being defiant and he's saying that he's calling forth for
the Battle of Kaibar. Now why is that important? So
back in six hundred and twenty eight, the seventh century,
(20:54):
the Muslims were led by Mohammad and the Jewish. They
attacked the Jewish tribes of Kaibar. Now there was a
place north of Medina in the Saudi Arabian Peninsula, and
it turned out to be a decisive victory for Muhammad. Actually,
his cousin and son in law, Ali was given the
banner to lead the final charge and he ripped the
(21:17):
gates into the main fortress. So Hidar, the place and
the tribe of Kaibar has really been associated with the
heroic bravery in battle since that time. So that's why
he is calling for victory at Kaibar, and so that's
a very symbolic thing for many Muslims. So that's a
(21:40):
part of the context of what's happening. And it's a
very important time to be praying for the people of Israel,
for the people of Iran, for this hinge of history
to go to its ultimate end that many people are
praying for.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
That would be the freedom of the people of.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
Iran, the destruction of this regime that has oppressed so
many people, that has exported the Islamic Revolution all over
the world, and it has spawned terror groups all over
the world. It has killed many Americans throughout its history.
The US embassy barracks for one in Lebanon back in
(22:26):
the nineteen eighties. And during this what's happened is Ambassador
Mike Huckabee. He's the newly appointed ambassador to Israel, and
we had the opportunity to end privilege to interview him
not too long ago, about ten days ago in our studio,
just a few days actually before Operation Rising Line began.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
And many people see.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
Him called as they say, for such a time as this,
and it's really a remarkable man. We just loved having him,
and we just feel like the Lord's hand is on
him in the So what he's done in the last
couple of days. He's written a private note to President Trump,
which President Trump, when he received it, put it on
(23:13):
true social is his way that he gets out most
of his messages and not expected to be public, according
to Ambassador Coupee, but he wrote this, and I think
it's very inspiring. Mister President, God spared you in Butler,
PA to be the most consequential president in a century,
(23:36):
maybe ever. The decisions on your shoulders I would not
want to be made by anyone else. You have many
voices speaking to you, sir, but there is only one.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
Voice that matters. His voice.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
I am your appointed servant in this land, and I
am available for you. But I do not try to
get in your presence often because I trust your instincts.
No president in my lifetime has been in a position
like yours, not since Truman in nineteen forty five. That
would be Harry, President Harry Truman. I don't reach out
(24:12):
to persuade you, only to encourage you. I believe you
will hear from heaven and that voice is far more
important than mine or anyone else's. You sent me to
Israel to be your eyes, ears and voice, to make
sure our flag flies above our embassy. My job is
to be the last one to leave. I will not
(24:33):
abandon this post. Our flag will not come down. You
did not seek this moment. This moment sought you. It
is my honor to serve you. Signed Mike Cuckabee. And
I thought that was just such a wonderful, inspiring word
by the ambassador. He's not only ambassador to for the US,
(24:55):
he's ambassador I believe of the Kingdom. And also that
MA people have been talking about scripturally how to pray,
and I'll read a couple of the Psalms that many
people are referring to at this particular time. Certainly this
is something that we pray and redeclare while we under
(25:18):
a missile attack. From Psalm ninety one, it says he
who dwells in the shelter of the most High will
abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say
of the Lord my refuge and my fortress, my God,
and whom I trust, for it is he who delivers
you from the snare of the trapper and from the
deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and
(25:41):
under his wings you may seek refuge. His faithfulness is
a shield in bulwark. You will not be afraid of
the terror by night, or of the arrow that flies
by day, of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, are
of the destruction that lays waste at noon. A thousand
may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your
(26:01):
right hand, but it shall not approach you. You will
only look on your own eyes. You will only look
on with your own eyes and see the recompense of
the wicked. For you have made the Lord my refuge.
Even the most high your dwelling place, no evil will
befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent.
(26:22):
For He will give his angels charge concerning you, to
guard you in all your ways. They will bear you
up on their hands. Lest you strike your foot against
the stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra.
The young lion you will trample, and the serpent you
will trample underfoot. Because he has loved me, therefore I
(26:45):
will deliver him. I will set him securely on high,
because he has known my name. He will call upon me,
and I will answer him. I will be with him
in trouble. I will rescue him and honor him with
a long life. I will satisfy him and let him
behold my salvation. And one other's pal that many people
(27:07):
are looking for to these days is some There are
two more psalms, Psalm one twenty one, one of my favorites.
I will lift up my eyes to the mountains. From
whence shall my help come. My help comes from the
Lord who made heaven and earth. He will not allow
your foot to slip. He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold,
(27:31):
he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The
Lord is your keeper. The Lord is your shade on
your right hand. The sun will not smite you by day,
nor the moon by night. The Lord will protect you
from all evil. The Lord will guard your going out
and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.
(27:52):
And a lot of people look to that verse four. Behold,
he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. And
some says the Lord says, to my Lord, sit at
my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool
for my feet. The Lord will stretch forth thy strong
scepter from Zion, saying rule in the midst of thine enemies.
(28:15):
Thy people will volunteer freely in the day of your
power and holy raye from the womb of the dawn.
The youth are to you as the do The Lord
has sworn and will not change his mind. Thou art
a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek, and
the Lord is at your right hand. He will shatter
(28:36):
kings in the day of his wrath. He will judge
among the nations, he will fill them with corpses. He
will shadow the chief men over a broad country. He
will drink from the brook by the wayside. Therefore he
will lift up his head. So these are some of
the psalms that people are reciting, praying, and looking up for.
(28:58):
When Jesus said that you would see these things happening,
he said, to look up for your redemption. Draweth nigh
where I work, I can look over and see them
out of olives.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
Knowing that one day Jesus is going to come.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
Back, and it's so incumbent, I think on all of
us to be preparing for his coming whenever that does come,
and to prepare for his coming to be like the
wise virgins who kept their oil lamps trimmed and had
plenty of oil. So let me pray for you and
(29:36):
pray for what's happening here in the Middle East right now. Father,
we thank you for your word that does say you
will watch over Israel. You neither slumber nor sleep. We
pray your protection over the people of Israel from these
missile attacks. We pray your protection over each and every
(29:57):
person living in the land from day and Lord, we
pray as you encourage us to pray for leaders and
all those in authority. We pray for Prime Minister Netanyahu,
for all the idea, for all the security Cabinet, for
all the leaders making historic and life and death decisions.
(30:17):
We pray for great counsel, great wisdom from above for them.
We pray as well for the people of Iran that
have been on such a dark tyranny for decades. We
pray that they could finally be free and set free.
We pray for the underground Church, that there could be
an explosion of signs and wonders and dreams and visions,
(30:41):
and many people coming into your kingdom. We thank you,
Father for these brave men and women of whom it
says in Hebrews chapter.
Speaker 2 (30:50):
Eleven, of whom the world is not worthy.
Speaker 1 (30:53):
We just thank you that they have stood steadfast and
under great persecution. We pray as well for President Trump
for wisdom upon him, that he would have great wisdom
as he makes major, historic, even biblical decisions about what
to do. So we pray Father for him and all
his advisers, that he would have wise counsel. And Father,
(31:16):
I pray for each and everyone listening. Everybody, we're facing challenges.
They could be family matters, they could be financial matters,
whatever they may be, Father, we all face challenges, and
I pray for your peace that passes understanding that for
each and everyone listening, we pray that you would watch
(31:37):
over them, keep them safe.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
And Father, that each.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
Of each and every one of us has good works
ordained since the foundation of the world. Help us be
faithful to you, Help us walk in those good works,
so that when we see you face to face, and
we will see you face to face one day, you
can say to us, well done, good and faithful servants,
enter into the joy of your Lord.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
We asked this in Jesus' name.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
Amen, So I hope you've enjoyed this explanation about what's
happening here in Israel at this particular time of Operation
Rising Lion. We're going through historic times, we believe, biblical times,
and it's a time to keep looking up, keeping our
eyes fixed on Jesus, the Author and the finish of
(32:25):
our faith.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
So thanks for joining us.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
Please share this if you'd like, and tell people more
about pray dot com slash Chris Mitchell. We do pray
that we do ask if you could help us with
this podcast. You can give on this, but however, the
Lord leads you, and so again thanks for joining us
and hope to talk to you soon as well.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
We are putting on our.
Speaker 1 (32:50):
Page some of the YouTube lives, some of the Facebook lives,
some that you can follow what's happening here. You can
follow Jerusalem date Line as well. We do that twice
a week on Tuesdays and Fridays. You can check out
CBR Neews at cbrnews dot com, CBR News YouTube, Jerusalem
(33:10):
Dateline seven hundred club and I hope you enjoy what
we try to be like watchmen on the walls and
watch women on the walls, giving a sense of what's
happening here in Jerusalem and throughout the Middle East. So
God bless from Jerusalem, Bye bye,
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