John Riley: Welcome to The Middle East Report, your connection to truthful reporting on Israel and the Middle East. Each week, we connect you with the people, places, and land of Israel and examine what is happening there. With so much deception in the news media, on social media, and among influencers who oppose Israel and the Jewish people, finding reliable information requires careful attention. That is why we work to bring you the truth every weekend on American Family Radio. Thank you for joining us.
John Riley: In this edition, we will discuss current events in Israel and the Middle East, as well as rising hatred of Jews in the United States and around the world, with my good friend Dr. Jim Garlow. He is the founder and CEO of Well Versed, a ministry serving members of Congress, parliamentarians, and other elected officials by bringing biblical principles of governance to government leaders. Dr. Garlow, thank you so much for joining us on The Middle East Report.
Jim Garlow: It is a joy to be with you, my friend. Thank you.
John Riley: You have written many books, and one of them became a New York Times bestseller. God has gifted you as an author, and we will talk about some of those books. You also have a deep love for Israel and the Jewish people.
Jim Garlow: Absolutely. My wife has been there 79 times, and I have been there 28 times. Every trip is very special, but our last trip was the best ever. It was incredible. We love Israel, and we stand with the Jewish people.
John Riley: We will talk about that. You also produce a one-minute radio commentary that is heard on more than 600 radio outlets nationwide. You mentioned your wife, Rosemary, who has been to Israel 79 times and shares your deep love for the Jewish people and the land of Israel.
John Riley: We are going to talk about all of that, but first, tell us about Well Versed and what your ministry does. You interact with members of Congress and other elected officials in Washington, D.C.
Jim Garlow: God called us to this a number of years ago. Actually, a governmental anointing came upon me at age 9. I know that sounds strange, but I have been interacting, as much as you can when you are nine years of age, with government officials ever since that particular time.
Jim Garlow: We bring biblical principles and governance to government leaders. We have a curriculum and a number of books that lay out the biblical foundations for around 90 political topics. We will talk about the most recent books later, but the most recent one addresses the biblical foundations for Donald Trump's executive orders.
Jim Garlow: We also lead what is called the National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance. That takes place once a year each February in Washington, D.C., where members of Congress, state senators, state representatives, other elected officials, and faith leaders come to pray.
Jim Garlow: It is not a prayer breakfast. Most prayer breakfasts are all breakfast and no prayer. This is all prayer and no breakfast. We come to pray. Every official has only one minute to pray, and they cannot talk to the audience; they can only talk to God. It is a prayer of repentance—either personal sin, sin in the church, or national sins before a holy and righteous God.
Jim Garlow: We have had the privilege of meeting with 14 heads of state so far—prime ministers, presidents, or kings. We also try to meet with members of parliament across Europe, members of Congress in South America, and members of Congress in the United States, impacting them in these respective areas.
Jim Garlow: I served during Trump's first administration on Trump's faith advisory board at that time. We intersect as much as we possibly can with all government officials and encourage them to think radically biblically.
Jim Garlow: The average Christian knows that the Bible speaks to personal issues of life. They know it speaks to family issues of life. They know the Bible speaks to congregational, or church, life. But the average Christian is not aware that the Bible speaks to issues of civil governance.
Jim Garlow: It is God who ordained government and God who established nations. To the extent a nation will follow biblical principles of governance, to that same extent it will reduce human pain, suffering, and poverty. To the extent a nation violates biblical principles, to that extent a nation will increase human pain, suffering, and poverty.
John Riley: Here in our country, we have violated biblical principles in many ways. Yet I still see the Lord's mercy on the United States through godly people like you and millions of others across our country who believe the Word of God and are taking a stand for the Lord.
Jim Garlow: For what God's Word says, we certainly deserve judgment. We've killed 66 million of our own citizens before they could even breathe outside the womb. We've violated, as of December 13, 2023, for the first time in American history, all three branches of government violated God's definition of marriage and supported officially that for which God destroyed Sodom.
Jim Garlow: We have at times attempted to divide the land in Israel, which is a sheer violation of Scripture. You divide the land, you bring God's judgment. There have been some times we've attempted to do that. The failure, for example, to recognize that Israel ought to exercise authority—its rightful sovereign authority—over Judea and Samaria. If we block that, we bring judgment on ourselves.
Jim Garlow: In Scripture, God promises Israel the land from the Euphrates to the Nile. That's about 300,000 square miles. Even under King David, Israel only had about 200,000 square miles. What do they have now? 8,000 square miles? They have this tiny amount, and we're even trying to chop that up and shred that. And so when we do that, that brings God's judgment. That's why many of us cry out openly for mercy on a nation that deserves judgment.
John Riley: You know, it's never ended well for Israel when they give up land. And you mentioned Judea and Samaria. That's the biblical terminology for the heartland of Israel. The world calls it the West Bank and uses all kinds of other names. Some will say occupation or whatever, which is totally wrong. Judea and Samaria—that's biblical. And every time Israel tries to give up land, it just doesn't end well.
Jim Garlow: Let's go back to your statement. It's rightfully theirs. Not only did God declare it, but the San Remo Declaration of 1920 declared it. The Balfour Declaration, in 1917, declared it. The League of Nations acknowledged that the Jews had a right to the land. You had the United Nations vote of November 1947. You have even nations affirming the right of these people.
Jim Garlow: What actually is Zionism? At its core, it is simply the belief that, one, the Jews have a right to exist; they have a right to a land; they have a right to self-determination in that land; they have a right to gather in that land; and they have the right to defend themselves, as every nation does.
John Riley: You mentioned the word Zionism, and for some influential podcasters, including Tucker Carlson, it has almost become a curse word. It is not, of course, and you have just described what it means. When you think of Zionism, Dr. Garlow, is there also a biblical component?
Jim Garlow: It starts in Genesis 12. Contrary to what Tucker Carlson said when he interviewed Ted Cruz about the blessing of Abraham, the preceding verse speaks of the nation. Scripture repeatedly records God telling Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 'I am giving you this land.' The theme is pronounced throughout Scripture: this land belongs to the Jews.
Jim Garlow: The earth is enormous, and there are many other places people could live. The Jews occupy only a tiny share of the land in the Middle East, and there are only about 15 million Jews in the world.
Jim Garlow: You think of how many Muslims there are—1.3 billion, possibly. How many Christians are there? Maybe 2 billion. How many Jews are there? Well, 15 million, possibly. Maybe 7 or 8 million of them are actually in Israel right now, and then there are others in Israel as well.
Jim Garlow: They're a tiny group of people. They actually have a tiny piece of land as it is. How jolting it is that they're disallowed from having this tiny piece of land when around them 99.5% of the land is occupied by other people in the Middle East. You would think they would be allowed to have some land.
Jim Garlow: You go to the United Nations. In the United Nations, with 193 member nations, they vote more condemnations on Israel than all the other nations combined, including Iran, North Korea, Russia, and China.
Jim Garlow: Why is it that people hate the Jews? Why would that be? I think there's only one explanation. The Jewish people remind people there's a God. There's a God who brought us the Torah—the Jews; Psalms—the Jews; Proverbs—the Jews; the prophets—the Jews; the teaching about the Messiah—the Jews; they brought us the Messiah.
Jim Garlow: The fact that the Jewish people exist today and survived, and the fact that Israel exists today, is a miracle and is directly tied to the existence of God. So the reason people thrash against the Jewish people is because they remind people there's a God and we're not God.
Jim Garlow: If He is God, then there's a moral standard. If there's a moral standard and He's God, we're supposed to be following that. Human nature does not want to do that. It wants to make itself God—self-determination over every human being—and it does not want to follow the ways and commandments of Almighty God. That is why the Jews pay such a heavy price.
John Riley: Talking to Dr. Jim Garlow, who's the founder and CEO of Well Versed, this beautiful ministry. We're talking about Israel and the Jewish people. We mentioned Tucker Carlson, we mentioned Zionism, which is absolutely in the news.
John Riley: There is some concern among many who say something is happening with the conservative right, Christians, and even some evangelicals against Israel—actually promoting lies and hatred. Are we blowing this up? Is this really a problem here with conservative Christians who don't understand the plans and purposes of the Jewish people? Are we getting this out of perspective? We've heard Tucker Carlson and others who are not telling the truth, and there's concern that this is dividing the conservative Christian evangelical community.
Jim Garlow: I know the standard line is to say it's kind of like an arc, a horseshoe shape. You have people on the radical left and people on the radical right all taking these positions. I don't define it that way. I define it as good versus evil, right versus wrong. And they're wrong to do this. It's a violation of Scripture.
Jim Garlow: You cannot say you love Jesus and hate the Jews, and you can't even love Jesus and then say, 'Well, you're not a Zionist.' Jesus occupied a piece of space. He lived in a land. That land belonged to His people, and that land is going to belong to His people.
Jim Garlow: Jesus moved in that land. He was crucified in that land. He was buried in that land. He resurrected from that land. He ascended from that land. He's going to come back to that land. He's going to rule from that land. So there's a piece of property He values—a piece of real estate.
Jim Garlow: That doesn't mean the Jews are better. We're not suggesting that. But they are unique in their calling before Almighty God. Why did He choose them? We don't know. But He chose them to function in this particular role—blessed to be a blessing to the rest of the world.
Jim Garlow: In the case of Tucker Carlson, he says he's read the Bible through once. Well, he better read it through again and a lot more times. He needs to get better counsel.
Jim Garlow: Candace Owens—she almost appears demonically consumed by her hatred of the Jews. It's an unhealthy, psychologically and mentally and spiritually unhealthy environment.
Jim Garlow: On February 9 at the Museum of the Bible, there was a commission meeting, the Religious Freedom Commission. It was appointed by President Trump. I happened to be in the Rose Garden the day he appointed and announced the people who were part of this very prestigious Religious Freedom Commission.
Jim Garlow: One of them was Kari Prejean. I was very proud of her because she stood strongly on godly values. She was Miss California in 2008, I think, and in 2009 she ran for Miss USA. She stood on biblical values and went through a lot of persecution.
Jim Garlow: That was great until February 9. She had an outburst of antisemitic and even pro-Islamic rants, constantly berating some of the people. Some Jewish people were there, including Seth Dillon of the Babylon Bee and others. I listened to it myself and was shocked and stunned.
Jim Garlow: The chairman, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, had to gavel her down to stop her. Then the next day or two he said, 'You're off the commission.' She said, 'The president appointed me. You can't kick me off. I'm going to show up.'
Jim Garlow: She was wearing a Palestinian flag pin through this whole thing. The Palestinian people who came in and raped, murdered, butchered, and burned people alive in front of their family members—I have been to that site. I've been to the Nova festival site. I've been to the kibbutz where all these murders and slaughter occurred. I've seen the burned-out houses.
Jim Garlow: People don't realize the first wave was Hamas. But the second and third wave of people who came to slaughter, kill, murder, and rape were civilians. Anywhere from as low as 57% to as high as 89% of the civilians support Hamas enthusiastically for what they did to the Jewish people.
Jim Garlow: This isn't just one event, October 7. This is history. The Jews are the most consistently persecuted people group on the face of the earth.
Jim Garlow: I've been to Israel a lot. You have too. We've been to sites where Jews have been stabbed, firebombed, car-bombed, blown up, and where Palestinians or Arabs have blown up buses. We've been to those sites. We know where they are. We know what the Jews have suffered.
Jim Garlow: The Jews aren't going over. This is a war and it's a war that's overdue. And I'm glad Israel went in. They had to go in because these so-called Palestinians are determined on killing every Jew they can.
Jim Garlow: They put bombs and weaponry under schools and hospitals and equip little children with detonating devices. This is the kind of battle—the most difficult city-based guerrilla warfare any military has had to fight.
Jim Garlow: The most conscientious military force on earth on not harming civilians is the IDF. I've been there so many times. I've met with IDF personnel.
Jim Garlow: They actually considered a success if they went on flying with their jets to do some bombing in an assault and did not drop their ordinance because they knew there were civilians they could not get out of the way. They considered their flight a success if they did not drop it because they saved the lives of civilians who would have been taken.
Jim Garlow: That's the moral foundation of the IDF. And Tucker Carlson and people like Candace Owens and others who are so ill-informed on truth and reality continue to report exactly the opposite—complete lies and deception to the American people and around the world. It is unconscionable.
John Riley: It is. And you mentioned this woman who was on the Religious Freedom Commission. How did she get to this point where she was so filled with Jew hatred that she would literally spew out all of this stuff? How do people go from standing up for life and biblical values to wearing a Palestinian pin and spewing out hatred against the Jewish people? I don't know how that happens. It's just demonic.
Jim Garlow: I would say demonically driven. I do not know any other way that someone makes a journey like that.
Jim Garlow: She quoted Candace Owens in her statements. I do not know Candace Owens, but I have listened to her and watched some things, and her statements sounded exactly like Candace Owens. She was reading from her phone.
Jim Garlow: People who were there told me that an advocate and attorney for the Palestinians was in the audience, typing questions to her and sending them to her phone. I cannot prove that. I'm just telling you what people who were there told me. She was reading those questions and hammering members of the commission with them.
Jim Garlow: I do not know what happened to her. She was not the Kari Prejean I once knew.
John Riley: What is her name again? Because I want to ask everybody in our audience to pray for her.
Jim Garlow: I think it's a great thing to pray for. Kerry Prejean—Kari Prejean Bowler. Pray for Kari Prejean Bowler that she would repent, that she would come to truth. She's a better person. I was taught years ago by a wise man: most people are better than the things they say and the things they do. She's better than that. She doesn't have to stoop to those levels.
Jim Garlow: And I pray for Candace to repent, and Tucker Carlson. We go back five years ago. We were listening to every word Tucker said. He had an anointing of God upon his life. He was used by the Lord. And now look at him. I saw when he interviewed Putin, and I thought, 'Man, what happened to him?'
Jim Garlow: Then he went to Israel, and I happen to know the people he interviewed. They happened to be so-called Christians who strongly detest the Jews—I mean, detest the Jews and detest Israel—and yet they live there. He got in with the wrong crowd and unfortunately believed what he was told by them.
John Riley: We're just about out of time here on The Middle East Report, but I do want to ask you, since you are so connected to Congress, what you're finding out in terms of support for Israel in Congress. We know the AOCs and Ilhan Omar, but what are you finding as far as support for Israel? Is it still good, is it mixed, or what's happening?
Jim Garlow: Let us roll the clock back 20 years. We had heavy support for Israel from the Democratic side and the Republican side. Now there are some Democrats who still support Israel, but bipartisan support does not come as easily as it once did.
Jim Garlow: The overwhelming majority of Republicans still support Israel, but those who might have been lukewarm have become more bold in their antipathy toward Israel and the Jewish people. So, yes, support for Israel in Congress has changed substantially, and that is not good.
John Riley: Dr. Jim Garlow is the founder and CEO of Well Versed, this ministry to members of Congress, members of Parliament, and other elected officials. Dr. Garlow, thank you so much for your work.
John Riley: I quickly want to mention a couple of your books. I wish we would have had time to talk about all of this, but I'm holding in my hand The Executive Orders of President Donald Trump.
Jim Garlow: You left out the rest of the title: The Executive Orders of President Donald Trump: A Biblical Perspective. We analyzed 200 of his executive orders from the lens of Scripture.
Jim Garlow: The other book I want to call attention to is called Reversed: From Culturally Woke to Biblically Awake. That lays out the biblical foundations to 60 political topics.
Jim Garlow: Go to wellversedworld.org. You can pick up a book that lays out the biblical foundations to 60 political topics called Reversed, and then The Executive Orders of President Donald Trump: A Biblical Perspective.
John Riley: Those are fascinating books. You are an accomplished author and communicator, and we did not even have time to discuss your work in prayer. You lead major gatherings focused entirely on prayer.
Jim Garlow: National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance, Washington, D.C. If you'll go to our website, wellversedworld.org, you can go to Events and click on National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance. You'll find pictures, videos, members of Congress repenting before a holy and righteous God.
John Riley: Dr. Jim Garlow, it is always a pleasure to catch up with you and to find out what you are doing. I want to encourage people to reach out to your ministry and find out about those books and so much more.
John Riley: Wellversedworld.org is where you can find all the information about what Dr. Garlow is doing and how you can connect to that ministry. Hey, thanks for listening to The Middle East Report.
John Riley: I want to encourage you to get a copy of this podcast and tell others about The Middle East Report. That's the best way to spread the word that we're on the air to bring you the truth of what's happening in the Middle East and in Israel and in that region of the world.
John Riley: There's so much deception out there, so let other people know that this podcast exists and that this radio show is on the air here on American Family Radio. If you want to download the podcast, it's available on all the major podcast platforms, including Podbean, Spotify, and many others. You can go to afr.net and download the podcast there as well.
John Riley: You can also reach out to me. I'd love to receive an email from you. That's the Middle East Report. I'm John Riley. Thanks for listening.
John Riley: Welcome to The Middle East Report, your connection to truthful reporting on Israel and the Middle East. Each week, we connect you with the people, places, and land of Israel and examine what is happening there. With so much deception in the news media, on social media, and among influencers who oppose Israel and the Jewish people, finding reliable information requires careful attention. That is why we work to bring you the truth every weekend on American Family Radio. Thank you for joining us.
John Riley: In this edition, we will discuss current events in Israel and the Middle East, as well as rising hatred of Jews in the United States and around the world, with my good friend Dr. Jim Garlow. He is the founder and CEO of Well Versed, a ministry serving members of Congress, parliamentarians, and other elected officials by bringing biblical principles of governance to government leaders. Dr. Garlow, thank you so much for joining us on The Middle East Report.
Jim Garlow: It is a joy to be with you, my friend. Thank you.
John Riley: You have written many books, and one of them became a New York Times bestseller. God has gifted you as an author, and we will talk about some of those books. You also have a deep love for Israel and the Jewish people.
Jim Garlow: Absolutely. My wife has been there 79 times, and I have been there 28 times. Every trip is very special, but our last trip was the best ever. It was incredible. We love Israel, and we stand with the Jewish people.
John Riley: We will talk about that. You also produce a one-minute radio commentary that is heard on more than 600 radio outlets nationwide. You mentioned your wife, Rosemary, who has been to Israel 79 times and shares your deep love for the Jewish people and the land of Israel.
John Riley: We are going to talk about all of that, but first, tell us about Well Versed and what your ministry does. You interact with members of Congress and other elected officials in Washington, D.C.
Jim Garlow: God called us to this a number of years ago. Actually, a governmental anointing came upon me at age 9. I know that sounds strange, but I have been interacting, as much as you can when you are nine years of age, with government officials ever since that particular time.
Jim Garlow: We bring biblical principles and governance to government leaders. We have a curriculum and a number of books that lay out the biblical foundations for around 90 political topics. We will talk about the most recent books later, but the most recent one addresses the biblical foundations for Donald Trump's executive orders.
Jim Garlow: We also lead what is called the National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance. That takes place once a year each February in Washington, D.C., where members of Congress, state senators, state representatives, other elected officials, and faith leaders come to pray.
Jim Garlow: It is not a prayer breakfast. Most prayer breakfasts are all breakfast and no prayer. This is all prayer and no breakfast. We come to pray. Every official has only one minute to pray, and they cannot talk to the audience; they can only talk to God. It is a prayer of repentance—either personal sin, sin in the church, or national sins before a holy and righteous God.
Jim Garlow: We have had the privilege of meeting with 14 heads of state so far—prime ministers, presidents, or kings. We also try to meet with members of parliament across Europe, members of Congress in South America, and members of Congress in the United States, impacting them in these respective areas.
Jim Garlow: I served during Trump's first administration on Trump's faith advisory board at that time. We intersect as much as we possibly can with all government officials and encourage them to think radically biblically.
Jim Garlow: The average Christian knows that the Bible speaks to personal issues of life. They know it speaks to family issues of life. They know the Bible speaks to congregational, or church, life. But the average Christian is not aware that the Bible speaks to issues of civil governance.
Jim Garlow: It is God who ordained government and God who established nations. To the extent a nation will follow biblical principles of governance, to that same extent it will reduce human pain, suffering, and poverty. To the extent a nation violates biblical principles, to that extent a nation will increase human pain, suffering, and poverty.
John Riley: Here in our country, we have violated biblical principles in many ways. Yet I still see the Lord's mercy on the United States through godly people like you and millions of others across our country who believe the Word of God and are taking a stand for the Lord.
Jim Garlow: For what God's Word says, we certainly deserve judgment. We've killed 66 million of our own citizens before they could even breathe outside the womb. We've violated, as of December 13, 2023, for the first time in American history, all three branches of government violated God's definition of marriage and supported officially that for which God destroyed Sodom.
Jim Garlow: We have at times attempted to divide the land in Israel, which is a sheer violation of Scripture. You divide the land, you bring God's judgment. There have been some times we've attempted to do that. The failure, for example, to recognize that Israel ought to exercise authority—its rightful sovereign authority—over Judea and Samaria. If we block that, we bring judgment on ourselves.
Jim Garlow: In Scripture, God promises Israel the land from the Euphrates to the Nile. That's about 300,000 square miles. Even under King David, Israel only had about 200,000 square miles. What do they have now? 8,000 square miles? They have this tiny amount, and we're even trying to chop that up and shred that. And so when we do that, that brings God's judgment. That's why many of us cry out openly for mercy on a nation that deserves judgment.
John Riley: You know, it's never ended well for Israel when they give up land. And you mentioned Judea and Samaria. That's the biblical terminology for the heartland of Israel. The world calls it the West Bank and uses all kinds of other names. Some will say occupation or whatever, which is totally wrong. Judea and Samaria—that's biblical. And every time Israel tries to give up land, it just doesn't end well.
Jim Garlow: Let's go back to your statement. It's rightfully theirs. Not only did God declare it, but the San Remo Declaration of 1920 declared it. The Balfour Declaration, in 1917, declared it. The League of Nations acknowledged that the Jews had a right to the land. You had the United Nations vote of November 1947. You have even nations affirming the right of these people.
Jim Garlow: What actually is Zionism? At its core, it is simply the belief that, one, the Jews have a right to exist; they have a right to a land; they have a right to self-determination in that land; they have a right to gather in that land; and they have the right to defend themselves, as every nation does.
John Riley: You mentioned the word Zionism, and for some influential podcasters, including Tucker Carlson, it has almost become a curse word. It is not, of course, and you have just described what it means. When you think of Zionism, Dr. Garlow, is there also a biblical component?
Jim Garlow: It starts in Genesis 12. Contrary to what Tucker Carlson said when he interviewed Ted Cruz about the blessing of Abraham, the preceding verse speaks of the nation. Scripture repeatedly records God telling Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 'I am giving you this land.' The theme is pronounced throughout Scripture: this land belongs to the Jews.
Jim Garlow: The earth is enormous, and there are many other places people could live. The Jews occupy only a tiny share of the land in the Middle East, and there are only about 15 million Jews in the world.
Jim Garlow: You think of how many Muslims there are—1.3 billion, possibly. How many Christians are there? Maybe 2 billion. How many Jews are there? Well, 15 million, possibly. Maybe 7 or 8 million of them are actually in Israel right now, and then there are others in Israel as well.
Jim Garlow: They're a tiny group of people. They actually have a tiny piece of land as it is. How jolting it is that they're disallowed from having this tiny piece of land when around them 99.5% of the land is occupied by other people in the Middle East. You would think they would be allowed to have some land.
Jim Garlow: You go to the United Nations. In the United Nations, with 193 member nations, they vote more condemnations on Israel than all the other nations combined, including Iran, North Korea, Russia, and China.
Jim Garlow: Why is it that people hate the Jews? Why would that be? I think there's only one explanation. The Jewish people remind people there's a God. There's a God who brought us the Torah—the Jews; Psalms—the Jews; Proverbs—the Jews; the prophets—the Jews; the teaching about the Messiah—the Jews; they brought us the Messiah.
Jim Garlow: The fact that the Jewish people exist today and survived, and the fact that Israel exists today, is a miracle and is directly tied to the existence of God. So the reason people thrash against the Jewish people is because they remind people there's a God and we're not God.
Jim Garlow: If He is God, then there's a moral standard. If there's a moral standard and He's God, we're supposed to be following that. Human nature does not want to do that. It wants to make itself God—self-determination over every human being—and it does not want to follow the ways and commandments of Almighty God. That is why the Jews pay such a heavy price.
John Riley: Talking to Dr. Jim Garlow, who's the founder and CEO of Well Versed, this beautiful ministry. We're talking about Israel and the Jewish people. We mentioned Tucker Carlson, we mentioned Zionism, which is absolutely in the news.
John Riley: There is some concern among many who say something is happening with the conservative right, Christians, and even some evangelicals against Israel—actually promoting lies and hatred. Are we blowing this up? Is this really a problem here with conservative Christians who don't understand the plans and purposes of the Jewish people? Are we getting this out of perspective? We've heard Tucker Carlson and others who are not telling the truth, and there's concern that this is dividing the conservative Christian evangelical community.
Jim Garlow: I know the standard line is to say it's kind of like an arc, a horseshoe shape. You have people on the radical left and people on the radical right all taking these positions. I don't define it that way. I define it as good versus evil, right versus wrong. And they're wrong to do this. It's a violation of Scripture.
Jim Garlow: You cannot say you love Jesus and hate the Jews, and you can't even love Jesus and then say, 'Well, you're not a Zionist.' Jesus occupied a piece of space. He lived in a land. That land belonged to His people, and that land is going to belong to His people.
Jim Garlow: Jesus moved in that land. He was crucified in that land. He was buried in that land. He resurrected from that land. He ascended from that land. He's going to come back to that land. He's going to rule from that land. So there's a piece of property He values—a piece of real estate.
Jim Garlow: That doesn't mean the Jews are better. We're not suggesting that. But they are unique in their calling before Almighty God. Why did He choose them? We don't know. But He chose them to function in this particular role—blessed to be a blessing to the rest of the world.
Jim Garlow: In the case of Tucker Carlson, he says he's read the Bible through once. Well, he better read it through again and a lot more times. He needs to get better counsel.
Jim Garlow: Candace Owens—she almost appears demonically consumed by her hatred of the Jews. It's an unhealthy, psychologically and mentally and spiritually unhealthy environment.
Jim Garlow: On February 9 at the Museum of the Bible, there was a commission meeting, the Religious Freedom Commission. It was appointed by President Trump. I happened to be in the Rose Garden the day he appointed and announced the people who were part of this very prestigious Religious Freedom Commission.
Jim Garlow: One of them was Kari Prejean. I was very proud of her because she stood strongly on godly values. She was Miss California in 2008, I think, and in 2009 she ran for Miss USA. She stood on biblical values and went through a lot of persecution.
Jim Garlow: That was great until February 9. She had an outburst of antisemitic and even pro-Islamic rants, constantly berating some of the people. Some Jewish people were there, including Seth Dillon of the Babylon Bee and others. I listened to it myself and was shocked and stunned.
Jim Garlow: The chairman, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, had to gavel her down to stop her. Then the next day or two he said, 'You're off the commission.' She said, 'The president appointed me. You can't kick me off. I'm going to show up.'
Jim Garlow: She was wearing a Palestinian flag pin through this whole thing. The Palestinian people who came in and raped, murdered, butchered, and burned people alive in front of their family members—I have been to that site. I've been to the Nova festival site. I've been to the kibbutz where all these murders and slaughter occurred. I've seen the burned-out houses.
Jim Garlow: People don't realize the first wave was Hamas. But the second and third wave of people who came to slaughter, kill, murder, and rape were civilians. Anywhere from as low as 57% to as high as 89% of the civilians support Hamas enthusiastically for what they did to the Jewish people.
Jim Garlow: This isn't just one event, October 7. This is history. The Jews are the most consistently persecuted people group on the face of the earth.
Jim Garlow: I've been to Israel a lot. You have too. We've been to sites where Jews have been stabbed, firebombed, car-bombed, blown up, and where Palestinians or Arabs have blown up buses. We've been to those sites. We know where they are. We know what the Jews have suffered.
Jim Garlow: The Jews aren't going over. This is a war and it's a war that's overdue. And I'm glad Israel went in. They had to go in because these so-called Palestinians are determined on killing every Jew they can.
Jim Garlow: They put bombs and weaponry under schools and hospitals and equip little children with detonating devices. This is the kind of battle—the most difficult city-based guerrilla warfare any military has had to fight.
Jim Garlow: The most conscientious military force on earth on not harming civilians is the IDF. I've been there so many times. I've met with IDF personnel.
Jim Garlow: They actually considered a success if they went on flying with their jets to do some bombing in an assault and did not drop their ordinance because they knew there were civilians they could not get out of the way. They considered their flight a success if they did not drop it because they saved the lives of civilians who would have been taken.
Jim Garlow: That's the moral foundation of the IDF. And Tucker Carlson and people like Candace Owens and others who are so ill-informed on truth and reality continue to report exactly the opposite—complete lies and deception to the American people and around the world. It is unconscionable.
John Riley: It is. And you mentioned this woman who was on the Religious Freedom Commission. How did she get to this point where she was so filled with Jew hatred that she would literally spew out all of this stuff? How do people go from standing up for life and biblical values to wearing a Palestinian pin and spewing out hatred against the Jewish people? I don't know how that happens. It's just demonic.
Jim Garlow: I would say demonically driven. I do not know any other way that someone makes a journey like that.
Jim Garlow: She quoted Candace Owens in her statements. I do not know Candace Owens, but I have listened to her and watched some things, and her statements sounded exactly like Candace Owens. She was reading from her phone.
Jim Garlow: People who were there told me that an advocate and attorney for the Palestinians was in the audience, typing questions to her and sending them to her phone. I cannot prove that. I'm just telling you what people who were there told me. She was reading those questions and hammering members of the commission with them.
Jim Garlow: I do not know what happened to her. She was not the Kari Prejean I once knew.
John Riley: What is her name again? Because I want to ask everybody in our audience to pray for her.
Jim Garlow: I think it's a great thing to pray for. Kerry Prejean—Kari Prejean Bowler. Pray for Kari Prejean Bowler that she would repent, that she would come to truth. She's a better person. I was taught years ago by a wise man: most people are better than the things they say and the things they do. She's better than that. She doesn't have to stoop to those levels.
Jim Garlow: And I pray for Candace to repent, and Tucker Carlson. We go back five years ago. We were listening to every word Tucker said. He had an anointing of God upon his life. He was used by the Lord. And now look at him. I saw when he interviewed Putin, and I thought, 'Man, what happened to him?'
Jim Garlow: Then he went to Israel, and I happen to know the people he interviewed. They happened to be so-called Christians who strongly detest the Jews—I mean, detest the Jews and detest Israel—and yet they live there. He got in with the wrong crowd and unfortunately believed what he was told by them.
John Riley: We're just about out of time here on The Middle East Report, but I do want to ask you, since you are so connected to Congress, what you're finding out in terms of support for Israel in Congress. We know the AOCs and Ilhan Omar, but what are you finding as far as support for Israel? Is it still good, is it mixed, or what's happening?
Jim Garlow: Let us roll the clock back 20 years. We had heavy support for Israel from the Democratic side and the Republican side. Now there are some Democrats who still support Israel, but bipartisan support does not come as easily as it once did.
Jim Garlow: The overwhelming majority of Republicans still support Israel, but those who might have been lukewarm have become more bold in their antipathy toward Israel and the Jewish people. So, yes, support for Israel in Congress has changed substantially, and that is not good.
John Riley: Dr. Jim Garlow is the founder and CEO of Well Versed, this ministry to members of Congress, members of Parliament, and other elected officials. Dr. Garlow, thank you so much for your work.
John Riley: I quickly want to mention a couple of your books. I wish we would have had time to talk about all of this, but I'm holding in my hand The Executive Orders of President Donald Trump.
Jim Garlow: You left out the rest of the title: The Executive Orders of President Donald Trump: A Biblical Perspective. We analyzed 200 of his executive orders from the lens of Scripture.
Jim Garlow: The other book I want to call attention to is called Reversed: From Culturally Woke to Biblically Awake. That lays out the biblical foundations to 60 political topics.
Jim Garlow: Go to wellversedworld.org. You can pick up a book that lays out the biblical foundations to 60 political topics called Reversed, and then The Executive Orders of President Donald Trump: A Biblical Perspective.
John Riley: Those are fascinating books. You are an accomplished author and communicator, and we did not even have time to discuss your work in prayer. You lead major gatherings focused entirely on prayer.
Jim Garlow: National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance, Washington, D.C. If you'll go to our website, wellversedworld.org, you can go to Events and click on National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance. You'll find pictures, videos, members of Congress repenting before a holy and righteous God.
John Riley: Dr. Jim Garlow, it is always a pleasure to catch up with you and to find out what you are doing. I want to encourage people to reach out to your ministry and find out about those books and so much more.
John Riley: Wellversedworld.org is where you can find all the information about what Dr. Garlow is doing and how you can connect to that ministry. Hey, thanks for listening to The Middle East Report.
John Riley: I want to encourage you to get a copy of this podcast and tell others about The Middle East Report. That's the best way to spread the word that we're on the air to bring you the truth of what's happening in the Middle East and in Israel and in that region of the world.
John Riley: There's so much deception out there, so let other people know that this podcast exists and that this radio show is on the air here on American Family Radio. If you want to download the podcast, it's available on all the major podcast platforms, including Podbean, Spotify, and many others. You can go to afr.net and download the podcast there as well.
John Riley: You can also reach out to me. I'd love to receive an email from you. That's the Middle East Report. I'm John Riley. Thanks for listening.
In this edition of The Middle East Report, John Riley speaks with Dr. Jim Garlow, founder and CEO of Well Versed, about Israel, biblical principles of governance, Zionism, growing opposition to Israel among some conservatives and evangelicals, antisemitism, support for Israel in Congress, and Garlow’s ministry and resources. The conversation also highlights Garlow’s personal connection to Israel and his ministry’s work with elected officials and its National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance.
Live
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