Tim, Ed and Wesley talk with Fred on top news headlines of the day including a discussion on President Trump's latest comments regarding Iran. Also, Abraham Hamilton III joins the program to discuss the hatred from the Left on Israel.
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Today's Issues features Christian response to the issues of the day
>> : Welcome to Today's Issues, offering a Christian response to the issues of the day. here's your host, Tim Wildmon. M. President of the American Family Association.
>> Tim Wildmon: Hey, good morning, everybody, and welcome to Today's Issues on the American Family Radio Network. Thanks for joining us here on, afr. and if you're wondering what day it is, it's Wednesday, July 8, 2026. Good morning. Ed Vitagliano.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Good morning. Tim Wildmon.
>> Tim Wildmon: And Wesley Wildmon.
>> Wesley Wildmon: Good morning.
>> Tim Wildmon: And Fred Jackson.
>> Fred Jackson: Hey there.
>> Tim Wildmon: All right, so Fred is here, Wesley's here, Ed's here. I'm Tim. And later on the program, Ed, who will be with us?
>> Ed Vitagliano: Abraham Hamilton III, host of the Hamilton Corner, heard weekdays at 5:00pm Central Time right here on AFR.
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, I was hoping, you know, we need one more voice, don't we, on the radio here? So, people, can we have four now? We need. Abe will be on. We'll have five. but anyway, so Abe joins us once a week, if possible, and so he'll be on with us. coming. Coming up in just a few minutes. We hope you're having a great day. Can you believe it or not, we've already passed. We just blew by, July 4th.
>> Wesley Wildmon: I know, huh?
>> Ed Vitagliano: It's nuts. we're already closing in on the middle of. I mean, it's the 8th. One more week and we're halfway through July.
>> Wesley Wildmon: But we are, we are officially halfway through summertime. For, for those that are in school, you know, I mean, June and July
>> Ed Vitagliano: and halfway through the year.
>> Wesley Wildmon: Oh, my word.
>> Tim Wildmon: When do kids go back to school? Those who go to school? Oh, I don't care.
>> Ed Vitagliano: My nose.
>> Tim Wildmon: You're a grandparent.
>> Wesley Wildmon: Wouldn't be surprised if it's in July this year. My word.
>> Tim Wildmon: Every year they keep moving it up.
>> Wesley Wildmon: Yeah. But no, I think back in my
>> Donald Trump: day,
>> Tim Wildmon: okay, I'm 63. Yeah.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Back in my day, I'm 67.
>> Tim Wildmon: In the late 60s and through the 70s, we didn't go to school after Labor Day.
>> Ed Vitagliano: That's what we did. after Labor Day, same thing. And we went to school into June.
>> Fred Jackson: Yes, yes.
>> Wesley Wildmon: It's gonna be the 5th of August, I believe, here in Mississippi. 5th of August, at least at Least this is how they do it.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Oh, my goodness. That's insane.
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, they start foot. They start high school football season in the middle of August.
>> Wesley Wildmon: Yeah, it's actually, I think August 3rd. They'll have one of those where, where you, where you show up either half day, meet your teacher the next day, kind of ease into it. But they do have their first. Yeah, maybe not the first full day.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I do remember going back to school sometimes. We would have that kind of half day thing where you meet your teachers. That was such a great day because you knew you're not going to get any homework. You're going to be able to clown around a little bit. But then that fun evaporated the very next day.
>> Tim Wildmon: If I'm a parent having to take my kid to school for half a day. Oh, yeah, I'm just going to wait in the parking lot because about three hours from now I'll just take a nap and they'll be ready to go home. Yeah, I just think, that's wrong to do people like that grown man
>> Ed Vitagliano: taking a nap in a parking lot with a school full of kids.
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, wouldn't be the only one, probably for half a day. so anyway, yeah, we always started back, after Labor Day. Now I don't remember going into June. We always, finished up by at least Memorial Day.
>> Wesley Wildmon: Oh, my word.
>> Ed Vitagliano: We would go halfway into June.
>> Tim Wildmon: Going taking a school year into June is. I think it's immoral. Well, Fred, did you ever go in?
>> Fred Jackson: Oh, yeah. actually, grading day, as we called it, the last day was usually the first day of summer.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Wow, the 21st.
>> Fred Jackson: Yep. We usually went to the 21st and then went back after Labor Day.
>> Tim Wildmon: M. Wow. Okay, then. Well, also back in the day day which preceded my day back in my day, and then day before that, my parents day back in the 40s and 50s, in that era, they, got out of school to go pick cotton.
>> Donald Trump: Yep.
>> Tim Wildmon: At least in the deep south, you know, where they grew cotton, maybe they had other, crops in other parts of the country where schools would let out, you know, for a certain period of time to bring in, bring in the harvest. Yeah.
>> Fred Jackson: Prince Edward Island.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Fred Jackson: up there is a potato province. so kids went back to school early in August and then they took time off to do the potato harvest.
Fred: Yes, it's time to consider homeschooling folks
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. Different parts of the country, different crops. But kids, we'd get out during harvest season.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, we would harvest there. We'd get out to go pot cars. And once all the cows were pike, we'd go back to school and grow pizza.
>> Wesley Wildmon: Boy, I wish some of the schools in North Mississippi start back July 31st.
>> Fred Jackson: I heard that.
>> Wesley Wildmon: Now that's. Now that's not.
>> Tim Wildmon: I said this is a moral problem.
>> Ed Vitagliano: That is, this is a sign of the decay of our nation.
>> Wesley Wildmon: Now, I'm looking at the calendar. That's only three or four days earlier than what I said. But that's irrelevant when you have to say we start back in the word. If you use July at all.
>> Tim Wildmon: No, I agree. That's maybe that's teachers only.
>> Wesley Wildmon: No, I think it's one of those half day deals. July 31st.
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, I'm telling you, the communists are all around.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yes, it's time to consider homeschooling folks.
>> Tim Wildmon: They sneak up in the craziest places.
>> Ed Vitagliano: The longer we have your kids, the more we believe me.
>> Tim Wildmon: the teacher, the average teacher is not in favor of.
>> Ed Vitagliano: No, you are right.
>> Tim Wildmon: They want to. They like their stuff.
>> Ed Vitagliano: They want a real vacation.
>> Tim Wildmon: They want a real vacation from those bratty kids. You're listening to today's issues on American Family Radio. Fred, bring forth to us our first story.
President Trump says he's fed up with Iranian regime
>> Fred Jackson: Alright, the two day NATO summit is wrapping up in Ankara, Turkey. And the big news really this morning is President Trump and the United States have responded to the, bombing that Iran has carried out on three more ships in the Strait of Hormuz. We talked about that yesterday. Well, overnight, we had the United States military forces hitting Iranian targets, including air defense systems, radars and over 60 of those small boats. And so President Trump at a news conference in Ankara this morning was asked about all of this and I think to summarize his mood, it would be. I am fed up with this Islamic regime in Tehran. Listen for yourself. it's cut number two.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Is the ceasefire over?
>> Tim Wildmon: Is the ceasefire done? Is the MOU dead?
>> Donald Trump: It's a very interesting question to me. I think it's over. I don't want to deal with them anymore. They're scum. You know what scum is? They're scum. They're sick people. They're led by sick people and they're vicious, violent people. And if they had a nuclear weapon, they'd use it. As far as I'm concerned, it's over. I'll, speak to our negotiators. They want to negotiate. They're good people. Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner. But they have to come back to me. As far as I'm concerned, it's just a waste of time dealing with them. They're liars. We make a deal. And they, if I make a deal with him, we have a deal. And he goes out, he talks about, we make a deal. Everyone's agreed, no nuclear weapon. We make a deal. They go outside, talk to the press. They say, we never even talked about it. There's something wrong with them. They're cuckoo. As far as I'm concerned, it's over.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I haven't heard cuckoo since I was a kid. we say that all the time.
>> Wesley Wildmon: He didn't finish it. It's cuckoo for Cocoa Puff. At least. At least he stopped right before he got the Cocoa Puffs.
President Trump said if Iran had a nuclear weapon, it would use it
>> Tim Wildmon: I think what President Trump just said right there was what a lot of people, most people in the US have been thinking for about two months now. I know he's in a different position. He's been holding out hope, as he, as he should have, that we could read it recent, reach a peaceful agreement, that would save us from war or more warfare, if that's what this is going to lead to. But he just put in plain terms what exactly is the situation in dealing with these, religious fanatics over there in Iran. And they've proven themselves to be fanatical over and over and over again.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I think it's the truest thing that can be said about Iran. And the president laid it out, if they had a nuclear weapon, I believe they'd use it. Or they would continue to threaten to use it until they got their way. They would bully, the rest of the region into submission because, hey, guess what? We got a nuke. And we're not afraid to use it. And I don't think they are afraid to use it.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Ed Vitagliano: And, what he just said is, and you know, we talked about this morning, our story meeting. Not sure which direction the president's going to go on this, but apparently he is going to hit, him hit Iran again tonight and has also threatened to take over Kharg Island. so this war may escalate.
>> Wesley Wildmon: Go ahead. Well, for me, when he finished saying it, well, of course, most here lately. For me, I know it's been the case for you all the time, but I'm, I'm holding my breath, pointing a point at Tim, talking to me, talking
>> Tim Wildmon: to me, you talking to me, talking to me.
>> Wesley Wildmon: I, I would here recently. He'll start something of a statement like that. And I'm holding my breath for what? Do I have to go? Come on. Why did you have to say that? Yeah, but the entire, that entire. Now, I don't know what was played before or after, but that entire message, or response to the reporter capsulated. Exactly how I feel. And also, too, it's a breath of fresh air. And hopefully we don't get anything different to that moving forward, at least for the next couple of weeks. I don't want. Tomorrow we're working with them again. Right.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, he did.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Right.
>> Tim Wildmon: He doesn't need to come back, two days from now and say, you know what? we.
>> Wesley Wildmon: They're reasonable.
>> Tim Wildmon: yeah, there's some of the best people there that we're dealing with in Iran. And, you know, so for now, that was great. And hopefully he said they're cuckoo and they're. What else did he say?
>> Ed Vitagliano: They're liars. Yep.
>> Wesley Wildmon: When he called him the liars is how I've been on their line.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah.
>> Wesley Wildmon: You know, violent.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I mean, I. I know.
>> Abraham Hamilton III: I think he.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Absolutely. Properly characterized he. And he was. I'm glad. He was very specific. The people running the country.
>> Wesley Wildmon: That's right.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I. I would hate to be just an average citizen in Iran having to live under those kooks.
>> Wesley Wildmon: That's right.
Rahm Emanuel, former White House chief of staff, speaks in Israel
>> Tim Wildmon: All right, so that's the latest from, we. We didn't have the word cuckoo on our card from Trump today on our bingo card. I don't think.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I like. I loved it. That was. That was. I like.
>> Tim Wildmon: Oh, me too.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: Ah, yeah, I agree with him. Yeah.
>> Fred Jackson: Well, for a second story, let's stay in the Middle East.
>> Tim Wildmon: Rahm Emanuel, where it's always peaceful and tranquil.
>> Fred Jackson: Rahm Emanuel, former, chief of staff for former President Barack Obama. He also worked in the Clinton administration, and they say in the political realms, he's very interested in perhaps being at the top of the ticket for the Democrats in 2028. He is in Tel Aviv today. He spoke at Tel Aviv University, this morning. Well, it was this afternoon there. but he, did not have much good to say, if anything, about Prime Minister Netanyahu. And he said the relationship between the United States and Israel has to change. Here's a bit of that speech. Cut number 16.
>> Speaker I: For too long, American policy towards Israel operated under the assumption that the best thing Washington can do for Jerusalem is to blindly to silently stand behind your government without conditions, without demands, without consequences, even when we disagreed. That has been our mistake, and it's been not a favor to you. Unconditional support has produced a prime minister who has presumed that his strategic interests would incur the political. Would incur no political costs if he ignored America's concerns about settlements and sparked a regional war. Unconditional support has allowed you to deny food and medical relief to innocent Palestinians in Gaza, leaving the world to conclude that Israelis not only want to kill Palestinians, but they are completely indifferent to their death, to their destruction, and completely indifferent to their suffering. Unconditional support has girded a political coalition in the Knesset that learned it can burn Palestinian farmland in the west bank, terrorize Palestinian families without consequence.
>> Fred Jackson: So there you have it. basically he was repeating the lines of the far left in this country. We know that hatred of Israel is growing thanks to what our kids are being taught in university, and other sources. But he sounded a whole lot like those who say Israel is the problem for Palestinians. But you know what he left out? He left out the fact that when Israel has to deal with the terrorists who live in the west bank and who live in Gaza, they warn people before they bomb, and those terrorists hide behind the skirts of their women and their children. Rahm Emanuel left all of that out. And also to infer that Netanyahu likes starting wars. Netanyahu is forced to respond when Israel is attacked. So he's another Democrat who wants to paint Netanyahu is the problem. And I think he indicated that if he was to become president, Rahm Emanuel was to become president, he would make us support for Israel condition on the political agenda of the left in this country.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay. Is he going to run for president? You think that's why he's over there? Do the Democrats don't have a clear leader?
>> Fred Jackson: No, they don't.
>> Tim Wildmon: you know, by now, previous years, most people would say, well, the Republicans and the Democrats have this leader. They have a bench. They are. They don't have a bench, to use a sports metaphor. But, the Democrats are. They're out there without a clear number one leader. Unless you were to say, well, Gavin Newsom, the governor of California is, perhaps just because he's the governor of the largest state. But, you know, he's got his own issues. So I don't know who's. If Rahm Emanuel, right there, who has experience in two White Houses, the Clintons and the Obama. Clintons and Obama, if he's, trying to establish himself as a frontrunner there, you know, throw his name in, did he say anything to that effect, or. No?
>> Ed Vitagliano: No, I don't think you're going to get many announcements about running for president until after the midterms.
>> Tim Wildmon: But why would you give a speech like. Well, I don't know. Why would you give a speech like that? And, Listen, you know, Israel, in their conflict and war with Hamas and Hezbollah, they. This would stop. If Hezbollah and Hamas would stop trying to terrorize Israel and their citizens. This would stop. Yes, The Israelis attacks on Hamas, which includes.
>> Wesley Wildmon: It's that simple, by the way.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yes. Which includes the attacks, I mean, which, unfortunately leads to the deaths of, as he said, innocent people in Gaza because they're citizens. And the terrorists fight, and hide behind schools, mosques and hospitals, and they use terrorist, acts. And so when Israel goes to fight them, there's not an army standing up to say, okay, let's. Man, oh, man, o. Let's go. No, Israel has to use unconventional warfare, and sometimes innocent people die. And that's when it's all over the videos and all over the news. but, you know, it seems like the international community, if that's what you want to put it, pays an inordinate amount of attention to Israel. We got human rights abuses, if that's what you want to call what Israel does, which I don't agree with, but that's way it's framed all over the world.
>> Wesley Wildmon: Oh, yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: Every day we got, the Chinese persecute their own people.
>> Wesley Wildmon: Oh, yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: And they also have, been in what's.
>> Wesley Wildmon: There's a Muslim group with the Uyghurs. The Uyghurs? Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah. You don't see the media all day, every day, going, hey, China, you know, quit killing the Uyghurs. we need to focus on this. They know there's this in Africa.
>> Wesley Wildmon: There's tribes that, oh,
>> Tim Wildmon: terrorizing Christians in Central, killing, slaughtering girls. and, it's just awful what they're doing, the Muslim terrorist group there in Africa, and they.
>> Wesley Wildmon: And they don't spend the same amount of time about how Hamas is fighting either.
>> Fred Jackson: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: why do you think this is, Fred?
>> Fred Jackson: well, you're exactly right in your assessment in asking those questions. And I think the only answer is a spiritual answer. There is no rational reason for the hatred of the Jewish people and Israel.
Lefties condemn Israel for misfiring at hospital, which does happen
No rational reason whatsoever. They respond to attacks from terrorists. The terrorists who say, we want to wipe you off the face of the earth, so it has to be spiritual. The Jews are God's chosen people, and Satan's crowd hates them.
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, yes, one other thing about that. Iran, who, Iran has slaughtered like 30 to 40,000 of their own people.
>> Fred Jackson: Yes.
>> Tim Wildmon: And these same lefties who condemn Israel for misfiring at a hospital and killing five children, the Palestinian children, which that does happen. I'm not Denying that. Denying that that happens. It's sad, but it's, it's war. They don't. They're not saying a word about Iran. you know, Iran threatening to build a nuclear weapon or butchering their own people. So, Ed, why the inordinate attention to every little thing Israel does here?
>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, I think you guys have laid it out. I, It is a spiritual thing.
>> Tim Wildmon: I really believe that.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I have two EP things I'd like to say.
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, I'm gonna write them down.
>> Ed Vitagliano: These are.
>> Tim Wildmon: I'm taking notes.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Okay. No, they're not really epic, folks, but I did get your attention, didn't I?
Rahm Emanuel says Israel turned away ships with military supplies before Gaza war
Two things. Okay. I have become increasingly frustrated with AI videos. I know this sounds trite. I'm getting to a point because I can't tell what's real anymore. And in the news, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find, figure out what's real. What Rahm Emanuel was saying, talking about denying, food and supplies and medicines. He's referring to the fact that Israel was stopping ships from coming into Gaza, this is before the war, to search for missiles and would turn away ships if they had military supplies. And when people hear Rahm Emanuel talk, they. It's becoming increasingly difficult to find out what's true. Is that true? Israel was turning away ships with. With supplies. With medical supplies and stuff? Those poor people. Well, what Rahm Emanuel didn't tell you was that was a cloak for getting military supplies to the terrorists in Gaza. Okay. So the first thing is, it's hard for us to tell what's real and what isn't. A pitch for you guys who are listening to make sure you pass along American Family Radio, afr, Tell other people about what we're doing here. We're trying to cut through all that junk. And the second thing I noted about this is, Tim, I think Rahm Emanuel, he hasn't officially said it, but he probably is going to run for president. Look where he positioned himself.
>> Tim Wildmon: I know he positioned himself. He's a Jew.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yes, he's Jewish. And so he's positioning himself with the radicals in the Democratic Party who hate the Jews, ironically, him being Jewish, and who are pro Palestinian and anti Israel. And if that's going to be the direction of the Democratic Party, we have been suspecting it is. What about the Chuck Schumers in the party that you've. You've got a potential presidential candidate, flag bearer for your party. His first big speech. He's anti Israel.
>> Abraham Hamilton III: Wow.
>> Tim Wildmon: Now, let me just say this about the part of that talk we heard from Rahm Emanuel in Tel Aviv. I don't know what all else he said because it was probably a much lengthier. It was a lengthier speech. So he may have said some other things that were pro Israel, but,
>> Fred Jackson: he did note what happened on October 2023.
>> Tim Wildmon: That.
>> Fred Jackson: That was terrible. He acknowledged that.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay, let me just say this too, about that. And I'm no expert on warfare by any means. I haven't served in the military. I just, I am a history of. I'm a student of history. But when a. When Hamas went on, went into Israel's, the music festival in that October, what was it? And they slaughtered. Just, ah, butchered and slaughtered in the most horrific ways and then took the hostages, however many they took. 100 or whatever it was.
>> Fred Jackson: 250.
>> Tim Wildmon: 250.
>> Wesley Wildmon: They. Women and children.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yes. And they, they butchered these people like they were animals for the. For sacrifice. I mean, it was just, unimaginable what they did to people. They didn't, they didn't discriminate. My question is, when you kill 1100 or 1200 citizens of a country and a country decides to retaliate, since when do we put handcuffs on, on the retaliation? Since when do we say, okay, we're going to let the country that started this, that murdered all the Jews, we're going to let them dictate the terms of how Israel can react. Imagine if our. And, that, just imagine that
>> Wesley Wildmon: the Mexican cartel came over.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, let's say imagine the Mexican cartel came over and slaughtered 1100 or 1200 people in El Paso. And then the United States went after them aggressively. and then the world condemned us and said, no, you got to stop it, quit it. You have no right to retaliate.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Or imagine if Japan attacked our navy at Pearle harbor and killed 2,300Americans.
>> Tim Wildmon: And then the world said, you can't
>> Donald Trump: go to war with.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, the world said, japan, will decide how you can retaliate. We'll be back momentarily. Stay with us.
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>> Tim Wildmon: Hello everyone. Tim Wildmon, president of American Family association and American Family Radio. We are going to Italy in March of 2027. We're also going to Greece in March of 2027. And we're doing those tours back to back. If you want to do both of them in Italy, we'll be going to Venice, the gondola and see all the sights there and go to Pisa and walk on the Leaning tower of if you fall off, we're not responsible. Also, we're going to Rome and see the Sistine Chapel and the Coliseum and all the catacombs or see all the sites of Rome and in Greece. It's the Footsteps of Paul trip. So the places where Paul went in the Bible mentioned in Greece. If you want information on any of these tours, go to tours.afa.net tours.afa.net tours.aca.net God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of
>> Eduardo: life that God has promised to those who love him.
>> Tim Wildmon: James 1:12
>> : this is today's issues. Email your comments to commentsfr.net past broadcasts of today's Issues are available for listening and viewing in the [email protected] now back to more of today's Issues.
Today's Issues features Abraham Hamilton III on American Family Radio Network
>> Tim Wildmon: Hey, welcome back everybody to Today's Issues on the American Family Radio Network. Tim, Ed, Wesley and Fred, we decided, well, you know what, we need another person on this show. We need one more so we can top the View. Okay, they got four. We're bringing five, baby.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, my grandkids sitting around eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that, that tops the view. Just what they're talking.
>> Tim Wildmon: Oh, oh, you mean that dynamic in
>> Ed Vitagliano: terms of content, Intellectual.
>> Tim Wildmon: Watching your grandkids eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: Ah, are ah, more exciting. Yeah, it's more exciting than view.
>> Ed Vitagliano: More exciting more to the point.
>> Tim Wildmon: And has more content.
>> Ed Vitagliano: More content than the View. Than the View.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay, Abraham Hamilton III joins us. Good morning, Abe.
>> Abraham Hamilton III: Good morning.
>> Tim Wildmon: hey, before we jump into whatever it is we're Going to talk to Abe about maybe multiple topics I wanted to. We were on back to a more serious note.
One of the accusations against Israel by the political left is genocide
One of the accusations against Israel by the political left in this country and other places in the world, but, they use the word against Israel. Genocide. You'll hear this over and over and over again. That's the rally cry for people who hate Israel. All right? Genocide. And, listen, I don't know anybody that's pro genocide.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Unless you're a Nazi.
>> Abraham Hamilton III: Huh?
>> Ed Vitagliano: unless you know you're a Nazi.
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, yeah, but there. Do you know any Nazis?
>> Ed Vitagliano: I don't.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay.
>> Ed Vitagliano: But according to the Southern Poverty Law center, they're all over the place.
>> Fred Jackson: Graham Platner.
>> Tim Wildmon: Oh, the Senate guy with the Nazi tattoo? Well, you're right. The Southern Poverty.
>> Abraham Hamilton III: He didn't know what that tattoo means. He didn't know what it meant, Fred.
>> Fred Jackson: Okay?
>> Abraham Hamilton III: He didn't know what he meant. He was drunk when he took it off. His shirt and all the bars.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I'm just gonna say.
>> Abraham Hamilton III: He just.
>> Donald Trump: Just.
>> Ed Vitagliano: There are reasons why I don't take my shirt off. I'm m not saying I have a tattoo. It has nothing to do with the fact that my body looks like melted ice cream. Okay, okay, so maybe I didn't get that picture.
>> Tim Wildmon: We didn't need that image.
>> Wesley Wildmon: Okay, we'll leave it up to Ed to turn a corner here. You had a point, dad.
>> Tim Wildmon: you see, what. I deal with Abe on a daily basis. I try to keep this show on point.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Uh-huh.
>> Tim Wildmon: See that? He did it again.
>> Ed Vitagliano: all right, I will control myself. My apologies to all you find.
>> Tim Wildmon: Can we rewind about 90 seconds?
The accusation against Israel is that they're committing acts of genocide in Gaza
Let me start over on a serious note. Seriously serious. Okay. The accusation against Israel is that they're committing acts of genocide in Gaza. All right? there is a war against Hamas, a terrorist organization recognized as so by the international community, funded by Iran. And, their charter is to drive Israel into the sea. That is to destroy the country of Israel, and they deny their right to exist now, so Israel's been dealing with that for decades and decades now. Genocide is a extremely serious charge, and it has taken place over human history. all over the world, many, many times. Okay, what was it? The one that we got into with? Bill Clinton was president over in Herzegovina in the Balkans. What was that?
>> Ed Vitagliano: Bosnia Herzegovina.
>> Tim Wildmon: Right. But that was a war between what?
>> Abraham Hamilton III: Muslims.
>> Ed Vitagliano: It was Christian Serbs and Muslims.
>> Tim Wildmon: And were the Christian Serbs that were accused of committing genocide against the Muslims there.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Right.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay.
>> Ed Vitagliano: So we went to war on behalf
>> Tim Wildmon: of that, that was the accusation. And Bill Clinton sent in some war planes and we did some bombing too, and called us.
>> Abraham Hamilton III: Okay, did you say we went to war on behalf of the Muslims?
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, yeah, we did. Yeah, we did. Because, that was. Remember, we took that strongman out.
>> Wesley Wildmon: We.
>> Tim Wildmon: Anyway, I'm diverting, but I'm bringing up recent, examples of you got it
>> Abraham Hamilton III: going on right now in Nigeria.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay, go ahead.
>> Abraham Hamilton III: Well, you have the effort by the combination of the Boko Haram, who is seeking to establish an Islamic caliphate in Africa, along with the Fulani herdsmen, was also the tribe that is populating the government, attempting to annihilate the Christian witness or the Christians in Nigeria right now. It's happening now.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay, so this goes on, is going on as Abe just cited, all over. There's no attention given by the left wingers in America, the media here on what Abe just described. Very little. You'll see it occasionally in the news
>> Abraham Hamilton III: on Christian sites, primarily Christian radio outlets, television outlets, not many mainstream places.
>> Tim Wildmon: But here's my point. what Israel is doing against the Hamas and Hezbollah organizations, terrorist organizations, is not genocide, even by, if you go by proper definition. I'll tell you why Israel is being, genocide would be saying that Israel is killing people systematically in Gaza because they're Arab or Muslim. Okay? Now we, know that being Arab is ethnic and being Muslim is religious. So you don't, you know, people aren't Muslim by ethnicity with the expressed intent
>> Abraham Hamilton III: to eliminate them in total.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yes. So if that were true, if Israel were really, getting into genocide, then explain to me why 20% of the population of the country of Israel is Arab. Alison, my wife, is in contact with our tour guides that we use every time we go to Israel. And, they are, they live there in Israel and they're Arabs, they're Christians, which is primarily why we use them, because we want, we want our tour guides to believe the things that we're seeing, right? You know, and tell the Christian story. Nothing against Jewish guides, but. And we've used Jewish guides in the past, over the last 30 or 40 years, but we prefer Christians and don't care if they're Messianic or Arab. you know, but these gentlemen are Arab Christians. And you know what they're worried about in communicating with them? They're not worried about Israel. They're not worried about the Jews storming their home. You know what they're worried about? Drones from Iran.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Right.
>> Tim Wildmon: They're worried about, they live in the northern part of Israel. They're worried about Hezbollah rockets hitting their homes. These are Arabs.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yes. Right.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay. So I'm saying it's a misuse. Genocide is an extremely emotionally charged accusation which gets people's attention. They go, israel's committing genocide. Well, we need to stop that. Well, hold on just a minute. It is war going on against Hamas and Hezbollah, but it's not genocide.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Otherwise they'd be killing all Arabs indiscriminately.
>> Abraham Hamilton III: Right. This is the same nation you mentioned. What, 20 plus percent of the population is Arab.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yes.
>> Abraham Hamilton III: It's the same nation that, if you recall, not too long ago, under Ariel Sharon, the Jews forcibly removed Israelis from God. From Gaza.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Right.
>> Tim Wildmon: So they could allow. Yes.
>> Abraham Hamilton III: Arabs to move in.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yes.
>> Abraham Hamilton III: I don't see how you reconcile that with genocide.
>> Tim Wildmon: Right.
>> Abraham Hamilton III: And then you also have the just, you know, the truthful reality that the only reason why there's war going on currently is because Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th. Right. If there is no October 7th, there is no war, being fought currently.
>> Tim Wildmon: Right, right, right, right.
>> Ed Vitagliano: And by the way, it was Slobodan Milosevic was the head of the Boston Bosnia. The. The, in the Yugoslav wars. I forget the.
>> Tim Wildmon: But there was a war there between the Muslims and the.
>> Ed Vitagliano: And the Serbs.
All the attention on Israel when there are terrible things happening in Africa
>> Tim Wildmon: Serbs. so listen, folks, it's a sinful world we live in, and the consequences of man's sin affects every single one of us. And sometimes. Sometimes the good side does make bad decisions, and that happens in warfare, too. But just all the attention on Israel when, as Abe described, things going on in Africa. We've talked about how the Chinese treat their own people. These things seem to get no attention at all. It's just Israel and Abe.
You raised accusations of genocide against Israel, a nation that includes Arabs
Let me ask you this. you and I haven't talked a lot about this. We've been friends, know each other a long time. You've done m. Many Bible teachings here. What is your theological, Does your theology and your eschatology factor in at all to what we're seeing in the Middle east and Israel or not?
>> Abraham Hamilton III: well, yeah, it does, because.
>> Tim Wildmon: Be careful, because Fred right here.
>> Abraham Hamilton III: Oh, I know.
>> Tim Wildmon: And you know where Fred is on all this, right?
>> Abraham Hamilton III: I know, but I'm just.
>> Tim Wildmon: I'm just careful. I'm just teasing. There's not much daylight between y'.
>> : All.
>> Abraham Hamilton III: No, I just stay with the Bible.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Abraham Hamilton III: And, But what we're talking about is not logical. So the point. You raised accusations of genocide against Israel, a nation that literally populates its parliament with Arabs. Literally, its population is comprised and includes Arabs in Their population. They literally forcibly remove their own citizens to allow Arabs to have territory in their own territory.
>> Tim Wildmon: Right.
>> Abraham Hamilton III: It's, a.
>> Donald Trump: It's a.
>> Abraham Hamilton III: It's an emotionally charged accusation that it's made for the express purposes of having people's emotion to override their capacity to reason.
>> Tim Wildmon: Right.
>> Abraham Hamilton III: And when you see such an illogical phenomenon, when there are real instances of genocide that are transpiring, that get barely a whisper of attention, this defies logic. It moves over into being a spiritual issue.
>> Donald Trump: Okay.
>> Tim Wildmon: That's what I want to hear from you. So you think this is. I'm not asking you to pinpoint a Bible prophecy that applies here. I'm just saying to you, you think the fact that the world is still hating Jews, is a m. Spiritual issue.
>> Abraham Hamilton III: I do. I do.
>> Tim Wildmon: Now, the Jews don't believe in Jesus Christ. So does that matter?
>> Abraham Hamilton III: It does matter because the Bible tells us that there is a port. There are a portion of the Jews that will come to faith in Christ, as the apostle Paul talked about Romans 10, 11, 12.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay. Because I hear that sometimes people say, why do you care so much about Israel? The Jews don't even believe in Christ. Why do you care about them? Why do you care about that? So I hear that because I care
>> Abraham Hamilton III: about God and I care about the Bible and the word of God is true. And I do think that you're seeing some things happening. Like the. The contingent of Messianic Jews has increased exponentially. There were a time there were far fewer Christian churches in Israel than there are now. And so what. What I'm saying is also around the
>> Tim Wildmon: world, Messianic Jewish, movement has been.
>> Abraham Hamilton III: Has expanded quite a bit. And while I, I do know that Orthodox Jews, and things of that nature deny Christ. Ben Shapiro denies Christ. I talk about that right on m. My show all the time. I, I think it's. It brings cause for concern to have kind of the intellectual heft of so popular conservatism to be void of Christian witness. I think that's a problem. and so I do think it's important to make. Take note of that as well. Because of what I'm saying about Israel being a spiritual issue doesn't keep me from being able to make accurate observations. When Israel as a nation, national modern government, does things that I think are wrong. And I will say right as well. It doesn't come up with that criticism, as we do our own country, as we do our very own country, as the Lord did, concerning the Israelites in the Bible.
>> Wesley Wildmon: Right.
>> Tim Wildmon: You know, a few Times, quite a few times. Yeah. Another high place, people.
>> Abraham Hamilton III: Yeah, really, Another high place.
>> Tim Wildmon: We're going to do it again. That would be what I would have been saying.
>> Abraham Hamilton III: You want to get depressed, read the Book of Judges. That's what I'm studying right now. I was like, oh, my goodness. You know. But, but, but the reality also, though, the Lord does talk about the fact that the Jews are hardened for a season.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Abraham Hamilton III: That the full number of gentiles will come in and there's a future time when there will be a portion of the Jews whose eyes will be opened to behold him whom they have pierced and will receive the Messiah. That's what the Bible teaches. And so.
>> Fred Jackson: Yeah.
>> Abraham Hamilton III: I just happen to believe the Scriptures.
Tim: Fred West is wrong about Israel being a genocide. He's not wrong at all
>> Tim Wildmon: All right, Fred, tell me where Abe's wrong there.
>> Fred Jackson: He's not wrong at all.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay, brother, That's.
>> Fred Jackson: That's it exactly.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Don't. Don't look at me.
>> Tim Wildmon: No, Ed and I. Wesley is trying to figure out where we're supposed to fall in line here.
>> Ed Vitagliano: No, I think I agree exactly with what he's saying about this.
>> Tim Wildmon: Absolutely. And I real. I'm teasing about, disagreements, but I'm just saying within the Christian community, sometimes there are disagreements on eschatology and prophecy and end times. But.
>> Ed Vitagliano: So you were trying to get. You were trying to get a. I was trying to get in trouble or what?
>> Tim Wildmon: No, no, I was trying to.
>> Wesley Wildmon: What's your, I'm sorry, I'm about to get.
>> : Seriously?
>> Tim Wildmon: You're invited to participate. And then. And then. And then. And then Fred West. I gotta let my son go because I got. I gotta.
>> Wesley Wildmon: I think what you're referring to is the growing theological flaw and the young conservatives in replacement theology.
>> Tim Wildmon: That is a problem.
>> Wesley Wildmon: It's a big problem.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah. They replaced the church with Israel's place in Bible prophetic.
>> Ed Vitagliano: yeah, they said the church replaces Israel.
>> Tim Wildmon: Go ahead. But you're right. That is a go ahead, Fred.
>> Fred Jackson: Well, I go back to the unconditional covenants that God has made with the Jewish people. Has he punished the Jewish people?
>> Wesley Wildmon: Of course.
>> Fred Jackson: You read your Old Testament.
>> Tim Wildmon: or they punished themselves by rejecting Jesus Christ.
>> Fred Jackson: But, God used the Assyrians to punish Israel. God used the Babylonians to punish Judas when those Jews turned against God.
>> Tim Wildmon: Egyptians.
>> Fred Jackson: But it doesn't do away with his unconditional covenant and the promises as Abe was alluding to for the Future. Revelation, chapter seven talks about 144,000 Jewish Jesus believers.
>> Tim Wildmon: I think those. That's Jehovah's Witnesses. I think you got that confused for Am I right?
>> Ed Vitagliano: I'm all right, guys, but that was funny.
>> Tim Wildmon: I'm m not right.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Hey, let's try to get this back on track, Tim. Okay? You're. I'm always trying to get this back discussion serious here.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay, go ahead, Fred, continue.
>> Fred Jackson: So if God, if God has turned against the Jews, he's broken a promise. And our God doesn't break promises. You know, whether, you know, it's. You go back to Genesis when he, when, when the spirit of God walked between those cut up animals and he put Abraham asleep. And it's unconditional because God said, a human being will mess this up. I've got to make these unconditional promises because he wants to manifest himself through the Jewish people. And that's how we know. That's one of the reasons we know there is a God in heaven and that the Bible is true. Because how he has sustained and maintained his relationship with the Jewish people and will continue to do so. It goes back to what we talked about a few minutes ago. It is totally irrational, the hatred of the Jewish people and for the world to pick on Israel for simply defending itself.
>> Ed Vitagliano: You know, the nation of Turkey, it's to me an irrefutable historical fact that the nation of Turkey, tried to eliminate, the Armenian people, a Christian people, and that was an absolute genocide. And most of the nation, most of the nations in the UN will not formally recognize that as a genocide. Okay. So when some of these countries like Iran and others and even countries now the European countries have recognized it, United States has as well. But it's funny that a lot of people jump to the genocide word when it comes to Israel just defending itself. But when Turkey acts, absolutely tried to eliminate the Armenians as a people group, everyone goes, well, I'm not sure it actually happened.
>> Tim Wildmon: Hey, when was that?
>> Ed Vitagliano: That was in the early parts of the 19. I think that that happened, might have even happened before World War I, but it also continued through the parts of the early, parts of the 1900s. We're talking about millions of people.
>> Abraham Hamilton III: Yeah.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Okay.
Current political climate could allow biblical war against Israel, Pastor Tim says
So, the other thing I would just mention, we kind of were talking before, before this segment. Some of us were discussing the fact and Abe, you can jump in here if you want. You were one of the ones who were saying to Tim, you and I were talking about it on our way back during the, during the break five years ago, 10 years ago, I would not have been able to conceive of the current political climate allowing a biblical fulfillment of the all war, all out war against Israel that we see about the end times. I just wouldn't have seen that happening. The US still strong, being a defender. In fact, a lot of people said, well, for all these scriptural prophecies to come to pass, the United States will have to be on the sidelines. Perhaps the nation collapses or doesn't exist. That's the only way this war could come about against Israel. Now we're seeing a movement inside our country that might mean the United States does exist, but joins the people in criticizing Israel. I'm telling you, we're staring full in the face. It looks, unless the Lord postpones it, where we could be seeing a biblical prophetic war against Israel, maybe in our lifetimes, but perhaps in the lifetime of some of our younger folks.
>> Tim Wildmon: All right, you're listening to today's issues on the American Family Radio Network. Tim, Ed, Wesley, Fred and Abe's in studio with us. you know about that too. I, wanted to, say you mentioned Wesley, something called replacement theology. this is like a course explaining, the nuances.
>> Wesley Wildmon: The nuances, that's a good word.
>> Tim Wildmon: And then diving into the various and sundry. If you can call Bible verses and Bible stories sundry. I don't know that you can, but, different, different places in the scripture that says different things, especially post resurrection. so, so that.
Christianity says Jesus Christ came for everybody, not Jews alone
Abe, I want to ask you this because people were saying, well, I thought Christian, ah, Christianity ended Judaism basically as a, as a way to God. So here's what I want to say. So to those who are going to say replacement theology or lean that way, they're going to cite some Bible verses, where they, where the covenant, as you said here, friend. The covenant between God and man, generally speaking, mankind, not Jews, whatever alone did, open up to the gentile world.
>> Tim Wildmon: Because Jesus Christ came for everybody who would believe. It doesn't matter what skin color you have, it doesn't matter what form your family name is, it doesn't matter what your ethnicity is, how much money you have or don't have. The gospel of Jesus Christ says that Jesus, was sent for all. So the covenant now with God is between, an individual and their relationship with Jesus Christ. So doesn't that do away with Abrahamic? Abraham, The Old Testament. Abrahamic. It's your name. Your name. You tell me how to say it.
>> Abraham Hamilton III: Good name.
>> Tim Wildmon: I'm sorry.
>> Wesley Wildmon: M. Abrahamic. I'm messing with you.
>> Tim Wildmon: You are, you are messing with me and I'm struggling enough. did I say it correctly? You did okay, whatever I said correctly, was, a covenant. Doesn't that dismiss that or do away with that?
>> Abraham Hamilton III: Jesus said himself he didn't come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. Right. Okay, so what we need to understand and I'll try to do, do an analogy with the Noahic covenant with Noah, right? God made a covenant with Noah, signified by his bow in the sky. They would never deluge the earth again with water to destroy it with water. That covenant doesn't mean that all human beings are automatically saved. You see, that enduring unconditional commitment from God not to judge the earth in this fashion is not synonymous with every single individual on the planet being born again. Where there's a conflict often is that we conflate God's unconditional promise with the Jews. We're saying that as a result, then everybody is therefore saved. That is Jewish, and that is not true.
>> Fred Jackson: Right.
>> Abraham Hamilton III: whether you're Jewish or Gentile, there is only one name under heaven by which men must be saved. So even the Jewish people can only come to faith through Christ Jesus. Which is why the Apostle Paul explains that there will be a remnant that will come to faith in Christ ultimately when their eyes will be opened and things will happen. But in the meantime, those who reject Jesus will face eternal consequences for rejecting Christ Jesus. So God's unconditional promise to the Jews, which, by the way, the Lord's reason for establishing the Hebrew people was that through the Hebrew people, all the families of the earth will be blessed. That's Genesis 12. You know, Abraham was not a Jewish person. He was Babylonian from Ur of the Chaldees, God calls him out and the local Canaanites called him Eber. When he arrived in Canaan, which is where you get the term Hebrew from. It's a derivative from Hebrew, which means he's from over there. He's not native to this land, but he's here now because he's from elsewhere. God explains in Genesis 12 that through Abraham and his family and lineage, which ultimately culminates in Christ, all the families of the earth will be blessed. So when we say the NewSong Testament reality that it is through Christ that whosoever will let him come, that was God's design from the very beginning. So God is not making an about face. He is executing what was planned from the very beginning. That through the Jewish people, the Messiah comes for all.
>> Tim Wildmon: Amen. Amen. Wonderful. Thank you, brother. Appreciate it.
Ed starts going off on tangents regularly on this trip
>> Wesley Wildmon: you know, we didn't get to anything that we asked him. We were going to talk about right?
>> Tim Wildmon: No, but that happens regularly on this trip. We just, I had one question. We have a plan. We try to stick with the plan, and.
>> Ed Vitagliano: And then I get us off.
>> Tim Wildmon: Ed starts going off on, I love you, brother, but you start taking us in different directions. Oh, we never intended to go. and I'm sitting here going, that's a good thing.
>> Wesley Wildmon: We're up on a break here.
>> Fred Jackson: It's a fault.
>> Ed Vitagliano: It's a fault of mine. sitting here thinking, my wife agrees with you.
>> Tim Wildmon: We'll be back. The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.
