Latest / Worldview Matters With David Fiorazo / Barry Stagner: Why The U.S. Is Producing Radical Activists

Transcript

Barry Stagner: Why The U.S. Is Producing Radical Activists · Worldview Matters With David Fiorazo

• 0:02
  Welcome to Worldview Matters. Discussing controversial issues. Discerning current events. Defending biblical Christianity. No topic. Off limits. And now, here's your host, David Fiorazzo.
• 0:20
  Hey, friends, thank you so much for tuning in. We appreciate you guys so much. And I've got Pastor Barry Stagner waiting to come on. I can't wait to get his perspective on so many important events and talk about some important things today, as we always try to do on this podcast to encourage the body of Christ and to equip, hopefully. But, you know, I do want to read...
• 0:41
  I get some emails or letters, and I really appreciate you guys when you do send something in. But there's one that someone sent in recently, and I just want to share that. I was just so encouraged by this. He said—this is from Barney. He said, David, I so appreciate your worldview matters ministry. You cover the entire range of topics that we as Christians need to view through the lens of Scripture.
• 1:05
  For each topic, you bring solid Christians in your interviews. It's a real blessing to hear these subjects discussed by Christians who truly view the Bible as the fully trustworthy Word of God. I also like the 30-minute program format. Thanks, Barry. I mean, Barney. The recent conference, Worldview Matters conference, was excellent in terms of the range of topics and the quality of the speakers. Their expertise in their areas coupled with a solid biblical worldview—
• 1:35
  Heidi and I are keeping you and Rosanna and your ministry in our prayers. And I just thank you, Barney. That was very encouraging to me. Very well written about certain things. We really try to keep balanced in what we do here, not get too sensational, which is kind of what we're going to talk about in part.
• 1:53
  today. So barrystagner.com, that's the website, barrystagner.com. Jeff, bring up his devotional if you have it. I've got this. I use it every day. I just wanted to give Barry and Amir a plug for Until He Comes. You can get that on Amazon. Brother, thank you so much for your time today. Good to connect with you.
• 2:15
  Thank you, David. Appreciate you having me on. And I would second Barney's email. Thank you for sticking to the Word of God. That's what will get us all through these parallels in what we now live.
• 2:27
  Yes, so much more important these days with all that's going on in the world to be rooted and established in the truth and to see the world through the lens of Scripture. My goodness. And we're going to talk about some of that, and I've got an article that I brought up to you before we got on the podcast that I want to get your feedback on. But first, something we mentioned in an email exchange, Barry—
• 2:52
  There's—I've noticed some pastors, and these are some men that I really admire and respect in their ministries, and not an issue doctrinally or anything. They touch on Bible prophecy, the whole counsel of God. And yet there's a handful, you know, whatever number that is—
• 3:09
  that are trying to be out there, and it seems like they're trying to get the clicks and the likes and trying to not break news, but do things that I'm not sure it doesn't take a little leap from their role as a pastor and one that's hopefully equipping the body of Christ. Could you share your thoughts on that? Because I know you see both sides of this, pastors that are silent in the pulpit that won't address any issue—
• 3:38
  And then there are some that want to jump on the latest thing that Trump did or something that's happening in our country or talk about the Antichrist or end times. So help us with a balanced view here, Barry. Help us look at this with a really important balanced view.
• 3:55
  Yeah, David, I think this is an important issue because the Bible is sensational enough in and of itself. And the fact that it has mentioned things, you know, thousands of years ago that we're watching unfold today, we really don't need to go out and start searching for something to get people to click on our podcast or whatever. And, you know, I think there's a flip side to that, too, David, that we want to be equally careful about.
• 4:19
  Because we are in a technology war today, and it's a war for information combined with the techno age that we live in. And, you know, we always encourage people to subscribe, comment, like, and share. Because understanding how this mechanism works, these platforms work, you know, the more comments, the more likes, the more shares, the more the algorithm drives it up to the top of the search modes. You know, when people are typing in keywords. Yeah.
• 4:47
  You know, I think it's okay to ask for people to comment. And I do that on our program. Camille and I do the same. It's just, hey, if nothing else, say where you are, because we want to be able to engage with people who wouldn't necessarily watch a program like these or others like it.
• 5:04
  You know, just because they're unbelievers. But what we don't need to do is to follow after everything that's happening out there in the world that's getting clicks and likes and comments. We need to make sure that our motivation is that God is glorified and that his word is getting out there to combat all the lies and misinformation that we're dealing with all day, every day.
• 5:29
  You know, as human beings, we were created in the image of God, but we weren't meant to keep up with everything. My goodness. I mean, even Jesus modeled this example of getting out just in solitary, just in quiet and praying to God away from the noise at that time, you know, in Jerusalem and wherever he was traveling, getting away from the noise and the crowd and just to have that fellowship with the Father. So much more important for us with God,
• 5:58
  the gadgets, you know, the machines and everything else and the breaking news and 24-7, we know what's going on on the other side of the world. So I know as a pastor, you want people to have that sweet, quiet time with God and just be grounded in the truth, don't you?
• 6:15
  Well, absolutely. I think that's why it's important to make sure that everything we do, as I said, is for the purpose of glorifying God or driving people to his word, of which, you know, I always think Psalm 121, you know, I lift my eyes up to the mountains from whence comes my help.
• 6:32
  My help comes from you, Lord, maker of heaven and earth. And that's where we want to push people, even in the midst of all the things we see today that are troubling and frightening to a degree, and to just push people to God through his word so they can come to an understanding that we can have a peace.
• 6:51
  I have a friend who calls the peace that's promised in Philippians stupid peace. It's just peace that doesn't make sense. It's peace when you ought not to have it. And that's really the key, I think, in traversing these times that we now live in.
• 7:06
  So the reason I brought that up, because we are going to talk about certain issues, and it is important to discuss these things to some extent. We just don't have to break news and be out there with our iPhones and talk about what just happened or what announcement was made from the White House or whatever. But we will talk about Israel and Iran in just a few minutes with Pastor Barry.
• 7:28
  But this came over my desk in the headlines in the last couple days, and this is because of the recent UFC event at the White House last Sunday. The feds, meaning the FBI and others, thwarted a major coordinated terror plot to assassinate President Trump, J.D. Vance, and they were going to do it with drone bombs and snipers. Now, some of you are going, well, I didn't hear this. Yeah, because maybe not a lot of outlets reported on it, but...
• 7:58
  This happened, and we're in this culture now, Barry, maybe before the assassination of Charlie Kirk, but maybe that has just kicked things up a notch. But there have been attempts on the president's life. I don't remember ever an attempt on a Democrat president in my lifetime. But so I can't say, well, maybe we could say that just seems like,
• 8:19
  Those who were inspired by Satan, I would call them demonically driven, and they're just not thinking straight. They're just evil. They are evil, and they're plotting evil. And they are coming after the Christians, the conservatives, in this case a Republican president and vice president. So five men are in custody—
• 8:41
  So we're not just reading a headline here. There's truth behind this. Across four different states, the FBI said it disrupted the plot and the attack involved explosive-laden drones, snipers, targeting government officials and others attending the event. And then there was a second phase that they wanted to actually breach the White House gates. And it started with a 19-year-old...
• 9:05
  who just got out of high school, used $3,000 of his graduation money to do this. And I'm thinking, hmm, that's very interesting, Barry, that there is a young guy as part of this group. He was indoctrinated. Just your thoughts on what's going on and the danger about this culture that we're in now.
• 9:25
  Well, you know, we've heard a lot about cancel culture, David, and other things like it. But now we've got—and I don't think that it's overstatement or hyperbole to say that this is demonic, because Jesus said Satan only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Now, when that is your motivation, because you disagree with someone politically, it's not a stretch at all to say that this is of the devil.
• 9:48
  And he's behind it and the driving force behind such an attitude. But David, I think there's something about this that we need to highlight. And that is that this is kind of a precursor, a building block to what's eventually going to happen during the tribulation.
• 10:04
  Because you're going to have a whole planet filled with people that Revelation describes as earth dwellers. That are basically complicit in the execution, the beheading of those who have the testimony of Jesus and the word of God. And you'll find that there's a numberless multitude of those.
• 10:24
  who are killed during the tribulation. Now, I think because we are so close to that time where that rider on the white horse in Revelation 6-2 is going to come on the world scene, that there are certain things that have to already be in place mentally and spiritually in order to arrive at such a place where you would turn a blind eye or even be supportive of executing people.
• 10:48
  who see things differently than you do. And, you know, I think especially with, you mentioned a Democrat being assassinated. I think you'd have to reach all the way back to John F. Kennedy back in the 60s, you know. And since then, it's been efforts to silence the voice of reason, silence the conservative voice, silence the largely Republican voice. And, you know, it's just that willingness today to go beyond
• 11:17
  you know, just a disagreement. And I loved, there was a guy named Walter Martin who hosts the program called the Bible Answer Man. And he would mention in every program, we need to agree to disagree agreeably. And we have lost that in our culture today. And now it's kill or be killed if you disagree with somebody. It's just really, truly perilous times in which we live.
• 11:44
  And part of this is understandable because we know the K-12 system, it is somewhat designed to produce social justice activists, not just people, young people against the biblical worldview, but those who would be protesters, those who would go out and do something because they're trying to get them to hate the other side. And this is very dangerous, and the media plays into this. And they will never take responsibility for their rhetoric, which is one of the—
• 12:13
  Frustrating things to me, Barry, that we have a media in America generally that, you know, they're spewing this garbage, this hatred and, you know, pointing out Trump is Hitler and fascist. I mean, Charlie Kirk was called that. And then people they know people will act on this. So I think that's very irresponsible. But just back to the article, it says, according to investigators, there were 23 people involved.
• 12:39
  The group included 23 members who allegedly discussed plans to carry out the attack. And then a quote from someone in the article says, 23 people do not get to the point where they're going to commit a mass terror incident in Washington, D.C. without some serious funding or without some serious coordination. Actually, that's J.D. Vance said that. So this is interesting that 23 people were involved.
• 13:06
  So we're seeing more and more of this happen and not just a lone gunman. Barry, your thoughts and then we'll move on.
• 13:14
  Yeah, you know, watching some of the things that have happened back when the World Cup was going on. And it's very interesting. I've seen kind of comparison videos between people who are over, specifically in London, saying, would you ever go to the United States? Never. I would never go there. Such an unsafe place. There's no freedom there. They're making all these claims that they've heard from the media. And then you've got Brits who are here, Australians who are here, who are saying, we've been lied to.
• 13:43
  There's one Australian guy in particular said, we have been lied to about America. American people are wonderful people. America is a wonderful place. And so you've got, you know, as you mentioned a moment ago, Dave, and I think this is so critical to our understanding that the K-12 system is no longer an educational system. It's an indoctrination system. And it is teaching our children things that aren't true.
• 14:08
  And teaching them that violence is an option if you've got somebody who sees things differently than you do, that is an infringement upon your right to see yourself in whatever gender you see yourself or whatever sexual preference you find yourself. And people who are opposed to that are evil and should be done away with. And it's just been...
• 14:31
  Really a pretty rapid transition into this kind of mainstream thinking that you could actually accumulate secretly 23 people to participate in a plot to execute the president and other people in high places of power. It's just...
• 14:47
  The times are tough, that's for sure. Yes, and be warned, friends. I'm speculating that the overwhelming majority of people watching or listening to this podcast have a sound biblical worldview and agree with our positions on everything from the rapture to eschatology to Israel to...
• 15:09
  You know, what's going on? Just basic stuff in our culture, the LGBTQ issues and all that, and abortion. We are very conservative, and we stand on the Word of God as fully inspired, as fully inerrant. And there are people who hate us because of that.
• 15:25
  And it is because of Jesus. Let's be clear. It's because of Jesus. It's because of who we represent, because we are his ambassadors. But, Barry, I want you to move on to Iran now, and this Iran deal that the president has recently signed and been working on. We've been hearing about peace and then ceasefires, and then someone attacks again, and then something else. Drones are...
• 15:47
  shot down and missiles are fired and then there's there's a temporary ceasefire but now what are your thoughts because I've heard two different sides of this a couple of the outlets news outlets that I happen to frequent they seem overly optimistic and I hope they're right but I tend to say you know Iran looks at us as the great Satan who needs to be taken out they hate America and
• 16:12
  for many reasons, and of course our alliance with Israel. Walk us through what you are seeing with the recent developments with President Trump and the peace deal.
• 16:23
  Well, with this memorandum of understanding, it's basically an agreement to try and reach an agreement. And, you know, certainly has conditions within it. You know, the release of some of the sanctioned funds and $300 billion for rebuilding Iran. You know, the opening of the Strait of Hormuz. And, you know, one of the things I think is so troubling about that issue in particular is,
• 16:46
  is the street of Hormuz is international waters. Iran has no right to control it whatsoever. And nobody seems to be paying attention to these types of things. And it's simply, well, hey, let's get the oil flowing again. We can get gas prices down. And when they come down, transportation prices, product to market, that's going to come down. We're going to see lower food prices. Everything's going to be good again. And I don't think there's...
• 17:14
  any stretch of imagination to try and attach this to the midterm elections that are not too far off. So definitely a motivation. But it's been really, I think for some, very troubling to see the president basically capitulate on some of the things he himself said would never, ever happen.
• 17:33
  happen. Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. They have to—one of his statements was they have to turn over the enriched uranium, and now they're talking about diluting it and allowing them to keep it, which would be a very, very costly process. And the Iranians just aren't going to do it. And on top of that, David, I think the primary concern with this—
• 17:55
  is twofold. One, within Islam, there's what's called the taqiyya. And it's the lie to advance the cause of Islam or protect it. And then on top of that, you've got the eschatological
• 18:10
  you know, thinking of the primarily Shia Iranians, at least the leadership, and that is they have a responsibility in their mind to bring about an apocalyptic scene on the earth so that the 12th among the Mahdi can come back and bring peace to earth. So it's not like they're going to say, hey, well, that was pretty tough, let's just give up. Nothing has changed for them, it's still the same regime, and there was never going to be a benefit to the Iranian people
• 18:40
  unless there was a change of regime. Same people are still in charge. Running the Republican Guard Corps is still, you know, executing people. I mean, you know, the day that this thing was proposed, they executed two people in Iran. So nothing has changed there. And it's very, very bizarre. And I think Al Arabiya Arabic paper even put out an article where someone had commented,
• 19:06
  The only two people on the planet who seem to think that Iranians will keep their word are President Trump and J.D. Vance. Everybody else, the whole Arab world knows that they're not going to stick to this memorandum or even come to any kind of agreement.
• 19:22
  You know, I think those who are looking at this as an opportunity are looking at it through a tainted perspective, because that's simply it's not the pattern of the Iranians. And I don't think we're going to see anything change for the Iranian people unless there was a regime change.
• 19:42
  I agree. It'll be interesting to watch what happens now from here on. Crazy times. But you mentioned Takiyah. We haven't talked about that in quite some time on this podcast, but it really justifies lying.
• 19:59
  To advance your agenda. Well, what's interesting when you said that, Barry, forgive me, it's not funny, but I'm thinking about the left in America. I mean, they lie. Why? Because they don't have a moral compass. They don't believe in the Ten Commandments. They don't believe in bearing false—it's okay to bear false witness if it advances your agenda, the leftist agenda.
• 20:16
  And so I know a lot of people, Americans, that would lie and say, yeah, no big deal. Cheat in elections, voting. So Takiyah, I know it's a different concept when you talk about Islam. But yeah, I'm glad you brought that up because—
• 20:32
  How can you trust these people? And I'm just I'm backing away and thinking, OK, I hope and pray that, you know, President Trump and J.D. Vance and others that are advising them, they know a whole lot more than we do and that the media is finding out.
• 20:52
  Maybe there is something going on that gives them a little bit more optimism. But I think what you said was spot on. You know, a leopard doesn't change its spots. So now, do you think this will affect—I mean, down the road, apparently it will, when you look at Bible prophecy and Israel being alone one day—
• 21:14
  Do you think it'll affect America's relationship with Israel, meaning Trump and Netanyahu? Because you already hear some things back and forth, and you're going, oh, okay, this is interesting. What are your thoughts, Barry?
• 21:28
  Well, I think this is going to be kind of a reverse order transition because you've already got people on the streets who are anti-Semitic and there's millions of them who blame everything that's going on on the Jews. Now, when you've got an upcoming election and a change in those who are in power, the likelihood, because of the sheer numbers and percentages, the likelihood of someone with that anti-Semitic view
• 21:54
  coming into office is pretty high. It may not be in this next election, but the one after it. But there's no question, David, I think we are actually seeing the development stages of the fulfillment of Zechariah 12.3, where the whole world is going to view Jerusalem, speaking of Israel,
• 22:13
  as a burdensome stone. It's just a problem for everybody. And you know, if you keep reading through that scenario in Zechariah chapter 12 through 14, which is about the 70th week of Daniel, it's eventually going to lead to what the tribulation tells us, or what we're told about the tribulation in the book of Revelation, where the God of Israel is going to fight as he fights in the day of battle. And there seems to be a motivation behind the timing of that.
• 22:43
  with the whole world turning against God's chosen people, the Jews. I mean, good grief, David. We've got the vast majority of the church. Yes. I believe the church has replaced Israel or that the modern state of Israel is simply a political entity like any other country, which couldn't be farther from the truth. Ezekiel 36, love in the middle passages there in 20 to 24. You know, God tells Israel, I'm bringing you back.
• 23:12
  but I'm not doing it for your sake.
• 23:15
  But the fact is that every, and I'm paraphrasing, obviously, the fact is that every day you were outside of your eternally covenanted, unconditionally granted homeland, my name was being profane. So the Lord says to Israel, I'm not bringing you back for your sake. I'm bringing you back for my name's sake. And to say that, you know, hey, this is just a political entity is not just to speak against Israel. It's to speak against the word of God.
• 23:44
  And I don't think that's why under any circumstance. But this is where we live now, David. Everybody, by and large, or the vast majority of people, by and large, are either against him spiritually or against him ethnically. That's where the world's already at.
• 23:59
  Yes, and it's all part of what I would say maybe in one context is a perfect storm, and this has to do with the biblical illiteracy of the Church of American Christians and buying into replacement theology and things like that. But give us a little teaser, Barry. I didn't mention your YouTube channel, The Truth About God.
• 24:18
  You recently did a video with Amir, and it's called Has America Turned Its Back on Israel? So can you give us a little teaser, a couple bullet points on what that's about? People can go check that out.
• 24:32
  Yeah, I think probably one of the most troubling statements coming from a world leader that I've ever heard came out of the mouth of Donald Trump. The only one that compares it with it was when Barack Obama said, God bless Planned Parenthood. What a blasphemous statement. Trump said, the only reason Israel still exists is because of me.
• 24:55
  And, you know, my mind, Amir, as well, went back to, you know, Daniel chapter 4, I think it's verse 30, where Nebuchadnezzar is looking over Babylon after he's already been told, you know, to watch his step. And he says, the great Babylon, look.
• 25:12
  at what my hand has made. And then we know the rest of the story. He was a lunatic for the next seven years until God restored him. But you know, it's just along that same vein, God said, I'm bringing you back for my name's sake. Trump says you still survive because of me. What a dangerous, dangerous statement.
• 25:33
  And we talk about that and some of the details of this memorandum of understanding and troubling it is. You know, Israel was just they weren't at the table. And Iran and the U.S. agreed on what Israel is going to do in Lebanon.
• 25:51
  You know, one sovereign state or two telling the sovereign state what they're going to do without their participation at the meeting. It's just, I mean, that's pride in and of itself as well, to think you can boss another country around. That's not the way things work.
• 26:08
  Well, it is Pride Month, but that's a different kind of pride. That was the first, you know, when Satan rebelled against God. That's that kind of pride, not the LGBTQ pride. But nonetheless, it's pride. Yeah, there are some things. A friend of mine sent me a video. We just have a minute left, Barry. It's J.D. Vance was speaking. I think he was actually...
• 26:32
  speaking to the liberal ladies on The View, and he was eloquent, he was respectful, he said he has to pray about everything. He said, especially when he's in these situations, he knows that God can handle things that he can't. And I'm thinking, man, why? I hope one day we can have a humble...
• 26:51
  centered, you know, focused on God, a president that is not so boastful. But I do still, I'm thankful for a lot of President Trump's policies, but this pride is really disturbing and his language and other things. So Barry, just 30 seconds, just share whatever final thoughts of encouragement you'd like.
• 27:14
  Well, I think we need to remember that everything is unfolding exactly as the Bible said. And that ought to do two things to us. One, it ought to keep us looking up in expectation of the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. And it ought to burden our hearts for those who are going to be left behind and motivate us.
• 27:32
  to tell everyone we can about the saving power of the blood of Jesus. Amen. Thank you, BarryStagner.com. Friends, let's be about the gospel and do the work that God's called us to do while we still can. Let's redeem the time. Brother, thank you again. Thanks for having me, David. Appreciate it. You're most welcome. God bless you, friends. And as always, keep speaking the truth about things that matter. See you next time.