Netanyahu and Trump: The ultimate “one-two punch”

In boxing, a “one-two punch” is generally carried out by a left jab, quickly followed by the hard blow of a right cross. The jab creates an opening to clear the way for the hard blow to finish the job. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump teamed up to form the ultimate one-two punch, and the world is a much safer place as a result.

The “Left Jab”

Since entering “Operation Rising Lion,” the IDF has taken out at least eleven top Iranian military Generals/Commanders and nine of their top nuclear scientists. They have also destroyed hundreds of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers—which are believed to be at least a third and possibly up to half of their entire arsenal. They have also destroyed some 950 Iranian drones before being launched toward Israel. Moreover, the IDF has taken out command centers, nuclear sites—including the Natanz uranium enrichment site—and has achieved total air superiority in Iranian airspace.

The “Right Cross”

Just when the IDF had Iran “back on its heels,” then came a crushing “right cross” ordered by President Donald Trump. The United States sent B-2A “Spirit” Long-Range Stealth Bombers to completely obliterate Iran’s primary nuclear site, Fordow, along with two other sites, Natanz and Esfahan.

Another “Forever War”?

Critics say, including some prominent members of the GOP, that Trump’s action is going to get us into another “forever war.” I disagree. While we all have to wait and see how this plays out, I believe eliminating the most dangerous weapons on the planet from the most dangerous state-sponsor of terrorism on the planet is a good thing and could lead to decades of a more peaceful Middle East. Furthermore, after the incredible work of Israel’s IDF, taking out the nuclear sites was “low-hanging fruit.” Once in Iran’s airspace, the entire operation on all three nuclear sites took less than a half-hour with, presumably, no loss of life (surely their nuclear sites were evacuated in advance). 

President Trump has a disdain for “forever wars,” and he has been clear about that since before he ever decided to run for president. So, I’m not worried about a long, drawn-out involvement in Iran. I am worried about Iranian terrorists’ “sleeper cells” here in the U.S., courtesy of Joe Biden’s reckless (and arguably treasonous) open border for four years. But they are already here and would eventually find an excuse to try to work havoc in our country. Let’s not forget that they don’t just chant “Death to Israel!” They’ve been chanting, “Death to America!” since the late seventies.

I am much closer to being an “isolationist” than an “interventionists,” but there are certain times when it becomes absolutely necessary to act and act swiftly. Those of us who can look at it through a spiritual lens know that this is especially true when Israel is involved. But to those who don’t look through a spiritual lens, maybe they can at least look at it through a self-preservation lens. To this evil regime of the Mullahs in Iran, Israel is just the “Little Satan,” and the United States is the “Great Satan.” Had they obtained nuclear weapons and annihilated Israel, we would have been their next target. “Never Again” should not only be the cry of every Jewish person (referring to the atrocities of the Holocaust), but also to our entire society. 

Cyrus the Great Revisited

During Trump’s first run for president in 2016, it became trendy in the Christian community to compare him to Cyrus the Great. The idea at the time was to simply make the point that if God could use even a pagan king, He could certainly use a brash, boastful, and slightly foul-mouthed New York businessman. God used Cyrus, a Babylonian pagan king, to help God’s people rebuild Jerusalem and the temple in the 5th Century BCE (Ezra 1:2-4). What’s seldom talked about is that prior to that, in approximately 700 BCE, God moved upon the prophet Isaiah to call Cyrus by name in prophetic scripture about 150 years before he was even born (Isaiah 44:28). God didn’t decide on a whim to use Cyrus. This unlikely pagan was called by God for the task before he was even conceived.

But in light of Trump intervening to destroy Iran’s nukes, I believe the comparison is even more relevant. Isaiah goes on to write in verse 45:1 (ampc), “Thus says the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held to subdue nations before him, and I will unarm and ungird the loins of kings…”  That’s exactly what King Cyrus did; he “unarmed” kings. And that’s exactly what Trump did early Sunday, June 22 (Tehran local time). He unarmed Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei of nuclear weapons. The verse continues, “… to open doors before him, so that gates will not be shut.” With the amazing stealth technology of the B-2 bombers, you could say the doors were wide open before him, and the gates were not shut. They flew right into the Iranian airspace, uninhibited.

Joel Rosenberg said on this week’s Rosenberg Report that this could be the judgement on Elam (present-day Iran) spoken of in Jeremiah 49:34-38. Of particular interest to me in the aftermath of the destruction of their nuclear facilities is verse 35 (ampc): “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief [weapon and part] of their strength.”

Returning the Favor

Nioh Berg had an interesting perspective in a post on X. The post read, “2500 years after Cyrus the Great delivered freedom to the Jewish people, Israel may now be about to deliver freedom for his descendants.”

2500 years after Cyrus the Great delivered freedom to the Jewish people, Israel may now be about to deliver freedom for his descendants. pic.twitter.com/yZBeYtm5tr

— 𝗡𝗶𝗼𝗵 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗴 ♛ ✡︎ (@NiohBerg) June 15, 2025

The Iranian people are good people with a rich history, and everyone in their mid-50s or older remember what a great country they once had. Hormoz Shariat, a Christian convert and founder of Alive Ministries, who fled Iran to the U.S. in 1979, told Washington Watch that a large percentage of the Iranian people are “hopeful for regime change.” And the underground church in Iran is reportedly the fastest growing evangelical church in the world. According to Lana Silk, CEO of the Transform Iran ministry, over a million Iranian Muslims have converted to Christianity in the last 45 years.

Many monumental historic events are not known to be monumental at the time they occur, but rather need the perspective of hindsight. I’m cautiously optimistic that what we have just witnessed will play out to be a very historic event that will change the Middle East and the world. I’m hopeful that when the dust all settles, the Abraham Accords will be expanded and the region will enjoy greater peace and prosperity for years to come.