Iran Taunts… The Nations Warn… Israel Waits
August 14, 2024
Host: Hon. Sam Rohrer
Guest: Ted Vanlandeghem
Note: This transcript is taken from a Stand in the Gap Today program aired on 8/14/24. To listen to the podcast, click HERE.
Disclaimer: While reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate transcription, the following is a representation of a mechanical transcription and as such, may not be a word for word transcript. Please listen to the audio version for any questions concerning the following dialogue.
Sam Rohrer: Hello and welcome to this Wednesday edition of Stand In the Gap Today. And it’s also our bi-monthly, Israel Middle East and prophecy focus in what a time in world history for us to focus on this again today. Because as we are all aware, the world is literally waiting, just standing with their mouth hanging open, so to speak, expecting a major attack by the enemies of Israel, led by Iran, and they’ve been on edge. The world is on edge right now. You know that we are. It is, and it’s been that way for a couple of weeks. But as we have clearly said on this program, the expectation was even heightened as Iran threatened that the attack might well align with the historic day of calamity as referred to, or the day of mourning that preceded these days of the day of the ninth of that event, which was Monday night, sunset to Tuesday night, sunset of this week.
Sam Rohrer: Now we’ve just passed that. That period of time is now concluded about 24 hours ago. And while this greatly anticipated, and I’m going to say broadly orchestrated revenge attack by Iran, it in her proxies on Israel did not occur by this historic date. It by no means, means that an attack will not happen perhaps even within the next 24 hours. And even just a few moments ago, I got an alert that says that within the next 24 hours or so it may happen. So we’re right there. And according to biblical prophecy, we know that there will be military engagements by the enemies of Israel as prophesied by both Psalm 83 and the full-fledged attack by more independent but aligned nations like Russia and Turkey in conjunction with Iran as prophesied Ezekiel chapter 38 and 39. Now the title I’ve chosen to frame today’s program is Iran Taunts.
Sam Rohrer: The Nation’s Warn Israel Waits, and my guest today, who is eminently qualified to talk about the current state of the Middle East from the perspective of Israel, the bible, the political, the military, and as a messianic Jewish believer in Yeshua from all of that putting together, his name is Ted Vanlandeghem. He’s been with me before. He is now the director of synagogue in church engagement for the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America. And he is also directing the Joseph Project. Now Ted’s also the former US spokesman and director of partner relations for MA OZ ministries based in Jerusalem. He’s also a former US Air Force veteran of 26 years and served for a time in the White House in the capacity of Air Force Intelligence during the GW Bush administration. And with that I welcome back to the program right now, Ted Vanlandeghem. Ted, thanks for being back with me.
Ted Vanlandeghem: Hey, thanks Sam. Thanks for having me
Sam Rohrer: On again. You’re welcome, Ted. In this segment, let’s just start it here with an overview. Put that way because right now Iran has not gone to full-fledged war with Israel as much as anticipated. I just laid out. Doesn’t mean they’re not going to do it, but at the moment there appears to be a little bit of a calm. But is this calm a calm before the storm? And here’s my question. Give us, I would say a 10,000 foot level view of what is actually taking place right now in the Middle East regarding Iran’s threat to fully attack Israel.
Ted Vanlandeghem: Well, Sam, that’s the million-dollar question. This really currently is a war of attrition that has the possibility of going much wider. And one of the things as I look at this is I think that currently Israel really has Iran second guessing its strategy and tactics. Iran caught Israel off guard on October 7th, 2023 with the attack on the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, and on a date that was called Sim Kato rejoicing in the word. And Israel didn’t see that attack coming. And Iran and her proxies, Hamas brought this attack on Israel with a real major shift in tactics, the use of gliders and other tactics to come across the border in unexpected ways. But in April, when Iran launched the missile attack on Israel, about a hundred percent of those missiles, all but one were taken down. One of them I think malfunctioned.
Ted Vanlandeghem: And there’s debates on how many of those actually malfunctioned, but over 300 cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and drones were launched and none of them reached their intended target. And so that coupled with the fact that Israel has been methodically taking out leadership infrastructure with Iran’s proxies, Hamas, Hezbollah, other terrorist organizations like Islamic Jihad and other militia leadership has, and even in a secure compound in Iran, has Iran kind of second guessing their strategy and how they go forward. I believe another thing to focus in on this is the fact that this happened, the taking out of the Hamas leader took place on the inauguration day of a ranch new president and the previous president died in a mysterious helicopter crash. How did that happen? Was that the doing of Israel? Well, we don’t know, but all of these things together have Iran second guessing their strategy going forward. But do they intend to move forward and continue the war of attrition on Israel and eventually try to take her out and destroy her? Absolutely.
Sam Rohrer: Alright, and that’s the bottom line, ladies and gentlemen. It is going to happen. The timing is the question. Now, Ted, let me come back with a comment on this in the last minute here or so, and that is this the world, at least the western nations, even Russia as saying Iran do not attack Israel. They’re calling for a peace treaty, a ceasefire so and forth. But Hamas and the Palestinians have said no and they’ve said no repeatedly, and yet the world kind of pushes, pushes, pushes, pushes for that. But they have not agreed and they say no, no, no. So here’s the question. Is the continued push for a peace treaty when everyone knows Hamas doesn’t want it, is it a strategic ploy to just drag out the conflict and perhaps permit Iran and her proxies to do a better job of preparing for the big attack, which we’ve just said is going to happen at some time? Or is there some other strategic reason perhaps?
Ted Vanlandeghem: I think the comment that you made about is it allowing them more time to prepare is one of the reasons? Absolutely. I think the other part of it is, like I said earlier, this is a war of attrition and that’s not good for Israel. Israel’s a small country and Protractive wars for Israel, even though Israel in a sense has been in a constant state of war, but not on a scope and a scale like this with a full mobilization of her military or near full mobilization of her military for a protracted amount of time, Israel’s really not set up for that. It has major impacts on their economy. In fact, Israel was just recently downgraded in the last few days economically, and the pull of a major mobilization in their military has a profound effect on their economy and their society.
Sam Rohrer: And with that, we’ll just leave it right there. Ladies and gentlemen, you’re listening to Stand in the Gap today. We’ve just begun this program. If you’re joining us, our theme is this, Iran taunts, the nation’s warn, Israel awaits. My special guest, Ted Vanlandeghem, now director of synagogue and church engagement with Messianic Jewish Alliance of America. Come back, we’ll talk about the Jewish attitude. Well, following October seven, that event when Hamas committed the largest and it was the largest single massacre of innocent Jewish people since the Holocaust, that’s what makes that so significant. October 7th. But following that, Israel declared full out war. They declared war and they have been in a state of war understanding that they can no longer hope for peace, only for that peace that seems to be on the other side of war. Think about that. Those are my words.
Sam Rohrer: The enemies of Israel have removed all doubt by swearing again and again that Israel must be destroyed as a nation. The Jewish people eradicated once and for all in control of Jerusalem be put back under full control of the Islamic and Arab world. And herein the current state of survival is a daily reality for Israel and the Jewish people. It’s tough while inside that declaration of war there resides within the Jewish people a persistent hope of a more glorious day when they are free from attack and Jerusalem, which it’s not right now, fully under their control with a restored temple where they can worship once again. So Ted, how would you describe, let’s go here. I just tried to put it just a little bit in words there of how I perceive that motivation and that attitude that indwells the Jewish people and those that are in Israel right now.
Sam Rohrer: And if you want, you can comment on that, but here’s where I want you to specifically go. I’d like if you could, to describe the prevailing attitude from your perspective and the motivation of the Jewish people specifically in Israel at this time when Iran is playing psychological games with the minds of Israel by threatening attack and then delaying and then going back on edge, they’re keeping everybody on edge, literally, Israel is on edge and throw into it, if you don’t mind here, detail the differences where they’re observable between the factions of Jews within Israel, say the Orthodox versus the secular or the Messianic as a thread of Judaism or for instance, the political military perspective versus citizens at large. The kinds of things we see in the press. So just go a little forward, just explain that attitude and the motivations that you think are prevailing now inside Israel.
Ted Vanlandeghem: Well, since October 7th and the events with that surprise attack, you’ve seen a convergence of the Israeli society together in unity around the security of the nation. But just before the October 7th attack, there were big divisions in the Israeli culture that were really boiling over regarding proposed judicial reform. And that judicial reform was to alter the Supreme Court there in Israel and it’s almost unchecked autonomy. And there were protests, marches, and a lot of boiling over division within the culture. But as soon as the October 7th events, all those divisions kind of got laid aside, not completely, Israel’s never completely unified, but by and large part, the culture has come together around the security and safety of the nation. With that said, there’s big divisions within the culture between the secular and the Orthodox Jews. When Israel was founded, there was a majority of secular Jews, but today demographically you see the Orthodox C community growing and strength strengthen number in tandem with that. The Messianic community is also growing within Israel, it’s still a very small percentage of the overall population. The numbers vary somewhere between 30 and 50,000 Jewish believers in the nation of a little over 8 million people.
Ted Vanlandeghem: But all of these factions have big divisions and there’s big pressures because of what the Orthodox wants, the Orthodox community wants Israel to be like versus the secular community. But those things have really been set aside for the period regarding Israel’s security.
Sam Rohrer: Okay, just take one minute here. While that has somewhat consolidated moral for survival and the fact that as a race, as a people, the rise of antisemitism around the world is seemingly changing attitudes, and now with the war going on, it’s pulling people together from that perspective. But what is the primary difference if you lay it out that way between secular Jews and Orthodox Jews? What do they want that’s significantly different?
Ted Vanlandeghem: Well, the Orthodox community wants to see the theocratic state restored. The temple rebuilt the Israel that was 2000 years ago to be restored. And the secular Jews have no interest in that. They want to see the status quo preserved. They see an agenda to bring back the temple and the type of worship that would involve animal sacrifice in the third temple as something that would cause friction, not only in the Middle East with the Muslim nations that they’re surrounded by, but also in the world side and the world opinion. And so within the secular community, there’s not a desire to see that happen. And we see those things boiling to the top at different points even recently.
Sam Rohrer: Alright, and that brings me right up to the next question I want to ask you. There are efforts there by the internal security director of Benny Vere who if people are following that, he presses hard able to be in the Knesset and hear him address that group, his effort to press for greater Jewish access to the Temple Mount for worship, which is now under Jordanian control. It’s a big issue, it’s a controversial thing, but he’s pushing hard on behalf of Orthodox Jews for that purpose, but he’s also pushing for the rebuilding of a new temple. To what degree is his effort within the Knesset, within the Jewish population, to what degree do you think that’s shaping the attitude of Iran and per se, her allies who are seeing as they have a rise in their religious views fueling the Islamic hatred for Jews in the desire to destroy Israel? To what degree do they watch and find the effort within Israel to have a temple and to reclaim the temple Mount? How’s that factoring into it?
Ted Vanlandeghem: Well, yeah, whether you’re talking about the secular left in Israel or the Middle East audience around it, like Iran and other nations around, they both see this movement to rebuild the temple gaining steam when Israel became a nation that was a minority opinion, but that opinion’s changing and shifting. And with all of the preparations for a third temple in full swing, you can see the momentum that has never been there before in 2000 years, 1,940 years since the temple stood. And now there’s this tremendous groundswell of support, especially among the Orthodox community for the rebuilding of the temple and a movement for that and for access to the temple Mount. Jewish people can go up there, but they’re not allowed to pray. And Jewish and Christian prayers prohibited by the Muslim W Authority that’s administered by Jordan, only Islamic prayers allowed atop the temple mount.
Ted Vanlandeghem: And there’s a push to change that to allow Jewish and Christian prayer atop Temple Mount. But even more so than that is these tremendous preparations for a third temple In 2020, Erdogan from Turkey, he made the statement that Turkey has the historical claim to Jerusalem because of the Ottoman Tur empire that ruled it. And he even said that if we lose Jerusalem, we lose Mecca. And so that’s a perspective that you don’t see talked about much in the West is the awareness among Israel’s Islamic neighbors that there is a movement for a third temple and this is prophecy. We know this is going to
Sam Rohrer: And it is going to happen. Ted, I want to go about a minute left, but I want to get this question in here to you and that is this, for those Orthodox yet unbelieving Jews, vir and those who are wanting a temple, what’s the motivation do they believe? Is it just so that we can have a temple to restore our identity or do they believe that having a temple there will facilitate and encourage the return or the appearance of the Messiah? And obviously we’ll get into that in the next segment, but what’s their motivation actually for pushing for it so hard?
Ted Vanlandeghem: Well, quickly, I would say that there’s just a tremendous messianic expectancy in Israel that hasn’t really been seen since Jesus came the first time. And there is a belief that rebuilding a temple will hasten the Messianic era. And so they’re looking for the coming of Messiah, the first coming of Messiah, although we know that he’s already come, but they’re looking to hasten his return and hasten the coming of the Messianic age. And so that is a huge purpose of bringing about the third temple, is to hasten the coming of the Messianic age.
Sam Rohrer: I tell you, Ted, we’re just about out of time, but ladies and gentlemen, we we’re trying to do in the next segment is I want to ask Ted to give commentary on the attitude and the motivation that’s driving the enemies of Israel at this point. But that question that I just asked him right there was the pressure to reclaim that temple Mao to rebuild another temple. It’s because there is a drive, an increase in Messianic desire. They’re wanting the Messiah to come the first time. Again, we know he’s already come, but these factors you just can’t make up. This is something that God is doing in the hearts of people and the next excitement, we’re going to come back and then we’re going to look at the Iranian attitude now, these enemies of Russia, what’s driving them, their motivation and their attitude? Well, if you’re just joining us, we’re midpoint in our program.
Sam Rohrer: Our theme and focus today is Iran taunts, the nation’s warn Israel waits, and this is our bimonthly emphasis on Israel, the Middle East and prophecy. My special guest today is Mr. Ted Vanlandeghem. He’s director of synagogue and church engagement for the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America as well as the Joseph Project. And we’re talking about what’s happening there in Israel. Israel is now awaiting, the world is really awaiting Iran to attack Israel in a significant way. It hasn’t just happened yet. We thought many thought Irene even said they were going to try and coincide it with the event of tissue above the ninth of AAV day that is in Jewish history where many bad things have happened. The spies came back with a bad report. The 10 spies in Israel way back, the first and second Jewish temples were destroyed on the ninth of aav.
Sam Rohrer: The Jews were expelled from Spain on the ninth of aav, expelled from Israel in the UK, England in the medieval ages on the ninth of aav. And it is the ninth that Hitler on crystal knock decided to attack all of the Jews and take their properties and possessions. That was the ninth of off. So it’s a big day, but it didn’t happen, but it may happen. So we’re at that today and I’m talking with Mr. Ted Vanden Vanlandeghem about certain things. So let’s go now back into it. But when it comes to war in the Middle East, that’s what we’re looking at. That’s what everyone’s anticipating it’s been going on, but bigger, perhaps the Bible is the place to go for the ultimate roadmap and outcome. Why? Well, because what’s happening to Israel and within Israel is a function of God’s sovereign plan of redemption.
Sam Rohrer: We talk about that a lot on this program. God’s plan began in a trackable earnest way in a very, it started the clock more or less in 1948 following the rebirth of the nation of Israel in a day as prophesied by scripture. And the world continues to witness the associated regathering of the Jews scattered to the nations of the world as biblically prophesied. And these fulfillments place other prophesied events into perspective such as the events of the rapture in the actual launch of the seven year tribulation period. Now in those days, tribulation period days, God will turn his wrath against the ungodly, the gentile nations of the world and his justice and discipline within mercy against the unbelieving Jews in Israel and around the world driving them to their knees, ultimately in recognition of Jesus as Yeshua and bringing them to the point where scripture says they will call out in those days, those days of Armageddon, those last period of time of tribulation, period where they call out blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, they will recognize that Yeshua had already come and then the Lord comes.
Sam Rohrer: Alright. Now with that in place, Ted, I just gave him again my overview, right? That at that point, and again comment if you want to on that, but in the last segment you talked about the prevailing attitude of the Jewish people was excellent. I thought it was just really very insightful. But at this time we know that most Jews are in the land still in unbelief, we’ve talked about that, but the enemies of Israel are also in total unbelief. They’re rebellion against God in every way here I’d like you not to do this, describe the prevailing attitude and motivation of the enemies of Israel starting with Iran, but then noting any specific differences that might exist like you did in the last segment. In this case though, in regard to Iran’s proxies or their allies like a Turkey or a Russia,
Ted Vanlandeghem: Certainly starting with Iran. Iran is a Shia Islamic state, which is different from a larger part of the Middle East, which is predominantly Sunni. And within Iran there’s this messianic expectancy on their end, it’s almost mirror opposite of biblical prophecy and they’re looking for their 12th IAM or the Mahdi and the coming of a global Islamic state that will rule the whole world. It’s not just about the destruction of Israel and the Jewish people, it’s really about their belief of the supremacy of Islam in that this coming Islamic Messiah, if you will, the 12th Imam will bring about a period of Islamic rule over the whole world within Turkey turkey’s predominantly Sunni Muslim, 90% Sunni. But it’s interesting to note that Erdogan, who is the leader of Turkey and who’s brought Turkey from being a secular state after the destruction of the Ottoman Tur empire, which ruled the better part of the Middle East for almost 500 years during World War I, the Islamic state that ruled the Middle East collapsed in 1924.
Ted Vanlandeghem: And so this is the hundredth anniversary year of the collapse of the Ottoman Turkey empire and the Islamic caliphate that ruled beholden Middle East. And Eric again believes that it’s his mission to bring that back and not just in the Middle East, but eventually the whole world too. And he is from a branch of Islam called Sufism, which is really a mystical sect of Islam. And so he himself also has this messianic expectancy, slightly different perspective, which is moving them into an alignment where there wouldn’t normally be an alignment between Shia and the Sunni country. Turkey and Iran are moving in that direction and really out of a matter of prophecy. But then you look at other countries such as Russia that are part of that alliance, 25% of Russia by some estimates is Islamic. That underbelly of Russia, I don’t know if that’ll be a factor in it. I think really just the alignment of nations, it could be centered around oil and gas. Israel is sitting atop a mountain of natural gas just off the Mediterranean shore, and that’s affecting Russia’s ability to have dominance over Europe with natural gas. And Turkey believes that that belongs to them. And so all of these complex pieces are coming together to fulfill biblical prophecy and bring about an alignment of nations that the prophets told us about well in advance over 2000 years in advance,
Sam Rohrer: Ted, I think it’s remarkable, I mean not remarkable, but just encouraging for those of us who know the Lord and go to scripture for our roadmap in that being able to lay out what you just laid out into what I opened the program with and this segment with, to be able to put perspective on that makes all of these things which seem disparate and unrelated come all of a sudden into focus. And it’s a remarkable thing as you’re describing that you’re adding pieces in there that I’m sure a lot of people listening were not aware, but it just underscores the movement in the hearts and the minds of people that God is superintendent because no man can superintendent these motivations and alignment. Now here’s another question for you before we leave this segment, and that is this prophetically, we know that Iran will ultimately move against Israel in conjunction with, as you said, Russia, Turkey.
Sam Rohrer: But then Sudan and Libya’s also mentioned in that that’s Ezekiel chapter 38 and 39, which our listeners, a lot of people talk about that certainly and that is coming and then God intervenes, we know in that setting because Israel at that point can’t win. They’re just outnumbered all the way around. But we’ve often talked about, I think you have as well about a Psalm 83 war perhaps that tends to describe a major victory for Israel over the nations that are immediately around them, say like Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, which may involve the Hezbollah and the Hamas and these proxies of Israel seems to be a separate thing. Where do you think we are and how do you see this playing out?
Ted Vanlandeghem: Well, I definitely see the stage for the fulfillment of prophecy being laid and for tribulation and that we’re getting close to the rapture of the church and the beginning of tribulation. And you’re seeing pieces come into alignment that have never been in alignment before in history. And it’s really quite remarkable. Just ahead of this recent uptick in conflict between Israel and Iran, we saw that Erdogan and Turkey threatened Israel with a military invasion. And that’s a huge statement that was reported by the Jerusalem Post and Turkey’s the second largest military in nato. And this is the first time a threat like that has come forward that Turkey has now issued a threat of if Israel goes into Lebanon to destroy Hezbollah and all of that infrastructure there, that they might go into Israel militarily. Now, I’m not saying I think that that’s imminent, that that’s going to happen, but that’s a stage being set.
Ted Vanlandeghem: That’s a huge piece that’s never been in play before. And we’ve seen Turkey move into alignment with Hamas. Erdogan had the Hamas leadership in Turkey for a meeting and expressed his support for Hamas, which is an Iran proxy, which is another evidence that these two countries are moving closer together and that Turkey is moving further away from nato. And so what I believe we’re seeing is the stage being set, this conflict, if you just look at the numbers with the conflict in Gaza, when you’re thinking about Psalm 83, 5700 terror tunnels have been destroyed in Gaza, 19 to 20,000 rockets have been launched into Israel. And that rocket launching capacity has been pretty much destroyed. 60% of Gaza and its infrastructure has been destroyed. And for all intents and purposes, most of the Hamas organization has been destroyed. And could we see a shift into that with Hezbollah in the north and could that be a fulfillment or the beginning of a fulfillment of P Palm
Sam Rohrer: 83? Okay, I think that’s excellent Ted and ladies and gentlemen, stay with us. We’ll come back for the last segment in looking at this focus. Alright, we’ve talked about all these things happening and God’s overarching plan. We’re going to focus on God’s overarching plan in the next segment.
Sam Rohrer: Well, before we go into our final segment, just a reminder to all of you who are listening, and thank you for listening by the way. It’s always a privilege for us as a part of our stand in the gap today, team, to have you on board. Just in the last couple of weeks, there have been about a dozen new stations that have joined our network stations, a part of the Calvary Satellite network system, and we’re very, very glad for them to be on board. But it’s a blessing when you’re listening and we ask that you pray for us. We ask that you join us, partner with us also not just in prayer but finances. It’s important. This costs money to do these kinds of things. It always does. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s just a reality. The only thing is we don’t make a big deal about it here often I would like not even to have to mention it and just pray for God to move in the hearts of listeners.
Sam Rohrer: But I would say that it is a necessity. So I do ask you to consider and to pray about that and all of these programs like today. This one here is an Israel, middle East and prophecy focus program. We do this every other Wednesday, almost always except the exceptions as we do other themes regularly every month, be they health related or economics related or geopolitics related or some things we do in a repeated fashion because of its importance. This one here today, Israel Prophesying, middle East. We do because it’s so important to God. And with that, we’re going to try and bring this program into focus here today. And here’s this. In the end, we talk about our analysis today. Ted Vanlandeghem is joining me as director of synagogue and church engagement for the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America. He has a perspective in his background, slightly different than mine.
Sam Rohrer: The perspective is very much the same, but our background is different. And so all of our guests, but at the end of the day, every true believer must end up saying ultimately, like we say, what does God think about it? Not so important what we think, it’s what God thinks. And with that, we’re going to try and wrap this up here, but in the end, accurately analyzing or understanding anything occurring in headline news regarding Israel and the Jewish people, Jerusalem, the move of the Gentile nations toward a global Christ rejecting government is absolutely impossible outside the knowledge provided in the word of God. Now, here’s the perspective that I have in the last 16 years or so in particular since the Obama administration. I have felt, I have said that to me, one of the reasons God raised up Barack Obama, the previous administration of Donald Trump and the last four years of Joe Biden has been for among other things to align the nation’s for the Lord’s return as prophesied biblically.
Sam Rohrer: And we’ve talked about some of that, how it’s happening. And I think for the United States being in a position that God has placed it to actually mature the climate for the emergence of a global beast system in Antichrist global government. And we are at the lead and we have been at the lead of a new world order since the days of Bush and beyond. Can’t deny that all of the pieces as we speak, and my observation are essentially in place just awaiting a further confluence of war or pestilence and the combining of the components of a digital money system linked to a 24 7 surveillance system all in place. We’ve talked about all of them and likely catapulted into global acceptance by some major event could be the rapture that would be a perfect one or something else perhaps to produce the perfect climate of chaos or the antichrist, the man of sin will emerge as the answer, man. We know that that’s what the Bible says going to happen. Now, Ted, I’ve shared my thoughts briefly as a Christian born a gentile of where we are and what I’m perceiving. I’d like for you just to share your observations now and this broader perspective of God in this control as a Christian, but born a Jew in your case and now possessing a unique perspective of where we are. What are you seeing and how are you seeing the hand of God at work and these things around us?
Ted Vanlandeghem: Well, as you mentioned just a few moments ago that we’re seeing things come together that we’ve not seen before. Prophetically in many generations that people thought they’re the generation if you’re going to see Christ return and the fullness of all things. But indeed, there were many things that needed to be. And one of those was Israel needed to be born again as a nation. It it’s like God’s timepiece, as many have said. And Israel is born again as a nation, just as our promise keeping God promised in his word. And that’s a really key thing to focus in on, is those who were opposed to Israel being a nation in their home, prophetic homeland really are opposed to God. And his promises found in his word. Zachariah chapter 12 verse three tells us that one day all the nations of the world are going to come against Jerusalem.
Ted Vanlandeghem: That’s never happened before. But in light of the events that we saw take place after October 7th, 2023, we’ve seen an uptick in anti Zionism, anti-Israel, anti-Jewish antisemitism all over the world and even across the United States in a way that I never thought I would see in my lifetime. And so what we’re really seeing is the stage being set, the stage being set for the coming of a third temple, which scripture tells us is going to happen, the stage being set for the nations to align against Israel. We’re seeing that stage being set. We’re seeing the stage being set for an antichrist government. And really we’re seeing the stage being set for the alignment of nations that Ezekiel warned us about long ago. And really the stage being said, for the return of Jesus Christ is our promise, keeping God foretold in his word. So all of these things point to the fact that our God has made promises and the culmination of this is the return of Jesus Christ. That’s a point of encouragement because the scripture tells us that that’s the blessed hope for us as believers.
Sam Rohrer: Ted, we have just a little bit of time as a messianic Jew born Jewish, but recognizing Yeshua, how are you relating all the things we’ve talked about here? Are you finding these days to be exciting days to share the gospel to other Jewish people or gentiles, I mean particularly Jewish people?
Ted Vanlandeghem: Absolutely. One of the things that a lot of people don’t realize is we have more Jewish people who have come to know Jesus Christ in this age, in time that we’re in right now than any other point in history other than the early church Jewish people are coming to know Jesus at a record pace. And some estimates say out of 15 million Jews worldwide that maybe as many as a million Jewish believers in Jesus, we’ve never had that many. And within Israel, even though the believing community is still small, we’re seeing growth by the day and an openness to the gospel that has never been before. And as I mentioned in a previous program, Jerusalem Post had a front page article a few years ago, Barna research group had done a study and they found that one in five Jewish millennial and Gen Z are now open to the fact that Jesus Christ might be the Messiah. That’s an astonishing number. Now, it doesn’t mean that they are believers in Jesus themselves, but they’re open to a conversation about the fact that Jesus is the promised Messiah. Yeshua is the promised Messiah.
Sam Rohrer: Amen and amen. And we’re at the end. And Ted, I want to give you your website. If people want to get ahold of you or find out more, where would you direct them?
Ted Vanlandeghem: They can go to mj a.org or the joseph project.org.
Sam Rohrer: Okay. MJ a Messianic Jewish Alliance of America, mj aa.org or joseph project.org. Ted, thank you so much for being with us. What a great program. Encouragement. So full of information. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us today as well. And again, you can pick up this program and the transcript associated with it on our website. Stand in the gap radio.com or off of our app, stand in the Gap. You haven’t downloaded it. Please do easy to then forward it to a friend, which I hope that you will do. God bless you. See you back tomorrow.
Recent Comments