War Erupts Anew: Peace! Peace! Yet There is No Peace

Host: Hon. Sam Rohrer

Guest: Ted Vanlandeghem

Note: This transcript is taken from a Stand in the Gap Today program aired on 6/3/26. 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 bimonthly focus on the Middle East Israel and biblical prophecy. And with the return to full war unfolding, it appears in the Middle East between the United States and Iran. That happening overnight. Our focus today is most relevant and timely. My returning guest is Ted Vanlandeghem, Director of Synagogue and Church Engagement at the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America. It’s also connected with the Joseph Project International. He’s a main presenter as well for the Ancient Hebrew Scroll Project and we can talk a lot about all of those, but we’re not today. But all those organizations and ministries are very important and vital. He was formerly the US spokesperson and director of partner relations of Israel ministries based in Jerusalem and he’s been a former US Air Force guy for 26 years having served for a time at the White House Communications Agency during G.W. Bush’s term. So a little bit of a background and place he’s going to be with me and we’ll be talking together through the bounce of the program today. The title I’ve chosen to frame our conversation is this, war erupts anew. Peace, peace, yet there is no peace. And this focus today was prompted in part by a strong statement I heard yesterday made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio before Congress, June 2nd. That was yesterday when he said in response to a question about the status of the war with Iran and he said very, very clearly, exactly the words, “Well, the war is over now.” Exact words. And though nearly everyone who heard that it seems except those in the White House, it seems to me, knows that that’s not true. We’ve been hearing that for a long time since February 28th off and on, but it’s been a consistent narrative, official narrative, but that’s not the way it’s worked out.

For instance, in just the last couple of weeks, I did give you one example. In mid-May, the president declared, “The war is won.” Then he demanded that Iran and other Middle East nations sign onto the Abraham Accords to lock in a peace, a fictitious peace because it doesn’t exist, put forward by that document, put forward by his son-in-law, Jared Kushner during the first term. Two weeks later, June 1st of this week, Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu escalated attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon. That same day, June 1st, Iran then officially called off all talks with the United States saying that they were useless. Donald Trump then called Netanyahu on Monday and in unrepeatable swear words of the worst type demanded that Netanyahu halt the attacks in order to politically protect what was supposedly happening in talks with Iran, but Iran had already concluded them. Then yesterday, June 2nd before Congress, Secretary of State Marco Rubio made that statement because of the Trump Netanyahu phone call the day before where he said in all seriousness, “Well, Congressman, the war is over.” Then like in every similar situation, just hours later, the US attacked a ship destined for Iran.

Iran then last night on early Wednesday or early June 3rd, this morning of today that we’re in, launched a massive responsive attack hitting US bases and other infrastructure in Kuwait and Bahrain and some reports even in Saudi Arabia. According to multiple sources, including the BBC just this morning, open warfare has returned and the two week peace narrative shattered once again. Now I share all that just to give you an update on this is what we have all been hearing. Ted, with that, I welcome you back to the program. Ted, are you there?

Ted Vanlandeghem:

Yes, I am. Thanks, Sam. Great to be back.

Sam Rohrer:

Ted, let’s get right into this because most of the news, like I just said there, we’re getting these days on literally everything from the war in the Middle East to the war between Russia and Ukraine, which is picking up again as well, to the true state of the economy. It’s almost as if we’re living in two parallel universes. One narrative says that everything is good and hasn’t been better. The other is that no, it’s just the opposite reminding me of Jesus’ warning to his disciples in Matthew 24 when he said, “Do not be deceived.” We need clarity. Now on this matter of the Middle East now and what appears to be a true escalation in the war with Iran, what can you share about the current status? Where may it go? What are your thoughts?

Ted Vanlandeghem:

Well, Sam, I fully expect to see another round of conflict erupt between the US/Israel and Iran. Iran has found a new weapon of mass destruction that they didn’t realize that they had and that’s the ability to cut off the flow of oil in the straits of Hormuz. Currently, there’s about an eight to 10 million barrel a day shortfall in the global oil supply. Add that up over a 13 and a half week shutdown since the war began in February 28th, that’s a 95 day period, Sam, where the world is suffering an eight to 10 million barrel a day shortfall. You couple this with Ukraine war where Ukraine is destroying Russia’s refineries and the world sand that I believe is approaching a point of no return where these shortfalls will exceed the worldwide refining capacity and the ability to catch up. And this doesn’t just affect gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, but it affects global fertilizer supply, production of plastics and other critical materials that oil is key to.

Now we’re facing a global energy catastrophe and the possibility of major impacts to the global food supply, which we’ll see in the months out. This is seemingly a no win situation for Trump that will undoubtedly further destabilize the dollar. Sam, as we both know, Iran isn’t about to back down because they believe that they’re on a mission, a Messianic mission to bring back the Madi or the Islamic Messiah and to bring in global instability and chaos. Undoubtedly, I see this escalate exam and is this the beginning of the whole world shaking as we near the coming of Jesus for his church?

Sam Rohrer:

And are you asking or are you making that statement as a observation? Because that’s what I think, Ted, but as you’re looking at all of this, I mean, as a Jewish person, Messianic Jewish person and someone connected to Israel, but a completed Jew, a Christian, is that how you’re looking at these things here today as well?

Ted Vanlandeghem:

Absolutely, Sam. I look at this and this coupled with a plethora of other signs that seem to be just popping up like popcorn, that we are indeed coming close to the time of Yeshua Jesus coming together his church in the beginning of tribulation. We’ve never seen the global chessboard set like it’s been historically in the culmination of conflict that’s destabilizing the world and really could bring down the US empire and many prophecy scholars don’t see the US as a key player in the end times. And so many of these vents are coming together, I believe, as a perfect storm to facilitate the foundation for what the prophets were told us of.

Sam Rohrer:

And the ladies and gentlemen, we could go a lot further on what Ted was just talking about. We’ll touch on some more of that in the balance of the program, but certainly we are in historic days. How do we know that? Well, because we can look around us and we look through the pages of scripture, which is what we do on this program and it brings many things into focus. When we come back, we’re going to talk about the concept of peace, Abraham Accords and more. Well, for just joining us, welcome aboard here today. This is a Wednesday program and it’s our bimonthly emphasis on the Middle East Israel and biblical prophecy. My special guest today is Ted Van Vanlandeghem, director of synagogue and church engagement with the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America and he’s done a lot of other things. He’s used to working the White House and communications under G.W.

Bush’s term and a lot of other things that he does, which equips him to talk on the subject we’re talking about today. But the theme is this, war erupts anew. We’re talking about what’s happening in the Middle East and Iran and then peace, peace, yet there is no peace. I commented in the first segment how even yesterday Secretary of State Rubio made in his testimony before Congress and said, “The war is over.” Just two weeks prior to that, the president said the war is won. And of course, we all have been hearing these things and in the midst of it, there are comments towards peace and no war and all of that. So we’re going to go a little further on this because we can’t talk about the Middle East unless we talk about war and peace because the Bible talks about that and I’ll talk with Ted in just a moment more about those details.

But from an overall perspective, for decades, really, conventional foreign policy, that which comes out of Washington and the capitals of the world, conventional foreign policy have dictated that peace in the Middle East could only be achieved through rigid multi-party consensus that’s key in the political terminology world and traditional diplomatic channels.

The first Trump administration though fundamentally challenged this paradigm with the creation of the Abraham Accords That was an historic framework, if we all recall, didn’t happen too long ago, but it shifted the focus from resolving historical disputes, which have plagued the Middle East forever to fostering immediate economic, technological and security integration. Those words became the focus of a new approach to try to bring together peace in the Middle East. Now, we’re not going to be talking about this aspect of it, but out of those Abraham accords and that structure came what we’ve talked about before here and that is the Gaza Board of Peace, which came out of the same mentality of Jared Kushner, of which now the president is chairman for life sanctioned by the United Nations and formally established at the World Economic Forum the end of January of this year. So now you’ve got a structure in place that’s built off of this Abraham Accords framework, but it’s built around economic, technological and security integration, building that together.

So I just want to put it out there because there is an approach underway and strangely, in the midst of this ongoing US, Israel, Iran war of which we’re talking and we’re all very much aware of the president really out of the blue for most people. I’ve been waiting for it, frankly. I’d been waiting for it because I know this thread is weaving itself through all that’s taking place, but out of the blue to most people, just a couple of weeks ago, two weeks ago or so, the president inserted a demand of Iran and other Arab nations to sign onto this Abraham accord and actually be introduced it as a new requirement for any peace negotiation with Iran and there’s implications to that, but effectively, almost immediately all nations involved issued striking rebukes and opposition and saying, “No way.” But anyways, all right, Ted, I brought that up because from a geopolitical perspective, I want to get your thoughts on it.

Do you think the president’s insertion of the Abraham Accords right into the middle of this Iran war, did that surprise you and did the response of the nations surprise you and then work into that in addition, why do you think he did this?

Ted Vanlandeghem:

Well, Sam, to be honest, neither of these things surprise me in the moves by President Trump. I look at this push by President Trump for an elusive peace as the setting of the stage for the coming tribulation and the push for the seven year peace deal that characterizes that seven year tribulation. There’s really no peace at all. Sam, it’s really hard for me to look at this and the many other unprecedented events surrounding Israel and the Middle East and to not think that the gathering of the bride is very, very close. And to answer the last part of your question, I fully expect to see President Trump push for this peace as his ultimate accomplishment. I think President Trump really believes that a real Middle East peace is attainable and would be the crown jewel of his presidential legacy and maybe either path to a Nobel Peace Prize.

But for those of us who are informed by the scriptures, we know that any so- called peace will not only be short-lived, but also lead to one of the greatest battles humanity has ever seen these battles that take place in the tribulation.

Sam Rohrer:

Okay. See, that’s how I look at it too, Ted. Knowing if you and I and others who fear the Lord did not know that biblically there will be a time when ultimately the man of sin, we’ll talk about it more in the next segment a little bit, actually steps forth and he affirms, doesn’t make one, but he affirms a treaty of peace that focuses on Israel in seven years is that peace treaty, he affirms it. It would tell us that there has to be something already a framework in place, just out of curiosity as you’ve looked at it, is there anything about this framework that is underway right now that from your perspective contains elements that would not fit as a part of such an agreement?

Ted Vanlandeghem:

Well, I don’t know that I see Iran ever being a party to it. I don’t see Turkey joining that from my read of scripture, but the other Arab nations, I do see them folding into this. I think that that’s a very likely scenario.

Sam Rohrer:

All right. Well, so let’s go further now into it. There’s a geopolitical part of it. I mean, in real terms today, the nations, all of them in the Middle East, I don’t know of any one of them that said, “Oh, good idea.” President Trump, Donald Trump to them. And we’ll be glad to do that. Rather, they were all in opposition. Now that’s a geopolitical, political perspective, but from the biblical and prophetical perspective, when you hear the claims of peace, peace, Rubio’s, the war has ended, how are you interpreting these statements? And you already alluded to it, but in light of scripture, particularly as it relates to Israel and work in there to the extent that you are able to comment on it, what is the attitude of the people in Israel there now as they seem to be getting already tired of this war?

Ted Vanlandeghem:

Sure. Thanks, Sam. Well, Sam, I think that the statement by Secretary Rubio, first off, about the war being over was more about strategic posturing to reset the clock for President Trump and the need to avoid getting congressional approval for further conflict with Iran. The next run of conflict will be framed not only as a new operation, but possibly the new war. Sam, I see this conflict cementing the alliance between Russia, China, and Iran that has already been in the process of coming together, but I also see Turkey moving further away from NATO and into a closer relationship with Russia, China, and Iran. Turkey is expanding their military capability at a breathtaking place. Erdogan has also threatened military action again and a possible invasion of Israel again just recently. Sam, from my read of the Bible, I see this as the alliance of nations that will come against Israel that the prophet Ezekiel foretold of in the last days.

Additionally, Sam, we’ve seen recently Greece, Cyprus, and Israel has entered into a formal military pact and Daniel, the prophet Daniel alludes to this in Daniel Levin. Sam, the prophetic chess board is coming together just really at an incredible pace. Last thought on this is that this is not only the longest conflict in the history of modern Israel, but also the most damaging Sam. The damage to the civilian infrastructure has been historic and massive. The constant mobilizations have cost many Israelis financially and many of their soldiers are suffering from PTSD so there’s a societal impact. Finally, Sam, the damage both to US and global opinion regarding Israel has been one of the biggest costs to Israel and the Jewish people in this timeframe and is really also setting the stage for this, the nations being aligned against Israel in the last days.

Sam Rohrer:

I thought perhaps you would share that, but certainly doesn’t it seem that not just as antisemitism, just people’s hatred towards Jewish people in the nation of Israel, but there are many others even in our own country that would not necessarily be anti-Jewish, anti-Israel, but libertarian types that are just saying, “Hey, look, let’s stay out of foreign wars.” And that means not giving any aid or special attention to anybody including Israel, but for whatever it is, we can talk a little further on it, but ladies and gentlemen, it just seems that the world, as my guest Ted just shared, is clearly moving increasingly hostile for whatever reason, for many varied reasons against Israel, which is right now and will be biblically the focus of the world’s attention. And when I come back, I’m going to talk to Ted. We’re going to go inside Israel. We’re going to talk with him about the economy.

There’s an election coming up as well we need to keep our eyes on there in Israel. If you’re just joining us, we’re midway in the program now and the theme today is this war erupts anew peace, peace yet there is no peace. And we’re talking about what’s happening in the Middle East. This is our Middle East Israel and biblical prophecy focus. We do this and have done it really since the inception of this program many years ago, every other Wednesday. And my guest today is the director of Synagogue and Church Engagement with the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America. His name is Ted  Vanlandeghem and the website for that ministry, I’ll just give it to you in case you would like to go there and check it out is mja.org. Mjaa.org, which stands for Messianic Jewish AllianceOfAmerica.org. All right Ted, in the last segment when we were talking about how things are laying out there in the Middle East and the references to peace, you got the Abrahamic Accord that was done under the First Time Administration and from that then under this administration, the Trump administration have formed the Gaza Board of Peace, which I’ve said on this program before is the model for the new global governance of the world.

It is sanctioned by the United Nations that entity has governance control of the Gaza area and the rebuilding of it, which they are doing underway. The president has been assigned by charter, by the United Nation chairman for life. He can release board members or he can bring them on at will and at which point he wants to determine a successor, he will appoint his own successor. Never in the history of the world has anything like that ever happened. It’s a governance structure that is totally without accountability, but it is tied together with the Abraham Accord because of the nature of that legal entity and out of that then comes the ability for the president and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, who is operating behind the scenes to negotiate different things with Israel and on behalf of Israel and to Israel and with the Arab nations and actually frankly going all over the world doing things in a very unusual way because he has no official capacity with the government.

But nonetheless, that’s not the focus of much what we’re doing, but its goal is to bring about some form of peace and they have created this framework for peace, which we talked about in the last segment. Now within that last segment, Ted, you mentioned as well that these are difficult days inside Israel. They are getting tired of war. They are getting increasingly ready for peace and I personally think that sets them up to accept somebody who steps forth with a plan for peace. I think we’re watching that unfold, but now going inside Israel, let’s pick up more on that because the latest information I just read indicates that significant economic concerns are unfolding inside Israel. So here’s my question. How is the war impacting life and the economy of Israel?

Ted Vanlandeghem:

Well, Sam, there are really two separate stories here. On one end, Sam, the Israeli shekel is stronger than ever and continues surging against the dollar, but parts of the Israeli economy are flourishing such as high tech sectors, AI, military, industrial complex, but at the same time, many in Israel are falling below the poverty line and parts of the Israeli economy have collapsed such as the huge tourism sector. Currently in a nation of eight million people, Sam, over two million Israelis are now below the poverty line, including 900,000 children. That’s a huge demographic part of the society that’s below the poverty line now. This situation has also worsened with widespread damage to civilian infrastructure from Iran’s hypersonic missiles, many of them that got through. Entire apartment building complexes were leveled and destroyed. Tens of thousands of internally displaced Israelis have no place to live and the resumption of Hezbollah’s rocket attacks up in the North has made large parts of Northern Israel uninhabitable.

Hezbollah took a page from the Ukrainian war and are now launching these unjammable fiber optic drones which are able to evade Israelis electronic warfare systems and are causing widespread unprecedented damage in Northern Israel and all of these have huge societal and economic impacts in Israel’s Sam.

Sam Rohrer:

See, that’s interesting because what you are saying there, it’s not what the normal news media reports. And I know it is normal for nations not to report what’s being done, but it seems that Israel has attempted to suppress a lot of the bad news, just like we’re seeing out of Washington suppressing what Iran’s missiles have done to our assets in the Middle East. And that’s why I asked you what things are like really on the ground. So you gave an aspect of that, but that actually ties in to my next question because when people begin to get hungry below the poverty level or displaced because their houses have been bombed or laid off because of the increasing value of the shekel and that’s happening, we can go much further in that, but those things are happening all that ties into what the politicians are going to do.

Of course, that takes us right to the next question because this year, this fall, there will be an election for a new prime minister and other members of the Knesset. Just a couple of days ago, the Knesset by a vote of 106 to zero, meaning everybody there, voted to dissolve the current Knesset opening the door for official elections for a new prime minister this fall. Of course, that senator’s right on Benjamin Netanyahu, but speak to the elections, what perhaps the war, these economic conditions and all that may do the future perhaps of Netanyahu himself and I see a lot of actions being taking place there with new coalitions and discussions. And so anyway, speak to all of that as you see it unfolding.

Ted Vanlandeghem:

Well, Sam, in spite of all of those societal pressures and economic realities that are creating the environment that’s pushing for new elections, for me, it’s really hard to say with any specificity right now, but I would say that my opinion is I see Netanyahu and his coalition remaining in power after the next elections. Netanyahu is pushing the narrative that ending the war right now will only be a temporary succession of direct conflict with Iran, but Iran aided by her allies, Russia, China, North Korea will rapidly rebuild their missile supply and finish their race to a nuclear weapon. At the same time, Trump and Netanyahu are on a race against a clock for a global economic and energy meltdown. The pressure from the left in Israel is mounting, but I think that the right wing government will remain. That’s my prediction. And they’re going to push for full Israeli sovereignty and Jude and Samaria referred to by the world as the West Bank, but more importantly over the Temple Mount Sam.

Sam Rohrer:

And we’re going to go to the Temple Mount in the next segment, ladies and gentlemen, to stay with us because that is a very, very critical one. As I read, Ted, the ultra orthodox component of the current coalition of Netanyahu is being wooed by both the left and the right and a lot of that is over the fact that their sons don’t go to battle and they can’t draft them. That is an issue, but they’re also driving for a lot of the religious reform. Can you speak a little bit to that group and what they are really wanting to do and do you see them perhaps being the deciding factor in who might be the next prime minister?

Ted Vanlandeghem:

Well, the ultra Orthodox sect in Israel is becoming demographically a dominant segment because of their birth rate. They have a higher birth rate and they’re becoming a bigger factor in the society and I think that you’re going to see them continue to gain more power and more seats in the Knesset. Yes, there is this battle over military service obligation and exemptions and I think that battle will continue to remain because the left leaning part of the Israeli society wants to see them serve in the military just like they have to, but I don’t think that that’s going to shift the government more centrist or closer to the left. I think it’s going to shift further to the right and I think the push for sovereignty over the Temple Mount for a third temple and for sovereignty and Judah and Samaria are going to be major factors.

Sam Rohrer:

Are they the ones right now pushing and encouraging Netanyahu to finish the job, for instance, finish the job in Gaza, finish the job with Hezbollah in the North in both cases Americans, actually our current president called off Netanyahu in Gaza and said, “Don’t finish the job.” And actually he called him back two days ago from doing things in Hezbollah. Is that factoring into this?

Ted Vanlandeghem:

Absolutely. There’s this messianic expectation among the ultra Orthodox in Israel right now that is really unprecedented and many rabbis, there’s a lot of top rabbis I can name a bunch of them right now that are saying we’re in the … They think they’re in the war of Gog Magog right now and in the ultra Orthodox world and they believe that the time of Messiah is upon Israel And so you have this Messianic mindset pushing the right wing of Israel to finish the job to secure sovereignty over the Temple Mount and today and Sumit.

Sam Rohrer:

All right ladies and gentlemen, stay with us. We’re going to move now into the next segment into talking about what prophecy is saying about these days in which we live and specifically look further at the temple. The push is for a rebuilding of a temple. Why and how and when? Well, as we go into our final segment here, Ted, let’s go further into this issue about the temple. We’re talking about the group that’s playing an increasingly vital influential, put it that way, political role within Israel. It’s the ultra orthodox group. I want you to describe that just a little bit more, but very, very religiously oriented. They are having input because they’re having more children than anyone else and so they’re growing in influence. Without them, the Netanyahu coalition right now would not exist. So they’re playing a key role. And what they’re pushing for is what I want to talk about now a little bit more because as we talk about future events biblically and we’re watching more and more what’s taking place.

And you’ve already talked about from your perspective, you see things happening and unfolding at record speed and I do too. And I think anyone with eyes to see are, but there’s been a lot of speculation. There’s been a lot of interest for many, many, many years. Even when we had Jimmy DeYoung was with us every other Wednesday on this program, he’s now home with the Lord. But way back, he was talking about keep your eye on the temple, keep your eye on the temple because of the fact that biblically it’s going to have to be there. But here it is. A lot of things have happened in the last years that have brought to the development of the temple, the focus there, the temple mountains, sacrifices, red heifers, all these different things we’ve talked about, all different elements that focus on that piece of real estate there.

And it’s in the headlines today as well. There’s a lot of things going on. So here’s my question too. We’ll break it into two parts, but what does the Bible say about a third temple? And to what degree is that structure important for true believers, for those of us who fear the Lord to consider? Is it something for which we should watch and why?

Ted Vanlandeghem:

Well, Sam, absolutely. I believe it is something that we as believers should watch for or science in preparation for that. Sam, as you know, both the Old Testament and the New Testament and foremost that there’s going to be a third temple in the last days. Since the Jewish people were prophetically restored to the land of Israel, they’ve longed to rebuild the third temple. The prophet Daniel Sam tells us in chapter nine and 11 of the third temple and its desolation by this figure we know is the antichrist. In the New Testament also the gospel of Matthew chapter 24 tells us of this abomination of desolation caused by the antichrist in the third temple. But two Thessalonians chapter two versus one slope really gives one of the most vivid and descriptive accounts of this period with the antichrist, the man of lawlessness, the abomination of desolation that’s talked about in that account there in two Thessalonians chapter two, verses one to

12. Sam, for us as believers in Yeshua or Jesus, we know that there’s no longer a need for animal sacrifice for the coming our sins. That was accomplished by Jesus upon the cross. But with that said, Jesus himself informs us of a third temple and its desolation in Matthew 24. The coming third temple is a prophetic reality and a sign that the end is near and is a key sign for the coming prophesied tribulation. From that perspective, Sam, I take comfort and the fact that these preparations point for a third temple point to the fact that Jesus is soon to come for us his bride.

Sam Rohrer:

All right, you’re saying basically exactly what Jimmy DeYoung and others, and I believe as well, is that a temple has to be built because the antichrist has to desecrate it halfway through this seven year period of time, three and a half years in. That’s the abomination of desolation. So you can’t have that until you have a temple. So therefore, but because we believe that Jesus will return for the bride of Christ, the church prior to that, we don’t have to see it in our day, I would say, but we should take note of where it is and then people are talking about it because what you just said, we know we are at that point because it is at hand. Now bring us up to date on this. What can you share relative to current discussions that may be held and the degree of impetus or I would say urgency that maybe the ultra orthodox or others in the Knesset and others are having toward starting worship again on the mount, a rebuilt temple and can they offer sacrifices without a temple?

Does there have to be a temple or just a place to offer sacrifices? Kind of work some of those pieces together.

Ted Vanlandeghem:

Yeah, sure. Thanks, Sam. Well, there is this full court press by many segments of the Orthodox community within Israel to facilitate a third temple and there’s just so many preparations. There’s literally so many signs pointing to Israel’s preparation for the prophesied third temple. I’ll give you just a couple of recent examples on May 21st, which was the biblical holiday of Shabuot or Pentecost. There was an attempt to conduct a sacrifice on top of the Temple Mount and 14 Israelis were arrested by the Israeli police attempting to perform a sacrifice on top of the temple mount, which answers your question. Do they have to have the temple erected to begin sacrifices? No, they can place an altar up there and they can conduct a sacrifice up there and according to Jewish tradition, sacrifices were begun on the Temple Mountain before the first and second temples were completed and so they don’t have to have the temple completed to begin the sacrifice.

Last year we saw a return of the daily prayer atop the temple mount. This is also known as the appointed hours of prayer, which were the time of the morning, afternoon, and evening offerings. In conjunction with those offerings, those sacrifices in the morning, afternoon and evening, there was a set of prayers. Sam, for the first time in 2000 years, these prayers have now been being conducted daily atop the temple mount, just as they were when Jesus and the disciples walk the earth. I’ve got a 90 slide presentation of all the presentations for the third temple. One of the most significant was a sacrifice of one of the red heifers nearly a year ago in July of 2025. This was one of the key final hurdles for the preparation of the third temple in order to ritually purify the priesthood for the third temple. But Sam, I mean, literally the list goes on and on.

I mean, they have set up a training school in Mizpah Erico outside of Jerusalem on the way towards Jericho to scale replica of the altar there, training the priesthood. They’ve conducted dry runs for all of the holidays, Passover, unleavened bread, first fruits, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and the Feast of Tabernacles and even the minor holidays. They have made the garments and all the implements for the Third Temple priesthood.

They’re all systems go and one of the biggest prophetic signs was this red heifer and the restoration of the Sanhedrin, the identification of a Colin Hagadola high priest. They’ve identified a high priest for the third temple. So the scope and the magnitude of the preparations by the Jewish people for the third temple, other than beginning to lay stones and doing a sacrifice on top of the Temple Mount, literally everything has been done.

Sam Rohrer:

It brings us right up the end of the program today. Ted Vanlandeghem , thank you so much for being with us. His website is mja.org. And ladies and gentlemen, can I just give my final thoughts on this? Times of election are fantastic times to advance big things like this. What am I looking for? Well, I think that you’re going to see this matter of the temple and worship and all of that become a part of the election process in Israel. May not, but I think that you probably can watch for it because it’s being pushed so hard and the timing appears to be so close at hand. So with that, I’m encouraged. I’m looking up. Hope you are too.