Since his victory earlier this month, President-Elect Donald Trump has wasted no time in announcing the nominations to fill his cabinet in January 2025. His list of nominees consist of many vocal friends of the Jewish State, including former Arkansas governor and evangelical Christian Mike Huckabee, who is nominated to be the US Ambassador to Israel, and Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who was tapped for the position of UN Ambassador.
Another individual who has not shied away from his support for Israel is Army Veteran Pete Hegseth, who Trump has selected to serve as the Secretary of Defense.
Since his nomination, Israeli media has drawn attention to a speech made by Hegseth in 2018, where the Fox News host expressed his hope that the Jewish people will one day soon be able to have their Temple rebuilt on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
Speaking before the Arutz Sheva conference in Jerusalem, Hegseth referenced his earlier visit to the Temple Mount and how the experience reminded him of Israel’s right to re-establish the location’s Jewish roots.
“As you stand there, you can’t help but behold the miracle before you,” he explained. “It got me thinking about another miracle that I hope all of you don’t see too far away.”
“1917 was a miracle, 1948 was a miracle, 1967 was a miracle, 2017, the Declaration of Jerusalem as the capital, was a miracle, and there’s no reason why the miracle of the re-establishment of the Temple on the Temple Mount is not possible,” he told the audience. “I don’t know how it would happen, you don’t know how it would happen, but I know that it could happen.”
Pointing as well to Judea and Samaria, Hegseth underscored the importance of recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over these locations.
“Understanding that sovereignty, the very sovereignty of Israeli soil and Israeli cities/locations, is a critical next step to showing the world that this is the land for Jews and the land of Israel,” he described.
Hegseth went on to encourage Israel to take action while they have a Trump administration in Washington that will stand with them in support.
“You need to buy the ticket; don’t just wish for 40 years to win the lottery; buy the ticket,” he urged. “I would submit to you in light of the support you have in Washington DC, the support you have amongst patriotic Americans, amongst Evangelical Christians, amongst Believers, amongst Republicans, and even amongst some Democrats who can barely say it anymore in Washington, buy the ticket, take your action, do what needs to be done here in Israel because I truly believe this is a moment where America will have your back.”
Hegseth also took aim at the insistence by many that a two-state solution is the answer to the Arab-Israeli conflict, “If you walk the ground today, you understand there is no such thing as the outcome of a two-state solution. There is one state.”
In a separate speech before National Young Israel, Hegseth further stated that “Zionism and Americanism are the front lines of Western civilization and freedom in our world today.”
The Temple Mount โ Past, Present, And Future
The Temple Mount is a contentious topic in the Middle East, with Muslims routinely using the excuse of perceived Jewish encroachment on the Mount to stage terrorist attacks and riots. This includes the October 7th massacre of over 1,200 Israelis, which Hamas named “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.”
Islam’s claim to the Temple Mount is rooted in the insistence that the “furthest mosque,” referenced in the Quran, is speaking of al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalemโan assertion that has little validity. The Quran states that on the final day of Mohammad’s life, he traveled from Mecca to the “furthest mosque.” Not only would this timeframe have preceded the building of al-Aqsa by about 50 years, but the journey from Mecca to Jerusalem would take weeks to complete with a distance of over 750 miles.
The Jewish history of this location, however, is well documented and goes back approximately 3,000 years, when King David purchased the land for the Temple Mount for fifty shekels of silver (2 Samuel 24:18-25). Though the Jebusite who owned the property on Mount Moriah was willing to give the land for free to the king, David insisted upon giving paymentโan action which God appears to have orchestrated for the purpose of solidifying Israeli legal ownership over the Mount.
God later instructed King Solomon to build the first Jewish Temple on the land his father David had purchased (2 Chronicles 3:1). Nearly 400 years after its construction, Solomon’s Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians led by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC (2 Kings 25:9).
The Jewish people exiled in Babylon were given permission to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple 70 years later. The second Temple was reconstructed by King Herod, only to be demolished by the Romans led by General Titus in 70 AD.
Both the Old and New Testaments speak of a day in which a third Jewish Temple will be built, after Israel is re-established as a nation, on the Temple Mount (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15). This Temple will be desecrated by the antichrist during the seven-year tribulation, who will stand in the holy place “proclaiming himself to be God” (2 Thess. 2:3-4).
According to God’s Word, the future of the Temple Mount does not end with the antichrist. The Bible details another temple, known as the “Millennial Temple.” Israeli My Glory Magazine, discussing this Temple, wrote: “At the end of the Tribulation, Jesus Christ will return to earth in all His glory. He will establish His Kingdom and throne in Jerusalem and begin His thousand-year reign. A glorious Millennial Temple will be constructed, far surpassing the Temples built by Solomon, Zerubbabel, and Herod. Through the Prophet Ezekiel, the Lord said that this Temple will be ‘the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever’ (Ezek. 43:7). The Lord will be there.”
The Longing For A Temple
Since 70 AD, the Jewish people have longed to have their Temple once again built on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. This desire has only increased since the re-establishment of Israel in 1948 and the re-capturing of Jerusalem in 1967. The Temple Institute in Israel has been making significant preparations for such a Temple to be constructed for decades.
The comments from Pete Hegseth and the enthusiastic applause he received during his speech are a reminder that many Israelis have not tossed aside their hopes for a Temple, despite the often explosive tensions that surround the Temple Mount.
Since we know from the pages of Scripture that the third Temple will be seated on Mount Moriah during the halfway point of the tribulation, the longing from Israelis to rebuild serves as a remarkable indicator that these events are nearing the horizonโwhich means that the homegoing of the church is even closer (1 Corinthians 15:52, Philippians 3:20โ21, Titus 2:13).
These developments not only demonstrate the validity and relevance of Biblical Prophecy, they also showcase why we as Christians should keep Luke 21:28 at the forefront of our minds: “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”
