Even
them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of
prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices Will be accepted on My
altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” Isaiah 56:7
NKJV
As
a result of recent events, I believe most everyone by now understands that the area
in Jerusalem known as the Temple Mount is by far the most contentious piece of
real estate in Israel. The attempted assassination
of Yehudah Glick, a Rabbi who has long advocated for allowing Jews to pray on
the Temple Mount, has brought new and increasing tensions to an already
volatile area of the Middle East. Riots
and protests have been the order of the day for the past week or so and only in
the past few days have we seen a calming of the tensions surrounding the mount.
Yet
might this simply be the calm before the real storm? I enjoy reading quotes in the news from both
Islamic and Jewish officials arguing over the Temple Mount, especially when
they choose to use the term “ownership”.
From conversations I have, sometimes I think I am the only one who has
noticed this? In the prophecy of Isaiah,
it seems to me that God chooses to address this very argument by four times stating
exactly who the real owner is. Of the
Temple, God says “My holy mountain”, “My house of prayer”, “My altar”, and “My
house”. I think you could make
the case here that He settles the ownership issue rather emphatically if not
completely.
Yet
in spite of the opposition by those opposed to an place of worship for the
Jews, the Bible makes it very clear in many places, including the Isaiah
passage, that there soon will be a rebuilt Temple in Israel for worship and for
sacrifice. I am sure you will recall
this passage from Daniel referring to the coming desecration which will occur
in the Temple by the antichrist at the beginning of the Great Tribulation.
Then he
shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of
abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation,
which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.” Daniel 9:27
NKJV
Paul
the Apostle also refers to this same event in his letter to the Thessalonians.
Let no
one deceive you by any means; for that Day
will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin
is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all
that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple
of God, showing himself that he is God.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 NKJV
So
if there obviously will be a rebuilt Temple sometime in the near future, it
seems logical that as watchers we should be sensitive and cognizant of any and
all developments surrounding the Temple Mount and the movement to allow the
Jewish people a place to worship. How
soon might all of this play out? Most
scholars believe that it is the antichrist who manages to convince all parties
to agree to the construction of the future Temple in Israel. This will obviously be quite an
accomplishment yet there is a possible answer to the “how” part of this
question which I think might surprise you, and the key to that is found in the
following prophecy from Ezekiel.
“by the
border of Judah, from the east side to the west, shall be the district which
you shall set apart, twenty-five thousand cubits in width, and in length the same as
one of the other portions, from the east side to the west,
with the sanctuary in the center. “The district that you shall set apart for
the LORD shall be twenty-five thousand
cubits in length and ten thousand in width. “To
these—to the priests—the holy district shall belong: on the north twenty-five
thousand cubits in length, on the west ten
thousand in width, on the east ten thousand in width, and on the south
twenty-five thousand in length. The sanctuary of the LORD
shall be in the center. Ezekiel
48:8-10 NKJV
Exactly
what is this passage telling us? Well, I
think I will take that up next week but in the meantime I will leave you with a
few links which I hope will give you some idea as to the situation in Jerusalem
right now and the seriousness of the tensions surrounding the Temple Mount.
Keep
Watching.
We’re Ready to
Rebuild the Temple
Trudy Rubin: Pull
back, before Armageddon
Violence leads Israel
to close contested Temple Mount-Al Aqsa site
Tensions continue at
Jerusalem holy site
Muslim Internet 'list' targets Temple Mount activists
‘Netanyahu to meet Jordan king again for Temple Mount talks’
http://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-to-meet-jordan-king-for-2nd-time-on-temple-mount-talks/#ixzz3JEtSCxq3
