Shalom Partner and Friend of Israel,

For many years we have been struggling with a question and only until very recently has the light come on! “Why did Israel NOT reclaim the Temple Mount (Mount Moriah) when they finally liberated Jerusalem on the 07^th June, 1967?”

God gave Israel victory in the miraculous “Yom Kippur” 6-Day War reclaiming the City of Jerusalem, and had the power to re-take the Temple Mount 50 years ago …but why didn’t it happen…? Why is it a crime for a Jew (or Christian) to mention God’s name on the Temple Mount? And why is the State of Israel allowing Palestinians to do this anti-Semitic rule? After much prayer, the Lord revealed to us that …1967 was NOT the right timing! We still battled with the timing and began to research …and then we saw the answer - a decision made in 1967 by Defence Minister Moshe Dayan! Let’s examine this together!

As never before in history, Jerusalem is at the centre of today's headlines. The city which grew up around the small walled-village captured by King David from the Jebusites 3000 years ago is the focal point of never-ending debate among the superpowers and Islamic world. No other city has been desired and fought over like Jerusalem. In its history Jerusalem has been fought over by armies of the Assyrians, Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks, Ptolemy’s, Seleucids, Romans, Byzantines, Persians, Arabs, Seljuk’s, Crusaders, Mongols, Mamluks, by the Turks, the British, and the Jordanians. Today, the nations of all the world consider it their responsibility and obligation to meddle in her politics and destiny. From the time of the establishment of the State of Israel in May of 1948 until 1967, the city was divided. Walls, barbed-wire fences and a desolated strip of non-man's land cut through the very heart of the city, especially excluding the Jews from the Old City and the Temple Mount. During that time, the Jewish Quarter was levelled and its synagogues burned. Jewish graves and monuments were desecrated or turned into latrines.

One of the important results of the six-day war of June, 1967, when Israel conquered Jerusalem - was the revival of the question whether Israel would rebuild the 3^rd Temple on the traditional Temple Mount site in Jerusalem. This year 2017 (5777) - Jerusalem celebrated a Jubilee (50 years) since liberation …BUT there still is a stumbling block! Sitting on top of the Temple Mount (Mount Moriah) is the Islamic Dome of the Rock where the 1^st and 2^nd Temples once stood …and on top is also the Al Aksa Mosque where Solomon’s Stables and a Christian Church once stood. Jews and Christians (Gentiles) are simply NOT allowed to pray on the Temple Mount even though there is much Biblical, Historical and Archaeological evidence and where Islam simply has NO claim or such proof. The Temple Mount is holy to Jews, Christians …and Muslims who claim it’s only their 3^rd holiest site after Mecca and Medina. Muslims believe it was here that their Prophet Muhammad ascended to the “divine presence” on the back of a so-called “magical winged horse” in a vision on a night journey, commemorated by one of Islam’s architectural triumphs, the Dome of the Rock shrine.  Muslim theology claims that land once owned by Islam is forever holy to Islam and must be repossessed if lost. This applies to lands other than Israel of course, but their claim that Islam has replaced both Judaism and Christianity as a later and better revelation from their god Allah, makes the Temple Mount an extraordinary important plot of ground to Muslims.

The Temple Mount is the most valuable and expensive piece of property in the world, but, so dangerously explosive …set like a time bomb to explode at any given time. This small rectangular platform in Jerusalem, is revered by Jews as the place where God gathered together the dust to create Adam and where Abraham almost sacrificed his son Isaac. In about 1000 BC., King Solomon built the 1^st Temple there. That structure was destroyed by the Babylonians, and the 2^nd Temple was built in 516 BC, and destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. The inner sanctuary of the Temple, which housed the Ark of the Covenant, was called the “Holy of Holies,” a place where only the high priest was allowed to set foot. Jews today pray at the Western Wall - a remnant of the Second Temple's outer courtyard which is the closest outside point to the Holy of Holies.

In June 1967, Israel was involved in a war that resulted in the liberation of the Old City of Jerusalem. On the third day of the Six Day War, Israeli paratrooper Motta Gur, mounted on a half-track Military vehicle, announced that the Temple Mount has been regained. On June 7^th of that year the Israeli troops moved into the Old City and stood at the Western Wall (Wailing Wall) for prayer. Rabbi Shlomo Goren declared: "We have taken the city of God. We are entering the Messianic era for the Jewish people, and I promise to the Christian world that what we are responsible for we will take care of." The city of Jerusalem was reunified and the Star of David flew again from its ramparts. This is all a part of God’s plan. From 70 A.D. until 1948, the Jewish people had NO homeland so in 1948 the nation of Israel was reborn. However, the Temple Mount was still held by the nation of Jordan.

On 7^th June, 1967, IDF paratroopers advanced through the Old City toward the Temple Mount and the Western Wall, bringing Jerusalem’s holiest site under Jewish control for the first time in 2000 years. “We have returned to all that is holy in our land. We have returned never to be parted from it again.” – Defence Minister Moshe Dayan, upon reaching the Western Wall. “The Wall was before us. I trembled. There it was as I had known it – immense, mighty, in all its splendour – overcome. I bowed my head in silence! – General Uzi Narkiss, Head of Central Command during the 6 Day War. “I felt truly shaken and stood there murmuring a prayer for peace. Motta Gur’s paratroopers were struggling to reach the Wall and touch it. We stood among a tangle of rugged, battle-weary men who were unable to believe their eyes or restrain their emotions! Their eyes were moist with tears, their speech incoherent. The overwhelming desire was to cling to the Wall, to hold on to that great moment as long as possible” - Chief of Staff Yitzchak Rabin. There are sound recordings of the scene, as the commander of the brigade, Lt. General Mordechai (Motta) Gur, approaches the Old City and announces to his company commanders; “We’re sitting right now on the ridge and we’re seeing the Old City. Shortly we’re going to go into the Old City of Jerusalem, that all generations have dreamed about. We will be the first to enter the Old City...” and shortly afterwards, “The Temple Mount is in our hands! I repeat, the Temple Mount is in our hands!” General Rabbi Shlomo Goren, chief chaplain of the IDF, sounded the Shofar at the Western Wall to signify its liberation. To Israelis and Jews all over the world, this was a joyous and momentous occasion. Many considered it a gift from God.  In a statement at the Western Wall, Minister of Defence Moshe Dayan indicated Israel’s peaceful intent and pledged to preserve religious freedom for all faiths in Jerusalem: “To our Arab neighbours we extend, especially at this hour, the hand of peace. To members of the other religions, Christians and Muslims - I hereby promise faithfully that their full freedom and all their religious rights will be preserved. We did not come to Jerusalem to conquer the Holy Places of others.”

Before visiting the Western Wall, Prime Minister Levi Eshkol met with the spiritual leaders of different faiths in his office and issued a declaration of peace, assuring that all holy sites would be protected and that all faiths would be free to worship at their holy sites in Jerusalem. He declared his intention to give the spiritual leaders of the various religions internal management of their own Holy Sites.

Moshe Dayan ceded internal administrative control of the Temple Mount compound immediately to the Jordanian Waqf (Islamic trust) while overall security control of the area was maintained by Israel. Moshe Dayan announced that Jews would be allowed to visit the Temple Mount, but NOT to hold religious services there. Dayan also gave immediate orders to demolish the anti-sniping walls, clear the minefields and removed the barbed-wire barriers which marked the partition of Jerusalem. Within weeks, free movement through Jerusalem became possible and hundreds of thousands of Israeli Jews flocked to the Old City to glimpse the Western Wall and touch its stones. Israeli Muslims were permitted to pray at the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock for the first time since 1948. And Israeli Christians came to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. On the 27^th June, 1967, the Israeli Knesset extended Israel’s legal and administrative jurisdiction to all of Jerusalem, and expanded the city’s municipal borders. Eshkol again assured the spiritual leaders of all faiths that Israel was determined to protect the Holy Places. The Knesset passed the Protection of Holy Places Law granting special legal status to the Holy Sites and making it a criminal offence to desecrate or violate them, or to impede freedom of access to them. Jerusalem became a reunified city that ensured freedom of religion and access to holy sites for all.

The Kotel, the “Western (Wailing) Wall” is not the holiest site in Judaism, it is the retaining wall for the holiest site in Judaism - the Temple Mount. The Kotel is the closest place to the “holiest” spot where Jews are allowed to pray. Thanks in part to Moshe Dayan, Jews are not permitted to pray atop the Temple Mount (Christians aren’t allowed to pray either)! When Israel gained possession of the Temple compound during the 6^th Day War, Prime Minister Levi Eshkol wanted to create a multi-faith council to run the compound. The Muslim Mosque would NOT have been touched, but all faiths would be allowed up on top of the mount and it would “belong” to all three faiths. Dayan didn’t like that idea…! He thought the Temple Mount should remain in Muslim possession.  In his biography Dayan clearly stated that he was worried that Jews would try to rebuild the “Beit Hamikdash” (the Jewish Temple) and that was the last thing he wanted! In 1967 there was NO way, that a Third Temple would be built …as Jewish tradition has it that they supposed to wait until the Coming of the Messiah. But, that didn’t stop Dayan, like most progressives he felt he knew better than anybody. He didn’t consult the Prime Minister or the Knesset, nor did the Israeli people have a say! Dayan took it upon himself, he “gave” control of the Temple Mount back to the Arabs because he wanted to make sure that there wouldn’t be a Third Temple.  There was nothing that Prime Minister Eshkol could do about it 50 years ago, after all Moshe Dayan, was a war hero. Today, the mosque abomination stands and Jews and Christians can’t pray – 50 years later!

When the Temple Mount area was re-captured in 1967 and the Jews literally wept with joy. But, the joy of the Jewish people was quickly dashed to pieces. A few hours after the re-capture, Moshe Dayan, the Defence Minister of Israel, announced that the Temple Mount would remain under Arab control! The rejoicing of the Jews was turned to sorrow! This action to religious Jews was absolutely beyond comprehension. Why did he do this to his people? On Saturday 17^th June, 1967, shortly after the end of the Six Day War, Defence minister Moshe Dayan entered the Al-Aksa Mosque for a historic meeting. In a gesture of good will, Dayan sat down on the prayer carpet with five leaders of the Supreme Muslim Council (the Waqf) of what had been Jordanian-controlled Jerusalem. That discussion fixed Israel's policy regarding the Temple Mount, a policy that remains unchanged to this day. Moshe Dayan had ordered the Israeli flag removed from on top of the Dome of the Rock on the afternoon of the Old City's liberation. His discussion with the Muslims led to further concessions. The administrative control over the Temple Mount was to be the sole responsibility of the Supreme Muslim Council - the (Jordanian) Waqf. Though the Jews would be permitted free access to the Mount, prayer by Jews was prohibited. Dayan refused to permit any Jewish identification with Judaism's holiest site. To him, the Temple Mount held only historic interest. He said: “I have no doubt that because the power is in our hands we must take a stand based on yielding. We must view the Temple Mount as a “historic site” relating to past memory.”

The Jewish people have lost possession of the Temple Mount three times since King David purchased the site 3,000 years ago. Only once, was the site given away voluntarily, and that was when Moshe Dayan gave it away 50 years ago. Moshe Dayan will go down in Jewish history though a hero …but also as the man who gave away the Temple Mount, providing the Palestinians the opportunity to make Jerusalem an Issue. ”It’s true,” Eldad said, “that the original sin was when the Jewish People, immediately after the Six Day War in 1967, ceded its hold on the Temple Mount in an “unholy alliance” between the Chief Rabbinate and Moshe Dayan – each side for its own reasons …but now the danger is that the Arab sovereignty on the Temple Mount will spill over to the Western Wall plaza, and from there to other places as we have seen in Hebron, Judea and Samaria (so-called Westbank).”

Then Defence Minister Dayan, just days after Israel’s liberation of the Old City, informed the Muslims running the Temple Mount that they could continue to run the mosques there …and later went further by preventing Jewish prayer all over the Mount! “It was evident that if we did not prevent Jews from praying in what was now a mosque compound,” Dayan later wrote; “matters would get out of hand and lead to a religious clash… as an added precaution, I told the chief of staff to order the chief army chaplain to remove the branch office he had established in the building which adjoins the mosque compound.” Little did Moshe Dayan know what lay ahead!  Because, of a decision made 50 years ago by Moshe Dayan, the holiest site in all of Judaism is off limits …and the Prime Minister of Israel couldn’t even accompany US President Trump to the Temple Mount (Kotel). That is what Jews call “a Shanda” “a shame!” President Trump’s visit to Jerusalem would have so much extra meaning if he could have participated in a beautiful ceremony where the two holy Temples of God stood, on top of the Temple Mount …but that wasn’t made possible because of Moshe Dayan.  Today many Jews say it is thanks to the General, that only Muslims are allowed to pray on top of the Temple Mount.

So then who governs the Temple Mount? Muslims have controlled access to the site since 1187, when Arabs took back Jerusalem from the Crusaders. An Islamic trust, or waqf, administered the site, and Jews were not allowed to enter. After the Six-Day War in June 1967, the Temple Mount area became part of occupied Israeli territory. The Defence Minister at the time, Moshe Dayan, met with Muslim leaders and reached a new agreement – that the waqf would continue to administer the Islamic “noble sanctuary.” But, Jews would only be allowed to enter the site as tourists, and could NOT pray there. The government of Israel then allocated responsibility of the Temple Mount area to different groups. Israel's Department of Antiquities were given the south, southeast, and southwest area of the Temple Mount to explore archaeologically. The top of the Temple Mount and Biblical site of the 1^st and 2^nd Temples was given over to the Muslims to administrate. To the present day, the PLO Muslim Waqf allows tourists to visit the Mount a few hours per day - but they do not allow any freedom of Jew or Christian worship or any non-Muslim archaeological activity there. The entire area is treated as if it were a gigantic outdoor mosque. To this day, visitors who stroll out of very limited areas but only to view over the wall at the Pinnacle of the Temple, or to see the interior of the Golden Gate, for example - will be quickly restrained by an Arab guard.

Why would Jews want to rebuild the Temple? Two reasons come to mind; (1) The fulfilment of a national dream of the Jewish people. (2) A rallying point for the nation's religious and cultural heritage. For centuries, the Jews did not possess their homeland and were forced to wander as strangers and without a homeland across the face of the earth just as the Word of God said they would. Deep within the Jewish heart has been a longing for a return to the land and a rebuilding of the 3rd Temple! The Temple is also a symbol to religious Jews of prosperity granted them from heaven, and a reminder of better days that the nation had in the days of King David and Solomon. A deep desire for the restoration of the Temple has been the prayer of the Orthodox Jew since the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD. The rebuilding of the Temple could also be a unifying force for this small besieged nation. During their relatively new existence as a re-born nation in 1948, Israel has experienced a series of major wars. “It is believed that as “A house of worship, especially a house of prayer for all the peoples” as they were during the 1^st and 2^nd Temples – Jerusalem’s 3^rd Temple could serve as a rallying point for Jews worldwide. Not only would this help unify the many Jewish factions that exist in Israel today …but the Jewish people feel deeply that the redemption of all mankind is tied to the redemption of their land. When the Messiah comes, He will be the King and Saviour of all the nations.

Muslims deny that a Jewish Temple ever stood on the Temple Mount… but the Bible, History and Archaeology easily prove that theory wrong. Since the establishment of the Jewish State in 1948 there are ongoing Palestinian attempts to erase the Jewish connection to Jerusalem. The U.N. cultural body UNESCO passed two Palestinian-backed Resolutions ignoring Jewish and Christian claims to the holy sites in Jerusalem. Throughout time, two Jewish Temples have stood atop the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and there is no denying of this fact!

With the fulfilment of many of the End-Time prophecies converging at the same time and with current efforts and the calling for the building of the 3^rd Temple - it is not unlikely that we could see construction begin before very long and in our generation. You see this very re-building of the 3^rd Temple could be used to bargain a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians. They will be forced to trade land for peace …but, God has told them NOT to do this. Israel has done this over and over as an appeasement and did NOT bode well for them each time. Many of these events prophesied to occur in the End-Time will be very recognizable from the coming “peace” agreement to the establishment of an anti-God, anti-Christ “one-world government” and a “one-world religious system” and to finally the implementation of the “mark of the beast” (Revelation 13:18).

It must come to pass as the Bible is clear about it! Some of these events are already in preparation for years, but have escalated under the 8 years of now ex-US President Barak Obama …and are in the making through “liberal policies,” such as; the right to same-sex marriage, abortions, removing of family values, Christianity and Biblical beliefs from schools, and by the Islamic persecution which he supported. Today, many people especially the youth are brainwashed through “liberal media” that he also created. The public has been de-sensitized to view these policies and ideologies as normal and this will give rise to the Antichrist as the Bible clearly speaks of the mystery of Iniquity. There is a certain point when sin, which the Devil introduced to mankind reaches it peak and man will reject God’s counsel and ways. It is that God will give man over to his sinful desires. Like Pharaoh whom God tried to bring to repentance and after so much rejection Pharaoh refused to obey or repent. “I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spoke, they did not hear: but they did evil before my eyes, and chose that in which I do not delight in,” Isaiah 66:4. Sin is rampant today just like in the “Days of Noah” and the “Days of Lot!” The Antichrist is evil and will be controlled by Satan; “Who opposes and exalts himself (antichrist) above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he (antichrist) as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he (antichrist)  is God,” 2 Thessalonians 2:4. The 3^rd Temple will NOT be filled with God’s presence like the previous two Temples …but rather the Antichrist will claim to be God and command to be worshipped there! Yeshua (Jesus) 2,000 years ago was the final sacrifice and atonement for our sins!

If the 3^rd Temple is NOT built - then prophecy cannot be fulfilled…! No one knows whether the 3rd Temple will be built before or after - “the rapture of the true church” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:49-53; 2 Corinthians 5:1-8; Revelation 3:10).

We believe it will be before as the Bible no longer speaks of the Church after Revelation Chapter 3. The Church will be taken out before the Tribulation. The 3^rd Temple WILL be built when the Antichrist makes a peace treaty between Arabs and Jews as predicted by Daniel the prophet. “And he (antichrist) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he (antichrist) shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he (antichrist) shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate,” Daniel 9:27. The reasons we also believe that the Lord will come for His people prior to the final week of Daniel 9:27 are; (1) No one of this Age can know the time of our “catching up” in the clouds to be with Yeshua (Jesus) – is for the church (Matthew 24:36; 24:50, 25:13; Mark 13:32; Luke 12:46; Acts 1:7; 1 Thessalonians. 5:1-2). Here the Lord is NOT speaking of His Second Coming - return upon the Earth, but rather of the Rapture (Matthew 24:40-52). (2) The last week of Daniel 9:27 - is for Israel.

After the Rapture, the Antichrist will "confirm the covenant" with the Jews and others for 7 years. Those in the “Great Tribulation” can know the day of Christ's return, but we cannot know the day of the Rapture. Daniel 9:27 coupled with other passages in Daniel 7:25, 12:7 and in Revelation 11:2-3, 12:6, 14, 13:5 show us that exactly 7 years from the signing of this “peace covenant” to reinstitute the Temple sacrifices - Christ will return to take control of the Earth in the “New Jerusalem!” We have this knowledge as the Bible helps us to understand why and how …that nobody of this Age can know the time of our catching up in the clouds to be with Yeshua (Jesus), but of the Tribulation we can know the time of the return of Christ to the earth exactly 7 years after the Antichrist is revealed. The 7-year Tribulation is for Israel – not the church! This fact alone proves the pre-Tribulation rapture. Whether we understand prophecy or not, nothing will compare to one particular prophecy; the building of the Third Temple on the Temple Mount and will be one of the most recognizable prophecies in the Middle East in the very near future for the past 2,000 years! Finally, the existence of the 3rd Temple in Jerusalem at the close of the age is confirmed by the Apostle John; "Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told 'Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample over the holy city for forty-two months," Revelation 11:1-2.

Evidently, the Third Temple has a limited life time and use - towards the close of the present age. Probably, it will be destroyed in the “great earthquake” which is described by Ezekiel and in Revelation as shaking Jerusalem just prior to the Second Coming of Yeshua (Jesus Christ). In fact, at the time all “the cities of the nations will fall!” The End-Time Tribulation period, Daniel’s – “70^th Week,” encompasses just 7 years. So, it seems safe to say that the 3^rd Temple may be built and destroyed within a short time. It will probably remain consecrated and undefiled for at least 3-1/2 years. (Concerning the violent events and the “great earthquake” during the Tribulation period; Isaiah 29:1-8, Revelation 6:12, 8:5, 11:13, 16:18-21, Ezekiel 38:19; Daniel 9:24-27; Zechariah 12-14).

The building of the 3^rd Temple in Jerusalem will bring an awareness of End Time prophetic events… The 3^rd Temple MUST be placed on the same spot of ground as the 1^st and 2^nd Temples because of the Jewish concept of zones of holiness on Yahweh God's sacred mountain! Ponder on this; The Temple Mount is Mount Moriah where Abraham took Isaac to be sacrificed but God provided a ram instead. It was the first place of animal sacrifice! Then came the 1^st and 2^nd Temples – built on the exact same place …and animals were sacrificed. According to Moses Maimonides (Ancient Jewish Philosopher) it is incumbent on the Jews to maintain the Temple in Jerusalem if it is in existence and to re-build it speedily if it does not. Many Jews acknowledge from the Tanach (first five books of the Old Testament) - that shedding of blood is associated with the remission of sins. Thus, the restoration of animal sacrifices in a properly consecrated Temple is seen as very important to them. Yeshua (Jesus) spoke of the future 3^rd Temple building in Jerusalem when discussing with His disciples the chain of events that would bring the close of the present age and His return. He spoke of an event yet future predicted by Daniel the prophet when the Temple in Jerusalem would suffer ultimate defilement by a false Messiah – antichrist, who claimed to be God: "So when you see the abomination of desolation as spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand… For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be," (Matthew 24:15-21). The apostle Paul, writing a few years later, describes this same event; “Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to meet him… Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God,” 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4. The coming false messiah, resembles Antiochus Epiphanes of 175 BC who defiled the Temple by offering pigs as sacrifice. Since only a properly consecrated Temple can be defiled, this passage implies a functioning, dedicated Third Temple and priesthood in existence in the End Time at the time Yeshua (Jesus) said He would return!

We are living in End-Times and the final events of Daniel and Revelation are happening now! The Bible is true and warns us that we are going to enter “perilous times” and there are fearful aspects to these prophecies. We are that privileged generation that saw Israel back in the land in 1948, Jerusalem re-unified in 1967 and the Jubilee (50 years) on the 07^th June, 2017 and Israel soon to celebrate 70 years and 100 years since the founding of Jerusalem in 1917. While God does NOT bring the evils that are coming on the world - He must allow them to come to show the results of turning our backs on God. God in this shows that we are able to make a decision to turn our faces toward Him and in His infinite love, has given us free choice. Today many have chosen to rebel against His love and government, and the results will be perilous times!

“Preparing the Way” for the 3^rd Jewish Temple in Jerusalem… God commands in the Bible that all Jews make their way to the Temple three times a year; (Passover) The Feast of Pesach; (Pentecost) The Feast of Shavuot and (Tabernacles) The Feast of Sukkot and they shall not appear before God empty handed (Deuteronomy 16:16). The 3^rd Temple will require a functional infrastructure that could facilitate the transportation of millions of Jews to Jerusalem during and after these Feasts.  Israel’s Minister of Transportation, Yisroel Katz, has already publicly stated that facilitating this was his intention when planning the line of the fast train currently under construction between the airport in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. A Rabbinical school (or Yeshiva) for the training of the priests for this temple is presently in existence in the Old City. Sacred vessels and priestly garments have been prepared. On Thursday, 01st June, 2017 the day after the holiday of Shavuot, hundreds of people gathered in the Old City of Jerusalem for a re-enactment of the Temple service known as Bikkurim, or the “bringing of the first fruits.” The ceremony included a special thanksgiving offering that sealed the recent Sanhedrin ruling establishing the boundaries of Jerusalem for the Third Temple.

The ceremony was performed by “Kohanim” (men of the priestly caste) dressed in authentic priestly clothing as described in the Bible, led by Rabbi Baruch Kahane, who has played a prominent role in many of the Temple re-enactments. The procession along the walls of the city to Tekuma Park was accompanied by “musical instruments” specially made for use in the coming 3^rd Temple, and blasts from Shofars (ram horns), just as the Talmud described it in Temple times. Cedar from Lebanon captured in the north during the war of 1982 has been placed in storage for the 3^rd Temple, and so on. Thus, there has been considerable preparation for the 3^rd Temple by the religious Jews of modern Jerusalem. Both the Ashkenazi and Sephardic Chief Rabbis of Jerusalem agree that such a Temple will be built as soon as circumstances permit. Rabbi Chaim Richman – Int. Director of the Temple Institute understands this to mean that God will be a part of the process of the rebuilding of the 3^rd Temple …but it in no way exempts man from taking a pro-active role. To illustrate his point, Rabbi Richman gave a powerful example of man’s action bringing about the divine will; in 1967, Israel faced a vastly superior collection of enemy forces bent on destroying the Jewish State and defeated them. He described this “miraculous victory” as similar to God sending down… “fire to light the wood on the altar in the Temple. Just as the fire of destruction was man-made (Zechariah 2:8) but divinely sanctioned, so too the fire of rebuilding could be manifest in the very human but divinely sanctioned ‘fire’ of the artillery of the 1967 Six-Day War.”

In contrast to the earthly City of Jerusalem - Revelation, the last book of the New Testament, describes the Heavenly City New - Jerusalem,” immediately after the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:29-31) descending from heaven, as a city which contains NO Temple at all; “And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb,” Revelation 21:22, 23.

We hope that you enjoy and become more informed by our work. We serve an awesome God and we are humbled by this opportunity to bring you this information. With Shalom to you and your family always,

Alf & Julie Saunders

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