Shalom Partner and Friend of Israel,

Jeremiah 33:14–18 speaks about the Messianic Age when ALL Israel will be saved and restored to the Land of Israel. At that time, a righteous descendant of David, the Messiah, will sit on the throne in Jerusalem, and the Temple will again stand complete with its Levitical priesthood. If this is to be a future reality, is there any sign of preparation for a Third Temple in Israel today? Yes! Since 1987, when the Temple Movement began preparations for the re-building of the 3^rd Temple, efforts to see this become a reality in the 21st century have been slowly progressing but escalating in our day. While Modern Israel and a large percentage of the Jewish people throughout the Diaspora are secular, Orthodox Jews do not believe these people will play a role in the re-building of the Temple since it is a spiritual work.

It is Ultra-Orthodox Jews who revived the Sanhedrin, the religious body that supervised the “Halachic” (legal) issues related to the Temple and who intend to see it rebuilt in a proper way. The importance to them of re-building the Temple lies in its role in the redemption of the world, which they believe can only take place once the Temple is rebuilt.

Gershon Salomon is director of the Temple Mount Faithful, an organization that has been trying to prepare Israeli society to accept and promote the re-building of the Temple through demonstrations at the Temple site, the construction of a cornerstone for the 3^rd Temple, and the making of various Temple-related utensils. Salomon said… “Building the Third Temple is an act which must be done to complete the redemption of the people of the Bible in the Land of the Bible. I cannot imagine an Israeli State or Israeli life in this country without the Temple Mount in the centre of this life.”

It is exciting to see these developments unfold in the Land of Israel regarding the building of a 3^rd Temple as we eagerly watch for the Second coming of our Messiah! Previous generations have thought that the Messiah - Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) would return in their lifetimes …but they were proven wrong! Many believers alive today think that Christ's return is imminent and this could happen in a “twinkle of the eye” since nobody knows the exact day. Certainly, the Bible contains prophecies that could NOT have been fulfilled until this generation.

Shortly before His Crucifixion and Resurrection, the Lord delivered a major Prophecy of End-Time events, recorded in Matthew 24; Mark 13 and Luke 21. He was asked by His disciples… “When will these things be? And what will be the sign of your coming, and of the End of the Age?” And again, we read the Disciples asking… “And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying; tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of your (second) coming, and of the end of the world?” - Matthew: 24:3. Yeshua (Jesus) responded with a description of conditions and events that would lead up to His second coming. Moreover, He said that when these signs became evident, His return would occur within one generation… “Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.”- Matthew 24:34. Could this be that generation? Throughout the nearly 2,000 years since Christ gave His prophecy, many have thought that theirs was the time of His return - and turned out to be wrong, of course. But interestingly, there are a number of prophecies in the Bible that could NOT be fulfilled until our modern era, the post-World War II period!

A Jewish homeland had to be re-established in Israel in the Middle East Geopolitically and this happened in 1948. The central focus of End-Time events is and will be Jerusalem and Israel …in the place where Jews and Christians refer to as the Holy Land – God’s chosen Land and people! Luke 21 is a parallel chapter to Matthew 24. Notice Luke's account of Christ's prophecy that answered the Disciples' questions… “Teacher when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place? And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? And what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?” ­- Luke: 21:7. In response, Yeshua showed that Jerusalem would be the central focus of the “political and “military” upheavals that would immediately precede His return; “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near …For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled,” - Luke 7:20-22. Anyone living a century ago would have found these words nearly impossible to comprehend. Jerusalem in Ancient Times had been fought over countless times, but for four centuries from 1517 the city had been at peace within the boundaries of the Ottoman Empire. Jews lived there as a minority under Turkish rule. But this was going to change dramatically during the course of the 20th century. It had to change for the fulfilment of Bible prophecy to take place and it happened on the 14^th May, 1948!

So, what has it to do with the 3^rd  Temple yet to be built in Jerusalem? Yes, it has to be built ….and it will be built - in our time and generation. We need to understand what is prophesied to yet happen in the Middle East. Whether we realize it or not, or understand it or not, events there are destined to affect the lives of every person on earth. Ask this question …why does tiny Israel and the Middle East dominate the headlines so often? There's more that keeps Israel in the news! It is the birthplace of the Bible for Jews and Christians. Islam was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia making some claim of Muhammad on a flying horse over the already established Jewish Temple Mount and Mount Moriah. Too often it has not been just their birthplace of Judaism and Christianity but their battlefield, with Islam warring for control of the territory they consider holy. Nowhere are these conflicts more obvious than in Israel, and specifically in Jerusalem. If you've never been to Jerusalem, it's hard to imagine how so much history, religion and culture can collide and stand in literal heaps. Nowhere is this more evident than at the Temple Mount, flash point for many a conflict over the centuries.

The history of the Jewish First Temple begins with God’s choice of Mount Moriah in Jerusalem for an altar and a place for the testing of Abraham’s faith with his son Isaac, the heir of the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 22:2). Mount Moriah was established as the place where God would provide for His people through His provision of a sacrifice in substitution for Isaac, thus preserving the boy’s life, upon which depended the future of the Jewish Nation (Genesis 22:13-18). Next the Lord delivers Israel from the bondage in Egypt and instructs Moses to take the people to the place established for His Sanctuary (Exodus 15:17). At Mount Sinai, Moses receives the heavenly blueprint for the Sanctuary and its vessels (Exodus 25:8-9, 40).

The Tabernacle (Tent of meeting) … Throughout Exodus 26 the word used is “tabernacle and describes the building of the structure which would house the Ark of the Covenant. In Exodus 26:36 it is described as a “tent and was constructed as a portable and temporary dwelling place for God’s presence (Exodus 40:36-38; 2 Samuel 7:6). God commands Moses to “…make a screen for the doorway of the tent.” This reflects both the physical appearance and mobile nature of the tabernacle of Moses. 

Exodus 27:21 gives a lot of description into one verse concerning this structure and its function and nature; “in the tent of meeting, outside the veil which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall keep it in order from evening to morning before the Lord..." The tabernacle is referred to as the tent of meeting… and is distinctly defined as the interior of the portable tent or tabernacle. It was here, specifically in the Holy of Holies that God would meet with Moses, thus the name the tent of meetings. Outside of the veil is where only Aaron and his sons may enter and work. Inside the veil rested the Ark of the Covenant, where only the High Priest could enter once a year to meet with God. These two separate and holy areas comprised the tent of meeting. The tabernacle remains Israel’s Sanctuary for 485 years through the periods of the conquest of Canaan and the settlement of the Land. This period of “settlement” ends in the time of King David, who destroys Israel’s enemies and captures Jerusalem, making possible a “political “and “spiritual” centre for the nation in the place of promise.

David’s desire to build the First Temple qualifies him to begin the financial preparations for the project (2 Samuel 7:2; 1 Chronicles 17:1; 29) …BUT he was not allowed to build it because as a warrior he was not a fitting symbol of God’s peaceful program (1 Kings 3:3-14; 5:3) – that privilege went to his son, King Solomon! In contrast to the Tabernacle Solomon’s Temple was to be a permanent structure and habitation for God’s Glory (2 Chronicles 7:16). However, when the First Temple was constructed, the Tabernacle /Tent of Meeting was included within it (1 Kings 8:4; 2 Chronicles 5:55), probably in the chamber beneath the Holy of Holies! The site first came to the attention of Israel's King David, who bought “a threshing floor” and built an altar on it, intending it for the site of the First Temple (1 Chronicles 21-22). Despite that the plan for the Temple in Jerusalem was to be permanent - its existence was conditional upon Israel’s obedience (1 Kings 9:4-9). This meant that throughout Israel’s history, the Temple could be removed and returned as often as Israel was fickle or faithful to God’s Covenant. Spiritual decline in the form of idolatry, apostasy and Sabbath violations began in the time of King Solomon (1 Kings 21:7-14). As a result, after 374 years as Israel’s Sanctuary the First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.)

The Second Temple is built…. After 70 years of Babylonian exile, a Jewish remnant of about 50,000 returned to Jerusalem under Zerubbabel the priest to begin building the Second Temple (Ezra 1-6), which was completed and dedicated in 515 BC. After another 500 years the Second Temple was in severe need of repairs. The reigning Judean King, Herod the Great, refurbished it completely, doubling its height and greatly expanding its size. Yet despite its new appearance, it was still subject to the stipulation of the Mosaic Covenant, which pronounced “curses” for Israel’s disobedience. Therefore, the sins of Israel again doomed the Second Temple to the Divine Judgement of God …and Yeshua (Jesus) prophesied of its imminent destruction (Matthew 24:2; Mark 13:2; Luke 21:6, 20-24). The sentence was carried out 586 years after the dedication of the original Second Temple …and 76 years after its reconstruction and was ultimately razed and destroyed by the tenth Roman Legion - under the command of the Roman General Titus son of the Emperor Vespian in A.D. 70.

The 9^th of Av Tisha B’Av (Biblical Hebrew Calendar) is the day of the year on which the First Temple (586BC) and Second Temple (70AD) were destroyed and is considered the worst day of the year and follows what is known as the three weeks of Sorrow! 

Jews, especially in Israel refrain from making any important decisions during these days and especially on the 9^th of Av. This year the 9^th Av falls on the 10^th August but because it is a Sabbath – the 9^th Av will actually be on 11^th August, 2019. Just imagine for a moment - could it just be possible once again on the 9^th of Av the day that the coming Antichrist sits in the Third Temple claiming that he himself is god …or the signing of the anticipated 7-year peace-treaty (Daniel 9:27) that would begin the Tribulation and likewise - the Jews “putting to flight?” (Revelation 12:6)

It was in the Second Temple where Yeshua (Jesus) of Nazareth worshipped, taught and confronted the money changers, scribes, Pharisees and other religious authorities. After His Death and Resurrection, Christianity was born in the shadow of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and His followers continued to worship and teach there for several more decades until the legions of Rome crushed a Jewish rebellion and carted away most of the Jewish population, they hadn't killed leaving only a remnant in Israel. A later Jewish rebellion, in 132-135 AD, led to a Roman decree that no Jew was to set foot in Jerusalem on pain of death... The Bar Kokhba revolt marked a time of high hopes followed by violent despair. The Jews were handed expectations of a homeland and Holy Temple …but in the end were persecuted and sold into slavery. During the revolt itself, the Jews gained enormous amounts of land, only to be pushed back and crushed in the final battle of Bethar. When Hadrian first became the Roman Emperor in 118 AD - he was sympathetic to the Jews and allowed them to return to Jerusalem …and granted permission for the rebuilding of their Holy Temple. The Jews’ expectations rose as they made organizational and financial preparations to rebuild the temple. Hadrian quickly went back on his word, however, and requested that the site of the Temple be moved from its original location. He also began deporting Jews to North Africa. Hadrian hated “foreign” religions and forbade the Jews to perform circumcisions. In approximately 132 AD, Hadrian began to establish a city in Jerusalem called “Aelia Capitolina,” the name being a combination of his own name and that of the Roman god Jupiter Capitolinus. He started to build “a temple to Jupiter” in place of the Jewish Holy Temple dedicated to God - Yahweh.

As long as Hadrian remained near Judea, the Jews stayed relatively quiet. When he left in 132 AD the Jews began their rebellion on a large scale. They seized towns and fortified them with walls and subterranean passages. Under the strong leadership of Shimon Bar-Kokhba, the Jews captured approximately 50 strongholds in Judea and 985 undefended towns and villages, including Jerusalem. Jews from other countries, and even some gentiles, volunteered to join their crusade. The Jews minted coins with slogans such as “The freedom of Israel” written in Hebrew. In 135 AD Hadrian’s army besieged Bethar and on the 9th of Av, the Jewish fast day commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Holy Temples, the walls of Bethar fell. After a fierce battle, every Jew in Bethar was killed. Six days passed before the Romans allowed the Jews to bury their dead. Following the battle of Bethar the war was essentially over and Judean independence was lost. The Romans ploughed Jerusalem with a yoke of oxen. Jews were sold into slavery and many were transported to Egypt. Judean settlements were not rebuilt. Jerusalem was turned into a pagan city called “Aelia Capitolina” and the Jews were forbidden to live there. They were permitted to enter only on the 9th of Av to mourn their losses in the revolt. Hadrian changed the country’s name from “Judea” - to Syria “Palestina.” In the years following the revolt, Hadrian discriminated against all Judeo-Christian sects …but the worst persecution was directed against religious Jews. He made anti-religious decrees forbidding them Torah study, Sabbath observance, circumcision, Jewish courts, meeting in Synagogues and other ritual practices.

If one would want to explain in a nutshell what all the strife at present is all about in and around Israel, spiritually speaking, then the answer would have to be…There is an enormous battle about the possession of “who gets” the heart of the city of Jerusalem - the Temple Mount.

Centuries later, in 638 AD, Muslim Arabs took the city. In 691 AD Muslims built the Dome of the Rock on that same Temple Mount – on top of Mount Moriah. Muslims believe an illusion of their prophet Muhammad ascending into heaven from ‘the so-called furthest Mosque" and so today Muslims consider Al-Aksa Mosque the third-holiest site in Islam, after Mecca, where Mohammed was born, and Medina, where he found refuge and died. There were NO mosques in Jerusalem in 632 AD when the prophet Mohammed, the founder of Islam died - Jerusalem was (then) a Christian city.  The Muslim "claim" to Jerusalem is based on what is written in their Koran, even though Jerusalem is not mentioned even once. Nevertheless, it mentions in Sura 17:1, of the ‘furthest mosque …but is there any foundation to the Muslim argument that this "furthest mosque" refers to what is today called the El-Aksa mosque in Jerusalem? The answer is - NONE whatsoever!

Before the days of Mohammed… Christian conquerors had occupied Jerusalem within the Byzantine Empire. Bringing religion into battle demonstrated that both their armies and their religion were superior to those of their victims when they won. So, they usually built their "holy places" on top of their victims' holy places, which they did on the Temple Mount, to absorb the strength of their conquered adversaries and to convert them to their religion. Even under the threat of the sword, the Jews refused to convert and allow their lineage to be absorbed, which would in effect, transfer God's Covenant.

In the days of Mohammed (who died in 632 AD)… Jerusalem was a Christian city within the Byzantine Empire. Jerusalem was captured by Khalif Omar only in 638 AD, six years after Mohammed's death. Throughout all this time there were only churches in Jerusalem, and a church stood on the Temple Mount, called the "Church of Saint Mary of Justinian," built in the Byzantine architectural style.  Jerusalem, despite Mohammed's rejection, was still looked upon in the then Arab world as a powerful symbol where the ancient Jews had placed their faith. The Jews considered Jerusalem the centre of the world and the earthly dwelling place of (HaShem) God. It was not surprising that the Arabs and other nations wanted to own and control this source of power.  The El-Aksa Mosque was built 20 years after the Dome of the Rock, which was built in 691-692 AD by Khalif Abd El Malik of Syria in a first effort to turn Muslim prayers toward his structure. He wanted to demonstrate Islam's superiority over the Christians and Jews they had driven from Jerusalem. This was primarily for political purposes, not necessarily religious. The name "Omar Mosque" is therefore false. In or around 711 AD, or about 80 years after Mohammed died, Malik's son, Abd El-Wahd - who ruled from 705-715 AD - reconstructed the Christian Byzantine, Church of St. Mary and converted it into a mosque. He left the structure as it was - a typical Byzantine "basilica" structure with a row of pillars on either side of the rectangular "ship" in the centre. All he added was an onion-like dome on top of the building to make it look like a mosque. He then named it El-Aksa, so it would sound like the one mentioned in the Koran. This myth of Jerusalem as Islam's third holiest city based upon the mythical ascension of Mohammed from Al-Aksa to Heaven has grown exponentially in the recent telling since 1967. When you tell a Big Lie and repeat it often, it achieves credibility and legs of its own! 

 Several more centuries passed before the Crusaders captured Jerusalem, slaughtered Muslim and Jew alike and converted the Dome of the Rock into a church. Their hold on the city lasted less than a century before Muslims recaptured it. Jerusalem changed hands three more times before Muslims took control of the City and held it from 1244 until 1917, when the Ottoman Empire lost its hold in World War I and the city came under British administration. In 1948 the modern state of Israel was born, and in the 1967 war the Israelis gained control of all of Jerusalem, though leaving the Temple Mount under Islamic authority. Today one can watch Muslims praying at the Dome of the Rock atop the Temple Mount, Jews praying at the Western Wall barely a stone's throw below and Christians praying along the Via Dolorosa and at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre a few hundred yards to the north and west. And all around one sees the rubble of the centuries of conflict over this holy place. 

Who will write the next chapter in the history of this troubled city of God? Believe it or not, the final chapters are already written - prophesied centuries ago in the pages of the Bible. Ominously, they mesh remarkably well with today's headlines. In the following pages we provide you with an overview of the past and the headlines of tomorrow. Throughout the ages, Gentile nations have been obsessed with desecrating the Temple Mount (Mount. Moriah) in Jerusalem …the “footstool” of our God! It was there where Antiochus erected the image to Zeus. It was there that the Roman Emperor Hadrian constructed a temple to Jupiter. Today, the Temple Mount is desecrated with shrines to the pagan god Allah - the god of the crescent moon!

A third Temple WILL be built…. There has to be a Temple standing in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount for the Antichrist to desecrate it! Daniel prophesied that “many” within Israel will again enter into a covenant or security agreement with a “Gentile ruler” (Daniel 9:27). This wicked ruler is known as “Armilus” by Jewish theologians and Antichrist by Christians. The confirmation of this covenant will start the clock ticking for a 7-year period known as the 70^th week of Daniel. This covenant is called a covenant with “death” or “sheol” (Isaiah 28:15) and will be an outward sign of apostasy of the nation of Israel and in their “blindness” will turn to a Gentile leader for “Shalom” peace… instead of God!  At midpoint, 3 ½ years later, Jerusalem will be captured and oppressed by the Gentiles (Luke 21:20; Revelations 11:2). Then the Antichrist will be revealed for who he is and declare himself god and demand the worship of the world (2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 13:12-15).

Like Antiochus Epiphanes, he (Antichrist) will once desecrate the re-built 3^rd Temple with his idolatrous image, rendering it utterly desolate. Our Messiah, Yeshua, spoke of this in Matthew 24:15-16. The line again will be drawn …either assimilate or be annihilated! Many people will fall away in apostasy and bow down to him (2 Thessalonians 2:3) …but the faithful within Israel will flee to the mountains and the wilderness. Many faithful believers will lose their lives (Matthew 24:22) as the Antichrist vents his wrath against the people of God (Revelation 12:13-17). That time of the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21) will be like nothing the nation of Israel has ever experienced (Jeremiah 30:7; Daniel 12:1). BUT God who is faithful will again remember His people Israel and send the Messiah to deliver the remnant of Israel and rise up a new Temple (Zechariah 6:12) to which the Shekinah glory will return (Isaiah 4:5; Ezekiel 43:1-6). And, in that day… “The remnant of Israel, and such as have escaped of the house of Jacob, will never again depend on him (Antichrist) who defeated them, but will depend on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth,” - Isaiah 10:20.

You see, God’s plan coming to fulfilment today as Jew and Gentile believers in Yeshua (Jesus) are the “One New Man” in Messiah (Ephesians 2:15). We are inseparable and connected to our Hebraic Roots! We can read in Isaiah 56:1-7 that this is an End-Time prophecy, for our day and age. What the Lord Yeshua is talking about here …actually began with His ministry 2,000 years ago and was a signal that He was beginning something new. We are very close to the “times of the Gentiles” being fulfilled! We believe that God anointed the 45^th US President Donald Trump to be “a Cyrus” for our day (Isaiah 45; Ezra 1:7-11) for Jerusalem in for the future of Israel…. Last year - 2018, the world witnessed a Jubilee Year for Jerusalem 50 Years after re-unification and Israel turning 70 years (1948-2018) and Trump moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem. God has always used Gentiles to help fulfil prophecy for Israel and nothing is just coincidence! Even Cyrus faced persecution for his part in helping build the Temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 5:3, 6:6; Ezra 6:7-8,10). This language truly echoes that nations who stand with Israel are divinely mandated in God’s involvement in Israel’s affairs …and just like Cyrus, US President Trump will face huge persecution and hatred because of his support for Israel, but God is in control and will protect him throughout his assignment! Will God use US President Trump to initiate the building of the 3^rd Temple in Jerusalem since he has proved his faithfulness to Israel? It has to happen before the Antichrist is revealed as their has to be a 3^rd Temple already constructed! A prominent Israeli Rabbi Yosef Berger in charge of King David's Tomb on Mount Zion believes the reason for this unprecedented (at least in modern times) shift is that Trump has a big role to play in the building of the Third Temple and the Coming of Messiah. Rabbi Berger explained: “No leader in history has recognized Jerusalem as the capital of the Jews and Israel. President Trump has already created a great “tikkun” (reparation) for the Christians through his unprecedented relationship with Jerusalem.”

There is just something about Israel’s physical and spiritual restoration calling for the strategic involvement of tuned-in Gentiles (non-Jews). Today the community of our Messiah is being re-built on the original site where Yeshua’s (Jesus) Disciples began! Again, God is raising up visionary, Bible believing true Christians - those who love and financially support Israel to help restore and re-build Israel more than we all can ever realise!

God’s Word is true! He IS watching to see how the nations are treating His people. God will have mercy on Israel through Gentile believers acting as mediators towards them. This is one of the most amazing revelations ever given to the church – an opportunity to do something that carries the highest priority in the heart of God. Yet, sadly, so few have seen the potential and the rewards of serving God in this manner - as agents of mercy to Israel and the Jewish people! Israel was and still is despised today and a despised nation continually turning away from God BUT nothing ever altered the purpose of God for that nation. The despised element is always a noticeable element in the purpose of God. When the Saviour of the world came, He came of that despised nation; like Israel… He Himself was “despised and rejected by men,” …and there is that despised element; “…things that are despised God has chosen,” 1 Corinthians 1:28. Now, more than at any time is the time to support Israel and the Jewish people - the Lord’s Brethren! We are witnessing the nations and people turning their backs on Israel. Thank you once again for your prayers and generous financial support so that we can continue to bless Israel and be a voice for truth!

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

01^st August, 2019

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