The Temple

THE TEMPLE

PROPHETIC SIGNIFICANCE:

The Temple Mount in Jerusalem is sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims. It is central to Israel's history since it was called Mt. Moriah, and was the place where Abraham proved his faith in God by his willingness to sacrifice his Isaac (but the Lord provided a substitute sacrifice). It was purchased by King David as the site for the Temple. Of course, his son, King Solomon actually built the Temple.

Solomon quaried the stones for the Temple from the northern and western portions of the range. The hill of Golgotha was part of the range before the rock was cut away, leaving a scene that looked like a skull. It was on this portion of the sacred range that Jesus was crucified for the sins of the world!

Jesus had predicted that the Temple of his day, restored by King Herod, and probably the most glorious structure of the world in those days, would be utterly destroyed. This prophecy was fulfilled less than 40 years later by the Roman army under the direction of Titus.

Hundreds of years later Muhammed claimed to have ascended to heaven and back from the Temple Mount, so the site became the third-most-holy place to Muslims. It was conquered by Muslims during the Crusades, who built the "Mosque of Omar," which now has a gold-covered dome. It was taken back by Crusaders, who used it as a church, and was finally left in disrepair.

During the Six-day War of 1967 the Israelis took control of all of Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount, but their General, Moshe Dyan, allowed the Muslim Waqif (an Islamic trust) to control the area to hopefully avoid a major religious backlash. This action was misunderstood by those who were willfully ignorant of the history or the site. They claim that it has always been their property and that the Jewish claims to the area are fabricated. Today the true history of the Temple Mount and its future use are the most sensitive issues in the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

Key Scriptures
Current Events
Insights from 2009 In Prophecy: The Year In Review
Temple Links
See also:
Where Is The Ark Of The Covenant?
Red Heifer

Temple Notes Handout
(May be printed for group Bible study- see note at bottom)
Excerpts From The Prophecy Puzzle
Temple Links



Key Scriptures

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Luke 21:5-6 Further Study
Matthew 24:15-18 Further Study
Daniel 9:27 Further Study
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 Further Study

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Current Events

Prophetic Significance of The Temple Mount

Also see: The Temple Mount In Jerusalem
(Maintained by Lambert Dolphin, Jim Milligan, and Michael Kollen)
Other Temple Links

Notice: Sources often remove their news links after a period of time. Some of them move older stories to a subscription-only section. Even if the story is no longer on line, our summary will still be available on this page.


See more recent articles: After December 31, 2014


Treatment of Temple Mount Artifacts ‘A Disgrace’

Dec. 24, 2013 - The Internal Affairs and Environment Committee, part of Israel's parliament (the Knesset), reports that the treatment of important historic artifacts found on the Temple Mount is "a disgrace."
The MKs expressed concern over two issues in particular: poor storage of ancient wooden wall segments believed to date back to the time of the First Temple, and the heap of rubble and antiquities at the eastern part of the Temple Mount.
They believe that the Muslim Waqf, who controls the Temple Mount, is waging a deliberate campaign to destroy Jewish history at the site, and to harass Jewish visitors.
Source: Israel National News

Prophetic Significance of The Temple Mount


Jewish activists want to pray on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, raising alarm in Muslim world

Dec. 4, 2013 - The Temple Mount in Jerusalem is often called the most contested real estate on Earth. It was the site of Solomon's Temple and the Temple built by Herod in Jesus' days. It is therefore considered the most holy site on Earth for Jews. However, it is also said to be the third most holy place for Muslims, and has been under their control for centuries. Even after Israel took the area in 1967 it was decided to let the Islamic authorities control the area. Jews are not allowed to pray there.

Now there is a growing movement by Jewish activists to have some freedom of worship there, and the idea is being debated in the Israeli parliament. A portion of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government argues in favor of the change.

Sheik Azzam al-Khatib, who oversees the area, said, “This place belongs to the Muslim people, and no others have the right to pray here."

Today, as yet another round of U.S.-brokered Israeli-Palestinian peace talks are underway, Khatib and other Islamic clerics warn that proposals to grant “time and space” to Jews looking to pray on the Temple Mount could ignite a holy war.

Source: Washington Post
Are Jews preparing to build the prophetic Third Temple? The Washington Post examines that question today. - Joel Rosenberg
Update: Dec. 6, 2013 - Tension at Temple Mount is escalating week by week - Times of Israel
Arab Political Refugee Mudar Zahran: ‘We Arabs and Muslims Are Harming Al-Aqsa, Not Israel or the Jews’ - The Algemeiner
Op-Ed: True Peace Can Only Begin on the Temple Mount - Israel National News



Jews and Muslims to share al-Aqsa Mosque?

Nov. 13, 2013 - A proposed Israeli law would give Jews the right to pray at the al-Aqsa Mosque esplanade. It would designate "time and space" for Jews wishing to pray there. This mosque is one of the three most holy sites in Islam, and the Israelis allowed an Islamic caretaker to control it, even after the 1976 war. However, the mosque is built on the Temple Mount, which is one of Judaism's most sacred sites. This issue raises fears of another Palestinian uprising in the near future.
Source:Al Jazeera

Muslim Anger over Virtual ‘Third Temple’

July 27, 2013 - An educational website about the history of the Temple Mount is under attack from Arab Muslims. It contains information about the history of the Temple Mount: the site of the First Temple and Second Temple.
What has caused upset in the Muslim world is a representation of the Temple Mount as it would appear with a rebuilt Jewish Temple atop it rather than Al-Aqsa Mosque that currently stands there.
Boaz Yaakovi, a representative of the website, said they did not intend to provoke or annoy the Muslims. He added that they cannot ignore the truth just because someone gets angry.
Source: Israel National News
The Har Hakodesh

Minister calls for third Temple to be built

July 5, 2013 - Israeli Housing and Construction Minister Uri Ariel told an archaeological conference that the Jewish Temple shoud be rebuilt on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
Jews are currently banned from praying on the Temple Mount by the Jordanian department of endowments, known as the Wakf, which administers the plaza surrounding the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.
Last year, Jewish Home MK Zevulun Orlev also called for the rebuilding of the Temple even though it might launch a world war.
Source: Times of Israel

Israel Peace With Iran and Neighbors - Mid-East War and Peace Planning

Jun. 11, 2013 - Letter sent to the President and Congress in January from William Mohlenhoff, Captain, U.S. Navy (Retired) and author of Omega Chronicles. It outlines
... what the Christian Bible teaches about peace between Israel and its neighbors prior to the 7-year Apocalypse of the End Time Prophecies. Also, with significant background in Navy aircraft carrier air war and weapon system design and development planning, we submit complete suggestions regarding the means to settle for peace in the Mid-East. Only a complete understanding of religious beliefs and intentions of the believers will lead to the peace we are seeking in the Mid-East.
The letter makes helpful suggestions about the use of the Temple Mount in a negotiated peace process.
Source: William Mohlenhoff

Palestinians rail against Temple Mount ‘Judaization’

May 14, 2013 - On May 8 the Knesset’s Interior Committee heard testimony from the Religious Affairs Ministry that they were considering a revision of the informal ban on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The news has caused a vehement response from the Muslim leadership. They claim that this would mean that the al-Aqsa Mosque would be partioned into separate sections for Jewish and Muslim worship like the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron.
Palestinian sensitivity surrounding the al-Aqsa Mosque was already at a peak this week, following the detention for questioning of Jerusalem Mufti Mohammed Ahmed Hussein on May 8.
Source: Times of Israel

Arab Group: [Wailing Wall] is a Muslim Site, And Jews Don't Belong There

Feb. 21, 2013 -
An Israeli Arab group, “The Al-Aqsa Heritage Institute,” on Thursday issued a statement demanding that Israel halt its plans to bring more Jews to the Kotel (Western Wall) – which, the group claims, is holy not to Jews, but to Muslims.
When Jews were banned from the Temple Mount, first by the Romans, and later by Muslims, they gathered at the retaining wall for prayer because it was the closest they could get to the grounds where their temple once stood. The group claims that Jewish prayers there defile the holiness of the area.
Source: Israel National News

Jordanian minister accuses Israel of planning to erect the third Temple

Jan. 4, 2013 - Islamic Endowments Minister Abdul Salam Abadi claims that Israel is planning to divide the Temple Mount area in order to erect the third Temple. He claimed it would be a very large structure.
Jordan, which extended its sovereignty to East Jerusalem and the West Bank in 1950, continues to administer the Islamic holy sites on the Temple Mount.
Source: Times of Israel

See earlier articles: Before Jan. 1, 2013



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Last Updated: 2/26/14
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