End Times

The Future Third Temple

On the Mount of Olives the disciples asked Jesus about the sign of his return to this world and the end of the age. In his reply, Jesus referred them to the prophecy of Daniel regarding the desecration of the Jewish temple “Holy Place” (Matt 24:15). In the last days, a rebuilt Jewish temple will once again be in existence upon the Temple Mount.

Today, the Dome of the Rock occupies the centre of the Temple Mount. The future third temple could be rebuilt to the north of the Dome. It would be on the same site as the former temple. There would be room to provide an acceptable easement between the two buildings. There would, in fact, be a clearance of 150 feet. This would allow the Dome to actually co-exist with the Third Jewish Temple provided the temple is rebuilt straight across from the Eastern Gate. According to scholars such as Prof. Asher Kauffman this is in fact the archaeologically correct position. This is also consistent with the words the Jesus gave the apostle John in the Book of Revelation:

“Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out and measure it not, for it is given unto the Gentiles.” (Rev 11:1,2)

To the current international political players this peaceful coexistence of an Islamic Dome and a Jewish Temple would be quite acceptable as well. It would not be the architecture of the ultimate Messianic dominion in holiness expected by the Jews who are waiting for the rebuilding of their temple and the Christians who are conversant with the endtimes. But the powers who rule in this present world would probably favour it. Such an arrangement would be “politically correct”.

The good news in all this, from the perspective of world peace, is that to build a third temple there would be no necessity to destroy the Islamic shrine, the Dome of the Rock. It could be constructed right next door to the Dome of the Rock.

 Eschatology of the End -Times

The Palestinian Papers

The Palestine Papers

(26th February 2011)

The documents include:

  • 275 sets of meeting minutes
  • 690 internal e-mails
  • 153 reports and studies
  • 134 sets of talking points and prep notes for meetings
  • 64 draft agreements
  • 54 maps, charts and graphs
  • 51 “non-papers” (including power point presentations)

These accounts of high level exchanges and strategy papers cover a period from 1999 to 2010. They have revealed new details regarding: The Palestinian Authority’s willingness to concede illegal Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem, and to be “creative” about the status of the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount.

Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount

The Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary), home of the Al Aqsa mosque—Islam’s third holiest site – has been a major sticking point during decades of negotiations between Israelis and the Palestinians.

The Jews call Haram al-Sharif the “Temple Mount” because it was the site of the second temple that was destroyed by the Roman armies in 70 A.D. Who controls this sacred piece of land is a highly controversial issue.

Saeb Erekat, the chief negotiator of the Palestinian Authority (PA), had suggested unprecedented compromises on the division of Jerusalem and its holy sites. Minutes of negotiations at the US State Department in Washington DC indicate that Erekat was willing to concede control over the Haram al-Sharif, or Temple Mount, to the oversight of an international committee.

~ ‘The Palestinian Papers’ WL Central. Creative Commons Attribution.

Divide Jerusalem

Defense Minister Ehud Barak says it is likely that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will agree to divide Jerusalem with the Palestinian Authority.

Barak told the Hebrew-language newspaper Haaretz in an interview published Wednesday that he believes the best chance for peace lies in a peace deal in which all the Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem would be handed over to the PA in order to create a capital for a new Arab country.

“If Netanyahu leads a process, a significant number of rightist ministers will stand with him,” he told the newspaper. “So what is needed is courage to make historic, painful decisions. I’m not saying that there is certainty for success, but there is a chance. This chance must be exploited to the fullest.”

In addition, Barak envisions a “special regime” with “agreed-upon arrangements” to administer the Old City (Temple Mount), the Mount of Olives and the City of David.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Acknowledgements: Reference page.

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