Church of God must understand God commands Israel to build the
Temple!
Both the apostle Paul prophesied of the Temple of GOD (not just
the Jews) in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 and the apostle John testifies
it's the Temple of GOD (not just the Jews) in the Book of
Revelation 11:1. Will we believe the testimony of these two
witnesses (writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit)
that God claims the Temple as His own?
We must warn the Jews to beware Europe's imminent wannabe
divine emperor who would pollute the Temple just like
Antiochus Epiphanes did, although after it was cleansed, it was
rededicated and Yashua referred to that cleansed, rededicated
Temple as "MY FATHER'S HOUSE." Regardless of whatever
"guarantees" of peace and security Europe will undoubtedly offer
to seduce our Jewish brethren, Israel must not trust them or let
their guard down or the walls of Israeli sovereignty will come
tumbling down!
As far as the commanded sacrifices go (even though Yashua
fulfilled their meaning, they're still commanded for now),
prayerfully consider:
The Ezekiel Temple by Jan Willem van der
Hoeven, director of the International Christian Zionist Center
in Jerusalem Regardless that Mr. van der Hoeven is a Protestant,
what he writes that is true remains true and we should be able
to glean from his article as we are able to glean from many
secular sources which we do on a regular basis, and not
foolishly limit ourselves.
If the former Wor
ldwide Church of God members could understand how
Ambassador Auditorium, a concert hall in Pasadena, California,
could formerly serve as "God's House," how can some be so proud
and stubborn and blind to fail to RECOGNIZE that God would place
His Name where He only and always has: on the TEMPLE Mount!
(Zechariah 1:16). God says He'll accept the Temple, so shouldn't
we? (Haggai 1:8).
It ought to be understood that since GOD has restored
Israel to the Land (part of the prophesied restoration and
process of redemption of the Land and lives of Israel), Israel
must build the Temple. After all, IT IS A COMMAND.
"And let them make me a Sanctuary that I may dwell among
them" (Exodus 25:8). God has never revoked that command for
NATIONAL ISRAEL! (Malachi 4:4). It is the greatest
national command, the grandest mitva that is woefully ignored!
The Temple serves as a unifying national symbol, a central focus
for the knowledge and worship of the true God (Micah 4:2). It
encourages us to remember to keep the biblical fes
tivals of God, and to send representatives to Jerusalem
to celebrate before the LORD, following the letter and the
spirit of the Law and the Prophets (Deuteronomy 16:16; Zechariah
14:16).
But how can Israel reclaim the Temple Mount without starting a
war? Presently that most holy site is under a militant Muslim
occupation that forcibly forbids any Jew or Christian from
praying or reading the Bible there. This shameful situation
continues despite the fact that Israel supposedly guarantees
"freedom of access" to religious sites according to their 1967
Law for the Protection of the Holy Places.
Israeli "leaders" continue to look the other way as the Muslims
practice blatant religious discrimination daily. Israel must
stop taking into "protective custody" those who seek to exercise
their religious rights upon the Temple Mount and instead
REMOVE THE THREAT. I was arrested on Simchat Torah (the
Last Great Day) in 1995 to protect me from the mad Muslims, as
related in a
"House of Prayer for ALL nations?"
As written in a letter published in the Jerusalem Post: "The
Temple Mount is not in our hands, because it is not in our
hearts and minds. This is to the shame of our political and
religious leaders. I doubt that Jews prayed for 2,000 years to
return to Zion and pray at a wall."
Of course, on an individual level we must welcome God into our
hearts and minds, our personal lives, to find a loving home
(Isaiah 66:1-2). But on a NATIONAL LEVEL, on a physical
plane, we need a physical building to serve as the "Embassy of
the Eternal." We shouldn't become so "spiritual" that we forget
our Hebrew roots and biblical responsibilities as a NATION,
since the vast majority of us aren't just spiritual members of
the Church of God but physical members of the "Lo
st Ten Tribes" of Israel and even some are from Judah!
Physical Preparation for Messiah
Herbert W. Armstrong asked whether Christ would return to a
nonexistent throne, knowing full well David's throne continues
to this day, as prophesied. In the same sense, we should ask:
WILL CHRIST BE HOMELESS? Of course not! We should reflect
upon how "breathtakingly beautiful... the Temple [will be] in
which Christ will dwell" (
Mystery of the Ages, pg. 322).
Mr. Armstrong began to touch upon spiritual things that he
didn't fully understand, but he recorded it for us in his
autobiography. He wrote that there is a "PHYSICAL PREPARING,
as well as spiritual, in preparing the way for Messiah's
coming!" (emphasis mine, Autobiography of HWA., Vol. II, pg.
470). God's apostle began to see and know and understand God has
given us a MID
EAST COMMISSION!
The vast majority in God's Church still don't get it! Why
haven't any of the Church leaders taught this? Why do they
attempt to ignore it? We need to understand that part of the
prophesied physical preparation is 1) the return of a
significant number of Jews to Jerusalem and Israel,
representative of all 12 tribes, and 2) their literal clearing
of the way (by reclaiming the land), that will ultimately result
in the restoration of the Temple Mount as the TEMPLE
Mount, culminating in Messiah's Coming! (Isaiah 57:14, 62:10).
Those zealous for God's House set an example for everyone else
to follow, and help direct our energies and attention where it
belongs! (Jeremiah 50:50). We must help God's Church and Israel
to "PREPARE TO MEET YOUR GOD!" (Amos 4:12).
Mr. Armstrong wrote in a Good News article that it was
significant that he was of the House of David and made reference
to Zechariah 12:8. He expressed a desire to spend more time in
Jerusalem. And he will - at the resurrection! But meanwhile
another converted descendant of David must fulfill that vital
role.
The leading spokesman between the
Two Witnesses will hail from David's Royal House. In
the mighty spirit of Elijah he'll identify the Messiah to Israel
and introduce Him to Judah (Isaiah 40:2,9). That involves far
more than producing television programs for outside Christian
consumption or broadcasting into Israel from afar! Such efforts
are a start in the right direction but are clearly insufficient
for the task at hand. God's Work Permit and Contract requires an
INSIDE JOB to take place in Zion and on and near the Temple
Mount! (Joel 2:1).
GOD - not some Church official - will soon SEND His apostle to
the Middle East! (Isaiah 41:27; 52:7). The
Two Witnesses have a burning desire to see Jerusalem
fulfill her calling and.they won't rest their case until they've
won (Isaiah 62:1, 6-7). This focus on Jews, Jerusalem and Israel
appears as a tedious preoccupation to some, but others recognize
it as an inspired occupation: God's Mideast Work and Church
Commission!
A Faithful Few
A dedicated few cleansed the Temple Mount during the days of the
Macabbees. (Hanukkah commemorates their miraculous victory.
Jesus kept the "Feast of Dedication" - John 10:22). They didn't
wait for every last Jew to repent before they acted upon their
convictions. They put their faith into practice - and GOD WAS
WITH THEM!
After they took action, others joined with them and rallied to
the cause (Daniel 11:32). That was God's Work in those days.
Jewish spiritual survival was at stake! The occupying enemy
forces, in league with Jewish traitors, were bent on destroying
what truth God had preserved among Judah. The Sabbath,
circumcision, dietary laws and other embers of divine revelation
were banned upon penalty of death! The Temple itself was
polluted with pig's blood and an idol! Thankfully, a holy
remnant, "Gideon's army," the Macabbees, rose up and fought
back! They saved the nation, cleansed the Temple, and enabled
Christ to later appear there right on time (Malachi 3:1).
Jesus' presence gave God's Temple a GREATER GLORY than Solomon's
Temple ever enjoyed! (Haggai 2:9). And the Second Temple was
only prophesied in one place. Isaiah spoke of Cyrus - an
unlikely, pagan Gentile king (Isaiah 44:28; 45:9) - whom
nevertheless GOD would raise up for this purpose (and who are we
to question His wisdom?). And, interestingly enough, the Temple
Zerubbabel built wasn't based on Ezekiel's vision! Some
could've opposed it on those grounds, lacking vision, but they
didn't - at least it's not recorded.
We have several strong indications, if we'll only believe what
the Bible says, that there will be a Temple in Jerusalem
before King Messiah's return from Heaven in full view of all
mankind. Satan, in his insane jealousy, will move his
counterfeit king of kings, Europe's last emperor, to take up
residence where he ought not (Mark 13:14). Will the pope,
Europe's false prophet, help install him in the Holy of Holies?
(2 Thessalonians 2:4; Daniel 11:45). They'll have crossed the
line and their days will be numbered, because God will give
Jerusalem over to the fascist EU as part of the punishment of
Judah's sins, but God decrees the holy Temple Mount and holy
Temple are off-limits! (Revelation 11:1-2).
The pope doesn't claim to be God; he'll prepare the way and
proclaim Europe's EMPEROR as divine! (Ezekiel 28:2). He's the
Catholic "Elijah." The Bible labels him the false
prophet, not the false Christ. The true prophets of God, in
the spirit of Elijah, will meet them head on in Jerusalem! The
Two Witnesses' testimony before a world court will
sound throughout the universe! They'll be bold as lions and
braver than the Maccabees!
Meanwhile, we should wholeheartedly support the biblical efforts
of those dedicated to building the Temple and physically
preparing for Messiah's Coming (Isaiah 62:1). The Church used to
have a designated "building fund." What greater NATIONAL
PROJECT THAN OUR TEMPLE TASK? And we should help warn Judah
of the consequences they'll suffer for despising their
inheritance. If they're so weak and willing to sinfully
surrender land to the Gentiles, and tolerate the continued
Nazi-Muslim occupation of the Temple Mount - the only designated
site for God's House - God will despise His inheritance (Israel)
and give up Jerusalem to Gentile occupation, permitting Jewish
land and lives to be violated, and their homes and personal
property looted! (Zechariah 14:2).
Israel's Missed Opportunities
Israel has had the Cornerstone for the Third Temple since the
1980's, thanks to the Temple Mount Faithful Movement who
quarried the stone from Mitzpeh Ramon (in southern Israel) and
sanctified it with the appropriate Levitical blessings. But
the Israeli government and Jewish people have REJECTED THE
CORNERSTONE! (Psalms 118:22). Israel could've begun
immediate construction for the Third Temple! Instead they've
shown a serious lack of interest or ungodly fear of Gentile
threats! Both the spiritual and physical cornerstone, as
prophesied, have been rejected!
Every Israeli has seen the Cornerstone since it's brought out on
a flatbed truck during the Temple Mount Faithful's frequent
demonstrations, especially during the biblical festivals, but
they've failed to recognize its importance. Regardless of
Israel's temporary blindness to God's Purpose and timid or
treacherous Jewish leaders, the Cornerstone shall be laid!
Wasn't the second Temple built despite fierce opposition?
(Ezra 4:4).
We must encourage Jerusalem: "You shall be built; and to the
Temple, Your foundation shall be laid" (Isaiah 44:28), and join
with those faithful Jews who HERALD THE HEADSTONE'S
ARRIVAL (Hosea 11:12). Soon God will remove the mountain of
opposition that blocks my return to Zion! (Isaiah 45:2;
Zechariah 4:7; Matthew 21:21). My unj
ust deportation will have served it purpose and be
history! Once again in Jerusalem, by God's grace and Spirit, I
shall continue to build upon the foundation that God has laid
for His end-time Wor
k in Israel and it'll be as if I had never left! Back
to the future!
Yes, "He which testifies these things says, Surely I come
quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20).
May we feel privileged to help PREPARE THE WAY!