Rebuilding Solomon's Temple

JERUSALEM-David wrote his beloved Psalms to God here. Lazarus was raised from the dead. Jesus of Nazareth walked these streets. Unrest causes anxiety in everyone around, and there are numerous voices, overlapping each other with prayers and requests, at the famous Wall. An appearance of ancient times gives one the nostalgic feelings of memories and familiar events that no one alive today has witnessed. Israeli troops are charging onto the grounds of the Holy Land's holiest site, firing tear gas grenades and small, rubber bullets at protesting Palestinians who retaliate with rocks.

Welcome to Jerusalem. Journeying here to feel closer to God? Well, you certainly will pray a great deal more during your visit, and it would probably be wise to kneel, as not only is it a sign of respect and humility to Jehovah, but may very well serve as a safer position when the gunfire erupts.

The confrontation, which began soon after the midday worship during the Muslim day of prayer Friday, marked the fourth day of protests. Palestinians are protesting against Israel's renovation of a 150-foot walkway leading to the Temple Mount - unless you happen to be Muslim. If this is your choice, then the 150-foot walkway leads to the Noble Sanctuary. In either case, the site is significant to followers both faiths, this dispute could certainly spark a major conflict in this region.

The reports seem familiar, likely a redundancy of previous skirmishes here, so why is it that America, particularly Evangelical Christians, watch for reports on the Holy Land's Temple Mount? Jews believe it to be the site of the ancient King Solomon's Temple. Besides Old Testament Trivial Pursuit questions, what's significant about that to Christians? Prophecy, my fellow traveler! Let us research the King James Bible:

According to the prophet Ezekiel, the First Temple as built by King Solomon will someday be rebuilt.

After the Temple is Rebuilt:
Jesus said that the seven-year long Great Tribulation will commence immediately following the horrible desecration of the Holy of Holies spoken of by the prophet Daniel. (Dan. 9:27 and 12:11).
Paul wrote that the Antichrist will set himself up as being God in the Sanctuary (Temple) of God. (II Thess. 2: 4).

A dictionary description of Shekinah is: "A cloud of glory that accompanied the Temple and tent of the Jewish Divine Presence."

The last grand appearance of Shekinah (The Divine Presence, literally, God Himself) was on Solomon's Temple.

When the Shekinah Glory descends, He descends with fire and lightening. God is wrapped around with a thunderous and fiery tornado. Ezekiel in his vision was able to peek inside the cloudy tornado. He saw God descend.

The three most famous rare appearances of GOD on earth which predate the Roman Empire are:
1. On Mount Sinai when Moses was given the 10 commandments.
2. Dedication ceremonies of the Tent of God as built by Moses
3. Dedication ceremonies of Solomon's Temple.

In summation, the Jews believe the Divine Presence will return to the Temple, in a manner which they thought the messiah would arrive - remember, they do not acknowledge Jesus as the messiah, so they are still awaiting His descent .

"If the Shekinah is ever to descend it must be on this temple according to Ezekiel," explains Michael Young, a scholar from North Pole, Alaska. Young claims he has re-created a model of Solomon's Temple, originally standing in downtown Jerusalem. He was issued a United States patent relatively quickly. After the U.S. patent # 423,681 was issued, he applied for an Israeli patent. It was finally approved and Patent # 30565 was issued in March of 2002.

Still unclear as to how this creates a pulse within the Christian community? Basically, the rebuilding of Solomon's Temple is one of the last prophecies to be fulfilled before the Christian "Tribulation" commences, whereupon the Antichrist will seat himself in a throne inside the newly rebuilt Solomon's Temple, and initiate the first half of the seven-year tribulation, known as the three-and-a-half years of peace.

This peace is to be a completely worldwide event, no war whatsoever, which in itself, would be a complete miracle. The Antichrist will make himself appear to be the long-awaited messiah for the Jews, of Roman descent, be able to heal, bring about wonders, be captivating to the point of mesmerizing, and probably be very nice looking. He will be assassinated by a wound to the head, and his false prophet will raise him from the dead through power of the unholy trinity, another way Satan tries to imitate God, at which point, he will probably have many peoples' complete trust, belief, admiration, loyalty, and praise in him.

In the middle of the tribulation, most Evangelical Christian Theologians and Scholars believe the Rapture of Saints will occur. This is the point when Christ returns to earth to take back with Him both the alive and risen from the dead Christians who accepted His shed blood as a covering and atonement for their sins, so that they stand before God the Father clean, do to the covering blood of their Messiah.

Following the rapture of the Church, theologians believe the Antichrist may try to explain away the missing people by way of UFO's haven taken away the disobedient, or any number of lies. The last three-and-a-half years are when all hell breaks out, and most, even those who do not believe in God, have heard of these years.

Welcome to Jerusalem. If your stay brought you closer to your Creator, God be praised! If it brought you to your knees by having you dodge bullets, maybe God wants you to give Him a call. If you are still uncertain about the rebuilding of Solomon's Temple being, to some, a frightening scenario unleashing a chain of events that ultimately end in mankind's eradication from planet earth, there are many sites easily found through search engines with the search string "Rebuilding of Solomon's Temple." In any case . . . .

THE END IS NEAR.

. . . or, at least the end of this editorial.