“YHWH of Hosts says this:

‘I am exceedingly jealous for Zion, yes,

with great wrath I am jealous for her.’

YHWH says: ‘I will return to Zion

and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.

Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth,

and the mountain of YHWH of Hosts

will be called the Holy Mountain.”

(Zechariah 8:2-3)

 

 

BY DON STANTON,  MARANATHA REVIVAL CRUSADE

PERTH,  W. AUSTRALIA

 

The focus is narrowing down . . .

 

In 1918, the Middle East focus was on the prospect of a homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine.

In 1948, the focus was on the creation of the modern state of Israel.

In 1967, the focus was on the restored territory of Judea-Samaria and East Jerusalem.

In 1980, it was on Jerusalem, the “indivisible, eternal capital of the state of Israel.”

In 2000, it was the Temple Mount, after Ariel Sharon’s visit to the Mount, and the Al-Aqsa Intifada that followed.

In 2009, the focus has narrowed down to the Temple itself – the future “Tribulation Temple.”  Today there are growing expectations from several diverse directions, that a temple will be rebuilt in the near future.

The sacred writings, the Bible, foretell the existence of the Tribulation Temple.

The time for that temple, we believe, is drawing very near.

Let’s first recall some of the historical steps concerning the temple mount, which have led up to the conflict of the present time.

THE HISTORY OF THE TEMPLE MOUNT BEGINS

“He (YHWH) said, ‘Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will reveal to you’.”  (Genesis 22:2)

I am sure you are familiar with the story – this great test of the faith of Abraham, and of how Abraham came through the test triumphantly; and his son Isaac being spared.

Many generations later, in …

1017 BC

KING DAVID CAPTURED JERUSALEM

After reigning as king in Hebron for seven years, David captured the Jebusite city of Salem, and it became Jerusalem and “Zion the city of David.” (1 Samuel 5:6-9)

After David sinned by taking a census of Israel, the nation was struck by a pestilence which left 70,000 men dead.  David repented, and then he received a message from the LORD.

“Then the Angel of YHWH commanded Gad, the prophet, to say to David, that he (David) should go up and erect an altar to YHWH on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.” (1 Chronicles 21:18)

The Almighty was indicating the site that was to become a place of sacrifice for Israel – a place where YHWH would put His Name.

Ornan was willing to give the site to David, along with oxen, wood and wheat for sacrifice.  But David understood this was to be a continuous place of worship, and insisted on paying for the site.

 

“‘I will not take what is yours for YHWH, or offer a burnt offering which costs me nothing.’  So David gave Ornan 600 shekels – (6.8 kg) - of gold by weight for the site …  At that time, when David saw that YHWH had answered him on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he offered sacrifice there.”  (1 Chronicles 21:24- 25, 28)

DAVID’S PREPARATION FOR THE

BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE

King David was not permitted to build the “House of the LORD.”

The LORD had told David, “You have shed much blood and have waged great wars; you shall not build a house to My Name, because you have shed so much blood on the earth before Me.  Now watch! A son will be born to you who will be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side; for his name will be Solomon (peaceful), and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days.”  (1 Chronicles 22:8-9)

But David was able to design the plan of the temple, and to prepare the materials for its construction. (1 Chronicles 28:11-19). And he then commissioned Solomon to build the “house for YHWH God of Israel” according to the plan.

“David said, ‘My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for YHWH shall be exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all lands. Therefore now I will make preparation for it.’  So David made ample preparation before his death.

“‘Now see, with great pains I have prepared for the House of YHWH, 100,000 talents of gold (3,750 tons), and 1,000,000 talents (37,500 tons) of silver, bronze and iron beyond weight, for they are in great quantity; and also timber and stone I have prepared, and you may add to them’.” (1 Chronicles 22:5,14)

 

1012-1004 BC

SOLOMON BUILDS THE FIRST TEMPLE

 “Then Solomon began to build the House of YHWH in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where YHWH had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite .....”  (2 Chronicles 3:1)

“Now when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of YHWH filled the House. “The priests could not enter the House of YHWH because the glory of YHWH filled the House of YHWH.”  (2 Chronicles 7:1-2)

 “YHWH appeared to Solomon at night and said to him: ‘I have heard your prayers and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice … Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place. For now I have chosen and set this House apart that My Name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there continually’.”  (2 Chronicles 7:12, 15-16)

THE WARNING OF THE

DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE

AND THE DISPERSION OF ISRAEL

 

On the very night following the dedication of the temple, the Holy One gave this warning to Solomon:

“But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you and go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will uproot them (Israel) from My land which I have given them, and this House which I have set apart for My Name I will cast out of My sight, and I will make it a proverb, a byword, and an object of ridicule, among all peoples.” (2 Chronicles 7:19-20)

Tragically, Solomon, although he began with a great endowment of wisdom, became a disaster. We might blame his 700 wives and 300 concubines in his old age (1 Kings 11:3-8) – especially the foreign wives. But it may have been also because of his great wealth. But this was the tragic end of the story:

“Now YHWH was angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from YHWH, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not keep what YHWH had commanded.

“So YHWH said to Solomon, ‘Because you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant. Nevertheless I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; but I will tear it out of the hand of your son’.” (1 Kings 11:9-12)

586  BC

THE DISPERSION FROM JERUSALEM

Jeremiah foretold a 70-year dispersion of the Jews to Babylon:

“And all this land shall be a desolation and a horror, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.” (Jeremiah 25:11)

586 BC was actually a third invasion by Nebuchadnezzar. 

The 70-year dispersion began in 605 BC after the Battle of Carchemish, in which Babylon defeated the Egyptians. Nebuchadnezzar invaded Israel and made King Jehoiakim a vassal – a bondservant ruler.  Daniel and others were taken as captives to Babylon at that time. Four years later, Jehoiakim rebelled against Babylon and sided with Egypt. 

In 597 BC, Jehoiakim died and was succeeded by his son Jehoiachin.  Nebuchadnezzar again captured Jerusalem, deported Jehoiachin, and replaced him with Zedekiah. Ezekiel and others hostages were now taken to Babylon.

After some time Zedekiah made the same mistake – negotiating with Egypt. As a result, in 586, after a two year siege, Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem. Zedekiah was totally defeated; his eyes were gouged out, and along with most of the remaining people of Jerusalem, he was dragged away in chains to Babylon.

The ruined temple mount then became “a proverb, a byword, and an object of ridicule, among all peoples.”  The warning of YHWH was fulfilled.

48 years later, in 538 BC, the Babylonian empire fell to the Medo-Persians under Cyrus and Darius.

CYRUS’ DECREE: JEWS MAY RETURN TO JERUSALEM

Cyrus “the Great” was the founder of the Persian Empire which extended from Egypt to the Indus River in present-day Pakistan (old India), and included much of central Asia.

Cyrus respected the customs and religions of the lands he conquered, and left a lasting legacy on Jewish history through his Edict of Restoration, and also through human rights, politics and military strategy on both Eastern and Western civilizations.

“Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia (that is, the first year after conquering Babylon) – in order to fulfil the word of YHWH by the mouth of Jeremiah – YHWH stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying:

‘Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: YHWH, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Anyone of His people among you - may YHWH his God be with him - and let him go up!’”  (2 Chronicles 36:22-23)

The 70-year captivity was from 605 to 535 BC – from the year of the first exiles, to the year of the first returnees who began the construction of the new temple.

It was another 92 years until Nehemiah returned and built the walls of Jerusalem in 444-443 BC.

535 - 515  BC

ZERUBBABEL BUILDS THE SECOND TEMPLE

About 50,000 Jews returned under the leadership of Zerubbabel who laid the foundation stone for a new temple in 535 BC  - on the temple mount, of course.

“Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Yeshua the son of Yozadak, arose and began to rebuild the House of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them supporting them.”  (Ezra 5:2)

Then King Darius also issued a decree - that the costs of rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem was to be paid from the royal treasury out of taxes collected from the provinces beyond the River. (Ezra 6:8)

“This temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar; it was the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.” That was, March 12, 515 BC.  (Ezra 6:15)

KING HEROD  EXPANDS AND EMBELLISHES

THE SECOND TEMPLE

Herod “the Great” began the expansion work but he died after the first 16 years. The refurbishing of the temple continued for another 30 years.

“The Jews said, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple.” (John 2:20)

“Herod’s temple” was said to be the most beautiful building east of Rome.

“… some were talking about the temple, that it was adorned with beautiful stones and dedicated gifts.”  (Luke 21:5)

The Messiah and His disciples walked in the temple, and the Master overturned the “market place” that was carrying on in the temple precincts.

“Y’shua entered the temple of God and drove out all those who were buying and selling, and overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who were selling doves. And He said to them, ‘It is written, MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER, but you are making it a DEN OF ROBBERS’.” [Isaiah 56:7. Jeremiah 7:11]  (Matthew 21:12-13)

MESSIAH’S PROPHECIES OF

THE SECOND DISPERSION

The Messiah prophesied concerning the temple, Jerusalem, the land, and the people of Israel:

“And while some were talking about the temple … Y’shua said, ‘As for these things which you see, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down’.” (Luke 21:5-6)

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!  … Look! Your house is left to you desolate.” (Matthew 23:37-

“These are the days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled. Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be taken as captives into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” (Luke 21:22-24)

These prophecies were fulfilled about 40 years later, in . . .

AD 70 

JERUSALEM BESEIGED

AND DESTROYED BY ROME

A Jewish rebellion in AD 70 brought about a massive destruction. The armies of Rome besieged the walled city for months until the people inside were starving. People even resorted to eating human flesh to keep alive.  Those who survived the famine were slain or carried away in “the days of vengeance” of which Y’shua has spoken.

One million Jews were killed with the sword. 37,000 were crucified. Babies thrown from high buildings and dashed to pieces in the streets. The rest were taken away as slaves for the Roman Empire.

 

THE TEMPLE RAZED AND SET ON FIRE

 

The Romans intent on recovering the molten gold that had solidified in the ruins of the temple, overturned every stone, fulfilling the Messiah’s prophecy:

“Not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.”

A small remnant of the people was left in the land.

 

132-135  AD

THE JEWS RECAPTURE THE CITY

 

Sixty-two years after the destruction of Jerusalem, the Jews, led by Simon Bar Kochba, managed to take the city and to hold on to it for almost four years.  This led, however, to yet another “day of vengeance.”

 

135  AD 

ROMANS AGAIN DESTROY THE CITY

 

This time the Romans did not want anything of Israel left standing. The devastation of Jerusalem was total. Then, after ploughing over the city, the Romans erected a statue to the Roman god, Zeus – on the Temple Mount.

And Israel was no more!  The remnant of the people became “the wandering Jews” – a despised vagabond tribe that was hounded from nation to nation. 

 

614  AD

A PERSIAN CONQUEST OF THE HOLY LAND

 

638  AD 

CALIPH OMAR CAPTURES JERUSALEM

Muslims call the Temple Mount, Haram al-Sharif, or the “Noble Sanctuary,” and they believe it is the third-holiest site in Islam, and that the prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven from that site.

 

PROMISES OF THE REGATHERING OF  

THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL IN THE ENDTIMES

God would not cast away His people forever. His covenant with Abraham would be renewed, and the people restored to their land, and to Yahweh, their Heavenly Master.

“For I will take you from among the nations; I will gather you from all countries, and bring you into your own land.”                                                                      (Ezekiel 36:24)

“When you are in distress, and all these things have come upon you, then in the latter days you will return to YHWH your God and will obey Him.”           (Deuteronomy 4:30)

“Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek YHWH their God and David their king; and they will come in awe to YHWH and to His goodness in the last days.” (Hosea 3:5)

ISRAEL RESTORED AS A NATION AFTER 1878 YEARS

In Nov. 1897, when Dr Theodor Herzl presented his vision of a restored Israel, to the first Zionist Congress, in Basel, Switzerland, the Jewish elders decried the idea, saying it was impossible - the Ottoman Turks had controlled Palestine for 400 years, and nothing was going to remove them.

But through a series of compelling events – Chaim Weizman’s acetone formula given to the British government; the Balfour Declaration allowing Jews to return to the Holy Land; the capture of Jerusalem from the Turks and the subsequent disintegration of the Ottoman empire; the League of Nations’ mandate to administer West Palestine given to Britain, and the UN resolution 181 calling for two states - a Jewish state and an Arab state - to be established in West Palestine, God’s Word was fulfilled.

ISRAEL ATTACKED BY ARAB NATIONS

The Arab nations totally rejected the UN resolution and plan, and the very day the nation of Israel was declared, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon attacked.

The massacre of a half million Jews was expected. The bloodbath did not happen, but a year-long war left Jerusalem divided, and the temple mount and the West Bank (Judea/Samaria) under Jordanian control.

ALIYAH  - THE RETURN TO THE LAND

“Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east, and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 43:5-6)

After the cease-fire Israel consolidated its borders, and the doors were opened for a massive return of Jews from around the world, to the Promised Land.

1967

THE SIX-DAY WAR

Three nations swore they would destroy Israel once and for all. Egypt, Syria and Jordan were ready to attack and to drive Israel into the seas – once and for all.  But in a brilliant pre-emptive attack, Israeli planes knocked out the aircraft of the three nations while they were still on the ground. And then the tanks rolled; pushing the Egyptians out of the Sinai, the Syrians back from the Golan Heights, and the Jordanians out of the West Bank and Jerusalem.

East Jerusalem was liberated and the temple mount now came under Israeli sovereignty for the first time in 1900 years.

 

1980

Israel government proclaimS  

Jerusalem … THE ETERNAL,

INDIVISIBLE CAPITAL OF ISRAEL

(In 2009, Palestinian PM, Salam Fayyad, proclaimed historic East Jerusalem an Arab capital city and the eternal capital of the Palestinian statehood. Control of the city must be granted to a future PA state, he said.)

THE WESTERN WALL

   & THE DOME OF THE ROCK ON THE TEMPLE MOUNT.

The Western or Wailing Wall is the remains of the ancient temple platform – not the temple itself. It is the closest anyone can come to the ancient temple; and so the Jews regard it as their most holy place. Hundreds of people come here to pray; at festival times it is packed with thousands of observant Jews.

THE WESTERN (WAILING) WALL

THE THIRD TEMPLE

There is much debate, and planning for a new temple, but at present, construction of a temple is impossible because, firstly, the Dome of the Rock is situated on the temple site; and secondly, because the Jews cannot build a temple anywhere except on that site – the divinely-appointed place.

I believe the Third temple will be built in the first half of the Great Tribulation. But what we see today are plans and preparations, and a growing emphasis on the need for a restored “temple of Solomon,” as you will read in the following reports.

64% OF ISRAELIS WANT TEMPLE REBUILT

Jews are marching strongly toward the re-creation of Solomon’s Temple - the prophesied Third Temple (which shall serve the purposes of the coming Antichrist).

2/3rds of Israelis believe the time has come for this Temple to be rebuilt. Even 50% of secular Jews favor rebuilding the Holy Temple – an idea politically unthinkable in Israel just 10 or 20 years ago. Can anyone see all-out war from the Muslims over this issue?   - World Net Daily, Aug 1, 2009

PREPARING FOR SERVICE IN THE

COMING REBUILT TEMPLE

Jews in the town of Mitzpe Jericho are taking practical steps to prepare for the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, by preparing descendants of Cohanim (priests) and Levites for service.

At the Mitzpe Jericho school, Temple priest hopefuls learn exactly how to conduct the daily Temple service and offer the required sacrifices. The school will include a replica of the Temple.

“Today is really a historical event for the Jewish people,” organizer Levi Chazan said as another part of the school was completed. “It is the beginning of the work for the Third Temple.”

“CHILDREN WANTED FOR FUTURE TEMPLE SERVICE”

“An ultra-orthodox Jewish sect is searching for parents willing to hand over newborn sons to be raised in isolation and purity in preparation for the rebuilding of the biblical temple in Jerusalem. Only members of the Jewish priestly caste, the Kohanim need apply ...”

That notice appeared in the contemporary Israeli news-paper, Ha’aretz.

BUILDING THE SACRIFICIAL ALTAR

“The Temple Institute will begin building the sacrificial altar on Tisha B’av,  August 2, 2009, a fast day when Jews mourn the destruction of the Temple some 2,000 years ago.

The sacrificial altar was located in the center of the Temple, and upon it, the priests offered the numerous voluntary and obligatory sacrifices commanded in the Bible.

The Temple Institute, which has already built many of the vessels for the Holy Temple, such as the ark and the menorah, has now embarked on a project to build the altar.   - Israel National News, August 2, 2009

REFERENCES TO THE TRIBULATION TEMPLE

 

ANTICHRIST IN THE FUTURE TEMPLE

“He (the man of sin) will oppose and exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s Temple, proclaiming that he himself is God.” (2 Thessalonians 2:4)

MEASURING THE TEMPLE

“And a reed like a measuring rod was given to me; and the messenger stood, saying, ‘Rise and measure the sanctuary of God, and the altar, and those worshipping in it. Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the gentile nations; and they will trample the holy city under foot for forty-two months.”  (Revelation 11:1-2)

Following are some interesting reports and developments concerning the coming temple.

MUSLIM LEADER WANTS TEMPLE REBUILT

“With the Middle East still in chaos and rumors of war in the air, the idea of rebuilding the Jerusalem Temple on a foundation occupied and administered by Islamic militants might seem fanciful – even preposterous. But ... news that a prominent Islamic teacher and best-selling author, and Jewish Sanhedrin rabbis, are hoping to do just that. - August 8, 2009

In a historically unprecedented development, a famous Turkish Muslim leader, and a prominent group of Israeli rabbis, have joined together on one of their declared goals, to rebuild the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem.

ADNAN OKTAR  who uses the pen name of Harun Yahya, is a controversial but highly influential Muslim intellectual and author, with over 65 million of his books in circulation worldwide.

Oktar recently met with three representatives from the re-established Jewish Sanhedrin, a group of 71 Orthodox rabbis and scholars from Israel, to discuss how religious Muslims, Jews and Christians can work together.

Oktar has stated that the Temple of Solomon “will be rebuilt and all believers will worship there in tranquility.”

During his meeting with the Sanhedrin rabbis, Oktar expressed his belief that the Temple could be rebuilt in one year at most.

“It could be built to the same perfection and beauty. The Torah says it was built in 13 years, if I remember correctly. It could be rebuilt in a year in its perfect form,” he said.    WORLDNETDAILY - By Joel Richardson - August 6, 2009

THE SANHEDRIN’S WEBSITE

An official statement about the Oktar-Rabbis meeting has been published on the Sanhedrin’s website, with the following call:

“Out of a sense of collective responsibility for world peace and for all humanity, we have found it timely to call to the world and exclaim that there is a way out for all peoples.

“It is etched in a call to all humanity: We are all the sons of one father, the descendants of Adam, and all humanity is but a single family.

“Peace among nations will be achieved through building the House of G-d, where all peoples will serve as foreseen by King Solomon in his prayers at the dedication of the First Holy Temple.

“Come let us love and respect one another, and love and honor and hold our heavenly Father in awe. Let us establish a house of prayer in His name in order to worship and serve Him together, for the sake of His great compassion.

“He surely does not want the blood of His creations spilled, but prefers love and peace among all mankind.

“We pray to the Almighty Creator, that You harken to our Call.  Together - each according to his or her ability - we shall work towards the building of the House of Prayer for All Nations on the Temple Mount in peace and mutual understanding.”

COULD A TEMPLE BE BUILT NEAR TO

THE DOME OF THE ROCK?

That’s not likely!  Even a visit by an Israeli official near to the Dome of the Rock creates anger amongst Muslims.

But there are some scholars who maintain that the Third Temple could be built on the Temple Mount without tearing down the Dome of the Rock.

Chuck Missler reported the following, on June 24/09:

“God’s Holy Mountain Vision” project was launched last week, a new Jewish initiative to build the Third Temple on the Temple Mount beside the Dome of the Rock without tearing it down. Director of the initiative, Yoav Frankel, argues that a prophet could, by divine revelation, determine the precise site of the Temple and could have it rebuilt without the need to destroy the Muslim shrine.

“This vision of religious shrines in peaceful proximity can transform the Temple Mount from a place of contention to its original sacred role as a place of worship shared by Jews, Muslims and Christians,” Frankel says.

Of course, both Jews and Muslims oppose the proposal. Many Jews do not believe that the Temple should be built until the Messiah comes. Muslims agree that no Jewish temple should be built near their shrine.

Sheikh Abdulla Nimar Darwish, founder of the Islamic Movement in Israel, argues that it’s pointless to discuss rebuilding the Temple until the “mahdi” – the Muslim messiah comes. “Why are we taking upon ourselves the responsibility to decide such things?”

Darwish said in a telephone interview with The Jerusalem Post. “Even Jews believe that it is prohibited to rebuild the Temple until the Messiah comes. So what is there to talk about.” 

He warned that attempts to rebuild the Temple before the Messiah would only result in mayhem. “As long as there is a Muslim alive, no Jewish Temple will be built on Al-Haram Al-Sharif. The status quo must be maintained, otherwise there will be bloodshed.”

http://bible-prophecy-today.blogspot.com/2009/06/new-initiative-would-build-temple-next.html

THE MUSLIM EXPECTATIONS

According to Islamic sacred tradition, the Mahdi, Islam’s primary messiah figure, will one day invade the land of Israel and establish his seat of authority on the Temple Mount.

According to one sacred tradition, an Islamic army will come from Iran and conquer Jerusalem: (Armies carrying) black flags will come from Khurasan (Iran). No power will be able to stop them and they will finally reach Eela (Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem) where they will erect their flags.

Commenting on this particular tradition, Egyptian authors Muhammad ibn Izzat and Muhammad Arif says:

“The Mahdi will be victorious and eradicate those pigs and dogs. ... Jerusalem will be the location of the rightly guided caliphate and the center of Islamic rule, which will be headed by Imam al-Mahdi. ...  That will abolish the leadership of the Jews.”

“The fervent Masonic desire, to Rebuild Solomon’s Temple on the Temple Mount, is the driving force behind Middle East events.”

“Of all the objects which constitute the Masonic science of symbolism, the most important, the most cherished, by the Mason, and by far the most significant, is the Temple of Jerusalem.

“The spiritualizing of the Temple is the first, the most prominent and the most pervading, of all symbols of Freemasonry ... Take from Freemasonry its dependence on the Temple; leave out of its ritual, all references to that sacred edifice, and to the legends and traditions connected with it, and the system itself would at once decay and die.”

[“Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry,” by Albert Mackey, MD, 33º and Charles T. McClenachan, 33º, Revised Edition, by Edward L. Hawkins, 30º and William J. Hughan, 32º, Volume II, M-Z, published by The Masonic History Company, Chicago, New York, London, 1873, A.G. Mackey, 1927, by the Masonic History Company.]

In the late 1800’s, Masonic author and authority, Edward Waite, boldly stated that a secret plan does exist within Freemasonry to “build yet another temple at Jerusalem.”  This poses a problem, does it not?

In the mid-600’s, the Muslim Dome of the Rock was built squarely on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

Therefore, any “secret intention” of the top Masonic leadership to rebuild Solomon’s Temple at Jerusalem must necessarily include a plan to remove the existing Dome of the Rock!

THE NEW AGE  “Armageddon Script”

We read of just such a plan being executed, in the book, The Armageddon Script by New World Order author, Peter Lemesurier. He writes:

“... it may be possible for the New David to ride into Jerusalem in all his resplendent majesty.  Note the word ‘ride’ ... on a donkey as predicted in Zechariah 9:9 ... it would seem advisable for the new Messiah to repeat it, donkey and all ... The processional route will, of course, lie directly across the Kidron ravine, as close as possible to the Temple Mount ... he must be duly enthroned and anointed with oil (in token of Psalm 45:6-7) amid the rubble of the Dome of the Rock ...”  [P. 233-35]

Thus, you see clearly the plan to reduce the Dome of the Rock to rubble so Solomon’s Temple can be rebuilt; and further, Lemesurier ties this destruction of the Dome of the Rock to the appearance of the “New David”, the New Age Christ – the Masonic Christ actually, whom the Bible calls Antichrist.

 

“THE NEW JERUSALEM COVENANT”

A number of reports tell of a New Jerusalem Covenant Project which anticipates a combination worship center in Jerusalem for Islam, Christianity and Judaism. 

The Director of the project, Bill Lambert, believes the plan to create such a religious centre will break the deadlock in the Middle East. “Depending on the right set of circumstances, Moslem and Jewish areas in Jerusalem will be combined with Christian to create the New Jerusalem Covenant. Then it will be possible to build a combination Temple-Church-Mosque in Jerusalem.”

Lambert says that “any purely political settlement in the Middle East would not, by itself, bring peace. A purely political settlement would leave the religious nature of the problem unsolved.  Any permanent solution to the Middle East conflict would also have to see the religious portion of the problem solved.”

“The impetus toward this type of settlement is made possible only because of a general fear of war. This fear of war must be maintained until the desired political and religious changes have been instituted.” For fuller report see  www.cuttingedge.org

On Aug 24/09, a report in the Saudi newspaper Al-Ukaz, said President Obama’s peace plan involves the creation of a Palestinian Authority state by 2011 and the transfer of Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem to Arab-Muslim sovereignty.

At present, the Israeli government is totally opposed to giving up sovereignty of any part of Jerusalem.

The Obama administration has also suggested that Jerusalem could become an international city that would be shared by peoples from all three Abrahamic faiths.

Of course, it was the United Nations’ plan, in Nov 1947, to partition west Palestine, and to make Jerusalem an international city under UN control.  The Arab nations rejected the plan, and there is no evidence that they would accept a “shared sovereignty” even today.

THE PRESENT TEMPLE MOUNT TENSION

Oct 9/09. Thousands of police officers have deployed in Jerusalem in advance of Muslim prayers on the Temple Mount.

Police are on high alert following a week in which Muslims rioted in and around Jerusalem, as Muslim and Arab leaders accused Israel of attempting to harm the al-Aqsa Mosque on the Mount.

In an attempt to reduce the chance of riots, police have limited access to the Temple Mount to Muslims only - only females, or men who are under age 18 or over 50.

In addition, only those with Israeli or Jerusalem identity cards will be allowed in, while foreign Muslims will be told to pray elsewhere.

FATAH, HAMAS, ISLAMIC MOVEMENT

CALL MUSLIMS TO ‘DEFEND AL-AQSA’

Oct 9/09. As Israel attempts to reduce tensions, Hamas, Fatah and the Islamic Movement have each called on Muslims to “defend al-Aqsa.”

Hamas declared a “Day of Rage” and called on followers to protest, while Fatah called for a general strike on behalf of the al-Aqsa mosque.

Fatah, the party of Mahmoud Abbas, accused Israel of working with “Jewish extremists” by allowing them to enter the Temple Mount.

The Islamic Movement, an Israel-based Muslim organization that does not recognize Israel, has called for Israeli Muslims to arrive in Jerusalem for Friday prayers, and to ignore police limitations on the number or age of worshippers to be allowed in.

The violence was believed to be the result of a politically motivated campaign launched by Sheikh Raed Salah, head of the Islamic Movement’s northern branch.

Salah is well known to Israeli intelligence agencies.

In 2003, he was arrested on suspicion of raising millions of dollars for Hamas. He was released two years later in a deal that barred him from traveling abroad.  

In 2007 - two years after his release - Salah and the Islamic Movement launched the “Al-Aqsa in Danger” campaign. The campaign has garnered support by protesting routine visits by Jews to the Mount.

The violence in Jerusalem, Israeli defense officials stressed, was part of a larger political battle being fought between Fatah and Hamas over control of east Jerusalem neighborhoods in view of a final peace agreement with Israel. In 2007, the Shin Bet announced that it had foiled a Hamas attempt to take control of the Temple Mount.

A year-long investigation by the Shin Bet agency uncovered Hamas efforts to dominate religious institutions on the site and to recruit Arabs in east Jerusalem.

Jordan’s Ambassador to US:

“JERUSALEM IS A TICKING TIME BOMB”

Nov 12/09.  The Jordanian Ambassador to the US, Zeid al-Hussein, says that Jerusalem is a ticking time bomb where an attack by Jewish extremists on Moslem holy sites could erase any chances for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, also undermining stability in the entire Moslem world.

The ambassador said his country was worried that an incident on the Temple Mount could unleash emotions of an extreme nature and the consequences would be very severe.

“JEWISH SETTLEMENTS ARE SUICIDE BOMBS”

Oct 11/09. Mohammed Dahlan, the former Fatah leader in Gaza and a senior PA legislator, told Israeli Radio listeners that a Jewish presence in eastern Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria is equivalent to Arab terrorist suicide bombings.

“What is the difference between blowing up a bus in Tel Aviv and taking over Palestinian land?” he asked.

Dahlan also warned Israel that violent riots in the capital will continue as long as Jews visit the Temple Mount, which was re-opened to Jews on Sunday.

Police refused to allow Jews to visit the holy site last week after hundreds of Muslims threw rocks at Jewish worshippers at the Western Wall (Kotel) and rioted in several locations in eastern Jerusalem.

WHAT’S AHEAD FOR

ISRAEL, AND ITS ENEMIES   ?

With a plan to build a Jerusalem worship center for all the Monotheistic Faiths now being proposed, we can expect the stage is being set for the Antichrist and the events of “the Day of the LORD.” So let’s watch and see how current developments are working toward the fulfillment of the Bible’s prophecies.

According to the Bible, seven horrendous years are coming upon Israel and the whole world. Seven years of judgments. And here are seven main episodes of that awesome climax of the age:

1.  THE GREAT TRIBULATION

Disaster upon disaster has been decreed for the inhabitants of the earth, for the Almighty sees that the conditions of the world are as they were in the days of Noah.

“Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight; the earth was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become; for all humanity on the earth had corrupted its ways.” (Genesis 6:11-12)

So, “then there will be great tribulation, such as has never occurred since the beginning of the world until now; and there will be nothing like it again.” (Matthew 24:21)

“Ask now, and see if a male can give birth to a baby. So why do I see every man with his hands on his stomach, like a woman in labour? And why have all faces turned pale? Ahh! for that day is great, there is none like it; and it is the time of Jacob’s distress, but he will be saved out of it.” (Jeremiah 30:6-7)

“The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they have transgressed the teachings, changed the laws, and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are held guilty  … 

“All joy turns to gloom; merriment is banished from the earth ... Terror and pit and snare confront you, O inhabitant of the earth. Whoever flees at the sound of terror will fall into a pit, and he who climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare; for the windows above are opened, and the foundations of the earth shake.”  (Isaiah 24:5-6, 11, 17-18)

Details of the Tribulation are given in the book of Revelation, chapters 6 through 19.

“Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels, seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God.”   (Revelation 15:7)

For “the church” – the true, born again believers in Christ – Y’shua the Messiah - there is the Saviour’s great promise:

 “Because you have kept the word of My endurance, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which is about to come upon the whole world, to try those who live on the earth.” (Revelation 3:10)

2.  THE BATTLE OF JERUSALEM WILL LEAD TO WORLD WAR

“The people of the (endtime Roman) ruler who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.  The end will come like a flood.  There will be war until the end; and desolations have been decreed.” (Daniel 9:26)

“Look! I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the people around. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. And on that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem a very heavy rock for all the nations ... All who try to move it will be severely injured.

“And it will come about in that day that I will set out to destroy all the nations that come up against Jerusalem. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to fight against it, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, and the women raped.

“Half of the city will go into captivity, but the rest of the people will not be exiled from the city. Then YHWH will go out and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle.” (Zechariah 12:2-3, 9. 14:2-3)

“Look! The day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze, says YHWH of Hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.”  (Malachi 4:1)

“Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned up, and few men are left.” (Isaiah 24:6)

The world war will end as a nuclear holocaust. Many nations will be wiped out, or terribly ruined.

YHWH says: “Egypt will become a desolate wasteland …  I am against you and against your rivers and I will make the land of Egypt a total desolate waste … No foot of man will pass through it, nor will the foot of an animal pass through it. No-one will live there for forty years. I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of devastated lands; and her cities will lie desolate for forty years among ruined cities.” (Ezekiel 29:9-12)

 

3.  A TEMPLE COMPLEX WILL BE BUILT

Israel will be invaded; Jerusalem severely injured, but not totally destroyed.

“I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to fight against it, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into captivity, but the rest of the people will not be exiled from the city.” (Zechariah 14:2)

After the war, the Prince of Rome – the Antichrist – will move into Israel and set up his administration in preparation for a world government.

The Dome of the Rock, I expect, will be destroyed in the war; and with Egypt and other nations wiped out or severely damaged, they will not be able to rebuild the mosque. But we can also expect the Antichrist to construct a multi-complex which will provide a mosque, a Jewish temple, a church, and places of worship for all religions.

Revelation 11:1-2 indicates that there will be a Jewish temple, and that the court – the rest of the temple mount – will be used to accommodate the religions of the Gentiles.

“Rise and measure the sanctuary of God, and the altar, and those worshipping in it. Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the gentile nations; and they will trample the holy city under foot for forty-two months.”

At the mid-point of the Tribulation, the Antichrist’s global regime will establish world governance. And then his real agenda will be become evident …

“The Man of Lawlessness (the Man of Sin) … the Son of Destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above everything that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he takes his seat in the Temple of God, proclaiming that he himself is God.”(2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)

4.  THE REIGN OF THE BEAST FOR 3½ YEARS

“There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies; and authority to act for 42 months was given to him. He was given power to make war with the set-apart people of God (the Tribulation followers of Y’shua), and to overcome them; and authority over every tribe, people, tongue and nation was given to him. All inhabitants of the earth will worship him, every one whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life of the Lamb who has been slain.” (Revelation 13:5, 7-8)

This is the second half of the Tribulation. It will be the most brutal dictatorship the world has even seen. It will be thoroughly satanic.

5.  THE MANDATORY MARK OF THE BEAST - 

“He (the False Prophet) was given power to give breath to the image of the Beast (Antichrist), so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image of the Beast to be killed.

“He compels all, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands, or on their foreheads, so that no one should be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.      Here is wisdom, Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a certain man; and his number is 666.” (Revelation 13:15-18)

As most of my readers are aware, the technology and plans are already here, to number every person in the world, and to implant microchips into every man, woman and child. This will bring total control of the world’s rapidly growing populace.

6.  THE WAR OF ARMAGEDDON  –  THE CLIMAX OF THE TRIBULATION

This is the battle that occurs when the Messiah descends from heaven in power and majesty at the end of the Tribulation, to wage war against the Antichrist and his armies. This war will bring the Tribulation to an end.

“And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried out with a mighty voice to all the birds flying in mid-air, ‘Come, assemble for the great supper of God; so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, free and slave, small and great.’

“Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, assembled to make war against the Rider on the horse, and against His army. But the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who had performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image. These two were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulphur. The rest were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the Rider on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.” (Revelation 19:17-21)

7.  THE JUDGMENT OF THE SURVIVING NATIONS

At the end of the seven years, the survivors from all the nations will be brought before Messiah the King for judgment. There will be a division between the saved (born again believers) and the unsaved (unbelievers).

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right hand, and the goats on the left.

“Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world … “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels. And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matt. 25:31-34, 41, 46)

The world’s population is made up of two groups . . .

THE SAVED and THE LOST

Y’shua the Messiah came to seek and to save the lost. (Luke 19:10). God is not willing that any should perish, and yet tens of thousands of people are perishing around the world every day.  They are missing the Way!

Y’shua said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no-one comes to the Father, except through Me.” …  “Yet you refuse to come to Me that you might have life.” (John 14:6. John 5:40)

 

BEYOND THE WARS, THE GREAT TRIBULATION,

THE ANTICHRIST, AND ARMAGEDDON, THERE’S …

                                                           

THE MILLENNIAL FULFILMENT

 

This is the glorious 1,000-year worldwide reign of the Messiah, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And it’s the first 1,000 years of His eternal reign.

“And the seventh angel sounded his trumpet; and there arose loud voices in heaven, crying, ‘The kingdoms of the world have become the kingdom of YHWH our LORD and of His Anointed – the Messiah; and He will reign for ever and ever’.” (Revelation 11:15)

 “And YHWH will be King over all the earth; in that day it will be acknowledged – YHWH is one; and His Name the only one.” (Zechariah 14:9).   “The earth will be full of the knowledge of YHWH as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:9)

The Millennium will be a …

 

KINGDOM OF PEACE, HOLINESS,

RIGHTEOUSNESS, JUSTICE and PROSPERITY

There will also be …

HARMONY BETWEEN NATIONS;

ENMITY WILL BE ELIMINATED

 

Israel’s erstwhile enemies, Egypt & Assyria, will now, with Israel, form a trio of blessing at the centre of the world.

 “In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will come into Egypt and the Egyptians into Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will serve and worship together.

“In that day Israel will be the third – along with Egypt and Assyria – a blessing at the centre of the earth, whom YHWH of Hosts will bless, saying, ‘Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria My handiwork, and Israel My inheritance’.”  (Isaiah 19:23-25)

And finally, there will be a fourth temple …

 

THE MILLENNIAL TEMPLE

                                                                    

The fourth temple will be built on the same temple mount – the place where YHWH said:

“But you shall seek the LORD at the place which YHWH your God shall choose from all your tribes, to establish His Name there for His dwelling; and there you shall come.”

“Then it shall be that the place in which YHWH your God shall choose for His Name to dwell, there you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contributions of your hand, and all your choice offerings which you will vow to YHWH.” (Deuteronomy 12:5, 11)

“For now I have chosen and set this House apart that My Name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there continually’.” (2 Chronicles 7:16)

In Ezekiel chapters 40 to 48, we have details of the Fourth Temple.

“In the visions of God He brought me into the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, and on it to the south there was a structure like a city. And behold, there was a wall on the outside of the House (temple) all around.”

“And the glory of YHWH came into the temple by way of the gate facing east. And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and see, the glory of YHWH filled the House.” (Ezekiel 40:2, 5.  43:4-5)

So the Shekinah Glory will fill the millennial temple like it did in the Tabernacle, and the temple of Solomon.

But  more ... the whole earth will be filled with the glory of God (Numbers 14:21. Psalm 72:19; Isaiah 6:3), and the House of YHWH, on the temple mount, will be His place of meeting for the nations of the world.

“Many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of YHWH, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways, so that we may walk in His paths.’ For the Torah (instruction) will go out from Zion, and the Word of YHWH from Jerusalem.”  (Isaiah 2:3)

“And YHWH will be king over all the earth; in the day YHWH will be the only one, and His Name the only one.” (Zechariah 14:9)  

WHILE ISRAEL WAITS FOR THE TEMPLE

 AND THE COMING OF THE MESSIAH,

THOSE “IN CHRIST” AWAIT THE

GLORIOUS, IMMINENT RAPTURE

WHEN THE MESSIAH WILL CATCH UP

ALL HIS BLOOD-BOUGHT PEOPLE

TO THE FATHER’S HOUSE!

 

OUR BELOVED REDEEMER SAYS:

 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. I am going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and receive you to Myself, so that you also may be where I am.”  (John 14:1-3)

“For the Master Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. Then the dead in Christ - those who died with faith in the Messiah - shall rise first. Then we, the living believers who remain, will simultaneously be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Master in the air. And so we will be with the Master for ever.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

My saved reader, soon we will be worshiping in the temple in the New Jerusalem - the Heavenly City. Oh what a privilege it is to be numbered in “the general assembly of the firstborn.”

And we are invited to come to the Heavenly Mount Zion in our spiritual experience each day - right now.

“But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God; to myriads of angels, to the Universal Assembly, to the Ekklesia - the corporate body of “The Firstborn” who are enrolled in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect; and you have come to Y’shua the Mediator of a New Covenant and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of redemption - a more gracious message than the blood of Abel which cried out for vengeance.” (Hebrews 12:22-24)

“Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Y’shua - by a new and living way which He consecrated and opened for us - a way through the curtain, that is, through His flesh - His torn body, and since we have such a great high priest ministering over the household of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled and cleansed from a guilty conscience, even as our bodies have been washed with pure water. And let us hold fast without wavering to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. ... And let us encourage one another - all the more as you see the Day of YHWH approaching.”  (Hebrews 10:19-23, 25)

 

A FEW FINAL QUESTIONS

 

After reading the foregoing reports and scriptures, and gaining a better idea of what’s coming on the world, I believe we each one should be asking the following questions:

1.  Am I sure that Y’shua is my Saviour, and that I am ready to be called and caught up to meet Him?

If any reader cannot answer that question with a positive “Yes!” he should confess his faith that Y’shua is the Son of God who died on the cross to pay the penalty of our sins; and that He rose from the dead – that He is the living Saviour.

If anyone does not truly believe that, he is not saved.

“He who believes (has faith in) in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not believe in the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” (John 3:36)

If there is doubt about your salvation, listen to the scripture, and believe, and do what it says:

“But what does it say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart – that is, the word of faith which we are proclaiming, that if you confess with your mouth Y’shua as your Master, (SAVIOUR and LORD), and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED [Isaiah 28:16].” (Romans 10:8-11)

 

2.  How many people do I know personally, who are not saved?

Does not the love of God and our love for souls motivate us to pray and believe for their salvation, so that by all means we strive for that blessed result?

“First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a calm and peaceful life in all reverence and seriousness. This type of prayer is good, and is approved by God our Saviour, who wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

“I have become all things to all men, so that I might by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the Gospel.” (1 Corinthians 9:22-23)

“You shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the remotest part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

Our ”Jerusalem” is the neighbourhood where we live; our “Judea” and “Samaria” are the states of our country. And the “remotest part of the earth” is wherever the Lord may send us.

3.  What should be my priorities and goals in the short time left for me on earth?

“Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, redeeming and making the most of the time - buying up each opportunity, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of YHWH the LORD is.” (Ephesians 5:15-17)

It is not time to panic or to make rash decisions; but it is certainly time to “put your house in order.”

4.  What type of Christian should I be in view of the imminent Rapture?

“Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You should live holy and godly lives as you look forward to and earnestly desire the Day of God.” (2 Peter 3:11-12)

Faithfulness should be “the badge of all our tribe.”

“… as servants of Messiah and trustees of the mysteries of God ... it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.” (1 Corinthians 4:1-2)

Y’shua says: “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10)

5.  What should be my response to the Master in these crucial times?

“I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service and spiritual act of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is - His good, acceptable and perfect will.” (Romans 12:1-2)

This means a surrender of body, soul, mind and spirit to the Master. It will mean walking in, and being constantly filled with the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:16, 18, Eph 5:18); it will mean that we must …

“… throw off every weight, every encumbrance, every hindrance, and particularly the sin that most readily assails, entangles and leeches onto us, robbing us of spiritual strength; and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Y’shua, the Author of the Faith and the One who completes and perfects our faith.”  (Hebrews 12:1-2)

This will mean “living in the Word,” and thereby learning the principles of our life “in Christ.” It will mean obedience to the Word of God.   And now ...

“The grace of our Master, Y’shua Messiah, be with you all. Amen! Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my Good News and the preaching of Y’shua Messiah, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but has now been revealed, and by the prophetic Scriptures declared according to the commandment of the eternal God, and that has been made known to all nations, leading them to the obedience of the faith; to the only wise God through Y’shua the Messiah, be the glory forever. Amen.”

(Romans 16:24-27)

 

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