Revelation 19 - War of Armegeddon

7-26-04 - VISIONS - As I awoke, I heard a loud telephone ring once in my left ear. I waited for the message and I saw over and over and over a divided temple tent - the outline pieces were always purple, and the tent itself sand colored. Only the first scene showed a pointed red flag at the top of the tent. Each vision showed me only part of the tent - but since all the colors were the same - I believe they were all part of the same temple tent. I was told that, "She will start the war."

The temple tent was much divided.

See the verse below to describe who 'she' is.

(Revelation 12:4-5) "the dragon kept standing before the woman who was about to give birth, that, when she did give birth, it might devour her child. And she gave birth to a son, a male, who is to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod. And her child was caught away to God and to his throne."

(Genesis 49:10) "Judah, neither the commander's staff from between his feet, until Shi´loh comes; and to him the obedience of the peoples will belong."

Notification of the coming Shiloh or Messiah and the requirement of obedience predates the Mosaic law code as does the Abrahamic covenant, just as the Abrahamic covenant was not replaced by the law code, neither was the prophecy of the coming Shiloh. The Jews knew this and even named a city Shiloh where the temple tent was stationed for many years before the temple was built in Jerusalem. On Genesis 49:10, a Commentary edited by F. C. Cook (p. 233) notes: "All Jewish antiquity referred the prophecy to Messiah." Looking for a specific command in the law code requiring the Israelites to obey the Messiah is just looking for a loop hole that doesn't reasonably exist. Was Jehovah pleased when the Jews refused to listen to his prophets? The law covenant was provisional on the Israelites obeying Jehovah and those he sent. (Exodus 19:5-6) "now if YOU will strictly obey my voice and will indeed keep my covenant, then YOU will certainly become my special property out of all [other] peoples," How could the Jews be listening to Jehovah if they refused to listen to his son the Word of God?

Actually in the Law code the Jews were specifically told to obey the one who was the to be the coming Messiah.

(Exodus 23:20-21) "Here I am sending an angel ahead of you to keep you on the road and to bring you into the place that I have prepared. Watch yourself because of him and obey his voice. Do not behave rebelliously against him, for he will not pardon YOUR transgression; because my name is within him."

See: the temple tent numbers: http://www.360calendar.com/1260-tabernacle-solar-lunar-temple-tent-curtains.htm

A few days ago I had this dream:

DREAM: 7-20-04 -

I was living in a house with a large picture window at the front. It looked rather like the rolling dry hills of California. Suddenly, it looked like someone was dropping bombs on something on the other side of that hill.

Suddenly, I saw a group of Arab guys coming along the side of the field. They were wearing large wrap-around turbans and long robes against the heat. These weren't uniforms - they were all drab colors, yet different from each other as well. They weren't walking in the road - they were walking along the edge of the field. They disappeared into a hole in the side of the hill they walked into.

I was rather stunned by their disappearance, but when we got up next to where they disappeared, I could see into a cave-like aperture - covered over by dry corn stalks as a shade. Inside the Arab men had chairs and tables and were partying.

"And men shall enter the caves of the rocks and the holes of the ground, from before the terror of the LORD, and from the glory of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth. In that day men will cast forth their idols of silver and their idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship, to the moles and to the bats, to enter the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs, from before the terror of the LORD, and from the glory of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth. (Isaiah 2:10:22)

I asked Joe what they were doing. He said that they were partying and waiting for what was coming. It had something to do with the 4 and the 5.

This happened several more times. The men were always in small groups - I didn't count the men- it seemed like there was 11 or 12 of them in each group.

Joe and I went back home and I saw what Joe was writing on the table. He had outlined a paper - on the list he had the words "pollen path 6", a few separate words, and "the day of the bright 11"

It was followed by a couple more words. I didn't know what that meant - "the day of the bright 11"

Rev 4:5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and [there were] seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

Note that the verse above: Rev. 12:4-5 also fits this dream.

The American Tragedy: A Symbolic Event, Manifest Revelation
... major Tribes are the "four living creatures" of Ezekiel and Revelation - the lion ... The
Tabernacle, the portable temple/tent was positioned in the center of the ...
www.greatdreams.com/Events/9_11_01/Amtrgrev.htm

Joe Mason comments:

Significant symbols related to 13 are extensive, of course. A good place to start is the camp positions of the Tribes in Numbers 2. The 12 Tribes camp in quadrants around the temple/tent/Tabernacle. The symbols of the four main Tribes are The Four Living Creatures, which correspond to the Zodiac signs of the solstices and equinoxes during the Age of Taurus. They align again in the Age of Aquarius. The "extra" or 13th Tribe are the Levites, who stay with the Tabernacle. So, the arrangement is a reflection of Heaven above.

This seems to be the basis of the 12 Apostles with Jesus, The New Jerusalem, the Knights of the Round Table, and the 13 stars in the Star of David on our National Seal, representing the original states.

The "two anointed" are the High Priest and King. The High Priest is from the Levite Tribe, and the King from the Tribe of Judah. They are represented by Joshua and Zerubbabel in Zechariah 3 and 4, where they are called the two olive trees that stand beside the Menorah (golden lampstand with seven lamps). The two olive trees stand up after 3 1/2 days in Revelation 11:11.

To add to this puzzle, I noted that today's date adds up to 21. In June, 2004 ago we received this e-mail:

In a message dated 6/10/2004
lazarus_rising writes:

This was the phone number given to me by my Father in a dream two days ago.

[Hebrew letters & (Ehyeh, I AM) = 21)]

**This is getting interesting because my son Matthew had his dream...2 days ago.**

Subj: Fwd: Matthew's Dream
Date: 6/12/2004
Hi Dee,

Just a quick one - my son Matthew had a very short dream the other night ... about the only thing he was able to see was the calendar ... this time he was able to get a year as well as a month. The month was July, the year was 2567.

Now, I added up the time frame, and I have somewhat of a theory ... so just bear with me because it's only a "What If" theory. Okay, 2,567 days = 7 years and 12 days. Matthew dreamt this on the 9th. So, 7 years and 12 days from the time Matthew had this dream would make it June 21, 2011. Now, a lot of Christians subscribe to the tribulation/mid-tribulation/post-tribulation ideology, which is supposed to be 7 years long.

What I'm wondering is, if his dream could possibly signify that the beginning of this tribulation has started, or is just about to start So, if the period of this tribulation is exactly 7 years, and it's due to start sometime soon (if it hasn't already) then that could conceivably mean that the starting date, from the date of Matthew's dream to the exact start of the 7 year period, could be June 21st....11 days from now.

In the meantime, I found this and thought it might possibly apply somehow:

**And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

Exodus 3.14

The Divine Name I AM THAT I AM (GR 543) is God's memorial name unto all generations. God defined it this way so that when the Lord Jesus Christ came to earth and declared this name, there would be no question as to His identity as Almighty God.

God actually gave two names in Exodus 3.14. The long form I AM THAT I AM and the short form I AM. We have the identity:

(Ehyeh, I AM) = 21

The significance of this relation is overwhelming: The Gospel of John, the I AM Gospel lies on Spoke 21! It also integrates with the Isaiah 43 - John connection, as discussed in the Inner Wheel article The Eternal I AM. Furthermore, it integrates with the Shin KeyWord (Shem, Name)! And beyond that, the pronoun "Asher" is
synonymous with the pronomial particle indicated by the letter Shin, which is maximized on Spoke 21 in the Book of Ecclesiastes! Endless wonder! Divine Perfection!

The Number 21 is the Sixth Triangular Number, which means it is the sum of all the digits up to and including Six:

21 = 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 = Sum(6)

Likewise, Six is the Third Triangular Number:

6 = 1 + 2 + 3 = Sum(3)

And 3 is the second Triangular Number:

3 = 1 + 2 = Sum(2).

Thus, 21 is a triple triangualar number:

21 = Sum(Sum(Sum(2)))

The Number 21 factors as: 21 = 3 x 7

The Numbers 3 and 7 are a kind of division of Unity in the sense of 10 = 3 + 7. They play an essential role in Creation. Most notably in the value of Genesis 1.1:

Sum Genesis 1.1 = 2701 = 37 x 73

The Number 2701 is the 73rd Triangular Number, and both 37 and 73 are prime. In fact, they are palindromic primes!

* The Number 21
I AM [Ex 3.14]

Meditation [S# 1901]

Joyful, Good [S# 3190]

Surely, Truly [Ps 23.6]

Factors: 3 x 7

Related Numbers: 37, 73, 543, 2701 **

**Anyhow, like I said, it's just a theory, but something to think about.... I think there's just too much numerical/sacred number significance to bypass this**

This is Joe Mason's comment:

Subj: The 21
Date: 6/12/2004

You and Matthew seem to be right on the money! Thanks for sharing all this with us. We feel that it is of great
importance.

I have followed "The 21" for quite a few years. It is late, so I will just give some links here.

An e-mail was sent to a group I was in back in late 1996. It includes a dream about "The 21." I already had some information about the Penultimate Letter, Shin, number 21. The vision of "The 21" is on two sites that I found -

The 21 (beyondweird.com)
http://www.beyondweird.com/ufos/Randy_Terpstra_ETs%20and%20Classical%20Religion_December_1992.html

The 21 (ufonet)
http://www.ufonet.it/archivio/religion.htm

Interestingly, I had big coincidences related to the town of Morgan Hill back in 1990. After I read the vision, I drew a diagram of The 21 and realized it was a 6 x 6 x 6 triangle. I didn't know about triangle numbers back then.

The 1991 Barbury Castle triangular formation has the same pattern in terms of dimensions. Below is a link to a 21 fold crop formation from last season.

More

DEES DREAMS AND VISIONS
http://www.greatdreams.com/aug2001.htm

[excerpt]

8-6-01 - DREAM - I was shown that there is a political group which is distrusted and is known as the '21' They were shown to mow their lawns in circles about 3 feet across such that the center of the circle was slightly higher than the grass around it. The circles were mowed in perfect rows of these circles. In a secondary view of the circles, it was like double circles locked together. They are highly distrusted.

8-7-01 - DREAM - I had the same dream for the 4th time this week. But this was like a flash 'knowing' not the dream itself. I'm certain it was about 'The 21' again.

RED LINE - BLUE LINE - THE DREAM AND THE REALITY
http://www.greatdreams.com/redline.htm

[excerpt]

8-7-2001 - I seems it is time to bring up this topic again because of a dream I had last night. I didn't know quite how to research the dream since the internet does recognize the word 'the' in a search, so I ended up with 31,000,000 (million) sites which I had to
whittle down using other words from the dream. Firstly, here is the dream symbolism I was given:

"I was shown that there is a political group which is highly distrusted and is known as 'THE 21". They were shown to mow their lawns in circles about 3 feet across such that the center of the circles were slightly higher than the grass around it. The cirles
were mowed in perfect rows of these circles. In a secondary view of the circles, it was like double circles linked together. Basically, all I was shown was how they mowed their lawns. "

It wasn't until after I did my research and found some references to "THE 21" in two ways that I remembered that I had done this page about the terrorist bombings and it fit together. The first reference that fit was an article from Great Britain about 21
groups they were prohibiting, linked to Usama Ben Ladin. The other reference was to Hezballah, which I had heard about but didn't pay any attention to in the past.

Google Search: "Penultimate Letter" 21 site:greatdreams.com
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22Penultimate+Letter%22+21+site:greatdreams.com
&num=100&hl=en&lr=lang_en&ie=UTF-8&as_qdr=all&filter=0

21 Fold Seed of Life Triangle,
24 Jul 03, Broad Hinton, nr
Winterbourne Bassett, Wiltshire

The International Crop Circle Database: Details on formation uk2003co
http://www.cropcircleresearch.com/cgi-bin/CCdb2?d=uk2003co

Regards,

Joe

What does the word Armageddon mean? “And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon” (Rev. 16:16).

Armageddon is on the Plane of Esdraelon, in the Valley of Jezreal (15x15x20 miles). There is the Town/fortress of Megiddo.

The battlefield of Armageddon will total some 20,000 square miles. The dimensions are as follows: from Megiddo in the north to the Sinai in the south, to the Mediterranean Sea in the west to Jordan in the east.

God gathers the nations. “I will gather all nations and will bring them down onto the valley of Jehoshaphat” (Joel 3:2).

Demons also gather the nations. “I saw three unclean spirit . . . for they are the spirits of devils working miracles, which go forth unto the kings for the earth and the whole world, to gather them into battle of that great day of God almighty” (Rev. 16:14). Because of the nations hatred of God. “The nations were angry” (Rev. 11:18).

There will be two final events leading to this battle. The drying up of the Euphrates River. “And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared” (Rev. 16:12).

What is the meaning behind the Euphrates River drying up before Armageddon? “And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared” (Rev. 16:12).

How does the city of Jerusalem relate to Armageddon? Perhaps the saddest event during the tribulation will be the siege and destruction of the Holy City. This will be the forty-seventh and last takeover of the beloved city of David.

Why will God laugh at the Armageddon? “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision” (Psa. 2:4)

What are the unprecedented ways that God will punish His enemies Armageddon? God will laugh concerning man’s puny efforts to fight against Him at Armageddon. “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision” (Psa. 2:4).

The final onslaught will occur in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, an Old Testament name for the New Testament Kidron Valley. “I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land” (Joel 3:2).

God will punish the nations in an unprecedented way. “And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard” (Micah 5:15).

The most horrible plagues ever known will fall upon them. (Zech. 12:4; 14:12-15) They will be crushed as overripe grapes. “And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth” (Isa. 63:6).

What will be the role of believers at Armageddon? “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean” (Rev. 10:11,14).

What does the phrase mean “blood to the horses bridle”? Their blood will flow out in a stream 200 miles long and as high as a horse’s bridle. “And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs” (Rev. 14:20). Vultures will then be summoned to feast upon the dead bodies of the warriors. (Isa. 66:24; Matt. 24:28; Luke 17:37; Rev. 19:17,18).

What will be the immediate results of Armageddon? A trembling and demoralization in soldiers. “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem” (Zech. 12:2). And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour” (Zech. 14:13). A tremendous light produces astonishment and blindness. “In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness” (Zech. 12:4). The army will “melt.” “And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth” (Zech. 14:12).

A river of blood 200 miles long and “bridle” deep. “And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs” (Rev. 14:20). Great stench. “Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcasses, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood” (Isa. 34:3).

Antichrist and the false prophet are cast into the bottomless pit. “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.” (Rev. 19:20).

"Armageddon" the word means "mount of Megiddo," which refers to a small mountain overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. This great valley has been ground zero for many warriors over the past centuries...

During the past 4000 years or so, at least 34 bloody conflicts have already been fought at the ancient site of Megiddo and around the Jezreel Valley. The Egyptians, Canaanites, Israelites, Midianites, Amalekites, Philistines, Hasmonaeans, Greeks, Romans, Muslims, Crusaders, Mamlukes, Mongols, French, Ottomans, British, Australians, Germans, Arabs and Israelis have all fought and died there...

The Bible tells us it will be at this great valley where all Nations of the World will come together for a world war like no other through out the history of the world. (Joel 3:12)

Each conflict and World War that has ever been fought over the past centuries has bought us a step closer to Armageddon... Including the War on Terror today...

1. wrath of the Lord (Isaiah 26:20)
2. hot anger of the Lord (Ezekiel 38:18)
3. dread of the Lord (Isaiah 2:10)
4. vengeance of God (Isaiah 35:4)
5. grapes of wrath Isaiah (63:1-6; Revelation 14:14-20)
6. great banquet of God (Ezekiel 39:17-20; Revelation 19:17-18)

Here are some important facts we do know about the battle of Armageddon according to the Bible...

It takes place at the end of the Tribulation (Rev. 16:16).
It involves all the nations of the world (Joel 3:12).
It pits all nations against the Lord and His anointed (Ps. 2).
It ends with the revelation of Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Rev. 19:11 -- 21).

The Bible is silent to the exact date and time the war does take place...However, most Bible scholars are in agreement that the Battle of Armageddon begins some time after the mid point and ends at the very end of the Tribulation period... (Rev. 16:16)

There are four time factors that allow us to arrive at the approximate time of the war between Russia and Israel.

The war takes place in the "latter years" (38:8), or the "latter days" (38:16).

The war can only take place when the Jews are in their land. This prophecy could not have been fulfilled before 1948. Any invasion of the Middle East by Russia previous to statehood for Israel would have been meaningless in regard to this prophecy. The enactment of this scene in the last days also guarantees the survival of Israel until the war with Russia. Were the Arabs to succeed in destroying the Jews, it would be impossible to fulfill Ezekiel's prophecy.

At the time of the invasion of Israel, Russia must be a major military power, a fact that guarantees the survival of Russia until the war with Israel. The increase of Russian military might is well known, but that immense and fearsome buildup would have no prophetic significance if the Jews were not in their homeland. Conversely, the gigantic Russian arms effort in view of the present Middle East situation must be seen as preliminary to an attack on Israel as prophesied by Ezekiel.

This war between Russia and Israel must take place when the Jews are dwelling securely in their land. The threat of Arab invasion will therefore have been removed to the point that the Jews feel safe: "And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates" (Ezek. 38:11).

The Beast (Antichrist) the world leader of the western alliance or the revived Roman Empire makes peace with Israel and guarantees her safety and security at the beginning of Daniel's seventieth week, which is the last seven year period of Daniels prophecy called the tribulation period...However, the Antichrist is not in complete control of the world at this point...

The Beast must first fight for total control of the earth. To gain ultimate dictatorship and control of the earth, he will have to face the military strength of both the Russian confederacy and a powerful Eastern force, called China. Along with all of their eastern and middle eastern allies...Which includes, Persia (Iran),Ethiopia which includes Sudan, and Libya...Gomer, Togarmah which is modern Turkey will also be allies of Russia...(Ezek 38:5,6)

The war with Russia will be a brief battle... but deadly beyond what we could ever imagine...

"But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many." Daniel 11:44

Russia's attack on Israel will be one of the most destructive battles in history. Ezekiel's description of the battle is as follows:

...Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. And I will call for a sword against him through all my mountains, saith the Lord God: every man's sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone (Ezek. 38:19-22).

The prophet's vision carries with it many characteristics of a nuclear war. There are earth rocking explosions. Mountains collapsing and destroyed. Rain, hail, and fire become part of the deadly picture as nature erupts in rebellion against the forces marching to bring destruction to the Jewish community.

While details of military action in this war are very few, we know that the weapons used during this battle will provide fuel for seven years...Some believe that the majority of the weapons coming down from the Northern mountains on horse back will be made out of wood...We also know that the dead will be buried in the Valley of Hamon east of the dead sea and the task will take seven months. (Ezek 39:9--13)

The defeat of Russia will make it clear to the Jewish community that God has protected them: "Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD (Ezek. 38:23).

The casualties of the Russian army is so great that only one-sixth of the fighting force is left after the battle: "And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel" (Ezek. 39:2).

There are two important developments that will follow the defeat of Russia....

First, the attack by Russia will give the Antichrist an excuse for full occupation of Israel under the pretense of protection and safety and will, along with his defeat of the huge Eastern force (Rev. 9:16), extend his power over the entire world.

Second, the divine protection of Israel as prophesied by Ezekiel and proclaimed to the world by 144,000 Jewish evangelists and writers throughout the closing time will turn many Jews to their Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ...

Following the miraculous defeat of the Russian armies and their allies for Israel's sake, the Antichrist will then vent his fury against the massive Eastern force of 200 million Chinese that is moving toward the Middle East to challenge his power. The casualties in this war will total one-third of the world's population.

Here is John's description of this great battle in the Book of Revelation...

And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. For this power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt" (Rev. 9:15 -- 19).

It is not difficult to envision that nuclear weaponry will be used and in the populous Eastern nations and Russia... The destruction that is unleashed by the Antichrist will be beyond what this world has ever seen before...

1. The army will melt. And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth (Zech. 14:12).

2. A river of blood 200 miles long and bridle deep. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs (Rev. 14:20).

3. Great stench. Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcasses, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood (Isa. 34:3).

"As the navel is set in the centre of the human body,
so is the land of Israel the navel of the world...
situated in the centre of the world,
and Jerusalem in the centre of the land of Israel,
and the sanctuary in the centre of Jerusalem,
and the holy place in the centre of the sanctuary,
and the ark in the centre of the holy place,
and the foundation stone before the holy place,
because from it the world was founded."

This is the oldest Muslim building which has survived basically intact in its original form. It was built by the Caliph Abd al-Malik and completed in 691 CE. The building encloses a huge rock located at its center, from which, according to tradition, the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven at the end of his Night Journey. In the Jewish tradition this is the Foundation Stone, the symbolic foundation upon which the world was created, and the place of the Binding of Isaac. The Caliph Omar is said to have cleared the waste which had accumulated on the rock during the Byzantine period. The structure is octagonal and the dome is borne by a double system of pillars and columns. The walls, ceiling, arches, and vaults are decorated with floral images. The dome, on the inside, is covered with colored and gilded stucco. Abd al-Malik marked the end of the construction with a dedicatory inscription (still visible) which reads: "This dome was built by the servant of God Abd al-Malik Ibn Marwan, emir of the faithful, in the year seventy-two" (Hejira 72 in the Muslim calendar is691/692 CE). Under the Abassid ruler, Caliph al-Mamun (r. 813-833), repairs were carried out, and the caliph also seized the occasion to replace the tiles bearing al-Malik's name with others bearing his own name as the building's founder. However, since he failed to replace the tiles bearing the original date, the ruse was easily discovered.

Built atop the earlier location of the Temple, the Dome of the Rock was built by the Muslim ruler Abd el-Malik in 688-691. Because of its situation on bedrock, the numerous earthquakes over the centuries have not caused significant damage to the structure (unlike its neighbor Al Aqsa mosque). This shrine was covered by a lead dome from 691 until it was replaced with a gold-colored covering in 1965. Because of rust, the anodized aluminum cover was again replaced in 1993 with a gold covering.

Under the level pavement are vaulted chambers known as "Solomon's Stables," traditionally said to date from Herod's enlargement of the Mount. To the right, is the gray dome of Al Aqsa Mosque. At the far right is the Western Wall (the Kotel), the Jewish prayer area. The traditional location of the First and Second Temples lies in the immediate vicinity of the Dome of the Rock. The proposed Northern site for the Temples is just to the left at the stairs. The southern Site for the Temples lies midway between the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa mosque, under an Islamic ablution fountain known as El Kas. The level of the bedrock of Mount Moriah outcrops within the Dome of the Rock and is just beneath the paving stones of the surrounding platform. However, to the south the bedrock drops steeply towards the City of David and the junction of Hinnom and Kidron Valleys.

The Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem measures approximately 45 acres in extent. It is surrounded by a trapezoidal wall: The south wall measures about 910 feet, the North about 1025, the east wall about 1520 and the west wall about 1580 feet in length. The average height above sea level on the platform is about 2400 feet above sea level. Most of the buildings and surface features are Islamic - no visible traces of the First or Second Temples can be found on the platform currently. The area is park-like in its settings with plants of trees and shrubs and many ancient buildings and monuments added over the past 1300 years of Moslem stewardship of the site.

The present-day platform area of the Temple Mount lies topographically just below the peak of a Jerusalem ridge system known as Mount Moriah. This is the site David purchased from a Jebusite named Ornan late in his reign. King David prepared the area in order build a permanent House of God to replace the Tabernacle of Moses which accompanied the Jews after their Exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land. David had the plans drawn up for a building whose dimensions were twice those of the Tabernacle, and he amassed great quantities of building materials: stone, cedar, and much gold and silver. However, it was his son Solomon who actually built the First Jewish temple (1 Chronicles 22:14-15, 28:11-20).

The ridge system where the Temple Mount is now located is believed by many reputable sources to be the site where Abraham was told to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22:1-2). While Solomon built the First Temple about 3000 years ago, Abraham's visit to Mt. Moriah was about a thousand years earlier.

According to Rabbinical sources both the First and Second Temples were built on the same foundations, at the same location somewhere on the Temple Mount. The site had to be consecrated ground that had not been previously used for tombs and that was not a previous pagan worship site ("high place"). The innermost sanctuary of the Temple, the Holy of Holies, or Kodesh Hakodeshim, where the Ark of the Covenant was placed, marked the exact center of the world, and was the innermost zone in holiness or sanctity in Jewish thought. The manifest presence of God, the Shekinah, was centered between the cherubim of the Ark and especially noted at the dedication of the First Temple---

When Solomon had ended his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD's house. When all the children of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the LORD upon the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the earth on the pavement, and worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, "For he is good, for his steadfast love endures for ever." (2 Chronicles 7:1-3)

Moving outwards from the Holy of Holies one came to The Holy Place, and then to the Courts of the priests, and of the women and of the Jewish people, then the Court of the Gentiles, and so on, out into the world in decreasing degrees of holiness.

In one of his final discussions with his disciples (Matthew 24), Jesus predicted the destruction of the Second Temple. It was in fact leveled to the ground on the 9th day of the month of Av in 70 C.E. The temple was thoroughly razed and the site has been so extensively modified during the late Roman, Moslem and Crusader eras that considerable doubt exists as to where the temples actually stood.

On 27 August 2002, the archaeologists of the Israeli Antiquities Authority warned that the southern wall of the Temple Mount is in great imminent danger of collapsing. They stated that the bulge in the wall has become much larger. Last year the bulge was 70 cm [2.25 feet] and was 30 meters [98 feet] long. The bulge has now increased to over one meter [3 feet] and is much longer. The bulge was first noticed after Tisha b’Av last year immediately after the Temple Mount Faithful had carried the cornerstone for the Third Temple to the area in front of the southern wall of the Temple Mount.

The archaeologists also stated that if the wall collapses, the Al Aqsa mosque will collapse together with it. In addition, the other two illegal mosques that have been built over the past years will also collapse. They were built when they changed the Hulda entrance to the Temple Mount and the so-called Solomon’s Stables and made them into the largest mosque in the Middle East. Both of these holy places, together with the southern wall, were built by the Israeli King Herod and completed by 10 BCE. They were part of the Temple complex. On the southern wall were the Double Gate and Triple Gate which were known as the Hulda Gates after the prophetess Hulda and were used as the main entrance for millions of Jewish pilgrims in the Second Temple. The Hulda Tunnel and Solomon’s Stables (which were never stables and did not exist in the time of King Solomon; there were erroneously called this by the Crusaders) remained exactly as they were at the time of the Second Temple until recently when the Arabs on the Temple Mount covered the beautiful ornamentation and the pillars and illegally converted the area into a mosque.

NEWS EVENTS AND PROPHECIES LEADING UP TO THE BUILDING OF THE THIRD JEWISH TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM:

"We are taking steps towards opening the Temple Mount to Jews." So said Jerusalem Police Chief Mickey Levy today, at a small ceremony in honor of the approaching Independence Day celebrations. He said that because of the sensitivity of the matter, he could not specify what steps are being taken.

Several months ago, Levy said that after the war Iraq, the Temple Mount - Judaism's holiest site - could be opened to Jews, after having been closed to them since the onset of the Oslo War in Sept. 2000. The Yesha Rabbis Council reminded Levy of his words last week, and today responded with appreciation to Levy's statement: "We congratulate him and hope that this black stain upon Israel's independence will soon be removed. The test is in deeds, and not in words."

"There is a wide perception that the Western Wall is Judaism's holiest site," recently explained Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovich, Rabbi of the Western Wall and Jewish Holy Sites. Actually, however, "the holiness of the Wall is derived exclusively from the fact that it is a remnant of the Temple Mount - which is truly the Jewish people's holiest site."

I would like to congratulate you and the entire American nation on your successful mission against the cruel dictator from Iraq. The toppling of his corrupt regime opens a window of hope for a new era in the Middle East and the entire world.

This, then, is the hour to right the terrible wrong that has been done to the Jewish Nation over the past 2,000 years. Expelled from their land and homeless, the Jews have wandered throughout the centuries from country to country. Yes, 50 years ago, with G-d's help, we merited our own state - but it is one that has never known a day of peace, and has never enjoyed its own recognized borders. Who knows if it is not you, Mr. President, who has been chosen as the agent to restore the People of Israel to its own small land in the borders delineated in the Bible?

The People of Israel is intertwined with its Land - all of it - from the depths of its very soul. All the Prophets predicted that we would return - and lo and behold, this is happening in front of our eyes.

To counter this, Arab terrorist organizations, backed by Arab countries, have made it their goal to wage war against the restored State of Israel, vowing to battle until its destruction. They wish to perpetuate the theft of the Promised Land from its rightful owners, the Jewish People.

Hon. President and Mrs. Bush, you who began this holy mission of uprooting and destroying evil - please finish the job! Terrorist organizations such as the PLO - which to this very day are headed by some of the worst terrorists of the 20th century - are no different than the regime that until recently ruled Iraq. They will never make peace with Israel! Every attempt to reach an agreement with them brings more bloodshed, as happened with the Oslo Accords.

The only real solution is to rectify the historic wrong and enable the People of Israel to return to their entire land. Every program that stands in opposition to the Prophets' Road Map cannot succeed. I ask you to stand by Israel's side, help it return to its entire land, and be a partner in the only "guaranteed" process - the Peace Plan laid out by the prophets!

The communities of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza are populated by idealistic and values-guided Jews, who have withstood and overcome the tremendous difficulties of life in the dark shadow of constant terrorism. They are firmly implanted in, and bonded to, their land. Jews simply cannot be uprooted from places like Beit El and Shilo; to do so is almost a contradiction in terms.

The word of G-d will stand forever. I implore you not to be a partner to those who wish to go against the word of G-d, as expressed by the Prophets.

Rabbi of Beit El and Chairman of the Rabbis Council of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza

Rabbi Melamed is also the Rosh Yeshiva and Dean of the Beit El Yeshiva Center Institutions.

Shalom and welcome to the home page of the Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement. The goal of the Temple Mount Faithful is the building of the Third Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in our lifetime in accordance with the Word of G-d and all the Hebrew prophets and the liberation of the Temple Mount from Arab (Islamic) occupation so that it may be consecrated to the Name of G-d.

Endtime prophecy becomes a reality in the pilgrimage of the Temple Mount Faithful Movement to the Temple Mount during Pesach 5763 (2003)

The model of the Temple carried to the Temple Mount during the Pesach pilgrimage.

1,933 years after the Temple has lain in ruins and the Jewish People has been exiled, the Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement made a pilgrimage to the Temple Mount and brought an Omer offering during Pesach. In this way endtime prophecy became a reality on the most holy place in the world — the heart, soul and focus of the G-d and people of Israel. For so many years the Temple Mount has been separated from its children; the People of Israel and the Shekinah has mourned, longed for, and missed them so much. So again the children of Israel made a pilgrimage again like their forefathers.

Despite the fact that the Temple Mount was still closed to its children by the Israeli Government, it was a connection between the heart and soul of the Temple Mount and the heart and soul of Israel. On the other hand, it was so sad to find the gates of the Temple Mount closed to the children of Israel who thousands of years earlier had built this place and dedicated it to be the eternal house of the G-d of Israel. However, deep in our hearts, we knew that time is short and that the march of the endtime movement of G-d — The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement — is the march of the prophetic endtime plans and vision of G-d towards their fulfillment in our lifetime.

The main message of this march was that the Arab Islamic foreigners and enemies, which are still on the Temple Mount, are now experiencing their last days on the most holy place in Israel. Neither they, nor anybody else in the world, can prevent the march of the G-d and people of Israel back to the place where the house of G-d will soon be rebuilt.

In front of the holy mountain we could feel the presence of G-d so strongly calling on everyone of us and Israel saying -

"And the angel who talked with me said to me, Proclaim, saying: Thus says the L-rd of hosts; I am zealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great zeal. And I am very much displeased with the nations that are at ease; for I was only a little angry, and they furthered the affliction. Therefore thus says the L-rd: I have returned to Jerusalem with mercies; my house shall be rebuilt in it, says the L-rd of hosts, and a measuring line shall be stretched over Jerusalem. Proclaim further, saying, Thus says the L-rd of hosts; My cities shall again overflow with prosperity; and the L-rd shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem." (Zechariah 1:14-17)

"Again the word of the L-rd of hosts came to me, saying, Thus says the L-rd of hosts; I was zealous for Zion with great zeal, and I was zealous for her with great fury. Thus says the L-rd: I have returned to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth; and the mountain of the L-rd of hosts the Holy Mountain. Thus says the L-rd of hosts: Old men and old women shall again dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for the fullness of days. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. Thus says the L-rd of hosts: If it is marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvelous in my eyes? says the L-rd of hosts. Thus says the L-rd of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country; And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be my people, and I will be their G-d, in truth and in righteousness. Thus says the L-rd of hosts: Let your hands be strong, you who hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, who spoke on the day that the foundation of the house of the L-rd of hosts was laid, saying that the temple might be built." (Zechariah 8:1-9)

This exciting and holy event was held by The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement on 18 Nissan, the fourth day of Pesach 5763, (Sunday, 20 April 2003) at a very critical time of prophetic redemption in Israel. Actually the event started two days earlier on Friday when members of the Movement went to the fields of Israel to cut the Omer, the first grain, to fulfil one of the most important commandments of G-d in the Torah which our forefathers did for thousands of years as an important part of Temple worship at Pesach.

"And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the people of Israel, and say to them, When you come to the land which I give to you, and shall reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest; And he shall wave the sheaf before the L-rd, to be accepted for you; on the next day after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. ... And you shall count from the next day after the sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete; To the next day after the seventh sabbath shall you count fifty days; and you shall offer a new meal offering to the L-rd. ... And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the first fruits for a wave offering before the L-rd with the two lambs; they shall be holy to the L-rd for the priest. And you shall proclaim on the same day, that it may be a holy gathering to you; you shall do no labour in it; it shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not make clean riddance up to the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning of your harvest; you shall leave them to the poor, and to the stranger; I am the L-rd your G-d." (Leviticus 23:9-11,15,16,20-22)

The grain which we cut was very beautiful — tall and full. This was as a result of the blessings of G-d on the land of Israel — a winter with much rain as a gift from G-d. It reminded us of the situation of the land in the Biblical times and the blessings of G-d on the land to be a land of milk and honey. This was after almost 2,000 years of destruction and foreign control in the land when it became like a wilderness. The law of G-d said that the land can only be a land of milk and honey when He dwells in the land. Now when Israel has been brought back to the land by G-d , the land has again become a land of milk and honey. We were so grateful to bring the first fruits of this blessing as an offering to G-d on His holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering of thanks, appreciation, and love.

Part of the Omer in a basket and the model of the Temple in front of the Temple Mount.

On Sunday morning the Omer was carried in a basket to the Temple Mount. This symbolised the deep connection between the G-d, the people, and the land of Israel. This renewed Biblical event moved the hearts of everyone.

The model of the Temple which was carried to the Temple Mount and the Western Wall and the Western gate of the Temple Mount was another exiting event. After almost 2,000 years of destruction, the beautiful model of the Temple could be seen by the mountain of G-d and many Israelis who came to the pilgrimage and for the priestly blessing. The message was that the Temple should immediately be rebuilt. We brought the model with us to this holy place as an opening for the fulfillment of the desire of 1,933 years of longing by the Jewish People and many other friends of the G-d and people of Israel all over the world. The model was surrounded by many pilgrims who showed a deep interest with regard to the beauty of the building and the worship in it. We shared with the pilgrims that we had already started to prepare the architectural plans for the Third Temple and that large cornerstones are ready for the start of the building process.

In front of the Western Gate of the Temple Mount, with our faces towards the site of the Holy of Holies, like our forefathers we again swore faithfulness to the G-d of Israel, His holy mountain and Jerusalem.

"If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember you, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy." (Psalm 137:5,6)

Like the pilgrims in the time of the First and Second Temples we prayed the Hallel Psalms (Psalms 113-118). These exciting psalms were also heard in front of the other gates of the Temple Mount by the pilgrims from the Faithful Movement and the other pilgrims who joined them when we went around the gates and walls of the Temple Mount. This was accompanied by the Levites who played the music as they did in the times of the Temple. This was a special moment when the Shekinah heard the pilgrims praying and singing:

"I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the L-rd. I will pay my vows to the L-rd now in the presence of all his people, In the courts of the L-rd's house, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Hallelujah!" (Psalms 116;17-19)

This was not the first time that friends from outside Israel have marched together with us to the Temple Mount and, through them, the Word of G-d in Isaiah became a reality: " Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples." (Isaiah 56:7)

The Pesach pilgrimage of The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement was an important stage in the campaign of the Movement for the rebuilding of the Temple. One month from now, on 29 May, the Temple Mount Faithful Movement will again march to the Temple Mount on the day commemorating the liberation of Jerusalem in 1967. Time is short and we know that we have to continue to conduct our holy campaign even more intensively and to bring to pass the prophetic and godly endtime revolution on the holy mountain of G-d and to remove the pagan foreigners from the site of the Holy of Holies and from all the holy mountain of Zion. The Jerusalem Day march will be another important stage in this holy campaign. We shall do everything to ensure that the exciting prophecy of Isaiah will soon become a reality on the Temple Mount and Jerusalem:

"Awake, awake; put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; from now on there shall no more come to you the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake yourself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem; loose yourself from the bands of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. ... How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace; who brings good news of good, who announces salvation; who says to Zion, Your G-d reigns! The voice of your watchmen is heard; together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when the L-rd returns to Zion. Break forth into joy, sing together, you ruins of Jerusalem; for the L-rd has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. The L-rd has made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our G-d." (Isaiah 52:1,2,7-10)

Everyone is called on to participate in this historic event and to march with the Temple Mount Faithful Movement to the Temple Mount through the historical streets of Jerusalem. We are living at a very godly and exciting time in the history of Israel. Expect major godly events in the near future.

Why is the "Rock of Ages" holy? Now inside the (Islamic) Dome of the Rock, it's said to be the site where Abraham "sacrificed" Isaac, inaugurating the Jewish Covenant. Hyam Maccoby claims that Judaism really did begin with a Human Sacrifice. Are Isaac's remains there? Must the Jewish Temple be built on the exact spot?

1 Some time afterward, God put Abraham to the test. He said to him, "Abraham," and he answered, "Here I am."

2 And He said, "Take your son, your favored one, Isaac, whom you love, and got to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the heights that I will point out to you."

3 So early next morning, Abraham saddled his ass and took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. He split the wood for the burnt offering, and he set out for the place of which God had told him.

5 Then Abraham said to his servants, "You stay here with the ass. The boy and I will go up there; we will worship and we will return to you."

6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and put it on his son Isaac. He himself took the firestone and the knife; and the two walked off together.

7 Then Isaac said to his father Abraham, "Father!" And he answered, "Yes, my son." And he said, "Here are the firestone and the wood; but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?"

8 And Abraham said, "God will see to the sheep for His burnt offering, my son." And the two of them walked on together.

9 They arrived at the place of which God had told him. Abraham built an altar there; he laid out the wood; he bound his son Isaac; he laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.

16 The angel of the Lord said, "By Myself I swear, the Lord declares: Because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your favored one,

17 I will bestow My blessing upon you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven and the sands on the seashore; and your descendants shall seize the gates of their foes.

18 A;; the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your descendants, because you have obeyed My command."

19 Abraham then returned to his servants, and they departed together for Beer-sheba; and Abraham stayed in Beer-sheba.

Much is being said about the restoration of the Temple, who will build it, and when will it be built. The first Temple was Solomon's; the second one was Hezekiah's which was extensively remodeled by Herod. The Mashiach, Kind David will build the Third Temple in Jerusalem and it WILL NOT be built before that time:

Zec 6:12-13 "Then speak to him [Joshua], saying, 'Thus says ETERNAL of hosts, saying: Behold, the man [Kind David] whose name is the BRANCH! From his place [in the grave], he shall branch out, and he shall build the Temple of ETERNAL. Yes, he shall build the Temple of ETERNAL. He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on his throne. So he shall be a priest [Elijah] on His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both."'

The Third Temple will be a physical Temple, and then after it is built ETERNAL states He will dwell there:

Ezek. 43:7 "And He said to me, `Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the Children of Israel forever. No more shall the House of Israel defile My righteous Name, they nor their kings, by their harlotry or with the carcasses of their kings on their high places.'"

The English word "dwell" in verse seven is from the Hebrew word 7 "shakan" and means to reside or permanently stay. Note the resemblance to the word "Shekinah."

Thus, ETERNAL will put His Shekinah Glory into this Third Temple and He will dwell there, among His people forever. Another scripture that states the same is: Haggai 2:1-5 "In the seventh month, on the twenty-first of the month, the word of ETERNAL came by Haggai the prophet, saying: 'Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying: Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? In comparison with it, is this not in your eyes as nothing? Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel,' says ETERNAL; 'and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land,' says ETERNAL, 'and work; for I am with you,' says ETERNAL of hosts. 'According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!'"

That verse is saying that although the Shekinah Glory of the ETERNAL left the first physical Temple and it will not be back until the Third-the final Temple is built. He states My Spirit remains among you fear not! Therefore, we do have access to ETERNAL and His Righteous Spirit now, today. Then again, our CREATOR promises peace:

Haggai 2:6-9 "For thus says ETERNAL of hosts: 'Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land. And I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this Temple with Glory,' says ETERNAL of Hosts. The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,' says ETERNAL of Hosts. 'The Glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,' says ETERNAL of Hosts. 'And in this place I will give peace,' says ETERNAL of Hosts."

There will come a day when both Houses of Israel will be at peace, when the ETERNAL will again dwell among His people. However, that is yet a ways off, because before the destruction and regathering of Israel, a work is being done in the end-time: A work that is dedicated to working for the reuniting of Israel. A work that will tell Israel who they are and what their sins are; in hope they will repent. For ETERNAL in speaking to Solomon about the first Temple has stated:

2 Chron 7:12-14 (TLB) "One night ETERNAL appeared to Solomon and told him, 'I have heard your prayer and have chosen this Temple as the place where I want you to sacrifice to me. If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust swarms to eat up all of your crops, or if I send an epidemic among you. 14 Then if My people will humble themselves and pray, and search for Me, and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear them from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land. I will listen, wide awake, to every prayer made in this place. For I have chosen this Temple and sanctified it to be My home forever; My eyes and My heart shall always be here."

JERUSALEM, Aug 8, 1997 (AFP) - While Jews mourn the destruction of their Second Temple by the Romans in 70 A.D., Jewish extremists are planning to rebuild the structure on its former site where Islam's third holiest shrine now stands.

The incense, prayers and vines for sacred wine are ready for the "messianic era, when peace will reign throughout the earth," said activist and lawyer Baruch Ben Yossef, who works in a chic neighborhood just outside Jerusalem.

According to Jewish tradition, rebuilding the Temple will hasten the coming of the messiah.

But before they can achieve universal peace, the extremist faithful are prepared for a final battle because reconstruction of the Temple would mean the destruction of the 1,300-year -old Al-Aqsa mosque complex.

The Moslems built on the Temple ruins the complex which includes the Dome of the Rock, the place from which the Prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven in the seventh century, according to Moslem tradition.

"It's like an army. We must train to be ready when war breaks out," Ben Yossef said.

"The first stage is to pray en masse in the complex, then to demand the building of the Temple," he said.

Ben Yossef told AFP he organizes an annual meeting of the "builders of the Third Temple" in Israel which more than a thousand people attend. "Seven years ago, there were only 30 of us," he said.

A huge golden chandelier has already been made in the United States and future high priests are able to train for animal sacrifices on a "simulation" altar near the Dead Sea.

"An architect has even drawn up a plan for Jerusalem involving new parking lots for the millions of pilgrims who will come for the Passover sacrifices," Ben Yossef said.

The extremists have come into conflict with the Moslem authorities who manage the mosque complex, the Israeli chief rabbinate, whose position is that Jews may not pray there, and the Israeli police, who have formally banned them from the site.

The rabbinate has launched a campaign against Jewish prayer at the site ahead of Tisha B'Av, the saddest day in the Jewish calender which commemorates the Second Temple's destruction and falls on Tuesday.

"It is forbidden to ascend the Temple Mount because of the risk of desecration" of the Second Temple's holy of holies, where the ark was kept, a statement from the chief rabbinate said.

A Jewish extremist, Yitzhak Yallouz, said: "The leaders are afraid of the international community's reaction. They don't dare to tell the world that the site is ours."

Yallouz is buying stones cut in the Negev desert with donations and stockpiling them for use in the Temple's reconstruction.

The former graphic designer from Paris firmly believes in the "miracle" of the Third Temple.

"God will provide the finishing touches. When I am involved with the stones, I feel that something is moving in heaven," he said, pointing to four flagstones stored in his trailer at the Kokhav Yaakov settlement in the West Bank.

While waiting for the messiah, the extremists go to the complex along with tourists, and are regularly questioned by the police.

"I go there to show a Jewish presence. But incognito, with sunglasses and a hat," said Fievel Handler, a former hippie from the US state of Minnesota.

The Moslem authorities do not rule out the risk of confrontation over the holy site.

"I view the actions of these extremists with total seriousness," Hassan Tahbub, the minister of Moslem property or Waqf, told AFP.

"But I am sure that the government is wiser than they are and is not seeking to unleash a battle whose end no one can predict," he said.

Israeli experts fear of apocalyptic holy war if Jewish extremists succeeded to bomb the mosque

- Israeli experts say they fear Jewish fundamentalists are plotting to blow up mosques on a holy site at the heart of the Israeli-Arab conflict and could spark an apocalyptic holy war if they succeed.

'... if a Jewish group bombed the mosques the Muslim world would declare a war on Israel.'

In a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak made public this week, former Shin Bet secret service chief Carmi Gillon and former police commissioner Assaf Hefetz warned that an extremist strike "would likely lead to all-out war and unleash destructive forces that would imperil Israel’s existence." Control of Muslim’s holy shrines in Al-Haram Al-Sharif, Al Aqsa mosque compound, (or the so-called Temple Mount to Jews) lies at the core of tensions between Israelis and Palestinians and is one of the most divisive elements in a new US peace plan.

The blueprint forwarded by US President Bill Clinton would reportedly give Palestinians control over the upper section of the compound and its mosques, while Israel would retain control over the “Western Wall” below and the underground section.

Fears that Israel is on the brink of ceding sovereignty over Judaism’s holiest site, the third most sacred in Islam, is galvanizing extremists, according to the Keshev Center for the Protection of Democracy in Israel.

A new report by the center found tens of thousands of people, many with convictions for "violent, ultra-nationalist activity," had recently been active in Temple Mount groups.

"These Temple Mount lovers want ideologically and practically to build the third Jewish Temple where the mosques now stand," Keshev director Yizhar Be’er said.

"The result would be a total apocalypse because if a Jewish group bombed the mosques the Muslim world would declare a war on Israel," he said, adding that Jewish extremists had been helped with financial backing from fundamentalist Christians.

According to Jewish claims, King Solomon built the First Temple at the site 3,000 years ago. A second temple was built on its ruins centuries later and was destroyed by the Romans in AD 70. Some extremists maintain only a third temple on the spot will herald the Kingdom of God.

Keshev said at least 10 groups as working to bring about the third temple, including the "Small Sanhedrin" organization.

Keshev maintains the group meets regularly in Jerusalem’s Old City where it plans how to bring about a religious state. He says that activists practice sacrificial slaughter in a West Bank settlement as part of preparations for a new temple.

A spokeswoman from the Mitzpe Yericho settlement rejected the accusation. "People here study theory about Temple practices. They are not doing anything and they are not sacrificing. (The claim) is funny," she said.

Israeli Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau and other leading rabbis have said that no Jew has the right to make concessions over the Temple Mount.

Former security chiefs Gillon and Hefetz warned that the rabbinic calls could be "interpreted as permission to attack the mosques on the Temple Mount" by extremists seeking to avenge the deaths of Jews killed by Palestinians in recent violence.

Such fears were rejected by “Western Wall” Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovich, who told Israeli radio on Sunday that people taking the law into their own hands were "not part of Judaism and no rabbi would permit this".

But even secular Israelis believe ceding the site is one concession too many. An opinion poll in Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper last month showed 57 percent opposed transferring the so-called Temple Mount, even if Israel kept the “Western Wall” below.

Fourteen weeks of the Palestinian Intifada in which some 333 Palestinians have been killed, have strengthened the resolve of Jewish activists who see the conflict as part of a divine master plan.

"Events today are a part of the end of time and battle of nations after which will come God’s judgment of all the enemies of Israel," said Gershon Salomon, leader of the Temple Mount Faithful that wants to build the third Jewish temple.

Gershom Gorenberg, author of "The End of Days: Fundamentalism and the Struggle for the Temple Mount," said political leaders must be sensitive to both sides.

"For politicians to ignore the fears, even if they seem irrational and unjustified, is like sticking a claustrophobic in a box. It’s dangerous political blindness," he said.

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Following the Israeli capture of East Jerusalem in 1967, Israel announced it would respect the status quo of the religious sites in Jerusalem. At that same time, however, a movement began among religious nationalists in Israel to gain a foothold on the Haram al-Sharif in order to build a new temple there on what they claim is the site of the destroyed first and second Jewish temples.

In 1969, an Australian set fire to Al Aqsa’s southeastern wall. Though linked to messianic groups, the man was declared insane and deported.

There has been a serious growth in right-wing religious nationalism in Israel over the past 30 years. Settlements are built on biblical sites and religious rationales employed by the right wing to justify political policies that violate international law.

In the 1970s extremist groups devoted to retaking the so-called Temple Mount began a campaign of provocation and violence against the Al-Haram Al-Sharif, including the digging of tunnels, attempts to enter the area by force and, increasingly, efforts to bomb the two mosques. Between 1978 and 1982, the Waqf documented 200 acts of desecration and provocation on or near the Haram al-Sharif by Israeli extremists.

In 1982, Allan Goodman, an Israeli soldier with an American passport, charged into the Haram Al-Sharif, spraying worshippers with gunfire, killing two and wounding 30.

In the early 1980s, the Haram Al-Sharif was seriously targeted for destruction by Israeli underground terrorist groups. In January 1984, a terror cell was arrested while trying to scale the walls around Al-Aqsa carrying arms and explosives. Several months later, members of a larger cell were arrested as they placed bombs under Arab buses in Jerusalem

The massacre of 17 unarmed Palestinian civilians and the wounding of hundreds more by Israeli soldiers at the site in 1990 was sparked by a group called “The Temple Mount Faithful,” who were marching to set a cornerstone for the building of a temple on the site of Islam’s third holiest shrine.

In 1969, 14 Waqf properties were damaged by Israeli digging in the area. In 1971, a tunnel partially collapsed the Rabat Kurd building on the Mount. Three years later, serious cracks were discovered in the wall of Al-Juwhariya School due to tunneling. Other tunnels dug by extremist groups to get near the Mount to pray have caused damage and clashes in Jerusalem in the past.

Recent history shows that the actions of extremist groups on all sides can undermine the stability of the entire region. Mix provocation by religious zealots with deep frustration over the lack of progress in the peace process and there is little wonder that the West Bank and Gaza turned back so quickly into a killing zone.