Current Events and Links
Also see: The Temple Mount In Jerusalem
(Maintained by Lambert Dolphin, Jim Milligan, and Michael Kollen )
Other Temple Links
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Priests to train on Temple Model
Oct., 2003 - In the Jewish community of Mitzpe Yericho, between Jerusalem and Jericho, a full scale model of the Third Temple is being built to allow the training of priests for service in a future rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem.
- Backers of the project say the Jewish people are waiting for the Redemption and must prepare themselves for the coming of the Messiah.
- Source:Israel Today (Story no longer online)
Plan Would Have Israel Give Up Temple Mount
Alternative 'peace deal' for Mid-East
Oct. 13, 2003 - Representatives of Israel and the Palestinians have spent two years in secret negotiations to produce an unofficial, alternative peace plan for the area. The plan is called the Geneva Accord, because it is backed by Swiss diplomats and human rights activists and intellectuals. The heart of the deal is a compromise: Palestinians would give up the right of refugees to return, and Israel would surrender sovereignty of the Temple Mount.
- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has angrily denounced the proposal, accusing left-wing Israelis of trying to bring down his coalition government.
- Source:BBC
Mosque Wall Collapse on the Temple Mount
Sept. 24, 2004 - The southern wall of the Islamic Museum on the Temple Mount has collapsed -- the result of pouring too much concrete on the roof of the structure years ago...
- Source:Arutz Sheva (Story no longer online)
Tense times at Jerusalem holy site
Sept. 1, 2003 - Non-Muslims are being allowed to enter the Temple Mount and the al-Aqsa Mosque compound for the first time since the intifada broke out in September, 2000. The Islamic Waqf, the religious trust that controls the compound, and has its own guards, says that it does not allow the visitors, but can't enforce it since the gates are actually controlled by Israeli guards who let the visitors in. So far there has been no violence over the issue since visitors are only allowed on the days, and during the times that do not interfere with Islamic activities.
- Source:BBC
Corner-Stone Ceremony To Be Held
Aug. 6, 2003 - Israeli authorities have allowed Gershon Solomon's organization, The Temple Mount Faithful, to hold a Tisha B'Av (Day of Mourning for the destruction of the Temple) ceremony in a Jerusalem suburb, then hold a parade, featuring two foundation stones for the future rebuilt temple, up to one of the gates near the Temple Mount. Solomon was enthusiastic about the meaning of the event.
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- Foundation stones for the Holy Temple in downtown Jerusalem! In a convoy and with a parade! This has tremendous significance, it is a real revolution - the crown jewel of the revival of the People of Israel in the Land of Israel.
- Source:IsraelNationalNews
Temple Mount reopens to non-Muslim visitors
July 1, 2003 - Recently, Israeli police have been promising that the Temple Mount would be opened to non-Muslim visitors, even if the Waqf (Muslim Religious Trust, Islamic Clerics appointed by Yasser Arafat to administer the Temple Mount) did not agree to allow outsiders. So far, no agreement has been reached, but in the last few days, officers stationed at the Western Wall have begun to escort tourists to the holy site.
- Source:WorldNetDaily
'Biblical Temple' tablet found
- Jan. 15, 2003 - An Israeli newspaper has reported that geologists say an ancient stone tablet detailing repair plans for the Jewish Temple of King Solomon is genuine. The tablet comes from the period of the Jewish King Joash, who ruled the area 2,800 years ago, and is the first archaeological proof that the Temple area was under the control of Israel at that time.
- Source:BBC
Jordanian expert: No danger of Al-Aqsa wall collapsing
- Nov. 11, 2002 - Jordanian building experts say that the Southern Wall of the Temple Mount is not in danger of collapsing because of the bulge there, but they recommend dismantling a portion of the wall, filling and reinforcing it with building material and then covering it up again with stone.
- Source:Ha'Aretz (Story no longer online)
Jerusalem mufti incites Armageddon
- Oct. 16, 2002 - Hal Lindsey argues that the Muslim leadership in Jerusalem is inciting a struggle over the Temple Mount that can lead to all-out war in the Middle East.Last Friday, Sheikh Ikrema Sabri said, "The Temple Mount belongs only to the Muslims." He also stated that they will not allow anyone to interfere in their affairs, including the Israeli authorities.
- The Hebrew prophets predicted that a conflict over Jerusalem between Israel and the surrounding nations, which are all Muslim today, would be a great burden to the whole world. The prophet Zechariah predicted that this conflict would ignite the last war of this present world (Zechariah 12:2-3).
- Source:WorldNetDaily
The Bulge on the Southern Wall of the Temple Mount Becomes Larger
- Aug. 30, 2002 - Archaeologists of the Israeli Antiquities Authority warned that the southern wall of the Temple Mount is in great imminent danger of collapsing. If it does fall, it would probably ruin the famous Mosque of Al Aksa and two illegal mosques that have been built in the area. In a letter to Prime Minister Sharon, Gershon Salomon, head of the Temple Mount Faithful, said that he believes this problem is caused by the Hand of God.
- Source:Temple Mount Faithful
Upgrading The Temple Vessels - Aug. 22, 2002 - The Temple Institute in Jerusalem has already constructed the essential vessels and utensils for restoration of the Temple, but they have now announced that HaTzorfim, the leading Israeli designer of silver objects, will manufacture even better and more beautiful objects to be used in the Temple. Rabbi Makover of the Temple Institute said, "The company will avail itself of our detailed research of many years, and will take upon itself the development and design of many of the vessels."
- Source:Israel National News - Arutz Sheva (Story no longer online)
Southern Wall May Fall
- Aug. 20, 2002 - According to archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar of Hebrew University, the weakened southern wall of the Temple Mount will collapse within weeks or months. Construction of the largest mosque in the Middle East is blamed for the weakened condition. Construction also destroyed untold amounts of archaeological artifacts.
- Source:Israel National News - Arutz Sheva (Story no longer online)
Poll: 53% of Israelis want third temple
- July 18, 2002 - According to a survey, commissioned by the Reform movement's Israel Religious Action Center, 53% of the 775 people interviewed were in favor of building the Third Temple on the Temple Mount area. The survey was commissioned for the Tisha Be'av fast which ends today.
- Source:Jerusalem Post (Story no longer online)
Western Wall 'leak' prompts speculation
- July 4, 2002 - A small water leak in the Western Wall (also known as the Wailing Wall) has caused quite a stir among Jewish mystics and scholars.
- The rabbi responsible for the Wall, Shmuel Rabinovitch, told the Jerusalem Post newspaper that perhaps it was weeping at the current situation in the country.
Others recall Messianic traditions that water coming through the wall will be a sign that the coming of Messiah is near!
- Source:BBC
NEWS FLASH: Red Heifer Born in Israel!
- Apr. 9, 2002 - See the summary in our Red Heifer section.
Temple Mount Wall in Danger
- Feb., 2002 - A tragedy is in the making. The southern wall of the Temple Mount, originally built by Herod, is bulging, presumably due to excavation work on an underground Moslem mosque. It could collapse (soon? within a few years?), causing damage to the famous Al Aqsa Mosque, and more damage to relationships between Israelis and the Islamic caretakers of the Temple area.
- Source:Biblical Archaeology Review (Story no longer online)
Keepers of the Lost Ark?
- Jan. 19, 2002 - Christians in Axum, Ethiopia believe the lost Ark of the Covenant is safely stored beneath their church.
- Source: Smithsonian
Jerusalem Mayor: Jews will be able to visit Temple Mount soon
- Jan. 21, 2002 - Jews may be able to have low-key visits the Temple Mount soon.
- The mount has been closed to non-Muslims since the outbreak of the intifada in September 2000. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon intends to reopen the Temple Mount to Jews and non-Muslims "at the first opportunity," as he has been telling his associates recently.
- Source:Ha'Aretz (Story no longer online)
Police: No Temple stone ceremony this Succot
- Oct. 3, 2001 - Jerusalem police have blocked plans by The Temple Mount Faithful to set two cornerstones for the new Temple.
- Source:Jerusalem Post (Story no longer online)
Cracks appear in Al Aqsa Mosque
- Oct. 2, 2001 - Cracks are appearing in the Al Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. They are apparently the result of unsupervised construction by the Moslems, who are trying to convert the area known as Solomon's Stables to the world's largest mosque. Damage to the mosque could precipitate great violence in the Arab world.
- Source:WorldNetDaily - from DEBKAfile
 'Third Temple' event on again
- Sept. 26, 2001 - The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement, led by Gershon Salomon, will conduct another attempt, which they claim is permitted by Israeli officials, to lay cornerstones for the building of the Third Temple, and for annointing it. Believers are invited to participate in the Oct. 4 event (Feast of Tabernacles). It could, of course cause another wave of Muslim violence because it iw perceived by them as a threat to their existing shrines on the Temple Mount.
- Source:World Net Daily
- Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement
Jerusalem Retaining Wall May Falll
- Aug. 21, 2001 - Archaeologists warn that the southern retaining wall of the El Aksa Mosque has a huge bulge, and is in danger of collapsing. There is fear that such an accident could ignite an apocalyptic Muslim-Jewish holy war. This is the same holy site visited by Ariel Sharon 11 months ago. His visit set off the conflicts in Israel that have continued almost daily since that time.
- Source: AP (Story no longer online)
'Third Temple' cornerstone laid
- July 29, 2001 - The Temple Mount Faithful were actually permitted to hold a ceremony outside the Old City of Jerusalem near Silwan, during which they symbolically laid their cornerstone of the Third Temple.
They were not allowed inside the Temple Mount area , and had to perform their ceremony earlier than planned, for security reasons.
- After the ceremony, the stone was returned to its year-round location in the center of one of the intersections in Jerusalem.
- Source: Jerusalem Post (Story no longer online)
US Temple Mount Bill Gaining Support
- July 27, 2001 - The House of Representatives is considering the Temple Mount Preservation Act (H.R.2566.IH) which would eliminate financial aid to the Palestinian Authority until all unauthorized excavations from Judaism's holiest site comes to an end. The bill has bipartisan support.
- Source: Worthy News
Another Attempt To Place The Cornerstone Of The Temple
- July 24, 2001 - On July 29, the date known in Israel as "Tisha B' Av," the anniversary of the destruction of both Temples, a new attempt will be made by The Temple Mount Faithful to visit the Temple Mount and take with them the cornerstone for the foundation of the Third Temple. They have petitioned the Israeli Supreme Court, and even though it is unlikely they will receive permission, their activism keeps the matter before the Jewish and Christian communities of the world.
- Source: Temple Mount Faithful
- See earlier article, Temple Mount Faithful banned from Mount
- Postscript - July 26, 2001 - Supreme Court rejects appeal to visit Temple Mount - Ha'Aretz (Story no longer online)
- The Faithful are Allowed to Carry the Cornerstone to the Area of the Hulda Gates of the Temple Mount - Response from Temple Mount Faithful (Story no longer online)
Another Theory about the location of The First Temple
- June, 2001 - Explorer Michael Sanders proposes the view that the Temple was originally built south of the existing Temple Mount over the Gihon Spring. He bases his idea on archaeological discoveries and the writings of Josephus, the First Century Jewish historian.
- Source: Mysteries of the Bible (Story no longer online)
Virtual Temple Model Open In Jerusalem
- Apr. 27, 2001 - A model of the Temple Mount, including an interactive virtual reality tour of the site as it looked thousands of years ago, is now open in the Old City of Jerusalem.
- Archaeologists, computer technicians and a team of architects, including
professionals from the United States, worked on the exhibit which includes cutting edge
technology, used for the first time. The Israeli Antiquities Authority and the Council for the
Development of Eastern Jerusalem supported the project which was financed by a NIS 70
million (approximately $17.5 million). Other highlights of the exhibit include tours of the
Temple Mount, the tunnels beneath the Western Wall, the Mt. of Olives and the Kidron River.
- Source: The Jerusalem Archaeological Park
Jerusalem 'bomb plot'
- Jan. 15, 2001 - There is fear in Israel about the effect a popular new movie could have. The movie, Hahesder, or Time of Favor, is about the destruction of the Islamic holy places on the Temple mount by ultra-religious Jews.
- Two former heads of the security service Shin Bet, have already warned the government that a plot exists to attempt this scenario in real life, with devastating consequences.
- "To harm the mosque, it means a global war
between the Arab world and the Islamic world
against Israel, and no doubt that it could be a
war that may bring destruction to the state of
Israel."
- Source: BBC
Jewish law forbids giving up Temple Mount, say rabbis
- Jan. 6, 2000 - The latest peace proposals from President Clinton suggested that "surface" sovereignty over the Temple Mount be given to Palestinians, while "underground" sovereignty, including the Western Wall, would remain in the hands of the Israelis.
- This proposal is unacceptable to both sides because of their religious laws.
- "Jewish law absolutely prohibits handing over any
sovereignty or ownership, indirectly or directly, to
foreigners on the Temple Mount," said the ruling by
the Chief Rabbinate Council. "The sovereignty
belongs to the Jewish people."
- "The very discussion" of giving up Israeli control of
the Temple Mount "is a desecration of God's name",
added the council, which is headed alternately by the
Ashkenazic and Sephardic chief rabbis.
- The rabbis' ruling was a mirror image of similar
statements by the top Muslim cleric in Jerusalem,
Sheik Ikrama Sabri, the Mufti of Jerusalem, who has
declared that Islamic law prohibits any non-Muslim
sovereignty over the area of the al-Aqsa mosque.
- Sources: BBC; The Age (Australia) (Story no longer online)
Israel ready to accept 1967 line as border basis
Are Renewed Talks Over Truce or Temple Mount?
- See these articles in our section on Middle East War 2000.
Temple Mount Faithful banned from Mount
- Oct. 15, 2000 - Because of the tensions in the area, The Temple Mount Faithful will not be allowed to ascend to the Temple Mount as previously planned (see next article). They will not be allowed to move the stone from its current location.
- Source: Jerusalem Post (Story no longer online)
A cornerstone for 3rd Temple?
Oct. 14, 2000 - As tensions rise in Mideast, Jews set to begin symbolic rebuilding
- On Monday, Oct. 16, Gershon Salomon, head of the Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful, will lead an attempt to place the cornerstone for the third Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
- The group plans to anoint a four-and-a-half ton
marble cornerstone, which will be covered with
Israeli flags and driven to the Temple Mount on
a flatbed truck. Participants will also bring
"reconstructed vessels for the Third Temple, a
priest in the original garments, and Levites who
will play music," recreating historical temple
activities.
- According to a statement by the Temple Mount
Faithful, "The event has the approval of the
Israeli authorities and will be protected by the
Israel security forces."
- Source:WorldNetDaily - Julie Foster
(Story no longer online)
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Gershon Salomon (left) and Ron Graff during our recent trip to Israel. Gershon is highly respected by devout Jews in Israel and is taken seriously by all. He is a man of great faith. He believes this is the time for the establishment of Messiah's Temple. He is not a Christian, but has many Christian friends. He understands our belief that Antichrist will defile the next Temple, but he does not hold that view himself.
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Four shot dead in Jerusalem
Barak agrees to twin Jerusalem capitals
- Sept 29, 2000 - See these summaries of rioting on the Temple Mount and possible division of Jerusalem in our Israel section.
Israel says UN should take over Temple Mount
- Sept. 26, 2000 - Israeli acting foreign minister, Shlomo Ben Ami, is meeting in Cairo witht Egypt's president, Hosni Mubarak. They are discussing a new twist on the dilemma of the Temple Mount.
- The government of Israel is strenuously promoting an idea once unthinkable: entrusting Judaism's holiest site to United Nations control.
- Source: Guardian Unlimited
Israel presses for UN role on Temple Mount
- Sept. 22, 2000 - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak favors an initiative
to hand sovereignty on the Temple Mount to permanent members of the UN Security Council. The idea was proposed by governments of the United States and Egypt as an effort to break through to a final status agreement with the Palestinians. Barak has asked the French President to participate in this effort because he is current president of the European Union and a permanent member of the Security Council. It is also thought that he would be taken seriously by Palestinians because he does not have a history of favoring Israel.
- Source: Ha'Aretz (Story no longer online)
'Jerusalem should be a unified world capital'
- Sept. 6, 2000 - Ahmed Qureia, who is speaker of the Palestinian parliament told the European parliament:
- "Unless we can reach an agreement on Jerusalem, I have to declare that both parts of Jerusalem east and west should be a unified international Jerusalem ... not just the capital of Israel or Palestine, but a capital of the world. "
- Source: The Guardian
Rabbis meet to ponder synagogue for Mount
- Sept. 3, 2000 - The Chief Rabbinate has appointed a committee of rabbis to explore the possibilities of building a synagogue on the Temple Mount. The committee of rabbis, from different religious traditions, will meet tomorrow for the first time. They hope to make recommendations on "all ways of manifesting our sovereignty and rights on the Temple Mount."
- Source: Ha'Aretz (Story no longer online)
Olmert backs 'divine rule' for Temple Mount
- Aug. 31, 2000 - Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert supports the concept of declaring the Temple Mount an area which is under "divine sovereignty." His idea would not really give up Israeli sovreignty, but would keep the present arrangement.
- ... means there is complete security control over the Temple Mount by Israel, and at the same time complete access for Moslems at the holy places of Islam."
- Source:Jerusalem Post (Story no longer online)
U.S. proposes four sections of control forTemple Mount
- Aug. 30, 2000 -Amid feverish activity to salvage the peace process before Clinton leaves office, the U.S. is proposing a compromise for control of the Temple Mount area.
- The four
sections would be: Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock
shrine; the Temple Mount plaza; the external wall; and the
subterranean spaces.
- Source:Ha'Aretz (Story no longer online)
Faithful to the bitter end?
- Aug. 23, 2000 - This article by Michael S. Arnold explains the position of The Temple Mount Faithful and its founder, Gershon Salomon. It traces the history of the Temple Mount and explains the present situation.
- Source: Jerusalem Post (Story no longer online)
Moslems establish another mosque on the Temple Site
- July 20, 1999 - The Moslem authority which controls the Temple Mount area in Jerusalem has established another mosque of about 10,000 square feet. According to Israel Wire, this was done without archaeological studies or permits.
- The destruction of walls, ancient ruins, removal of artifacts and the entire project was accomplished without any supervision of officials of the Israel Antiquities Society, a move which experts now admit may have disturbed or destroyed some of the most important archeological finds in the capital.
- Source: Israel Wire (Story no longer online)
Ancient Masonry Unearthed
- June 24, 1999 - The Largest Stone Factory Ever Discovered in Israel
- Last week, a bulldozer fell into a hole while clearing a road near the Old City of Jerusalem, revealing a series of caverns used at the time of Christ to make Temple vessels from stone. The caverns are full of broken fragments, but do contain some unfinished work which was probably quickly abandoned at the time the Romans captured the Temple in 70 A.D. Source: ABC News (Story no longer online)
Searching For The Treasures Of The Bible
- June, 1999 - Popular Mechanics
- A modern search for biblical treasures, including artifacts which would help restore the Temple, and directions to the hidden Ark of The Covenant are described in this unusual source.
(Story no longer online)
Damage To Temple Mount "Under Discussion"
- May 27, 1999 - Moslems are
reportedly building a fourth mosque on the Temple Mount, and making other permanent changes. They have apparently done excavation under the Temple Mount, causing damage to the ancient Temple pillars and halls, accidentally causing water to flow.
- ...The Arabs are very concerned about the water, which they believe portends well for
the Jews, and have brought in special pumps and mounds of sand to deal with the "problem."
- Source: Harpazo (Story no longer online)
Temple Mount Faithful Will Try To Lay Cornerstone of Third Temple
- Sept, 1998 - The Temple Mount Faithful will try once again to gain access to the Temple Mount on Sukkoth (Feast of Tabernacles), Oct. 7, 1998, to place the cornerstone of the Temple which they believe will be rebuilt soon.
- Source: Temple Mount Faithful (Story no longer online)
- See also: Temple Mount Faithful
- And: Feasts of Israel
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Ark Of The Covenant Buried In West Bank?
- Sept.. 9, 1998 - News Report From Jerusalem says that "Michael Sanders, a British-born publisher of classical university texts,believes the sacred golden Ark was
buried after a raid on Solomon's Temple in the 10th century BC by one of the Egyptian kings. "
- Sanders claims to have studied new satellite images and various documents, including those in the British Museum, to identify an Egyptian Temple buried in the Judean Hills in an area now used as a Hamas training camp. He hopes to lead an expedition to the site.
- Source: Harpazo (Story no longer online)
- See Where Is The Ark?
Children Wanted for the Future Temple Service
- Mar. 2, 1998 - The Movememt for Establishing the Temple is asking parents from the Jewish priestly family to allow their newborn child to be raised in an isolated compound where there is no possibility of contact with the dead. Such a child, raised at least to the age of 13 would then be ritually prepared to sacrifice the red heifer in a ritual of purification which must be done in order to dedicate a future rebuilt temple. (Source: Weekend News Today)
Red Heifer Born - Opens Way For Third Temple
-
According to London's Sunday Telegraph of March 16, 1997, a team of rabbinical experts have confirmed the birth of a red heifer. Such an animal is necessary for purification of the temple site according to Numbers 19:2-7. (Story no longer online)
Preparing For A Third Jewish Temple - Edited by Lambert Dolphin
This extensive article will really help you understand how important, and possibly how near the establishment of the Temple is.
Government Never Forbade Temple Mount Prayer
March 2, 1997 information quotes Menachem Begin that the original ban against Jews on the Temple Mount was only meant to be temporary.
Temple Mount Feast
February 23, 1997. Nearly 1,000 people participated in a unique dinner Monday night in honor of the Jerusalem Temple and Jewish presence on the Temple Mount.
Will the Temple be built north of the existing Dome of The Rock?
Lambert Dolphin's scholarly article "Visiting the Temple Mount" mentions the possibility that Ashur Kauffman's research shows the Temple of Christ's time was located between two gates north of the present shrine. This view would locate the Holy of Holies near the "Dome of the Tablets." See Biblical Archaeology Review, March/April, 1983, p. 45. Dolphin's article, revised in April, 1996 includes a good picture of The Dome of The Rock and the Golden Gate.
Will the Temple be built south of the existing Dome of The Rock?
Chuck Missler leans toward this view which is taught by Tuvia Sagiv. It is supported by aerial infrared photography. From April, 1995 Personal Update.
Considering three views
Article by Lambert Dolphin and Michael Kollen called "On The Location of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem" with excellent pictures and drawings.Updated, July 20, 1996.
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