�� Building the Temple: Militant American Christians are raising
millions of dollars to aid the Israeli Jews to destroy a shrine
sacred to a billion Muslims, and to build on the site a great Jewish
temple, which they call the "Third Temple." An Israeli guide claims
that the building materials are ready, that they are preparing the
linen to dress the temple priests and young men are being taught how
to make animal sacrifice. (Grace Halsell in The Link)
�� When God called Israel out of Egypt, He instructed them to make a
portable tabernacle, to house the ark of the covenant, with its
mercy-seat to receive the sacrificial blood of the atonement. (Ex.
25:8) About 400 years later, King David complained that while he
lived in a house of cedar God dwelt in a tent (1 Chr. 17:1), not
realizing that the tabernacle was only A TYPE OR SHADOW OF THE TRUE
TEMPLE that was to come. But David had blood on his hands, and had
to leave it to his son Solomon to build the temple (1 Kings 6-8),
which became the pride of Israel, until its destruction by
Nebuchadnezzar in 587 B.C.
�� When the Babylonian captivity of 70 years ended, the people
restored the temple, but not to its original splendor. It was King
Herod, using 1000 specially trained priests as masons, who
completely rebuilt the temple, twice its original size. This work
took 44 years (Ency. of Jewish Religion, Holt Rinhart & Winston)
�� It was this temple of which Jesus said, "There will not be one
stone left upon another," (Matt. 24:2) in the day of the Jews
judgment, which took place in 70 A.D. and again in 135 A.D. Since
that day there has been no order of sacrifice and worship like that
prescribed by Moses in the Old Covenant {Old Testament} - no annual
sacrifice, no high preist, and no blood on the mercy-seat to atone
for the nation's sins - for the nation of the Israelites had ceased
to exist as such.
�� THE NATION NOW CALLED ISRAEL HAS NO RELATIONSHIP TO THE BIBLICAL
ISRAEL OF THE 12 TRIBES. The Jews who established modern Israel
were/are not Semites, but descendants of the Khazars, who converted
to a form of Judaism, (based upon the Talmud, not the Bible), in the
8th century, long after the Roman destruction of the second temple
in 70 A.D. These were not Jews "returning to their home land," but
secular humanists, socialists and communists whose ancestors HAD
NEVER BEEN IN THE LAND OF PALESTINE. "They have no more claim to
Jerusalem and Palestine than do Irish Catholics have claim to
Vatican citizenship just because they profess the faith of Vatican
City." (James Warner in Christian Defense League Report, Dec. 1992)
�� Willfully ignorant of these facts, many Christians are promoting
the effort to "rebuild the temple," thinking this will fulfill
prophecy and hasten the return of Christ. Some hold that the temple
will then be occupied by the anti-Christ. Classic premillennialism
holds that the Jewish economy will be reinstated (in the
"millennium"), including animal sacrifices.