by Irvin Baxter
This guy makes so much sense! David agreed. But I still want to know where all this ends up.
Cornell continued to speak. “Shortly after Israel builds her Third Temple, a time of Great Tribulation will begin. This Great Tribulation will last for three and one-half years. People will be forced to pledge allegiance to the New World Order and its leader, a man the Bible calls the antichrist. Anyone who refuses to pledge allegiance to the antichrist and his one-world system will be forbidden access to the economy. The Book of Revelation, chapter 13, tells us that they will not be permitted to buy or sell.”
“So that’s how the ‘mark of the beast’ that I’ve heard about all of my life will work,” David commented to himself.
“After the three and one-half years of Great Tribulation, the World Community will decide to invade Israel to settle the status of Jerusalem, once and for all,” Cornell explained. “This will result in the Battle of Armageddon. I’m sure all of you have heard of that battle.” The audience listened soberly.
As David and Sharon drove home that night, they discussed all the things that Roger Cornell had taught. “David, what do you think of what he said?” Sharon finally asked.
“The prophecy about the war that would kill one-third of the human race blew me away!” David answered. “I couldn’t believe that was in the Bible!”
“You know, David, experiencing this war and then hearing this prophecy lecture tonight is causing me to rethink my priorities,” Sharon stated soberly.
“I know exactly how you feel,” David agreed. “We’ve got some changes to make in our lives, don’t we?” He squeezed Sharon’s hand tightly. David had never felt so right about the direction in which their lives were headed as he did right now.
Chapter 8
Right before the Chinese-American War began, the Middle East peace process had ground to a halt. Arafat’s rejection of the generous offer of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak had convinced the people of Israel that a peace agreement with the Palestinians was just not possible at the present time. Her only hope for security, Israel felt, was to uni-laterally declare separation from the Palestinians.
Most of the international community had been surprised when Barak offered to surrender parts of Jerusalem and sovereignty over the Temple Mount. They had been even more surprised when Arafat turned the deal down. Consequently, Israel’s plan for unilateral separation enjoyed considerable international support.
Israel also knew how much latent anti-Semitism existed in the World Community. Her leaders, therefore, decided to draw the lines of separation as reasonably as possible. Furthermore, Israel secretly consulted with Michael Arachev concerning the fairness of her plan. The Israelis held Michael Arachev in high regard since he had helped seven hundred thousand Russian Jews to immigrate to Israel. They had even given him their most prestigious peace prize for his actions. To their delight, Arachev diplomatically conveyed the impression that he would be willing to give the plan his tacit approval.
When Israel’s leaders made the announcement that they would impose separation between the Palestinians and Israelis, the outcry from the Arab world was loud and predictable. However, Israel, for the most part, modeled her solution after the “almost” agreement that had been negotiated at Camp David back in July of 2000. This was the agreement that most of the World Community felt Arafat should have accepted.
The Palestinians would have their state, of course. It was only right. Most of the territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War would be returned to Palestinian control. Israeli settlers living in those territories that were returned would be compensated financially if they chose to resettle in Israel proper. If they chose to remain in the West Bank, they would submit themselves to Palestinian government and laws.
The Palestinians’ capital would be in the small suburb of East Jerusalem called Abu Dis. They accepted this solution temporarily, while at the same time protesting that there would never be total peace until all of East Jerusalem was returned to Arab control.
Israel would retain control of the Temple Mount, while allowing the two Muslim holy places located there to be administered by Muslim clerics. Israel’s unilateral separation plan even provided for a corridor connecting Palestinian-controlled territory to the two mosques. This eliminated the continual friction generated by the border checks that Palestinians despised so much.
Then came the astounding announcement: Israel would build her long-desired Third Temple. It would be built in the open area north of the Dome of the Rock. The right-wing faction in Israel railed against the agreement that left the two “pagan shrines” on the Temple Mount, but the liberals convinced the people that the time for a solution, imposed as it was, had finally arrived. Besides this, the word that Arachev had given the plan his stamp of approval led Israelis to believe that this solution would enjoy the support of the international community.
Even while the conservatives tried to marshal opposition to the separation plan, the lure of building the Third Temple after two thousand years seemed to take all the steam out of their resistance. The Israeli government knew that without the U.S. veto, which had recently been abolished, Israel had no choice but to take what she could get. Arachev’s support for the plan was key.
It did not take long for the Mideast separation plan to be implemented. The only problems encountered came from the West Bank settlers who didn’t want to leave their settlements. But they didn’t want to live under Palestinian authority, either. When they protested that God had promised this land to their father Abraham, Arachev rebuked them in no uncertain terms. “That kind of thinking has gotten you nothing but war for the past one hundred years. The time has come for peace.” Many of the Israelis were actually glad to see someone put the settlers in their place. They had stood in the way of a solution for too long already.
Following the plan’s implementation, a time of peace and safety descended over the land of Israel. There were no bombings, no shelling from the north, not even any stone throwing. The Palestinians were busy establishing their capital in Abu Dis, and Israel was moving into high gear to construct its temple. Enthusiasm was so high that it was hard to complain about anything.
Most people agreed on one thing, even if they could not agree on anything else: Michael Arachev was supplying the leadership that this world had needed for a long, long time.
Chapter 9
From early childhood, Moshe Ben-Eliezer had dreamed of someday being part of the rebuilding of the Jewish temple and the restoration of the kingdom of Israel. He had sat for hours on the Mount of Olives gazing at the Temple Mount. Most people agreed that the Dome of the Rock, which dominated the Temple Mount, was beautiful indeed. The highly polished gold dome sat atop octagon-shaped walls that were exquisitely covered with intricate blue-tiled mosaics. When the sun hit the golden dome, the Muslim shrine became the crown jewel of Jerusalem, whose panoramic view provided the backdrop for this breath-taking scene. The charcoal-colored dome of the Al Aqsa mosque, situated on the south end of the 35-acre Temple Mount, paled into insignificance beside the beauty of the Dome of the Rock.
But what was beautiful to most of the world was like an ugly scar across the face of a beautiful woman to Moshe. He boiled with anger when he looked at the two Muslim holy places. There were days when he would close his eyes and envision the Temple Mount with the pagan places of worship replaced by Israel’s Third Temple standing majestically in the center. Many times he had wept uncontrollably at the blasphemy of pagan shrines occupying the place where the God of Israel had said He would place His name. But, year after year, the problem remained.
Finally, the breakthrough had come. Through the intervention of Michael Arachev, it had been determined that the land and the Holy City had to be shared. The diplomatic milestone that electrified the world was the announcement that a plan had been formulated to share even the Temple Mount.
Moshe didn’t feel altogether comfortable about the final arrangement, but perhaps it was the best that cou
ld be obtained given the present political climate in the World Community. He had always believed Israel’s temple should stand exactly over the huge rock that was the highest point on the holy mountain. But the beautiful Dome of the Rock shrine was there.
He had to admit that there was disagreement, even in the Israeli camp, over the proper location for the Third Temple. There were those who adamantly contended that the Dome of the Rock had to come down; but, of course, this was not politically feasible. On the other hand, Hebrew Professor Yosef Eddlestein forcefully contended that the First and Second Temples were built to the north of the Dome of the Rock and that the Holy of Holies was located exactly where the small cupola marked the Dome of the Spirits. The professor never tired of explaining that building the Third Temple just north of the Dome of the Rock would leave the Dome of the Rock in the area known in the Bible as the Outer Court or the Court of the Gentiles. Eddlestein argued that, since this area was known as the Court of the Gentiles, it would be possible to leave the gold-domed Arab shrine undisturbed, allowing the Muslims to continue worshiping there.
In his heart Moshe had always felt that the temple should replace the Dome. However, he had to admit that no one knew for certain where the original temple site was. Some said this, and some said that. Perhaps it was enough that the temple was going to be built after two thousand years of nonexistence. Still, the thought of the two pagan shrines remaining permanently on the Temple Mount filled him with revulsion. He sighed. Ultimately, it was in God’s hands.
Shoving all of these conflicting emotions aside, Moshe returned to the reality at hand. After all, this was a great moment! For two thousand years the Jewish people had been without a homeland. For two thousand years, Israel had worshiped without a temple. But just in his lifetime, the nation had been reborn and Jerusalem recaptured.
And now, to think that the time had come to place the cornerstone that would launch the construction of the Third Temple! What more could he want? On the spot, Moshe decided to place his trust in God concerning all the things he did not understand and to relish the historic events that he himself was privileged to participate in.
Several years earlier, Moshe had personally roamed the Negev Desert in southern Israel for days, along with his friend Omri, looking for the perfect stone that would serve as the cornerstone of the Third Temple. The rugged terrain was literally filled with stones of all shapes and sizes. But not just any stone would do. This stone was to serve as the focal point for construction of Israel’s first temple in two thousand years!
Early one Tuesday morning, they came upon a great rock slide. There in the midst of the rubble lay a beautiful, solid marble stone that was just perfect for the beginning of God’s house. The white stone was five feet long, two and a half feet wide and deep, and weighed approximately four thousand pounds.
Moshe flipped open his cell phone and called the wrecker service with whom he had made previous arrangements—just in case his search was successful. When the wrecker arrived, cables were slid under the new cornerstone by digging grooves in the sand. Once the cables were securely fastened, the wrecker’s wench slowly hoisted the stone into the air. Moshe beamed with satisfaction as the stone was then lowered onto the bed of the truck that he had rented. Then, riding with the wrecker’s operator, Omri and Moshe headed for Jerusalem.
Moshe and Omri decided it was time to take a huge leap of faith. They would actually begin the construction of the Third Temple by placing the cornerstone on the Temple Mount. God would have to do the rest. It seemed like a totally unrealistic act to the skeptics. But wasn’t the God of Israel a God of miracles? The books of the prophets were replete with miraculous accounts of little steps of faith resulting in great victories for the nation of Israel. God could do it again!
As the truck slowly made its way through the streets of Jerusalem, the huge stone attracted curious glances from passers-by. When Moshe saw Rahman Husseini’s long, hard stare, he knew there would be trouble. Husseini had been the leader of the Arab opposition to any Jewish presence or activity whatsoever on the Temple Mount. Moshe was almost sure Husseini had recognized him riding in the passenger seat of the truck. “We’d better hurry,” Moshe said to his driver.
Sympathizers to their cause had already paved the way for access to the Temple Mount area. As they approached the final ascent to the Mount itself, Moshe noticed a gathering crowd. Leading the crowd was Rahman Husseini. Moshe frowned. Just then the mob closed, blocking further progress. The truck ground to a halt, the cornerstone still strapped in place. Within minutes, arguments and shoving broke out as Jewish sympathizers attempted to clear the way for Moshe and his cornerstone. Moshe knew this scene could turn ugly real quick, but he had total faith that God was with them.
Others were not so sure. Realizing there was going to be trouble, someone called the police. When the forces arrived, stones began to be hurled this way and that. Soon, total chaos had erupted.
By the time order was finally restored, 17 Arabs were dead and many Arabs and Jews wounded. The bloody scene occupied the front pages of newspapers around the world, and debate concerning Israel’s handling of the riot dominated the proceedings in the halls of the United Nations.
As a result of all the trouble he had caused, Moshe Ben-Eliezer was banned from setting foot on the Temple Mount. So he placed his cornerstone just outside the Temple Mount wall in anticipation of the day it could be installed and temple construction begun.
Now that day was just around the corner!
Chapter 10
In Moshe’s mind, recent developments just had to be the divine providence of God! Two major obstacles had stood in the way of Israel’s building her Third Temple. The first one was the political conflict with the Muslims over possession of the Temple Mount. It now seemed to be resolved, though not really to his liking.
The other obstacle was the state of spiritual impurity in which the nation of Israel found herself. The Torah forbade Jews who are in a state of ritual impurity, resulting from having come in contact with a dead body, from going onto the temple site. As far as anyone in Israel knew, every Jew was in a state of impurity! Consequently, Jews could not even visit the temple site, let alone build their Third Temple there.
The only atonement for ritual impurity was for the ashes of a three-year-old red heifer to be mingled with water. According to Numbers 19, any Jew who washed in this mixture was cleansed from being spiritually impure. Herein lay the problem. For many years religious Jews had been attempting to find a totally red heifer that could meet all the necessary qualifications. Until three years ago, their search had been fruitless.
When the news had come to Moshe three years earlier of the birth of a completely red heifer on a religious farm in northern Israel, his heart had leaped for joy. It was even more incredible that the red heifer, which they named Melody, had been born to a black and white Holstein mother. Many believed it was nothing short of a miracle!
Moshe had already believed that he would see the temple rebuilt and the appearance of Israel’s Messiah. But the sudden birth of a red heifer on Israeli soil, the first in two thousand years as far as anyone knew, sent his faith skyrocketing! Moshe was flooded with disappointment a few months later when the rabbis ruled that the heifer was not acceptable because of a few white hairs in her tail. Yet he was certain God would supply the needed red heifer when the right time came.
Several different projects continued to work toward producing the required red heifer. Moshe kept his ear tuned for any news that might indicate one of the projects had met with success. Just recently, the desired heifer had appeared on a small farm in Israel. When Moshe heard the news, he knew that the time to rebuild the temple was at hand. Just the thought of the momentous events ahead sent Moshe’s heart rejoicing! This time news concerning the heifer was kept quiet, since all the publicity surrounding Melody had only led to disappointment and, from some quarters, ridicule.
It was amazing that the same year the heifer turned three years of age,
Israel’s separation plan cleared the way for the building of the Third Temple. Could this be coincidence? Moshe didn’t think so.
The day for the offering of the red heifer had arrived, and Moshe was filled with anticipation. It would be the first legitimate offering of a sacrifice for Israel since the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 A.D.! He arrived early at the Mount of Olives, where the red heifer was to be killed. The sacred mount was already teeming with rabbis in their black garments and with ordinary Israelis who had turned out to witness this genuinely historic occasion.
People were standing in groups, talking animatedly concerning the ancient act they were about to witness. “Will this trigger the appearance of our Messiah?” one asked. “Could He even manifest Himself today?”
“I don’t think Messiah will appear until after the temple is completed,” another speculated. And so the conversations went.
Moshe rolled all of these things over in his mind as he walked along. He had always believed that Messiah would appear once the Third Temple was completed. That was the reason he had been so driven to do his part in the construction of the temple. He couldn’t wait to see how it all played out!
At the appointed time, the procession began in the Kidron Valley at the bottom of the Mount of Olives. Moshe and everyone else jockeyed for position in order to obtain a better view of the ceremony. As the attending priests made their way slowly up the hill, the musical instruments played and the Levites sang. All the participants had been carefully trained to carry out their particular responsibilities. The red heifer was led along behind by two strong young priests. Moshe could barely contain his tears. It was certainly a defining moment in Israel’s history!
The revered 12th Century Jewish teacher Maimonides had stated that, during the time of Israel’s tenth red heifer, the Messiah would be revealed. There had been nine red heifers in Israel’s history until now. Today’s would be the tenth. Most of those present had no doubt that they were witnessing the ushering in of the messianic era!
