Has God Replaced His Chosen People, Israel? Are God’s promises to Israel still in effect?

On January 16, 2026January 16, 2026 By learnbiblicalIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Today, The Bible & You

Today’s Front Page

The Nation’s Christian Newspaper

September 2025

Has God Replaced His Chosen People,

Israel?

Are God’s promises to Israel

still in effect?

Does God have a plan for the nation of Israel in the end days?

Of course. We are told in Numbers 24:14, “Now, behold, I go unto my people: come therefore, and I will advertise thee what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days.”

The apostle Paul brings us this same question in the New Testament book of Romans 11:1-2, 25-27 “I say then, Has God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away his people, which he foreknew. Know you not what the scripture says of Elias? How he makes intercession to God against Israel saying … For I would not, brethren that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so, all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, “There shall come out of Scion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.“

Israel was blinded to the two comings of our Lord Jesus to earth. The two comings of the Messiah serve as a framework for understanding divine intervention in human history, emphasizing hope and the promise of salvation. Israel failed to see their Messiah come as a suffering servant, as is pictured in a very graphic way in Isaiah 53, where the Messiah was to become the Lamb of God who would die for the sins of the people. Being under the rule of Rome, the Jews wanted a Deliverer like Moses, not someone who would die on a Cross.

Regarding the time of the Second Coming of the Messiah Jesus, we read in Hosea 5:15-6:3, “I will go and return to My place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek My face: in their affliction they will seek Me early. (They shall say) Come and let us return unto the Lord; for He has torn, and He will heal us; He has smitten, and He will bind us up. After two days will He revive us; in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight…”.

Some understand this verse to say that the phrase after two days, refers to two thousand years of the dispensation of the mystery mentioned in Romans 11:25, when Israel will be revived, after being in exile for this period since Titus destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD.

Does the Scripture give credence to those who believe a timeframe may be calculated for prophetic events such as the Rapture of the Church or the Rebirth and Restoration of Israel to true faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?

The prophet Daniel calculated the length of the Babylonian Captivity from Jeremiah’s prophecy. “In the first year of his reign, I Daniel, understood by books the number of the years, whereof the Word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem” (Daniel 9:2). Most Bible centered teachers believe that such evidence has been available to the Church, through the prophecies of Hosea, to give us a credible time frame for the momentous events of prophecy that will close out this Church Age. “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your Redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28).

The Bible is about two-thirds prophecy, and God certainly wants us to have an understanding of prophecy. It is written, “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter” (Proverbs 25:2). As Daniel wrote in Daniel 12:4, “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.“ Many passages of prophecy would be sealed until the time of the end, which time we believe we are now living in.

It is only the Blessed Paraklete Himself (the Holy Spirit) that can remove the scales from our eyes to make plain the meaning He intended when He inspired the writing of the prophecies. “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all Truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you Things To Come” (John 16:13). Much of what the Old Testament prophets composed by the Spirit’s inspiration, was not understood by the prophets themselves, though they faithfully recorded Jehovah’s message. “Of which Salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the Gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from Heaven; which things the angels desire to look into” (1st Peter 1:10-12).

God gives us a huge view into the future of the chosen nation, Israel, and its restoration in the latter days. God spoke through his prophet Hosea in 808 BC. “After two days will He revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight” (Hosea 6:2). Hosea’s prophecy occurred during the days of Northern Israel, before the successive invasions of the Assyrians as we read in “And the LORD said unto him. Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel. And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel” (Hosea 1:4-5). Though much of prophesy has a dual meaning, a “contemporary-to-them-but-historic-to-us” significance, some passages were difficult to interpret under any contemporary, historic, future, or prophetic scenario. “Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for He hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up. After two days will He revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: HIs going forth is prepared as the morning: and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the Earth” (Hosea 6:1-3).

In John Gill’s commentary, “An Exposition of the Old and New Testament” (1809), he offers this short explanation of the cryptic second verse of Hosea’s sixth chapter — “After two days will He revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in HIs sight” (Hosea 6:2) — Gill comments:

“But the Targum comes nearer the truth, which paraphrases the words thus, ‘he will quicken us in the days of consolation which as to come, and in the day of the resurrection of the dead he will raise us up; where by days of consolation are meant the days of the Messiah, with which the Jews generally connect the resurrection of the dead; and if we understand them of the last days of the Messiah, it is not much amiss; for the words of respect the quickening and raising up of the Jews in the latter days, the times of Christ’s spiritual coming and reign: and these two and three days may be expressive of a long and short time, as interpreters differently explain them; of a long time, as the third day is a long time for a man to lie dead, when there can be little or no hope of his reviving — ‘But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done’ (Luke 24:21) — or of a short time, for which two or three days is a common phrase; and both true in this case: it is a long time Israel and Judah have been in captivity, and there may seem little hope of their restoration;

But it will be a short time with the Lord, with whom a thousand years are as one day, and one day as a thousand years [‘But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the LORD as a thousand years as one day’ (2nd Peter 3:8)]: and this I take to be the sense of the words, that after the second Millennium, or the Lord’s two days, and at the beginning of the third, will be the time of their conversion and restoration, reckoning from the last destruction of them by the Romans [70 AD]; for not till then were Israel and Judah wholly in a state of death: many of Israel were mixed among those of Judah before the Babylonish captivity, and many returned with them from it; but, when destroyed by the Romans, there was an end of their civil and church state; which will both be revived on a better foundation at this period of time; but if this conjecture agreeable (for I only propose it as such), the sense may be taken thus, that in a short time after the repentance of Israel, and their conversion to the Lord, they will be brought into a very comfortable and happy state and condition, both with respect to things temporal and spiritual.”

Mr. Gill wrote this in 1809, many years before the Jews began their return to their promised land at the beginning of the 1900’s, which resulted in the declaration of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948.

Certainly, John Gill was not attempting to predict the timing of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, but many students of prophecy are certainly encouraged that their “Redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28), in light of Hosea’s ancient writings, fits Hosea’s prophecy. Why?

First, Daniel’s prophecy indicates a time of Tribulation (often called the Tribulation or the Seventieth Week of Daniel). “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy Holy City… and in the midst of the week [the Seventieth Week] he [the Antichrist] shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he [the Antichrist] shall make it desolate” (Daniel 9:24, 27).

Second, the departure of the watching and waiting Church before the beginning of the Tribulation week is held out to the saints as an inducement to remain faithful. “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

Third, the restoration of the Nation of Israel to true faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will occur suddenly in one day after the seven-year Tribulation Week, when Messiah Jesus returns “Shall the Earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children” (Isaiah 66:8). Israel was born in one day on May 14, 1948.

Fourth, the destruction of Jerusalem by the legions of Rome occurred in 70 AD. When did Rome burn the Temple? The Romanized Jewish historian, Josephus, witnessed the actual event. He recorded that it was burned on ‘exactly the same day it was burned by the Babylonians’. Jeremiah the Prophet gives the exact date of Nebuchadnezzar’s burning of the Jerusalem Temple. ‘Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, which served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem. And burned the house of the LORD, and the king’s house; and all the houses of the great men, burned he with fire’ (Jeremiah 52:12-13). It was destroyed by the Babylonians on the 10th day of the 5th month or Av 10. John Zachary in his book, ‘Scientific Evidence for the Second Coming of Christ’ on page 8, establishes Sunday, August 5, 70 AD (Julian) — also Av 10 as the correct date for the destruction of the 2nd Temple.

And finally, if we interpret Hosea’s “two days” (Hosea 6:2) as 2,000 years — “one day is with the LORD as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2nd Peter 3:8) — and since the Old Testament Jewish calendar is based upon a 360 day year, then “two days” (Hosea 6:2) — 2,000 years times 360 days equals 720,000 days — “after” (Hosea 6:2) the Av 10 Roman destruction of the Jewish Temple would be the period August 5th 70 AD (Julian) to November 17th 2041 AD (Gregorian).

What did Hosea’s prophecy say would occur after “two days” (Hosea 6:2)? “He will heal us… and He will bind us up” (Hosea 6:1). The future Conversion and Restoration of Israel would occur “after two days” (Hosea 6:2).

SOME THINK — (not John Barela) that based on some of their calculations, Israel could be (not WILL be) -restored for the Millennial Reign of the Messiah soon after November 17, 2041 AD (Gregorian). “In the third day [the thousand year Millennium] He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight” (Hosea 6:2). But, since the Restoration of Israel occurs at the the Second Coming of Christ, which follows the end of the Seventieth Week of Daniel, then about seven years prior, the Pre-Tribulation Rapture would take place. “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36). This additional calculation would mean that the Tribulation would begin on December 25th 2034 AD (Gregorian), which is 2,520 days or seven prophetic years before the end of the Tribulation Week.

Does this mean that December 25th, 2034 AD (Gregorian) is the date of the Pre-Tribulational Rapture? NO, NO, because it would be much more agreeable to be raptured now, instead of years later! “For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better” (Philippians 1:23).

Our Lord Jesus Can Come At Any Time: God himself knows the exact time when he will return, even though he wants us to live with the expectation that he can return at any time. That allows the Judge of All the Earth, as he is referred to in Genesis 18:25, to work his work of judgment at any time. “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of All Flesh: is there any thing too hard for Me?” (Jeremiah 32:27).

God gave us a wonderful story in the Bible when Hezekiah asked for and received a sign from the LORD that he would recover from his illness. Our Creator caused the “space-time continuum” to go back in time, i.e., God reversed the rotation of the Earth temporarily. “And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that He hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees? And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees. And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the LORD: and He brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz” (2nd Kings 20:9-11). The ability of the Alpha and Omega to touch the improbable is underappreciated. “With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible” (Mark 10:27). He is able to affect the timing of prophetic events, such that what things man calculated as impossible, God will bring to pass, for the honor of His prophetic Word. “So shall My Word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).

Why would the Almighty cause this prophecy to seemingly falter from the fulfillment of His end time prophetic goals? It is possible that the “falter” and confusion are for the benefit of:

(1) Satan, to keep him from unnecessarily understanding or interfering with Jehovah’s prophetic plans, i.e., “And his [Satan’s] tail drew the third part of the stars of Heaven, and did cast them to the Earth: and the dragon stood before the woman [Israel] which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her Child [Jesus] as soon as It was born. And she brought forth a Man Child, Who was to rule all nations with a Rod of Iron: and her Child was caught up unto God, and to His Throne” (Revelation 12:4-5),

(2) the scoffers, to harden them for ultimate judgment, i.e., “For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that He might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favor, but that He might destroy them, as the LORD commanded Moses” (Joshua 11:20), and

(3) the Saints, to cause them to develop faith, hope and love, even when our limited resources cannot fathom the sheer perfection of timing of the Father’s prophetic program, “As for God, His way is perfect: the Word of the LORD is tried: He is a Buckler to all those that trust in Him” (Psalm 18:30). “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our LORD” (Romans 8:37-39).

The impending deliverance through the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church, the subsequent Re-Birth and Restoration of the Nation of Israel to true faith in Jehovah, the Second Coming of the LORD Jesus Christ, and the Millennial Reign of the Messiah, are events of the greatest hope for our world, but all can be manipulated by the Almighty, with greater ease than a child plays with a toy, or than a potter forms his clay. “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear My Words. Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the Word of the LORD came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand so are ye in Mine hand, O house of Israel. At what instant shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; If it do evil in My sight, that it obey not My voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them” (Jeremiah 18:2-10).

Our prayer is: may the “LORD direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ” (2nd Thessalonians 3:5), that when He sovereignly chooses to execute His prophetic plans, we “may be found of Him in peace, without spot and blameless” (2nd Peter 3:14), with our “hand to the plough” (Luke 9:62).

Printed with permission of Today, the Bible & You located at P.O. Box 1722, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma 74013, Phone Number (918) 279-1136 the name of the original article in the September 2025 issue of Today’s Front Page was “Has God Replaced His Chosen People, Israel? Are God’s promises to Israel still in effect? Does God have a plan for the nation of Israel in the end days?” www.JohnBarela.com

How important is Prophecy in Scripture?

On April 19, 2025April 19, 2025 By learnbiblicalIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Today, The Bible & You

Today’s Front Page

The Nation’s Christian Newspaper

January 2025

How important is Prophecy in Scripture?

God established the importance of Prophecy in Scripture because the eternal Son of God IS the Spirit of Prophecy.

Most people are amazed to discover that the more than one-third of the Scriptures are prophetic for one good reason. Our Lord Jesus IS the Spirit of Prophecy.

“And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And He saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See you do it not: I am your fellow-servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.“ (Revelation 19:9-10)

The Bible is a book of prophecy. Over one third of its verses predict the future, with every fulfillment happening with one-percent accuracy down to the smallest details. The Old Testament contains forty-eight specific prophecies in the first coming of the Messiah who was to come as the promised Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. Our Lord Jesus declared time and again, “These were done that it might be fulfilled that which was written by the prophets.” Many have written about the staggering odds of only twenty of these prophecies being fulfilled in one person in one lifetime. Yet our Lord fulfilled more than two hundred prophecies at His first coming.

Revelation 19:10 makes a bold statement regarding the relationship between prophecy and Jesus Christ: “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (KJV). The book of Revelation is a book of prophecy given by our Lord Jesus to His servant John (Revelation 1:1). The term revelation refers to a revealing or the making known of something that was previously unknown. Revelation is like pulling back a veil to show what’s behind it or unwrapping a present to see what’s inside. God was constantly revealing the coming Lamb of God from the Book of Genesis to the last book of the Bible.

In the text of Revelation 19:9-10, God alone knows the end from the beginning and has seen the fall of the evil world system referred to as Babylon the Great. (Revelation 18). This is followed in Revelation 19 by the scene of a multitude in heaven celebrating and singing praise to God because of the judgment upon this evil system (Revelation 19:1-3) and because it is now time for the wedding supper of the Lamb where many of you will see John Barela who has had his sins washed in the blood of the Lamb and having received in Christ Jesus the Law of the Spirit of Life that is in Christ Jesus (Revelation 19:6-8). God reveals to us what we already know by having our sins forgiven and being born from above, “Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb!” (Revelation 19:9). At this proclamation, the apostle John falls to worship at the feet of of the angel who is communicating this prophecy, but the angel makes it clear to the apostle that he is to rise to his feet, for he is but “a fellow servant” — only God is to be worshipped. (Revelation 19:10; Colossians 2:18).

In response to John’s wrongful worship, the angel says, ” … See you do it not: I am your fellow-servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God…” (Revelation 19:10, KJV). Human beings are creatures of worship. They worship movie stars and sports heroes. This statement is a response to the apostle’s intention to worship the angel. We are commanded in Scripture to worship God alone. While God has made many beautiful things, such as angels, He is alone worthy of our praise (John 17:3; 1st Timothy 1:17; 1st Timothy 6:15; 1st Samuel 7:4).

1.) Our Lord Jesus is the substance of all prophecy, He is the common theme among all prophecy.

2.) All true prophecy bears witness about the eternal Lamb of God. Therefore, all prophecy should cause us to worship Him alone.

3.) The message or testimony given to us by our Creator, also known as the Word in John 1:1, is the essence of true prophecy. Our Lord Jesus is the Word, and no prophecy comes to us except through Him, ultimately pointing to God as the source of all true prophecy.

While the Messiah was here fulfilling the prophecies of His first coming to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 53, He prepared His disciples telling them about His future death and resurrection. In the Upper Room, the Savior again told them what was to happen so as to calm their troubled hearts concerning the news that He would soon leave them. His words on this occasion provide us with a key for understanding the purpose of Bible prophecy: “And now I have told you before it comes to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.” (John 14:29).

During that same evening, the Lord also promised HIs disciples, and us, that He would prepare a place for us in Heaven and take us to His “Father’s House” (John 14:1-3). The apostles later expounded upon this assurance by adding many details about it. They told us He would someday:

Resurrect the dead in Christ (1st Corinthians 15:47-55; 1st Thessalonians 4:16).
Transform living saints into the same immortal and resurrection bodies (1st Corinthians 15:51-55; Philippians 3:20-21; Romans 8:23-24; 1st John 3:1-3).
Catch living believers up to meet Him in the air (1st Thessalonians 4:17).
Take His Church to Heaven, to the place He’s preparing for us (John 14:2-3; Colossians 3:4).

Why did our Lord provide us with so many precious promises of our future? He did so to provide a means of mutual encouragement among believers (1st Thessalonians 4:18-5:11). While Paul was in Thessalonica, he emphasized future things, perhaps sensing that the Jews living there would persecute the new believers. Amid severe and painful opposition to their faith, the Thessalonian saints remained faithful as they held on to the hope of Jesus imminent appearing.

We need these encouraging words from our Lord Jesus as growing opposition to and persecution around the world for our faith — and for the first time, we are hearing daily warnings of a nuclear WWIII. The Spirit of Prophecy comforts us today in at least two ways.

First assures us of a glorious future after the end of this life. The pre-Tribulation Rapture is biblically sound and most definitely a very “blessed hope” (Titus 2:11-14) that fills us with joyous anticipation regardless of what we face in this life.

Second, it calms our hearts by assuring us that Scripture foretold about the last days. The Lord revealed these things long ago so that we might remain confident in our faith as everything falls apart around us. We recognize the buildup to the blasphemous kingdom of the beast and know that regardless of the wait, Jesus is coming for us in the near future.

If the antichrist is to control all the buying and selling in the world, we would expect to see the development of the means for this well ahead of the time he needs it. And that’s exactly what’s happening. The forces who are leading this movement are feverishly working on a cashless and digital payment system that will enable the coming beast to fulfill the words of Revelation 13:16-18.

The Bible tells us that the Tribulation will be a time of great lawlessness, deception and wickedness. Although these things have existed to some degree throughout history, they define the day in which we live like no other time. When asked about the end of the age, our Lord’s first words were, “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.” (Matthew 24:4). Each and every day, we witness deceit on a scale that was once far beyond my imagination. Many struggle to know what’s real and are thankful to our Lord for the words of Scripture that anchors our soul amid the storms of darkness.

It is times like these that we can cherish the Lord’s words from the Upper Room, “And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.” He realized it would be difficult to wait as we watch the Tribulation approach and wonder how much closer we can get to the Tribulation before it happens. Some believers even believe we are in the tribulation now. He knew we would need these things to keep our focus on His appearing.

Everything remains under the sovereign control and is unfolding precisely as he said it would in the days leading up to the Rapture. As we wait. remember His last words to His church: “He which testifies these things says, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:20).

Printed with permission of Today, The Bible & You located at P.O. Box 1722, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma 74013, Phone Number (918) 279-1136. The name of the original article in the January 2025 issue of Today’s Front Page was “How Important is Prophecy in Scripture? God established the importance of Prophecy in Scripture because the eternal Son of God IS the Spirit of Prophecy.” www.JohnBarela.com Continue reading “How important is Prophecy in Scripture?” →

Is God Summoning Russia and Iran to their 2,500-Year Appointment?

On July 8, 2024July 8, 2024 By learnbiblicalIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Today, The Bible & You

Today’s Front Page

The Nation’s Christian Newspaper

April 2024

Is God Summoning Russia and Iran to their

2,500-Year Appointment?

The Hebrew prophet Ezekiel wrote 2,500 years ago that in

the ‘last days’ of history, Russia and Iran would form a military

alliance to attack Israel from the north.

1.) B) David Jeremiah Blog -- Russia's Role in End-Times Prophecy -- Russian Soldiers Marching

Bible scholars refer to this eschatological conflict described in Ezekiel 38. Some Bible teachers were certain that the former Soviet Union would play a major role in last-day events. Identifying the communist behemoth with the Old Testament powers of Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38-39), they believed that it was going to attack Israel. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, that identification quietly fell away… until now.

2.) B) Breaking Defense --Russians Fire S-300 at Israeli jets for the first time

In the past week, Russia has attacked Israel for the first time shooting missiles at Israeli drones and missiles and sending Russian jets to destroy some of the incoming Israeli missiles, but not engaging the Israeli jets. Russia even brought some of the latest fighter jets that are capable of interacting with Israeli F-35 jets.

3.) B) YouTube -- War with Russia is Inevitable -- The Bible Says So -- Reading Ezekiel 38 verses 1-16

This will surely precipitate the Biblical scenario given to us by God in Ezekiel 38. God wants us to share two important things with those we can reach.

4.) A.) Knowing Jesus -- What Does Ezekiel 38 verse 16 Mean

1.) Ezekiel 38:16, “And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O God, before their eyes.”

5.) C) Dwelling in the Word -- Ezekiel 38 verse 23 with background of Mountains and a Winding River

2.) Ezekiel 38:23, “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.“

God wants His servants to share this with those around us “that the heathen may know me” and to bring this to pass, “I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.”

6.) A) The Archaeologist -- Origin of 'Kievan Rus, the Big

Ezekiel 30:1-23, “And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him.” [The words “chief prince is Rus, the ancient name for Russia. When I was in Russia, most of the Russian people knew exactly that this referred to modern-day Russia. It was founded by Kievan Rus, a Viking King. (862-1242) He established a medieval political federation located in modern-day Belarus, Ukraine and part of Russia (the latter name for the Rus, a Scandinavian people). The name Kievan Rus is a modern-day (19th century) designation but has the same meaning as ‘Land of the Rus,’

7.) D) Quora -- Kievan Rus -- Where Russia was born -- Was Ukraine a country before the Soviet Union

Kievan Rus, established the first eastern Slavic state, which is still called Kiev (the capital of Ukraine). The capital city of Ukraine is still called Kiev (Kyiv) today. It was founded by the Viking Oleg, ruler of Novgorod (one of the former capitals of Russia) from c. 879, who seized Smolensk and Kiev (882), which the capital of Kievan Rus. Extending his rule, Oleg united local Slavic and Finnish tribes, defeated the Khazars, and, in 911, arranged trade agreements with Constantinople. Kievan Rus peaked in the 10th and 11th centuries under Vladimir I and Yaroslav, becoming Eastern Europe’s chief political and cultural center. At Yaroslav’s death in 1054, his sons divided the empire into warring factions. The 13th-century Mongol conquest decisively ended its power.

8.) A) YouTube -- Russia in The Last Days -- Ezekiel 38 - 39

Ezekiel 38:4 “And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armor, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords.” Russia does not really want this war, but God Himself will put hooks into their jaws and bring them forth to fulfill God’s prophetic Word.

9.) I) Atlantic Council -- Russia is forming an alliance of pariah states in the Middle East

Other nations will join Russia in this war

against modern-day Israel

Ezekiel 38:5 “Persia [modern day Iran], Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shields and helmet. …the house of Togarmah of the north quarters [which refers to Turkey] and all his bands: and many people with thee.”

Many others will join them.

Mid.ru -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's meeting with a group of foreign ministers from Arab and Muslim countries

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with foreign ministers from members of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Moscow, Russia on November 21, 2023 (Reuters). Also, on February 26, 2024, Russia invited Hamas and all other Palestinian factions to Moscow, Palestinian Authority to develop a larger strategy.

11.) C) Robert Clifton Robinson -- Ezekiel 38 -- 39 Timeline For The Last Days -- Everything is Centered on Israel Map

When will this prophecy be fulfilled?

Ezekiel 38:8, “After many days you [Russia] shall be visited: in the latter years you shall come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.” The term “latter years” always refers to the time when Israel has returned to the land promised to them by God. This occurred after being in exile for more than 2,000 years, returned from more than 104 countries in the world, and speaking more than 70 different languages.

The Next Domino to fall soon after this initial interaction between Russia and Israel is provided to us in the next verse:

Ezekiel 38:9, “You shall ascend and come like a storm, you shall be like a cloud to cover the land, you and all thy bands, and many people with thee.” The term “You shall be like a cloud to cover the land,” refers to what paratroopers would look like.

12.) B) SlideShare -- When & Where Will This War Take Place -- Ezekiel 38 verses 8 and 16 12.) C) SlideShare -- Sign in Heaven -- The Coming War 12.) D) SlideShare -- What is the bait's and why of the Ezekiel Chapter 38 War

What are the leaders of this invasion group thinking?

God tell us in Ezekiel 38:10, “Thus saith the Lord God; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and you shall think an evil thought.” They are coming to seemingly take a treasure:

13.) B) The Times of Israel -- Giant Gas Field Eyes Foreign Waters 13.) C) Fox News -- Oil reserves discovered in Israel

Ezekiel 38:12 “To take a spoil, and to take a prey…” Israel has discovered many oil and gas wells in the Mediterranean Sea and around the Golan Heights. The mineral wealth of the Dead Sea has been estimated to be worth more than 4 times the wealth of the world.

Ezekiel 38:13 “… some shall say unto you, Are you come to take a spoil? Have you gathered your company to take prey? to carry away silver and god, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?”

14.) I) SlidePlayer --Ezekiel 39 verse 7 -- So I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people, Israel

This is what God wants us to do with this information — inform our friends and relatives what is about to come to pass — so that THEY MAY KNOW HIM.

Irp.cdn.website.com -- Ezekiel 39 verse 6 -- An unnamed nation will experience the judgment of God at the same time Russia is destroyed

Ezekiel 38:16 “And you [Russia, Iran, and others] shall come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.” God wants the entire world to know!!! How is God going to react to this invasion against Israel? He tells us…

16.) A) SlidePlayer -- God also pummels the Armies from above with torrents of rain, hail and sulfur falling from the sky

Ezekiel 38:18, “And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in my face. For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there 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 throughout 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.”

17.) I) Adam Maarschalk -- Why I Abandoned Replacement Theology -- Genesis 12 verse 3 -- I will Bless those who Bless you & 17.) K) Lambert Dolphins Place -- The Full Promised Land of Israel -- World War Three

Here is what God wants us to do with this information — SHARE IT — SHARE IT!

Ezekiel 38:23, “Thus will 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.”

17.) F) Logos Bible Software -- Jesus Wins -- The Good News of the End Times 14.) W.) Pastor Rick's Daily Hope -- Jeremiah 29 verse 11 (NCV) I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope

Even so, come Lord, Jesus!

Printed with permission of Today, The Bible & You located at P.O. Box 1722, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma 74013, Phone Number (918) 279-1136. the name of the original article in the April 2024 issue of Today’s Front Page was “Is God Summoning Russia and Iran to their 2,500-Year Appointment?” www.JohnBarela.com

Will the Dome of the Rock Mosque on the Temple Mount Soon be Destroyed?

On January 27, 2024January 27, 2024 By learnbiblicalIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Today, The Bible & You

Today’s Front Page

The Nation’s Christian Newspaper

December 2023

Will the Dome of the Rock Mosque

on the Temple Mount Soon be Destroyed?

Is it time for the Third Temple to be built?

Prophesy is at Hand!

1.) A.) DreamsTime -- Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem, Israel

If they do, it will fulfill the Biblical prophecy in Matthew 24:15….“When ye therefore shall see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ [Anti-Christ] spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place [Jewish Temple]…”

(In other words, the Jewish Temple MUST be built for it to be desecrated.)

2.) D.) Temple Institute -- The Temple Mount -- Temple Institute

The word, “holy place,” used in this Scripture above, is referencing the New Jewish Temple that will be rebuilt in Jerusalem in the near future. Today there is an institution that is devoted specifically to this cause, it is called, “The Temple Institute.” On my many visits to Israel, we have visited this Institute several times. They were founded in 1987 and are currently planning and developing the construction of the New Temple, which they claim that everything is ready and prepared. All they need is the go-ahead.

3.) A.) Free Grace International -- A New Temple in Jerusalem -- Bringing The Holy Temple to Life Every Day

In fact, the Temple Institute has currently restored over 60 different sacred temple vessels including the Priest’s breastplate, the crown of the priest, the shofar, musical instruments, the laver, the mizrak, and more. Even some of the most important vessels: the Menorah, the Incense Alter, the Golden Table of Showbread, and a mock-up of the “Ark of the Covenant.”

It is only a matter of time before this Temple gets built and fulfills the prophecy in Matthew! Be Ready! If a major earthquake destroys the Al-Aqsa Mosque, what should happen to the holy site?

4.) A.) NBC News -- Jerusalem's Old City at risk in Earthquake

NBC, in 2004, predicted that a major earthquake would hit the old city before 2054: https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna3980139

5.) A.) The Jerusalem Post -- When a major earthquake rippled through Jerusalem -- Israel News

Given that the infrastructure is old and crumbling due to excavations underneath the mosque, it is conceivable that the entire structure, if not the entire Mount, could collapse. The last major earthquake was in 1927 and caused extensive but reparable damage, next time that may not be the case. Such a collapse would be viewed with religious fervor by Jews and Christians as a possible sign of the arrival of the Messiah.

6.) D.) Israel's Prophesied Annihilation of the Palestinians by David Bay

We have a DVD, “Israel’s Prophesied Annihilation of the Palestinians” that tells the following possibility regarding the possible fulfillment of clearing Mt. Moriah to build the third Temple. Obadiah 15-18 — Set in End Times because verse 15 begins with the prophetic words, “For the Day of the Lord …”. God consistently uses these words to denote the End of the Age prophecies, and this is time is no exception.

“For the Day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your dealings will return upon your own head. For as you have drunk upon the mountain of My holiness [desecrating it in the wild revelry of the destroyers] so shall all the nations drink continually [in turn, of My wrath]; yes, they shall drink, talk foolishly, and swallow down [the full measure of punishment] and they shall be [destroyed] as though they had not been.” [Verses 15-16]

“But on Mount Zion [in Jerusalem] there shall be deliverance [for those who escape], and it shall be holy, and the house of Jacob shall possess its [own former] possessions. The house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, but the house Esau shall be stubble; they shall kindle and burn them and consume them, and there shall be no survivor of the house of Esau, for the Lord has spoken it.” [Verses 17-18; Emphasis added].

7.) A.) Reddit -- Greater Israel -- The land Jews were promised in the Bible and the Torah

The remaining three verses [19-21] tell in great detail how completely Israel will expand out to possess the land God had promised to Israel. This land includes Lebanon, part of Syria, two-thirds of Jordan [Moab and Edom provinces], and the Negev Desert. When Israel expands her borders following this war with the Palestinians, Egyptians, and Jordanians, she will not only win but will send her armed forces out to occupy all the land God had promised them.

8.) A.) But on Mount Zion there will be deliverance, and the house of Jacob will reclaim their possession -- A colorful Sunset picture and Scripture

But God will also bring about the purification of Mount Zion through this war. Notice in verse 17 that God says: “But on Mount Zion [in Jerusalem] there shall be deliverance [for those who escape], and it shall be holy.” The only way that Mount Zion [the Temple Mount] could be made holy in God’s sight is for the Muslim Dome of the Rock to be removed!

This is a very interesting concept, because the New World Order Plan to produce Antichrist calls for just such a destruction of the Dome of the Rock.

Since the most important pagan edifice on Mount Zion [Temple Mount] is the Muslim Dome of the Rock, then the question immediately coming to mind is, “Could the Arabs be planning to blow up the Dome and blame the Jews, to instantly unite all one billion Muslims in the world, in a Holy War against Israel?” When I read this CNN report, I immediately reached back to my bookcase to pull down the most important New World Order book that details how the Antichrist is going to deceive the world. In a matter of seconds, I had located the place in which the Dome of the Rock is mentioned.

9.) A.) Robert Clifton Robinson -- On the Foal of a Donkey is your Messiah

Note: “If the Messiah is to appear, then he must be produced. And producing the Messiah … is just as much a function of humanity as of Divinity … There are doubtless many Jews … who will be willing to regard him as their long-awaited Messiah. Some Muslims may take a similar view … it may be possible for the New David to ride into Jerusalem in all resplendent majesty. Note the word ‘ride’ … on a donkey as predicted in Zechariah 9:9 … it would seem advisable for the new Messiah to repeat it, donkey and all … The processional route will, of course, lie directly across the Kidron ravine, as close as possible to the Temple Mount … he must be duly enthroned and anointed with oil (in token of Psalm 45:5-7) amid the rubble of the Dome of the Rock …” [The Armageddon Script, page 233-335]

10.) A.) Yahweh's Restoration Ministry -- The Lost Temple Mount illustration

Antichrist will receive the recognition of being the Jewish Messiah as he is standing “amid the rubble of the Dome of the Rock!” Most interestingly, our search amongst the proganda of the Palestinians and Hamas [the terrorist organization supporting Arafat], turned up an unbelievable fact: Palestinian propagandists are already preparing their people for rhe blowing up of the Dome of the Rock! Time and time again, militant Palestinian organizations have warned that Israel is planning to blow up their beloved Aqsa (Dome of the Rock).

Therefore, the deed is not only prophesied in Obadiah, but it is now verified twice from Palestinians sources — Arafat on CNN on September 7, 2000, and now by the Palestinian propagandists. The Arabs will be God’s human agent by which God will fulfill His prophecy in Obadiah 17, that “On Mount Zion, there shall be deliverance … and it shall be holy“. The Arabs do not realize they are going to purge Mount Zion of the pagan Dome to make it holy; they think they are doing it because such an act would instantly unite all one billion Muslims in the world into such a frenzy that Israel cannot possibly survive the ensuring furious onslaught.

11.) A,) Studying Bible Prophecy -- WordPress.com Progress of The Third Temple -- Part One 31.) B.) Kehila News, Israel -- The Millennial Temple -- Literal or Allegorial (Part 4 of 4)

ISRAEL’S FUTURE THIRD

AND FOURTH TEMPLES

The Old Testament devotes considerable attention to describing the portable tent, or tabernacle, of the Jewish people built under the leadership of Moses. After the conquest of Canaan, the tabernacle and its contents remained at Shiloh throughout the time of Judges. After Shiloh was destroyed (about 1050 BC), the Ark traveled through various Philistine cities and finally was brought to David’s palace south of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, and then into the holy of holies of the First Temple dedicated by Solomon about 952 BC.

13.) B.) Templar Cross -- The Solomon's Temple -- First Temple of Jerusalem illustration

The First Temple geometrically resembled the Tabernacle through it was twice as large and built of immense quantities of stone, cedar wood, and lined with gold. [See Exodus 25-31; Exodus 35-40, Numbers 3:25 ff, Numbers 4: ff, also Philo (2nd Mos. 91) and Josephus (Ant. 3:122 ff). Moses built everything according to a pattern revealed to him on Mt. Sinai, Hebrews 8:5.]

After the First Temple was completed (1st Kings 5-8), the Tabernacle of Moses was dismantled. It may have been stored in a room under the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. There is some evidence that it may still lie there to this day.

14.) A.) HistoryVille -- How King Nebuchadnezzar Destroyed Jerusalem in 587 B.C. illustration

Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and the First Temple on the 9th of Av 586 BC, the Jews were then taken captive to Babylon and the city had no center of worship until Zerubbabel and the returning exiles built the Second Temple, completing it in 516 BC.

15.) C.) SlideShare -- Facts on the Second Temple -- Haggai the 10th prophet PowerPoint

The Second Temple, modest in comparison with its predecessor, was rebuilt and enlarged by Herod the Great beginning in 20 BC, Herod recruited 10,000 workmen and set them to the task commencing in the 17th year of this reign. Josephus gives vivid descriptions of the Second Temple and its environs and also records the terrible destruction by the Roman general Titus in 70 AD.

16.) C.) Quora -- Remodel of Herod the Great's Second Temple and surrounding City of Jerusalem illustration

1st Kings 6 ff, 1st Chronicles 22 ff. 3, Ezra, Nehemiah and Haggai describe the rebuilding of the temple after the Babylonian captivity. This is the so-called “Second Temple” which Herod the Great later greatly enlarged. Jesus was dedicated in the Second Temple, He cast out money changers there on two occasions, and He taught frequently in the temple courts.

17.) A.) The Spirit of Truth -- Jesus told His Disciples that Jerusalem and the Second Temple would be Destroyed illustration

During the 70-year captivity of the Jews in Babylon and again in the diaspora, just ending in the last century, the Jewish people have centered their worship of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in synagogues around the world. Since the terrible destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans in AD 70, temple sacrifices, offerings, instruction, and worship have ceased in accordance with an Old Testament prophecy of Hosea (about 746 BC):

“For the children of Israel shall abide many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, without ephod or teraphim. Afterward, the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and they shall come in fear to the LORD and to his goodness in the latter days.” (Hosea 3:4, 5)

18.) F.) Amazon.com -- When The Third Temple is Built The Rapture Play Will Begin

The regathering of the Jewish people to their homeland in our time (as predicted in Ezekiel 37) is being accompanied by a rapidly accelerating religious consciousness in Israel, the awakening of ancient longings and aspirations, and the rediscovery of many immutable promises God has made to the chosen seed of Abraham. The fact that a Third Temple is to be built can be shown from the Tanach. But three passages in the New Testament also refer to such a building not now in existence as of this writing in 1996 AD. Many Christians have thus speculated in recent years about when the Third Temple would be built. This is considered by many to be an important milestone pointing to the end of the age. Plus, since the Third Temple will be used by the Antichrist to declare he is God, those followers of the new world order are in full agreement with this plan.

19.) C.) The Israel Forever Foundation -- Six-Day War -- 67_borders_peace 19.) B.) The Meaningful Life Center -- 50th Anniversary of the Six-Day War -- It's Impact Today

The entire Temple Mount contains cisterns and passages most of which have been inaccessible since 70 AD. The Temple Mount proper was liberated from Jordanian control in the Six-Day War of 1967 but then returned by Israel to the custody of the Muslim Waqf (Jordan). The site is some 34 acres in extent with the prominent “Dome of the Rock” near the center and Al Aqsa mosque at the South end. Jews pray night and day at the Western Wall which is below the Temple Mount, along a section of the great retaining wall of the Mount, in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. The Western Wall is as close as Jews can get these days to the site of their ancient temples.

Dr. Asher Kaufman of Keough School of Global Affairs

Dr. Asher Kaufman formerly of the Racah Institute of Physics, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, for many years made careful studies on Mount Moriah leading him to believe the Temples of Solomon and Zerubbabel were both located just north of the Dome of the Rock on the paved platform area. The Holy of Holies is believed to have been approximately on the bedrock covered by a small shrine, the Dome of the Spirits. The Muslim stewards of the site have systematically destroyed or covered over all evidence that the site was once important to the Jews or Christians.

21.) A.) Archaeology and Jerusalem with Dr. Dan Bahat

Others, including Dan Bahat the Dean of Jerusalem archaeologists today, have argued persuasively that the First and Second Temples were most certainly located where the present Dome of the Rock shrine now stands. A third view is that of Architect Tuvia Sagiv who presents striking evidence that the Temple locaton was South of the Dome of the Rock, but North of Al Aqsa Mosque, under the present Muslim El Kas fountain.

22.) A.) You Tube -- Dialogue at the Temple Mount with Architect Tuvia Sagiv

The Temple Mount area is also the location of the birth of the Christian church at the feast of Pentecost which followed seven sabbaths plus one day after the death of Messiah. Neither Christians nor Jews are presently allowed to pray or worship on the site despite its historic importance to all of Abraham’s children.

23.) A.) Flickr -- Peter Paul Rubens -- The Meeting of Abraham and Melchizedek

To go back even further in time the Temple Mount has great historical importance to the Jews. Abraham met a priest of the true God named Melchidezek at Mount Moriah about 4000 years ago (Genesis 14, Hebrews 5-7). A few years later, Abraham offered his son as a sacrifice there (Genesis 22), and King David purchased the site from a local resident named Ornan (1st Chronicles 21), in about 1015 BC.

Muslim claims to the Temple Mount date only from 638 AD. The Crusaders turned the Muslim buidlings of the Mount into churches in 1099 until Saladin restored the Arab rule of Jerusalem in 1187 AD.

34.) B.) Reddit -- Paul's Speech on Mar's Hill in Athens -- A Bridge Between Faith and Philosophy illustration

The New Testament makes only brief references to temples, in fact, the Apostle Paul speaking to a crowd in Athens from Mars HIll said:

“The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of Heaven and Earth, does not live in shrines made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all men life, and breadth, and everything…” (Acts 17:24-25).

24.) G.) Knowing Jesus -- 82 Bible versese about Faith -- So Faith Comes from Hearing and Hearing by the Word of Christ

Instead, the emphasis of the New Covenant is the personal presence of Jesus as Messiah, Immanuel (which means “God with us”) dwelling within and in the midst of his people whenever and wherever they gather in his name.

25.) A.) Knowing Jesus -- The Disciples were first called Christians in Antioch -- Acts 11 verse 26

The New Testament opens with the four-gospel revelation of God’s Son, Jesus. John in his gospel says that God in Christ “tabernacled” among men. Later in the First Century, both Paul and Peter call the true church “living temple.” Individual believers are “living stones” and Christ is Himself the foundation stone or the “chief cornerstone.” For two thousand years of Biblical history the emphasis has been on assemblies or congregations of Christians or Jews, not on sacred buildings.

26.) B.) You Tube -- The Third Temple Coming Soon!

Yet there are at least three references in the New Testament to a temple building existing in Jerusalem in the future. From the context, these references appear to refer to a new, or “Third Temple” yet to be built in the city. There has been growing interest since the rebirth of Israel in 1948 among the Jews for a central place of worship in their capital city. Although synagogues have served admirably as centers of worship and community for the Jews in their dispersion, a temple in Jerusalem on the exact site of the Second Temple is required by the Jews as a central house of prayer and focal point of the faith until Messiah comes.

Our Lord Jesus spoke of the Third Temple building in Jerusalem when discussing with His disciples the chain of events that would bring the close of the present age and His return. He spoke of an event yet future predicted by Daniel the prophet when the temple in Jerusalem would suffer ultimate defilement by a false Messiah who claimed to be God:

27.) B.) The Messianic Prophecy Bible Project -- A man representing the Antichrist standing at a balcony looking out

“When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (whoso readeth, let him understand), Let them which be in Judea flee to the mountains; let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house; Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! Pray that your flight be not in winter or on a sabbath. For then there shall be great tribulation, such as was since the beginning of the world to this time, no, and nor ever shall be.” (Matthew 24:15-21)

26.) C.) Israel Today -- Third Temple Preparation are in Full Swing

Since only properly consecrated temple can be defiled, this passage implies a functioning, dedicated Third Temple and priesthood in existence in the end time at the time Jesus said He would return. The apostle Paul, writing a few years later, describes this same event:

27.) E.) Compelling Truth -- What Is The Meaning of The Abomination of Desolation

“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and by our gathering together unto Him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the Day of the Lord is at hand. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called god, showing himself that he is God.,” (2nd Thessalonians 2:1-4).

Emmanuel Macron has Roman Ancestry 28.) A.) Carl Joseph Ministries -- Antiochus IV Epiphanes -- Daniel Chapter 8

The coming false Jewish messiah, resembling his predecessor Antiochus Epiphanes (~175 BC), is the “worthless shepherd” spoken of by the prophet Zechariah — and the man Jesus spoke of when he said to the Jews, “I have come in my Father’s name and you would not receive me. Another will come in his own name, him you will receive.” (John 5:43) (See also Daniel 9:27, Revelation 13:18).

29.) A.) Spiritual Meditations -- John the Apostle of Love

Finally, the existence of the Third Temple in Jerusalem at the close of the age is confirmed by the aged apostle John when he recorded the Book of the Revelation:

“And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.” (Revelation 11:1-2).

In contrast to the earthly city the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament, describes the heavenly city of New Jerusalem, descending from space, as a city that contains no temple at all:

“And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” (Revelation 21:22, 23).

31.) C.) Kehila News, Israel -- The Millennial Temple -- Literal or Allegorical (Part 1 of 4) -- 3D view of a model from above 31.) B.) Kehila News, Israel -- The Millennial Temple -- Literal or Allegorial (Part 4 of 4)

There may yet be a fourth Temple bullt in Israel. The prophet Zechariah (c. 550 BC) says that Messiah, whom he calls the “Branch” will yet build a temple in Israel, that would be during the Millennium.

31.) F.) From the Heart of A Shepherd by Pastor Travis D. Smith -- The Temple of the Millennial Kingdom (Ezekiel 40)

Since all orthodox born again believers hold to a literal, physical return of our Lord Jesus, the construction of the Fourth Temple, would be the responsibility of their Lord, Yeshua Hamashiach. This temple may well be that seen by Ezekiel (ca. 570 BC) in a vision. A temple that matches his description has never yet been built.

32.) B.) Jesus ~ Amazing Grace -- Are You Ready to go Home with Jesus -- Any Day Now -- At the Trump of God

Time to keep looking up.

Printed with permission of Today, The Bible & You located at P.O. Box 1722, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma 74013, Phone No. (918) 279-1136. The name of the original article in the December 2023 issue of Today’s Front Page was “Will the Dome of the Rock Mosque on the Temple Mount Soon be Destroyed?” www.JohnBarela.com