Tom Brimmer's Journal-temple expectations

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Tom Brimmer's Journal

Temple Expectations

Today it is Tisha Ba'Av as I am writing this. That inspires the writing but it is not the subject. You see, this is the day that Jewish people remember the destruction of the Temple.
There was a march around the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem on the eve of the holiday. Thousands marched with the Mayor. They were there to voice a profound desire. They were saying, "This is a Jewish place and we want a Jewish presence here." The Israeli police arrested Jewish men for doing what appeared to be prayer on the Temple mount. The absurdity compares to the time when Nehemiah rebuilt the Temple. There were those who opposed that time of building too. Nehemiah made a statement that may bear on the modern conflict. If you would look at Nehemiah 13:1 and Deuteronomy 23:3-5 you can see that Moses forbid the Jewish people from including Ammonites or Moabites in the congregation. That is understood to mean that they should not be included by marriage or by invitation to participate in the function of either the nation or the religious activities of Israel. God is incredibly merciful, however and we later see that Ruth, from Moab, is not only allowed to enter the household of Israel by marriage but is one of the ancestors of King David. Ruth moved from being an outsider by law to being fully Israeli with all of the privileges that are included in that. She was changed by her determined faithfulness.
The current situation is Israel is somewhat different. God does not ratify the Arab occupation of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in the way Ruth's adoption to Israel is accepted. They are not there because they have expressed determined devotion to the God of Israel. They are there because Jerusalem was conquered in 635 AD by a Moslem Caliph named Omar. The current rule of law uses a legal term called "Status Quo" to justify the continued occupation of the Temple Mount. That means that the situation is allowed to continue without change.
Unfortunately, there is a lot of change happening on the Temple Mount. The Moslem authority known as the WAKF is systematically changing the look and function of the area. They are conducting massive building projects. In fact, they claim the land is theirs and that nobody but a Moslem is allowed to pray or conduct any sort of religious activity on their land.
The contrast could not be clearer. Moses forbids them from being included in the congregation. Nehemiah clearly identified the Temple as the location of the congregation and threw the non-Jewish foreigners out of a position of honor in the Temple. Now the Jewish people are not allowed to have free access to the Temple Mount and are expressly forbidden to pray there.
There are many that say that the situation is a matter of politics. That is true. But they also say that religion should not influence political decisions. That is where the lines of truth are blurred. The Bible is full of political statements and political instructions. Jewish religious involvement in the political activity of Jerusalem is obviously part of God's plan.
At Camp David, in July 2000, Jerusalem became the center of furious political activity. The Palestinian Authority demands full sovereignty over the ancient part of Jerusalem with particular emphasis on the Holy sites. They included a demand for control of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Temple Mount. For some reason that has not been explained, the Israeli Prime Minister did not fully agree with the plan and the talks failed. That is the point where future negotiations also will either succeed or fail. Jerusalem has become a stumbling block.
Meanwhile, they Jewish people have renewed interest in the Temple Mount. There are serious scholars who suggest building a synagogue somewhere on the Temple Mount. Others have tried repeatedly to place a cornerstone for a new temple. The imaginations of the people are fired up with the possibility of true peace with the Moslem world that may just include a Jewish Temple. Dr. Asher Kaufman has suggested that the Dome of the Rock is not actually sitting on the location of the ancient temples. He maintains that the Temple of God could be built on its correct location without harming the Moslem shrine. Others are suggesting that the Temple Mount itself may not be the correct location for the ancient temple of Israel. An advertisement in a recent Biblical Archaeology Review magazine promotes a book, which develops the idea of the temple having been in the area now known as the City of David. At the same time, archeologists are scrambling to find a way to sift through all of the debris from Moslem construction projects in the area of "Solomon's Stables" that is being dumped in the Kidron Valley.
As scholars and religious leaders take positions on the issues of the Temple Mount, what is truly clear is that interest in the historic site has not diminished. In fact, popular interest is rising rapidly. Political interest is also a factor. Religious factors may well be the reason this tiny spot of hilltop has again risen to trouble the world. At the very least, it would be wise to continue to keep track of all activities that are associated with the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

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