Could the attacks on Israel lead to an established place of worship for the Jews on the Temple Mount and set a major prophetic milestone for the end of this age?
READ TIME: 3.5 Minutes
Progress Met by Demonic Opposition
While we are praying for peace in Israel, we should also seek to understand the roots of the conflict and its place in Biblical prophecy. And the key to understanding this is the Temple Mount.
While tensions were rising since Ramadan began, fueled by Hamas’ propaganda, the red-line was the Al-Aqsa mosque. When videos were posted showing Israeli police clashing with the crowds inside the Al-Aqsa mosque, Arabs in Jordan and Israel called for all to come and defend the mosque.
On Monday the 10th, Iranian proxy Hamas gave an ultimatum, “Withdraw from Al-Aqsa Mosque and Sheikh Jarrah or ‘100 times’ more rockets will be fired at 6 pm towards new targets.”
Israel did not withdraw.
As of Sunday, May 16th, Hamas has fired over 3100 missiles into Israel.
These events were a jarring reversal of goodwill. Just months ago, Arab nations were lining up to normalize relations with Israel. At the same time, record numbers of Jews were ascending the Temple Mount, and for the first time, police were not intervening in Jewish prayer on the Mount.
Maybe we should have expected this. These historic breakthroughs were bound to meet significant demonic resistance. However, in the past, when Israel’s enemies tried to take from Israel, God did the impossible.
So as Arabs try to take Jewish rights to the Temple Mount, may God provide a reversal of fortune? And may this bring about prophesied end-times events that seem impossible today?
The Temple Mount is at the Center of the Conflict
Both extremist groups and rioting Israeli Arabs have clearly expressed that Jerusalem, the Temple Mount, and particularly, the Al-Aqsa mosque are at the center of this conflict.:
- International Union Of Muslim Scholars (IUMS; funded by Turkey and Qatar) – “the Muslims’ foremost duty is to wage jihad by sacrificing their souls” for Al-Aqsa.
- Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) – launch an all-out intifada “to spill the blood of Jews on the steps of Al-Aqsa.”
- Fatah – Nablus branch – “set the ground on fire under the occupation’s feet” and “escalate the resistance on the seam lines with the occupation [of Al-Aqsa] and with the settlements.”
- Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) – “the masses in the Occupied Territories and the West Bank to immigrate to Jerusalem to defend Al-Aqsa, to turn this day into a day of total confrontation and intifada with the occupation…”
- Israeli Arabs in Nazareth – “We don’t want to see a Zionist, with spirit and blood we’ll redeem Al-Aqsa.“
- Israeli Arabs in Jenin (West Bank) – “Allahu Akbar. Millions of Martyrs are marching to Jerusalem. Happy are you, O mother of the Martyr. If only my mother was in your place.“
Prophecy Unfolding
Is prophecy unfolding before our eyes? Zechariah prophesied, “Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling [drunkenness] to all the peoples around; and when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against Judah. It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured [cut].“
Notice that it is the people who will become intoxicated by Jerusalem. It is the people who try to move it [from the people of Israel] and are cut deeply as a result. These first two lines are specifically discussing the people of the surrounding nations, not the nations themselves. The people gather first, then the nations follow, eventually leading to the War of Gog and Magog.
I found it amazing that a Muslim Brotherhood Official and former Jordanian MP, Saud Abu Mahfouz, nearly repeated Zechariah’s prophecy but from an opposing view. He stated, “…he [Allah] placed Jerusalem in its right place, where it inflames and inspires. Today, Al-Aqsa Mosque is a barrel of wrath, blazing shrapnel.“
But will this attack on Israel backfire? Could these events actually lead to a greater Jewish presence on the Temple Mount?
Could Today’s Events Lead the Way for the Covenant with Many and a Third Temple?
From a spiritual perspective, the attacks appear to be in response to an increasing Jewish presence on the Temple Mount.
Until recently, Jews have remained content to worship at the Western Wall, rarely ascending the Temple Mount. But over the past few years, this has changed. Record numbers of Jews have been ascending the Temple Mount. And more and more, the police seem content to let them pray – something that they would have immediately stopped not much more than a year ago.
Discussions of a third temple have also become more common in Israel, while priests are training and preparing the vessels and animals required for temple service.
Indeed, we know there will be a temple on the Temple Mount in the days to come (Rev. 11, 2 Thess. 2:4). Satan knows this as well. The recent increase in the Jewish presence on the Temple Mount was sure to meet demonic opposition.
But in 1948 and 1967, when Arab nations tried to take land from Israel, God delivered increases instead. As the peoples stand against Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, will He not severely cut those who try to lift Jerusalem? May He give Israel greater rights to the Temple Mount?
Resolving the Conflict
Once the conflict is over, how will Jews and Arabs reconcile the inflamed issue of the Temple Mount? Will they work out a solution for both Arabs and Jews to worship on the Mount?
Some are already calling for reconciliation. Dr. Saleh Nujeidat, an Arab Israeli and journalist, said, “there is need to improve their relations and adopt a strategy of bridge-building and coexistence, to ensure that both can live in equality, security, and peace.“
Others, such as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan are calling for splitting the administration of Jerusalem among the three faiths of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.. “At this point, we believe there’s a need for a separate arrangement on Jerusalem. To achieve lasting peace and tranquility in Jerusalem,… it would be the most correct and consistent course of action for Jerusalem to be administered by a commission of representatives from the three faiths.“
These statements are surprisingly fitting with Biblical prophecy.
We know that Temple Mount will be divided at the end of this age. Revelation 11 describes both a temple where the Jews worship and a court given to the nations. We also know there will be a covenant of many made with Israel (Daniel 9:27).
The third temple and the covenant are significant milestones in the sequence of events at the end of this age. Many commentators speculate that these prophecies are related and that the covenant with many may grant Israel the right to build a third temple.
It is certainly possible, though uncertain that the events unfolding today could lead to these incredibly significant prophetic events and provide us with a sign that Jesus is returning very soon.
(See Arab Normalization Pacts with Israel – the Prophesied Covenant with Many? for more on this topic)
Sign up for Updates on New Posts!
(email addresses not shared)