The Temple Mount and Jerusalem are coming closer and closer to becoming the focus of world events. The Temple Mount, the apex of everything in the land of Israel, cannot be silent. This holiest site of G-d has become like a volcano since the Six Day War in 1967 when the leadership of Israel made a terribly sinful mistake and gave this most holy site to the Arab Islamic enemy to continue their foreign pagan worship. They also forbid access to this site to the Israelis. There is no doubt that until the Israeli government does what G-d expects of them - to reliberate the Temple Mount, to remove the two buildings of pagan worship and to rebuild the Temple on the same location as the First and Second Temples - there will never be peace in Israel and in the world.

I would say that the main battle for the Temple Mount and Jerusalem has started. The PLO terror organization and the Palestinian Authority have declared that there will never be peace until Jerusalem becomes a "Palestinian" capital. They are doing everything they can to make this a reality. All the Arab and Islamic countries have stated that Jerusalem is an Islamic city. In the Vatican the Pope has stated on more than one occasion that he does not recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and that it has to be an international city. The UN has repeatedly decided against Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and has taken decisions which forbid Israel to build in this city. There can be only one conclusion to all these events: G-d is enticing the nations to come against Jerusalem. Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the peoples around; and when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against Judah. And it will come about in that day that I will made Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured.

And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it. (Zechariah 12:2-3)

The Hasmonean tunnel which was discovered and excavated by Israel along the Western Wall of the Temple Mount is one of the most exciting remains from biblical times. The tunnel was dug by the builders of the First Temple and later used in the Second Temple to bring water to the Temple area. Even today you can still see the water running through the tunnel. Later this tunnel was used by the Hasmoneans, the guerrilla heroes who liberated the Temple Mount from Greek control and purified it from the pagan idol that had been placed there. When Rabbi Getz, the Rabbi of the Western Wall, cleared this mysterious tunnel he discovered exciting biblical remains. The main discovery was the priest s gate and tunnel which was found in the middle of the Hasmonean tunnel and which led under the walls and grounds of the Temple Mount to the Holy of Holies. I had the privilege of being there when this gate and tunnel were opened and to feel the presence of G-d in this holy place which was used by the priests to enter directly into the Temple. It was so exciting to meet, physically and spiritual, one of the most important elements of the Temple, to see the beautiful stones and arches which were built by King Herod, to close the eyes, to pray to G-d so close to the Holy of Holies and to see in my imagination the priests again walking in this holy tunnel. I remember how quickly the workers cleaned the priest’s tunnel because we all knew that at the end of it we would not only come to the lower floors of the Temple but also to the secret room where the Ark of the Covenant was hidden by the King Yeshayahu (Josiah) and the priests, before the destruction of the First Temple. We were so close to this location and to this wonderful experience. Unfortunately the government of Israel decided to stop the work and to again close the priest’s tunnel after the Arabs on the Temple Mount started to attack the workers, to hold demonstrations and to bring the case to the UN Security Council. Israel again missed a major moment in her life because of the weakness of her government. They preferred to give in to Islamic pressure and to fear the UN rather than to trust the promises and protection of the G-d of Israel. Later a new government in Israel had the courage to open the Hasmonean tunnel and not to fear the Arabs, nor the UN, nor the President of the United States. I pray that this will be a lesson for Israel in the future, to open all the tunnels and the gates to the Temple Mount and Jerusalem and to renew our days once again like they were in biblical times.

One of the most important and exciting remains from the Second Temple are what are called "Solomon's Stables". These are not stables at all but an important part of the Second Temple complex. The name "Solomon's Stables" was mistakenly given by the Crusaders who thought that these were, indeed, Solomon's stables. This beautiful complex of chambers, arches and pillars was built by King Herod, firstly to provide a comfortable entrance to the Temple Mount through a tunnel which started at the Gulda gate on the southern side of the Temple Mount and ended under the Temple Mount. Secondly, by building a few floors of chambers, King Herod wanted to prevent

the possibility of any uncleanness associated with dead bodies under the Temple Mount reaching the Temple area itself. The upper floors of this complex were also used for other purposes associated with the worship on the Temple Mount. It is hard to express in words the special beauty of this place and the feeling of holiness when one walks there. What is important is that this very holy complex remained with almost no damage from the time of the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. This holy place was in the news in the last year when the Moslems secretly built a big mosque in these chambers. The municipality of Jerusalem tried to stop them but they did not obey and the Israeli government preferred not to press the issue because they were afraid

of Arabic and Islamic reaction all over the world. Again the weakness of the government concerning matters relating to the Temple Mount allowed the Moslem abomination to continue on the Temple Mount and the continuous destruction of the House of G-d which the Romans started in 70 CE. The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement made three petitions to the Supreme Court to force the Israeli government to be strong and to do what the law and G-d is expecting them to do. Unfortunately even the Supreme Court did not have the ability to force them to obey the law and not to destroy one of the most holy and exciting places on the earth. We

submitted another petition asking that they not be allowed to open the mosque in these chambers. It is still to be discussed in the Supreme Court.

This is not the first time that the Arabs have destroyed something that remained from the First or Second Temples which have existed on the Temple Mount for almost 2000 years. Besides this they also destroyed extremely beautiful ornaments depicting the seven holy biblical fruits and a pillar which still existed from the Second Temple. A major petition that we also made in this case succeeded only in part when the Supreme Court decided that they could not stop this damage (another weakness) but they ordered the Israeli government to maintain strong control and not to allow such damage to take place in the future. The Supreme Court also declared in its decision that the Temple Mount is, and will be in the future, the most holy place of the Jewish nation and the location of our most important worship forever.

Where was the outrage in the UN, the nations and even the President of the US when this evil happened? Why did all of them pass anti-Israeli resolutions when the asmonean tunnel was opened but remained silent as the Arabs destroyed this ancient site? No doubt the G-d of Israel will judge them and ask them to answer these questions.

The ashes of the red heifer is one of the most important and mysterious of G-d's biblical commandments. Many rabbis and biblical scholars have tried to understand what is behind this commandment. No-one has the answer. Only G-d can answer us. Since the early times of the Tabernacle and the First and Second Temples this commandment was strongly observed. The ashes of the red heifer were used to purify the priests who served in the Temple and also Israelites who came into contact with dead bodies. Everyone who went up to the Temple to worship had to be completely clean and pure because they walked on the most holy place on earth in the House of G-d. After the destruction of the Second Temple the ashes of the red heifer which still remained were hidden. We know that at least a part of it was hidden in a secret room under the Temple. Perhaps more was hidden elsewhere in Israel.

Since the liberation of the Temple Mount in 1967 and especially in the last 15 years there have been many efforts to raise red heifers in Israel and to prepare new ashes. The biblical condition is that this red heifer must be raised only in the land of Israel. Also in state of Mississippi in the United States, Mr. Claud Lot is raising red heifers to bring them to Israel and from their descendants to make the ashes. In the interim we received the exciting news that a red heifer was born in Kfar Hasiedim in Israel. The significance of this is that it will allow priests and many other Israelis who currently refuse to go up on the Temple Mount because of their uncleanness to do so. It will

change the status quo on the Temple Mount when millions of Jews go up to the Temple Mount. On the other hand it is a condition for the renewing of the worship in the Temple when it is rebuilt. In any case this is one of many signs from G-d that we have seen in the last years that we are living in end- times and that the Temple is soon to be rebuilt.

This news created excited emotions and reactions in the Israeli public. A few of the new-letters inside and outside Israel stated that this was some of the most important news since 1967.

Another important sign of these exciting times are the preparations to open a college which will educate and prepare priests for the worship in the Third Temple which we know will soon be built. Such a college was opened some years ago in the Old City of Jerusalem near the western walls of the Temple Mount. However the new college is going to dedicate all of the time of the students solely for this purpose. Children will be dedicated at a very young age and will be raised by the college and kept from loosing their purification in the same way as was done in biblical times. These children will be children that were born only in priestly families.

It is so exciting to see how step by step the Bible again becomes a reality in the State of Israel. The campaign and educational efforts of the Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement among the people of Israel which started immediately after the liberation of the Temple Mount in 1967 is beginning to produce fruit especially in the last years. The climax of this will be the soon rebuilding of the Temple. We shall continue our campaign until the moment that we shall see this happen with our own eyes.

This year Tisha B'Av, which commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples, falls on 12th August. We shall concentrate all our efforts so that on this day every Israeli will be with us on the Temple Mount. We shall pray together with them for the rebuilding of the Temple and Jerusalem.

We shall also march in the streets of the Old City and around all the gates of the Temple Mount especially the Golden Gate in the eastern wall of the Temple Mount. This gate expresses very old beliefs and traditions that the Messiah will enter the Temple through it. After the Six Day War one of the followers of the movement wrote in big blue letters on this gate - "Mashiach will come soon." This will be a very special and exciting event and we invite all of our friends to come to Israel and to take part in it.

With the help of an Israeli architect, we continue to prepare the plans for the Third Temple. This is not a simple project but we know that time is short and the plans must be ready for the moment when we can build the Temple. In this way we shall also show to everyone that this is not just a dream but a reality which is soon to come about. As progress is made we will share more information with you. Please pray that G-d will give us the ability to accomplish this godly work.

We continue to raise help for the reconstruction of the seven-branched menorah for the Third Temple. It will require at least 80 kilograms of pure gold and must be made in one piece and according to the biblical design and measurements. This holy project is also not simple but we are determined to complete it as soon as we have the means to do so. This menorah will one day be in the Third Temple together with the original menorah from the Tabernacle and First Temple which was hidden in a secret room under the Temple Mount before the destruction of the First Temple.

According to Rabbinical sources both the First and Second Temples were built on the same foundations, at the same location somewhere on the Temple Mount. The site had to be consecrated ground that had not been previously used for tombs and that was not a previous pagan worship site ("high place"). The innermost sanctuary of the Temple, the Holy of Holies, or Kodesh Hakodeshim, where the Ark of the Covenant was placed, marked the exact center of the world, and was the innermost zone in holiness or sanctity in Jewish thought. The manifest presence of God, the Shekinah, was centered between the cherubim of the Ark and especially noted at the dedication of the First Temple---

When Solomon had ended his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD's house. When all the children of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the LORD upon the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the earth on the pavement, and worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, "For he is good, for his steadfast love endures for ever." (2 Chronicles 7:1-3)

Moving outwards from the Holy of Holies one came to The Holy Place, and then to the Courts of the priests, and of the women and of the Jewish people, then the Court of the Gentiles, and so on, out into the world in decreasing degrees of holiness.

The traditional site of the Temple is said to lie beneath or very near to the Moslem shrine known as the Dome of the Rock. Certain historical accounts say that this building was built by the Moslems to overlay the location of the original Jewish Temple(s) and most rabbis in Israel today associate the original Temple location with this site. Dr. Leen Ritmeyer has researched and written on the original 500 cubit square boundaries of the original Temple Mount site based on this assumption.

Recent journal articles still support this view. (1) Former Jerusalem District archaeologist Dr. Dan Bahat vigorously defends the traditional location - drawing on his years of experience and study of the entire city and its history. His lectures on the subject are thorough, convincing and captivating. However, so also are the alternative theories currently proposed!

The Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem measures today approximately 45 acres in extent. It is surrounded by a trapezoidal wall: The south wall measures about 910 feet, the North about 1025, the east wall about 1520 and the west wall about 1580 feet in length. The average height above sea level on the platform is about 2400 feet above sea level. Most of the buildings and surface features are Islamic - no visible traces of the First or Second Temples can be found on the platform today. The area is park-like in its settings with plants of trees and shrubs and many ancient buildings and monuments added over the past 1300 years of Moslem stewardship of the site.

The present-day platform area of the Temple Mount lies topographically just below the peak of a Jerusalem ridge system known as Mount Moriah. This is the site David purchased from a Jebusite named Ornan late in his reign. King David prepared the area in order build a permanent House of God to replace the Tabernacle of Moses which accompanied the Jews after their Exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land. David had the plans drawn up for a building whose dimensions were twice those of the Tabernacle, and he amassed great quantities of building materials: stone, cedar, and much gold and silver. However, it was his son Solomon who actually built the First Jewish temple (1 Chronicles 22:14-15, 28:11-20).

The ridge system where the Temple Mount is now located is believed by many reputable sources to be the site where Abraham was told to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22:1-2). While Solomon built the First Temple about 3000 years ago, Abraham's visit to Mt. Moriah was about a thousand years earlier.

According to Rabbinical sources both the First and Second Temples were built on the same foundations, at the same location somewhere on the Temple Mount. The site had to be consecrated ground that had not been previously used for tombs and that was not a previous pagan worship site ("high place"). The innermost sanctuary of the Temple, the Holy of Holies, or Kodesh Hakodeshim, where the Ark of the Covenant was placed, marked the exact center of the world, and was the innermost zone in holiness or sanctity in Jewish thought. The manifest presence of God, the Shekinah, was centered between the cherubim of the Ark and especially noted at the dedication of the First Temple--- When Solomon had ended his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD's house. When all the children of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the LORD upon the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the earth on the pavement, and worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, "For he is good, for his steadfast love endures for ever." (2 Chronicles 7:1-3)

Moving outwards from the Holy of Holies one came to The Holy Place, and then to the Courts of the priests, and of the women and of the Jewish people, then the Court of the Gentiles, and so on, out into the world in decreasing degrees of holiness.

The long history of the First and Second Temples is detailed both in the Bible and in many extra-biblical sources. For more details on the history of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount see the separate historical essays listed on the main menu.

Both ancient Jewish Temples are of interest to Christians as well as to Jews. The Second Temple was modest in size and furnishing until Herod the Great began his grand remodeling plans which continued for 40 years. It was in this enlarged and expanded Second Jewish Temple and its grand courts where the naming and circumcision of Jesus took place (Luke 2:21-39). Later, Jesus astonished the religious leaders with his understanding and insight as a twelve-year-old boy (Luke 2:41-50). On two separate occasions Jesus entered and cleansed the temple by throwing out the money changers and commercial vendors from the courts. (John 2:12-25; Matthew 21:23-26)

In one of his final discussions with his disciples (Matthew 24), Jesus predicted the destruction of the Second Temple. It was in fact leveled to the ground on the 9th day of the month of Av in 70 C.E. The temple was thoroughly razed and the site has been so extensively modified during the late Roman, Moslem and Crusader eras that considerable doubt exists as to where the temples actually stood.

1.The pagan, Canaanite, area of worship from the First Temple period, was, we conclude, situated in a region that includes: The Golden Dome, The Dome of the Spirit and The El-Umriyya rock.

2.The Antonia fortress and its towers, during the Second Temple period, were situated at the Golden Dome and the immediate surrounding area. In this model the protecting moat (now filled in) which protected the Northern wall of Fortress Antonia is in the logical location.

3.The First and Second Jewish Temples were situated to the south between the Golden Dome and the El-Aqsa Mosque.(see Fig.11)

In 175 B.C.E. the Selucid throne was assumed through treachery by an 8th king, Antiochus IV, a son of Antiochus the Great. He took upon himself the title Epiphanes (the illustrious one). But because he was so corrupt, he was popularly known as Antiochus Epimanes (the madman). Sometimes erratic, sometimes eccentric he was wantonly cruel and brutal to the Jews. This man is responsible for the most vile outrages against the Jews ever perpetrated. For this reason Daniel (and later Jesus, referring to Daniel) spoke of him as "the abomination that makes desolate."

Prior to his reign the Jews had lived peaceably with Greek culture and customs, however Antiochus determined to force Greek polytheistic religion upon the strictly monotheistic Jews. The Jews actively resisted. Angered at the Jews for some insult they had given him, Antiochus defied the high priests in Jerusalem and entered into the sacred temple. (See Appendix D for details). Antiochus actually erected a pagan altar in the temple at Jerusalem and offered upon it a sow in sacrifice, an unclean animal. He took the broth of the sow and sprinkled it throughout the sanctuary, thus defiling the whole sanctuary. Then, as a final insult, he erected a statue of Jupiter in the holy place.

This, of course, brought to an end the twice-daily sacrifice called "the continual burnt offering," which Daniel had predicted was to be taken away for a definite period of time. The apocryphal Book of the Maccabees records that the offering was taken away for a period of a little over three years. Finally Judas Maccabaeus and his sons rose in revolt and led the people of Israel to retake Jerusalem, cleansed the sanctuary and restored the offerings at the end of eleven-hundred and fifty days, exactly as predicted by Daniel.

On his return from the conquest of Egypt, in the year 143 (169 B.C.E.), Antiochus marched with a strong force against Israel and Jerusalem. In his arrogance he entered the temple and carried off the golden altar, the lamp-stand with all its equipment, the table for the Bread of the Presence, the sacred cups and bowls, the golden censers, the curtain and the crowns. He stripped off the gold plating from the Temple front. He seized the silver, gold, and precious vessels, and whatever secret treasures he found, and took them all with him when he left for his own country. (1 Maccabees 1:21)

A fascinating aside regarding the conquests of Alexander the Great is the account of how Jerusalem was spared. During his long siege of Tyre, Alexander sought the help of neighboring peoples. The Samaritans accepted, but the Jews refused because of previous oaths to their Persian overlords. The Samaritans, long rivals of the Jews, sought Alexander's permission to destroy the temple in Jerusalem.

Jaddua, the high priest in Jerusalem donned his priestly garments and together with notables from the city set out to meet Alexander and his generals. According to Josephus (Antiq. VIII, p l40-146), Jaddua showed Alexander the scroll of Daniel and read for him the predictions that he, Alexander, was to overwhelm the Persians and rule the world. Not only was the city and temple spared, but the flattered Alexander showed favor the Jews and added three Samaritan districts totheir precincts.

Nearly all of Herod's grandiose building programs were intended to impress foreigners in and around Israel. His ambitious building program on the Temple Mount was the one exception to the rule. Nearly 600 years after Second Temple had been dedicated, Herod determined to impart the splendor of Solomon's Temple to the existing edifice--to his own honor and glory of course. The Talmud (Bava Basra 3b-4a) tells how this came about:

Herod learned that the Torah requires that a Jewish king may be only a person "from among your brethren" (Deut. 17:15), which implies that a non-Jewish slave like Herod could not become king of Israel. Not surprisingly, Herod became furious at this interpretation that disqualified him from the monarchy. "Who taught this?" he demanded. When he heard that it was the Sages, he ordered that they be killed. Hardly a sage was left by the time his rage had stilled...

Josephus reports

(Josephus, Antiq. 15:38-425; Wars,5:184-247) that many Jews who heard of Herod's plans were shocked; they feared he would destroy the old building and not build a new one. Herod was sincere, however. He prepared all the building materials in advance before beginning the work in 19 or 20 B.C.E. (see John 2:20). Some 10,000 (to 18,000) workmen were employed, plus 1000 priests, since only priests were allowed to work on the sanctuary proper. The major work occurred in the first three years although the workers continued improvements there for many years, well beyond Herod's death in 4 B.C.E. to 64 C.E., just four years before it was to be destroyed by Titus. Herod's work more than doubled the size of the Temple building and the Temple Mount itself was greatly expanded to a plaza area measuring about 2,575 by 985 feet, with eight gates. Most of the enlargement was to the South by means of fill and underground vaults and supports. Josephus has much to say about Herod and his building program. When finished the new temple itself had a portal 65 feet high and a terraced roof 165 feet above the ground. Golden needles were emplaced around the edges of the roof to ward off birds and their droppings, and a vine of gold was placed in front of the now-imposing edifice.

When the Temple had been enlarged and decorated Herod offended the people by mounting a Roman golden eagle over the gate. When Herod lay dying some years later two fearless sages and their followers tore down the eagle. The men were dragged to Herod's deathbed where the tyrant gave orders for them to be burned alive. (The records of the long reign of cruelty and violence of King Herod are enough to fill several books). Herod's enlargements to the Temple Mount are the subject of vigorous discussion and debate in Israel in our time.

On Saturday June 17, 1967, shortly after the end of the Six Day War, Defense minister Moshe Dayan entered the Al-Aksa Mosque for a historic meeting. In a gesture of good will, Dayan sat down on the prayer carpet with five leaders of the Supreme Muslim Council (the Waqf) of what had been Jordanian-controlled Jerusalem. That discussion fixed Israel's policy regarding the Temple Mount, a policy that remains unchanged to this day.

Dayan had ordered the Israeli flag removed from on top of the Dome of the Rock on the afternoon of the Old City's liberation. His discussion with the Muslims led to further concessions. The administrative control over the Temple Mount was to be the sole responsibility of the Supreme Muslim Council - the (Jordanian) Waqf. Though the Jews would be permitted free access to the Mount, prayer by Jews was prohibited. Dayan refused to permit any Jewish identification with Judaism's holiest site. To him, the Temple Mount held only historic interest. He said:

"I have no doubt that because the power is in our hands we must take a stand based on yielding. We must view the Temple Mount as a historic site relating to past memory."

The government of Israel then allocated responsibility of the Temple Mount area to different groups. Israel's Department of Antiquities were given the south, southeast, and southwest area of the Temple Mount to explore archaeologically. The

top of the Temple Mount, however, site of the First and Second Temples, was given over to the Muslims to administrate. To the present day, the PLO Muslim Waqf allows tourists to visit the Mount a few hours per day - but they do not allow any freedom of worship or any non-Muslim archeological activity there. The entire area is treated as if it were a gigantic outdoor mosque. To this day, visitors who stroll out of very limited areas - to view over the wall at the Pinnacle of the Temple, or to see the interior of the Golden Gate, for example - will be quickly restrained by an Arab guard.

In the summer of 1983 Rabbi Yehuda Getz, the former Rabbi of the Western Wall, (he died in 1995) broke through the Western Wall deliberately excavating to the East (at "Cistern 30") in their newly excavated underground tunnel which runs under the old city. This tunnel extends from the prayer area, Ha Kotel, North towards the Fortress Antonia. Getz hoped to eventually reach the foundation of the Second Temple. During this tunnelling, Rabbis Getz and Goren claim to have seen the Ark of the Covenant according to statements they later made to the press. However the Waqf guards on the Temple Mount discovered the underground activity and soon sent down some young men through cistern entrances above to discourage" the work. A fist fight ensued and the episode concluded with the sealing of the wall with six feet of reinforced cement. The incident was especially tense as it was not certain at the time whether or nor the Jerusalem police had jurisdiction to intervene in the undergound excavation since the area was under the jurisdiction of Rabbi Getz. The so-called Rabbinical Tunnel was opened to the public in 1996 as an outstanding new archaeological attracti