Closer to another Jewish temple in Jerusalem being built?

Yehuda Glick

This time of the year, we tend to hear about other attempts by certain Jews in Israel to resume animal sacrifices and/or build a temple. WND reported the following:

Israel takes baby step toward rebuilding Temple?

New foundation proposed for ‘research, information and advocacy’

WASHINGTON – With June marking the 50th anniversary of Israel’s reunification of the capital city of Jerusalem along with the Temple Mount, the Israeli government is considering a proposal to create a new foundation responsible for providing “research, information and advocacy” about the Jewish connection to what many consider the holiest site in all of Judaism – the place where the Temple stood until A.D. 70.

The Temple Mount Heritage Foundation was proposed by Culture Minister Miri Regev and Environmental Protection and Jerusalem Minister Ze’ev Elkin, with an annual budget starting at $550,000. It will be based on the government-funded Western Wall Heritage Fund, which administers the site adjacent to the Temple Mount – believed to be the retaining wall for the 35-acre foundation upon which the Temple was built.

The project is getting high praise from Israel advocates for rebuilding the Temple.

Rabbi Yehuda Glick, a target of an assassination attempt in 2014 for his Temple advocacy, said he welcomed the plan for a Temple Mount Heritage Foundation and has personally lobbied for its creation.

“We need to state clearly: The Temple Mount is the foundation of the history of the Jewish people and of the return to the land since the beginning of Zionism,” he said. 03/31/17 http://www.wnd.com/2017/03/israel-takes-baby-step-toward-rebuilding-temple/#B2v6gxU2bjy0sH1M.99

Yehuda Glick is an American-born Israeli rabbi and current Member of the Knesset. He campaigns for expanding Jewish access to the Temple Mount. He used to be the executive director of the Temple Institute and is currently a member of the Knesset for the Likud party. He would like animal sacrifices as well as another Jewish temple.

Notice also the following:

Regev unveiled the logo to be used in the upcoming celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of reunification of Jerusalem under Israeli rule. The emblem features an Israeli flag flying atop the old city walls and the Temple Mount and is accompanied by the slogan: “50 years since the liberation of Jerusalem.”

Regev said her insistence on using the word “liberation” and not “reunification” in the logo’s design sought to counter efforts to distort the Jewish connection to Jerusalem.

Regev also stressed that part of the image featured “an Israeli flag that has returned to fly above the old city walls, the Western Wall, and the Temple Mount.”

Once a fringe issue, Temple Mount activism has in recent years become an increasingly prominent issue in the Israeli political discourse, even as Palestinians attributed the year-long wave of terror attacks in 2015 and 2016 to their public’s anger at ostensible imminent changes by Israel to arrangements on the holy site, which Israel firmly denies planning.

Following the October 2014 attempted assassination of Temple Mount activist (and current Likud MK) Yehuda Glick, Netanyahu declared his intention to maintain the status quo at the compound.

In a Monday statement, Glick said he welcomed the plan for a Temple Mount Heritage Foundation and has personally lobbied for its creation.

“We need to state clearly: The temple mount is the foundation of the history of the Jewish people and of the return to the land since the beginning of Zionism,” he said. http://www.timesofisrael.com/ministers-push-for-state-funded-temple-mount-foundation/

On March 28, Likud Knesset member Yehuda Glick petitioned the court to compel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to rescind a police orderbanning elected officials from the Temple Mount compound, or Haram al-Sharif, to Muslims. The site is home to the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque …

Glick pulled the petition out of his sleeve the day after Netanyahu decided to keep in place for the time being his October 2015 order preventing government ministers and Knesset members from entering the tinderbox. … The delay is designed to get through the upcoming holy month of Ramadan, the Passover holidayand Jerusalem Day, all occasions of which Jewish and Muslim zealots are particularly fond.It is hard to envision a change in the coming three months that alters the assessment currently in place determining that visits to the sacred site endanger security in Jerusalem and relations with Jordan, the custodian of the city’s Muslim holy sites. Right-wing Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel is a frequent visitor to the Temple Mount, and as far as anyone knows, he has not given up on his plan to take over the site. Four years ago he wrote, “With God’s help, within a decade we will be summing up the next decade from the heights of our Temple.” Unfortunately, one can assume that the elements and tensions that led to violent clashes between Arabs and Jews on the Temple Mount in September 2015 will still exist in June 2017.There is also no hint whatsoever that in three months, or three years for that matter, Jordanian King Abdullah II will let Netanyahu wiggle out of his commitment made to the United States 18 months ago to enforce the status quo on the volatile plateau. http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/03/israel-palestinians-tempe-mount-high-court-yehuda-glick.html#ixzz4d0UmXhpm

Yes, some want another temple, but political matters remain a factor.

As far as animal sacrifices go, notice something from a couple of days ago:

March 30, 2017

So, is the offering of sacrifices Jewish, or not? The answer is an unequivocal yes. https://www.algemeiner.com/2017/03/30/why-sacrifices/

There is a segment of Jews who believe that they need to be conducting animal sacrifices. Many would also like another temple, but do not believe one is required to perform the sacrifices.

Notice the following:

The 71 members of the “Re-established Sanhedrin” say they want to begin sacrificing animals again, despite the absence of the Temple, the ritual altar and all the required implements listed in the Bible. Rabbi Dov Stein of the group admitted…

“We want to do the sacrifice, but we have political problems,” Stein said. “We hope there will come a time when the government will agree. We will push for that to happen.” (Rabbis aim to renew animal sacrifices. Associated Press. Feb 28, 2007. http://www.jpost.com)

The “Sanhedrin” group referred to above began to form in 2004 and claims to have “the consent of hundreds of rabbis, scholars and leaders” (http://www.thesanhedrin.org/en/index.php/The_Sanhedrin_Initiative viewed 09/11/08). It also has been working on implements, including those related to having an altar.

Notice something from the leader of the Sanhedrin:

April 19, 2016

Breaking Israel News asked Rabbi Hillel Weiss, secretary of the Nascent Sanhedrin, if the mitzvah of korban pesach is incumbent upon the Jews today by Jewish law, despite the lack of a Temple or an altar. “Of course. There isn’t even a question,” Rabbi Weiss answered. “There is nothing in Jewish law that prevents us from performing this sacrifice. The only obstacle is the government that will not allow the Jews to do this great mitzvah, so the sin is on them, and not, God forbid, on the Jewish people.”

The Sanhedrin established a committee in 2004 concerning the korban pesach to work in cooperation with all religious, legal, and administrative authorities. The committee has attempted several times to obtain the government’s permission. Legal documents were sent to the Prime Minister, the Supreme Court, and the Chief of Police. The Prime Minister did not respond. The Supreme Court appeared to uphold the right to perform the sacrifice, but denied it on grounds of security. This answer was reiterated by the Chief of Police.

Indeed, the korban pesach is not dependent on the presence of a Temple and continued long after the Second Temple was destroyed. http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/66076/passover-sacrifice-makes-comeback-overlooking-temple-mount-photos/#zchLRxxm8yeAtXsO.99

This group has made some attempts to offer sacrifices in the past, but has often run into political opposition. Israeli courts have generally agreed that Jews have the right to perform animal sacrifices, but have repeatedly denied this right as the timing would have excessively negative consequences. And to rebuild a temple in the area that the Muslims consider sacred would be even more problematic politically–especially at this instant. Yet, because the Muslims have a strong presence at the site of the old Temple Mount (Har HaBayit) with their al-Aqsa Mosque, some consider the actual construction of a Jewish temple there to be impossible.

Though it may well take a war, peace deal, and/or political gridlock for that to happen.

But it will come to pass. The Sanhedrin wants it (watch also Sanhedrin pushing animal sacrifices). In late 2016, they appointed Rabbi Baruch Kahane as the next Kohen Gadol–high priest (see Reconstituted Sanhedrin names high priest in preparation for the restoration of sacrifices; to begin as early as the Day of Atonement?). More on the Sanhedrin can be found in the article Nascent Sanhedrin structure and high priest: The plan is to start animal sacrifices–this would fulfill prophecy!

Furthermore, perhaps it should be realized that the government of Israel does have a certain amount of respect for Yisrael Ariel, the founder of the Temple Institute. Yisrael Ariel is also a member of the “Re-established Sanhedrin.” Actually, the Israeli government announced that Yisrael Ariel was winner of the Yaakov Egerst Memorial Award for Jewish Culture by the Ministry of Education for some of his work (Rabbi Yisrael Ariel to Receive the Jewish Culture Award for 5769. Israel National News. Oct 7, 2008).

As far as other ‘obstacles’ to taking actions, the Temple Institute (whose leader is a member of the Nascent Sanhedrin) already has indicated that it has a ‘red heiffer’ (see he Red Heifer, Jewish Beliefs, and the End of the World) needed for cleansing (cf. Numbers 19:1-10) that some believe is necessary for animal sacrifices to resume.

It also has a moveable altar of unhewn (cf. Deuteronomy 27:5-6) stones (see Temple Institute Completes Altar of Unhewn Stones) as well as implements needed to perform the sacrifices (some of which I personally saw in October 2013).

And since the high priest is not the only one that would be authorized to perform daily sacrifices, the Temple Institute announced last month that it has established a school to train others in the ways of being Levitical priests (see ‘Temple Institute Announces School to Train Levitical Priests’)–it had several pilot programs in the past to be ready. But now it expects more regular training.

The Sanhedrin and the Temple institute keep taking steps aligning with properly understood end time biblical prophecies. Biblical prophecies will come to pass (2 Peter 1:19).

The Temple Institute itself is not planning on building the temple until after what seems to be politically impossible. This is what its website has stated:

When will the reconstruction of the Holy Temple Commence?

There are two approaches to answering this question.

One approach is based on the geo-political dynamics of the Temple Mount, and the other approach is based on the desire of the nation of Israel and her fellow nations to rebuild the Holy Temple.

Geo-politically, the Temple Mount has to be cleared of the Dome of the Rock and the mosques which are presently located upon it before the physical rebuilding of the Holy Temple can begin. Many scenarios can be imagined which would accomplish this, the most promising, and not necessarily the most far-fetched, would entail Moslem recognition of the Mount as the intended location for the rebuilt Temple. With the acquiescence of the Moslem world the Moslem structures currently on the Mount would be disassembled and reassembled elsewhere…

the Temple Institute is not building the Temple offsite. We are building a stone altar offsite so that when the opportunity arrives we can move it to its proper location on the Mount. The Divine service, including the offerings can begin before the building of the Temple itself, once the altar is built and standing in its proper place. (http://www.templeinstitute.org/frequently-asked-questions.htm viewed 11/10/13)

The Muslims are not interested in getting their famous Dome of the Rock and mosques removed. So, that type of change is not likely, even after a war.

Yet in a nation as politically fragmented as modern Israel, the time may come when a ruling coalition will itself have in it some members of a small religious group that will insist on the resumption of sacrifices for it to remain in office. And allowing sacrifices on a small altar certainly would seem politically more plausible than the construction of a Jewish temple with the removal of the Dome of the rock or even otherwise next to the al-Aqsa Mosque. While this may not be seen as viable in every possible Israeli administration, it certainly is a possibility for a future one.

Now let’s notice the view of some Jews about the ramifications of a new temple:

Schwartz, Cohen and Glick are all confident that once the Third Temple is erected, the world will become a fundamentally different place. The Lord would then bestow on Earth great abundance and there would no longer be anyone in need of charity.

“Those who do not feel what is going to happen are either blind or stupid, or ungrateful,” Glick noted, clearly annoyed with me, having noticed the skeptical expression on my face. “There has never been anything like that in the history of the human race; the return of an exiled people to its homeland is unique in human annals. It is all written in the Torah. And the last, supreme stage will be the construction of the temple.” http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/06/buildng-third-temple-jerusalem.html#ixzz2Zb18AyW6

The above position reminds me of what the Fatimists (people who believe that the messages from the ‘Lady of Fatima’ are divine and reveal God’s new plan to save humanity) say will happen if Russia is consecrated to “the immaculate heart of Mary.” Basically, the Fatimists believe that act would also bring about peace and great abundance. But neither a ‘third’ temple nor consecration to Russia will save humanity–it will take the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the Kingdom of God and not some human action to usher in the millennial peace.

As far as animal sacrifices go, even after the first Jerusalem temple was built and left in ruins, the Bible itself specifically shows that they were made in the time of Ezra BEFORE the second temple was ready:

6 From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid. (Ezra 3:6)

One may argue that since it takes the participation of Jewish religious leaders in order for Jewish animal sacrifices to be resumed, that the above scripture, from so long ago, is a moot point.

For formal clarification of the position of Jewish leaders, I (Bob Thiel) contacted the reconstituted Sanhedrin some time ago and asked why it felt that sacrifices could be started before a temple is rebuilt.

The response received was:

Rabbi Yeshayahu Hollander wrote:

רמב”ם, מעשה הקרבנות, פרק יט , הלכה טז והלכה יז:

טז [טו] מִי שֶׁשָּׁחַט קֳדָשִׁים בַּזְּמָן הַזֶּה, וְהֶעֱלָה חוּץ לָעֲזָרָה–חַיָּב: מִפְּנֵי שְׁהוּא רָאוּי לִקָּרֵב בִּפְנִים–שֶׁהֲרֵי מֻתָּר לְהַקְרִיב, אַף עַל פִּי שְׁאֵין בַּיִת, שֶׁקְּדֻשָּׁה רִאשׁוֹנָה קִדְּשָׁה לְשָׁעָתָהּ וְקִדְּשָׁה לָעֲתִיד לָבוֹא, כְּמוֹ שֶׁבֵּאַרְנוּ.
יז [טז] הַשּׁוֹחֵט קָדְשֵׁי גּוֹיִים בַּחוּץ, חַיָּב; וְכֵן הַמַּעֲלֶה אוֹתָן בַּחוּץ. וְהַגּוֹיִים מֻתָּרִין לְהַקְרִיב עוֹלוֹת לַה’, בְּכָל מָקוֹם–וְהוּא, שֶׁיַּקְרִיבוּ בַּבָּמָה שֶׁיִּבְנוּ. וְאָסוּר לְסַיְּעָן, וְלַעֲשׂוֹת שְׁלִיחוּתָן–שֶׁהֲרֵי נֶאֱסַר עָלֵינוּ לְהַקְרִיב בַּחוּץ; וּמֻתָּר לְהוֹרוֹת לָהֶם, וּלְלַמְּדָם הֵיאַךְ יַקְרִיבוּ לְשֵׁם הָאֵל בָּרוּךְ הוּא.

Translation:

Hichot Maasei HaKorbanot [The Procedures of Offering Sacrifices]

Chapter 19

Paragraph 17:

He who slaughters a Sacrifice in this period [when we have no Temple], and offered the sacrifice outside the Azara [the alloted area of the Temple] – is culpable, because the offering must be performed in the Azara, SINCE IT IS PERMITTED TO PERFORM SACRIFICES despite having no Temple, since the sanctity of the Temple is eternal.

Paragraph 18:

He who slaughters the sacrifice of a gentile outside the Azara is culpable, as is one who performs the offering. NON JEWS are permitted to offer burnt-offerings anywhere, on an alkter which they built. Jews may not help them in the performance of this sacrifice, since Jews may not offer sacrifices outside the Azara. But we may instruct them and teach them how to perform sacrificesto the ASlmighty God, Blessed be He.

Additionally, it is worth noting that on 5766, Rabbi Benyamin Fuss published a 445 page book on Sacrifices of non-jews, of which the text proper is of 372 pages [the rest are indices, etc.] called Torat Habamah: Regarding sacrifices on an Altar outside the Temple. (Email from the Sanhedrin webmaster Abrahamson to Bob Thiel September 17, 2008).

Rabbi Yeshayahu Hollander is the English language spokesman for the nascent Sanhedrin.

The webmaster of the Sanhedrin added the following in a subsequent email:

This quote comes from Maimonides’ (Rambam) work the Mishneh Torah.

The nascent Sanhedrin sees itself as the continuation of rabbinic jurisprudence, and must take into account all halachic works written to date, and proceed from there. (Email from the Sanhedrin webmaster Abrahamson to Bob Thiel September 17, 2008).

Thus, it appears to be a longstanding position of some Jewish scholars that Jewish sacrifices can be started on an altar and, as long as it is in the area of the old temple, that a physical temple is not first required.

This is consistent with Ezra’s previously quoted practice.

As far as a physical temple in Jerusalem goes, here is what the late Herbert W. Armstrong wrote:

God made a prophecy in the third chapter of Malachy…Continuing, “…shall suddenly come to His temple…” What kind of temple is He coming to? Are the Jews going to tear down the Dome of the Rock and build a new temple? Oh, no!… A holy temple! Christ is coming to His church! Christ is coming to His temple! Do we see that? The church is the temple. “…in whom ye are also builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” (Armstrong, Herbert W. Congress of Leading Ministers Hears Defined and Reemphasized Spiritual Organization of Church. Worldwide News, March 6, 1981, p. 10)

Some no longer agree with him about that, but I believe he was right and that can be shown from what the Bible also teaches (Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required?).

This does not mean that a Jewish temple cannot be built, only that it is not required to be built before Jesus returns. The Bible (Ezra 3:6) and Jewish religious leaders agree that animal sacrifices (which the Bible says will resume as it teaches that they will later be stopped per Daniel 9:27;11:31) can occur without a Jewish temple. Only an altar in the area is required (cf. Ezra 3:2-6) and the Jews already have one of those (for details, see Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required?).

While the Jews push for another temple, and may possibly get one, they also tend to push for the ability to do animal sacrifices.

At some point in time, the sacrifices will begin, but will be stopped (Daniel 9:27,11:31). And that will not be a sign of peace and prosperity, but a sign that the Great Tribulation is about to begin (Matthew 24:15-23).

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required? Although people like Timothy LaHaye teach a third Jewish temple is required, who is ‘the temple of God” in the New Testament? Does the Bible require a rebuilt Jewish Temple? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Por qué no se requiere un templo judío en Jerusalén? Here is a link to a sermon titled The Temple, Prophecy, and the Work.
The Red Heifer, Jewish Beliefs, and the End of the World The Temple Institute is watching a ‘red heifer.’ Why might this be important in the sequence of end time events? Here is a related link in the Spanish language Novilla roja descubierta en EE.UU. e Instituto del Templo está interesado en ella. Here is a related video in English The Red Heifer and the End of the World.
Location of the Prophesied Physical Temple Leroy Neff gives his rationalse for the location of the coming temple.
Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill Could this building, often referred to as the Cenacle, possibly have been the oldest actual Christian church building?
Does the ‘Cenacle’ deal have prophetic ramifications? After a 20 year negotiation, the Church of Rome has negotiated the right to have Catholic mass in the building known as the Cenacle. It is in the area where the Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill once stood. This is believed to be the location of the earliest Christian church building. How does the Bible define the ‘temple of God’ in the New Testament? Could this be the area where the ‘man of sin’ will sit in the “temple of God’ that Bible prophecy discusses in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4? This is a YouTube video.
Jerusalem: Past, Present, and Future What does the Bible say about Jerusalem and its future? Is Jerusalem going to be divided and eliminated? Is Jesus returning to the area of Jerusalem? There is also a related YouTube video you can watch titled Jerusalem To be divided and eliminated.
Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Apparitions Do you know much about Mary? Are the apparitions real? What happened at Fatima? What might they mean for the rise of the ecumenical religion of Antichrist? Are Protestants moving towards Mary? How do the Eastern/Greek Orthodox view Mary? How might Mary view her adorers? Here is a link to a YouTube video Marian Apparitions May Fulfill Prophecy.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to three related sermons: The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2017, 2018, or 2019? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2016 o 2017? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon videos: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives and Can the Great Tribulation begin before 2020? A shorter video is: Will the Great Tribulation Start in 2017?
Just What Do You Mean the Kingdom of God? A booklet that was written by Herbert Armstrong answers questions about the Kingdom.
Who is the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2? Is this the King of the North, the ten-horned beast of Revelation 13:1-11, or the two-horned Beast of Revelation 13:12-16? Some rely on traditions, but what does the Bible teach? Here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Quién es el Hombre de Pecado de 2 Tesalonicenses 2? Here is a version in Mandarin: 主编：谁是’大罪人’？Here is a link to a related YouTube video, in English, titled Who is the Man of Sin?