Huge Mosque Planned for Temple Mount?

Jerusalem

There are plans by certain Muslims for the Temple Mount in Jerusalem:

Expert Warns of Waqf’s Dangerous Plans for Temple Mount

Israel National News – Feb 24, 2012

Archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar warned on Thursday about the plans of the Muslim religious authority, the Waqf, for the Temple Mount.

Speaking to Arutz Sheva, Mazar said that for the past 12 years, the Waqf has constantly built on the Temple Mount in an attempt to implement its final plan: the establishment of a huge mosque on the Mount…

Mazar said the Waqf’s final plan is to unite all the mosques on the Temple Mount and create one big mosque. She added that it has been working for years to put the plan into practice and warned that if this happens, Jews will not be able to go to the Temple Mount.

“We know that the Waqf’s goal is to unite all one the mosques, and unfortunately today it is far from being just an illusion,” she said. “We will definitely weep over this plan in the future.” http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/153101

Some, especially evangelical Protestants who believe in a pre-tribulation rapture, believe that the Jews must build a physical temple in Jerusalem on that very spot. And expansion plans by Waqf would tend to complicate the idea of the construction of a Jewish temple there.

However, the Bible does not require that such a temple be built (for details, please see Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required?). Yet, many in Israel do wish to build such a temple and have taken steps to produce sacrificial accessories associated with such a temple. Perhaps I should add that the Bible does teach that the Jews will again start physical sacrifices as it shows that the sacrifices will be stopped (Daniel 9:27; 11:31). Yet historically, the Jews have been able to do the sacrifices without a temple (Ezra 3:6), and currently the Sanhedrin in Israel believes that they can conduct animal sacrifices without the need for an actual temple (documented details are in the article Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required?).

The Muslims, through Waqf, already have a strong presence at the site of the old Temple Mount (Har HaBayit) with their al-Aqsa Mosque. If Waqf is actually expanding their presence there, this could become problematic for Israel. Unless something changes–and it will.

The Bible, interestingly, suggests that Jerusalem will be divided. Notice the following biblical prophecy:

2 For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem;
The city shall be taken,
The houses rifled,
And the women ravished.
Half of the city shall go into captivity,
But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. (Zechariah 14:2, NKJV)

If half the city is Jewish and the other half not, then there would be a reason for only one half that city to go into captivity. This seems to allow for the idea that perhaps even part of the Temple Mount may be divided (it somewhat is now, but there may be more of an international agreement on the specifics in some type of future deal in the Middle East).

The Bible is clear that Jerusalem will be an issue in the end time:

2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. 3 And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. (Zechariah 12:2-4)

Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want for their capital, and which is currently the capital of Israel, continues to be in the news in the 21st century. And notice that there were even problems today:

Muslim worshippers, Israeli police clash at Jerusalem’s Temple Mount

Feb 24, 2012

Protesters hurl rocks at Mughrabi Bridge; in rare move, Israeli security forces enter Temple Mount plaza to scatter the riot; 11 policemen, 15 Palestinians wounded. http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/muslim-worshippers-israeli-police-clash-at-jerusalem-s-temple-mount-1.414627

World events continue to align with Bible prophecy.

An apparent peace deal will come in the Middle East (Daniel 9:27), though it may take a war to persuade some of the parties to make the deal, and it may involve the enforced dividing of Jerusalem. While the enforced dividing of Jerusalem is something that Israel currently will not accept–if given enough assurances by the West in general and Europe in particular–Israel will accept this (the fact that a 2011 survey found that 81% of Israelis Want to Join the EU shows that Israel may accept a deal in the future that it currently does not find acceptable if the EU makes certain promises).

Events continue to heat up in the Middle East.

Jesus taught, “And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” (Mark 13:37).

Some articles 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?
Is There A Secret Rapture for the Church? When and Where is the Church Protected? What does the Bible really teach? Does the Church flee or is it taken up just prior to the great tribulation? Who really is left behind?
There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Petra This article discusses a biblical ‘place of safety’ and includes quotes from the Bible and Herbert W. Armstrong on this subject–thus, there is a biblically supported alternative to the rapture theory.
Is There A Future King of the South? Some no longer believe there needs to be. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Might this King be called the Mahdi? What does the Bible say?
The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What about the Imam Mahdi? What lies ahead for Turkey, Iran, and the other non-Arabic Muslims?
Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2012, 2013, or 2014? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord?