Vatican continues to press for control of Mt. Zion building

A COG leader sent me a link to the following:

Israel could be entering the final stages of negotiations to turn over control of Mount Zion to the Vatican, if recent reports by Israel National News are to be believed.

According to the online news source, a secretive meeting took place this week between the Jerusalem Municipality, Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Tourism and senior Catholic officials.

During the meeting, the Catholic delegation reportedly pressed Israel to follow through on a years-old proposal to give the Church control over the compound that houses the traditional “Hall of the Last Supper.”

The problem is that the same compound also houses the traditional “Tomb of David,” a holy site revered and frequented by religious Jews. Not to mention that Mount Zion is symbolic of Jerusalem as a whole, and surrendering it to the Vatican would be seen by many Israelis as a repudiation of Judaism’s claim to the city.

In response to reports regarding the negotiations, the Jerusalem Municipality released a statement insisting that it would remain “the central sovereign power on Mount Zion.”

Others are not so sure, and believe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to turn over control of Mount Zion prior to Pope Francis’ visit to the Holy Land in May. http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/24447/Default.aspx?utm_source=news&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=No-sidebar-news-1&utm_content=1136

I absolutely believe that the time will come when forces associated with the Vatican will gain control of this building. The Vatican has long wanted control of this location. The building there is commonly called the Cenacle. Various ones in Israel have resisted the Vatican’s pressures.

When I visited Jerusalem last October, a Jewish rabbi, named Avraham Goldstein, basically told me that his group once controlled the building and allowed Israeli government to have it under the condition that it would not be just given to a group like the Catholics of Rome.

So, I asked him to put that in writing in an email. So he sent me one on November 3, 2013:

1. Concerning the Cenacle (The Last Supper Room). Originally it belonged to the Yeshiva, but the Yeshiva gave it over to the Israel Ministry of Religions to administer.

2. The condition upon which the Cenacle was given over to the Israel Ministry of Religions was that the status quo would be upheld ;- that it is open to all religions and is not the specific property of any one faith. The Catholic Pope would like to have it exclusively at the disposal of the Catholic faith and to hold mass there. As things stand today this is the only building that is open to Jews, Christians and Moslems. We do not want it to be assigned to just one faith which could create problems with the Palestinians – which is certainly unecessary…

With thanks for your kind consideration of all these matters and with best wishes to you and blessings from Mount Zion,

Rabbi Avraham Goldstein
Diaspora Yeshiva
Mount Zion

A few weeks ago, Avraham Goldstein telephoned me and we discussed this further. It may be that the Continuing Church of God will have one or more roles related to this building. It may be of interest to note that a photo of part of this building was on the front cover of the first edition of our Bible News Prophecy magazine, is on our songbook The Bible Hymnal, is on our letterhead, and my CCOG business cards.

Several years ago (November 26, 2008), in a paper submitted to evangelists in my former association, I wrote that the ancient building known as the Cenacle was a possible building for the man of sin to sit in.

As I have done more research on the Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill, it appears that it is more likely to be the place that could fulfill 2 Thessalonians 2:4 than I originally thought. But I am still not certain. But I continue to research this.

One of the concerns is whether or not the western hill, which is known as Mt. Zion, is actually Mt. Zion of the Bible. Some say that it is, yet most modern archaeologists say that it is not. Whether it is or not, it still hold prophetic potential.

The Bible seems to teach that the son of perdition will sit in some type of place that Christians worshiped at:

3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)

If this is referring to an ancient site, then perhaps it could be referring to one the “Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill” (though only a relatively few original bricks remain).

Even though much of the site is impacted by Greco-Romans, is it possible that God could possibly consider that the area is sufficiently related to the temple that it could possibly fulfill 2 Thessalonians 2:4?

Currently I am doing some research related to the building, its location, and its possible role in end time prophecy. I have attempted to contact various scholars about it and keep updating a paper I am writing on it as I put together more information (see also Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill).

Here is a close up of some of the original bricks of the building (most of the bricks shown in the previous photo were added, as are the smaller ones below):

It is believed that the original bricks (the large ones above, also called ashlars) were not only part of the first Christian church building (which was called a synagogue then), but that they also may have come from the second temple in Jerusalem.

Anyway, because of various biblical prophecies, it is possible that this is a location that the prophesied ‘man of sin’ will come to. The Vatican continues to press for control of this and my investigations are continuing.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill Could this building, often referred to as the Cenacle, which is located on a Mount Zion, possibly have been the oldest actual Christian church building? There is also a video titled Does the ‘Cenacle’ deal have prophetic ramifications?
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?
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?
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.
Pope Francis: Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy? Pope Francis has taken many steps to turn people more towards his version of ‘Mary.’ Could this be consistent with biblical and Catholic prophecies? This article documents what has been happening. There is also a video version titled Pope Francis: Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy?