[Darris] There is one piece of ground in all
the earth that holds a mystery for the world's three largest religions. This piece of real estate is important to
every person, whether they realize it or not. That ground is found in Jerusalem and it is
under what is called the Dome of the Rock. You have all seen pictures of this place. It is one of the iconic symbols of Jerusalem. You may not know what this piece of ground
really means. This ground tells a story that unlocks a key
to your relationship with God and Jesus Christ. And understanding this key is important knowledge
for you to have. Join us on Beyond Today as we ask: "Will a
Temple Be Built in Jerusalem?" [Announcer] Join our host, Darris McNeely
and his guests, as they help you understand your future on Beyond Today. [Darris] In Jerusalem, on what is called the
Temple Mount, stands a building called the Dome of the Rock. Inside this structure is an outcropping of
stone, the top of what at one time was a rather steep hill. Centuries of building, destruction, rebuilding,
and further destruction combined with expansive projects have shaped and reshaped the hill
into what we see today. This spot is arguably the most fascinating
and intriguing piece of real estate on the planet. Jerusalem, the Temple Mount - what has occurred
there is legendary and factual, mythical and real. If Jerusalem is the target of Bible prophecy
then the Temple Mount and what is under the Dome of the Rock is the bulls-eye of this
story. Sounds interesting - even a bit dramatic,
doesn't it? Yet, it is all true. And with all that is happening throughout
the Middle East - where we have regime changes, and insurrections, and the threat of nuclear
armament and war - it is important that you understand, not only what is happening, but
why, and what it can reveal about God's great purpose for your life. You see, Bible prophecy and the Middle Eastern
turmoil that we see all around us continually is fundamentally more than the ongoing drama
of conflict among these nations, or upset for the people and big power interventions. At the heart of this story is God's plan to
restore peace to this earth. Peace within an eternal plan to bring many
sons into His glory through a spiritual process that's called salvation. This is why it is important to you. And I want you to understand the background
to this great story and what it can mean to your life. Inside this Dome of the Rock is an outcropping
of a very large expanse of rock. Now the Jews say that it was on this rock,
at the very top of this mountain, that the patriarch Abraham laid his son Isaac in a
near sacrifice. But at the last minute, God stopped it, prevented
that sacrifice from happening. That story is told in Genesis. And it was on this spot that King Solomon,
the son of David, built a temple to God that is called in history the First Temple. The Bible describes this temple and the splendor
that it had, and it describes it in such a way that really makes you wonder whether or
not this must have been an ancient marvel of the ancient world. Now that temple was destroyed by the Babylonians
and on the same site the Jews later rebuilt a Second Temple that was expanded and embellished
by Herod the Great. It was to this temple that Jesus went during
His life and is the scene for so many of the episodes that we read when we open up the
New Testament Gospels, the book of Acts, and read what happened there. That temple was destroyed in the year 70 A.D.
when the Roman legions came in, surrounded Jerusalem, and then eventually stormed the
city, and sacked the city, and that ended for nearly two centuries a Jewish presence
on that spot as it completely destroyed that temple in that area. Now according to Muslim tradition, the Prophet
Mohammed made a night journey to Jerusalem during a vision and from the top of that same
mountain spot, he leapt to heaven on the back of a horse - according to the story. And when this gold-domed shrine was built
on the site in 691 A.D. it not only commemorated this mythic event, but it was meant to compete
with the nearby Christian shrine that is called the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. And both of those today still exist within
the old city of Jerusalem. And today, this spot, called the Temple Mount,
is considered holy by both Jews and Muslims and Christians who look for Jesus Christ's
second coming, well they are very interested in what happens on that very small piece of
historic land. Which is why when the Jews call for a new
temple to be built on this spot, as has been done in continual fashion in recent years,
that call, that desire is something that is significant and it is important for us to
pay attention to. Because such calls are part of the continual
stream of events that continue to shape the landscape of the Middle East. Major upheavals are occurring on a regular
basis in the Middle East. They command the headlines and they command
our attention. Most importantly, they command our understanding. Most of the world really fails to connect
the dots of all of these events that are supposed to be connected with Bible prophecy. Don't assume that they are just coincidences. These events - upheavals, turn over in nations,
religious strife in Jerusalem and even on that spot of land - all of them are moving
our world to a single great event that is called in the Bible, the great day of God
Almighty. The question is: Will you be ready for that
day? Understanding these events, along with one
great truth about that small piece of real estate that's under this building, the Dome
of the Rock, understanding that is crucial to your spiritual life today and to your eternal
life with your Creator God. Now that's not an overstatement. Let's understand why. Stay with me during this program. Let's begin for a moment by going back in
the Bible to a prophecy in the book of Daniel in chapter 11. In what is called the longest prophecy in
the Bible, a very detailed and intricate historical prophecy. We begin in verse 40 and take it down to the
end of the chapter to verse 45. We find that what is described is a major
power intervention and clash within the Middle East and specifically within Israel, as it
is today, and Jerusalem. It says in verse 40, "At the time of the end
the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him
like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the
countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and
many countries shall be overthrown;..." And now in verse 45 it says, "...and he shall
plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he
shall come to his end, and no one will help him" (Daniel 11:40-45). This glorious holy mountain is describing
Jerusalem and quite frankly that very spot that is today the area of the Temple Mount
where something will happen, where a presence will be planted in that spot according to
this prophecy that is going to gain the interest, and if not further conflict for a time of
the rest of the world. That prophecy is very significant for us to
understand as we look at this important question of whether or not a temple will be built there. In fact, it fits into the entire story of
the Middle East and what is taking place according to Bible prophecy, not only now, but most
importantly, according to this prophecy, in the future. We all continually hear news about the events
that are taking place in that critical world region. Our Bible study aid, The Middle East in Bible
Prophecy, is going to help you understand the biblical and historical background to
all of these major events. Most importantly, this aid is going to help
you to learn what to look for in the future as prophecy is fulfilled. You can read The Middle East in Bible Prophecy
online at BeyondToday.tv. You can also receive a hard-copy like I am
holding here in my hand, by calling the number on your screen, which is: 1-888-886-8632. Again, it's 1-888-886-8632. Call us. Go online and begin reading more information
on this fascinating topic that swirls today in the Middle East and is going to culminate
at the end of this age with prophecies that will be fulfilled there. It will help you understand, not only current
history, but Bible prophecy. Call us now or go online and begin reading
more information on this fascinating topic. Now, let's go back to the Bible and let's
examine a very important - a key prophecy from Jesus Christ Himself that tells us why
this small piece of real estate in Jerusalem is important. Bible students are all familiar with Matthew
24, the Olivet Prophecy, where Christ gave some specific details about prophecy before
His coming, and what the world conditions would be like. In chapter 24 and in verse 15, Christ prophesied
an action that is "standing in the holy place." What He said is this, "Therefore when you
see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the
holy place (whoever reads, let him understand) then let those who are in Judea flee to the
mountains" (Matthew 24:15-16). This is a major prophecy and it refers to
a key prophecy from the book of Daniel. Christ's declaration points to something foretold
many, many years earlier by Daniel who was living in Babylon when he foretold an event
that took place even years after Daniels' life, when the Jews returned to Jerusalem
and built a temple there. There is another time of foreign occupation
that occurred. A lot of wars took place in and around Jerusalem
and the land, in those years and that time after the Jews returned, up unto the time
of Christ. There is one episode that that prophecy talks
about where a ruler by the name of Antiochus was moved to invade Jerusalem and desecrate
the temple that was there, and its altars. He did so by offering swine's blood - pig's
blood - as part of a horrendous sacrifice. It is mentioned in Daniel 11:31 where it is
described and his actions there, describe the daily sacrifice being removed from the
alter and the temple, and in its place what is called and set as "the abomination of desolation." Now this refers to a number of events that
took place in the year 168 B.C., when this crazed Antiochus entered Jerusalem, killed
80,000 men, women and children, and then desecrated the temple by offering a sacrifice to the
chief Greek god named Zeus. This outrage then was a forerunner of the
event that Jesus Christ said would occur in the last days - those days yet ahead of us
as He referred to it there in Matthew 24:15. When Christ referred to this prophecy, He
made another statement that is often ignored by students of the Bible. It's in the parenthesis there, where it says,
"whoever reads let him understand." Now, here is where we need to pause and gain
some understanding about, not only the timing of this prophecy of Christ for the future,
but why. Why we should even be concerned with coming
to a better understanding as we read it and try to understand this event, our times and
the future, and especially whether or not there is a temple to be built in Jerusalem,
a sacrifice given there, and why it all would matter to your life right now. Christ is talking about an event that will
take place in Jerusalem on or very near to where the temples of the past once stood. For any future "abomination" to be placed
there, there will have to be sacrifices offered on at least an altar that will be consecrated
to a holy purpose. That's why, today, when you might hear a little
piece of news that comes out of Israel, a call to rebuild a temple - for the Jews to
go up on that Temple Mount and to rebuild a temple - that is something to take seriously
from a biblical and a prophetic perspective. It is also serious politically because of
the potential conflict that this will produce. It's already produced conflict in our own
time when even an official of the Israeli government walked up on that Temple Mount,
it created a violent uprising that took the lives of a number of people. But here is the real point to understand:
There is no need for a temple or a sacrifice of an animal on this or any other spot on
the face of the earth today - no need. The Temple that God allowed Solomon to build
was a place where man could meet God and could come into fellowship and communion with Him. And when you understand how that temple was
set up, the center of it, there was a place called the Holy of Holies. And in that Holy of Holies, this little confined
space, stood the Ark of the Covenant. And in that Covenant were the tablets upon
which the Commandments were written - there were other items there as well. But it stood there in that Holy of Holies
and the presence of Almighty God resided there at that time. And no man but the high priest of Israel could
ever enter the Most Holy Place, and he could only do it one day out of every year. And if historians and archaeologists today
are correct about that spot, at the top of that rock, under that gold domed mosque there
in Jerusalem, that is where the Holy of Holies stood during the time of Solomon's Temple,
and that's where the Ark of the Covenant resided and that's where God's presence was. And in that place, which was once holy, man
could meet with God, seek forgiveness and enter into a relationship with Him through
a priesthood and through the sacrifices. And there, prayers were answered and man could
realize his eternal purpose for his life. Now it's interesting for us to understand
is that spot was really only a mere copy - the rest of the Bible, the book of Hebrews, tells
us - is only a copy of a shadow of a divine reality in heaven, at the very throne of God. That spot was only meant to tell us something
when God was present as He was during the time that the temple stood in the days of
ancient Israel. The book of Hebrews in the New Testament,
we see that Jesus Christ, after His death and His resurrection, He entered into heaven
itself to appear in the presence of God for man. And Christ did not enter a physical temple
which was only a copy of the true we're told. Christ entered into the presence of God, the
Most Holy Place it says. And with His blood offered one sacrifice for
all men and all time; and that makes possible a divine relationship between God and man
today without the need for a priesthood, without the need for a sacrifice, and without the
need for any physical temple. The divisive interest in Jerusalem and this
small piece of real estate today called the Temple Mount, it's all misplaced. To have a relationship with God through Christ
you do not need a physical temple with an animal sacrifice. All that was made unnecessary. It was finished by the shed blood, death and
the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If we don't need a physical temple then, why
is there such intense interest in Jerusalem and this small piece of land called the Temple
Mount? The Jews, they're interested because it is
where the temple stood during the time of Ancient Israel, where men once went to meet
God. The Muslims, they revere the site because
they feel the prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven from there. And Christians, well they support the desire
of Jews to build a new temple on the site in their mind to hasten the coming of the
Messiah. This place in Jerusalem is not holy. That's right. It's not holy. Only God can make something holy by His presence,
and God is not there now. The only real value in this place of land
is historical value and for what once was. You don't need a temple and you don't need
a priest to gain access to God in heaven. You have Jesus Christ as a High Priest today
at God's throne and by Him we, you and I, can gain peace and a relationship based upon
truth. Every religion, every religion that looks
to this Temple Mount, and even to Jerusalem, as a holy place or a holy city - and for that
matter any other physical building or piece of ground on the earth - every religion that
does so misses the point. The point is this: God does not dwell in buildings
made with hands. He can come into your heart now. He can come into your life and change it,
if you decide to repent and turn from a life of sin and begin living by the eternal law
of God. But today, you see Jerusalem, you see the
entire Middle East caught up in turmoil and strife over this object and many other issues. A devout Jew yearns to get as close to this
piece of ground as possible and offer prayer. A Muslim will tear that Jew apart if they
dare try to get close to this building. And sincere Christians, well, they will support
the State of Israel in a belief that doing so will hasten the day Christ returns to this
city and to this place. And why? Because a misguided zeal to serve a distorted
image of God. And this will lead to what we see described
in one of Revelation's most dramatic scenes. Revelation 16 beginning in verse 12, this
prophecy says, "Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates,
and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs
coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the
mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing
signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to
the battle of that great day of God almighty." And then in verse 15, Jesus said, "Behold,
I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments,
lest he walk naked and they see his shame" (Revelation 16:12-15). When the nations come to Jerusalem and the
armies will clash in the shadow of this piece of ground, it will be in vain, because God
is not there - neither in that city nor in any kind of temple that may be erected. God does not need a building for worship. But He does desire a people who will worship
Him in spirit and in truth. When the armies of the world converge on Jerusalem
in the final battle of God Almighty, as this prophecy shows, you will need God's protection,
blessings and love - more than anyone will have needed them ever before. You will need to develop this relationship
with God right now. And this is where prophecy, history and God's
plan converge in your life today. Prophecy should bring you to understand that
God is going to judge all nations and peoples and now is the time to change your life. History has meaning. This world has meaning, far beyond the whim
of a politician or a statesman. And God has a plan for your life and prophecy
can motivate you to know what it is. That is the reason to study and to understand
Bible prophecy within the context of your Bible, and this entire subject we're talking
about today of whether or not a temple will be built in Jerusalem, and why or why not
it is important. When you request today the free study aid
that we offered earlier, The Middle East in Bible Prophecy, we're also going to send you
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reach more people with God's truth. Write to us today, or go online at BeyondToday.tv
where you'll also find a list of United Church of God congregations in cities around the
world. We welcome you to visit with us. There is one piece of ground in all the earth
that holds a mystery for the world's three largest religions. Will a new temple be built in Jerusalem? It's a politically charged event that we have
been discussing on today's program. I'm now joined by fellow Beyond Today hosts,
Gary Petty and Steve Myers. Why does religion fight over land and buildings
and holy places? [Gary] You know Darris, it is a proclivity
of human beings to want to commemorate events. I mean we put plaques up and memorials up
all over the place for historical events that will be passed on from generation to generation. And of course, how much more so if it has
to do with God's intervention or God's divine touching into humanity. So, whenever people think that there is something
that God did, of course they want to commemorate that ground for future commemorations - remembering. [Steve] It's interesting. I think one of the challenges that people
have is the fact that they misunderstand. They misunderstand the spiritual side of things. We get into these physical representations,
whether it's a building or whether it's a monument or whatever it may be and yet that's
not what God has ultimately in mind. He has something spiritual in mind, and so
I think there is a basic misunderstanding when it comes to relegating some temple or
some mosque to some kind of special status in that way, because that's not what it's
all about. [Darris] And that's really why we wanted to
do this program on this subject to deal with a question that a lot of people really don't
understand. And when a call is made and sometimes just
a little blip in the news will be made about a call for a building of a temple in Jerusalem,
people just don't understand the connection of what that means. And they see these buildings and they see
this tussling for land and over a holy spot and a holy place, without understanding that
the Bible shows us that that is totally irrelevant. It is about God living His life within each
one of us spiritually, creating a spiritual entity called the body of Christ. [Gary] And people live in fear of those events
instead of realizing, God gave His prophecy so that we can trust Him. [Darris] And that's what we want you to understand. That's why our literature is pointing you
in that direction to understand what it is that you can have is a relationship with God
and Jesus Christ, right now, without the need for a physical temple or to worry about those
things. So, remember our free offers that we've offered
on the program today, both The Good News magazine, and The Middle East in Bible Prophecy. You'll want to order your free copies today. You can call: 1-888-886-8632 or you can go
online to BeyondToday.tv. These will help put your changing world into
a perspective, examining world events in light of the Bible. You're going to want to get your free copies
today. Go online or call the number on your screen
to do so right away. What you are hearing and what you are learning
here today is not myth or fantasy. It is very real. It is the truth of the gospel of the Kingdom
of God. This is not make-believe. This is not a game. This is your life and this is very important. Here on Beyond Today, 50 percent of you watch
our program regularly, and have ordered much of the free literature that we offer. For that, we thank you. And we thank you for the support you give
to keep this program on the air. We will continue to provide our material free
of charge. So, what will be your next step? What are you doing with the biblical understanding
that you're receiving? Are you changing how you live? Are you changing what you believe to that
of Jesus Christ, the Bible and our Father in heaven? Are you doing away with non-Christian, non-biblical
holidays and traditions? Are you attending with a church that keeps
God's Sabbath day holy? Stop putting off change and make a commitment
to God for the sake of your life. Change now. We would be happy to hear from you. We have more than 200 congregations in cities
across the United States, plus dozens more throughout Canada, and in all major cities
in Australia - not to mention other countries around the globe. We have qualified pastors and counselors who
would be happy to help you in your Christian journey as a disciple of Jesus Christ. So go to our website, click on the "Contact"
tab and find a congregation near you. Call one of our pastors and share your story. We are here to help. Christ once wept over Jerusalem saying how
much He would have protected her from the many sorrows He knew were coming. He still mourns for the city with its bitter
divisions between people of faith who cannot reconcile longstanding religious division. The Bible shows the great battle that concludes
this age will be in Jerusalem. You can be ready in advance of this age-ending
event by turning to Christ with a heart to hear and a mind to change. Putting on Christ is the key to standing firm
in that day. God help you understand and help you change. Thanks for watching our program and remember
to join us in praying, "Thy Kingdom come." For Beyond Today I'm Darris McNeely. [Announcer] For the free literature offered
on today's program, go online to BeyondToday.tv. Please join us again next week on Beyond Today.
