Final Words of "Jerusalem 101"

The book "Jerusalem 101" is finished. The unedited version fills three 3-ring binders and has somewhere around 700 pages made up of 400 photos, maps and diagrams. Tim Vaniman has the first 2 sections edited already. I have just finished the final chapter which opens with these words:

"Israel lost their temple in 586 BC and were taken into Babylonian captivity by Nebuchadnezzar just as Jeremiah prophesied. In 539 BC Cyrus of the Persians sent them back to Jerusalem to rebuild their Temple just like Isaiah had prophesied. In 168 BC Antiochus Epiphanies of the Grecian Empire in Syria (Seleucids) desecrated the temple to end the Jewish sacrifices, but was resisted by Judas Maccabeus who cleansed the Temple to restore the daily sacrifice in 164 BC just like Daniel had prophesied. In 70 AD Titus and the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, dismantled the Temple and scattered the Jewish people just like Jesus had prophesied. Since then, history has watched almost 2,000 years of Gentile (Roman, Byzantine, Muslim, Crusader, Ottoman, British) domination of Jerusalem, the Temple Mount and the people of Israel which, of course, Jesus told us would happen:

This is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. - Jesus in Luke 21:22-24

This verse sums up well what the photos, images and descriptions in this book testifies to have been the situation in Jerusalem from 70 AD until now. Even the Temple Mount today continues to be “trampled on by the Gentiles” and their pagan religion. Today we watch Jerusalem, waiting for the Age of the Gentiles to be fulfilled.

Even though many of the words and the set times spoken of by men like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Jesus and others concerning Israel, Jerusalem and the Temple have come to pass, many of their words spoke of days yet in the future. They spoke of events that have yet to be fulfilled, a Temple that has not yet been built, sacrifices that have not been restored and a generation of people who has not yet lived their lives. There is yet a future Jerusalem that includes a Temple to the Lord on the Temple Mount and a Jerusalem filled with Jews who are the descendents of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Even prophets of the New Testament and members of the church age attest to this fact in scripture.

The Apostle Paul writes to the Romans concerning the future of Israel:

I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! . . . Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring! . . . For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? – Romans 11:1, 11, 12, 15

Why do we watch? Why do we wait? Because, according to Paul's words, the “fullness” of Israel and their “acceptance” of God’s plan in Jesus, the Messiah, will result in “greater riches” and “life from the dead” (the resurrection into the kingdom of God).

The photo of the Golden Candle Stand shows one piece of the Temple furniture prepared by the Jews for use in the Temple they plan to build on the Temple Mount. The caption under the photo in the book reads:

This is a photo of the Golden Candle Stand prepared by The Temple Institute specifically for use on the Temple Mount in the next Temple. All the furniture, utensils and clothing required for the operation of the Jewish Temple have been prepared by The Temple Institute and are ready to be moved to the Temple Mount when the time comes. This includes the recently built stone altar that sets in the collection waiting to be moved to the Temple Mount even before the Temple is built so that sacrifices may begin as soon as possible.