The Tabernacle of David - Symbol Or Reality? - Prophecy In The News Magazine - Aug 2005
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Is It a Symbol, or a Reality?
The Tabernacle of David
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In March 1983, Israeli archeologist Asher Kaufman suggested that this cupola stands over the bedrock where Solomon's
Temple once stood . Our tour group Is pictured standing here at the " Dome of the Tablets," as it is called today. Note that it
stands to the west of the Mosque of Omar, and could be the place where the next Temple will be constructed .
By Gary Stearman Assembl ing architects and engineers, the Thi s last phrase is taken from a leller
Sanhedrin has initiated plans that are sure signed by two of the Sanhedrin's spokes-
Recent events in the Middle East have to elevate tensions among members of the men, Professor Hillel Weiss and Rabbi
b","ght prophetic Scripture to Arab Waqf and the Palestinian Authority. Chaim Richman, leader of the Jerusalem
the foreground . World- More than that, the implications of this Temple Institute. The letter is dated 28 Iyar,
NelDaily featured an move are prophetically electrifying. 5765 (June 6, 2005),
article on Ihe 8th of June The article states, "The group, which "The Sanhedrin call s upon all groups
that openly presented a calls itself the Sanhedrin, is call ing on the who work in the area of Temple and Temple
subject that is practically Jewish people to contribute toward the Mount-related research and activity, to be-
taboo in Israel: rebuild- acquisition of materials for the purpose gin to prepare detailed architectural plans
ing the Temple. of rebuilding the Temple - including the for the construction of the Holy Temple,
Recalling that t he gathering and preparation of prefabricated, towards the goal of its establishment in its
Sanhedrin was recently disassembled portions to be stored and proper place.
reborn afler a l 600-year lapse, it head- ready fo r rapid assembly, 'in the manner "The Sanhedrin will establi sh a forum of
lined their current plans to do just that. of King David. '" architects and engineers whose goal will be
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to implement this decision, so that detailed
working plans are effectively brought to an
operational stage.
"The Sanhedrin calls upon th e Jewish
people to contribute towards the acquisition
o f materia ls for the purpose o f rebuild-
ing the Holy Temple; the gathering and
preparation of prefabricated, disassembled
portions of this building to bc stored and
ready fo r rapid assembly, in the manner of
Ki ng David. These contributions will be
considered "chulin," i.e., non-sacred, for
the purpose of the plan ning and construc-
tion of the Temple."
What a bold and visionary plan! It comes
at a time when rabbis are not even allowed
on the Temple Mount , except in small
groups, for a limited time. Yet they are now
making plans to place a building there!
Bible-be lieving Christians have long
spoken of the fact that just such a Temple
must be erected, ill order that the 'Day C!f
the Lord ·' prophec ies might be fulfill ed. For
example, Paul writes that a future '·man of
sin" will declare himselfas the ruler of the
world from within the Temple precincts:
··Who opposeth and (!Xaltelh himself
above all that is called God. or that is
worshipped; so Ihat he as God sineth in
the temple a/God. shewing himselj't/wt he
is God" ( II Thes. 2:4).
A temple of some sort must be presen!
in order for this prophecy 10 be fi.lfilled.
Many have reasoned that it must be some
sort of temporary structure, exact ly as the
one envisioned by the Sanhedrin .
SUPERIMPOSED ON
Perhaps a Temple M ounl presence will TEMPLE MaUNr
come in two stages, since Scripture plainly I'LATIOIUA
tells us Ihat in the monumental struggle to
reestablish the Kingdom , Israel will re-
cover, repair and set up David's Tabernacle.
Even in David's day, it was considered
a temporary rent, to be used only until a
Temple could be built. It has been hidden
Asher Kaufman believes that Solomon'S Temple stood directly west of the Eastern
since the days of the Babylonian Captivity.
Gate, and north of the area w here the Dome of the Rock is located. Above, is a layou t
As we sha ll see, its recovery will signal the
of Solomon 's Temple with the " Dome of the Tablets" in the Holy of holies.
dawn of a new day.
Bul some say Ihat the Tabemacle of Da- ing and disseminating the new institution barriers of legalism. To the Jew, the Law
vid is only a spirinml symbol. They interpret - the called-out body of Christ - known to was everything. It was the source of bless-
it as a metaphor for a latter-day revival of the world simply as the church. Its members ing to those who kept it. It was a curse to
the church, saying that it should not be were faced with many external obstacles. those who trampled upon its precepts.
taken litera lly. They asse rt that discovering The G raeco-Roman cult ure , with its In Acts 15, Paul and company had just
and repairing a three-1.housand-year-old Babylonian baggage of pagan gods, stood returned from their first missionary journey,
tent is neither scri pturally validated nor squarely in the path of the Gospel. The cu lt coming back to their de parture point, An-
believable. of the Caesars saw the church as encroach- tioch of Syria. T here, they were greeted by
How do we then reconcile the Bible's ing upon its realm o f power. Tribal pagans a Jewish council with a harsh and critical
prophetic view of future events with current dwelling in the swamps, plains, foreslS and message, ··Except ye be circumcised after
Israeli plans? In this study, we shall begin j ungles greeted Christianity with suspicion, lhe manner 0/ Moses, ye clll1nOI be saved ·'
in first-century Jerusalem, at a conference if not outright hostility. (Acts 15: 1).
called 10 determine the direction o f the But ill the beginning, the internal ob- III the wake of this opposition to the
early church. stacles were just as overwhelming as the Gospel of Grace. there followed, "/fosmall
A fler Jesus' ascension, II is disciples were externa l ones. T he Gospel came to the Jew dissen.~ioll and disputation ,. (Acts 15:2). In
faced with the daunting cha llenge offound- first, and there, it encountered enormous modern English, this means spirited and
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emotional debate, no doubt ranging at times taken literally, or not? find out what the Tabernacle of David is ail
into shouting argument. How shal l we in terpret these words, about because God said He wou ld restore
At this poinl, the historica l record shows spoken by James during the early formative it. We need to be able to recognize it and
Peter standing up to argue for the basic years of the church? Are they a metaphoric embrace it. When God is doing something,
Christian teaching ofsalvation through grace. expression, or do they refer to an actual we shou ld be part of it. Rjght?
Paul and Barnabas then testified of the many event of the future? "The fi rst question that comes to my mind
miracles wrought on their long journey. As earlier mention ed , some say that is why does He intend to restore David 's
Listcners, stunned by their amazing James' words don't refer to the literal Taber- Tabernacl e? From the verse above it is
report. fell silent, contemplating the enor- nacle of David at all, but simply foreshadow clear that He wants the rest of mankind to
mous change that was now sweeping their a reawakening of God's Spirit. Such is the seek Him. The restoration of the Tabemacle
world. AI this dramatic moment, one stood view of those who believe that tbe church of Da vid is evangehstic 'so the rest of
in their midst to uller a prophecy that in- has replaced national Israel. mankind may seek the Lord.' Take a look
spires us to this day: They c laim that the Tabernacle of David at Psalms 40: 3:
"And after Ihey had held their peace, is simply un e xpression for the church "He hath pili a new song in my mOllth,
James answered, saying, Men and brethren, and its various ministries. There are many even p raise 111110 aliI' God: many shall see ii,
hearken IInto me: examples of such doctrine. One such, and fear. and shallirusl in Ihe Lord. "
"SimeOIl hath declared how God 01 the publ ished by the International HOllse of He continues, "What is the new song?"
first did visil the Genli/es, to lake out of Prayer, presents a good cross-section of this He answers this questIon by saying, "What
them a people for his name. belief. Its spokesman, Mike Bickle, likens we see here is that many will see the new
"And to this agree the words ofthe proph- the restoration of David's Tabemacle 10 a song and it will cause a reverence or fear
ets; as it is written, worldwide prayer movemcnt: of the Lord and they will go to Him q uickly
"After this I will return, and will build " .. . the three dimensions to this restora- for refuge. This is evangelism. This then, is
again the tabernacle of David, which is lion. A priestly dimension - focused on 24 one ofthe primary reasons God is restoring
f allen down; alld I wi/{ build again the mins hour a day worship and intercession that fol· the Tabemacle of David: Evangel ism."
thereof, alld I will sel ilIlP: lows the Davidic order of worship. A pro- Hopper 's view is that the Tabernacle
"That the residue ojmen might seek after phetic dimension - focused on the release symbolizes an evangelistic outreacb . He
the Lord, and all the Gentiles, IIpon whom of the prophetic ministry in the church of sees the slmclure as God's current act of
my name is called, sai:h Ihe Lard, who doeth Jesus Christ - Acts 2: 17. A kingly dimell- empowering the church.
all lh ese Ihings. sion - focused on the apostolic ministry that Both of these men are espousing a notion
"Known 1In10 Godare all his worksfrom accomplishes the tasks of the kingdom with that is currently very popular. rt is dedicated
the beginlling oflhe world. power, fulfilli ng the Great Comm ission to the idea that world evangelism, or the
"Where/ore my sentence is, that we trem- - cVllIlge1i.'1 nl , community and equipping. harvest of souls is what is meant by the
ble not Ihem, which from among the Gentiles The Tabernacle of David in all three dimen- rebuilding of the Tabernacle of David. Their
are lurned 10 God" (Acts 15: 13-19). sions had its beginn ing of restoration in the sentiments are representati ve of a large
New Testament church. cross-section oftoday's church.
Is the Ta bern acl e Only a Symbol? " However, the completion of these three Put another way, the building of the
Taken at face value. James' words are di - dimensions have not yet been fully restored Tabernacle of David will be realized in
rect and plain. In complete agreement with that the nations might know God. The Tab- the church, itself. The more "spiritual" it
Peter, Paul and Barnabas, he rises to enunci- ernacle of David is essential in the comple- becomes, the mo re is it said to embody the
ate the plan of God to those present. That tion of the grent harvest of souls promised to elements of David's Tabernacle, which be-
plan is still in effect to this day. Its intention the church at the end of the age. We believe comes a metaphor for the faith of the saints
is nOI to establ ish a global kingdom, but that city wide prayer ministries will fill the and the restoration of worship and praise in
to take from among the Gentiles a people earth before the Lord returns." the present church.
fo r His name. James emphatically stresses Let me repeat that this statement refl ects,
that God wns not, at that time, bringing in not our vicw, but the view of those who
Is the Ta bernacle a Future Reality?
His Kingdom. be lieve that the church has replaced na- However, there is another view of David's
He does this by noting an order of events: tional lsrael, and will bring in God's earthly Tabernacle, held by those of us who see the
Firsr, He is working among the Genti les. kingdom. Note that it spiritualizes David 's era of the church as a filli te dispensation that
After this, He will retum and rebuild the Tabernacle, by making it a fonn of worship, lies between the dispensation of the Law
Tabemacle of David. He will do this in order rather than an actual, physical structure that and the Messianic Kingdom. It proceeds
that a "residue" - remnanl - ofmankind cun today, is lying somewhere in stordge at an upon the basis that the tent erected by David
have the opportunity 10 seek the Lord. This undisclosed location. was a real structure, wilh a real history, and
remnant wil l begin with the twelve tribes of This belief is echoed many times in the that this history is not yet complete. Strange
Israel (Revelation 7),and expand to include modem church. Another writer, Haro ld as it may sound, afterthrec thousand years,
an enornlOUS !lumber of Gentiles. Hopper, in an article called "Restoration this tent still exists and one day wi ll be
James conc luded by saying that the afthe Tabernacle of David, "likens its re- brought out of storage.
Genti h:s should !luI ue yoked wi th the building to the singing of powerfu l songs After the Israelites crossed the Jordan,
Law. Hi s words seem clea r enough to of devotion. Writing about James' speech they brought the Mosaic Tabernacle to
those who understand the dispensat iona l in Acts 15, he says: Gilgal, where it remained for a time. Then
nature of Gad's work of grace in the era of "God speaks in this Scripture (wh ich it was moved to Shiloh, where it became
the church. But they are often the source references Amos 9: I I) that He wi ll restore a permanent sanctuary, until the time o f
of much dissension and discussion among the Tabernacle of David. Most of us agree Philistine domination. In the days of the
modem Christians. Namely, arc they to be that we are in the last days. We need to prophet Samuel, the ISr'clclites felt that their
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Ark ofthe Covenant should be moved to a day"( J Kings8: J-8). The mountain where the Lord took Moses
safer place. Tragically, the Philistines had It is unclcar whether the wilderness Tab- is well documented in Scripture:
captured the Ark and defeated the armics ernacle was placed into storage at this time. "And the LORD spake IInto Moses Ihat
ofIsrae!' But, it is quite clear that David's Tabemacle selfsame day, saying,
After the Ark was recovered, Moses ' and the Ark of the Covenant were preserved "Get thee up into this mountain Abal'im,
Tabernacle was moved to Nob,then finally as sacred relics. In particular, the Tahemacle unto mount Nebo, which is ill the land of
to Gibeon. This location was less than ten of David was given special treatment. Moab, that is over against Jericho; and be-
miles northwest of the rortress of Jebus, The account above, in I Kings, is hcld hold the land ofCanaan, which I give umo
which was captured by David, and devel- in Jewish tradition to have been written by the children of Israel for a possession:
oped as his city, Zion. In Oibeon, the wilder- the prophet Jeremiah. Ifso, it was probably "And die in the mOllnt whilher (hou goest
ness Tabernacle remained in use fora time, penned aroutld the time of the Babylonian lip, Gild be gathered Ifnto thy people; as Aaron
then faded into the mists or history, now captivilY, between 610 and 600 B.C. This thy brother died in mounl Hor. and was gath-
replaced by a tent commissioned by King would have been about 300 years after ered un/o his people" (Deut. 32:48-50).
David . Subsequently, on what would later Solomon initiated Temple worship! The Note that in this passage, we find the
become the Temple Mount, David pitched staves of the Ark were still visible even in lenn, "Abarim. ,. It is the Hebrew ex pres-
a different tent for the Ark of the Covenant. Jeremi~th 's day! sion for "the regions beyond," and it refers
With great ceremony, it was brought there, to the lands east of the Jordan River. The
and installed as the place where the priests Jeremiah 's Amazing Trek mountain range of the Abarim overlook
could resume their sacred rituals. This brings us to a truly fascinating the Dead Sea to the west Nebo, the high-
At this point, there were (wo Tabernacles account in the long epic of David's Taber- est point in the region, is about 4,000 feet
- one in Gibeon and the other in Jerusalem. nacle. As recorded in II Maccabees, chapter above the surface of the Dead Sea.
III fact, both continued in usc for a short 2, we find a historical foomoTe that hclps us Of Moses' trip. Flavius Josephus writes,
time. Then David 's son, Solomon, complet- to understand the long prophetic scope of "Now as soon as they were come to the
ed his magnificent Temple. The Tabernacle tbe Tabernaele. At the time of the Babylo- mountain called Abarim, (which is a very
with all its equipment was transferred to nian captivity, the Temple 's instruments of high mountain, situate over against Jericho,
the new Temple, where it began to be used sacrifice were earned into the wilderness, and one that affords, to such as are upon it, a
by the priests: where (hey were hidden: prospect of the greatest part of the excellent
'Then Solomon assembled the elders oj "The records show that it was the prophet land of Canaan) .....
Israel, alld all the heads oj the tribes, the Jeremiah who ordered the exiles to hide Nebo stands rwenty miles east-southeast
chief offhe fafhers ofthe children oflsrael, the fire, as has been mentioned; also that, of Jericho, and only sixty miles from the
IInto king Solomon in Jerusalem, thaf fhey having given them the law, he charged them coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The ac-
might bring up Ihe ark of Ihe covenanI of not to neglect the ordinBnces of the Lord, Or count of Jeremiah's trip makes it clear that
the LORD 0111 of the city of David, which be led astTay by the sight of images of gold he was divinely led on his secret mission.
is Zion. and si lver with all their finery. In similar Those who later tried 10 blaze the Irail to
"And all the men of lsrael assembled words be appealed to them not to abandon his hiding place were completely confused;
themselves IInto king Solomon af the Jeast the law. Further, this document records that, they couldn't fllld the way.
ill the month Ethanim, which i~' the seventh prompwd by a divine message, the prophet Today, some are saying that these im-
month. gave orders that the Tent of Meeting and portant artifacts aren't even on Nebo at all,
"And all the elders of Israel came, and the Ark should go with him. Then he went but rather, on the way to Nebo. The IGII
the priests took up the ark. away to the mountain from the top ofwhich King James Version's Apocrypha renders
"And they brollght 1Ip the ark oj the Moses saw God's promised land. When he U Maccabees 2:5 as follows:
LORD, alld the tabernacle ofthe congrega- reached the mountain, Jeremiah found a "And when Jeremie came thither, he
tion, and aI/the holy vessels lhal were in cave-dwelling; he carried the tent, the Ark, found an hollow cave wherein he laid the
the tabernacle, even those did the priests and the incense-altar into it, then blocked Tabernacle, and the Arke, and the altar of
and Ihe Levites bring lip. up the e ntrance. Some of his companions incense, & so stopped the doore."
"And king Solomon, and all the congre- came to mark o ut the way, but were unable It is possible to interpret the first phrase
gation of Israel, that were assembled un/o to find it. When Jeremiah learnt of this he as, .. ... and as Jeremiah journeyed there
him, weir:' with him before the ark, sacrific- reprimanded them. ·The place shall remain "' , " or "while he was on his way." It is
ing sheep and oxen, that could lIot be told unknowll,' he said, 'until God finally gath- most fascinating that the famous archeolo-
nor nllmbered jor lIIultiwde. ers his people IOgetherand shows mcrcy to gist Vendyl Jones is working in the Wad i
"And the priests blVlIght in the ark of them. Then the Lord will bring these things Sekhakha, which lies just above Qumran,
the cowmant of the LORD unto his place, to light again, and the glory ofthe Lord will si te of the famous Dead Sea Scrolls di s-
into (he oracle of Ihe house, to the mosl appear w ith the cloud, as it was seen both covery. There, he claims that he is about
holy place, even under the wings of the in tbe time of Moses and when Solomon to find the hidden treasures of the Temple
cherubims. prayed that the shrine might be worthily - including the Tabernacle.
"For (he cherubims spread forth Iheir consecrated" ( II Maccabees 2: 1-8, NEB). If one draws a straight line from Jerusalem
two wings over the place ofthe ark, and the One's first thought is that if this account to Nebo, it crosses Qumran. In other words,
cherubim.I' covelr:'d the ark alld Ihe staves is true, tben these artifacts are sti ll hidden Jeremiah's trip from Jerusalem to N(:bo
thereof above. to this day. They are not symbols but real would have taken him right past this legend-
"And they drew oul the staves, that the objects .. , relics beyond price ! And Jer- ary site. Did he hide them there on his trip
ends ofthe staves were seen out in the holy em iah stated that they would be revealed at to and from Nebo? Jones thcori7.es that this
place before the oracle, and they were 1101 the time of the Lord 's return to restore "his is, in fact, Ihe case. He bases this belief on
seen withollt: and there they are /Into this people together and show mercy to them." his translation of the famous Copper Scroll,
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discovered in 1952 in a cave that lies just a way of saying that David's Tabernacle "So they brought the ark of God. and
northwest of the northern end of the Dead would figure strongly in the epoch-making set it ill the midst of Jhe tent thor David
Sea. Its origin and provenance are unclear, changes that would come with the Day of hlld pitched fo,. it: and they offered burnt
but ilS age has been documented as far back the Lord and the coming of the Messianic sacrifices alld peace qfferings be/ore God.
as the sixth century, B.C., to the time of Kingdom. "And when Dlivid had made an end of
Jeremiah, himself. Amos wrote that David's Tabcrnacle offe,.ing the burnt offerings and the peace
Jones' reading of the enigmatic scroll has would one day be brought out and repaired. offerings, he blessed Ihe people ill the /lame
led him to believe that the ashes of the red It is important to remember that he wrote of the LORD.
heifer (in a container called the kalll{) and in abOlLt 755 B.C. This would place his "And he deall to evely olle of Israel,
other treasures were buried above the Wadi prophecy a full hundred and scvcnty·five bolh man and womlln, /0 evel:!, one a loaf
Sekhakha in the Cave of the Column, where years before Jeremiah hid the Tabernacle! of bread, and a good piece offlesh, and a
he has been digging for many years. His Before it hud even been hidde n, he foretol d jfagon of wine" (I Chronicles 16: 1· 3).
reading of the Copper Scroll suggests that its rediscovery in the far futu re: Unli ke the original Tabemaele of Moses,
Jeremiah's treasure may also be there: ''1n Ihllt day willI raise lip the tabernacle David's tent is said to have had only one
"According to the Copper Scroll, Column 5, of David thor is fallen, and close lip the eompanmem. It had no inner court, with
Line 12-14 and Column 6, Line 1 says: breache.~ thereat alld I will raise lip his /"/1- the trad itional menorah, altar of incense
[5: 12] In the tomb which is in (at) the ins. and I will build ir as in the days of old: and tab le or showbrc:ad. Instead, it was
River of the Dome 'That rhey may possess Jhe remnanJ of specifically designed to house thc Ark of
l5:13] In the coming (way) from Jeri· Edam, alld of all the heathen, which are the Covenant. Scripture makes it clear that
cho 10 Succacah, dig 1 cubits, like this) coiled by my name, ul;/h Jhe LORD rhal even David considered his lent only a tem-
{-squiggle sign-I. doeth this" (Amos 9: 11, 12). porary measure, pending the constmction
[6:1] XXX (beside the?) Cave of the The closing chaplers of Amos' revclation or a tme Temple.
Column with two openings are specifically "Day oflhe Lord" prophe· Shortly after the Ark was inaugurated, he
[6:2] entrances viewing East cies. They re rer to the judgments that will began to exp ress his disappointmem over
[6:3] in the North opening viewing mark the conclusion ofGentite world rule. the matter:
Eastward His use orthe term, "in Ihal day," specifi. "And i/ came 10 pass, when 'he king sat
[6:3] In the hidden opening dig cally selS the time of thc prophecy. Whcn in his house. alld Ihe LORD had given him
[6:4] 3 cubits and there is the kalal James quoted Amos, he modifie(1the phrase resl round aboll/fmm all his ellemies;
[6:5 J underneath it (the kalal) is one book slightly, to "afte,.,his. " meaning after the '7hal Ihe king said unlO Nathan the
lpossibly the Silver Scroll). ealling·out ora people for His name. prophet, See now, I dwell in {III house of
To the East dig in the opening likc th is T his fits perfectly with the dispensational cedar. hili the ark of God dwellerh wi,hin
f·-squiggle sign-} view, which holds IhM nner The hocly of curillin.,· " (II Samuel 7: I ,2).
[6: 10] 7 cubils Chrisl is completed and caught up, the The word of the Lord eame to Nathan,
[6: II J in(side is Ihe )complete Tabernacle Kingdom of David will be estnblished and David WIIS told that his son would build
on the side Wcstward. Dig cubits through a calaclysmic ord er of events that the Tcmple. First, there was to be a tempo-
[6: 131 seventeen unseals the Gentile world powers. rary tent, then a pennanent building.
[6: 14-15} in the arch (whieh is the) cham· This sl ight alternlion of wording between Currently, the thinking oftbe Sanhedrin
ber of the High priest ... " Amos and James doesn't change the tim- reflects precisely this order of events - a
The scroll also contains a description of ing in the least. In either case, il is after temporary bui lding of some son, to be fol-
the Tabernacle 's location within the cave: the called-oLlt body of believers reaches lowed at the appropriate time by a perma-
"[ I :5] Here is theTllbcrnacle, on Ihe third completion that the Day of the Lord will nent one. For whatever reason, they now
level, and all the pieces of ... gold ... " commence. believe that the time is right.
(A Door of Hope, pp. 72, 74 Vendyl Amos lreat"lhe subject of the Tabernacle Currently, they plan II prefabricaled stnte-
Jones, Lightealcher Productions, 2005), as a real object. in the Hebrew of the Old Nrc. But, if David's actual Tabernacle were
Over the years, thc world has foJ1owoo Testamelll. he describes the process by found, they would quickly seize upon the
Jones' work, as he and a forceofvolllnteers which the rips in its fabric will be repaired opportunity to use it.
have unearthed what he believes 10 be a patched, if you wi ll. T h is language As detailed in last month's Prophecy in
sample of the Temple's holy anointing oiL A strongly suggests thaI a litera l, rather than rhe News. but worth rcpeating in the context
bit later, he discovered hundreds of pounds symbolic, reading is dcmandcd. Led by lhe of Ih is sttldy, Vendyl Jones now believes
ofa material thai, when analyzed, seems to Spirit of the Lord, Amos is referring to a that his time has come. A rccent release
follow the fonnula for the Temple incensc. real tent - called in th is text, the sukkot of from Israel National News - A rulz Shevll,
These tantalizing finds have convinced David. This is the word for a temporary lent, dated May 18,2005, opened as follows:
him that Jeremiah 's hidden treasure is about as opposcd 10 the Tabernacle of Moses, to " An unnamed Kabbalist has granted bless-
to be brought to light in the Cave ofthc Col· be used until lhe Temple is rebuilt. ing to famed archeologist Dr. Vendyl Jones
umn. Nothing could bc more exciting than to uncover the Holy Ark of The. Covenant.
to unearth the Tabemacle of David. In and
Vlul(' About th e Ark" Jones plans to excavate the Lost Ark by the
of itself, it would be one of the mosl sensa- T his brings us to the actual use of DlIvid 's Tisha B 'Av [9th of Av] Fast Ih is summer."
tional archeological discoveries of all time. restored Tabemacle. The first time it was em- As this is wrillcn, tll is date is practically
That, of course, is practically insignificant, ployed, it was set up on the mount that David lipan liS: August 14, 2005! Bear in mind
compared with its prophetic potential. had purchased as a place for the priests to that Vcndyl Jones has consistently limited
This brings us full circle back to James, min ister. Then, with great ceremony and his excavation to the Cavc of the Column,
as he speaks to the Jerusalem counciL In much rejoicing, the Ark of the Covenant was which he says is designated by the Copper
Acts IS, he quoles the prophet Amos, as brought up and pUI in place: Scroll as the location of the Temple treasure
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... and David's Tabernacle. against God, to blaspheme his name, and natural leadet1lhip will overcome the bad
However, no where does the Copper his tabernacle, and them lhat dIVell in blood that currently clouds any conceivable
Scroll say Ihal the Ark of the Covenant is heaven" (Revclation 13:4-6). tmce between Jews and Arabs.
buried there. The article continues: Apparently, the Tabernacle will be pres-
"The Talmud says the Ark is hidden in ent at that time. That being the case, it
A Myste.-ious "WaU"
a secret passage under the Temple Mount. would certainly be an objecl of scom and Following the Asher Kaufman model,
Jones says thai the numel actually continues hatred. Many will doubt its very authentic- however, a compromise might be reached.
18 miles southward, and that tbe Ark was ity, probably accusing the Jews offabricat- Rccall that his placement of the Temple
brought through the tunnel to its current rest- ing a fraudulent tabernacle for political leaves a space between it and the Dome.
ing place in tbe Judean Desert.Throughout pUllJoses. BOlh buildings might co-exiSt for a time. It
the many years of his quest, Jones has been may not be the ultimate and correct loca-
in close contact and under the tutelage of
A Final Question tion, but at least it would ailow the presence
numerous Rabbis and Kabbalists. Extremely This raises another question. Assuming ofa Temple .
knowledgeable in Torah, Talmlld and Kab- that the Tabernacle is discovered and plans For many years, it has been noted that
balah sources dealing with Holy Temple are made to set it up, just where on the the concluding chapters of Ezekiel speak
issues, Jones has now received pennission mountain would it be placed? First, there of an Interim Temple period, in which a
from both known and secret Kabbalists to is an archeological argument about the lo- wall of separation IS erected between a
finally uncover the Lost Ark." cation of the Temple. Differing authorities Temple and the existing Muslim mosques
Reportedly, the rabbi scnt a message to place it in either ofMo locations. already on the Mount. One verse is round
Jones on May 12,2005, saying, "The time This dilemma has been complicated by in Ezekiel 42:20:
is right." With this blessing, Jones is now the fact that since the 1970s, the Arab Waqf "He measured it by theJollr sides: if had
moving to discover the treasures by the 9th has busied itself in a series of building a waif round about. five hundred reeds
of Av, the anniversary of the dcstruction of projects around the Temple Mount. Each long, and fi ve hundred broad, to make a
both the firs t and second Temples. ofthese has obfuscated foundation markers separation between the sanctumy and Ihe
that could give archeological authorities profane place. "
Fitting the Pieces Together solid points from which to measure. Clearly, Here, a rectangle is measured fo r the
Prophetically speaking, the mind reels the Arabs have pursued the long-teml goal Temple. Its centcrline is given in the preced-
at the present confluence of events. The of removing any legitimate historical con- ing verse 15, as "the gate whose prospect
Sanhedrin had no sooner been instituted, nection that modem Israelis might claim. is tOlt'ard the east. "This would correspond
than it began to make serious plans for the Decades ago, Dr. Asher Kaufman had the wilh Asher Kaufman's proposal, thaI the
rebuilding of the Temple ... a prefabricated opportunity to observe certain fearures on Temple is aligned with the Golden Gale.
Tt;mpk, no less! the northern end oftht; Mount, before they NOlice that a wall is present, sepa rat-
At the same time, Palestirtian Authority had been covered by Arab constmction. ing the Temple from another place - a
President Mahmoud Abbas and U.S. for- From thesc points, he measured southward "profalle" placc that is described as being
eign policy authorities are pressuring Ariel to a point aligned with the Golden Gate. dcfiled.
Sharon to vacate the territories and return to His calculations placed the Holy of Then , in Ezekiel 43: 8, we arc given a
Israel's 1949 boundaries! These boundaries holies directly west of the present Golden prospect of the Temple at a time somewhat
didn't even grant the newly-formed Israel Gate, at the site ofa visible feature called later, when the Lord "s Shechinah C/OJ)'
complete control of Jemsalcm. the "Dome of the Spirits." Placed here, a retU11lS to the Temple.
Nor did the border allow Lsrael access Temple would clcar the north side of the The Lord announces to Ezekiel that He
to the Temple Mount and, of course, that present Dome of the Rock by almost 18 will, at that time, occupy the Temple forev-
is key to any activity that might lead to Meters (26 feet). ennore. Never aga in, He says, will Mount
restoring worship on Mount Zion. Whether Another proposal was later forwarded by Zion be defiled. Then, He makes another
Tabernacle or prefabricated Temple. it is the husband-and-wife archeological team statement that includes a rererenc(.' to the
certain that both the Palestinians and lhc of Kathleen and Leen Ritmeyer. In the late mysterious "wall:"
U.S. State Department will try to disallow I 980s, they published findings that placed '·In Iheir setting of their threshold by
any constmction there. the Holy ofl-lolie5 directly under the center my thresholds, lllld their post by my posts,
Yet, somehow, it's going 10 happen. of the Dome of the Rock. Placing a Tab- and the lVall be/ween me and them. they
Scripture seems to predict both a tempo- emacle or Temple here would require the have eve/J defiled my holy name by their
rary Tabernacle and a Tribulation Temple destruction oflhe Mosque ofOrnar, and the abominations (hat (hey have COli/milled:
011 the Holy Mountain. Even the book of overthrow of the present-day politics that wherefore 1 have consumed them in mine
Revelation mentions that the beast that rises control this volatil e site. anger" (Ezekiel 43:8).
from Ihe sea will detest the presence orthe h is safe to say that even if the Dome of We can't be celtain about the nature of
Tabernacle: the Rock were physically removed, Arabs this wall, buL it certainly seems to suggest an
"And they worshipped the dragon which wouldn't allow a Jewish building there. alien presence on thc Tcmple Mount. Thi s
gave power unto the beast: and they wor- Millions of Moslems regard this spot as would explain how the Tribulation Temple
shipped the beast, saying, Who is like IInto lite their third holiest religious site . Some sort could coexist with tht: Islamic shrines thaI
beast? who is able 10 make war with him? of agrcement must then, be reached. are already there.
"And there was given unto him a mOllth That agreement will be forged by the Given the Sanhedrin 's active plan, and
speaking grea/things and blasphemies: and man whom Daniel called "the prince that the current rabbinic excitement about the
power IVas given lin/a him /0 con/inueforty shall come, " He is the Antichrist, who will prospect of discovering the Tabemacle and
and (wo monfhs. confirm the inramous seven-year covenant the Ark, all Ihis may soon come to pass.
"A nd he opel1ed his //Iouth ill blasphemy w ith the region's leaders. Only his super- Keep your eyes on Mount Zion! •
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