David and 60 tour members have left for Israel and will not be back until November 1, 2009. We know that many of you enjoy the articles that are on our web site, but it will be two weeks until the next one appears – thanks for your understanding. For those of you living close to Lake Villa, Illinois, David will be conducting a Prophecy Conference on November 7-8 at Calvary Chapel of Lake Villa, IL – he would love to meet many of our radio listeners.

The following weekend – November 13-15, 2009, David will be joined by Dr. Tim LaHaye for a Prophecy Conference at the Grace Bible Church in Redwood City, CA – we would love to have you come – it’s open to the public!

Thanks for your prayers and financial support of this ministry – HOPE for TODAY!

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE TEMPLE
Part III

In Part I & II we listed seven usages of the word “temple” from the Bible. Our focus now is on what is called “The Third Temple” or the “Messianic Temple” – the one which the Jewish Messiah will build (Zechariah 6:12-13).
Since there is a great deal of disagreement about this coming Temple, we thought it might be helpful to list some of its characteristics and try to answer some of the objections about it being a “literal” Temple.

IS THE THIRD TEMPLE (or the Messianic Temple) A LITERAL BUILDING THAT WILL RESTORE JEWISH CELEBRATIONS AND WORSHIP?
(Consider the following SIX ISSUES)

1. The PROPHECIES about a future temple must be considered carefully.

(1) Is there any contextual evidence that
these prophecies should be considered as allegorical or simply word pictures of the church?

There is no symbolic language used – the Bible treats it as though it is going to happen exactly like it is predicted. There is no mention of the church being the future temple of these prophecies!

(2) Do these prophecies refer to the coming and presence of the Messiah after the period of time known as “the day of the Lord”?
cf. Zechariah 14:1-2, 9, 16

(3) Do these prophecies concerning a future temple involve “all nations” of the world?
Haggai 2:6-9; Revelation 15:4 – “for all nations shall come and worship before Thee”
Psalm 86:9 – “All nations whom Thou hast made shall come and worship before Thee, O Lord, and shall glorify Thee.”

2. The PERSON Who will build the temple –
Zechariah 6:12-13 – “The Branch”

3. The PARTICULARS about the construction of a future temple must be explained – Ezekiel 40-48

The words “he measured” appear 25 times in Ezekiel. The details of the first three chapters (Ezekiel 40-42) point to a literal temple. Also, the word “build” in Zechariah 6:12-13!

4. The PRESENCE of the Shekinah glory of God – referred to in the case of the Tabernacle of Moses in Exodus 40:34-35 and the Temple of Solomon in I Kings 8:10-11 & II Chron. 5:13-14; 7:1-3 – but never used of the temple of Zerubbabel and Joshua nor of the tribulation temple, but it is used of the future temple of the Messiah – Ezekiel 43:1-5
Ezekiel 44:4 – “the glory of the LORD filled the house of the Lord”

5. The PURPOSE of the Third Temple

(1) It is a place of worship – We are told in I Chronicles 29:1 that this “palace” we call the “temple” was “not for man, but for the LORD God.” In Deuteronomy 12:9-14 we are told that the offerings, sacrifices, tithes, etc., should be offered in the “place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause His Name to dwell there.” David said in Psalm 5:7: “But as for me, I will come into Thy house in the multitude of Thy mercy; and in Thy fear will I worship toward Thy holy temple.”
Psalm 138:2 – “I will worship toward Thy holy temple, and praise Thy Name for thy lovingkindness and for Thy truth; for Thou hast magnified Thy word above all Thy Name.”

(2) It is a place of peace – Haggai 2:9: “and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts”

(3) It is a place of prayer – Isaiah 56:7 – “for Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.” cf. I Kings 8:22-30

Psalm 27:4 – “One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to
behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple.”

(4) It is a place of remembrance – I Kings 8:21: “I have set there a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of the LORD”

(5) It is a place of teaching – Isaiah 2:1-3

(6) It is a place of praise – Jeremiah 33:7ff
cf. Psalm 134:1-3; 135:1-4

(7) It is a place of the Lord’s presence – Psalm 11:4 – “The LORD is in His holy temple”
Ezekiel 48:45 – “and the name of the city from that day shall be, THE LORD IS THERE.”

6. The PROMISE to the believer
Psalm 23:6 – “and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever”

UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL TO VOTE ON
GOLDSTONE REPORT ABOUT GAZA!
by Hana Levi Julian

The United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on Friday is set to vote its approval of the Goldstone Report, which accuses Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza last winter, and possible crimes against humanity. It may also vote to back a draft resolution condemning the Jewish State.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told reporters Thursday in Jerusalem that Friday’s vote would either “help terrorism or harm terrorism — it can either promote peace, or harm peace.” He added that he hoped “responsible countries” would prevent the report from advancing further, and slammed the resolution which he said “encourages terrorism and harms peace.”

It is not clear whether the European Union will vote for or against the resolution to endorse the document, although the United Kingdom said on Thursday that it would neither approve the report nor a draft resolution to condemn Israel.

“We cannot fully endorse the report, and cannot vote for the resolution as tabled,” UK Ambassador to the U.N. Peter Gooderham informed the UNHRC. The United States was expected to vote against the resolution, which is based on the Goldstone Report.

The report itself was authored by a fact-finding committee led by retired South African Judge Richard Goldstone, following its investigation of Israel’s Operation Cast Lead, which lasted from December 27, 2008 to January 20, 2009.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay has already endorsed the report, and condemned both Israel and Hamas for their actions in Gaza as “serious vilations of international human rights and humanitarian law.”

Included in the report is a comment that the Hamas terrorists who control Gaza “may have” committed war crimes as well. It also contains a recommendation that the U.N. Security Council forward the document to the International Criminal Court at the Hague for use as evidence in a trial against the State of Israel and various Israeli officials on charges of committing war crimes in Gaza. The draft resolution does not mention Hamas.

In the past, the United States usually has vetoed actions in the U.N. Security Council that would have been harmful to the Jewish State, and it is expected the U.S. would veto this move as well.

The counterterrorism incursion was launched against the Hamas terrorist organization that controls Gaza to silence the thousands of rocket and mortar attacks fired from the region at Israeli civilians living in the western Negev.

The resolution calls on the UNHRC to endorse the Goldstone Report, and condemns alleged Israeli human rights violations in eastern Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and Gaza. The draft, which was submitted by the Palestinian Authority, was shepherded through the Council by Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan and Nigeria.

The report goes to the United Nations in New York upon its approval by the UNHRC, where it is then reviewed by The U.N. Security Council and the U.N. General Assembly, both very powerful entities within the international body.

On Wednesday evening, October 21, at 9:00 PM Dr. David Hocking will be a part of the History Channel presentation entitled “Secrets of the Seventh Seal” We hope that our listeners and readers will listen and give us your comments! David will be in Israel at the time with 60 tour members!

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE TEMPLE
Part II

In Part I of our discussion about the Temple we examined what the Bible teaches about the word “temple” and we mentioned five usages of it. Now we come to two more usages that we hope will be a blessing to all of our readers!

6. The MESSIANIC TEMPLE (The Third Temple) is the one which Ezekiel saw in his vision recorded in chapters 40-48 – Ezekiel 41:1 begins: “Afterward he brought me to the temple…”
Ezekiel 43:4 – “And the glory of the LORD
came into the house…” It is the same house to which Isaiah referred in Isaiah 2:3: “Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob…”
Micah 4:2 predicts: “But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow into it.”

It is called “The Temple of the Messiah”
for Zechariah 6:12-13 prophesies “Behold, the Man whose name is The Branch and He shall grow up out of His place, and He shall build the temple of the LORD; Even He shall build the temple of the LORD; and He shall bear the glory; and shall sit and rule upon His throne; and He shall be a priest upon His throne…”

7. The CHURCH AS A TEMPLE
The New Testament also refers to the physical body of the Messiah as being the temple – John 2:19-21. In I Corinthians 6:19-20 the physical bodies of believers are called the “temple of the Holy Spirit.” The church is described in Ephesians 2:19-22 as an “holy temple in the Lord.” An interesting fact about the heavenly city called “the new Jerusalem” is what Revelation 21:3 says: “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them…” But, in verse 22 we read: “And I saw no temple therein for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.”

There are numerous Bible teachers and scholars who do not believe that a literal Third Temple is going to be built by the Messiah. They believe that the Church is that temple. The preparations and plans of the nation of Israel to build the temple are considered by certain scholars as insignificant and unrelated to the issue. The desires of the Jewish people around the world mean nothing to them for in their view the Church has replaced Israel as the people of God and as the true temple of God.

The Jerusalem Talmud (Yoma 1:1) says: “Each generation in which the Temple is not rebuilt is considered as if they destroyed the Temple.”

Elwood McQuaid said in an article in the magazine “Israel My Glory”: “I believe that the preparations for the rebuilding of the Temple today are extremely significant….I think we’re seeing a time when in the hearts of people they’re saying the time has come.”

When Israel captured the Temple Mount in June of 1967, Defense Forces Chief Rabbi General Shlomo Goren said on that day:
“We have taken the city of God; we are entering the Messianic era for the Jewish people. We took an oath today, while capturing the city –on our blood we took an oath that we will never give it up –
we will never leave this place. The Wailing Wall belongs to us. The holy place (Temple Mount) was our place first, and our God’s place. From here we do not move – Never – NEVER!”

Rabbi Chaim Richman of the Temple Mount Faithful has said:
“The Holy Temple was not just some magnificent building or synagogue rooted in Jerusalem’s ancient Biblical past; it was an arena of cosmic themes, a place where man could meet with his Creator; it is the reality of the living memory of that relationship as it once was, and the dream of its renewal, as promised by God Himself, that keeps the first of the Temple altar burning within the collective heart of the nation of Israel, and the hearts of all those who cherish Israel’s God and His message for humanity.”

“THE TRUTH ABOUT THE TEMPLE” Part I

The interest in the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple has accelerated in recent days. A video on “YouTube” shows the building of a special training center for priests who will be ready to serve in this Temple. The Jewish Sanhedrin has been reestablished and their efforts are centered in the reestablishment of the Jewish Temple.

The word “temple” is used 204 times in the Bible – 117 of those times in the NT. The words “temple of the Lord” are found 24 times, once in the NT. The words “temple of God” appear 9 times. The word “tabernacle” is used 328 times, 20 in the NT. The words “holy place” are found 60 times – 5 in the NT. The words “the most holy” appear 24 times and the words “the most holy place” another 10 times. The phrase “the mountain of the Lord” is found 4 times, and the words “the house of the Lord” occur 234 times. Other usages include “the mount of the Lord” and “the holy mount.” The word “sanctuary” appears 137 times of which 21 usages are in the last nine chapters of Ezekiel that describe a future temple of the Messiah Himself. The evidence totals up to over 1000 usages in the Bible. Isaiah 27:13 speaks of a future day when people will come to “worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem.”

The Hebrew word for “temple” that is used 81 times is the word “hekal” – meaning “big house.” However, in describing the temple, the Bible uses the term “Beit Adonai” meaning “the house of the Lord” of “Beit Elohim” – “the house of God.” Both the tabernacle and the temple are referred to with the Hebrew word “mishkan” meaning “dwelling.” The words “Beit Hamikdash” meaning “the house of holiness” are translated “sanctuary” and today describe the temple.

In spite of many attempts by the Islamic world to deny the presence of a Jewish temple on the holy mount in Jerusalem, the evidence speaks powerfully that they are wrong. A recent discovery from the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found has produced nine rare silver coins that date back to the Jewish revolt in the 2nd century AD. The largest Jewish coin ever issued, a half-ounce silver coin called the “Petra Drachma” has been found. One side of the coin shows Jerusalem’s Second Temple which was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. The other side of the coin shows the image of the four plants known as the four species used during ceremonies of the Feast of Sukkot or Tabernacles.

While most Biblical scholars refer to three temples (Solomon, Herod, and Messiah) the words describing the temple are used in the Bible in the following ways:

1. The TABERNACLE OF MOSES (First Temple) – Exodus 15:17-18 – in the Song of Moses.
The instructions for its construction are found in Exodus 25-40 – 25:8 – “and let them make Me a Sanctuary that I may dwell among them.”

2. The TEMPLE OF SOLOMON (Second Temple)
II Chronicles 3:1 – This temple was destroyed in 586 BC by Babylon – II Chronicles 36:18-19 – “and they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire.”

3. The RESTORED TEMPLE (Third Temple) was built under the protection of Persia and the preaching of Haggai and Zechariah and the leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua – Ezra 5:1-2

4. HEROD’S TEMPLE (Fourth Temple) – project of King Herod – usually referred to as the Second Temple – destroyed as Jesus predicted in 70 AD – Matthew 24:1-2; Luke 21:20-24

5. The TRIBULATION TEMPLE (Fifth Temple)
will exist during the coming Tribulation –
Revelation 11:1-2 – the Bible seems to teach the following about this temple:

(1) A political AGREEMENT will allow a place for Jewish worship on the Temple Mount, but its location will be shared – Daniel 9:27; Rev. 11:2 – “But the court which is without the
temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles; and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.”

(2) A personal ARROGANCE of a coming world leader will cause him to enter the temple and demand that he be worshipped – Daniel 11:36-37, 45; Matthew 24:15

II Thessalonians 2:4 – “so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”

In our next article, we will focus on the Temple of the Messiah (often called “The Third Temple”) and the usage of the word “temple” to refer to the Church!

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF ISRAEL SUCCESSFULLY ATTACK’S IRAN NUCLEAR INSTALLATIONS? WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF SHE DOESN’T? (posted on FLAME web site)

President Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize, and we congratulate him for it. We hope that he can be successful in decreasing tensions in the world and bring feuding peoples together. However, we should note that peace does not always come from diplomacy.

To pick one notable example, diplomacy was an utter failure with Germany and Japan prior to World War II. Their leaders did not want peace—or at least not a peace that left the rest of the world free and intact. We ultimately achieved a lasting peace, but it required militarily defeating our sworn enemies.

Likewise, Islamic fundamentalists give no indication that they want peace with non-Muslim nations. To the contrary: Their demands are absolute—domination of Islamic dictatorships around the world. From Osama bin Laden and the Taliban to Hamas, Hizbollah the Muslim Brotherhood and Ahmahdinajad’s Iran: All express the desire to conquer non-believers—especially the Jews and especially the Jews in Israel.

Among these groups, of course, the greatest concern for Israel is Iran, since once Iran has a nuclear weapons capability, Israel could be effectively destroyed by a single nuclear strike. Retaliation at that point, even if Israel or the United States were to mount a response, would be moot. Israel would be gone.

This week’s FLAME Hotline, by Yoram Ettinger, examines the existential question of what Israel should do about the looming danger of Iran’s developing an atomic weapon. While an Iranian bomb would specifically only threaten Israel directly, the radical Islamic state’s possession of such a weapon would unhinge the power relationships for the whole world, starting with the assured oil supply through the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

Because of President Obama’s apparent commitment to following a diplomatic path with Ahmahdinajad—despite the fact that this approach has over the past seven years failed to deter Iran in the slightest—it is unlikely that the United States will take any military action. Rather, it is quite likely that the burden of action will fall on Israel.

We have previously published in this space essays about Israeli military and political matters by Yoram Etinger, a former Consul General of Israel in the United States (Dallas), who carries the rank of Ambassador. He is one of the best-informed and knowledgeable observers of the scene.

As Iran’s nuclear efforts continue unabated and the stakes for Israel increase dramatically, so do the chances that the Jewish state will attack Iran preemptively. It behooves us to understand the world political ramifications and Israel’s chances for success. In contrast to other commentators, Mr. Ettinger seems to be quite confident that Israel could be successful in such an action.

TURKEY FORCED TO CANCEL DRILL AFTER US, ITALY PULL OUT!
by Hana Levi Julian

A multinational military drill has reportedly been cancelled due to Turkey’s unwillingness to allow the Israel Air Force to participate in the exercise.

The cancellation came after the United States and other nations allegedly withdrew from the joint drill following Turkey’s ban on Israel’s participation.

The air force exercise, which has been held five times since June 2001, was to be hosted by Ankara and originally involved Turkey, Italy, the U.S., NATO forces and the IAF.

But Turkish military officials informed the IDF last week that the IAF was not welcome to fly in this week’s “Anatolian Eagle” exercise due to the use of its planes during Israel’s counterterrorism Operation Cast Lead in Gaza last winter.

The operation was launched by Israel on December 27, 2008 to end the thousands of rocket attacks fired at civilians living in towns and cities in Israel’s southern region. It lasted until Janary 20, 2009.

Anatolian Eagle was slated to begin Monday, October 12, and continue through October 23.

According to a Jerusalem source, the United States and other members of NATO (North American Treaty Organization) expressed to Turkish officials their displeasure at the ban on Israel.

Turkey was forced to postpone the exercise indefinitely after the U.S. and Italy refused to take part without the IAF.

Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon told Voice of Israel government radio on Sunday, however, that “Turkey has been, and remains an important strategic anchor in the Middle East, and certainly its relations with Israel are something that serve the entire region.”

The Anatolian Eagle exercise, intended to improve international aerial cooperation, was hosted at the Konya air base, 250 kilometers south of Ankara. The aircraft trained over the plains of Anatolia (hence the name), near Turkey’s borders with Syria, Iran and Iraq.

Israel and Turkey, which until last year enjoyed strong diplomatic, military and trade relations, have flown together over each other’s territory in various joint military drills since the signing of a bilateral defense alliance between the two nations in 1996.

Formerly warm ties between Israel and Turkey have cooled considerably since Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s harsh criticism of Israel’s role in Operation Cast Lead.

Tensions between Turkey and Israel intensified in the wake of a harsh debate over the matter between Erdogan and President Shimon Peres at the World Economic Forum, held in Davos, Switzerland last January.

IRAN THREATENS ISRAEL: WE’LL BLAST YOUR HEART OUT!
by Hillel Fendel (IsraelNN.com)

A high-ranking Iranian government official says Iran will respond to either an American or Israeli attack by “blowing up the heart of the State of Israel.” The spokesman is a representative of Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran’s highest spiritual leader, in the country’s most powerful military force, the Revolutionary Guard.
“Even if one Zionist or American rocket hits our land,” said Mojtaba Zolnour, “Iranian rockets will explode in the heart of Israel even before the dust settles.” He sounded the threat on Friday morning.

Just a week ago, Iran conducted an exercise in which it fired multiple long-range Shihab-3 ballistic missiles simultaneously. The rockets are able to reach any point in the Middle East, as well as some in Europe.

Western and Iranian negotiators are scheduled to begin their next round of talks on Iran’s uranium enrichment program later this month. The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Thursday to have President Barack Obama report by January 31 on his diplomatic efforts to have Iran stop its drive to acquire nuclear weapons.

Earlier this year, Obama set an informal deadline of “the end of this year” to see if negotiations with Iran would prove effective. Congress has now given him an extra month.

The new bill, which still requires Senate approval, also demands the levying of sanctions on Iran if that country does not accept the American offer “to engage in diplomatic talks” and also if it does not “suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities” related to its nuclear ambitions.

75 ARABS ARRESTED SINCE START OF JERUSALEM VIOLENCE!
by Gil Ronen

(IsraelNN.com) Seventy-five Arab Muslims have been arrested in Jerusalem since the recent wave of violence in and around the Temple Mount began.

Twenty-four of those arrested are under the age of 18. The detainees are suspected of attacking policemen, blocking off roads, hurling rocks and fire bombs, disturbing the peace and illegal demonstration.

Police said Wednesday that Jerusalem is calm at present but that they intend to make additional arrests.

Members of the Arab Supreme Monitoring Committee and Arab Knesset Members toured the Temple Mount Wednesday and used the opportunity to hurl insults and invective at the Jewish state’s authorities. MK Ahmed Tibi (Raam Taal) responded to a statement by Jerusalem Police commander Maj.-Gen. Aharon Franco who said the Arabs of Jerusalem were “ingrates” by saying that Franco “does not know what democracy means.”

“He is not doing us a favor and it would be best for him to shut up and let the Muslims enjoy their basic right to freedom of worship,” Tibi said. “This is a condescending and arrogant statement,” he added.

Another Knesset member from Tibi’s party, Taleb as-Sana, said that the time of Israeli rule is “the first times since Crusades” that Muslim prayer on mount is under limitations.

In recent days, entry into the Temple Mount has been allowed only for Muslim men over the age of 50 and Muslim women of all ages. Jews and other “visitors” are not allowed in at all. The police say that the limitations on Temple Mount access will continue into this weekend.