August 2003 (20030801.pdf)

Volume 8, Issue 8Page 19“END OF THE WORLD” PROPHESIESMICHAELSHONAFELT, , ESQ., EAs Prime Ministers Sharon and Abbas work together to make President Bush’s “Pathto Peace,” a reality in the Middle East, a hillock in the ancient city of Jerusalem threatensto become ground zero for a catastrophic conflict that would render any prospect for peacein the Middle East as futile as trying to sew a button on a poached egg.The oldest and third most holy Muslim site in the world is the “Noble Sanctuary,” alarge walled garden containing the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the gold Dome of the Rock, inthe center of the ancient city of Jerusalem. By twist of fate, the Noble Sanctuary also sitson the mount of the ancient Second Temple of the Jews, destroyed in 70 A.D., but stillIsrael’s most sacred spot and the situs of the “foundation stone,” upon which the Jewsmust build the new Third Temple. The Midrash Tanchuma conveys the intense Jewishsentiment concerning the Temple Mount and the foundation stone:As the navel is set in the center of the human body,so is the land of Israel the navel of the world...situated in the center of the world,and Jerusalem in the center of the land of Israel,and the sanctuary in the center of Jerusalem,and the holy place in the center of the sanctuary,and the ark in the center of the holy place,and the foundation stone before the holy place,because from it the world was founded.Many Christians, especially those in Evangelical Protestant circles, also hold theTemple Mount in high esteem. According to them also, the Old Testament prophecies designatethis spot as the site of the Third Temple, the completion of which must take placebefore Christ returns in His glorious second coming, when He will defeat the Anti-Christ.Notably, many Jews believe the construction of the Third Temple is imminent. Infact, a rabbinical school (or yeshiva) for the training of the priests for this temple isalready up and running in Jerusalem. Sacred sacrificial vessels and priestly garments, notseen since about 70 A.D., have been prepared and lie in wait for the great rededication ofthe holy place and the resumption of temple sacrifice.The only thing holding up the works is a perfect red heifer. Under the ancient Jewishpurification ritual, prescribed in Chapter 19 of the Book of Numbers, no Jew may set footon the Temple Mount until he is purified by the ashes of a perfect red heifer, without spot.Until the development of modern genetic engineering, no such perfect red heifer existed.But, on April 8th, 2002, it was revealed that Christian cattle growers in the United Stateshad engineered a perfect red heifer, suitable for the Numbers 19 purification ritual.Like three tectonic plates converging on a seismic collision course, the three majorreligions of the West may find their ultimate clash on the Temple Mount. Many OrthodoxJews deem the existence of a perfect red heifer as the herald of the New Age of templesacrifice. Many Christians seek to hasten the advent of this age to bring about Christ’s return.Meanwhile, fundamentalist Muslims view the prospect of the rededication of theTemple at the Dome of the Rock as the ultimate act of provocation. The potential for abitter conflict is very real. As Gershom Gorenberg, author of End of Days: Fundamentalismand the Struggle for the Temple Mount notes:What happens at the one spot, more than anywhere else, quickens expectationsof the End in three religions. And at that spot, the danger of provokingTRUTHORMYTH?SAUL & THEWITCH OF ENDORJacob Corneliszvan Oostsanen(1526)End of the World Prophesies (Continued on page 20)