Palestinian politicians, clerics and terrorist warlords tireless invoke the Temple Mount and Al Aqsa Mosque as a rallying cry to stir up pan-Muslim emotions against Israel. The Jews are threatening to “Judaize” this Islamic holy site, claim the Palestinians, even as they reject the biblical history of Mount Moriah.
But according to a bunch of Saudis and other Middle East Arabs on social media, the Temple Mount and even, gasp(!), Al Aqsa itself aren’t all that holy to them.
Last week on Twitter, Saudis conducted a campaign promoting Islam’s true holy sites, Mecca and Medina, while downplaying the importance of Jerusalem in their religion.
One of the more viral tweets was posted by Saudi cartoonist Fahd al-Jabiri, who wrote that “the direction of the prayers of the Jews is not important to us, what is important to us is only our homeland.” By referencing the “direction of the prayers of the Jews,” al-Jabiri implicitly recognized the Jewish connection to the Temple Mount, thus contradicting the Palestinian narrative on the matter.
An English-language tweet from Morocco really got people heated by not only emphasizing that the Temple Mount is of no particular importance to Muslims, but also by expressing hope that the Third Jewish Temple will soon be built there.
There were a flood of tweets expressing support and even love for Israel. Most were in Arabic, but the few in English were no less heart-warming. One reacted to a previous tweet calling Jerusalem the “occupied” Palestinian capital. The Saudi corrected the original by noting that Jerusalem is actually the “eternal capital of the Jewish people.”
Another express his deep desire for there to soon be peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia so he can visit Tel Aviv and meet “our cousins,” the Jews.
Tom Nissani, head of the Temple Heritage Foundation, told Arutz 7 that this is a golden opportunity.
“In the end, it is becoming increasingly clear that the main obstacle – the Temple Mount – is in our hands,” he said. “This is a historic opportunity to expel the hostile Waqf from the Temple Mount and transfer it to full Israeli management that will allow full freedom of access and religion to the mountain in cooperation with the Emirates, Saudis and Moroccans, Jews and non-Jews who will attain shared goals.”
HD Editor’s Note: Why Is This News Biblically Relevant?
Throughout the Bible, there is written an extensive history of the temple mount. It is recorded how King David purchased the temple (1 Chronicles 21:18–26) and prepared the material for his son Solomon to build (1 Chronicles 22). That temple continued until it was destroyed by the Babylonians (2 Kings 25:8-17). 70 years later, after the destruction of the first temple, a second temple was built (Ezra 1-6). That second temple was as well destroyed, as prophesied by Jesus Christ in Mark 13:1-2, by the Romans in 70 AD.
That brings us to today. The rejection of the Jewish rights to the temple mount is caused by a rejection of God’s infallible word and the same antisemitism that has plagued the Jewish people since their enslavement in the land of Egypt. It is shocking to consider that the Muslim claim to the temple mount is “over-rinding” the Jewish history considering the claimed reference in the Quran, “the farthest mosque,” is unlikely and unproven to be speaking of the temple mount.
Hal Lindsey in his article, “It’s About the Temple Mount” wrote about the modern Palestinian tensions surrounding the temple mount and what Bible Prophecy tells us about a coming third temple:
Whether they believe it’s possible or not, Palestinian leaders use fear of a rebuilt Jewish Temple to stir up their constituents to the point of violence. Even proposals to rebuild the temple without harming the mosques draws a frenzy of rage from the Muslims. No matter what Israel promises, they fully expect the Jews to destroy the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
It’s interesting that so many Palestinians are convinced that there will be another Jewish Temple on the site. Few of them know it, but they’re agreeing with the Bible. It says that before the mid-point of the seven-year period known as Daniel’s 70th Week, the temple will be rebuilt and sacrifices will be offered again.
Daniel 11:31 says that forces from the Antichrist “will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of desolation.” To “do away with the regular sacrifice,” and to “set up the abomination of desolation” requires that the temple be rebuilt.
In the meantime, to understand the Temple Mount hysteria among Muslims, we need to understand the spiritual dimensions of the problem. This is not just a real estate dispute. It is about principalities and powers. Satan will stir anyone he can, as much as he can, in an attempt to keep the holy place in a state of desecration.
But he cannot stop God’s plan. The mighty can never defeat the Almighty.
Unbelieving religious Jews will rebuild the false temple and offer false animal sacrifices during the first part of the Tribulation. (Daniel 11:31) Then the “man of lawlessness”, the Antichrist, will desecrate that false temple of God by taking his seat in the Holy of Holies, displaying himself as being God. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). That event will start the last half of the Tribulation. That will start 3½ years of the greatest horrors yet known to mankind. It will end with the visible Coming of THE ALMIGHTY, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will rule for 1000 years of peace. Then is the Last Judgment of all unbelievers of all ages. He will then establish forever the New Heaven and Earth.
