Jewish people can and should worship God anywhere in the world they happen to find themselves. And they have. But the Jewish people, the nation as a whole, was instructed to come together in one particular place for that purpose: the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
In millennia past Israel was chastised for trying to set up alternative places of national worship. God had chosen to inscribe His name at one place alone, and He expected the nation to join Him there.
“Instead you shall seek out the place that the LORD your God will choose out of all your tribes to put His name there to make it dwell, and go there. Bring there your burnt offerings and your sacrifices…” (Deuteronomy 12:5-6)
“…but I have chosen Jerusalem that my name may be there…” (2 Chronicles 6:6)
“For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.” (2 Chronicles 7:16)
The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, the Muslim overlord who today sits atop the Temple Mount, tells us that “the whole world” agrees with him that Jews must not be allowed to fulfill these verses. He says the whole world effectively rejects national Jewish worship by agreeing with him that Jews should be barred from the Jerusalem holy site.
“The whole world rejects any attempt by the occupation [read: Israel] to change the religious and historical status [of the Temple Mount]. The Al-Aqsa Mosque is a red line. It belongs to the Muslims alone,” insisted Sheikh Mohammed Hussein during a gathering of senior Islamic officials in Jerusalem earlier this month.
Jordan and the Palestinian Authority have launched a global PR campaign to convince the international community to stop Israel’s incoming right-wing religious government from altering the “status quo” at the Temple Mount.
But while this is all playing out in the political arena, it is ultimately a spiritual matter.
Do we take God at His word that Israel as a nation must worship Him in one particular spot?
Or do we accept the modern status quo for fear of a Muslim backlash?
And if it’s to be the latter, does that mean there still is no national Jewish worship of God, but rather only individual and communal, as has been the case for thousands of years of exile?
And if that’s true, has Israel’s exile truly ended?
Amen! “Choose this day whom you will serve!”
So! What are they afraid of?? The mufti of 100 years ago thought differently. Truth? They are all scared to death (literally).
Correct ~ it’s not a political or religious matter at all. God gave us His Word. It was, is, and forever will be Truth. No man (or woman) can create a different outcome.
It’s a little wild to me that a small plot of land within the country of Israel belongs to Jordan at the moment.
That certainly doesn’t take place in the middle of Iran, Britain, France, U.S., Russia, Canada, or Mexico to name several. Why would Israel, being withheld to a fraction of their original homeland, be consistently badgered to give up more? Particularly when the country itself is so small. Samaria and Judea also should be sovereign Israel land.
Not the whole world. There is always a remnant who know and follow The Truth. I long for the day that The True and Living G-d reveals Himself as such and exposes the imposter false gods this world supports. May multitudes come to a saving knowledge of The Most High before it’s to late.
Great article, Ryan! Feel free to edit this or reply to me.
The situation you addressed seems to me to deal with Bible prophecy and World History. I’ll list some facts and then a conclusion.
–Old Testament writings ended with Malachi around 400 BC.
–New Testament writings ended around 95 AD with John’s epistles and the Revelation.
–The Second Jewish Temple had been destroyed by Rome in 70 AD.
–Rome expelled most Jews from Israel in 135 AD.
–The Muslim religion began around 630 AD, 500 years after the Bible Canon was completed.
–Some Muslims sealed the Eastern Gate to prevent the Messiah from returning to Jerusalem through it.
–The Muslims erected two buildings on the Temple Mount (Al Aqsa)
–YHWH sovereignly did nothing to prevent the Muslims from either of the construction projects!
The Muslims seem to have had 1300 years (630-1917) to do what they wanted with the Jewish/Christian Holy Land. Consider the following facts:
–American writer Mark Twain traveled to the Holy Land around 1865 and described it as barren and deserted.
–Some Jewish Europeans began to purchase some parts of the Holy Land from Arab owners in the late 1800’s.
–Herzl wrote his book Der Judenstat (sp?) in 1897.
–World War I was from June 28, 1914 to November 11, 1918.
–The Balfour Declaration was written on November 2, 1917.
–The San Remo conference was held from April 19, 1920-April 26, 1920 and gave Great Britain a mandate to establish the state of Israel in the Holy Land. Great Britain failed to accomplish the mandate and resigned from it on April 14, 1948. David Ben-Gurion declared the formation of Israel that same day.
–Ben-Gurion invited the Arabs of Palestine to continue residing in Israel and work with the Israelies to form a peaceful country. This invitation has not worked out well, to say the least.
Here are some thoughts on Bible prophecy which I feel are pertinent.
–The Jews were exiled in 135 but Ezekiel 38 says Israel will exist for the invasion of Gog-Magog which is an end time event.
–Numerous verses in the Old Testament talk about the Jews being scattered throughout the earth but eventually being regathered to their land and Jerusalem.
–Daniel 9:27 prophesies that someone (Antichrist?) will make a one week covenant with Israel but break it in the middle of the week.
–The book of Revelation has numerous verses which mention a Temple being present during the end times.
SO, anyone (Arabs, Muslims, Iran, the UN, the BDS movement, the Biden administration, other world leaders, etc) better think twice.
The ONE who spoke to Solomon was El Shaddai , whose name was YAHOVAH – the great I AM . Now you had better believe that He came to earth as YSVA whom we call Yeshua ha Mashiach .
He said that the time has come when not on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father . The Father is SPIRIT and THOSE WHO HIM MUST worship Him in SPIRIT and in TRUTH
Shalom