Yerusalem
means city of peace but has known more war, more bloodshed, more tears, and
more terror than any other city on earth. It has been conquered Thirty-Eight times
by its opposing nations, yet stands out as a proof of Yahweh’s faithfulness and
latent to his chosen people.
The
faithfulness of Yahweh stood firm while men’s disobedience towards the laws of Yahweh
cause the panic that is often noticed in that city.
Disobedience
to Yahweh made Yahoshea to pronounce the downfall of the city as well as the
ruining of its magnificent Temple. The same Yahoshea pronounced that a New Yerusalem
will be established at a far land for those that will obey the way of Yahweh. Yerusalem
was first settled by Canaanites. Though, it was a little larger than twelve acres
in size but naturally endowed with most of the abundant springs in the area.
In
1000 BC, the territory was inhabited by the Jebusites who were related to the Hittites.
The entire area indentified as the temple site of Yerusalem had an ancient holy
mark stacked to it. Ancient superstition hold that it was the particular spot that
Yahweh created the first humans.
Based
on this superstition, the area is the supposed spot of the accounted Garden of
Eden.
The
temple site that was earlier known as the Mount Moriah was held as the
particular spot that Abraham set an alter of sacrifice of Isaac which was replaced
with a mystery ram that Yahweh gave him in replacement of his son (Isaac).
Since
many religious traditions as Judaism, Christianity and Islamism hold to the patriarch
of Abraham, all of them have claim of inheritance to that arena.
Again,
the scriptures accounted that king David bought a threshing floor on Mount
Moriah from the Jebusites and built alter on the site. When David became king
of the entire Hebrew nation, he conquered the Jebusites and made the area as
part of his kingdom. He developed Yerusalem as the national centre for administration,
judicial and religious systems.
When
King Solomon succeeded King David, he chose Mount Moriah as the temple site. He
built magnificence and ornate temple on top of Mount Moriah. The temple attracted
people to the arena and as well aroused deep hatred in the minds of enemies of
the Hebrew nation. The city that hosted the temple is called Yerusalem, the
Palestinians call it al-Quds and the people of Israiah call it “Yerushalayim”
meaning “The City of Peace”
The
first temple was destroyed in 587BC during the Babylonian captivity of the
people of Hebrews. After the return of the Hebrews from Babylonian exile, a far
less ornate than Solomon’s temple was rebuild and was known as the Zerubbabel’s
temple beginning “the Second Temple Era” that ended in 70AD.
In
70AD, Titus of Rome sent his troops into Yerusalem and slaughtered the people
of Hebrew until their blood literally streamed down the streets. The Romans
completely sacked the city and destroyed the second temple.
In
132AD Hadrian a Roman Emperor invaded the city of Yerusalem and slaughtered many
Hebrews and expelled the survivors across the Roman Empire.
In
313AD, Christianity was legalized as religious tradition of Roman Empire. Based
on this development, Christian churches were developed in Yerusalem. The
churches were located at the areas relating to nativity of Yahoshea
In
638AD, the Muslim forces of Omar captured Yerusalem from the Roman Empire and
made the city a sanctuary for Muslims. On entrance to the city, Omar ordered
the Mount of Moriah (Temple site) to be cleared. He built a wooden mosque at
the southern end of the mount. The Muslim occupation continued in the area. Between
685 and 691AD, Caliph Abdal –Malik Ibn Marwan built the Dome of the Rock at the
temple mount.
In
1099AD, The Christian militant group- the Crusaders marching under the sign of
the cross stormed into Yerusalem to claim the city. The streets of the city ran
will blood of more than forty thousand people. Mosques and synagogues were set
free by the Crusaders.
With
available records, 969 men, women and children of Hebrew descent were herded
into a synagogue and set ablaze by the Crusaders. As the people were screaming
in the inferno, the Crusaders were shouting “Christ, we adore thee”
From
the ancient time till moment, the city is engulfed with strife, violence and war.
In
modern times, the United Nations voted for the separation of the Palestinian
area into two states. The states are Israel and Palestine. The populations of
the Israel’s were lesser than that of the Palestinians, The Israelis were
accorded a less fertile area that were swaths of barren desert as a land reserve
for the collection of numerous Jewish refuges that scattered all over the area.
The
land space may be of equal division between the Israeli and Palestinian states but
the 70% percent of the fertile land was accorded to the Palestinians.
This
marked the reconstitution of the Hebrew Nation as its citizens were in Diaspora
since 2nd century AD.
As
the British forces withdrew from the territory in 1948, five Arab nations jointly
invaded the Israeli nation in order to destroy the new state in its infancy. Miraculously,
the Israeli nation came out victorious in the war leaving behind a large chunk
of refugees or displaced persons on both the Israeli and Palestinian areas.
The
battle for Yerusalem has been continuous between the Jews, Arabs and Romans to
this moment. Since 1948, five brutal wars have been fought in Israel. Several
negotiations have been instituted from international communities to resolve the
Palestinians conflicts with no tangible results.
The
centre of the conflict is the Temple Mount in Yerusalem. The question of who
owns or controls the temple site had been a turbulent issue.
The
Jews occupy some part of the ruined temple as their walling wall, the Arabs
occupy the temple mount and none was ready to negotiate with its position.
It
took Israelis victory over 1967 war for its soldiers to break through the
Jordanian front and prayed together at the Western Wall after about close to
two thousand years.
One
of the remote reasons for the battle for Yerusalem is because of the eschatological
provisions of Judaism, Christianity and Islamism over the temple mount. The Jews
believe that when the Meshiyach manifest, he will rebuild the third temple and
reside there to rule over the entire humanity.
The
Christians hold that the second coming of Christ will be effected at the temple
mount. Also, the Muslims hold the temple mount as the Al-Haram Al-Sharif or the
noble sanctuary. The Muslim tradition holds that the temple mount is the arena
where Mohammed arrived on a winged horse before ascending to Heaven. Also, the
tradition holds the temple mount as the site of the world’s second mosque built
by Adam after he built the mosque in Mecca.
As
provided in the Islamic eschatology, wars and immortality will increase in the
last days. False Meshiyach known as the Al-Mesih Al-Dajjal will manifest as a Jew,
leading an army of the Jews from the east. The tradition holds that at this
point, Yahoshea will return to defeat the anti or false Meshiyach in a battle
near Yerusalem. He will kill all pigs, break all crosses and adopt Islam as the
true faith.
These
beliefs of both religious traditions have been tied to the temple mount is
responsible for various hostilities that have endangered human lifes and
properties in the territory.
Temple
mount is seriously the awaited arena for the contests for supremacy of these
influential religious sects. That is their target and hope, and each holding to
the conviction that loosing of the mount means loose of total value.
For
this reason, Gershom Gorenburg, a Jew living in Israel made a following note:
“The dispute over who owns the mount is one of the most intractable issues of
real-world Middle Eastern politics. The conflict is intense because of the
mount’s place in history-but even more because of its place in the future. For
a small and growing group of Jews on the Israeli religious right, every day
since 1967 has been a missed opportunity to begin building the third temple. For
a larger number of conservative Christians elsewhere in the world and
particularly in the United States, building that temple is an essential condition
for the second coming. And to many Muslims any attempt to destroy the shrines
of al-Aqsa is a sign that the hour is at hand. The Temple Mount is potentially
a detonator of full scale war, and a few people trying to rush to the end could
set it off”.
With
these available facts, will the third temple be built at the ancient temple
mount? If it must be certainly built, will it be by force or by negotiation?
Who will be ready to release its position to the other? If to be built with
war, will such house be holy as to attract Yahweh’s presence? Who is to lead
the building project? Will it be done by politicians or religious leaders? Will
there be a prophet who will direct of the building?. These questions are
necessary and may be some of the needs that prompted Yahoshea Meshiyach to
promise of the comforter as well as the transfer of the holy city.
With
the present situation, anyone that tends to rebuild the temple at the spot will
be ready for full blown war that will affect the entire globe.
