Patterns

I will get back to the discussion on the sacrifices shortly. But let me vent a little, would ya?

For 2000 years the Jews have been scattered from one end of heaven to the other, with no homeland: they were ousted from Israel by the Roman legions in 70 CE.  But 40 years prior to those sad events, Yeshua told his disciples that a day was coming when they would be back in their Land again.  None of the disciples standing there had any idea that the absence would span two millenia, but that is precisely what occurred. Yeshua also declared to them that not only would the Jews be back in Israel, but that they would have erected an altar. And not just any altar, but a holy altar,  one acceptable to the Almighty.  This prophecy is stunning, to say the least!  Here we are now,  the Jews having survived an almost impossible 2000 year antipathy from the world, back in their Land,  the State of Israel, and today they are constructing the altar that, prayerfully, will be acceptable to God.

I don’t know why more attention isnt paid to this amazing prophecy, but such is our world. Interestingly, the apostle Paul makes a similar statement to what Yeshua said in Matthew 24. In 2 Thessalonians, Paul speaks of what seems to be a fully functioning Temple. This is another amazing statement, because at the current time, the Muslim Waqf has control over the Temple Mount area. Yet Paul is quite clear: there will be a Temple, the House of God. So for all those who may read this blog with some skepticism, relax: the prophecies have not failed yet, and I suspect  they never will.

Here is my hunch: the holy place (ἐν τόπῳ ἁγίῳ)  spoken of by Yeshua in Matthew 24 and the Temple of God (ναὸν τοῦ θεοῦ), spoken of by Paul in 2 Thessalonians, represent incidents that occur at two seperate times. The surrounding and destruction of Jerusalem is an often-repeated incident in Scripture and in history, one of the myriad of patterns given to us in his Word by our loving Creator, so that we might understand the times in which we live.

My prayer is that Christians will begin to take these prophetic words of Paul and Yeshua to heart and start reversing the millenial-old animus toward all things *Temple* or  *Jewish*.

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