Israel's Maariv daily newspaper has revealed that Jordan has been secretly purchasing real-estate around the Temple Mount, in the hope of gaining more control over the sacred site. A member of the Jordanian Royal Family has been petitioning Arab land owners to sell up to Jordanian shell companies, sometimes operating on behalf of the Waqf, the Islamic organization that administers the Temple Mount. 

Quote: "The Maariv story was first reported by WND four months ago in an exclusive report revealing Jordan has used shell companies during the past year to purchase several apartments and shops located at key peripheral sections of the Temple Mount. Israeli and Palestinian officials told WND Jordan also set up a commission to use the shell companies to petition mostly Arab landowners adjacent to eastern sections of the Temple Mount to sell their properties. They said profits from sales at any purchased shops would be reinvested to buy more real estate near the Mount and in eastern Jerusalem neighborhoods. 

This news comes shortly after it was revealed the Israeli security agency, Shin Bet, foiled a plot by Hamas terrorists to take control of the Temple Mount from the Jordanian Waqf. The terrorist organization took control of the Gaza Strip from President Abbas' Fatah party last month, and is actively working to do the same on the Temple Mount. 

Quote: ""Their goal is to gain full control over the Temple Mount," a security official said, adding that the Hamas terrorist party has built a bathroom and expanded its library and prayer rooms at the Temple Mount. Hamas, funded by Syria, Iran and other Arab nations, has invested millions of dollars in the Temple Mount site, where it has conducted tours and preached Hamas ideology. The terrorist organization has provided social services support to low-income Arabs living in eastern Jerusalem neighborhoods, thus cementing its support in the population. 

Today, the 17th day of the month of Tammuz according to Jewish calendar, Israel begins a three week mourning period for the loss of the First and Second Temples. Both Temples were destroyed on the exact same day of the year, the 9th of Av, the first by Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC, and the second by the armies of the Roman Empire under command of Titus in 70 AD. As Jews worldwide mourn this double-loss, many others are calling for the soon rebuilding of the Third Temple. The following quotation is from today's Temple Institute newsletter. 

Quote: "The world without the Holy Temple is an unacceptable proposition. It was forced upon us nearly two thousand years ago and we have toiled under the staggering influence of its loss from that day until this day. But what about tomorrow? Will the Holy Temple still not be standing tomorrow? Or should we ask the question more honestly: Will the Holy Temple continue being destroyed tomorrow? Our sages teach us that every generation that does not witness the rebuilding of the Holy Temple is a generation that has destroyed the Holy Temple. If we allow our listlessness and apathy to rule our lives then we are as guilty as if our own hands have destroyed the Holy Temple, G-d forbid! For unlike the resurrection of the dead, the rebuilding of the Holy Temple is not dependent solely upon the will of G-d. It is not a function of the suspension of the laws of nature. As with every one of the 613 commandments received by the children of Israel at Mount Sinai, the building of the Temple is ours for the doing. The building of the Temple is eminently achievable. The desire to draw nearer to our Creator, both as individuals, and as a nation, is what is needed to move our hearts and our hands into action. Dedication and determination is what will propel us forward towards completing our task.

Strictly speaking, the destruction of the Second Temple was not forced upon the Jewish people. It's destruction was prophesied in advance by the Lord Jesus Christ, and was a direct result of the nation's rejection of the Messiah. Forty years following the Lord's crucifixion, His words came to pass with startling accuracy. 

Luke 13:35
Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until [the time] come when ye shall say, Blessed [is] he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Matthew 24:1-2
And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to [him] for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

Luke 21:20-22
And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

Today the unbelieving Jewish nation thinks that through rebuilding the Temple, they can carry favour with God. Just recently, the Sanhedrin announced they were planning to send a letter to every nation on earth, calling on them to support the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. Daniel's prophecy predicts that a Third Temple will soon be rebuilt, and that the Jewish nation will enjoy a relative peace. But it will be short-lived, and will culminate in a time of unparalleled persecution for the Jews, when the Antichrist sits in the Temple and proclaims to be God. Only when Israel has come to an end of itself, will they call on the true Messiah Yeshua, and say "Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord". Will you be found worthy to "escape all these which shall come to pass, and stand before the Son of Man", Luke 21:36, or will you be left behind to face the judgement of a righteous God? Trust in Christ for salvation.

Source WorldNetDaily, Arutz 7