Request to Rebuild the Temple

November, 2016

In the news recenty, the nascent Sanhedrin has asked Putin and Trump to work together to rebuild the Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. This has created somewhat of a news storm in some religious circles. The following is one of the emails we received about it and Barry's response.

Question: "If we have interpreted Daniel correctly, there has to be a 7 year peace treaty first and then the temple will be built.  To even think of the USA and Russia being as Cyrus to allow the Temple to be built, (as suggested by the nascent Jewish Sanhedrin in response to the USA election results), is a miracle in itself, so exciting, dreadful and hopeful all at the same time. We've read the last chapter of the Book!  The question is who will sign that peace treaty with Israel and those warring with her????  Scary!" 

Setterfield: I believe that the scenario presented is basically correct. The 7-year covenant is signed as Daniel insists and the Temple is then built as part of that covenant. If the days given in Daniel 8 and 12 are examined in detail, the Temple is being built for about 220 days after the Covenant is signed before the sacrifices begin. I can give you a breakdown of the argument for that later if you are interested. So the Temple construction does not have to begin before the Covenant is signed, but that does not necessarily preclude that possibility.

You ask who will sign the Covenant with Israel. Daniel 8 and 11 make it quite obvious that whoever it is comes out of the lands held by the Seleucid Empire that came from the break-up of Alexander's Kingdom. The Seleucid heartland was Turkey after all the infighting had ceased. And we have a despotic individual in charge there at the moment who is re-establishing peaceful relations with Israel. There are those in Turkey, like Adnan Oktar, who are in favor of allowing the Temple to be rebuilt. Also, Oktar is an adviser to Turkey's current leader, Erdogan. Do not forget that the Temple was part of the private discussions between Bill Clinton in the Peace Process that he was involved with. One of my friends had a colleague who was privy to those talks. So this is an ongoing subject in many peace negotiations.

It may be wondered how this fits in with the current election results. As it stands at the moment, Putin and Trump have a good relationship. To that end, Trump may allow Russian expansion in the Ukraine and Syria. There may even be some peace treaty between them to normalize relations. Since it was the Russian threat that led to the Cold War, any such agreement would leave the world saying "Peace and Safety" at last. If this agreement occurred soon, it would be separate from the Covenant. It may be this separate event that is referred to in 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5 in the context of the Rapture and the Tribulation. If so, Trump may make that possible. 

Even if there is no separate treaty between Russia and the USA, a cooperative Trump could allow Russian expansion in the whole Middle East. The next thing to happen there Biblically is the wipe-out of Damascus by Israel as in Isaiah 17. We do not know the exact circumstances leading up to this result. It may be as a result of action against Iran by the USA or Israel, or it may be an attack on Israel by the Syrians and their allies (including the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Iranians) in response to some other problem. Whatever the trigger, Israel wins out against the forces in Syria, but at a frightful cost...they come back in two's and threes. Russia and Iran then see this as their opportunity to wipe out Israel and come against her as the last section of Isaiah 17 says and as Ezekiel 38 outlines. (Note that Ezekiel 39 appears to be a separate battle - the Battle of Armageddon). The USA may not be involved in this if a peace treaty is signed with Russia. In addition, Turkey is not directly involved either according to the LXX which states that the merchants of Chalcedon (now Istanbul) question why Russia is coming down and so Turkey is not part of the invading forces, contrary to what many have assumed.

God personally intervenes in that battle as implied by the comments in Isaiah 17:13-14, Zechariah 9:14, Zephaniah 2:9 (LXX) and Ezekiel 38:20. If the Rapture does not occur before then, this is about the latest it can occur. As a result of God's intervention in that battle, Russia is a spent force and the earthquakes mentioned by Ezekiel devastate the coastlands. This would, include those of the USA, wiping out many cities, particularly if the Yellowstone Caldera blows as well. With Russia, Iran and the USA rendered ineffective, that leaves Turkey as the key player in the Mid East and NATO to control both Europe and the Middle East and make a covenant with Israel. In that case the leader of Turkey (someone who controls their military), whether it be Erdogan or someone else,is likely to be the one signing the Covenant and so become the Antichrist. This then allows the Temple to be rebuilt after God's intervention.

That is my current assessment, based n the information we have on 13th November 2016. Anything could change on the crucial date of 19th December with the Electoral College vote, or with Trump's refined policies as he moves into office. Even the Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has warned his party members not to make pronouncements about Trump and his policies until after they have officially met and discussed world affairs.  Nevertheless, you asked for my 2-cents worth before that time and now you have it! It may or may not stand up to scrutiny and actual events. But this is what seems likely for now.