Unleashing the Beast

T EMPLE M OUNT , THE W ORLD ' S H OT S POT / 143

King Hussein of Jordan planned to open the eastern gate to allow Muslims coming from Jordan to enter through the eastern entrance to the Mount. Cranes were being prepared to remove the large blocks when the 1967 war broke out and East Jerusalem, then ruled by the country of Jordan, came under the control of Israel. It seems the idea for opening the eastern gate is twofold. First, it would give access to the Dome of the Rock and the El Aqsa Mosque from the east. The second reason involves an ancient prophecy from the Bible. The prophet Ezekiel says the gate facing the east will be closed and is for the prince who will come and enter in through the gate (see Ezekiel 44:1-3). If the gate is opened, it would "prove" the Ezekiel prophecy incorrect, thus demonstrating that the Christian and Jewish Scriptures are not true. Much activity is taking place in and around the Temple Mount area. As modern scholars noted that the Scriptures predict a Jewish presence or Temple in Jerusalem, they struggle to answer the question, "How can a Jewish Temple be constructed on the Temple Mount with an Islamic mosque in the center of the Mount?" T HREE T OUGH Q UESTIONS The very thought of a Jewish presence on the Temple Mount raises three tough questions: 1. Who will actually build a Temple on the Temple Mount? 2. What will happen to the Dome of the Rock when this Temple is built?