The Ark of the Covenant returns before Christ sets up His millennial kingdom

". . . . Throughout centuries of bitter exile in the 'valley of dry bones' the Jews prayed for their return to Jerusalem and their glorious Temple. Every year the prayer on the lips of righteous Jews was: 'May the temple be built speedily in our days!' After two thousand years of exile the flag of David flew once more as the chief symbol of an independent Israel. On May 14, 1948, the chief rabbi fulfilled the dream of fifty generations of Jews when he ordered the shofar [ram's horn] blown in recognition of the fact that the hour of redemption was at hand. He stated that the reestablishment of the Jewish state and the return of the exiles meant that 'the age of redemption had begun.' Precisely as Jesus Christ had foretold in Matthew 24:32--34, Israel, symbolized by 'the fig tree,' became a nation. According to His prophecy the generation that saw Israel become a nation will still be alive to see the return of Christ in glory.

"The Arab nations, however, responded to the creation of Israel by immediately invading the Jewish state. Following the 1948 War of Independence, the old city and the Temple Mount remained under Jordanian control until 1967. During those two decades the Jordanians prevented the Jews from worshiping at the western wall of their ancient Temple. In June 1967, Syrian and Egyptian armies mobilized their armed forces in preparation for an attack on Israel. Israel responded with a devastating preemptive air attack on their enemies' air bases and fighter aircraft. As King Hussein of Jordan joined his Arab allies and invaded Israel, the Israeli army counter-attacked and drove the Jordanian army out of the West Bank. However, Israel's most significant conquest was east Jerusalem with the Temple Mount. After two days of fighting the Israeli army captured the old city and the Temple Mount. The feeling was electric throughout the Jewish community as Jews came pouring into their old Jewish quarter and approached the sacred western wall.

"Preparing the Levites"
"In my book MESSIAH I outlined Israel's current plans to rebuild the Temple. During the last decade orthodox Jewish groups trained five hundred young Levites for their role as priests in preparation for the resumption of Temple worship. The Jerusalem Temple Institute has constructed more than seventy of the Temple vessels and objects that are needed to resume Israel's ancient form of worship. In October 16, 1989, the two chief rabbis of Israel told Time magazine that the Third Temple could not be built until they could complete the Sacrifice of the Ashes of the Red Heifer. This is essential because the blood of the soldiers who died their over the centuries has defiled the entire Temple Mount, including the foundation stones. These religious leaders authorized a team to locate and raise a breed of pure red cattle similar to the ancient Egyptian breed used by Moses. Once they choose a pure red heifer without blemishes, a young priest will kill it, burning it with scarlet, cedar wood, and hyssop on the Mount of Olives opposite the Eastern Gate. The ashes from this burned sacrifice will be mixed with water in a cistern under the Temple. This water of purification will be sprinkled on the defiled stones of the Temple Mount, the priests, the worship vessels, etc.

"In November 1990 government representatives, architects, engineers, rabbis, lawyers, and archeologists met to discuss solutions to the practical problems connected with rebuilding the Temple. Researchers estimate the basic Temple structure could be built in one to two years. Naturally, the elaborate decoration work will take many years to complete. The priests and the foundation stones will be cleansed with the waters of purification, just as they were when the exiles returned from Babylon. An altar for daily morning and evening sacrifices will be built in the area to the west of the planned Temple. Once the priests resume the daily sacrifice, the construction of the Temple itself will begin.

"For the first time since A.D. 70 serious people are considering the practical steps required to build the Third Temple. Naturally, a majority of Jewish laymen and rabbis do not favor this project. However, a growing number believe they must rebuild the Temple to show the world that the Jews will remain in Jerusalem forever. Even non-religious Jews are dropping their previous opposition to this project. While only a minority want the Temple rebuilt, the prophecies will be fulfilled at the appointed time when God puts this in the heart of the Chosen People. God's command has never been rescinded: 'And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them' (Exodus 25:8).

"Locating the Building Site" 
Archeologists are quietly exploring the elaborate honeycomb of subterranean tunnels, cisterns, and secret passages beneath the Temple Mount., Their discoveries have convinced many of us that the original Temple was located in an area some fifty yards to the north of the Dome of the Rock. Documentary evidence from the Mishneh Torah's censored sections on the rebuilding of the Temple tell us the Temple was directly opposite the Eastern Gate. The dimensions of the Temple would place the Holy of Holies over the small structure called the Dome of the Tablets over fifty yards to the north of the Dome of the Rock. Evidence suggests that the original Ark of the Covenant rested on the Even Shetiyah, the foundation stone at the base of the Dome of the Tablets. This research, if correct, indicates the Third Temple can be rebuilt without disturbing the Muslim Dome of the Rock. Ezekiel prophesied that the Jews will worship in their beloved Temple once again. The Lord promised, 'I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God and they shall be My people' (Ezekiel 37:27).

". . . A curious prophecy of Jeremiah suggests that the Ark of the Covenant will return to the Temple before Christ sets up His millennial kingdom. 'Then it shall come to pass, when you are multiplied and increased in the land in those days,' says the Lord, 'that they will say no more, 'The ark of the covenant of the Lord.' It shall not come to mind, nor shall they remember it, nor shall they visit it, nor shall it be made any more' (Jeremiah 3:16). The prophet declared that, once the Messiah returns, the Ark will no longer 'come to mind,' nor will 'they visit it.' Since Israel has not possessed the Ark for almost three thousand years, this prophecy suggests that the Jews will 'visit' and' talk' about the Ark just before the return of Christ. However, once the Messiah comes, their worship and attention will turn to Christ.

"The Ark of the Covenant and the Third Temple"
The Ark of the Covenant disappeared from biblical history three thousand years ago during the reign of King Solomon. . . . Evidence suggests that it was taken to Ethiopia by Prince Menelik, the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, following Solomon's apostasy from God. If a perfect replica of the Ark was created in the days of Solomon, as Ethiopian tradition and the Jerusalem Talmud claims, the replica may have been hidden under the Temple. The replica of the Ark left in the Temple would have been treated as genuine by the priests in Jerusalem. Either this replica or the true Ark may have been secretly hidden underneath the Temple Mount along with other Temple treasures to protect them from invading Babylonian and Roman armies. Jewish archaeologists have secretly explored the subterranean structures beneath the thirty-five acre Temple Mount for the last twenty-five years under the direction of the former Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren and Rabbi Getz, chief rabbi of the Western Wall. One of their goals was to locate the treasures of the Temple, including the lost Ark.

"On May 15, 1992, CBS broadcast a unique two-hour television special called Ancient Secrets of the Bible. It was the first positive examination of biblical history by a secular television network and won the highest ratings with forty million viewers. The location of the lost Ark of the Covenant was one of the topics. The narrator reported that Rabbi Getz claimed that they have discovered the Ark of the Covenant in the tunnels. However, my Israeli sources report that they were unable to examine the object. Although they could only see it with flashlights for a few minutes in a darkened tunnel from fifty feet away, Rabbi Getz and Rabbi Goren concluded they had found the Ark. Unfortunately the Arabs heard them and broke into the tunnel from the sub-structures beneath the Dome of the Rock. A terrible fight took place which prevented the rabbis from actually examining the object. Within hours the Arabs sealed the gate with concrete preventing Jewish archaeologists from exploring this tunnel area. At this point we cannot be certain if it was the Ark or another object.

"CBS producers asked me to share my research and film of the Temple tunnels as well as the evidence suggesting the Ark may have been taken to Ethiopia in the days of Solomon. Our videos of the secret tunnel system beneath the Mount were shown to illustrate the ongoing exploration effort. . . .

"I received reports from three sources, Canadian, Ethiopian and Israeli, that claimed the Ark was secretly returned to Israel during the violent closing days of the Ethiopian Civil War some thirty months ago. As the Israeli Mossad agents prepared to fly thousands of Ethiopian Jews home to Israel they were forced to bribe the Ethiopian officials to allow them to free their Jewish brothers. As the victorious northern army closed in on the capital, the evil communist officials of the defeated government demanded millions in bribes from Israel before they fled to wealthy exile Switzerland. As the last twenty thousand black Jews of Ethiopia began to fly to Jerusalem, the Israeli cargo planes landed every few minutes in Addis Ababa to pick up another load of Ethiopian Jewish refugees.

"Three credible sources independently told me the same fascinating story. For years, since the rebirth of Israel, the Mossad and Jewish religious authorities tried to negotiate the return of some priceless Jewish relics from the underground temple in Aksum, Ethiopia, including the Ark of the Covenant. Apparently, the corrupt Ethiopian officials demanded a secret bribe of an additional $42 million from Israel to permit them to take the Ark of the Covenant home. The reports claim that a special team of trained Levites carried the Ark with the staves in the prescribed manner into an unmarked cargo plane. They said the Levites carried the Ark on their shoulders while supported with leg braces during the long flight because they would not set the Ark down. My sources claim the $42 million paid to the crooked officials turned out to be counterfeit money. Israel took $42 million in real currency and gave it to the incoming democratic government of Ethiopia. Since the outgoing dictatorship left the treasury without a penny, this $42 million was the only money the new government had to begin its operations. My sources told me the Ark is now held in a secret location in Israel waiting for the rebuilding of the Temple. Is this credible? I can only tell you that my sources are credible, one of them a Christian former Canadian diplomat. However, their reports are based on information given to them by others. Only time and the final appearance of the Ark of the Covenant in the Third Temple will reveal the truth.

"The Significance of the Ark of the Covenant
"The Ark of the Covenant is the outward symbol of God's holy covenant with Israel. The Ten Commandments, written by the finger of God, are stored within the holy Ark and represent God's covenant relationship with His Chosen People. The Ark was the only object in the Temple that pointed clearly to the second coming of the Messiah. The rediscovery of the Ark would provide the strongest probable motivation for Israel to rebuild the Temple. It would also be a rallying cry for the Jews in other countries to return to the Holy Land. The Ark is a profound symbol and guarantee of God's unbreakable covenant with Israel. The Antichrist would find the Ark a tremendous temptation to capture and use for his own political and religious goals. The Prince of Darkness will hate the Jews and their holy Ark of the Covenant because it represents God's eternal relationship with Israel" (p.296-299).

COMMENT: For many years I have been predicting the rebuilding of a Temple in Jerusalem, as the fulfillment of many Biblical prophecies for the end-time. These events are truly harbingers and signs that the END of this age is rapidly approaching.

The new Israeli government has already indicated that it will soon demand equal rights for Jews and others to pray and worship upon the Temple Mount, an activity which has been forbidden ever since 1967 when the Temple Mount was recaptured from Arab control.

The Scriptures foretell that a "holy place" -- a "sanctuary' -- will be rebuilt and located in Jerusalem, with "daily sacrifices" being performed -- that is, daily animal sacrifices, every morning (at about 9:00 AM) and every evening (about 3:00 PM in the afternoon). Worship services will be conducted within the Temple precincts.

The apostle John was inspired to describe the event as follows: "And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple, measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months" (Rev.11:1-2).

The rebuilding of the Temple will most likely be completed with the support and approval of the pontiff in Rome, and the cooperation of Europe, and the United States -- and the "New World Order."

However, the construction of the Temple will not bring about world peace. To the contrary, the prophet Daniel foretold that a mighty king would rise up, who will invade Israel during the end-times, and stop the daily sacrifice, and place within the Holy of Holies a despicable idolatrous image of himself as "Jupiter Olympus," claiming that he is the Supreme God (see Daniel 8:11-14; 9:26-27; ll:31-34). Christ also foretold these things (Matt.24:15-21). This act of supreme sacrilege will lead to World War III and the greatest tribulation and time of world upheaval and suffering since mankind has been upon the earth (Matt.24:21-22).

The apostle Paul also wrote of this abominable event, when the "son of perdition . . . as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God" (II Thess.2:3-4). These prophecies will likely begin to come to pass within the very next few years, before the end of this century! -- William F. Dankenbring

http://www.hope-of-israel.org/temple~1.htm