Jewish Sanhedrin rabbis unite with Turk on common cause

With the Middle East still in chaos and rumors of war in the air, the idea of rebuilding the Jerusalem Temple on a foundation occupied and administered by Islamic militants might seem fanciful – even preposterous.

But Joel Richardson, the author of a new book, “The Islamic Antichrist: The Shocking Truth About the Real Nature of the Beast,” returned from Turkey recently with news that a prominent Islamic teacher and best-selling author, and [also] Jewish Sanhedrin rabbis are conspiring to do just that.

Adnan Oktar is a controversial but highly influential Muslim intellectual and author with more than 65 million of his books in circulation worldwide. Oktar recently met with three representatives from the re-established Jewish Sanhedrin, a group of 71 Orthodox rabbis and scholars from Israel, to discuss how religious Muslims, Jews and Christians can work together on the project.

“The objectives of the alliance include waging a joint intellectual and spiritual battle against the worldwide growing tide of irreligiousness, unbelief and immorality,” explains Richardson, who met in Turkey with Oktar. “But even more unusual is their agreement with regard to the need to rebuild the Jewish Temple, a structure that Mr. Oktar refers to as the (Mosque)’ or the ‘Palace of Solomon.'”

An official statement about the meeting has been published on the Sanhedrin’s website. Concluding the statement is the following call:

“Out of a sense of collective responsibility for world peace and for all humanity we have found it timely to call to the World and exclaim that there is a way out for all peoples. It is etched in a call to all humanity: We are all the sons of one father, the descendants of Adam, and all humanity is but a single family. Peace among Nations will be achieved through building the House of G-d, where all peoples will serve as foreseen by King Solomon in his prayers at the dedication of the First Holy Temple. Come let us love and respect one another, and love and honor our heavenly Father in awe. Let us establish a house of prayer in His name in order to worship and serve Him together, for the sake of His great compassion. He surely does not want the blood of His creatures spilled, but prefers love and peace among all mankind. We pray to the Almighty Creator, that you harken to our Call. Together – each according to his or her ability – we shall work towards the building of the House of Prayer for All Nations on the Temple Mount in peace and mutual understanding.”

Regarding the rebuilding of the Temple, Rabbi Hollander – one of the Sanhedrin representatives who conferred with Oktar, explained, “The building of the Temple is one of the stages in the Messianic process.” But another possibility that has been presented is that the Dome of the Rock that sits so prominently on the Temple Mount be used as “a place of prayer for all nations.”

However, he also explained that religious Jews would not be able to enter the Dome of the Rock unless it had first been ritually cleansed according to Jewish regulations.

This is not the only similar call to rebuild the Jewish Temple, points out Richardson. The Interfaith Encounter Association is working on a project called “God’s Holy Mountain.” It sees the day when the rebuilt Jewish Temple will exist side by side with the Dome of the Rock. A recent poll showed nearly two-thirds of Israelis back the idea of rebuilding the Temple. “Meanwhile, the work of the Temple Institute — a group that has openly dedicated itself for years to rebuilding the Jewish Temple — goes on.” It has already created many of the most significant priestly utensils and pieces of furniture necessary for the Temple once it is ready.

“The suggestion of rebuilding the Jewish Temple is deeply significant to Christians, particularly those who are students of Bible prophecy,” explains Richardson. “According to the Bible, an impostor messiah known as the Antichrist will someday invade the land of Israel and ‘set himself up’ in ‘God’s Temple.'”

Millions of evangelical Christians around the world are expecting the Antichrist to emerge from a revived Roman Empire, which many have assumed is associated with the Roman Catholic Church and the European Union.

Not so, argues Richardson. His book makes the case that the biblical Antichrist is one and the same as the Quran’s Muslim Mahdi. “The Bible abounds with proofs that the Antichrist’s empire will consist only of nations that are, today, Islamic,” says Richardson. “Despite the numerous prevailing arguments for the emergence of a revived European Roman empire as the Antichrist’s power base, the specific nations the Bible identifies as comprising his empire are today all Muslim.”

Richardson believes the key error of many previous prophecy scholars involves the misinterpretation of a prediction by Daniel to Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel describes the rise and fall of empires of the future [i.e., future to his time] leading to the end-times. Western Christians have viewed one of those empires as Rome, when, claims Richardson, Rome never actually conquered Babylon and was thus disqualified as a possibility. It had to be another empire that rose and fell and rose again that would lead to the rule by this “man of sin,” described in the Bible. That empire, he says, is the Islamic Empire, which did conquer Babylon and, in fact, rules over it even today.

Many evangelical Christians believe the Bible predicts a charismatic ruler, the Anti-christ, will arise in the last days, before the return of Jesus. The Quran also predicts that a man, called the Mahdi, will rise up to lead the nations, pledging to usher in an era of peace. Richardson makes the case that these two men are, in fact, one and the same. His book was an instant best-seller on the Amazon charts when it came off the press.

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Joel Richardson is a human rights activist, lecturer, and artist. Involved in evangelism and ministry to Muslims since 1994, he is the co-author, along with Walid Shoebat, of God’s War on Terror: Islam, Prophecy, and the Bible and co-editor of Why We Left Islam: Former Muslims Speak Out.

[We include this article from the web, not because we are convinced by Richardson’s interpretation (though it’s worth studying), but because we all need to be aware of new events and ideas that emerge from time to time. Also, unless we believe we already understand every detail of end-time prophecy, we may benefit from the insights of other students of God’s Word. So, keep your Bible handy and pray that the Lord will give you understanding, and you will at least learn more re: some surprising events in Israel today. –Alex Wilson]