Free Republic

Two remarkable developments took place recently that are extremely relevant to students of Bible prophecy. For the first time in 1,600 years, the Israeli Sanhedrin was re-established. It occurred in Tiberius, the site of the Sanhedrin's last meeting in AD 425.

JERUSALEM - Israeli police stormed a disputed Jerusalem holy site after Muslim prayers on Friday and thousands of worshippers barricaded themselves in the mosque. Police fired plastic bullets, stun grenades and tear gas in an attempt to disperse hundreds of Palestinian stone throwers. At least six people were wounded. Officers entered the Al Aqsa Mosque compound after Muslim worshippers threw stones at police deployed nearby, police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said. Mohammed Hussein, a senior official in the Islamic Trust, which administers the mosque compound, tried to calm the situation, urging worshippers to go home, witnesses said. Most left, but several...

JERUSALEM (RNS) The Temple Mount, which has been remarkably quiet for the past year, could again be on the verge of an eruption. That is the fear after hundreds of Muslims praying Feb. 27 on the Temple Mount hurled rocks at Jews praying at the Western Wall below. Israel, which maintains security but not administrative control of the Mount, deployed riot police to restore order and instructed Jews to leave the Western Wall, located just below the mount, to avoid injury. According to local reports, the rioters were protesting the construction of Israel's controversial security barrier. Israel says it needs...

On Saturday, 22 Shevat 5764 (14 February 2004), another wall on the Temple Mount collapsed in the area of the Western Wall. The wall was the continuation of the Western Wall and which contained the western (Mugrabe) gate leading to the Temple Mount. Stones from the collapsed wall fell in the women's prayer area at the Western Wall while women were praying in the area. It was a miracle that none were hurt. As stated above, this happened on Saturday while Jerusalem was being covered with snow. The collapse occurred four days after the earthquake which shook all of Israel,...

We all remember the proverb that a picture is worth a thousand words. This is so true. When we are able to view a site that we have been reading or hearing about, the historical and architectural information associated with the area becomes much more meaningful and the subject better understood. That is certainly the case with the Temple built by Herod the Great that existed in the time of Christ Jesus along with the adjacent fortress that dominated the landscape known as Fort Antonia. The truth is, no one in modern history (nor for the past 1900 years) has...

Special Dispatch Series - No. 583 October 3, 2003 No.583 Egyptian Ministry of Culture Publication: The Al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock were Built to Divert the Pilgrimage from Mecca; Jerusalem was Not the Center of Worship for the Followers of the Prophet Muhammad On August 5, 2003 Ahmad Muhammad 'Arafa, a columnist for the Egyptian weekly Al-Qahira, which is published by the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, wrote an article rejecting the established Islamic doctrine that the Prophet Muhammad's celebrated "Night Journey" (Koran 17:1) took him from Mecca to Jerusalem. 'Arafa, presenting a new analysis of the Koranic...