The Temple Mount Faithful
or the temple mount Faithful?

by Donna D’Iorio

August 2004: Recently I stood by listening as someone asked an Israeli Messianic leader about the Temple Mount Faithful. It was obvious that the person had expected an approving response to that group's recent latest attempt to place the cornerstone of the third temple in Jerusalem. The questioner was truly surprised when the Messianic rabbi responded with immediate displeasure upon hearing that name, “I usually try not to comment on Israel's religious groups, but that group!”

The Israeli leader went on to explain how the Temple Mount Faithful—a religious group that enjoys wide support among Christians and even some Messianic Jews living outside of Israel—continually place their religious zealotry to rebuild a physical third temple above all else, including the national security of Israel and all her citizens.

To tell you the truth I couldn't tell you exactly what the rabbi responded to this man's question after that because I was too busy reeling that such a question would asked by someone who serves in a Messianic congregation.

How is it that in all our efforts to present an authentic Messianic Judaism and to reconnect Christians through teaching to the Judaic roots of their faith, that we are failing to educate on such critical subjects as this? At this late hour is it still something we consider too hot to handle? Too controversial to rock the boat of Christian support of Israel?

I doubt that there are many Messianic Jewish believers in Israel cheering on the efforts of groups like the Temple Mount Faithful as many Christians are. No one wants to dissuade Christian support of Israel, but Christian support of Israel should be extended to the body of Messiah, not to the unbelieving religious groups who persecute them! Our support shouldn't be extended to the religious zealots who threaten Israel's very national security, therefore every citizen in the Land. This ignorance is not bliss, it is dangerous.

It is amazing that most Christians who support these types of religious groups in Israel are clueless of the danger they pose to the nation and to the true household of faith in Israel. What is really amazing is that there is so little done to educate Christians in these matters.

Why is that? From the perspective of the body in Israel, I understand they are bearing the burden upon themselves in order not to dissuade Christian support of Israel and likely, in order not to bring an avalanche of backlash persecution for being the ones to blow the whistle on this. And why should they be forced to be the ones to whistle blow? Are they in this alone, or are we in it with them?

It may not be the time to press into the Church being able to discern between the builders of the spiritual temple of God and the natural temple of religious Judaism. I don't really believe that, but so many keep silent, I say this so as not to exclude the possibility that there is a timing that I'm just not being sensitive enough to.

So much of Christianity that recognizes the need of the Church to support Israel is focused on the rebuilding of a physical temple. They see it as the necessity of prophetic fulfillment for Christ to return in His Second Coming. Too bad they don't understand that it is a spiritual temple that Jesus is currently building by His body in the land of Israel. 

His ministering body in Israel could use Christian support of their efforts. Only Israeli citizens are legally allowed to evangelize. So what are your Israel-support dollars being channeled toward?

Some projected temple made by human hands is not what God is focusing on. So in many ways the uneducated support of Christians towards Israel is downright counterproductive.

At what point will the misplacement of Christian support of Israel outweigh the overall benefits of the spiritual building of His kingdom? Why must the body of Messiah in Israel bear this burden alone through the lack of teaching going on about such matters? Whose place is it to begin the process of educating the Church—teaching those who will listen? Can we stand the heat for the sake of our brothers and sisters who have been going this alone?

Instead of Christians aligning themselves with God's focus and throwing their considerable Israel-oriented resources toward the building of His spiritual temple in Israel, those resources are being diverted from the body to the persecutors of the body. That is beyond sad—it really is a disgrace for so few to understand these things at this hour and instead to be thrilled by every minute detail of the preparations for a flesh-built third temple.

The fleshly response is always to build the natural instead of the spiritual. Take Peter's reaction to the appearance of Moses and Elijah with Yeshua as He was transformed on the mount. Yeshua was “appearing in glory” before the eyes of Peter, James and John, who were “heavy with sleep” (Luke 9:32). “Heavy with sleep” or spiritual slumber is exactly where much of the Church is today regarding the temple that Jesus is building and the reality of His body—the spiritual temple of Messiah in Israel.

Matthew 17:4 Peter said to Yeshua, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

At the sight of the glory of God upon Yeshua, a spiritually drowsy Peter was nevertheless ready to spring into action to build three tabernacles with his own hands. God was preparing instead to build a new and living Temple through His Son. He interrupted Peter's nervous chatter saying, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”

Those who are listening to the Son know that God never has been that interested in any temple that man could build for Him. Take God's response to David when he expressed his desire to build the first temple. Yes, Nathan the prophet said, “Do all that is in your mind, for the Lord is with you,” but what did God say?

2 Samuel 7:4-7 “But in the same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying, “Go and say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Are you the one who should build Me a house to dwell in? For I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt, even to this day; but I have been moving about in a tent, even in a tabernacle. Wherever I have gone with all the sons of Israel, did I speak a word with one of the tribes of Israel, which I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?''

God's promise to David was about a spiritual house, not a house of wood and stone. He would allow the building of a physical, natural temple because it would serve His ultimate purposes but this is not what God was most interested in building. It wasn't then and it isn't now.

2 Samuel 7:11-13 “The LORD also declares to you that the LORD will make a house for you. When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish His kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of His kingdom forever.”

Thanks, David, but My house is a spiritual house and it will take My Son to build that house. That is the spiritual house, the spiritual tabernacle that is “not made with hands.”

1 Peter 2:4-6 “And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Messiah Yeshua. For this is contained in Scripture:

‘Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone,

And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”

There is no cornerstone that the Temple Mount Faithful can ever lay that should command more attention from the world wide body of Christ than the house that He is in the progress of completing for Himself in Israel. The Cornerstone has been laid already by the real temple mount Faithful, our Father.

Today it is the living stones of the spiritual house in Israel that should command our attention because His attention is fervently focused on them, not red heifers and not some block of stone the radical rabbis try periodically to drag up for placement at the Dome of the Rock.

If your understanding as a Christian is that the third temple must be built before Jesus returns, then it is time to recognize that it is a living temple that God wants built made up of Israeli Jews and Arabs. The third temple referred to in prophetic scripture is a spiritual temple; it is Jesus’ body in the land of Israel. Everything else we've been talking about here pales in comparison to them.

If you as a Christian have been following the developments of the wrong temple builders in Israel, please take the challenge to acquaint yourself with the real temple builders who are the sole focus of this site. Jesus will not be glorified by the unbelieving religious groups of Israel, but He is being glorified everyday through the lives of His body in Israel. We are called first to support them.