Amidst Red Heifers, Riots & Anti-Temple Rhetoric, the World’s Eyes Are Focused on Jerusalem

The Shemitah (sabbatical year) is over! This means that an entire year of allowing the land of Israel to rest is finished, and the time has come to begin planting trees. 

Our team is already hard at work, and yesterday we put our first 150 trees in the ground at the Arugot Farm in Judea. Check out some of the pictures down below.

We’ll be planting 3,000 trees over the next six weeks and currently have 2,300 of those trees sponsored! Join the team by planting a tree and help us reach our goal by the end of October. 

>>Sponsor a tree. 

Want to join us for a volunteer program to help plant these trees? We still have openings on the 3 week tree planting trip that starts on November 2nd. Find out more about the trip here. 

The world has been abuzz with temple-related news over the last several weeks. Zac Waller, the Executive Director of HaYovel & The Israel Guys, was privileged to attend the welcoming ceremony for five red heifers when they landed at Ben Gurion Airport two weeks ago. He recorded a short video of the event, and a day later, we published it along with a short article. 

We were stunned by the reaction that we received from this story! Nearly a million people have viewed the article and video in less than two weeks!

As you can understand, the reaction to the red heifers landing in Israel, and its potential precursor to the rebuilding of the 3rd Temple, have been mixed. Unfortunately, many Christians have bought into the lie that the rebuilt temple will be the “Temple of the Antichrist”. This theory has no validity, and Scripture is very clear that the temple will in actuality be known as the Temple of God. 

Isaiah also prophesied that the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem will serve as a house of worship for all the nations of the world: 

Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” (Isaiah 56:7)

Here at The Israel Guys, we’re also in the middle of releasing our six-part series on the true location of the temple in Jerusalem. Episode five will be released this Sunday, and the last episode will drop the week after. We’ve been shocked at the engagement and reactions thus far! To date, nearly 200,000 people have viewed episodes 1-4! 

Clearly, God is drawing attention to the most hotly contested piece of real estate in the entire world. At the same time, the opposing forces of evil are taking notice. During the holiday of Rosh HaShanah that Israel celebrated this week, the anti-Israel Arab world accused Jewish groups who ascended the Temple Mount of “storming the Al Aqsa Mosque”, and violent Arab extremists rioted from inside the Al Aqsa Mosque, throwing stones and shooting fireworks at the worshippers. 

Over the two day holiday of Rosh Hashanah, more than 1,000 worshippers ascended the Temple Mount, which is double the number from the previous year! During the Jewish year of 5782, more than 50,000 Jews ascended the Temple Mount, which is nearly double the number from two years ago! Each year, the number of Jews (and Christians) visiting the Temple Mount increases exponentially. 

Whilst wars and rumors of wars, natural disasters, the threat of nuclear weapons, and political unrest circle the globe, the eyes of the world continue to be on Jerusalem. Inside the holy city, the world’s eyes are pinpointed on a unique piece of real estate – the Temple Mount. The site of end times eschatology, mixed theories and doctrines, and disagreements over ownership, the Temple Mount is where the eyes of Christians and Jews should continue to focus. 

Zechariah speaks of the day when the nations of the world will come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles (Zechariah 14:16). We can pray for and look forward to that day, and in the meantime, keep our eyes fixed on the holiest spot on earth – the Temple Mount, where one day, the 3rd Temple will be rebuilt. May it be soon and in our day.