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A TEMPLATE FOR THE TEMPLE
“It’s Judgment day” screamed a headline of a popular National Indian daily.
The unforgettable day…30th September, 2010. The Judgment? On a sensitive, disputed Ayodhya site,
which had been a bone of contention for 60 years? The parties involved… two communities who together
constitute the majority of the Indian population. The Court on which rested virtually the Nation’s
peace and tranquility…the Allahabad High Court. Likely outcome of Judgment, if perceived as twisted by
either of the warring parties? Violence, bloodshed borne out of religious fanaticism…the kind India was
a sad witness to after Babri Masjid demolition in Dec, 1992. People who watched with a creased forehead…
virtually every citizen of India and the World who wanted nothing but a Dove with olive leaf to fly in the Indian skies.
What a matter of relief, that the eventual verdict has appeased sizeable, responsible, sensible population of our Nation!
It is indeed mind-boggling how strong an influence a religion can exert on anyone’s actions.
So how do we react if somebody demolishes our Churches or burns them, like they did in the State of Orissa, not so long ago?
Cheer up, the Good News with a capital G is that THE CHURCH is indestructible! Leave alone petty, tangible human forces,
even the formidable, unseen, intangible powers of darkness cannot prevail against it. Who said? Its founder whose other Name
is Truth (John 14:6)!
Mark His words “…I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.
(Matt 16:18)”
What is that about the Church which makes it indestructible? IT’S COLLECTION OF “TEMPLES”! Confused? Let me lay the template
clearly for you to understand the contextual meaning of the word "Temple" here. Every born-again, believing Christian,
SAVED by the atoning work of Christ
(I Cor 15:1-4/
Romans 10:8-10),
in whom the Spirit of God now dwells IS A TEMPLE
(I Cor 3:16)!
Period! In the Old Testament times, God lived WITH His people, now He lives WITHIN them. Now let’s get it straight! A Church is not a building per se but a body of born-again believers meeting and
worshipping together. A recent, creative insightful Church ad makes this amply clear…
The enemies of Christianity would have to kill, every one of these devout ones’ who have trusted Christ for salvation,
to liquidate the Church. Is it possible? Would the omnipotent ONE, allow it? The answer is clear, isn’t it
(ask someone like notorious Nero to reconfirm, if necessary)? The believers may meet in a public building…the traditional
Church building as we see it or even in a privacy of a home
(Romans 16:23).
As long as the Spirit of Christ pervades
and overshadows even a meeting of two or three believers, hey there is a serious Church meeting going on
(Matt 18:20)!
While on the subject of Temples around the World and all the associated disputes, let’s come to the MOTHER OF ALL
TEMPLE DISPUTES in the ever-simmering West Asia, which is going to influence the World’s events in the imminent future.
Take my word; it is going to be ground zero of all global tension. Oh yes, I am referring to the site of Solomon’s temple,
where stands a mosque now.
To trace the history of this site or to judge, as to what actually should be standing on the disputed site-a
Jewish temple or Mosque-is beyond the scope of this essay. What I want to focus upon precisely is the veracity
of Biblical prophecies, even as this age (Post Flood after Noah) in human history is reaching its climactic end.
Right on dot, as per the Biblical prophecies
(Isaiah 11:11)
the Jews have arrived “in their Promised Land”
(Genesis 15:13-16).
Now for Jews’ given all their Temple-associated
pageantry (read Leviticus 16/
23) which goes with Judaism, a Temple IS A PLACE
to celebrate with all their heart, body and soul. In its absence, worse with a Mosque proving to be a deterrent,
ARE THEY NOT BOUND TO FEEL DEPRIVED? How would anyone with no prejudice view this situation? Would anyone blame the stubborn (?) Jews,
if they want to reconstruct their temple at its original site? Going by our own Allahabad High Court verdict which gave
due importance to “what originally stood principle” in its balanced Judgment, an impartial observer may even
sympathetically identify with the Jewish sentiments. I reiterate here that to give my judgment on this tricky
matter is not the purpose of my Essay, everyone reading this article is quite justifiably entitled to take his/her own
ideological stance on this contentious issue.
With patience of the Jews wearing thin, now how long can the World with US playing the dutiful Globo- cop delay the
reconstruction of Jewish temple? Will it be at the cost of the Mosque or will it be constructed beside the
Mosque are the tough, prickly questions facing the World leaders? Will they be able to solve amicably this thorny issue
with its potential to trigger a World-wide conflagration? ENTER ANTI-CHRIST! In the not-so distant future,
he is going to come into the picture as World’s problem-solver and forge a peace pact between the perpetual
enemies- Arabs and the Jews
(Daniel 9:27).While on the subject, if at all publishers of Guinness Book
of World records (to put it in a lighter vein) are planning to introduce an entry on “Longest standing enmity”,
they do not have to look beyond the one of Arabs and Jews…boy, they have been fighting since David versus Goliath days! 
By the way, they both also have the spirit of Anti-Christ
(I John 2:22),
in that they deny that Christ is
the Son of God. Coming back to Anti-Christ, by accomplishing MISSION IMPOSSIBLE (make Jews and Arabs arrive at a
compromise formula regarding the temple), undoubtedly this man of deceit
(with a secret agenda-Daniel 8:25)
would capture the heart of the World initially without any bloodshed. No wonder, he is picturized in the
Bible as a “Leader carrying a bow but no arrows”
(Rev 6:1-3),
…(Note again, he is carrying only a bow
but no arrows to underscore the point that initially without any bloodshed, he would CONQUER)
That subsequently Anti-Christ would go on to rule the World, pose as God Himself and even dare to
take on the Creator
(Daniel 8:25/
Rev 13:4-6)
before being eventually destroyed at Christ’s II Coming has been prophesied (Rev 19:19-20).
NO, NO, the purpose of my essay is to not issue a clarion call for
coming of the ANTI-CHRIST but to herald the truth about the imminent rapture of the Church
(oh, the indestructible bride of Christ-
Rev 19:7-8)
which would precede the coming of the Anti-Christ.
Consider these verses’…
“For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work*; BUT THE ONE WHO NOW HOLDS IT BACK WILL CONTINUE
TO DO SO TILL "HE" IS TAKEN OUT OF THE WAY. And then the lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord
Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.”
– 2 Thess 2:7-9
The “HE” is the indwelling Holy Spirit in every Christian. As Christians leave the World transfigured
at Rapture the Holy Spirit would also inevitably leave signaling the end of Grace Age and the onset of seven
years of horrible tribulation. This tribulation period would end only with the Second Advent of Christ,
when He would destroy the Anti-Christ and establish a Millennial reign
(Rev 20:4).
Jews too would accept
Christ as the Messiah towards the fag end of Tribulation period
(Romans 11:26).
The purpose of this article would be achieved if the ones’ reading it can see very clearly for themselves,
how the events in this World are taking place exactly in accordance with the Biblical prophecies.
If the Jews had not returned to “their Promised land”, there would be no friction at all now in
West Asia and hence no scope for Anti-Christ for solving a knotty issue of Jewish Temple re- construction
(if Ayodhya issue became a cause for Global focus, would not this issue also corner World attention?)
and emerge as a hero in the sight of the World. So if Anti-Christ coming appears imminent, more imminent
is the Church rapture, for that villain can come only when the Church leaves the scene. Hey, would you be
in Rapture party?
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Suresh Manoharan
*While affirming that I am a proud Indian and that my love for my country is next only to my love for my
Eternal Heavenly country, I intend to state that introduction of unique identity number by the Indian
Government recently is a precursor of the 666 mark of the beast which would be enforced upon the World
citizens during the time of tribulation
(Rev 13:16-18).
No, the Indian Government is NOT to be blamed for UIN.
I want to state unequivocally that this step of our Government is aimed at the welfare of the public and for
facilitating better governance. However actions such as these (in India and World over) are also portending
future tribulation events soon to occur.
By the way, have you become unique by identifying yourself with Christ?
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