President Trump is headed to the Holy Land, leaving behind a domestic media frenzy over alleged campaign collusion with Russia.
But the reconstituted Jewish high court, the nascent Sanhedrin, has a plan for the beleaguered president to obtain a massive blessing for himself and the world – pray at the Temple Mount.
The Sanhedrin, a group of prominent rabbinical leaders who re-formed the ancient body of Jewish judges which was once the legislative body of Israel, said President Trump would help the cause of world peace by praying at the sacred location.
They’re not the only ones encouraging Trump to take such a step.
“I love this idea by the Israeli Sanhedrin for President Trump to visit the Temple Mount when he is in Israel,” said Joseph Farah, author of “The Restitution of All Things: Israel, Christians and the End of the Age.” “The president needs to see what all the conflict is about – this 35-acre piece of real estate smack-dab in the midst of Israel’s capital city.
“Israel has bent over backward accommodating the religious traditions of Muslims by permitting them to administer what is, in effect, the holiest site in Judaism. Is there any gratitude for such a concession? No, the Islamic clerics and leaders insist on forbidding Christians and Jews to pray there. They harass Christians and Jews over their attire. They monitor what Christians and Jews say to one another on the Temple Mount and sometimes force them off the property. What an opportunity President Trump has to see the dynamics of this conflict for himself.”
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The Temple long has been a flash point for tensions between Jews and Muslims, with Muslims often violently contesting the right of Jews to pray at the holiest site in their religion. The Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, which administers the Temple Mount, has even ejected non-Muslims from the grounds simply for acknowledging the Temple once existed there.
Yet whatever the Waqf has to say about it, the Temple did exist there, and some Jewish leaders believe a prayer at the site still has special power. The secretary general of the Sanhedrin, Rabbi Dov Stein, told Breaking Israel News a prayer by Trump at the Temple Mount would be a surefire way for the president to obtain God’s help.
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“In order for any endeavor to succeed, you must ask for God’s help,” he reportedly stated. “The proper place for a leader to pray is on the Temple Mount. If President Trump does so, he will receive this blessing, enabling him to achieve great success.”
Rabbi Hillel Weiss, the spokesman of the organization, told Breaking Israel News President Trump is at a “historic cusp” and the “seeds of war are already sown.” He suggested a prayer by Trump would ease global tensions, help fulfill God’s plan and allow Trump to emulate Cyrus the Great, the legendary founder of the Persian Empire who freed the Jews from exile.
“President Trump can choose to be a part of a process to bring the Messiah and unprecedented blessing to the world, in the same manner that King Cyrus played his part in building the Second Temple,” he was quoted as saying.
But the Trump administration is already dealing with controversy about its position on who has control over the Western Wall. An aide reportedly stated Israel does not have control over the Western Wall, reportedly shocking the Jewish State.
National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer also refused to say the Western Wall is in Israel during their comments on Tuesday. U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, while acknowledging she “didn’t know what the policy of the administration is,” stated her own belief the Western Wall is “part of Israel” in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network.
Mark Biltz, author of “God’s Day Timer” and a prominent advocate of incorporating Jewish practices and insights into Christian belief, strongly endorsed the Sanhedrin’s challenge to the president and encouraged him to end the controversy by acknowledging Israel’s control over the Western Wall.
“I definitely would hope that President Trump would ascend to the Temple Mount area and pray at the Western Wall,” he told WND. “It is from there that he should ask for the wisdom to lead our nation, and it is from there that he should acknowledge that the Western Wall is part of Jerusalem, Israel.
“President Trump’s attitude toward Israel should be very supportive. To help ensure the peace and security of the Jewish state he should not dictate what they need to do but allow them to come to their own conclusions and give them all the military backing they request.”
Biltz also said God would honor a prayer by Trump at the Temple Mount.
“I do believe God especially hears the righteous prayers from this location when He is properly acknowledged and given the honor that is due to Him, as He will sanctify His name,” Biltz told WND.
Bill Cloud, author of “Esau Rising,” and another champion of reintegrating Jewish practices into Christianity, says he would love to see President Trump pray at the Temple Mount – but it’s probably not going to happen.
“Any believer who has been up to the Temple Mount and attempted to pray knows exactly what’s likely to happen if any non-Muslim tries that,” Cloud told WND. “Even if he is the president of the United States, to do that would most likely incite the entire Muslim world.”
Cloud argues there is nothing special about prayers offered at the Temple Mount or the Western Wall.
“While I believe the Temple Mount is sacred ground, it’s only made sacred by the presence of the Holy One,” he said. “While I believe that He hears the prayers that are offered there at the Kotel [the Western Wall], I also believe He is just as attentive to the prayers of the saints wherever they may be.”
Cloud also encouraged Trump to end any ambiguity, restate his support for Israel and fulfill his promise of moving the American embassy to Jerusalem.
“When it comes to President Trump’s pending visit to Israel and Jerusalem, my hope and prayer is that he will make it very clear to the world that he, representing the people of the United States, stands firmly in support of Israel,” Cloud said. “Furthermore, I would be thrilled if he would make the announcement that the U.S. embassy is to be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”
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Joel Richardson, New York Times bestselling author of “The Islamic Antichrist” and the new book “Mystery Babylon,” took a more nuanced view on the importance of the Temple Mount location. There was a time, Richardson said, when foreign leaders who prayed at the Temple could expect their prayers to be answered because of the location itself. But as there is no longer a Temple, Richardson said, that is no longer true.
“Three thousand years ago, when King Solomon dedicated the Temple to the Lord, the Scriptures record that he prayed that whenever any foreigner comes and prays toward the Temple, that the Lord would answer their prayers, specifically for the purpose of allowing non-Jews to know that indeed there is a God in Israel,” he told WND. “Today however, there is no actual Jewish Temple to pray toward. The Scriptures are clear that that day is coming, but for now, it is simply not the case. The Spirit of God who once dwelt in the Holy of Holies dwells in the hearts of those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
“As such, any prayer to the God made by a believer is heard by Him regardless as to where it is made. A prayer made at the Western Wall has no greater impact than a prayer made elsewhere. That said, the symbolic nature of praying at that location by any American president is important. It is an issue of honoring the Lord God of Israel who has restored them to the land and who will someday fully restore them to Himself through Yeshua the Messiah.”
Richardson doubted Trump’s stated goal of renewing the Middle East peace process.
“Understanding the true goals of the Palestinian leadership and their pattern of deceptive behavior, I think it is a farce to push for a so-called peace process,” said Richardson. “What should be done is work to ensure the security of those people, whether Jew or Arab, who truly desire peace.”
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Carl Gallups, a pastor and author of several books, including “When The Lion Roars,” argued Trump should pray on the Temple Mount not because it will make God more likely to listen to his prayer, but to witness to the living miracle that is Israel itself.
“I think it would be hugely symbolic, to both Israel and the rest of the world, for President Trump to ascend the Temple Mount and pray a prayer of solidarity with Israel,” Gallups told WND. “Ezekiel 39 declares that the returned Israel is God’s sign to the nations that Yahweh is in control and bringing about His word according to His perfect plan. For President Trump to offer up a prayer to Heaven’s throne in that particular place, in the name of Yeshua, would be a monumental signal to the world, and particularly to Israel’s enemies.
“I know there are scriptural promises from the Lord that even leaders from nations that are not Jewish who pray in this particular place can be used of God to declare His ultimate glory and blessing upon Israel (i.e. – I Kings 8:41-43). That being said, I do not believe that only prayers offered on the Temple Mount reach the ears and heart of Yahweh. As Christians, we know that Heaven’s throne is now open to us (anywhere and anytime) through the blood of Yeshua, and through the intercession of the Holy Spirit. Again, however, I think it could be a huge opportunity for President Trump to display this beautiful spiritual gesture on behalf of the American people.”
Along with other Christian leaders, Gallups also urged Trump to forthrightly defend Israel without apology and without confusion.
“I am praying that President Trump will be a friend and dedicated protector of Israel’s right to exist and right to refuse to give up any more of its land,” he said. “Israel’s presence is a definitive sign to this last day’s generation. President Trump cannot lose by standing firmly with Israel’s best interest. If I were in his shoes today, I could not wait to ascend that Temple Mount and pray with Israel’s leadership – especially in these profoundly prophetic days in which we know find ourselves.”
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Jonathan Cahn, the world-renowned Messianic rabbi and the author of several books including his newest title, “The Book Of Mysteries,” agrees Trump is visiting at an auspicious time. Indeed, Cahn says it is a perfect opportunity for Trump to make a dramatic gesture showing America’s solidarity with the Jewish state.
“It’s very striking that President Trump will be visiting Jerusalem at this time, as it will coincide with the time of the 50th year Jubilee anniversary of the liberation of Jerusalem,” Cahn told WND.
“At the same time, the last waiver restraining America from recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is set to expire the first week of June. It would be a perfect time for President Trump to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the American embassy there.
“Let us pray he doesn’t give in to pressure. If it happens, it will be another step in the prophetic restoration of Jerusalem – and the ultimate rebuilding of the Temple of Jerusalem.”
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