The Way Ahead (Part 3)

The Way Ahead (Part 3)
By Tommy Franks

What about “The Way Ahead” and The Rise of Islam? Let’s take a look.

Right after the ascension of Jesus Christ, many of the Jews gave their allegiance to Yeshua (Jesus) and began an exodus in large numbers to other countries. This would later be known as the great "Diaspora" of the Jewish people. This exodus from their own land would prevail for the next 1900 years. Meanwhile, as Jewish rebellion against the Roman rule continued, the Romans began to forcefully expel the residents, leaving Israel almost empty. It was soon obvious to the followers of Yeshua that God in His sovereign movement in history was also adding multitudes of Gentiles to the Body of Christ. A young Pharisee named Saul, who had been present when Stephen was killed, was suddenly converted on the road to Damascus and within a few short years became the mighty Apostle Paul… called by the Lord to spearhead the world wide evangelism of the Gentiles. Meantime, Peter led other apostles to focus on bringing the good news of Yeshua to Jewish communities beyond the borders of Israel. The other disciples scattered near and far carrying the message of Yeshua to all lands and peoples.Hence, the focal point of Christianity moved quickly out of Jerusalem to Antioch…about 300 miles North to Syria. While there remained a strong but persecuted church in Jerusalem, the rapid growth of the church was now in Asia Minor, Africa, Europe and India. Jewish resistance to Roman rule in Jerusalem increased until finally Jerusalem became off limits to Jews all together. Most of the Jews in Israel were forced to flee to foreign lands. They remained in these countries for the next 19 centuries in small communities where their culture and values could be preserved.The history of Israel in the Diaspora is an utterly amazing chapter of world history, virtually unknown by most Christians today. Yet, it is a subject worthy of study. Often these individuals were ill-treated, forcefully converted, persecuted and frequently killed, but somehow they persisted. God watched over them as He had promised through Ezekiel. He would bring them back to their own land.

"Therefore say: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again…I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God…” (Ezekiel 11:14-21).

The complete definitive history of the Christian church has not yet been written even though the book of Acts was the introduction. The whole story remains yet to be told. However, all the evidence suggests that the end of the age of the church is very near.After most of the Jews had left their homeland in the second Century, the land fell into neglect. The once cultivated land reverted back to desert. The fresh water lakes became silted marshes. The great ancient civilizations that had ruled the ancient world…Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome had long since faded away and the Holy Land settled in to be an unimportant part of the Byzantine Empire. The Emperor Constantine had made Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire with headquarters in Constantinople. As Jesus predicted, the foreign rule of Israel shifted. The Gentile world powers continued. Israel was visited by occasional tourists, but the surrounding nations were poor and backward…certainly not the great world power they once had been. Small numbers of Jews continued to live in the land. They succeeded in preserving the Jewish heritage so that it could later blossom again into life…and into the land that we now know. ISLAM: This is what we do know…In the 7th Century A. D. a new religion, Islam, burst mightily and exploded upon the world through the prophet Mohammed…who was born in Mecca about 570 A. D.
By the year 608 the main shrine in pagan Mecca, Arabia had been birthed. It was called the Kaaba.
After receiving profound revelations…supposedly from an angel, and stirred by the polytheistic paganism and disorder at the Kaaba, the prophet Mohammed went forth. He was initially rejected by his people, especially on his migration (Hijra) from Mecca to Medina.
The Hijra of Mohammed in 622 marks the beginning of the Islamic era.
Two years later Mohammed's followers defeated the Meccans at the Battle of Badr.
In 630 Mecca was conquered by Mohammed and became the spiritual center of Islam. The prophet's goal was to unite the dysfunctional tribes under one chief God, whom he called Allah. (Please Note: Among the pagan Arabs before the time of Mohammed, the term “Allah” represented the chief god of their pantheon at the Kaaba with its 360 idols. The central shrine at Mecca, the Kaaba, is a cube-like stone structure that has a black stone in one of its corners (perhaps a meteorite) that must be kissed as an essential ritual of the Haj, the pilgrimage that all Muslims must take at least once in their life to Mecca. I find it hard to believe that this Allah is the same as our God Yahweh (Jehovah).
Mohammed died in 632 and was succeeded by Abu Bakr as the first caliph.
The official version of the Koran was established in 650 during the reign of Uthman…18 years after the prophet's death. By 656 there was considerable civil war within Islam among the "descendants" of Mohammed. Prevalent were disputes of all kinds about who was the legitimate heir to the faith. Shiite extremism in Iraq was part of this revolution which began in 685.
These root disputations persist to the present day…Islam is a divided religion in a million different ways.
During the years 633 to 637, the Arabs conquered Syria and Iraq, followed by Egypt…then Persia in 640 through 643. Arab armies moved into the Holy Land and were in full control there by 638.

In February, A. D. 638, the Caliph Omar entered Jerusalem, riding upon a white camel. Oh yeah, a white camel! He was cool! He was dressed in worn, filthy robes, and the army that followed him was rough and unkempt; but its discipline was perfect. At his side was the Patriarch Sophronius, chief magistrate of the surrendered city. Omar rode straight to the site of the Temple of Solomon, whence his friend Mohammed supposedly had ascended into heaven. Omar built a wooden mosque on the compound. Most scholars believe the mosque was built on the foundations of an early Christian church.
After the capitulation of Jerusalem to Omar in 635, a mosque was built on what was considered to be the ancient site of the Temple of David

In A. D. 691 Caliph Abd el-Malik commissioned the best architects to build the Dome of the Rock. His plan was based upon a Fourth Century Christian shrine on the Mount of Olives marking the site of Jesus' Ascension. The Caliph's new shrine was deliberately built as a political, economic, and religious counter attraction to Mecca. Medina and Mecca, the two cities holy to Islam, were under the control of a rival Caliph. Abd El-Malik sought to build up the importance of Jerusalem as an Islamic center for pilgrimage and worship. The holy spot of Judaism was now to be identified with the spot where Mohammed's horse “supposedly” ascended to heaven. Yeah! Well, why not?Another indication that Jerusalem was not considered of great importance to the Muslim armies is the fact that it was one of last cities taken by the Syrian Muslims after the death of Mohammed. It was conquered by a mediocre commander, not by Omar himself. The Arabs first called the city Ilya rather than Beit el-Maqdas (the holy house). An early Muslim proverb says, "One prayer in Mecca is valued as ten thousand prayers; a prayer in Medina is valued at one thousand prayers; and a prayer in Jerusalem at five hundred prayers." Can you believe these stupid clowns? Inside the Dome is an outcropping of the bedrock of Mount Moriah, the "Sacred Rock". On the rock's pock-marked surface is one indentation which is believed to be the footprint left by Mohammed as he leaped into heaven. Right! Mount Moriah is a long, extended hill in Jerusalem, extending north from the City of David and extending beyond the present North wall of the Old City. That same hill is the traditional site of Abraham's sacrificial altar for Isaac, the threshing floor and the site of the First and the Second Temple.
The Foundation Stone is not solid. Beneath it lies a cave and a well (known as the well of souls). East of the exposed bedrock in the Dome of the Rock is a tall cupboard where it is believed hairs from the beard of Mohammed are contained. Oh Yeah! Let me sell you a bridge from Brooklyn, NY. Within the hollowed out chamber under the rock are the "places of prayer" of Elijah, Abraham, David, and Solomon. The Muslims call this cave the "well of souls" where they believe the dead meet twice a week to pray. Amen!In medieval times this spot was considered to be the "center of the world". Since the rock under the Dome of the Rock (the cave), shows the effects of quarrying above the level of the cave, it is logical to believe that the rock stood higher originally and that the threshing floor surrounded the rock and the cave.The exterior of the Dome is covered with tiles from Persia as well as marble. The "Golden Dome" is not made out of gold but rather anodized aluminum. The original dome was wooden, later covered with brass, and then lead sheathing in 1448. The excess weight of the lead-clad dome caused grave concern for the entire building because of periodic severe earthquakes in Jerusalem; hence, the anodized aluminum dome. Most recently, in 1993, a million dollars in gold foil was provided by the government of Saudi Arabia as a gift. The installation of the gold leaf has now been completed and the dome is today resplendent in brilliant pure gold…at least in principle. I have seen it. It is a beautiful structure…incredible!

During the seventeen centuries of the Dome's existence, it has undergone many repairs …but it has not been substantially changed in overall appearance since its completion in A. D 691. After one of the earliest renovations in A. D 820, Caliph al-Mamun removed the name of Caliph Abd el-Malik from the dedication plate and inserted his own name. However he neglected to change the dates and his fraud is there for all to see. How stupid can you get? No one has ever said that the Muslim extremists are brilliant!

In A.D. 985, Mukadassi, the famous Muslim traveler born in Jerusalem, wrote: “At the dawn, when the light of the sun first strikes on the cupola and the drum catches the rays, then is this edifice a marvelous site to behold and one such that in all Islam I have never seen its equal; neither have I heard tell of aught built in pagan times that could rival in grace this Dome of the Rock.” Wow!

From the Muslim point of view, the Dome of the Rock was an answer to and a denial of the attractions of Christianity and its Scriptures, providing the "faithful" with arguments to be used against Christian theology. The inscriptions are seven hundred and thirty-four feet long in all, amongst the lengthiest inscriptions in the world. There is a great amount of repetition and many quotations from the Koran. By the way, if you have never read the Koran, please take the time to at least go to the internet and read the highlights. It will drive you nuts! These people are crazy!

The Muslims say, “There is no God but Allah alone. He has no co-partner. He is the Kingship and His the praise. He gives life and He causes to die, and He has power over everything."

Now get this…The historical fact is…Mohammed never went to Jerusalem. Why is the Temple Mount considered holy to Muslims? Let’s look at the Koran. It links Mohammed with Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. Supposedly, Mohammed in a dream is carried by night to the sacred temple in Jerusalem. Yeah! Islamic tradition identifies the first temple as Mecca and the second as Jerusalem.

Muslim belief says that Mohammed and the Archangel Gabriel journeyed together. They rode together on a winged steed called El Burak ("lightning"). El Burak is not mentioned in the Koran. Its first mention is two centuries after Mohammed's death in a document called Hadith, a collection of oral traditions.
After they arrived at the Temple Mount, Mohammed and his horse ascended through the seven heavens into Allah's presence. Various spots on the Mount were later indicated as the place where El Burak was tied up before the ascent into the presence of Allah. Right!

The prophet Mohammed said: "While I was sleeping within the wall of the Kaaba, Gabriel came to see me and kicked me with his foot, so I sat up, but did not see anything.
He kicked me once more, and I sat up and again, did not see a thing, so I lay back on my bed. He then kicked me a third time and I sat up, whereupon he pulled me by the arm and I rose, and went to the door of the temple. There was standing a white beast, between a mule and an ass in size, with two wings on its thighs, digging its hind legs in and placing its forelegs as far as it can see. Gabriel carried me on the beast and we went together at the same speed." Yeah, I believe this, don’t you?

So Mohammed and Gabriel journeyed until they reached the temple in Jerusalem. There he found Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other prophets, and led them in prayers. Then he was given two vessels, one filled with wine and the other with milk, so the prophet of God took the vessel with milk and drank it, leaving the vessel of wine. Seeing that, Gabriel said to him: "You were guided to the true religion (Islam) and so was your nation, for wine is forbidden unto you." You poor souls!

Throughout the years the mosque has been destroyed several times by earthquakes and subsequently rebuilt. The most prominent remains of the original mosque that has survived are a few supporting columns east of the cupola. The most important reconstruction was after an earthquake in A. D 1034 when the mosque was enlarged to house 5000 worshipers. The builders used capitals and columns of destroyed Byzantine churches in their reconstruction work.

The conquering Muslims brought a different attitude with them. In contrast to the Byzantine and Roman conquerors who let the Temple Mount remain in ruins as a proof of the destruction of Jewish nationalism, the Muslims restored worship to the Mount. Yet the worship was not of Yahweh, the God of the Bible, but of Allah.When the Muslims became the rulers in Jerusalem, some matters became easier for the Jews. They were officially allowed to live in the city and there is evidence that on certain holy days they were even permitted on the Temple Mount.Reports say that the Jews would march in procession around the walls of the Temple Mount on feast days and pray at the gates. A document written in the tenth century indicates that one of the conditions for allowing the Jews to pray at the gates was that the Jewish community would be responsible for keeping the Mount clean. The Jews were responsible to sweep the Mount. Other accounts indicate that Jews were employed in the Mosque area and that Jewish craftsmen made lamps for the Mosque.

Inscriptions have been found at the gates of the Temple Mount that were probably put there by Jewish Pilgrims during the early Arab rule. One such inscription reads:
"You Lord of Hosts build this House in the lifetime of Jacob ben-Joseph, Theophylactus, and Sisinia and Anistasia. Amen and amen. "

The names on the inscription indicate they were Jews from a Greek-speaking country. Though the Jews were allowed more access than in the Roman or Byzantine period, they were still far from their desired goal of retaking Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.
In the last 1300 years, with only one exception, the Temple Mount has been in the hands of Muslims. On July 15, 1099 Jerusalem was taken from the Muslims by the Crusaders from Europe. The Crusaders slaughtered the inhabitants of Jerusalem in an unjustified carnage. The Dome of the Rock was converted into a Christian church called the Templum Domini - "Temple of our Lord."The Crusaders then began to use the El Aksa Mosque as headquarters for the Knights of the Templar who officiated the Temple Compound. A remnant of the Crusader occupation still exists today…the tombs of the assassins of Thomas Beckett the Archbishop of Canterbury (1118-1170). After murdering Beckett the assassins traveled to Jerusalem and took up with the Templar Knights. Their tombs are situated near the main entrance.The Western world rejoiced that Jerusalem was in the hands of "Christians." The victory, however, caused Muslims to immediately launch campaigns to regain the city and the Dome from the Christian infidels.The Crusader occupation was relatively short-lived. The Muslim leader Saladin proclaimed a jihad, or holy war, to retake the land of Palestine. After ninety years of Crusader control, Jerusalem surrendered to Saladin's army on October 2, 1187. In contrast to the brutality of the Crusaders, Saladin treated the defeated Crusaders with kindness and mercy.The golden cross that was placed on the Dome of the Rock was torn down. Saladin rededicated the Templar's headquarters as a mosque. The Dome was covered with beautiful mosaics and a prayer niche facing Mecca was added.Jerusalem was back in the hands of the Muslims and Europe was ready to avenge the defeat. A Third Crusade was undertaken (1189-1192) to free Jerusalem from the armies of Saladin. Richard the Lion-hearted led England and other Crusaders in a fruitless attempt to retake the city. To this day, the Temple Mount remains in Muslim control.

In 1267 the Jewish sage Nahmanides wrote a letter to his son. It contained the following references to the land and the Temple. “What shall I say of this land? The more holy the place, the greater the desolation! Jerusalem is the most desolate of all...There are about 2,000 inhabitants...but there are no Jews. After the arrival of the Tartars, the Jews fled, and some were killed by the sword. A quorum of worshipers meets on the Sabbath. We encourage them. We found a ruined house, built on pillars, with a beautiful dome, and made it into a synagogue...People regularly come to Jerusalem…men and women from Damascus and from all parts of the country. When they see the Temple, they weep over it. May He who deemed us worthy to see Jerusalem in her ruins, grant us to see her rebuilt and restored, and the honor of the Divine Presence returned.”

An account exists of Napoleon's visit to the Temple Mount…the day of the commemoration of the Temple's destruction. When asked what all the crying and wailing was about, Napoleon was told that the Jews were mourning their Temple which had been destroyed 1800 years previously. Touched by the incident the French Monarch said, "A people which weeps and mourns for the loss of its homeland 1800 years ago and does not forget…such a people will never be destroyed. Such a people can rest assured that its homeland will be returned to it."
The Ottoman Turks (Muslims) became the dominant power in the 15th century. In 1453 they captured the city of Constantinople and brought about the final destruction of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine). They renamed the city Istanbul and made it the center of their empire.
In 1517, under Sultan Selim I, the Turks captured Jerusalem and all of Israel. The rule of the Turks over Jerusalem would last exactly four hundred years. The walls which today surround the Old City were built by Suleiman the Magnificent, son of Sultan Selim. Suleiman restored the Al Aksa Mosque. Some of the present stained glass windows date from this period. The Arabs found themselves under the domination of the Turks. For four hundred years of Turkish rule the Arabs did not possess even a single, independent state.
Even during the Jewish exile extending over many centuries, the people continually expressed hope for a return to Jerusalem, the rebuilding of the city and of the Temple. Two eighteenth century rabbis (Jacob Emden and Jonathan Eibschutz) were fierce rivals. On the subject of returning to Jerusalem, however they saw eye to eye. Emden wrote:
“We do not mourn properly over Jerusalem. Were we guilty of this transgression alone, it would be sufficient reason for the extension of the period of our Exile. In my opinion this is the most likely, most apparent and the strongest reason for all of the dreadful terrifying persecutions which have fallen upon us in Exile…in all the places of our dispersion. We have been hotly pursued. We have not been granted rest among the nations with our humiliation, affliction, and homelessness, because this sense of mourning has left our hearts. While becoming complacent in a land not ours, we have forgotten Jerusalem; we have not taken it to heart. Therefore, like one who is dead we have been forgotten. From generation to generation sorrow is added to our sorrow and our pain."

Eibschutz replied, “One must weep ceaselessly over the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the restoration of the glory of King David, for that is the object of human perfection. If we do not have Jerusalem and the Kingdom of the House of David, why should we have life? Since our transgressions have led to the destruction and to the desolation of our glorious Temple and the loss of the kingdom of the House of David, the degree which we suffer is known to all. Surely we have descended from life to death. And the converse is also true. When the Lord restores the captivity of Zion, we shall ascend from death unto life. Certainly the heart of anyone who possesses the soul of a Jew is broken when he recalls the destruction of Jerusalem.”

The hope of the Jews in Diaspora was: One day they would again come to their land, rebuild the Holy City, and their Temple. However, in the mid 19th Century most all Jews were barred from the Holy Mount. Toward the end of the nineteenth century, Jewish persecution increased. In 1882, as a result of the persecution, especially in Russia and Romania, the first immigration of Jewish settlers returned to Palestine.
In 1891 Arab leaders prepared a petition to the Ottoman government in Constantinople to demand an end to Jewish immigration into Palestine and prohibit Jewish land purchases.
In 1896 Theodor Herzl (founder of the modern Zionism) promoted the founding of a Jewish State. He argued that the only way in which the "Jewish problem" can be resolved is by establishing a Jewish state in Palestine. Herzl's writing started the Jews on the road back to their promised homeland.