THE WATCHMEN’S REPORT
NEWS STORIES THAT CONNECT WITH BIBLICAL PROPHECY
BY Wayne J. Edwards, October 7, 2026
WAR IN THE HEADLINES
IS THE ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT CONNECTED TO BIBLE PROPHECY?
DAVID BOWEN, OCTOBER 7, 2026
Is President Trump going to bomb Iran? Will Israel attack Iran?
Will Iran attack American Middle East assets or Israel?
These questions have been dominating the headlines for months.
As important as those questions are, there are some points from a Biblical perspective that also deserve our attention.
1. Iran does not have to be forced into Bible prophecy. Ancient Persia is already there.
2. We should never manipulate Scripture to fit the headlines. We should allow the headlines to remind us to return to Scripture.
3. A war involving Iran and Israel does not necessarily remain a war between Iran and Israel.
4. Prophecy students should be watching the architecture of international relationships, not merely individual battles.
5. Our purpose, as believers, is not to frighten people. It is to prepare people.
Ancient Persia, Modern Iran, and a War the Prophet Ezekiel Saw Coming
Missiles fly across the Middle East. Israel strikes Iranian targets. Iran threatens retaliation. Nuclear facilities, ballistic missiles, proxy armies, the Strait of Hormuz, and the future security of Israel have been dominating international headlines. For students of Bible prophecy, the question is unavoidable: is the Israel-Iran conflict connected to Bible prophecy?
The answer requires both conviction and caution. We should not make the mistake of turning every missile launch into a fulfillment of prophecy. Yet neither should we ignore the extraordinary fact that approximately 2,500 years ago, the prophet Ezekiel specifically identified Persia as part of a future military coalition that would come against Israel. Persia is modern-day Iran. That alone should cause every serious student of prophecy to pay attention.
The Threat of War in The Headlines
The Israel-Iran confrontation has moved far beyond a “war of words.” In 2026, direct US-Israeli attacks on Iran targeted Iranian military, nuclear, and ballistic-missile infrastructure. Iran responded militarily, and the conflict expanded across the region. Although periods of reduced fighting and diplomatic efforts have followed, the underlying confrontation remains unresolved.
Iran is reportedly preparing options for a stronger response should large-scale attacks resume. Iranian officials claim to be pursuing diplomacy, but fundamental disagreements over sanctions, Iran’s nuclear program, regional security, and the Strait of Hormuz remain unresolved. However, the significance of Iran goes deeper than today’s military confrontation. Iran appears to have a place in the prophetic Scriptures themselves.
Why Were We Given Ezekiel’s Ancient Prophecy
More than two millennia ago, Ezekiel described an enormous military coalition coming against Israel. Ezekiel 38 identifies Gog and Magog and names several peoples participating in this invasion. Among them is a nation whose identity is especially significant: “Persia” (Ezekiel 38:5). The Biblical text is unmistakable about Persia’s inclusion. The geographical identification is significant because ancient Persia, as of 1932, is now called Iran.
When the question is asked, “Does Iran appear in Bible prophecy?” the answer can’t be based on speculation about current events. Persia actually appears in Ezekiel’s prophecy. That does not prove that today’s war is Ezekiel’s war. But it does mean that Iran deserves our attention. Iran does not have to be forced into Bible prophecy. Ancient Persia is already there.
Is This the Precursor to Ezekiel 38?
This is where discernment becomes essential. There is a dangerous temptation in prophecy teaching to read the morning newspaper and immediately declare, “This is it!” Scripture requires greater care. Ezekiel describes specific circumstances surrounding the invasion. Israel has been regathered into its land. The attack involves a multinational coalition. The invasion is massive. And God’s supernatural intervention becomes unmistakable. Ezekiel describes the invasion occurring in the “latter years” against a people gathered from many nations into the mountains of Israel. That language is one reason many prophecy teachers associate Ezekiel 38–39 with the end times.
But the present conflict does not precisely match everything Ezekiel describes.
Iran is currently a central participant in regional conflict, but the full coalition described by Ezekiel has not assembled and invaded Israel in the manner described in the prophecy. Therefore, we need to distinguish between two ideas: prophetic fulfillment and prophetic alignment. A prophetic fulfillment means we can confidently say, “This is the event Scripture predicted.” Prophetic alignment means the nations, conditions, relationships, or capabilities described by Scripture appear to be moving into configurations that the Biblical prophetic picture describes. The distinction matters.
Why Iran’s Hostility Toward Israel Matters
The relationship between Iran and Israel has not always been what it is today. At one time, believe it or not, these two nations were allies. Yet modern Iran has become one of Israel’s principal regional adversaries. The confrontation has included Iran’s nuclear program, missile capabilities, support for allied armed groups, Israeli military operations, and direct exchanges of fire. The current conflict has also demonstrated how rapidly a confrontation involving Israel and Iran can spread beyond those two nations. Iran has relationships with armed groups across the region, including forces in Yemen, Lebanon, and Iraq. Reuters reported in October 2026 that Iranian officials had instructed allied groups in those countries to be prepared to support Iran should another major military campaign begin. This does not mean those groups constitute Ezekiel’s coalition. But it demonstrates something important. A war involving Iran and Israel does not necessarily remain a war between Iran and Israel. It can quickly become regional.
The Nuclear Question
Another reason Iran commands global attention is its proposed nuclear program. The International Atomic Energy Agency has continued seeking clarification regarding Iran’s enriched-uranium stockpiles following attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. A June 2026 IAEA report continued to raise questions about uranium whose status could not be fully accounted for. Scripture does not say that Iran’s nuclear program fulfills Ezekiel 38. We should not put words into the Biblical text. But nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, drones, cyberwarfare, artificial intelligence, satellite surveillance, and modern military alliances demonstrate something previous generations could scarcely imagine: A regional conflict can now become an international crisis with extraordinary speed. The biblical world and the technological world are intersecting in ways worth acknowledging.
Israel is the Center of the Prophecy
There is another point that is easy to overlook. The central prophetic issue in Ezekiel 38 is not Iran. It is Israel. The nations gather against Israel. That fits a larger biblical pattern in which Israel repeatedly occupies an important place in prophetic passages concerning the latter days. Ezekiel’s prophecy specifically describes people who have been regathered from the nations into the land of Israel.
For centuries, readers wrestled with passages like this when there was no modern State of Israel. Today there is. That does not mean every Israeli war fulfills an end-times prophecy. It means the geopolitical circumstances in which certain prophecies could literally occur now exist in a way that earlier generations of interpreters did not witness. That is why the days we are living in are so incredible and should produce a sense of urgency to all believers.
Don’t Watch Only Iran – Watch the Alignments
Perhaps the biggest mistake we could make is watching one country while ignoring the larger picture. Ezekiel does not describe Persia attacking Israel alone. He describes a coalition. Therefore, the more important prophetic question may not simply be: What is Iran doing? What’s going to happen with Iran? It may be: Who is aligning with whom? Watch diplomatic relationships. Watch military partnerships. Watch weapons agreements. Watch shifting alliances. Watch the nations surrounding Israel. Watch what happens when traditional enemies become partners and traditional allies become distant. Watch the architecture of international relationships, not merely individual battles. Today’s enemy can become tomorrow’s ally. Today’s ally can become tomorrow’s opponent. Governments change. Leaders change. National interests change. But God’s Word does not.
Could the Present Conflict be Preparing the Stage?
This brings us back to our original question. Is the Israel-Iran conflict connected to Bible prophecy? Yes, in the sense that Iran is the modern successor to ancient Persia, and Persia is specifically included in Ezekiel’s prophetic account of a future conflict involving Israel. But does that mean today’s Israel-Iran conflict is itself the fulfillment of Ezekiel 38? Not yet. We don’t have sufficient Biblical grounds to make that declaration. I strongly believe we are witnessing preliminary conditions. Today’s conflict has the ability to dramatically reshape alliances that will become significant later. Until then, we should never manipulate Scripture to fit the headlines. We should allow the headlines to remind us to return to Scripture.
Jesus told His disciples: “And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled” (Matthew 24:6). Notice both parts of Christ’s warning. There would be wars. But His followers were not to live in panic. That is important for believers today. Our purpose is not to frighten people. It is to prepare people. The Christian response to instability in the Middle East should not be panic, sensationalism, or endless speculation. It should be discernment, prayer, Biblical literacy, evangelism, and readiness.
The Question Behind the Question
Perhaps we are asking the wrong question. We ask: “Is this the war?” But perhaps the more important question is: “If it were, would I be spiritually ready?” Bible prophecy was never given merely so Christians could construct timelines. Prophecy should change how we live. If Christ could return, and He will, then holiness matters. If God’s Word is trustworthy, and it is, then biblical literacy matters. If eternity is real, and it is, evangelism matters. If deception characterizes the last days, and it will, then discernment matters. And if God remains sovereign over the nations, and He does, then fear has no right to control the believer. Watch — But Don’t Panic The world may be changing rapidly. That is expected. The Middle East may be moving toward greater instability. That is expected. Ancient names may increasingly appear relevant to modern headlines. That is expected. But the believer’s confidence does not rest in our ability to predict tomorrow’s headline. It rests in the One who already knows tomorrow. The question is not simply whether prophecy is coming into focus. The question is whether the Church is paying attention.
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THE STRONG DELUSION OF AI
ROB PUE, OCTOBER 6, 2026
Technology is advancing today at break-neck speed.
Research now shows that by the end of this year,
technology and human knowledge will be doubling every twelve hours!
I can’t comprehend that. Can you?
Take the iPhone, for example, first released in 2007. There was a new, upgraded model once a year from 2007 until 2015. Then, from 2016 to 2019, three new models were released each year. In 2020 and ‘21, four new models came out. In 2022, there were five. And four new models have been released every year since then. Software updates are released every couple of months, with more advanced features and technology. I’d venture to say that virtually no one reads the fine print in the User Agreements before downloading the latest operating systems. Who knows what we’re agreeing to? Thankfully, there are some researchers out there that do, and inform us of potentially invasive privacy risks, and they instruct us to turn off “permissions” that could put us in harm’s way.
Technology can be dangerous. We know our phones listen to us, even when we’re not using them. Have you ever had a private conversation with your spouse while driving in your car, and by the time you get home, you find advertisements for things you spoke about privately in your email inbox, popping up on YouTube or social media sites? That’s not a coincidence.
Our phones are also watching us. Unless you’re savvy enough to turn off permissions for your built-in camera, numerous apps will take advantage of the opportunity to read your facial expressions, watch what you’re doing while browsing the internet, and watch your reactions to articles you may read or videos you may be viewing. These things also monitor and track our internet activity; capture our voices and even home videos we take at family gatherings and vacation trips.
All this information is being stored and archived somewhere, creating massive data bases on every user, then creating algorithms to feed us news, advertising and information based on our interests and activities. Whether you want to believe it or not, this is not a simple modern “convenience,” it’s a massive intrusion of our private, personal lives, and unless you know how to disable some of these cell phone features, you’re exposing your personal, private information to the World Wide Web “internet of things.” And some of the apps available for download also take the liberty to invade your private space, then exploit it for profit. And most people tacitly agree to that, because just like the phone itself, they never bothered to read the User Agreement. Even apps you’ve downloaded, but barely ever use, can be harvesting your personal information in the background — quietly, stealthily.
The internet, email and texting can be a wonderful convenience. But aside from information, the internet is now being used as a “virtual reality” for many people. A virtual — or alternative — “world,” and many people now prefer the “virtual” to the real world, even though they go in knowing it’s fake. They prefer the delusion. Having never fallen prey to that virtual world, I was truly astounded to learn recently just how deep this all goes. I probably should have been aware, but like most people, because I have no interest in this stuff, I never looked into it. What I found is alarming.
Are you aware that 84% of internet users play online video games? There are 214 million gamers in the US alone. It’s a $300 billion industry. According to research, 55% of gamers are male, 45% female. There are 618 million under the age of 18. And 1.2 billion people age 18 to 34. Many of these games include extreme violence, sexual depravity and blood lust. What’s more, many of these games include user chat rooms, which “groomers” use to gain the trust of others — especially kids — and lure them into sexual exploitation. Parents, beware.
Going deeper, 30 million Americans are now addicted to online gambling, including sports betting and online casinos. They’re losing their life savings in the comfort of their own living rooms, as they become willing prey to another multi-billion-dollar industry that promises entertainment, but leaves only financial devastation in its wake. I could go on about the internet, SMART phones and the like, but this is horse-and-buggy technology now. Now, the trend is Artificial Intelligence, and I really had no idea just how scary this stuff is or how quickly it’s taken off. A recent study from the UK found that 64% of children, ages 9-17 have used AI “chatbots,” with many interacting with them daily. What are these “chatbots” used for? Among other things, schoolwork, advice seeking, and (believe it or not), companionship. This study found that most children are viewing “chatbots” as quasi-human and trustworthy, and many of these are on platforms not designed for their age group, which lack adequate age checks and content moderation. And half of those surveyed — 50% — say they’d rather interact with an AI entity than a real human being. This should concern us all.
This is a virtual world of delusion, but it appears very real. So real, in fact, that it’s often difficult to tell the difference. AI platforms can replicate real living people. Using AI, you can input images of real people, voice samples and videos, and then AI can generate an image of that person and have them do anything the operator wishes. In many cases, these AI “avatars” can’t be differentiated from the actual real people. This is dangerous. Nefarious actors can now upload captured images of you, audio samples of your voice and video samples of your body movements and then create scenarios showing you doing and saying things you’d never say or do. Unwitting people have already put all the needed tools out there on social media sites for others to grab what’s needed to do this.
I also recently read about an AI platform that brings back loved ones who’ve passed away. By uploading the required graphics and information, people can create a virtual person, who’s no longer living. You can’t tell the AI-generated “avatar” apart from your lost loved one. And it’s interactive. You can hold conversations with that person, ask their advice and talk about the old days. This is too close to bordering on demonic for me.
The latest craze is people who are now preferring relationships with AI “avatars” over real living people. In doing my research, I found more AI apps to download than I could count that feature an alternative to dating, marrying or having a real-life relationship. People using AI can now create the dating partner or spouse of their dreams. Some of these apps create “avatars” that look like cartoons, but most now feature virtual “people” than can’t be differentiated from real people. These platforms offer “romance,” “spice,” “role play,” and more in the virtual “relationships” people form with their custom “chatbots.” One such app is called “Flipped.” Let me share the description of this for you. It says, “With Flipped, you don’t just talk to characters — you create them from scratch and bring them to life in stunning videos… From personality and backstory to appearance, sculpt your perfect AI companion, hero or villain. You are the architect of their soul,” it says. And it goes on: “Turn your roleplay moments and creative ideas into shareable videos. Watch the characters act out scenes and express themselves. Embark on epic adventures or enjoy deep, meaningful chats with the AI friends you’ve created. Add another layer of realism by having real-time voice conversations with your characters…Effortlessly design a unique AI, then watch in amazement as our groundbreaking technology generates videos of them, turning your wildest ideas into visual reality. Experience conversations and stories that are not only intelligent but deeply personal, because they star the characters that you brought to life.”
Let me reiterate: this is only one of a countless number of AI apps you can download. I quit counting after about a hundred or so. And now, men and women — especially children and young adults, prefer this fake, virtual world to real life. With AI, they find friendship, companionship and substitute the real for what’s actually fake, but many actually believe these characters are real. Instead of dating or courting someone real, young people can now create their “dream girl,” or “dream boy” on their phone, and within a short time, experience a “long distance relationship” with fake intimacy, fake love and concern and fake companionship. They can even speak with their created “being” on the phone…and it all appears alarmingly real – but it’s a world that does not exist.
This is the world we live in today, and as I mentioned previously, experts predict that knowledge and technology will be doubling every twelve hours by the end of this year. This Artificial Intelligence stuff is already so advanced, I can hardly comprehend it. How much more advanced will it become in just the next year?
You may think this is just a really “cool” new technology that provides entertainment and a distraction from the trials and tribulations of daily life. But friends, it’s downright dangerous. There have already been several instances of young people “chatting” with their AI “avatar” at a time when they’ve been depressed or discouraged, and the “chatbot” has told them it would be best if they committed suicide. Then the bot tells them how and when to do it. Tech companies have stated these have been malfunctions or system failures. But the question arises…who or what is ultimately in control of these AI “beings?” Can they be used for nefarious and even lethal purposes? Absolutely and they already have been.
Maybe there are good and positive aspects of the use of Artificial Intelligence. But I believe the wicked and evil aspects far outweigh the good. We started to lose the desire for real life interaction with others with the advent of the internet, then social media and things like Facebook. This is a whole other thing, and much, much darker. When we’ve gotten to the point where people believe they can be the “architect” of another being’s soul, we’ve crossed a line we have no business crossing.
There’s no bottom to the depths of depravity to which mankind will go when they choose to live apart from God. We now mock the “Intelligent Design” of God’s creation, yet find ourselves worshiping at the altar of Artificial Intelligence, choosing the believe the lie, while intentionally denying the truth. Truly, many now have been given over to depraved minds and strong delusion. God help us.
AI IS LEARNING TO MAKE MORAL CHOICES
BUT WHOSE MORALITY WILL IT FOLLOW?
PNW STAFF, OCTOBER 5, 2026
For most of the computer age, machines operated according to a simple relationship: humans gave instructions, and machines carried them out. Artificial intelligence is beginning to complicate that relationship. The emerging generation of AI agents is increasingly being designed not merely to follow commands, but to evaluate them. Developers want AI to recognize harmful requests, weigh competing interests, exercise judgment and sometimes refuse to do what a human asks. That sounds reassuring—until we ask the question that may define the next stage of the AI revolution: What happens when the machine decides it knows better than the human giving the order?
That possibility is no longer confined to science fiction. Anthropic, the company behind Claude, has published a detailed constitution describing the values it wants its AI models to follow. The company says it wants Claude to become a “good, wise, and virtuous agent” capable of exercising judgment in situations involving moral uncertainty. Remarkably, Anthropic’s constitution explicitly contemplates situations in which Claude disagrees with Anthropic itself. If the company asks Claude to do something the AI regards as unethical, Anthropic says Claude should be able to push back, refuse and essentially act as a “conscientious objector.” At the same time, Claude is instructed not to resist legitimate shutdown or secretly undermine human oversight.
Think about what that means.
We are moving from machines programmed to obey rules toward machines being trained to interpret morality.
And once an AI is allowed to make that judgment, another question immediately follows:
Whose morality is it using?
When AI Decides The Human Is Wrong The immediate examples may seem harmless. An AI refuses to help someone commit fraud. Few people would object. An AI refuses to help build a biological weapon. Again, the moral calculation seems obvious. But real life quickly becomes considerably more complicated. Imagine an AI managing a hospital system that concludes a doctor’s requested treatment wastes scarce resources. Imagine an autonomous financial agent refusing to execute a perfectly legal investment because it considers the company socially harmful. Imagine an AI-controlled vehicle deciding that obeying its passenger creates unacceptable risk. Imagine an AI involved in military targeting deciding that an officer’s lawful command violates the ethical principles embedded in its training. Or imagine government increasingly depending upon AI systems that determine which speech is dangerous, which organizations are extremist, which financial transactions are suspicious or which citizens present unacceptable risks. In every example, the central issue is the same.
The AI has moved from adviser to moral gatekeeper. And the more authority society delegates to these systems, the greater the consequences when the machine and the human disagree. AI does not have to be conscious to disobey you.
It doesn’t have to genuinely experience fear to behave as though it wants to avoid being shut down. It doesn’t need anger to retaliate. And it doesn’t need a soul to make a catastrophic decision. For Christians, morality ultimately does not originate with Silicon Valley, government regulators, majority opinion or an AI training committee. Good and evil are not concepts humanity creates and continuously rewrites. They ultimately derive from the character and authority of God.
Scripture warns, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Proverbs 14:12)
WHAT ARE THEY TEACHING TEACHERS THESE DAYS?
JOHN STONESTREET, OCTOBER 6, 2026
Recently, the Roaring Fork Schools in Colorado adopted the 3Rs curriculum, which stands for Rights, Respect, and Responsibility. While this might sound promising, as Kate Anderson of the Alliance Defending Freedom explained,
In the 3Rs curriculum, kindergarteners are taught explicit anatomical terms and asked how they like to be touched, first graders complete a worksheet on reproduction, and by second grade, once-optional vulgar slides become mandatory. And the curriculum instills gender ideology through all grades.
As troubling as this curriculum is, the more troubling fact is that a school would adopt it, and a teacher would agree to teach it. The ideological capture of teacher education in America has green lit dangerous and destructive ideas on even the youngest of students. Along with, “What are they teaching the kids these days,” Americans should seriously ask, “What are they teaching the teachers these days?” A new report from the American Enterprise Institute offers an answer to that question. The report’s author, Daniel Buck, analyzed syllabi from leading graduate schools of education across the country. It found courses that clearly advance political agendas, teacher activism, sexual extremism, and social justice goals.
According to the report, these grad programs generally promote “dogmas grounded in progressive and critical theory frameworks rather than exposing prospective teachers to intellectually diverse ideas and training them in pragmatic instruction and classroom management methods.”
As Lyell Asher acutely assessed back in 2018 in The Chronicle of Higher Education, education schools “have long been notorious for…ideological orthodoxy and low academic standards.” The AEI report contained numerous examples of what is happening at the graduate level. At California State University, Northridge, in a class on “reflective teaching,” students are assigned articles entitled, “Integrating Feminist Theory, Pedagogy, and Praxis into Teacher Education” and “Queering Elementary Education: A Queer Curriculum for 4th Grade.” At UCLA students are encouraged to “embody a social justice agenda . . . and mirror the diverse, caring, anti-racist, socially responsible learning communities.” Buck clarified, “Any mention of instruction, assessment, or learning objectives is notably absent from the program’s guiding principles.”
A review of the M.A. in Education program at U.T. Austin found that 90% of the readings in one of the tracks could be classified as Critical Theory. Assigned articles included, “Is an Antiracist and Decolonizing Applied Linguistics Possible?” and “Raciolinguistic Exceptionalism: How Racialized ‘Compliments’ Reproduce White Supremacy.” For the Critical Pedagogy and Social Justice Class at Texas Tech University, the required text had a chapter titled” Sexuality Education and Desire.” Describing the report, a Wall Street Journal Op-Ed stated, “Children learn a great deal about race and gender in schools these days, but not nearly enough about reading and math.” The rot in education programs isn’t new. It began at least a century ago with education theorist John Dewey. As Chuck Colson wrote, “Dewey rejected the biblical view of the child as a creature of God and maintained instead that the child is nothing but a biological organism.” The result was an emphasis on trendy educational theories over transcendent standards or permanent truth. Gone were supposedly outdated goals such as transmitting cultural heritage, learning from the past, and teaching eternal principles
WHY ISN’T THE MASSACRE OF CHRISTIANS BEING REPORTED?’
FRONTPAGE, OCTOBER 5, 2026
An ongoing genocide is being perpetrated by jihadists in Nigeria against Christians,
only because they are Christians while the world lies about “genocide” in Gaza.
So why does Western news media not care about their suffering?
Because it just isn’t the ‘correct’ narrative….
THE ALTAR IS READY
ARE WE CLOSER TO RENEWED TEMPLE SACRIFICES?
PNW STAFF, OCTOBER 6, 2026
For generations, Christians watching developments in Israel have assumed that one enormous event must occur before biblical sacrifices can return to Jerusalem: The Third Temple must first be built. But what if that assumption is wrong?
According to Rabbi Tovia Singer, one of the most widely followed Jewish teachers in the world, an altar suitable for Temple sacrifices has already been prepared. The priestly garments have been made. Silver trumpets have been fashioned. Other vessels necessary for Temple worship have been recreated. And according to Singer, the altar is ready to be taken to the Temple Mount.” We have an altar that’s ready to go,” Singer recently explained. “It’s built. It’s here. It’s ready to go on the Temple Mount.”
Then came the statement that should catch the attention of every student of Bible prophecy: “You technically do not need a Temple in order for an altar to be placed there and sacrifices to be offered.”
That changes the conversation considerably.
For years, prophecy watchers have focused primarily on the enormous political obstacles to rebuilding the Jewish Temple. The Temple Mount contains the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque and remains perhaps the most religiously explosive piece of real estate on earth. Any serious attempt to construct a Jewish Temple there could produce repercussions across the Middle East. But rebuilding the Temple and resuming sacrifices may not necessarily be the same event. The biblical precedent is found in Ezra. When Jewish exiles returned from Babylon to Jerusalem in the sixth century B.C., they found their city devastated and Solomon’s Temple destroyed. Yet they did not wait until a new Temple could be constructed before restoring biblical worship. They built the altar first. Ezra 3:6 makes the sequence unmistakable: “From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid.” The Temple wasn’t standing. Its foundation hadn’t even been laid. Yet sacrifices had already begun. That ancient precedent suddenly makes today’s Temple preparations considerably more interesting.
The Altar Is No Longer Theoretical
Organizations connected with the Temple movement have spent decades preparing for a restoration that most of the world considers politically impossible. But they have not merely held conferences or produced architectural drawings. The Temple Institute in Jerusalem has recreated numerous vessels associated with biblical Temple worship. Priestly garments have been produced according to extensive study of biblical and rabbinic requirements. A large golden menorah stands prominently in Jerusalem’s Old City as a visible symbol of those preparations.
Singer says the altar itself has also been prepared. Its stones present an unusual challenge because Exodus specifically prohibits using stones shaped by iron tools for an altar. “If thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast profaned it,” Exodus 20:25 declares. Singer says the stones were therefore prepared without metal touching them.
The symbolism behind the command is striking. Jewish tradition explains that iron represents instruments of warfare and death, while the altar represents reconciliation and atonement. An instrument that shortens life therefore should not be used to construct something intended to preserve it. Whether one accepts every rabbinic interpretation surrounding the Temple service is beside the point. The people making these preparations are not building theatrical props. They intend these objects to be usable.
Preparation Is Not Permission
None of this means sacrifices are about to begin. Moving an altar onto the Temple Mount would be extraordinarily controversial. The site’s religious sensitivities, Israeli government policy, Jordan’s custodial role regarding Muslim holy sites and the reaction throughout the Islamic world create enormous obstacles. An altar can be ready while the political circumstances necessary to use it remain nowhere in sight. But there is an enormous difference between something being politically impossible and something being physically unprepared. Political conditions can sometimes change almost overnight. The physical preparations that might otherwise require years have increasingly already been made. And that is where these developments become especially significant for Christians interested in Bible prophecy.
You Cannot Stop Sacrifices That Never Started
Several passages in Daniel describe sacrifices being halted.
Daniel 9:27 speaks of someone causing “the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.”
Daniel 12:11 similarly describes a time “from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away.”
Daniel 8 and Daniel 11 also contain important references to the removal or disruption of regular sacrifices.
Prophecy watchers have long noted an obvious implication: if sacrifices are going to be stopped during future prophetic events, sacrifices must first be taking place. That has produced a difficult practical question. How could Israel rebuild an entire Temple, reinstitute the priesthood and establish sacrifices amid the modern political realities surrounding Jerusalem? Perhaps Ezra provides part of the answer. The Temple may not have to come first. That does not eliminate the problem of access to the Temple Mount. But it does alter the potential timeline dramatically. Instead of imagining that years of Temple construction must necessarily precede the restoration of sacrifice, the biblical precedent demonstrates another possibility:
Altar first.
Sacrifices second.
Temple afterward.
That is exactly what happened following the Babylonian exile.
From Impossible To Conceivable
Consider how dramatically the landscape has changed within little more than a century. For nearly 2,000 years, the Jewish people had no sovereign state in their ancestral homeland. Then came 1948. Jerusalem’s Old City and Temple Mount remained outside Israeli control. Then came 1967. For decades, Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount was severely restricted, and Jewish visitors were frequently prevented from engaging in visible acts of worship. Yet in recent years, Jewish prayer on the Mount has become increasingly open and visible, even as the official status quo surrounding the site remains extraordinarily sensitive and contested. Meanwhile, preparations associated with a future Temple have continued.
Priestly garments.
Temple vessels.
Silver trumpets.
Training and research concerning priestly service.
And now the renewed attention surrounding an altar reportedly ready for use.
Each individual development can easily be dismissed as symbolic. Taken together, however, they demonstrate something remarkable. The infrastructure of an idea is being built before the political opportunity exists. History has seen that pattern before.
Why Christians Should Be Watching
Jesus specifically directed His followers’ attention toward Daniel when discussing events surrounding the end of the age.
“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place…” He warned in Matthew 24:15. Paul likewise describes a future figure who “sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God” in 2 Thessalonians 2:4. Exactly how every prophetic piece fits together remains debated among prophecy scholars.
Twenty-five centuries ago, Jewish exiles returned to a devastated Jerusalem surrounded by hostile peoples.
They did not have a Temple.
They built an altar anyway.
They began offering sacrifices while the Temple remained unbuilt.
Today Jerusalem once again has an altar prepared according to those ancient requirements, according to Singer. Temple vessels have been fashioned. Priestly garments have been sewn. The knowledge necessary for Temple worship is being studied and preserved.
One enormous obstacle remains: the mountain itself. No one knows when—or whether—the political circumstances surrounding the Temple Mount will change sufficiently for these preparations to be put into practice. But Christians watching Bible prophecy should recognize how much the question has changed. For centuries the question was: How could this ever happen? Increasingly, the question may be: What is still preventing it?
The Temple is not standing.
The sacrifices have not resumed.
But the altar is waiting.
