The march of The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement on 7th December, 1999, during Hanukkah, with the torch of the Maccabees was held at a very critical time. On the same day the Arabs on the Temple Mount continued their destruction, their abomination and the building of the new mosque on the Temple Mount. It was as if history was repeating itself.
The Faithful, the modern-day Maccabees, marched from Modi'in, the town where the great revolt against the Hellenists and the march to Jerusalem and the Temple Mount to liberate and purify it, started and accomplished it in a great miraculous godly victory in 165 BCE, to Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. Like the faithful Maccabees, the goal of the Temple Mount Faithful was to liberate and purify the Temple Mount from the foreign pagan Arab abomination of the hill of G-d, to rebuild the house of G-d, and to renew the worship in the temple.
It was so symbolic that on the same day, the Temple Mount Faithful Movement made an urgent petition to the Supreme Court in Jerusalem asking that the destruction and abomination of the Temple Mount and the building of a fourth mosque on the most holy hill of G-d and Israel by the Arabs be immediately stopped. We also asked in the petition that the situation on the Temple Mount be returned to that which existed before the beginning of the destruction and the building and to arrest and to bring to court the Arabs on the Temple Mount and the extremist Islamic Movement in Israel who are responsible for this terrible anti-godly abomination. It was another front of the Faithful Movement in its historical godly campaign of liberating the Temple Mount and purifying it from the foreign pagan activities and worship and the rebuilding of the house of G-d as a house of prayer and worship for Israel and all the nations.
In the early morning of the 7th, the members of the Temple Mount Faithful
Movement, together with friends from Norway and the United States symbolising
the support from people all over the world, came to Modi'in from Jerusalem
and all parts of the land of Israel. There, before the tombs of the heroic
Maccabees, we lit the Hanukkah candles and the torch of the Maccabees.
The boy Jonathan, Gershon's Grandson and who is named after one of the
5 sons of Matattiyahu, was the one who lit the
candles and symbolised the deep linkage between the Maccabees and the Faithful
Movement. In the midst of this heroic holy place, we swore faithfulness
to the G-d of Israel, to His holy mountain in Jerusalem, to the capital
of G-d and Israel, Jerusalem, and to the land of Israel which G-d promised
to His nation forever. We swore "If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my
right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember you, let my tongue
cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest
joy." (Psalm 137:5,6) We swore faithfulness to the heritage of the
Maccabees who sacrificed their lives and everything that they had in a
very similar time to save the people of Israel from the enemy, to again
dedicate the Temple Mount, Jerusalem and the land of Israel for the Name
of G-d and His values and laws and Word and to make Israel, the people
and land, again a biblical nation with a biblical mission. It was a very
exciting moment and, as in the time of the Maccabees, we felt the presence
of G-d and the deep significance of this great and critical time. We also
felt the presence of the spirit of the Maccabees amongst us and we prayed
to the G-d of Israel that He would give us the same strength and courage
and victories which He gave to His faithful Maccabees.
Then, together with this spirit, the burning torch of the Maccabees and the Hanukkiah, we ran from the tombs in Modi'in along the mountains of Beth Horon. It was along the same route that the Maccabees made their battles against the Hellenists and G-d gave them victory after victory a small minority against a great majority. Everyone could still feel the presence of the spirits of the Maccabees on these high mountains and Jewish villages and remains from this historical time. On the way to Jerusalem we passed the tomb of the great prophet, Samuel, who in his time, saved the people of Israel from the wars and attacks of the Philistines through god-given miracles. This great prophet united all the 12 tribes of Israel into one kingdom and anointed David to be the king and messiah of Israel. We knew and felt that the spirit of this holy prophet was with us and encouraged us to continue and to accomplish the great march to the hill of G-d and Jerusalem that we started 32 years ago. The tomb of the prophet Samuel is located on top of one of the highest mountains around Jerusalem and everyone is called to come and visit this unique area to see its spiritual and physical beauty and to feel the presence of G-d on these mountains.
Our next stop
was in Jerusalem in front of "Orient House" which has become the centre
of the foreign enemies of G-d and Israel, the so-called "Palestinians"
and in a very symbolic way they carry a very similar name to the historical
Philistines who in the same way tried to destroy Israel and the kingdoms
of kings Saul and David and G-d, together with the Israelite army defeated
them terribly and through them out of the land of Israel. Like the "Palestinians"
of our time, they were foreigners who came from another land to destroy
the people and land of G-d and to make it a Philistine state. G-d showed
his eternal faithfulness to the covenant which He made with Israel and
defeated them especially by his anointed king David and like the other
enemies of Israel they disappeared forever from the land of Israel and
from being a nation and remain only as a few dry pages in the history books
as a warning to all those powers who will try to do the same to the people
and land of G-d , Israel.
The so-called "Palestinians" of our time are not even descendants of the Philistines but are Arabs who immigrated in the 20th century as a reaction to the Zionist movement and to the great godly event of the redemption of Israel and the regathering of the Jewish people from all over the world which G-d started in this time. Also the name Palestine was given by the Romans after they destroyed the temple, Jerusalem and the land of Israel in 70 CE to deny the deep linkage between the G-d and people of Israel to the promised land and to deny the name which G-d Himself gave to this land, Israel, exactly as His name. Like the Philistines and the other enemies of Israel, G-d destroyed the Romans, cancelled them from being a nation and they disappeared from history. They also remained only as a few dry pages in history books. The so-called "Palestinians" of today are trying to do the same. Together with the Arab nations around Israel they try to destroy the people and land of Israel and make it "Palestine" instead of the name of G-d , Israel. We came to their centre at the Orient House to warn them in the name of the G-d of King David and Israel that, like the other enemies of Israel, they will never succeed to take from us the Temple Mount, Jerusalem and the land which G-d gave us in an eternal covenant. We came to warn them that their destiny will be like the other enemies who tried to do the same and like the Philistines they will be judged terribly by G-d and be defeated by Him and they will never succeed in destroying Israel because only G-d controls the destiny of Israel and He is determined to accomplish the redemption of the people and the land of Israel.
We came to tell them that we did not take back a foreign land but the
same land which G-d gave us in an eternal covenant for a godly purpose
to bless not only the people of Israel in this land, but through the people
of Israel, the seed of Abraham, to bless all the nations from this land.
This godly land of Israel was taken from us by force and terrible persecution
by the enemies of G-d and Israel since 70 CE and now G-d Himself ,exactly
as He did thousands of years ago, has given it back to us through great
miracles and redemptionl events of end-times forever, exactly as He promised
to Israel through His prophets and before of all the nations He showed
everyone that His covenant and promises
to Israel are eternal and even a long time cannot break or change them.
We came on this holy and symbolic day to tell them in the Name of the G-d
of Israel exactly as He said to the enemies of those days through His anointed
Israelites like King David, Nehemiah and the Maccabees: "Then I answered
them, and said to them: The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we
his servants will arise and build; but you have no portion, no right, no
memorial, in Jerusalem." (Nehemiah 2:20) We should read what Nehemiah,
whom G-d anointed together with Zerubbabel to redeem and build the Second
Temple and the land of Israel in a very similar time to our age when the
Temple Mount, Jerusalem and even the land were in a similar situation,
wrote about the situation and how he answered the enemies who tried to
stop and destroy his godly mission: "Then I said to them, You see the
distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates are
burned by fire; Come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we
no longer should suffer insult. Then I told them of the hand of my God
which had been good upon me; and also of words that the king had spoken
to me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their
hands for this good work. But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the
servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arab, heard of it, they laughed at
us with scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that you are
doing? Are you rebelling against the king? Then I answered them, and said
to them: The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will
arise and build; but you have no portion, no right, no memorial, in Jerusalem."
(Nehemiah 2:17-20)
This was our main message in front of Orient House to the enemies of Israel of our time. This was the message which the G-d of Israel Himself put in our hearts and told us to say it very clearly to the so-called "Palestinian" enemies of Israel, their Arab allies around Israel and everyone in the world who joins them especially President Clinton, the UN and the European Union, all those who join together to take the main biblical parts of the land of Israel from the people of G-d, to found a foreign abominable so-called "Palestinian" state, to continue Arab Islamic abomination on the hill of G-d , to stop the rebuilding of the house of G-d on His hill, and to make Jerusalem the eternal capital of G-d and Israel, the "Palestinian" capital. In this demonstration we told them what G-d asked us to tell them; that they will never succeed but will be judged and terribly punished by Him and that the Temple Mount, Jerusalem and the land of Israel will never be their land or anyone of the enemies of Israel but only the eternal land of the people of G-d, Israel.
In front of Orient House we lit the Hanukkah menorah with the torch of the Maccabees and the message was that we brought the light of G-d to dispel from Jerusalem and the land of Israel the darkness of the so-called "Palestinians" and the other enemies. G-d put in our hearts to make in this demonstration a symbolic funeral with a coffin which had the word "Palestine" written on it to say that these evil plans will be buried by G-d for ever. Also G-d put in our hearts to state in this demonstration that the so-called "Palestinian" flag which is on Orient House and other places should immediately be thrown out of Jerusalem and the land of Israel and they will never again continue to be an abomination in the land of G-d and Israel. We symbolised this by tearing up a "Palestinian" flag as we felt that in this way G-d wanted us to symbolise His very clear message to His enemies. Many journalists from ll the media covered this demonstration and the feeling was that G-d gathered them to this place to publish these godly messages all over Israel and the world.
From Orient House we continued the march to the Old City and at the plaza in front of the Damascus Gate we brought the Maccabean torch and relit the Hanukkah menorah. We prayed Psalm 122: "A Song of Ascents of David. I was glad when they said to me, Let us go into the house of the Lord. Our feet shall stand inside your gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem is built as a city which is bound firmly together; There the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. For thrones of judgment were set there, the thrones of the house of David. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; those who love you shall prosper. Peace be within your walls, and prosperity within your palaces. For my brothers and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within you. Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek your good. (Psalm 122;1-9)
The march to the Temple Mount continued through this gate and the main street of the Old City. The burning Hanukkah menorah was in front of the marchers. This large Hanukkah menorah, made from pure gold and designed like the seven branch menorah of the temple, was given to us by a very special family in Jerusalem, the family of Rabbi Prof. Pinhas Pele and his wife Pnina, who dedicated it for the temple. This wonderful couple was among the founding members of the Temple Mount Faithful who years ago started the campaign for the liberation of the Temple Mount and the rebuilding of the temple. When Rabbi Pele passed away his message to all was to continue the campaign until this cause is fulfilled and that it will soon be fulfilled in our lifetime. His spirit marched together with us when one of the important members and leaders of the Temple Mount Faithful Movement (Israel Pearl) carried this menorah in front of the marchers on the way to the Temple Mount. The menorah was lit and brought the light of G-d to the biblical city of Jerusalem on the way to the Temple Mount together with the torch of the Maccabees. All the way, as in Modi'in and at Orient House, the temple shofar was blown very loudly and everyone in the Old City could hear it and feel that this voice was bringing the testimony of Mashiach ben David, the rebuilding of the temple and the redemption of the people and land of Israel by the Holy One of Israel. Along the way, with the temple flags and the Star of David, we prayed from the Scriptures and called on everyone in Israel not to wait any more but to liberate the Temple Mount and to immediately rebuild the house of G-d and to open this godly era in the life of Israel and all the nations.
When we came to the Temple Mount, the Western Gate was open and we marched up towards the mountain. All along the way the shofar was blown according to the way in which the shofar was blown in the temple in biblical times The sound of the shofar entered the Temple Mount and the feeling was like it was shaking it from side to side. Again the menorah and torch were in front of the marchers and reached the gate first where the menorah was again relit from the torch. Because of the opposition of the Arabs on the mountain the gate was closed before the menorah and torch but a few of the Faithful were allowed by the Israeli security forces to enter the Temple Mount. Even though they were not allowed to pray on the Temple Mount because of the hostile presence of the Arabs who surrounded them when they walked on the holy hill, they prayed in their hearts, a prayer which nobody can stop. When they came out they were in terrible shock and sorrow. With tears in their eyes they shared with us the terrible destruction which the Arabs had made on the Temple Mount.
Two of the leaders of the Movement, Ze'ev Bar Tov and Moshe Svorrai (one of three heroic leaders of the underground who liberated the land of Israel from British control before 1948), who were on the Temple Mount told us and the journalists that since the destruction of the temple in 70 CE, there has never been such a terrible destruction of the last remains of the temple as has been done now by the Arabs on the Temple Mount. They also said that the Arabs had dug deep into the ground of the Temple Mount and perhaps had even stolen vessels or other instruments which were a part of the temple as well as other archaeological remains. They saw for themselves the two new mosques that had been built on the location of the complex of the temple. Beautiful rooms and halls with arches and pillars were changed or destroyed and turned into mosques. The main goal of this destruction is especially to cancel and destroy any Jewish identity on the Temple Mount and to convert it completely to an Islamic site.
In the demonstration that we immediately made in front of this gate, I protested in the name of all the Faithful, the people of Israel and everyone in the world who has the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in their hearts against this barbaric, anti-godly Arab activity. In the Name of G-d I called on the Government of Israel to overcome its weakness, not to fear any of our enemies and none of the evil powers in the world who are hypocritically silent now and not doing anything to stop this terrible abomination and revolt and hostility against G-d, His house, and any humanistic ideas. I asked where all the hypocrites who are putting pressure on Israel in the name of false liberal ideas when they have to stop this barbaric destruction and protest against this violence against godly holy values which are dear and holy not only to Israel but for al the world. I called on the Government of Israel and all the people of Israel to be like the Maccabees, to trust in G-d, not to fear any of the enemies in Israel no matter how strong they are but to only fear G-d, and finally remove the enemy and the abomination from the Temple Mount, Jerusalem and the land of Israel. In the Name of G-d I stated that The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement will continue to lead the people of Israel to the fulfillment of this godly cause which G-d Himself desires to see fulfilled by Israel. In the Name of G-d I said that no one can stop this great godly event of the redemption of the people and land of Israel and that if the enemies want it or not, this godly cause will be fulfilled very soon together with G-d and a faithful government in Israel and that he rebuilding of the temple and the coming of Mashiach ben David will be a reality in our lifetime. We should show our devotion and dedication to G-d and His prophetic end-time plans and He will show us His miracles and give us the strength and encouragement. No power in the world can stop G-d's prophetic end-time plans and together with G-d, as in the times of the Maccabees, Israel will be the majority and all the rest the minority.
While the shofar was blown, all the Faithful swore together in the name of all the people of Israel the historical swearing of faithfulness to the Temple Mount, Jerusalem and the land of Israel by the godly words: "If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember you, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy." (Psalm 137:5,6). Immediately after this I prayed in the name of all the Faithful and the people of Israel, Psalm 79: "A Psalm of Asaph. O God, nations have come into your inheritance; your holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps. The dead bodies of your servants have they given to be food to the birds of the sky, the flesh of your pious ones to the beasts of the earth. Their blood have they shed like water around Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them. We have become a taunt to our neighbors, a scorn and derision to those who are around us. How long, Lord? Will you be angry for ever? Shall your jealousy burn like fire? Pour out your wrath on the nations that have not known you, and on the kingdoms that have not called upon your name. For they have devoured Jacob, and laid waste his dwelling place. O do not remember against us our former iniquities; let your tender mercies speedily come to meet us; for we are brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; and save us, and forgive our sins, for your name's sake. Why should the nations say, Where is their God? Let the revenging of the blood of your servants which is shed be made manifest among the nations, and before our eyes. Let the groans of the prisoner come before you; according to the greatness of your power preserve those who are appointed to die; And render to our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom their insult, with which they have insulted you, O Lord. So we your people and sheep of your pasture will give you thanks for ever; we will tell your praise to all generations."
The great Hanukkah march of the Temple Mount Faithful Movement ended with Ha Tikvah (the anthem of Israel - The Hope) and a feeling of great optimism. We trust in G-d completely and we know that this sorrowful and painful time is very temporary. We know that G-d will never stop the great event of modern Israel and His prophetic end-time plans for the people and land of Israel and then for all the nations. G-d is ready for this. Now He expects us to overcome our weaknesses and cooperate with him in the great redemptional event which He is now performing in Israel. Like the Maccabees we must not fear the enemies and all the physical powers in the world, we must trust in Him and must fight for Him and His prophetic plans. If necessary, like the Maccabees, we must sacrifice everything in our lives for G-d and His Word. We know very clearly and trust that as G-d promised, in our lifetime we shall see the rebuilding of the house of G-d and the coming of Mashiach ben David and the major end-time prophetic godly revolution when a lion and a wolf will live together in peace with the lamb. A REAL peace. In G-d we trust forever.