The goal of this document is to help you put together current events and Bible prophecy to better understand the role of the antichrist, his invasion of Jerusalem, the Palestinian conflict, the controversy over the temple mount and Jerusalem, the rebuilding of the third temple, and the two witnesses of Revelation chapter 11.

No scripture about Jesus second coming could be fulfilled until the following:

1. Israel must be restored as a nation - up until 1948, the land was known as "Palestine". The restoration with that name was essential, because that is the name the prophets used in their prophecies.
2. Israel would no longer be divided between Judea and Samaria. Eze 37:19-22 -

"19 Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.

20 And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.

21 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:

22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all."

3. Israel would have a great army. Eze 37:10 -

"10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army."

4. There would come a day when Israel would dwell safely in unwalled villages. Eze 38:8-11 -

"8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.

9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.

10 Thus saith the Lord God; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:

11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,"

5. Jerusalem must be fully restored to the Jewish people as the capitol of Israel. This happened in 1967. Daniel 9:24 -

Three important points about Jerusalem:

1. it will be restored again to the Jews
2. it will be rebuilt again by the Jews
3. it will be recaptured by the Gentiles one more time.

There are three controversies surrounding the city of Jerusalem currently, which will lead to the fulfillment of prophetic events:

1. The controversy of Jerusalem being the capitol of the nation of Israel

The Christians, Moslems and Jews have been fighting over the city of Jerusalem for 1,500 years. Every time the Moslems gain control of it without any resistance throughout history, they lost interest in it. This happened five times throughout history. Currently, the Jews have it, so the Moslems are screaming about it, wanting it to be the capitol of their Palestine state. Three monotheistic religions all consider the city holy. The main problem is with the Moslems with their two mosques on the temple mount.

2. The controversy over who controls the temple mount

The Moslems believe that the Jews never had a presence on the temple mount, in history, which is absolutely ridiculous. The reason they claim this is because they believe Abraham was a Muslim, and therefore everyone since Abraham al lthe way up to Jesus was a Muslim. Therefore, David and Solomon's temple was Muslim, and the temple rebuilt by Ezra and Nehemiah was also Muslim. Some Moslems also believe that their prophet Muhammed made an out of the body "night journey" to Jerusalem and spoke with all the holy prophets. That is a lie.

Yasser Arafat is fearful that the Jews are going to build a temple on the temple mount. There are 10 organizations inside Israel that are involved in preparing for the rebuilding of the temple. The controversy is really stirring now, especially after Ariel Sharon went up to the temple mount and it caused a riot by Moslems.

3. The controversy over whether Jews should be able to worship at the temple mount.

The Moslems currently guard the temple area, and they will not allow Jews on the temple mount. They also will not allow any worship of Christ or the true God on the temple mount. No Christian bibles are allowed, only the Qu'ran. The Moslems deny any historic facts in the Bible, and claim that the stories were changed by the Christians and Jews. They destroy all historical artifacts as they find them, such as the findings in Solomon's stables.

So, with all these controversies, how in the world will the Jews ever be able to build the third and final temple on the temple mount, necessary for the fulfillment of several prophecies in Daniel, Ezekiel, II Thessalonians and Revelation? Answer: The Two Witnesses, Moses or Enoch and Elijah.

Zechariah prophesied that in the last days, Jerusalem would be a burdensome stone for all the nations of the world. THAT IS A FACT TODAY! Even America wishes that the conflict over Jerusalem, involving Jews and Palestinians, would go away. It is a diplomatic nightmare with other countries, especially the oil nations on whom we depend for oil. Zechariah 12:2-3 -

Daniel prophesied that the antichrist would eventually set up camp in Jerusalem. Daniel 11:45 -

The "seas" are the Mediterranean sea and the Dead Sea, and the "glorious holy mountain" is none other than Mount Moriah, the temple mount. This is also prophesied in II Thessalonians 2 and Daniel 9.

Something in the future is going to trigger a major war against Israel and Jerusalem, which looking at current events very well could be a strike by Israel against Palestinians in the nations of Syria, Lebanon, or Jordan. Zechariah 14:2 has not yet happened, so it is a prophecy yet to be fulfilled:

Interestingly, in 1967, Jerusalem was split in half. One half was controlled by muslims and Palestinians, and the west half was controlled by the Jews. After the 1967 war, the city was once again made whole and named the capital of Israel, totally controlled by the Jews. However, according to this verse, again, half of the city will be taken captive.

If you read the headlines today (early 2002), you will see that the muslim population are crying out that they want Jerusalem to be their capitol of a Palestinian state, and take all of east Jerusalem, the Kidron valley, the western wall, the mount of Olives, and the Garden of Gethsemane. This fits very will with the theory that the antichrist will be a muslim, and will come with a peace treaty for that both sides will agree upon.

Historic facts about Jerusalem that both Jews and Christians agree upon:

1. That Abraham met Melchizedek, the first king and high priest of Jerusalem, and paid tithes to him (Genesis 14)
2. That Joshua fought the Jebusites over the city of Jerusalem (Joshua 1)
3. That David captured the city of Jebus and took it over (II Samuel 5)
4. That David bought Mount Moriah in Jerusalem (II Samuel 24:24)
5. That Solomon built a temple on Mount Moriah (II Chronicles 2-5)
6. That the Babylonians destroyed the city in 606BC (Daniel)
7. That the Jews recovered and rebuilt the temple under Nehemiah and Ezra
8. That Herod the Great began to add on to the temple in the Roman period in around 70AD
9. That Israel ceased to be a nation until 1948AD

The muslims do not accept ANY of the historic facts listed above! While they say they believe in the first five books of the Bible, the Psalms and the four gospels, they don't believe they way it is presented in the Christian Bible because they translators changed the content. They believe that Muhammed had the "true" revelation, and therefore it is near impossible to witness and explain the Christian faith to muslims because of this fundamental, foundational difference.

The muslims instead believe there has NEVER, EVER been a Jewish presence on the mount Moriah temple mount area (despite the archaeological discoveries in caverns underneath the mount), and that the Al Asqa mosque and the Dome of the Rome mosque were the first holy places erected on the mountain in the 7^th century.

Under Islamic law, those mosques can NEVER be removed under any condition. The muslims see the Jewish religion as an embarrassment and a major stumblingblock for establishing a Palestinian state and making Islam the only religion in the middle east. In their eyes, Jerusalem should totally and completely be a moslem city because of the two mosques and that it is the third holiest site to muslims. This is why there is a very heavy controversy of Jerusalem right now. They consider the Koran and Muhammed to be far superior to Jesus and the Jewish Bible.

There are many Islamic traditions and legends that are not in the Koran, but have been passed down over the generations. In their teaching, there is very little respect for the Jews. Christians are called "the people of the book". A "true" muslim will not have a hatred toward Jews and muslims (mostly Suni muslims). But the radical muslims that you see in the news and harboring terrorism do not share this feeling, and these are the most dangerous prophetically, because it is easy to see that their hatred for Jews and desire for Jerusalem could bring about the wars leading up to the tribulation and the introduction of the antichrist.

There is a muslim teaching that says the Jews will control Jerusalem for a short time, but that there will be an Islamic prophet that rises up that will defeat the Jews, and that the Jews will hide behind rocks. The rocks will supernaturally cry out "there is a Jew behind me", and the Jews would then be found and killed. Anyone who is a muslim understands that the Jews will have the city for a short time, but that later the muslims will take it by force and eventually take over the nation of Israel.

These are introductory facts that will help to understand certain questions such as:

1. Why will the antichrist invade Israel and Jerusalem?
2. Why does he kill the two witnesses?
3. Why is he worshipped after he does this?

The three we want to focus on are #4, 5 and 6.

• God turns his attention back to the Jews and Israel

Romans 11 deals with the Gentiles being grafted into the covenant, and the natural seed of Abraham, Israel, which is outside of the covenant currently. Romans 11:25 -

Another verse that explains this somewhat is Matthew 24:14 -

We know the Gentiles were sent to preach the gospel throughout the world, so the grafting into the fig tree of the Gentiles will come to an end when the rapture of the church occurs.

• God will judge the Gentile nations during the tribulation period

Basically, the entire world with the exception of America is against Israel. When a terrorist suicide bomber kills 50 people in Jerusalem, you really don't hear much about it, but when Israel retaliates against them and kills one terrorist, the whole world comes down on them and the nation who suffered the death publicly condemns Israel.

Why is this the case? Why are so many European nations so pro-Arab? When it all comes down to it, always think "money". The Arab states provide oil to most of the world, so it pays to stay on the good side of the Arabs so that your countries continue to get oil, which is basically the lifeblood of modern industry.

Zechariah 14:3 and 12 are good examples of the judgment that God will bring against the Gentiles in the last days:

This is a very graphic description of the judgment of the Gentiles in Zechariah, which are also echoed through the judgments found in the book of Revelation.

As an introduction to this section, let's again review the probable sequence of events leading up to their appearance:

1. A major war in the middle east, very possibly the war of Ezekiel 38-39, will take place
2. It will take seven years to burn the weapons, which is the same length as the tribulation (Ezekiel 38-39)
3. As a result of this war, there will be a seven-year peace treaty signed with Israel with the antichrist and his nations (Daniel 9)
4. The rapture takes place
5. The two witnesses appear for 42 months (Revelation 11)
6. The tribulation begins, which is broken up into two sections of 42 months
7. The first 42 months will feature relative peace, the second 42 months will feature the greatest tribulation and trial the earth has ever seen, and the antichrist will begin his killing spree.
8. The antichrist will rule from the territory of ancient Babylon the first 42 months.
9. At the midpoint of the tribulation, he will invade Jerusalem, kill the two witnesses, stop the sacrifice on the temple mount and sit in the temple as if he is God, and be worshipped as a national hero
10. The antichrist will be given power to rule for 42 months (Revelation 13)

Foundation scripture - Revelation 11:1-12

Facts from scripture about the two witnesses and their ministry:

1. They are literal men, not angels or spirit beings, because they are able to be killed
2. They are there to testify that Jesus is the messiah, and since they are in Jerusalem, that testimony will be given to the Jewish people
3. They will be two prophets from the Old Testament
4. Their ministry will last for 42 months
5. They will be able to call fire down from heaven to consume their adversaries
6. They will be able to cause it not to rain during their ministry, and to send plagues
7. They will be involved in the rebuilding of a temple
8. They existed in heaven 500 years before Christ, according to Zechariah 4:11-14
9. They will be killed by the antichrist after their 42 month ministry
10. Their dead bodies will remain in the streets of Jerusalem for 3.5 days
11. The world will rejoice at their death
12. God will raise these two men from the dead in the sight of all the world after 3.5 days
13. There will be a great earthquake that follows their resurrection, killing 7,000 people
14. 1/10^th of the city of Jerusalem will fall at the earthquake
15. The antichrist, with the two witnesses out of the way, will enter the temple and set himself us as a God
16. The false prophet will enter Jerusalem working miracles, taking the attention off the miracle of the resurrection of the two witnesses

The prophetic word in Zechariah using symbolism is very interesting. Zechariah 4:11-14 -

Compare these verses to verses 3 and 4 of Revelation 11 -

Notice the similarities:

1. two olive trees
2. two candlesticks
3. they stand before the God of the earth

The two branches in the vision of Zechariah are taking the golden oil from the menorah and anointing themselves with the oil. The book of Zechariah was written approximately 550 years before the book of Revelation, and Zechariah is seeing something very important. In chapters 1-3, he is seeing the restoration and rebuilding of the temple, and in chapter 4, these two olive branches that are anointing themselves. Zechariah was seeing a prophecy of the end of time, the rebuilding of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, and how it was being hindered in chapters 1 - 3.

Romans chapter 11 is key to understanding the identity of the two witnesses. Verse 24 of that chapter refers to two different olive trees: a wild olive tree and a good olive tree. If you read this chapter carefully, you will understand that one tree represents the Jews and one tree represents the Gentiles. Therefore, it is plausible to arrive at the conclusion that of the two olive tree referred to in both Zechariah and Revelation, one will be a Jew and one will be a Gentile. Therefore, there will be a Jewish and a Gentile witness for the first 42 months of the tribulation.

Zechariah's vision of these two individuals was in relation to God's promise to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem (chapters 1 - 3), another clue that lends itself to the idea that the two witnesses will be involved with the rebuilding of the temple. Since Zechariah saw these two olive trees in heaven, we know they had to be Old Testament individuals. Therefore, there is no way that these two men are men who will be two men living in the present day world in which they appear. If you want to argue that, then how can you explain how they were seen in heaven by Zechariah over 2,500 years ago? They will be two Old Testament individuals.

Almost all prophecy teachers agree that the two witnesses will be two of the following three men: Elijah, Enoch and Moses.

• Prophesied in the time of king Ahab and Jezebel
• Called fire down from heaven to destroy the altar of the prophets of Baal
• Withheld rain from heaven for 3.5 years back in the days of Ahab
• Was taken to heaven alive in a chariot of fire in a whirlwind, and never physically died

Malachi 4:5 - 6, the next to last verse of the Old Testament, is a key verse:

The "great and dreadful day of the Lord" is the final 42 months of the tribulation, what Jesus in Matthew 24 called the "great tribulation". Notice Elijah will be sent BEFORE that day, meaning before the final 42 months of the seven year tribulation.

According to Jewish tradition, they believe Elijah will appear before the Messiah appears. This is why when John the Baptist began his ministry, he was continually asked if he was Elijah or "that Prophet" (John 1). Similarly, Jesus was often asked if he was Elijah or the prophet (John 6, Matthew 16). The Jews were looking for their messiah, and they knew that Elijah HAD TO appear before the messiah. However, they did understand that the prophecy about the appearance of Elijah pertained to the end of days, according to Malachi the prophet.

• He smote Egypt with plagues, one of them being a plague of blood in the water, which is what the two witnesses will be able to do
• In Revelation chapter 11's description of the two witnesses, Egypt is mentioned, and Moses dealt with Egypt
• At Jesus' transfiguration, Moses and Elijah appeared and spoke with Jesus

• When he and Elijah appeared with Jesus at the transfiguration, Moses represented the law and what the law had to say about Jesus, and Elijah represented the prophets and what the prophets had to say about Jesus
• Moses died and was buried in the plains of Jordan, so if he is one of the two witnesses, he would have to put on an incorruptible body, then put BACK ON a corruptible body, then again put BACK ON an incorruptible body. You might say: "Well, God can do whatever he wants…Moses may even be a spirit with a body". This is true, but remember, these two witnesses ARE killed, so Moses would have to put on another corruptible body and have it killed. I will concede, however, that there are many references in the Bible of someone dying, then being raised from the dead, then obviously dying again later in history, so Moses coming back with a corruptible body again would not be unprecedented.
• Moses was a Jew, and one of the two witnesses must be a Gentile according to Romans 11 and Zechariah 4 (see discussion in prior section)

• He was translated while walking with God, and God took him, so he never died
• According to Jude, he was a prophet, and may have been the first prophet
• Jude 1:14-15 record a prophetic utterance from Enoch:

• Enoch was a Gentile, because he was prior to Abraham, and Abraham was the first Hebrew Jew
• Hearkening back to the two branches of the tree in Romans chapter 11, one being Jew and one being Gentile, that fits with Elijah (Jew) and Enoch (Gentile)
• Both Enoch and Elijah are both still alive, supernaturally, but they are not remaining on the earth. They are in heaven. Think about I Thessalonians 4:16-17, which states that at the catching away of the saints "then we which are alive AND REMAIN shall be caught up…" Is it possible that Paul was telling us that there are two individuals who are still alive (Elijah and Enoch) who will NOT be caught up, because they are not "remaining" on the earth at the time of the rapture?
• If the two witnesses are Moses and Elijah, then we have an interesting problem: Enoch will have never died a physical death, which is in contradiction to Hebrews 9:27-28

Comparing the facts above with the passages discussed earlier from Romans 11, Zechariah 4 and Revelation 11, we can draw the following conclusions:

1. the two witnesses will be Elijah and Enoch
2. Enoch will be the Gentile branch and Elijah will be the Jewish branch of the olive tree
3. These are the two candlesticks and the two olive branches in Revelation and Zechariah
4. Both were translated or taken alive to heaven and have remained there anointed on either side of the Lord of the earth
5. Both men have never died, and according to Hebrews 9:27-28, every person will physically die AT LEAST once. The two witnesses will be killed by the antichrist, which would fulfill this verse.

Attention: MID-TRIBBERS and POST-TRIBBERS - an argument you may have never thought of:

A great test of whether there will be a rapture, or when it will occur, is to ask yourself this: What would happen if Elijah and Enoch or Moses all the sudden appeared in Israel and there were Christians still on the earth? If the rapture happens mid or post-tribulation, and the Christians are still on the earth, there would be MILLIONS upon MILLIONS of people boarding airplanes to go to Israel and see these two men!!! The planes and hotels could never hold the number of people that would go to see them. The prophets of old...the holy prophets of God who have never died, but have been preserved for 1,000's of years, are alive and in Israel? You best believe I would mortgage the house if I had to in order to go to Israel and see that.

But notice what the scripture says: the world rejoices at their death, and they give gifts to each other in celebration of the event. The world HATES them...Christians still on earth who understand the Bible and prophetic events would not be doing such things.

For so long, to explain the rebuilding of the Jewish temple, we have heard the following teachings:

• The antichrist will be a Jew
• He will come from the tribe of Dan
• He will rebuild the temple because the Jews wouldn't allow any one other than a Jew to do so
• In the middle of the tribulation he kills the two witnesses
• Then he enters the temple and sits there like he is God

There are many problems with that scenario, a couple of which are:

1. Solomon allowed many Gentiles (non-Jews) from Lebanon to actually build the first temple, but Solomon made it a Jewish house of worship
2. Herod expanded the second temple that Ezra and Nehemiah rebuilt, and Herod was a Gentile
3. Seldom, if ever, will a Jew turn against other Jews
4. If the two witnesses are there the first 42 months, and the antichrist has rebuilt the temple, then why does it take him 42 months to kill them since they are in the same city together?
5. If the antichrist rebuilds the temple, why does he invade it in the middle of the tribulation and cause the sacrifice to cease? Why would he disrupt something he instituted?

Does the Bible teach there will be another Jewish temple? Yes

1. Matthew 24:14-15

"14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)"

This is referring to END TIMES, the holy place (the holy of holies) and the city of Jerusalem. The abomination of desolation referred to in Daniel 9:27 will cause the Jewish remnant to flee Jerusalem and go into the mountains. There must be a temple in Jerusalem for this scenario to play out. Why did Matthew say "whoso readeth, let him understand?" It is because he himself didn't understand what it meant. But when John wrote Revelation several years later, he talks about the image of the beast speaking and living. This is the abomination that makes Jerusalem desolate!

2. II Thessalonians 2:3-4

"3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God."

This passage is talking about the end-time antichrist, and it says he sits in the temple of God. There is no other explanation other than there is a temple in Jerusalem in the tribulation, so that the antichrist can do what the prophets said he would do. The entire chapter deals with the antichrist when the church and the Holy Spirit is removed.

3. Revelation 11:1-2

"1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months."

If we agree that Revelation 11 is prophetic, and is referring to a time in the future, then we must conclude there will be a temple. The temple is referred to in both verse 1 and 2, and it has an outer court. If it has an outer court, it must logically have an inner court.

4. Daniel 9:27 - it is important to notice in Revelation 11:1 that there is an altar that is referred to, because in Daniel 9:27, there is reference made to a sacrifice and oblation. If there is a sacrifice and oblation that is ceased, there must be an altar, and a temple.

There is often an argument from people who say the following:

That argument is faulty, because they don't understand the type of offering that is being made. True, Jesus offered himself on the cross as a redemption for sin and salvation of the soul once and for all. But the sacrifice and oblation that will be made for the temple in the middle of the tribulation will be the TEMPLE DEDICATION OFFERINGS REQUIRED FOR THE PROCESS OF DEDICATING A BUILDING OR A TEMPLE. This will be similar to dedicating a building or christening a ship, and they will NOT be offering for sins.

In Ezekiel's description of the millennial reign and the temple that will be built, there is burnt offering for "sin offering"...read it in Ezekiel 43:25. So, there will be burnt offerings and sacrifices in the temple of God in the millennium. Therefore, this argument is without merit.

Solomon built the first temple, and it lasted for 400 years until the Babylonians destroyed it. Then Nehemiah and Ezra rebuilt the temple, and it was later expanded by Herod in 16BC. That second temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70AD. The next temple will be called the third temple, the building of which will be led by Elijah.

Most Jewish rabbi's either don't believe there will be a temple, or that the temple will come down out of heaven. Very few believe that the Jews have a right to build a temple on mount Moriah, but there are groups currently in Israel gearing up to do just that. The priesthood is in training, and the temple furniture is being built right now.

The controversy, again, is that the muslims control the temple mount area due to their mosques, but the Jews control the city of Jerusalem, technically speaking. The muslims say they will not allow any other religion on the temple mount, and they forbid any other religious worship in the temple mount area other than Islam. Can you see the controversy?

There are two Islamic mosques on the temple mount, and even though the Jewish temple would take up a relatively small amount of space, the muslims so far refuse the Jews access to build on the temple mount. There are three theories as to how the Jews will finally get access to the temple mount:

1. There will be an earthquake that destroys one or both of the mosques (there have been minor earthquakes there in the past)...however, unlikely, and even if it happens, the muslims will rebuild it
2. The Dome will be moved by Jews....highly unlikely
3. The best theory is that there will be some kind of agreement (possibly because Israel flexes its muscles in an upcoming war) that the Dome of the Rock, the Al-Asqa mosque and a Jewish will co-exist on the temple mount

The third theory makes sense when you consider scripture as well as the current layout of the temple mount. The Al-asqa mosque is at the south end of the mount, and the Dome of the Rock at the northern end. However, further north there is a vast empty space, and there is evidence that the second temple actually was built in this empty space. Consider Revelation 11:2 where John is told not to measure the outer court area of the temple mount area, because it is given to the Gentiles. That is the current situation now, and if a Jewish temple were erected in the now empty space, this prophecy would be fulfilled.

There has long been a call, especially by Pope John Paul II, that the temple mount area should be divided amongst Jews, Christians and muslims since all three consider it holy. Imagine a scenario in which the war of Ezekiel 38 and 39 takes place largely over control of the temple mount and Jerusalem. As part of a peace treaty that ends that war, the muslims concede a portion of the temple mount to the Jews. This would allow them to rebuild the third temple.

Elijah will bring a plan about to rebuild the third Jewish temple on the temple mount platform during the first 42 months of the tribulation period. That is the main thesis of this paper. Here are the scriptures to support the thesis:

1. The restitution of all things - Acts 3:20-21

Peter is expounding on the day of Pentecost when he says the following:

"20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began."

The Greek word "restitution" means "returning to its natural state or owner".

2. Elijah must restore all things - Matthew 17:11

On the mount of transfiguration, both Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus. After this incident in Matthew 17, we read the following:

So, when Jesus said that Elijah had already come, the disciples knew He was speaking of John the Baptist. What Jesus meant was that John the Baptist came in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17), but he was the forerunner of Jesus. The people asked John the Baptist if he was Elijah because they were looking for Elijah.

The restitution of all things, spoken of by Peter in the book of Acts, was referring to the task of Elijah. According to Jesus in Matthew 17, Elijah would "restore all things." So Elijah will be restoring something back to its rightful owner, which is what the word "restitution" means.

The following are three Jewish traditional teachings of what Elijah must do when he comes in the end of days:

1. He will restore the identity of the twelve tribes to the Jews living in Israel

A 2^nd century BC Jewish scribe wrote about how Elijah will do this. The tribes of Israel were scattered by the Assyrians in the 7^th century BC, and Israel became two nations: Israel and Judah. They did not know their identity, and over the centuries, they gradually became confused as to what tribe they were from.

We know if the tribulation the 12,000 Jews from the 12 tribes of Israel will be sealed. In Revelation 7:2, it is revealed that an "angel" ascends from the east to seal these Jews. The word angel is "angelos", and can either be a human or supernatural messenger. For example, in writing to the seven churches in the first two chapters, the "angel" of each church is addressed. These are the pastors of each of those churches. So it is very possible that the angel referred to in Revelation 7:2-3 is none other than Elijah.

2. He restore the power of the name of God and the secret seal to Israel

The correct pronunciation name of God, "YHWH" (the tetragrammaton), has been sealed for centuries, and no one knows how to pronounce it. But in Revelation 14:1-2, we learn that the sealed 144,000 Jews will have the name of God in their foreheads, so someone has taught them the name of God. This could very well be Elijah.

3. He will rebuild a temple and restore worship back to God the first 42 months of the tribulation period on the temple mount platform

There are some interesting passages in Zechariah chapters 3 - 6 that you can read for yourself, but hearken back to Zechariah chapter 4 and the description of the two candlesticks and olive trees. It is clear that these are the same candlesticks and olive trees mentioned in Revelation 11:4. In Zechariah 4:12, the two are called "branches." Zechariah 6:12 declares a "branch" will rebuild the temple of God. We know the Jesus will rebuild a temple in the millennium, but it is very possible that this prophecy in Zechariah, like so many Old Testament prophecies will have a dual fulfillment. Elijah could very well be the "branch" that leads the rebuilding of the third Jewish temple in the first 42 months of the tribulation period.

Why would the 144,000 Jews follow Elijah in the tribulation? Remember, they are looking for Elijah to come prior to their messiah, according to the prophets. Then, Revelation says the two witnesses will testify to Israel and those in Jerusalem. They will be bearing witness that Jesus is the messiah, that he is coming back, and that they must repent and believe. Romans says that "all of Israel" will be saved...this 42 month testimony of the two witnesses is powerful indeed.

Keep this in mind as well: the two witnesses will have power from God to send fire, send plagues, and destroy anyone or anything that comes against them during their 42 month period. The muslims GREATLY fear the wrath of Allah, and there is no doubt that, when they first put these two witnesses to the test and they send down fire from heaven, they will be petrified of these men. Can you see Elijah and the other witness first strolling up to the temple mount with a crowd of Jews with them, and waltzing past the Islamic guards currently watching the temple mount area? When the guards stop them and threaten them, the two witnesses scorch them with fire from heaven! Then the two witnesses continue on, discussing the plans to rebuild the temple with the Jewish throng.

Asher Kaufman is a Jewish scholar and historian who is an expert in Jewish temple history. After the war of 1967, the Jews were briefly allowed onto the temple mount area, and Mr. Kaufman took many pictures and studied the temple mount area. He discovered that there was evidence of previous temples on the temple mount. In the photo below, letters A, B and C correspond to the northern, central and southern possible sites of the first two Jewish temples:

Mr. Kaufman was once asked how long it would take to build and MAKE READY a Jewish temple. Not a Christian, and not speaking prophetically, he said 3.5 years!! Why 3.5 years? This ties into what was taught earlier.

In order for the temple to be dedicated correctly, the Jews must pray certain prayers on specific feast days, they must have the ashes of a red heifer, and they would go through several steps of dedication including a final dedication on the Feast of Passover, such that the length of time from the beginning of the building of the temple to the final dedication offering would be exactly 3.5 years.

With that in mind, think about the following scenario: many scholars of Jewish history and Bible prophecy believe the scripture gives clues that the rapture will happen on Rosh Hashannah, the Jewish Feast of Trumpets, which takes place in the fall, usually the month of September. So, consider the following:

1. you would have the rapture on Rosh Hashannah, and the two witnesses appear preaching and leading the rebuilding of the temple.
2. Their ministry lasts 42 months, or 3.5 years, and the rebuilding of the temple takes 3.5 years. When the temple is finished 3.5 years later, this would be exactly on the Feast of Passover, exactly when the holy temple would have its first offering, a dedication offering!
3. At that point, the antichrist under Satanic possession (Rev 13) invades Jerusalem and kills the two witnesses, who for 42 months were unstoppable. According to Revelation 11, their ministry ends after 42 months.
4. Imagine the muslim celebration when these two witnesses are finally conquered, liberating their holy temple mount and its two Islamic mosques from the two witnesses! There would be a frenzied celebration, and don't you doubt these muslims would declare the antichrist to be the final prophet, their last days imam.
5. The antichrist then enters the new temple and causes "the sacrifice and oblation to cease", meaning the dedication offering on the Feast of Passover (Dan9), sits in the holiest of holies, declaring himself to be God, the Islamic 12^th imam.
6. He and the false prophet set up an image to the beast in the temple, which is the abomination of desolation that causes Jerusalem to become desolate, and the Jews flee into the mountains. This begins the final 42 months of the tribulation, the great tribulation.
7. Approximately 42 months later, you will have Jesus Christ's second coming on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.