Gershon Salomon, who has committed 28 years of his life in an effort to rebuild the third temple in Jerusalem, spoke of his dream this week in Salt Lake City.
Salomon is an Orthodox Jew, leader of a famed paratrooper unit and for years No. 1 on a reputed PLO hit list. He is the founder and president of the Temple Mount Faithful, the group that tried in 1990 to lay a cornerstone for the building of the third Jewish temple. The resulting riot killed 18 Palestinians. Salomon has been banned from setting foot on the Temple Mount by the Muslim Waqf.On Monday, he spoke to a standing-room-only crowd of Evangelical Christians Monday night as part of a lecture tour of the United States. He spoke at the Meta Tauta Society, a non-denominational Christian organization. Jack Kelley, founder of Meta Tauta, met Salomon in Jerusalem during a temple conference in 1992.
With his kipa atop his head, Salomon watched the Evangelicals lift their hands in reverence during praise music. Despite religious, cultural and language differences, Salomon said he felt like he was with brothers and sisters. Holding up an English version of the Jerusalem Bible, he said, "We have one thing in common - it's the word of God."
With 15 other people of faith, Salomon founded the Temple Mount Faithful and opened his 28-year-campaign to build the third temple in Jerusalem. He spoke of the sense of mission that he feels. "We cannot live another day in our houses while God's house is in the hands of pagans. The biggest dream of the Israeli nation is to see the rebuilding of the temple. When I was building my house on Mount Scopus, we were digging to build the foundation and we found a cave with four bodies - Jews from the second temple age, who died two years before the Romans destroyed the temple. Their faces were directed to one point, the Temple Mount. I took that as a sign," Salomon said.
"In our tradition, since the destruction of the second temple, prophecy passed. But God is again speaking to his people. Some say why does God need a house in Jerusalem? We need it more than he does. We need its spirituality and morality. It will be a tower of light. Come to Israel, go up to the Temple Mount - you will feel the presence of God more than any other place," he said.
Salomon wanted to know the impact of 28 years of work by the Temple Mount Faithful so a poll was taken. "Sixty percent of Israelis support our ideas. People support us better than the political parties. The biggest parties in Israel have not this support," Salomon said.
"It was a terrible revolt when we gave back the Temple Mount to its enemies. The Arabs want peace - `pieces of land.' We paid and we shall pay more for this terrible mistake. I'm afraid we will have another war. I will not give timing, timing is in the hands of God. Syria, they're talking peace but they prepare weapons, biological weapons. Iran is preparing atom bombs. When they will have it, no one will stop them. When I was young I wondered why God spoke to the prophet Ezekiel about Gog and Magog. Why did God need to bring a terrible war in the time of redemption?
"Now I understand it. As God our father, he will be angry that his sons did such terrible things. But he will tell them, `I will be with you.' All the treaties will be canceled and destroyed. Such a treaty cannot work; God will never accept it. It will explode and Israel will be attacked on all sides. God will bring his children back to the right way. He's determined to give this land back to his people," Salomon said.
There are three conditions for the coming of the Messiah said Salomon: the reformation of the nation of Israel, the regathering of the people from all over the world and rebuilding the temple on the same place God dedicated for his house. To a chorus of "amens" and "praise God," Salomon told the Christians, "There is a short time until his coming, and there will be terrible events in the land of Israel. People will even deny the existing of God. In a short time we shall meet on the hill of God and meet the Messiah. What is so important that he comes the first or the second time?"