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But with little effort, I learned that plans for a One-World-Religion have been in place for a long, long time, at the very least
since the 1920's when the Vatican was built in Rome. It is not by chance that the layout of the Vatican established in 1929 is so similar to the layout of the Old City of Jerusalem.
The secret talks and agreements mentioned above began in the early 1990's and are ongoing in the shadows today. What is the plan? What are the role and motivation of the Vatican?
It is difficult to understand the complex situation in the Middle East or Jerusalem, specifically, without at least a rudimentary historical understanding of the region. In Part I of this article, I have condensed several thousand years of history into a few manageable paragraphs.
As with all things related to the Middle East, the facts are often tainted by the viewpoint of whoever is writing or speaking. Discernment is certainly required. Therefore, I have relied upon Wikipedia and some other more "neutral" sources for historical background.
All three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christian, and Muslim) regard Jerusalem as their holy place. At its core, the Middle East conflict is a religious dispute over the inheritance divided between the two sons of Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael, as described in the Old Testament of the Bible.
An inheritance typically passed to the eldest son, but Isaac, Abraham's second son by his wife, Sarah, was favored by God as the Abraham's rightful heir. God promised that Ishmael, Abraham's actual first son, but by his concubine, Hagar, would be the father of many nations, ultimately the Arab nations.
In the Jewish lineage, Isaac's second born son, Jacob, tricked his older brother Esau out of his inheritance resulting in the argument that continues today, thousands of years later, with Jerusalem and the Temple Mount caught in the middle. The Holy sites of the Old City have been traded back and forth over the centuries like spoils for victory in battle.
According to the Hebrew Bible, the First Temple, known as Solomon's Temple, was built by Solomon, King of the Israelites, during 10th Century BC. Built on the Temple Mount (also known as Mount Moriah), it towered high over Jerusalem for approximately 450 years. It was a central point for life in the entire region through a turbulent succession of rulers and wars.
Solomon's Temple was destroyed in 587 BC by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II after the Siege of Jerusalem. The Jewish population of Jerusalem was scattered and exiled to Babylon.
According to the Bible, the Jewish exiles returned to Jerusalem 70 years later and built the Second Temple on the Temple Mount, replacing the ruins of Solomon's Temple. From 516 BC - 70 CE, the Second Temple was an important Jewish shrine. King Herod the Great renovated the temple in19 BC making it even more majestic. From then on, it became known as Herod's Temple.
Herod's Temple stood for approximately 400 years, through the periods of Greek Hellenism and Roman rule. The Romans under Titus destroyed Jerusalem and Herod's Temple in 70 CE to end a four-year Jewish revolt. Only a small portion of one wall remains today.
Because of the religious and political volatility of East Jerusalem, only limited archaeological surveys of the Temple Mount and the previous two temples have ever been conducted.
Temple Mount, therefore, has been without a Jewish Temple for almost 2000 years. For the past 1300 years, the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock have occupied Temple Mount, the latter thought most likely on exactly the site of the First and Second Temples.
The Book of Ezekiel, Chapters 40-43, describes in detail the Third Temple to be built on Temple Mount. Most Orthodox and Conservative Jews support rebuilding of the temple. Reconstructionist Jews and Christians are more ambivalent, without a consensus on the importance of rebuilding the temple. The Third Temple is a part of the story involving the Vatican as we will see in Part II of this article.
The Arabs conquered Jerusalem in 638 AD and build the Dome of the Rock, the first Muslim shrine, in 691. Jerusalem remained under Muslim rule for the next 460 years.
In 1095, Pope Urban II in Rome called upon Christians all over Europe to recapture the Holy Land, the place of Jesus' life and ministry, from Islam. The Crusades, or Holy Wars, that followed were years of extreme carnage. The end result of the Crusades was the recapture of Jerusalem in 1099.
But the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem by the Christians lasted only 88 years. In 1187, Salah al-Din, having already established rule over Egypt to the west, then reclaimed Jerusalem. The Muslims held Jerusalem until 1516 when the Ottoman Empire (Turks) captured Jerusalem. The British defeated the Ottoman Empire in the Battle of Jerusalem in 1917, stating thereafter with satisfaction that the "wars of the crusaders are now complete".
Christians have not controlled the actual city of Jerusalem since the time of the Crusades. Muslims believe the city is rightfully theirs by inheritance and possession. They regard their land as Allah's land. In 1948, a part of Allah's land was taken from them to establish the state of Israel as a Jewish homeland. Hence, the Islamic hatred that resulted toward the Jews, the occupiers, continues to this day.
Throughout the centuries since Jesus lived in Jerusalem, groups of Christians and Christian churches have located primarily on sites that commemorate the events of Jesus life. The Catholic Church, however, did not recognize Israel as a nation until recently.
What the Catholic Church has proposed is that Jerusalem be made an International City under their jurisdiction. Under this plan, the Vatican and Pope would have oversight of the Old City of Jerusalem and Temple Mount. Neither Israel nor the Palestinian Authority would have final authority over the City.
In Part II, we'll see how this proposal and agreement developed, the status today, and what such a future might hold.
Solomon's Temple was destroyed in 587 BC by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II after the Siege of Jerusalem. The Jewish population of Jerusalem was scattered and exiled to Babylon.
According to the Bible, the Jewish exiles returned to Jerusalem 70 years later and built the Second Temple on the Temple Mount, replacing the ruins of Solomon's Temple. From 516 BC - 70 CE, the Second Temple was an important Jewish shrine. King Herod the Great renovated the temple in19 BC making it even more majestic. From then on, it became known as Herod's Temple.
Herod's Temple stood for approximately 400 years, through the periods of Greek Hellenism and Roman rule. The Romans under Titus destroyed Jerusalem and Herod's Temple in 70 CE to end a four-year Jewish revolt. Only a small portion of one wall remains today.
Because of the religious and political volatility of East Jerusalem, only limited archaeological surveys of the Temple Mount and the previous two temples have ever been conducted.
Temple Mount, therefore, has been without a Jewish Temple for almost 2000 years. For the past 1300 years, the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock have occupied Temple Mount, the latter thought most likely on exactly the site of the First and Second Temples.
The Book of Ezekiel, Chapters 40-43, describes in detail the Third Temple to be built on Temple Mount. Most Orthodox and Conservative Jews support rebuilding of the temple. Reconstructionist Jews and Christians are more ambivalent, without a consensus on the importance of rebuilding the temple. The Third Temple is a part of the story involving the Vatican as we will see in Part II of this article.
The Arabs conquered Jerusalem in 638 AD and build the Dome of the Rock, the first Muslim shrine, in 691. Jerusalem remained under Muslim rule for the next 460 years.
In 1095, Pope Urban II in Rome called upon Christians all over Europe to recapture the Holy Land, the place of Jesus' life and ministry, from Islam. The Crusades, or Holy Wars, that followed were years of extreme carnage. The end result of the Crusades was the recapture of Jerusalem in 1099.
But the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem by the Christians lasted only 88 years. In 1187, Salah al-Din, having already established rule over Egypt to the west, then reclaimed Jerusalem. The Muslims held Jerusalem until 1516 when the Ottoman Empire (Turks) captured Jerusalem. The British defeated the Ottoman Empire in the Battle of Jerusalem in 1917, stating thereafter with satisfaction that the "wars of the crusaders are now complete".
Christians have not controlled the actual city of Jerusalem since the time of the Crusades. Muslims believe the city is rightfully theirs by inheritance and possession. They regard their land as Allah's land. In 1948, a part of Allah's land was taken from them to establish the state of Israel as a Jewish homeland. Hence, the Islamic hatred that resulted toward the Jews, the occupiers, continues to this day.
Throughout the centuries since Jesus lived in Jerusalem, groups of Christians and Christian churches have located primarily on sites that commemorate the events of Jesus life. The Catholic Church, however, did not recognize Israel as a nation until recently.
What the Catholic Church has proposed is that Jerusalem be made an International City under their jurisdiction. Under this plan, the Vatican and Pope would have oversight of the Old City of Jerusalem and Temple Mount. Neither Israel nor the Palestinian Authority would have final authority over the City.
In Part II, we'll see how this proposal and agreement developed, the status today, and what such a future might hold.
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