The Pope and the Muslim world?

Living Church of God
Friday, May 15, 2009

For millennia, the Holy Land has been fought over by many peoples and nations and has truly been a “heavy stone” for all who try to solve the problems surrounding it (Zechariah 12:3). Tuesday, Benedict XVI became the first Pope to enter the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount.

In comments to him, the highest-ranking Muslim cleric in Jerusalem, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, stated, “We look forward for your holiness’s effective role in putting an end to the ongoing aggression against our people, our land, and our holy sites in Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank.” This statement, appealing to the Pope to bring peace to Jerusalem and surrounding territories, fell on the heels of the Pope’s comments about a need for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The Pope also took opportunity to denounce anti-Semitism (www.goldcoastmail.com.au, May 12, 2009). During his current trip to the Holy Land, the Pope is laboring to build lasting bridges with both Arabs and Jews and gaining respect in the eyes of both, most importantly in the eyes of Arabs.

Exactly how the next few years will play out with regard to Jerusalem remains to be seen. Geopolitical events must occur that allow a temporary peace to come to Jerusalem—a peace that will allow for the relatively safe reinstitution of religious animal sacrifices on the Temple Mount (see Daniel 9:27; 12:11).

Read all: The Pope and the Muslim world?
And: Jerusalem's Sobering Future! - by Douglas S. Winnail

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