Bill Thompson [Thompson - Temple

TEMPLE

The Prophecy of the Hidden Treasure

Bill Thompson

Published by

Ascendente Books
Dallas, Texas

This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described herein are imaginary and any reference to specific places or living persons is incidental. The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal rights to publish all the materials in this book.

Temple: The Prophecy of the Hidden Treasure

All Rights Reserved

Copyright 2017

V.1.0

This book may not be reproduced, transmitted or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic or mechanical without the express written consent of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Published by Ascendente Books

ISBN 978-09979129-37

Printed in the United States of America

Books by Bill Thompson

Brian Sadler Archaeological Mysteries

THE BETHLEHEM SCROLL

ANCIENT: A SEARCH FOR THE LOST CITY

OF THE MAYAS

THE STRANGEST THING

THE BONES IN THE PIT

ORDER OF SUCCESSION

THE BLACK CROSS

TEMPLE

Apocalyptic Fiction

THE OUTCASTS

The Crypt Trilogy

THE RELIC OF THE KING

THE CRYPT OF THE ANCIENTS

GHOST TRAIN

Teen Fiction

THE LEGEND OF GUNNERS COVE

This book is dedicated to my late father Charles E. Thompson, a strong Christian and a student of eschatology, the study of the end times and Gods final judgment for those on earth. He never went to Israel but he would have loved it.

My dad enjoyed every minute he spent with Dr. O.S. Hawkins, his pastor and next-door neighbor back in Oklahoma. Im told they had many stimulating conversations about the Second Coming.

My wife and I were privileged to make a trip to Israel with O.S. and his wife and it was the most wonderful place I have ever visited. Youll see a glimpse of O.S. in one of the characters in this book (one of the good guys)!

_____

Thanks to my faithful beta readers whose comments and suggestions always provide valuable insight and guidance.

_____

My next novel will be available in the coming months. You can sign up to be notified in advance and get pre-release specials as available.

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And I will give you the treasures of darkness,

and hidden wealth of secret places,

in order that you may know that it is I, the Lord,

the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.

Isaiah 45:3 (New American Standard version)

Author's Note

Although this is a work of fiction, the places in Israel that I mention all exist. Beth Shean (Beit She'an) is a fascinating archaeological site in the north, with acres of ruined, ancient buildings, their majestic stone columns standing like soldiers reaching to the sky. The spectacular Dome of the Rock sits atop the Temple Mount and is one of Jerusalem's most recognizable landmarks. Many scholars believe it stands on the very site of the Second Temple, which was destroyed by the Romans in AD 70. Others think the sacred Islamic shrine is close to the place where the temple stood, but not directly above it.

I use the terms al Qaeda, al Qaeda in Syria or AQS interchangeably throughout this book. Earlier that group was called the al Nusra Front and today it is sometimes known as Tahrir al-Sham or the Levant Liberation Committee.

Al Qaeda and ISIS are closely aligned at the very least, and some experts on the politics of the region believe they have now become a single jihadist organization.

Biblical prophecy has always fascinated me because I believe that every time it is fulfilled as it has been time and again throughout the centuries it proves the existence of a higher Being who is and always has been in control.

Isaiah prophesied that King Cyrus of Persia would free the Israelites and help them build the Second Temple. Isaiah 45:3, the verse on which this story is based, predicts the words of God to Cyrus, a man whom Isaiah called by name a hundred and fifty years before he was born. It was Cyrus to whom the treasures of darkness were given the holy relics stolen from the Jews. The prophet Ezra predicted that Cyrus would help the Israelites rebuild their temple. And it all came to pass, just as Isaiah and Ezra had prophesied.

This is significant because many Jews and Christians believe that the Third Temple must be rebuilt, rising like a phoenix from the spot where the Second Temple stood long ago. This will signal the end times the war of Armageddon and the end of things as we know them. The political tension between Palestinians and Jews over rebuilding the temple makes it impossible to imagine that the Dome of the Rock would be razed just so the Jews could have their site back. Some biblical scholars think that it will be destroyed by natural causes to make way for the new structure. But what if the site of the Second Temple is on the Temple Mount, but not exactly where the Dome stands? If that were the case, the Third Temple could be erected alongside the Muslim shrine.

The notion that there will be another temple in the end times comes from the book of Ezekiel. Today it is part of thrice-daily Jewish ritual prayers and is a fundamental aspect of Christian eschatology. According to an article entitled "Time to Build the Third Temple,"* in January 2017, the reestablished Sanhedrin asked the leaders of the USA and Russia to assume the role of Cyrus, fulfilling prophecy by helping the Jews rebuild their temple.

The article further states that a member of Israel's Knesset, Rabbi Yehuda Glick, who attended President Donald J. Trump's inauguration, has had discussions with prolific Turkish Islamic author and television personality Adnan Oktar, who has called for Jews and Muslims to unite in building the Third Temple next to but not in place of the Dome of the Rock. He has met with members of the Jewish Sanhedrin on this subject.

I love the thrill of adventure and I hope that someday the treasures of the Second Temple will be found. Could they have been whisked away on that night when the Romans sacked Jerusalem and burned the temple in AD 70? Perhaps in the end times when the Third Temple is rebuilt and Jesus Christ comes again we will learn the secret!

*Brinegar, R. and Robins, D. (2017, March 2). Time to Build the Third Temple. Retrieved from http://www.endtime.com

CHAPTER ONE

Jerusalem Post , Sunday, May 2

US VP Case to visit Jerusalem, dine with Lukin.

First American leader on Israeli soil since Embassy moved from Tel Aviv

There will be dramatically heightened security as American vice president Donovan Case arrives in Tel Aviv tomorrow for a two-day state visit. Case has a packed schedule of meetings and luncheons, and on the last evening he will dine with Prime Minister Avraham Lukin and his wife, Aya, at the American Colony Hotel in Jerusalem.

Tensions have been high in Israel since President William Henry Harrison IV implemented the Jerusalem Embassy Act four months ago. He ordered the facility relocated from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The embassy will temporarily share space in the building presently occupied by the United States consulate general's office. The ambassador and nearly two hundred staff are currently working in Jerusalem. The remainder of the embassy employees several hundred people will move here when a new compound and ten-story office building under construction in West Jerusalem are completed next year.

Although the Jerusalem Embassy Act has been law for two decades, every American president since Bill Clinton refused to implement it, citing concerns over national security. And those concerns now seem to be valid. Violent outbursts, rioting, protests and threats against leaders of both Israel and the United States have occurred almost daily since the move. Palestinians in Israel and Arabs in border countries are angered by America's move, which they describe as an attempt to legitimize Jewish control over Jerusalem.