Policeman assaulted trying to halt Temple Mount digPrint
Israel
Written by Chris Perver  
Wednesday, 29 August 2007 09:57
The Islamic Waqf has begun controversial destruction work on the Temple Mount that is likely to destroy many artefacts dating back to the First and Second Temple eras. The custodians of the Temple Mount began digging the 150 metre long, 1 metre deep trench across the ancient site yesterday, in order to lay water mains and electricity cables for their mosques. But the Waqf have been criticized for using a mechanical digger to construct the trench, potentially destroying artefacts dating back thousands of years. A Druze policeman attempted to bring the construction work to a halt, by entering the cab of the digger. He was thrown out during the scuffle, but jumped down into the into the trench in order to prevent more destruction. 

Quote: "Dr. Eilat Mazar, an archaeologist and a leading member of the Committee for the Prevention of the Destruction of Temple Mount Antiquities, spoke with Arutz-7's Hebrew newsmagazine about the desecration. "It is an untenable situation," she said. "Underneath the Temple Mount is a closed area, one that has barely been disturbed since the Destruction of the Second Temple. Anyone can realize that remnants of both the First and Second Temples are there, and can guess what damage is being done by the tractor. The most precious findings are just rolling around there and are available to be found - and instead they have a tractor there! If I would try to work with a tractor at one of my digs, the Antiquities Authority would stop me immediately! With a tractor, it's impossible to make any type of careful examination of the earth and pieces being dug up."

It's not the first time the Islamic Waqf have been criticized for their destruction work on the Temple Mount. A few months ago, dozens of Arab states warned that Israel risked inciting a Third Intifada if it continued excavation work at the Mugrabi gate. Muslims claimed that Israel was damaging the foundations of the Mosque of Omar, but it was later revealed that the real reason why such an outcry was made over the construction work is because Muslims do not want Israel to rebuild the only access ramp non-Muslims have to the historic site. The Islamic Waqf themselves are endangering the Temple Mount, as they dump hundreds of tonnes of rubble into the Kidron Valley in their construction of the underground mosque. The Muslims hope that by turning the entire site into a mosque, the Temple Mount will become permanently off-limits to Christians and Jews. Dozens of historical artefacts have been unearthed lately, confirming the veracity of the Scriptures. A seal and a ritual bath dating back to the First Temple period were unearthed in September, 2005. Not found at the Temple Mount but linked to its destruction, a cuneiform tablet uncovered in Iraq was found to have a Biblical connection, detailing a payment made by a Babylonian eunuch who was in Jerusalem at the time of the invasion...

Quote: "British Museum officials announced recently the discovery of a two-inch-wide, 2,500-year-old cuneiform tablet that contains details of a financial transaction by a "Nabu-sharrussu-ukin," who is called in the tablet the "chief eunuch" of Babylon King Nebuchadnezzar. That's the same person mentioned in Jeremiah 39:3—although spelled differently in different translations—as the chief officer of Nebuchadnezzar who was in Jerusalem when the Babylonians overtook the city around 587 B.C.

Artefacts from the past are a witness to us that what is recorded in the Scriptures did take place. Just as the Lord prophesied through Jeremiah of the impending invasion of Babylon, so once again the Scriptures warn us of the coming judgement of this world. Like the prophets of the Old Testament, it is our job to warn the people of what the Lord says will take place in the not too distant future. Have you heeded the warning, or like the kings of Israel, would you rather hear a different message?

1st Kings 22:8 
And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, [There is] yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.

Source Arutz 7, Florida Baptist Witness

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