By Israel Today Staff
According to a centuries-old rabbinical prophecy that appears to be coming true, on March 16, 2010, Israel will begin construction of the Third Temple in Jerusalem.
During the 18th century, the Vilna Gaon, a respected rabbinical authority, prophesied that the Hurva Synagoge in Jerusalem, which was built during his day, would be destroyed and rebuilt twice, and that when the Hurva was completed for the third time, construction on the Third Temple would begin.
The Hurva Synagogue was first destroyed shortly after its initial construction when Muslims demanding the return of loans tore it down. The synagogue was rebuilt a hundred years later and became the most important Jewish house of worship in the Holy Land, only be blown to pieces by Jordanian troops during Israel’s 1948 War of Independence.
In 2001, Israel finally decided to rebuild the landmark, which today stands in the center of the Jewish Quarter in Jerusalem’s Old City. The building is scheduled to be completed and the Hurva Synagogue dedicated for the third time on March 15 of next year.
I have been waiting for the day of this Third Temple. My Brother and I will be pleased to come visit. It’s been our goal to see this Temple built in our lifetime and now it is finally happening. Good thing, too, April 18th is just 33 days after March 16th.