Bøger af Toni C. Clark

An angel of God came to an old priest while serving in the Holy Temple and told him his prayer would be answered. Zechariah and his aged wife would bring a son into the world, and he would be called John. The angel said John would be a joy and delight to Zechariah and Elizabeth, and many would rejoice because of his birth. John was destined to prepare the way in the spirit and power of Elijah for the coming Messiah. He took his first breath in Ein Kerem, not far from the Holy Temple. Six months later, by miraculous conception, John's cousin was born in Bethlehem, and his name was Jesus. He was born to be a ruler and king of all people.As small children, John and Jesus escaped the wrath of King Herod, who massacred the innocents to secure his throne. John was taken to the hills of Ein Kerem to hide, and Jesus was carried to Egypt. After the king died, the children were brought from their havens. They often played together, keeping childhood secrets and sharing their dreams. They grew to be men, strong in spirit and hopeful.John struggled to understand his purpose but believed Jesus was the Messiah who would free Israel's people from Rome's tyranny. Finally, in fulfillment of his purpose, John went through Judaea and preached repentance, making the way for the Messiah. He was then arrested by Herod Antipas, the son of the man who had murdered the children of Bethlehem. For nearly two years, John was in a dark prison cell, tormented by loneliness and the king's taunting. He struggled to understand where he had failed, and he began to wonder if Jesus was the one. Then he found his answer.

The temples of God are of profound historical and future significance to Jews, Christians, and all of humanity.The original temple was in the Garden of Eden, created not by man's hands, but by God. After sin came to the Garden, Adam and Eve began the lineage of mankind and from their roots came Jacob's twelve sons and the Hebrew tribes. King David was a descendant of the tribe of Judah, and his son, Solomon, built an amazing temple in Jerusalem. It was where God's presence and glory would reside. God told Solomon he would reject the temple if he or his descendants did not live with righteousness. Solomon's temple was ultimately destroyed.Following a tumultuous period of wars, the second temple was built in Jerusalem by the Jewish exiles returning from Babylon. It was not as ornate as the first, but its magnificence was prophesied--and then came the temple rebuild by Herod the Great. His role in mankind's history, including his violent kingship and the Massacre of the Innocents, fulfilled prophecy.The birth of Jesus Christ and his death and resurrection also fulfilled prophecy. His activities in the second temple were profound--including his prediction of the destruction of Herod's temple and all of Jerusalem. The obliteration occurred in AD 70.Mankind's history then passes through eras of wars and conquest, leading to the hope for a third temple. It will be built in Jerusalem just prior to the Tribulation. Like all the temples of the past, it is prophesied to be defiled and destroyed.At the end of mankind's earthly history, the final temple will be built by God, after Jesus Christ's second coming--it will be glorious beyond imagination. Jesus will reside there, with his chosen people. Who is among the chosen?