20 years ago: Israel arrests and deports Concerned Christians as possible security threat

On January 3, 1999, Israeli authorities arrested members of the American group Concerned Christians, and had them deported. The Israelis were themselves concerned that the American organization, 60-80 of whom had disappeared from their homes and jobs in Colorado in October 1998, were planning to blow up the Al-Aqsa mosque on Jerusalem's Temple Mount in order to pave the way for the rebuilding of the Temple in fulfillment of biblical prophecy.

There are those, such as Israeli archaeologist Asher Kaufman, who believe that the location of the Temple wasn't exactly where it's commonly believed to have been, and that it could be rebuilt without having to destroy the Al-Aqsa mosque. Indeed, while the Bible does prophesy that the Temple will be rebuilt, I'm not aware of any prophecies that existing structures will necessarily have to be destroyed in order for this to take place.

Just because the Bible prophesies certain events doesn't mean that professing Christians should take it upon themselves to initiate the fulfillment of those prophecies. It took this blogger only a few seconds of glancing at the home page of Concerned Christians to conclude that this organization is, to borrow a phrase out of context from an old friend, "cult city," and that its leader, Kim Miller, is a false prophet. Whenever someone claims to have direct revelation from God, claiming the title "Prophet of the Last days," with a unique ability to unseal Bible prophecy, beware, and avoid him and his organization. When I think of someone who claimed to receive such direct revelation, particularly when it came to unsealing last-days prophecies, I think of the late David Koresh, who perished with the rest of the Branch Davidians on April 19, 1993, at the end of their standoff against U.S. government agents at the organization's compound in Waco, Texas.