How did I miss this?

Forgive my absence, but I feel as if I have been in the salt mines for the last few weeks, and my muse has been very quiet, but I figured the best way to write something is to start writing. Profound, huh?
I did hear something very interesting the other day that I can't believe I had missed. Apparently, at some point last year, in Israel, the Sanhedrin was re-convened for the first time since 425 A.D. (C.E) when they convened in Tiberius. The Sanhedrin is the religious high court for the Nation of Israel, and is responsible for regulating religious life in Israel. This is the court Jesus appeared before. One of the rabbinic prophecies relating to the Sanhedrin is the belief that the Messiah will appear before the Sanhedrin and be recognized. Within the first few weeks of being reassembled, they began to consider what can only be described as the 800 lb. gorilla in the corner of the room -- a new Temple. They began to look into verifying the location of the ancient Temple, which is not as simple as it might seem.
There are two main schools of thought on the location of the Temple. The concept that most people are familiar with is that the Temple is located on the same site as the Dome of the Rock. This is entirely possible, but I have read a few articles and done a little research on the other theory and it is very interesting. The other school of thought is that the Temple was located on the north end of the Temple Mount, a site that is empty except for a small cupola over a patch of exposed bedrock. The original tradition is that there were two holy spots on Mount Moriah, the spot where Abraham build the altar to sacrifice Isaac, and the site where the ram was caught in the thicket. The dome of the rock covers one of these locations, and this small cupola covers the other site. One of the most convincing facts that the Temple stood at the north end of the Temple Mount is that according to ancient accounts, the east-west centerline of the Temple passed through the Eastern Gate. The Eastern Gate that you can see today in Jerusalem was not the same one standing when the Temple was standing, but the remains of the original Eastern Gate can be seen beneath the modern one.
A scripture that sheds light on this scenario is "I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, 'Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there. But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.'" (Revelation 11:1-2 NIV) IF you were to rebuild the Temple on the north end of the Temple Mount, including all areas except the Outer Courts, you would be left with 6 meters between the Temple and the Dome of the Rock, with the Dome occupying where the Outer Courts would have been, which fits with the scripture.
You might be asking yourself - So? Whats the big deal? Won't PETA throw the mother of all hissyfits if the Jews start sacrificing animals again? (Which is exactly what the Sanhedrin is intending to do)
Well I won't touch that last question, I thought I'd just cause a little trouble. As to the other questions, though, it is important to us as Christians because it is another sign that the return of Christ is growing closer, and the time of Gentiles is nearing an end. One of the features of the Tribulation in the book of Revelation is when the Anti-Christ enters the Temple, stops the sacrifice, and proclaims himself God. For this to happen there has to be a Temple and Temple service will have to be reconstituted. Most of the other pieces are waiting in the wings. There is a Yeshiva School in Jerusalem training priests, most of the Temple articles have been crafted, from the altar tools to the High Priest's garments. The reconvening of the Sanhedrin is a major step toward these things happening very soon.
Granted, the political situation on the ground isn't necessarily conducive to the Muslims allowing the Jews to build a Temple on the Temple Mount (the Muslim religious authorities, after all have jurisdiction over the Temple Mount) but that is up to God and he can make it happen in his time, which might be very soon, and it will probably happen in a way nobody predicted.

Maranatha - come Lord quickly
but also - Sha'alu Shalom Yerushalayim - Pray for the peace of Jerusalem