There is great joy in my heart in writing this Newsletter [formerly, Communicator] because my new book on the Temples should be in most of your hands by now and this pleases me very much. I will have more to say on the book in a moment. But first, note that I am changing the Communicator to Newsletter. The contents and style that you were used to in the Communicator will stay the same. Only the name will be changed. The reason for the change in name is because in Internet terminology everyone knows what a Newsletter is, but they have no idea what a title such as the Communicator might mean. And the whole world is going over to the use of the Internet (the Internet in five years’ time will be as known and used by all sections of society as television and the telephone are used today). We have to make the messages of the Gospel that ASK presents in a simple and attractive format that all can easily understand. So, from now on you will receive the A.S.K. Newsletter each month and it will no longer be called the Communicator.

The joy that I have in knowing that my new book on the Temples is in your hands comes because I believe that you can now see that it is not simply the location of the Temple in the time of Herod and Christ that is important (though that information itself will show how careless the religious authorities of the three Abrahamic faiths have been over geographical matters in regard to the Jerusalem of old). The fact is, when you analyze the matter carefully, that book opens up whole sections of the Psalms to a thorough geographical and theological understanding because we now know for certain WHERE and WHAT the Psalmists were talking about when they wrote their compositions some 2500 to 3000 years ago. Yes, and whole sections of the Prophets and the historical sections of the Holy Scriptures come alive as never before, when the true location of the Temples is known. I believe that this new book on the Temples is a part of the restoring of the truth the apostle Peter talked about in Acts 3:19-21 and what Daniel spoke about in Daniel 12:4 and 9.

Now don’t go saying that Doctor Martin is beginning to brag that he is the divine instrument of God to bring this new and important information to the knowledge of God’s people. No, I have NEVER claimed to be any kind of special person (or any so-called unique Man of God) to bring these truths to you. What I will say is that I am a pretty good historian and that I have done my homework (and I expect to be rewarded by my heavenly Father for the long and heavy work that I have done with a good measure of "blood, sweat and tears" accompanying my efforts in presenting my historical works and the Gospel of the biblical revelation to the world in the best way I know how). I can assert with utter confidence that the main points I have presented in my book "The Temples that Jerusalem Forgot" are true and accurate (in spite of the fact that the subject is so vast that there may be some small errors that scholars call "twigs" that still need to be ironed out). If any of you find any pro or con in my book that needs rectifying to bring even the "twigs" into accordance with truth, I would consider it a favor if you let me know and I will correct it on the Web Page.

What I intend to do is to have an on-going Update for Temple matters on our Web Page on the Internet each month. If needed, I will gladly revise anything that you or anyone might submit that accords with the truth. It is not possible, though, for me to enter into private correspondence with anyone on the matter because that often takes so much time for each person that my general work for the whole of A.S.K. is jeopardized with such individual correspondence. Still, let me tell you my confidence. The main thrust of my book (that the Haram esh-Sharif is Fort Antonia and that all the Temples of God were located over and near the Gihon Spring) will remain like the Rock of Gibralter in showing forth the truth of God’s divine revelation in the Holy Scriptures and history. For a full view of an artist’s impression of Fort Antonia and the Temple in the south, remember to look inside the back cover of the book and you will find a pullout illustration that gives the view in Jesus’ time. I want to thank each of you personally who is associated with A.S.K. who has provided your monetary donations, encouragement and prayers for me in order for me to complete this new book. That is why I dedicated the book not only to Ramona, my dear wife, but also to each of you who is an Associate and helped A.S.K financially. It is with deep gratitude that I thank each of you. God bless you.

In reality, I have so much more to write on the subject that I could have delayed the book until summer (and included ten more chapters and made the book to be 750 pages), but I thought such a book would be too bulky and, after all, I could give the main and essential teaching to identify the real site of the Temples in a 500 page book. For the rest of the material that I have collected that is essential to the subject, I plan to offer a new chapter each month for the next twelve months on the Internet. That will represent a Supplement to the book, and it will help to make things even clearer to you all. You can read my Introduction to the Temple Update in the new Temple Report that follows this Newsletter. You should also order the first installment of this series that begins next month. That Temple Report is titled: "How the Jews Lost the Temples’ Site."

The central core information, however, is already in the book. Even now, I have a score of scholars who have read the book, and I have got wonderful accolades for the historical and biblical work that the book on the Temples provide (some of them, rightly so, are taking time to read the material closely before making a full judgment on this brand new information). To the majority of scholars the information is so revolutionary. Let me tell you how I am different from most other scholars who teach in the universities and colleges (as I once did). My policy is to take the new research in biblical and historical matters and immediately expose it directly to the general public (once I have basically completed my research). My policy is to publish first and talk later. This is very different from most of the scholars in this world. What they normally do is to write a short article about their new theory and then get feedback. Then, two or three years later, they write a longer account and send it to scholars around the world where they can have two or three years to evaluate it. Then, after about ten years, the author gets up enough courage to publish the first book on the subject. This procedure is diametrically opposite of my manner of teaching. I do the research and then submit it to the general public and then I let the scholars argue about it after it is the hands of people who often have the most common sense in making decisions on such matters. I believe it was Buckley who said he would rather trust the judgment of the first 2000 people listed in the Boston telephone directory than the 2000 dons who teach at Harvard University. I agree with him. However, there are scholars who are really on the ball.

I would like to give you one Review from a friend of mine who has more degrees from prestigious Universities that anyone else I know. He has been following my work for several years (this is why he is no stranger to it) and I thank him for his review. It is from Dr. Michael Germano. He says about my new book:

"This is an unexpected, exceptional analysis of the historical and archaeological data of the Temples of Jerusalem. This new explanation of the venue of the First and Second Temples provides the solution to heretofore incongruous statements in Josephus with the evidence of the biblical and archaeological records. Not only a work of significant scholarly impact it may well serve as the awaited stimulus for the building of Jerusalem's Third Temple by shifting our collective focus from the Haram esh-Sharif to the area of the Gihon Spring." [Dr. Michael P. Germano, Editor, bibarch.com. Professor Emeritus Ambassador University, a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and who holds earned doctorates from the University of Southern California and the University of La Verne. He has completed post-graduate study in anthropology, archaeology, and theology at Southern Methodist University and Texas A&M University at College Station in Texas. You can contact him at PO Box 2494 Cullowhee, NC 28723-2494. It is my pleasure to recommend his excellent BibArch Web Site that explores the world of biblical archaeology. It is fully scholarly and is at http://www.bibarch.com ].

And though Dr. James Tabor is very busy and he has not had time to read the research closely (he has two archaeological digs going on in Israel this summer, plus being active in producing a brand new Bible translation, and his schedule for teaching at the University of North Carolina is full and demanding), he graciously gave me a "preliminary critique" of my work on the Temples. I am overjoyed with his evaluation as I am with that of Dr. Germano and of others who have given some "first impressions" (quite favorable). Note what Dr. Tabor has to say about the work on the location of the Temples. He has written it in academic style (not personal or familiar style) that is intended to be placed in any scholarly journal.

"When I first read of Ernest L. Martin's thesis that both the 1st and 2nd Jewish Temples, those of Solomon and Herod, were located south of the presently accepted Dome of the Rock location--down in the area of the ancient City of David over the Ophel spring, my reaction was short and to the point--impossible, preposterous!! Having now read his arguments I am convinced this thesis, however revolutionary and outlandish it first appears, deserves careful, academic and critical consideration and evaluation. I am not yet convinced that Martin has ironed out all the problems or handled all the potential objections, yet he has set forth a case that should be heard. His arguments regarding the size of the Fortress Antonia, based on Josephus and other evidence we have about Roman military encampments, must be addressed. He also makes a most compelling argument based on Luke, writing a decade or so after the 70 C.E. destruction, and obviously wanting to report on the lips of Jesus an accurate prediction of the state of things regarding "not one stone left upon another" in the post-War city of Jerusalem. Historians of the Byzantine, Islamic, and Crusader periods are more qualified to judge his arguments from subsequent epochs, however, my initial reading of Martin's presentation has left me with the same impression--all of this evidence needs to be reexamined in the light of this radical proposal. Martin's thesis is so bold, so utterly non-conventional, and so potentially upsetting, radically altering central aspects of the theological, historical, cultural, and political understanding of Jerusalem and its holy places, it should not be ignored. I hope Martin's book will begin a most interesting debate and critical discussion of all relevant issues."

Prof. James D. Tabor, 
Dept. of Religious Studies, 
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 
Charlotte, NC 28223.

In closing, I want to thank you readers again from the bottom of my heart for the support and the encouragement that all of you give who support us on the A.S.K. mailing list. I cannot operate without your continued and consistent financial contributions. In my view, we have a great job to do in presenting the Gospel of Christ Jesus to the world in these last days. The time is coming when we will not be able to have the freedom to teach as we do now, and I pray that all of you will have the gumption and the fortitude to get on the Father’s bandwagon and give us as much support as you can to help us restore the Gospel to the world and to exalt our Elder Brother and His message to the world. May the Father and Christ Jesus bless you all. Until next month,