First off, thanks for all the replies to my original post titled "not starting". I wanted to chime in and tell everyone what the outcome was.
Background: 96 4 runner ran great, parked in garage overnight, wouldn't start after that. We checked the plugs, timing belt and anything else we could check. We then replaced the fuel filter and fuel pump. Long shot - changed out the battery.
When we were at the end of our ropes we had it towed to a local Toyota dealership. The mechanic called me about 3 hours later and asked what was wrong with the truck since they have been driving it around the lot for about an hour! He said the tow truck lowered it down and they tried to start it. Low and behold, it started right away. He said it ran rough for a few minutes and blew out some black smoke but he hooked it up to the diagostic computer and no trouble codes were apparent. I'm not sure what the ultimate problem was but it is again running like a dream.
I guess the lesson is that tow trucks do serve a purpose...they scare your vehicle into working.
Will

 

Well, I am your truck was coaxed back to life.