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Where Is The Temple? Part I

29 Saturday Nov 2014

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Where is the Temple? Part I (Why This Question Must Be Answered)

Last week’s brutal killing of four Jewish Rabbis and an Israeli Druze policemen by two Arabs living in East Jerusalem generated outrage and condemnation from Israelis and from citizens and leaders of nations throughout the world. It was the subject of news reports and articles from a myriad of sources, including the Eye of Prophecy article entitled, And Justice for All. Sadly, the murders also produced celebrations by thousands of Palestinians who praised the killings and the killers.

In a general historical context, this merciless atrocity was yet one more manifestation of the deep hatred harbored by Arab Muslims in Israel and by Muslims the world over for the Jews, and for the very existence of a Jewish nation. Yet, there was a narrower purpose behind the murders. Like several other Palestinian lone wolf attacks against Jews in recent weeks, it’s all too clear that the incitement instigated by Palestinian leaders, not the least of whom was the Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, motivated the assassins to strike.

Ostensibly the attack on the Har Nof Synagogue worshippers was in retaliation for the death of a Palestinian bus driver, because of lies disseminated throughout the West Bank and Gaza that Jews killed the man. This despite overwhelming evidence that the driver committed suicide. But there was a deeper underlying motivation: None other than President Abbas’ not-so-veiled threat against the Jews—by encouraging all Palestinians to do whatever possible to counteract Jewish “contamination” of the Al-Aqsa mosque complex on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount.

Equally evident is that Israelis have absolutely no interest in setting foot inside the Dome of the Rock or otherwise contaminating Muslim shrines.

Abbas knows this; thus, his bellicose statement was intended to incite Palestinians to harass and even prevent Jews from visiting the Temple Mount for any reason whatsoever, certainly not to pray or worship. Despite recapturing all of Jerusalem in the Six-Day War of June, 1967, the Israelis gave supervisory administration of Temple Mount back to the Jordanians, who detest any Jewish worship or prayer on this Jewish holy site.

For Americans reading this article, especially Texans, can you imagine Sam Houston, after reclaiming the Alamo, giving it back to Mexico for administrative purposes or any other reason? But even more presumptuously … Mexican authorities refusing permission for Americans to set foot in the Alamo? I think not!

Under those conditions why does any Jew, even the Orthodox, bother to set foot on Temple Mount? Their second Temple was destroyed long ago by the Romans. When they finish their ascent to Temple Mount, all they see are Muslim shrines. Even some Israelis including leading politicians discourage Jews from visiting Temple Mount, to appease those who seek their very destruction. Yet, the question is rhetorical: The religious and national heritage established and perpetuated by this ancient sacred site of the 1st and 2nd Jewish Temples is reason enough.

Neither is Abbas oblivious to the ongoing movement of the Jewish Temple Mount Faithful and other organizations that have gained momentum in recent months to reclaim this ancient Jewish Holy Site as belonging exclusively to the Jews. Knesset Members are listening more intently to those calling for annexation of Temple Mount as part of Jerusalem proper … with the ultimate goal of rebuilding the Third Temple.

Some Tough Perplexing Questions

Some, including me, have championed the Israeli/Jewish right to the Promised Land and also their authority to rebuild the most sacred edifice ever erected in Jewish history—Solomon’s Temple. Plus the Biblically predicted fact that a Third Temple will one day be rebuilt. Please see Eye of Prophecy posts, A Third Jewish Temple, Part I & Part II, published 4-26-14 and 5-3-14.

But with this article, a reverse twist meant to dutifully challenge (with consideration, courtesy, respect, and even reverence) the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with a poignant but probing question: Where is the Temple?

What happened to it? How can any Jew embrace and practice Judaism without the ancient sacrifices, which is the fundamental reason the Tabernacle and then the Temple was built in the first place? Did the loss of the Temple affect the very core of the Jewish faith? If so, how and to what extent? In light of clear Scripture evidence that God, himself, orchestrated the destruction of Solomon’s Temple (through a pagan nation, Babylon, to punish Israel for their grievous transgressions … likewise Roman demolition of the 2nd Temple because of Israel’s unbelief), has God also done away with the very heart of his redemptive plan for mankind through Israel—reconciliation and salvation by the sacrificial shedding of blood?

Please continue with me today and for the next two articles. I believe you’ll find this to be a fascinating journey beginning some thirty-three hundred years ago at Mount Sinai. We will closely examine and follow the hallowed unerring map of Scripture that will lead us to our destination. Then decide for yourself if the question has been answered and what it really means.

But first an (obvious) disclaimer: The question, Where is the Temple, isn’t meant to be answered by a literal location. Because we know that the Temple isn’t (anywhere). It’s gone. But why? Was there a more far-reaching purpose why God allowed the Temples to be obliterated? What was/is God’s ultimate purpose for the Temple? Can that purpose be fulfilled if there is no Temple? Who, if anyone; or what, if anything, has replaced the Temple for two thousand years?

In short, how can the Jewish faith function without adhering to the entire Mosaic Law; which clearly was an equally balanced two-tier foundation of: (1) Obedience to God’s Word … pillars of laws, commands, decrees, regulations. (2) Sacrificial Offerings … the cornerstones of atonement by, blessing from, and relationship with God. Moreover, the God-ordained location for the animal sacrifices was first the Tabernacle and later the Temple, which were built on Mount Moriah, the ancient site of today’s Temple Mount. Among other requirements, only the physical entrance into the inner sanctuary (Holy of Holies) once a year by the High Priest would ensure God’s ultimate forgiveness of Israel’s sins, individual and national.

Putting it bluntly: Keeping the Ten Commandments and other regulatory decrees is only half of what is required by the Law of Moses. There must also be strict observance of the Sacrificial System as a means of reconciliation to God for breaking his law. How can God remove or even cover sin without the required sacrificial offerings commanded by God through Moses? If the Temple is rebuilt, will the reinstated burnt offerings once again certify forgiveness of sin and restoration to God?

The entire Jewish faith hinges on the Law of Moses. But without the Sacrificial System that reached its annual peak on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) to include the sacrifice of one goat in the Holy of Holies within the Temple itself for forgiveness of sins; then the release of the second (scape) goat into the wilderness to symbolically carry away the sins of the people, how can a Jew or anyone be reconciled to God.

Regarding the Day of Atonement: “On that day offerings of purification will be made for you, and you will be purified in the Lord’s presence from all your sins” (Leviticus 16:30). Then a few verses later: “This is a permanent law for you, to purify the people of Israel from their sins, making them right with the Lord once each year” (Leviticus 16:34).

We will, therefore, begin with the basic premise of the Mosaic Law: No Temple, no sacrifices. No sacrifices, no forgiveness of sins. No forgiveness of sins, no redemption.

In the Beginning

God activated his extraordinary plan of salvation for the entire human race immediately after Adam and Eve sinned against God in the Garden of Eden. Because God is omniscient, he knew that the man and women he created would misuse the free will he gave them, by deliberately choosing to disobey him; thus, he conceived a remarkable remedy that would satisfy his attributes of holiness and justice. Because the very life of mankind is sustained by blood, the sacrificial substitutionary shedding of blood would be the source of a redemptive purchase from the penalty of sin … of restoration to God.

Many know the story. Shamed by the guilt of their sin, Adam and Eve suddenly realized they were “naked.” Before they ate the fruit of the one tree that God forbade them to touch, they thought nothing of wearing only their “birthday suit” in the Garden. But when they took the fruit from the tree and ate it, “At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves” (Genesis 3:7).

But from God’s vantage point, Adam and Eve’s choice of fig leaves or any other botanical covering was totally inadequate to hide their nakedness, which now was a source of culpability before God. Meaning that their nakedness was a whole lot more than skin deep. Their very soul and spirit had been exposed before God, an exposure that revealed the ugliness of their sin and accountability for their rebellion.

Do you remember what the Lord did? First, he pronounced the penalty on Satan, then Eve, then Adam. Only after sentencing Adam and Eve did the Lord make both a literal and symbolic provision to cover their dishonor and disgrace. “And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife” (Genesis 3:21).

As many Bible commentators and teachers have correctly said: In order to provide the animal skins, God had to kill (shed the blood of) innocent animals. Thus began the fundamental source of and prerequisite to man’s redemption, which would subsequently become an essential, eternal life-giving principle and practice that began in the time of Moses—the substitutionary shedding of innocent blood in exchange for forgiveness of sin.

Not the warped child sacrifice that some depraved ungodly people have practiced down through the ages; rather the sacrifice of otherwise innocent animals. An absolutely vital truth that would eventually culminate in the greatest sacrifice of all time; one that would forever bridge the unbridgeable chasm between man and God. The sacrifice of lambs, goats, and bulls was only a temporary prototype depicting the once for all atonement of the Righteous for the unrighteous, the Just for the unjust.

“In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22).

Why shedding of blood? Because God through Moses said: “…the life of the body is in the blood. I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the Lord. It is the blood, given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible” (Leviticus 17:11).

First, the (Ten) Commandments

The entire Levitical sacrificial system was an inseparable facet of the meticulous Tabernacle design, construction, and function imparted by God to Moses. But first came the Ten Commandments … then more commandments, decrees, and regulations. Followed by detailed instructions of what to do about violations, both intentional and inadvertent, of these moral, spiritual, social, and ceremonial laws. Thus, the shedding of the blood of innocent animals accompanied with true heartfelt repentance of wrong things done constituted the remedy … the ongoing solution for breaking God’s laws.

If asked how and when the Ten Commandments were first given to the Hebrews, many Jews and even Christians who read the Bible on a regular basis would answer that the Commandments were written by the hand of God on two solid stone tablets during Moses’ forty day sojourn on Mount Sinai. And they would be correct. Well not quite, but almost!

No, it was not when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the stone tablets, then smashed them on the rocks in anger at what some of the people had done in his absence … the golden calf. Only to return to the mountain for a second set of tablets. It was before that.

“Exactly two months after the Israelites left Egypt, they arrived in the wilderness of Sinai … Then Moses climbed the mountain to appear before God. The Lord called to him from the mountain and said, ‘Give these instructions to the family of Jacob; announce it to the descendants of Israel. You have seen what I did to the Egyptians … Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation. This is the message you must give to the people of Israel’” (Exodus 19:1-6).

Moses then relayed God’s words to the people who agreed that they would, “…do everything the Lord has commanded” (Verse 8). But then God did something entirely unexpected. Up to this point, God had spoken audibly only to Moses.

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I will come to you in a thick cloud, Moses, so the people themselves can hear me when I speak with you. Then they will always trust you’” (Verse 9). Moses then relayed specific instructions to the people to get them ready for this spectacular encounter with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the true and living God.

“On the morning of the third day, thunder roared and lightning flashed, and a dense cloud came down on the mountain. There was a long, loud blast from a ram’s horn, and all the people trembled. Moses led them out from the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in the form of fire. The smoke billowed into the sky like smoke from a brick kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently. As the blast of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God thundered his reply” (Exodus 19:16-19).

“Then God gave the people all these instructions: ‘I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind….’” (Exodus 20:1-4).

The passage continues with God’s majestic powerful voice naming each one of the Ten Commandments. Thus, the Israelites first received the Commandments directly from the voice of God. What was their reaction?

“And they said to Moses, ‘You speak to us, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us, or we will die!’” (Exodus 20:19).

“Don’t be afraid,” Moses answered them, “for God has come in this way to test you, and so that your fear of him will keep you from sinning!” (Verse 20).

“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: You saw for yourselves that I spoke to you from heaven’” (Verse 22).

Following the Ten Commandments, many more instructions concerning their relationship with God and interpersonal relationships with each other were given to Moses.

“Then Moses went down to the people and repeated all the instructions and regulations the Lord had given him. All the people answered with one voice, ‘We will do everything the Lord has commanded’” (Exodus 24:3).

All of God’s Covenants have been sealed with blood, including the Covenant with Adam, Noah, and Abraham. So, too, with Moses and the Hebrews. “Then Moses took the blood from the basins and splattered it over the people, declaring, ‘Look, this blood confirms the covenant the Lord has made with you in giving you these instructions’” (Verse 8).

Another incredible thing happened: “Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders climbed up the mountain again. There they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there seemed to be a surface of brilliant blue lapis lazuli, as clear as the sky itself. And though these nobles of Israel gazed upon God, he did not destroy them. In fact, they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in his presence!” (Exodus 24: 9-11).

Amazing! More than once in Scripture, we are told that no one can look upon God and live. In this case, the Lord made an exception. However, I’m convinced that this face to face encounter with the living God was possible because God appeared in the form of the pre-Incarnate Messiah, the second Person of the Godhead, who made other appearances before he actually came to this earth, born of a Virgin.

Only after all these remarkable events did Moses actually receive the Ten Commandments in written form … the tablets. “Then Moses disappeared into the cloud as he climbed higher up the mountain. He remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights” (Exodus 24:18).

Then the Tabernacle

Not until the Law was given to Moses, then to the people, did God issue orders to build the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle. Yet even the Covenant of the Law had to be ratified with blood. This Mosaic Law was and still is the bedrock core essence of Judaism. It is practiced with a good deal of diligence and passion in today’s world, especially by Orthodox and Conservative Jews. Even liberal Jews innately recognize that being a Jew is more than genealogical; it’s identification with and (to varying degrees) participation in these sacred beliefs that ultimately define them as Jewish.

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Photo Depicts Temple Mount. Plenty of Room for 3rd Temple!

The written Law of Moses is of vital importance to the Jewish faith; it is the heart of the Torah … the first five books of the Bible. Indeed, the Ten Commandments provide the most excellent moral foundation known to mankind. Strategic, enforceable laws are built on it. Time tested values and customs thrive on it. Healthy family and social relationships depend on it. But without the ensuing Festivals and particularly the Sacrificial Offerings, any spiritual interaction and relationship with God was impossible. Because no one could or can keep every point of the Law. You break one law, you break them all.

Then the Temple replaced the Tabernacle as a much larger, more glorious, permanent building in Jerusalem; that nevertheless possessed the same blueprint design consisting of, for example, the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.

But the question cannot be skirted or flippantly brushed aside: Where is the Temple? Which then begs the question: What happened to the Sacrificial Offerings sovereignly instituted by God?

If a Jew or if any Gentile is going to stake their eternal destiny on successfully keeping/following the Mosaic Law, the Ten Commandments, or even related man-made moral/religious rules of conduct, then they must comply with two cornerstone requirements articulated and demonstrated throughout Scripture by the true and living God who issued these decrees.

  • The laws must be kept perfectly and continually, without exception. (God’s Holiness)
  • If anyone sins by breaking even one law, then they must internally—from their heart— confess their sin, ask for forgiveness; and externally demonstrate their repentance by an appeal to the High Priest for a substitutionary shedding of innocent blood to remove the guilt and stain of these sins. (God’s Grace and Mercy)

In other words, the Law without Grace can only condemn. It cannot save. Right standing with God comes only through faith in God’s sacrificial provision for every man, woman, and child.

Anticipating the Hebrews’ questions on who would succeed their High Priest, Aaron, God told Moses: “In future generations, the purification ceremony will be performed by the priest who has been anointed and ordained to serve as high priest in place of his ancestor Aaron….” (Leviticus 16:32).

But there was a High Priest who predated Aaron and Moses by hundreds of years—Melchizedek. A priest who gave Abraham the first High Priestly blessing ever given, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth” (Genesis 14:18). A priest who was also a king, which superseded the Aaronic priesthood; because after Moses’ time priests could not be kings, nor could kings be priests.

Eventually there would come a High Priest who was sinless, who didn’t need to make a sacrificial purification offering for himself. Indeed, this High Priest was a descendant from the tribe of Judah because he is also the King of Israel, who would sacrifice himself for the sins of the people … ALL people, Jew and Gentile alike.

“And no one can become a high priest simply because he wants such an honor. He must be called by God for this work, just as Aaron was. That is why Christ did not honor himself by assuming he could become High Priest. No, he was chosen by God who said to him, ‘You are my Son, Today I have become your Father … You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek’” (Hebrews 5:4-6).

Things to Ponder

Because the Temple and, therefore, the sacrificial system of sin and peace offerings were eradicated by the Romans in 70 AD, Halacha (keeping the Jewish law, the complete body of rules that Jews are bound to follow, including biblical and rabbinical commandments and binding customs) is the only viable facet of Judaism applicable to contemporary Jews.

But according to the Scriptures (Torah itself), this is not enough. God knew that no one could ever keep the law in its entirety, because every person is born with a sin nature and a nature to sin. Thus, the law was not meant to be the source of salvation. It was intended only to show us God’s perfect standard of righteousness, and how no person ever has or ever will live up to that standard. That trust in God’s marvelous plan of substitutionary sacrifice (first with animals and finally, for all time, with his Son) was the only way of salvation.

This was true long before God gave the Law and the Sacrificial Offerings to Moses and the people. “And Abraham believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith” (Genesis 15:6, italics for emphasis).

Happy New Year … Jerusalem Style!

27 Saturday Sep 2014

Posted by in The Rapture

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Happy New Year!

Blow the trumpets! Sound the shofar! Stop all work and celebrate the New Year! Eat apples dipped in honey for a sweet year ahead. Bite into a pomegranate in hope that your good deeds for the coming year will be as many as the 613 seeds of this delicious fruit. Bake challah bread and shape it into round loaves symbolizing the precious circle of life. Examine your heart and reflect on your existence. Repent for the wrong things you have done. Make amends with others that you have offended. Contemplate, but be content!

For two days beginning this past Wednesday at sundown (which is actually the start of Thursday), millions of people all over the world celebrated another New Year by engaging in these activities and more. Each day the shofar was blown one hundred times!

What New Year? The year isn’t over yet, so what’s this all about? Most of you probably know … the shofar gave it away. Yes, the people I’m referring to are Jews. Yes, their New Year is different from the rest of the world. It comes directly from the Bible as one of the seven annual festivals, also called High Holy days; anniversaries that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (the true and living God) commanded the Jews to remember.

“Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, In the seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall not do any laborious work, but you shall present an offering by fire to the Lord’” (Leviticus 23:24-25).

When the 2nd Jewish Temple was destroyed in 70 AD, there was no longer a fire offering to the Lord. In fact, the entire Jewish sacrificial offerings were eliminated … to this very day. For those of us who recognize that Yeshua (Jesus) is the Messiah, we understand that his once and for all sacrifice for our sins ended Israel’s animal sacrificial system. While Jesus was still on the cross, the Temple Veil that protected the holiest sanctuary of the Temple was mysteriously and miraculously torn apart. This miracle confirmed the New Covenant of God’s Grace, whereby every man and woman could enter the very presence of God by simply believing that Messiah Jesus purchased their salvation at the highest possible price.

“For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood … God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus” (Romans 3: 25-26).

Although the Old Covenant atonement through animal sacrifice is gone, many Jews still keep all or most of the seven holidays (Holy days). Especially, the three festivals that take place in the Jewish calendar seventh month of Tishrei, which is the overlapping Gregorian months of September and October. They are: The Feast of Trumpets or Rosh Hashana that begins on the first day of Tishrei; then Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement that begins on the tenth day of the month; then Sukkot or the Feast of Tabernacles (Booths) that begins on the fifteenth day of Tishrei.

Rosh Hashana has also become the Jewish New Year. In Hebrew, rosh means head, ha means the, and shana means year. Thus, Rosh HaShana is the head of the year or the first day of the New Year.

But wait a minute! If Rosh Hashana on the 1st of Tishrei begins a new year, then why is Tishrei the seventh month of the year? Even though the Jewish calendar consists of 30-day months (a lunar calendar) or 360 days in the year instead of the Gregorian calendar of 365 days, there are still twelve months in the Jewish year. In fact, the Bible declares that the Jewish month of Nisan is the first month of the Jewish year (overlapping our months of March and April). “The Lord’s Passover begins at sundown on the fourteenth day of the first month” (Leviticus 23:5). The seventh month can’t also be the first month.

The reason God selected Nisan as the first month is because the very first festival to be perpetually kept by the Jews was that of Passover. You remember: celebratory remembrance of Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian bondage. In effect, Israel became a nation on that inaugural Passover.

Does that mean that the Jews have two months each calendar year that are the beginning of a new year? Yes and no … mostly yes!

Two New Year’s Every Year!

For the observant (Orthodox, Conservative) Jew, but also for the less religious among them, Passover is the first High Holy Day of the year and, therefore, is the beginning of the first ceremonially religious new moon festival month of any given calendar year. But somewhere along the way, Jewish rabbis, priests, and scribes realized that the beginning of human history was much broader and more universal than when God chose Abraham to be the ancestor of the Jewish people. Although they knew that the Jews and Israel had been chosen by God to reveal himself through the Scriptures, to be a light to the Gentiles and to be the source of the Messiah, they also understood that human recording of time itself must begin with God’s creation of the first man and woman … Adam and Eve.

Whether the traditional Jewish calculation of time beginning with Adam is accurate or not, they identified the first day of Tishrei as the beginning of the first year and every New Year, thereafter. Thus, Rosh Hashana is the anniversary of Adam (including Eve even though she was created after Adam) who is the progenitor of the human race. But, they also calculated that it was the day (1st of Tishrei) that Abraham bound Isaac for the sacrifice that God mercifully withheld when Abraham demonstrated that his love for and obedience to God was greater than his love for the child promised by God … Isaac as opposed to Ishmael. So there is both Gentile and Jewish significance to Rosh Hashana, which essentially is the civil or calendar beginning of every year for the Jews. However, for religious festival purposes, Tishrei is still the 7th month of the (religious) year.

Did you get all that? If not, then just think in terms of Rosh Hashana as the first day of the new calendar year for the Jews. Tishrei 1st is the same as our January 1st. Did you also know that many Bible scholars (including me) place the time of Jesus’s birth in the month of Tishrei? But that’s another article for another day.

Naturally, Jews all over the world recognize the Roman (Gentile) or Gregorian calendar as one means of measuring time as each New Year (January 1) rolls over. In that respect, it’s just one of many accepted differences between Jew and Gentile that isn’t significant enough to merit discord or dispute that might result in hostilities between the two peoples. In fact, many Jews also celebrate January 1st alongside their Gentile neighbors, but mostly because it’s just another opportunity to party and/or to be courteous!

Yet, when it comes to commencement of world history in terms of God creating the first man (and woman) in God’s image, the Jews invariably revert to and rely on revered tradition, i.e. that the Jewish calendar is the accurate record of how long man has been on the earth.

Thus the first day of every New Year begins on the 1st of Tishrei, which by the Gregorian calendar is no sooner than September 5th and no later than October 5th. Whereas, some Jews may concede that the Gregorian measurement of time could be a viable representation of recorded history (as long as the 365 days are reduced to 360 days in a year), they adamantly refuse to accept the Gentile demarcation of time before and after Christ. Although Jews in all walks of life will, out of necessity, often refer to historical events in the same manner as Gentiles, ultimately they reserve the right to classify time without reference to BC or AD. Or the contemporary designation to eliminate any reference to Christ by using BCE and CE … before Common Era or Common Era.

The Gregorian calendar tells us that we are in the year 2014. If, however, we use the Jewish calendar, then what New Year began just three days ago? Answer: 5775. Five thousand, seven hundred, seventy-five years ago God first breathed life into Adam and he became a living soul. The Jewish year 5775 actually corresponds with the Gregorian year of 2015.

Whether we use the Jewish calendar or the Roman calendar, I’d like to redirect the emphasis of this article to some eventful milestones in recent Jewish history that correlate remarkably with the Mount Olivet discourse found in Matthew Chapters 24 & 25, in which Jesus announces his return will take place before one specific generation (what I have termed the Omega Generation) passes from the scene. Further, that this final generation will have witnessed significant events (birth pangs), to include the miraculous rebirth of Israel, which must take place before Christ returns to the earth. Although the rebirth of Israel is not specifically referenced in Matthew 24 and 25, it is a clear prerequisite to the Rapture and Physical Return of Christ to the earth, as demonstrated by dozens of Biblical prophecies, particularly in the Old Testament.

Before we define a Biblical generation and examine some key benchmark dates, let’s first review the amazing words of Jesus; a statement that specifies a generational link between the stunning events of the last days and his glorious return.

“Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place” (Matthew 24:32-34).

Definition & Applications of Generation with 20th and 21st Century Target Dates

Because this part of today’s article was addressed in a previous Eye of Prophecy article entitled, The Omega Generation, published on 2-15-14 under the category of The Rapture, I will quote from that article.

Excerpt from: The Omega Generation: (in italics)

When Jesus says, “this generation” he is not referring to some vague, unspecified, undefined, ambiguous period of time. Rather, he is identifying the precise generation that will be alive and witness the amazing end time’s events described in Matthew and Luke. In other words, this is a literal, identifiable generation. Scripture gives us two primary designations or parameters of a generation, both of which are measured in real-time.

One Hundred Years: “Then the Lord said to Abram, ‘You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, where they will be oppressed as slaves for 400 years … After four generations your descendants will return here to this land, for the sins of the Amorites do not yet warrant their destruction’” (Genesis 15: 13-15).

This is a phenomenal prophecy given to Abraham even before Isaac was born, in which God not only talks about the (many) descendants of Abraham; but hundreds of years before the fact announces that they (the Israelites) would be slaves in a foreign land (Egypt), only to return to the Promised Land of Israel. Moreover, God equates a generation to 100 years … 400 hundred years equals four generations. Think about it for a moment. Although unusual (perhaps even rare), there are people the world over who live to be one hundred … some even a few years more. Yet, 100 years of age is pretty much the maximum scope of any given lifetime or generation.

“Seventy years are given to us! Some even live to eighty” (Psalms 90:10).

This insight as to the customary lifespan of a human being was given to Moses, who is the author of Psalms 90, the only Psalm credited to Moses. Again, think about it. By and large, the normal or average lifespan of most people the world over is between 70 and 80 years of age. By seventy, virtually no more children are conceived and birthed by a woman. For all practical purposes, a person who reaches 70 years of age (perhaps a few more years) has lived a generational life-time. They have children and grandchildren who are the progeny of the next generation. King David, himself, died at exactly 70 years of age.

If Jesus is referring specifically to the last generation, and I believe the text/context is crystal clear that he is; then this generation must have a designated start-up date or dates. Without an actual event (which can be identified by a specific calendar year) to begin the generation, the 70-year or 100-year generational time frame is much too vague … meaning there’s too much overlap or ambiguity as to the actual decades involved. If you were explaining your generation to someone, what would be your reference point? How would you describe it? Wouldn’t you say, “In my generation….” Essentially, then, your reference or starting point is the date of your birth!

Using our first example of four generations of Israel’s enslavement in Egypt, God gave Abraham the point-in-time commencement of this 400 hundred years (four generations) captivity, i.e. from the time that the Jews no longer enjoyed freedom in Egypt, which was not too long after Joseph died. Another example is the 70-year Babylonian captivity, which just happened to be the exact length of the 2nd measurement of time for a generation … 70 years. Historically, we know the beginning (586 BC) and end date (516 BC) of this time-designated punishment of Israel.

Is it, then, possible to select or identify events/dates in Israel’s contemporary history that correspond to the Biblical definition of a generation … that is one hundred years and/or seventy years? The answer is a resounding, YES. In fact, we’ve already touched on these dates in the previous three articles. In addition, I partially addressed these events some time ago in the Eye of Prophecy article, entitled, When the Rapture, published 8-10-13, as well as The End of the Age article published 11-23-13.

So, let’s look again at the three monumentally crucial events of the last 100 years, relating to the return of the Jews to Israel.

  1. Balfour Declaration of November, 1917: England extended official support that Palestine could be a home for the Jews. This was the beginning of Jewish autonomy in Israel, although the land was still called Palestine at that time.

Recognizing this very important event/date, we can then apply the Biblical generational measurement of 100 years. Once again, however, we need to convert Roman calendar years to Jewish years. Doing the math we come up with 101.4 Jewish years which translates to 101 years and 5 months. From November, 1917, this would take us to March or April, 2019.

2.  United Nations Resolution of November, 1947: UN voted to grant statehood rights to the Jews; the nation would be called Israel. (May 14, 1948, David Ben Gurion proclaimed the reborn existence of the State of Israel!).

This was the 2nd significant milestone in fulfillment of hundreds of Biblical prophecies concerning the Abrahamic Covenant, i.e. the physical restoration of Israel. Most Bible scholars and historians select the statehood date of May 14, 1948 as the historical landmark, which it certainly is; however, the actual declaration of statehood was almost anticlimactic. Reason: officially, the British Mandate (rule) over Palestine expired on that date. But it was the UN Resolution that delivered the pivotal turning point or breakthrough. Without the UN resolution of November, 1947, there would have been no recognized Israeli State in May, 1948. Yet, there is only a period of 6 months separating these two events; thus, selection of either one would be a legitimate application to the 70-year generational measurement of time.

Again, doing the conversion math, we arrive at a total of 70.97 or (rounding it off) 71 Jewish years. Adding 71 years to November, 1947, we arrive at November, 2018. If we utilize May, 1948 as the benchmark date, the 71 years would take us to May, 2019.

3.  June, 1967 Six-Day War (Jubilee Years): In addition to the two Biblical measurements of a generation (100 years and 70 years), what happens if we also select the Jubilee time-frame of 50 years? As stressed in the previous seven times seven articles, the 50-year Jubilee was part of God’s formula for disciplining Israel, as the Jews also failed to keep the Jubilee. Consequently, I believe the Jubilee will also be a component part of God’s magnificent restoration of Israel.

In this instance, we will use the next epic milestone in Israel’s brief modern-history … that of the June, 1967 Six-Day War. We talked about this at great length in last week’s article, to include the fact that it occurred 50 years (not coincidentally, a Jubilee period of time) from the Balfour Declaration of 1917.

Once again we convert 50 Roman calendar years to Jewish time and we come up with: 50.7 years which is 50 years and 8.4 months (8-9 months). From June, 1967, this would take us through February or into March, 2018.

We’ll conclude today’s article with a final excerpt from Omega Generation, but first we need to determine which year of the Jewish calendar fits with the Roman calendar and its conversion to Jewish years as identified above. What then might be the Jewish calendar year when the Day of the Lord begins (with the Rapture extending through the seven-years of tribulation) and why?

Answer: The year 5777. Which begins at sundown on October 2, 2016 until Rosh Hashana approximately a year later in 2017.

Reasons: The year of 5777 fits quite nicely with the Gregorian year of 2017: One hundred year generation after the Balfour declaration, 70 years after the UN resolution of Israel’s statehood in 1947, and 50 years of Jubilee after recapture of Jerusalem in 1967.

It has everything to do with the numbers in this year. Five, then three sevens. Time doesn’t permit an in-depth examination of the number seven, or the number three (three sevens, i.e. 7, 7, 7). Except to say that both numbers are clearly and Biblically associated with God and divinity.

What about the number five? Some Christians attribute this number as symbolically depicting God’s grace and redemption. Although a case could be made to confirm this connection, an even stronger argument can be presented to establish a link between God’s gracious interactions with the Jews.

  • There are five books in the Torah or what Gentile Christians call the Pentateuch … Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. These books are also called, The Book of the Law or the Mosaic Law.
  • In the original Tabernacle there were five curtains, five pillars, five sockets, and an altar that was five cubits long and five cubits wide.
  • There were five kinds of offerings periodically required of the Hebrews: Burnt, sin, trespass, grain, and peace offerings. (Note: The entire sacrificial offering system was a demonstration of God’s grace, forgiveness, freedom from sin, and on-going restoration of the Jews. The sole purpose for these offerings was repeated atonement for breaking of God’s laws and gratitude for his pardon of their sins and provisions for their welfare).
  • There were five parts of the Holy Oil used to anoint the priests and separate all things used in the Tabernacle as holy instruments for God’s use. Moreover, this Holy Oil is a distinct representation of the Holy Spirit, given to each believer, Jew and Gentile alike, after the Covenant Age of Grace was instituted by Christ sacrifice for our sins, which ended the daily and yearly Jewish animal sacrificial system.

Summary

Back to the final excerpt quote from Omega Generation article:

Now comes the really exciting feature of all these conversion tables and what you might consider to be some boring mathematics. First, none of these three possibilities give us an exact day/hour of Christ’s return that begins with the first phase which is the Rapture and ends with his physical return at the end of the Tribulation. And that’s good. Why? Because Jesus, himself, said that no one can possibly know the day or hour of his return. I emphasize that almost to a fault in my article, When the Rapture. Therefore, I wouldn’t even pretend to know the exact date of Christ’s return, nor would I ever venture a guess. Forget it!

On the contrary, Jesus did advise us to recognize the seasons, the times, the signs, and the symptoms if you will, of his glorious return. If he didn’t want us to put 2 and 2 together, then why did Jesus provide so many clues and signals? Why would he have even used the metaphor of the fig tree in bloom? Even more challenging: Why would he have selected a time-measured or time-dedicated point of reference (generation), if he didn’t want us to identify the noteworthy bench mark events of the final days, aligned alongside the pre-Rapture birth pains and post-Rapture (Tribulation) incidents that he describes.

Things to Ponder

The Lord will return at the appointed time, which is his time alone. But that time will be on a specific day in a specific year. He might choose a date that would match up with the Jewish calendar or with the Gregorian calendar or both. Would be just like the Lord to synthesize and/or overlap these dates, by giving both the Jewish and Gentile (Christian) calendars mutual consideration and credibility as a means of identifying the equally important events of the Rapture (for the church) and physical return of Christ (on behalf of Israel).

Meaning that the beginning of the Day of the Lord, which is the Rapture, could take place during the Jewish year of 5777 through 5780, with the corresponding Gregorian years of 2016 through 2019.

Whatever the date—today, tomorrow, next year, or 2017 (5777)—I will say what I’ve said before: I would be very surprised if the Rapture doesn’t take place by the end of the year 2020!

That statement is NOT a presumptuous prediction nor is it far-fetched conjecture. Rather, I prefer to call it spiritual speculation as it is based on Biblically supported evidence by means of careful correlation between Bible passages and connection with recent historical milestones affecting the nation of Israel.

Please understand … the physical return of Christ to the earth has everything to do with Israel. The Rapture is only a prelude to the Day of the Lord, but what an overture it will be: Resurrection of the dead in Christ and the transfiguration of both the living and dead in Christ with new immortal bodies like our Lord.

And away we will go!

http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/19694/song-idf-soldiers/?

A Third Jewish Temple (Part II)

03 Saturday May 2014

Posted by in Prophecy in General

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Will There Be a Third Temple … If So, When & How

In light of recent intense media attention on Israel, Jerusalem, and the Temple Mount, people the world over have wondered if a third Jewish Temple will actually be rebuilt. My response: Absolutely! Guaranteed. By whom? By God, himself. Let’s read the words of the Jewish prophet Ezekiel who records a stunning revelation given to him by God. This vision was so comprehensive and so precise that even the date was disclosed by Ezekiel—April 28th, 573 BC … 2,587 years ago this past Monday!

“On April 28, during the twenty-fifth year of our captivity—fourteen years after the fall of Jerusalem—the Lord took hold of me. In a vision from God he took me to the land of Israel and set me down on a very high mountain. From there I could see toward the south what appeared to be a city. As he brought me nearer, I saw a man whose face shone like bronze standing beside a gateway entrance. He was holding in his hand a linen measuring cord and a measuring rod. He said to me, ‘Son of man, watch and listen. Pay close attention to everything I show you. You have been brought here so I can show you many things. Then you will return to the people of Israel and tell them everything you have seen.’ I could see a wall completely surrounding the Temple area….” (Ezekiel 40: 1-5).

This man had to be either an angel or one of the appearances of the pre-Incarnate Messiah. Some Bible scholars (I agree) believe the man to be Jesus Christ, as he calls Ezekiel the “Son of man” which was the term that God chose when speaking to or about Ezekiel throughout the book; as well as the description that Jesus used of himself as recorded in the gospels, albeit, with a divine reference. Following this remarkable introduction to the passage, chapters 40 through 48 provide a meticulous, but nevertheless magnificent, description of a rebuilt Temple.

You might reply with a legitimately good question: “Isn’t this the Jewish Temple that was rebuilt just a generation later, completed in 515 BC? The one that Herod improved while ruling over the Jews just before and a few years after Jesus was born?”

The answer is an unequivocal … even, I believe, an irrefutable, NO!

You might be thinking: such a dogmatic declaration. Is there evidence to support this statement?

Yes, there is an abundance of evidence. First, the precise measurements of Ezekiel’s Temple including the outer and interior walls were much larger than the rebuilt temple of Ezra and Nehemiah’s time, and even of Herod’s time. Secondly, there is (will be), “…a stream flowing east from beneath the door of the Temple and passing to the right of the altar on its south side” (Ezekiel 47:1). Later in the article, we’ll cover this in more detail. In Ezekiel’s Temple we find that the Shekinah glory of God has returned, meaning his very presence. See all of Ezekiel Chapter 43, but I will reference just one verse: “The Lord said to me, ‘Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place where I will rest my feet. I will live here forever among the people of Israel…” (Verse 7).

None of these conditions (and more) were present while the 2nd Temple stood. But the most obvious factor to validate that a 3rd temple will be constructed: The 2nd temple was destroyed in 70 AD by the Romans … it no longer exists. There’s nothing in Ezekiel that states or even suggests that the temple which is shown to him will be demolished; that is, as long as the present earth (and heavens) exist. And how long is that? The most common answer: for a thousand years after Christ returns to rule and reign on the earth … otherwise known as the Millennium. But I would expand that answer with what I believe is a Biblically supported premise: The rebuilt Temple will continue on the earth into Eternity. And what evidence is there to support that statement? Let’s begin with the book of Revelation.

Millennium, Infinity, and Beyond!

In the latter part of Revelation Chapter 19, we read about the final victory of Christ over the beast and kings of the world who dared to fight against the rider on the white horse, whose name was, “…Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war … and his title was the Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses … On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords” (Revelation 19:11-16). The beast and false prophet are captured and thrown into the Lake of Fire. Then, “Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse…” (Verse 21).

By the time we get to Chapter 20 of Revelation, God has poured out his wrath on the earth through the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls. Listen to the magnificent response from the host of heaven (believers and angels) to the awesome judgments of God Almighty: “Praise the Lord! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God. His judgments are true and just….” Revelation 19: 1-2). Then again in Verses 6-7: “Praise the Lord! For the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice and let us give honor to him.”

All wrongs will have been righted. All injustice will have been avenged with pure justice. All of God’s judgments will be true and just (appropriate, necessary, decisive, and justified).

Revelation Chapter 20 begins with the literal confinement of Satan in the Abyss for one thousand years. For those who believe the one thousand years is a symbolic expression of a long period of time, then why is one thousand years mentioned a total of six times? If you want to symbolize a period of time, there’s no need to specify the number (of years), and there’s certainly no need to repeat it six times. Besides, one thousand years IS a long time!

Satan is then released and immediately sets out once again to deceive the nations, gathering them together in one final attempt to destroy the kingdom of God on earth. Because of the omnipotent sovereignty of God and His Messiah, Jesus Christ, the ending here is just as anticlimactic as the capture of Antichrist and the False Prophet described in Chapter 19: “ And I saw them as they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded God’s people and the beloved city. But fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them. Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:9-10).

This stunningly quick and conclusive victory over Satan and the rebellious inhabitants of earth is immediately followed by what Scripture refers to as the white throne judgment of all unbelievers, both dead (brought back to life) and living. They, too, are “thrown into the lake of fire” which is the “second death” (Revelation 20:14).

Suddenly, the scene switches from the final judgment of all who have rejected Christ and his Kingdom on earth to what many Bible scholars simply refer to as Eternity. In the very next chapter, John is given a vision of what will transpire at the beginning of a wonderful new era between God and mankind. Read with me this remarkable description:

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne saying, ‘Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.’ And the one sitting on the throne said, ‘Look, I am making everything new!’” (Revelation 21: 1-5).

The New Jerusalem (Temple or Not)?

Following this incredible announcement is a majestic depiction of the New Jerusalem; however, to keep pace with our topic of a rebuilt temple, we’ll skip to verse 22: “I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” Also, of paramount importance: “And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city. Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life” (Revelation 21:26-27).

Two things are clear in these verses: (1) there will be NO temple in the New Jerusalem. (2) The new earth will still be inhabited by people (why would God create a new earth if there were no human beings being born to populate it); but only believers will be permitted to dwell in the New Jerusalem. Yet, there’s another phenomena: Even though there will be a New Jerusalem, the Old (current) Jerusalem will remain on the new earth. I say this with a great deal of certainty because throughout the Old Testament, we see that this Holy City of God will last forever.

For example: “The Lord says, ‘Shout and rejoice, O beautiful Jerusalem, for I am coming to live among you. Many nations will join themselves to the Lord on that day, and they, too, will be my people. I will live among you … The land of Judah will be the Lord’s special possession in the holy land, and he will once again choose Jerusalem to be his own city’” (Zachariah 2: 10-12). Also, see Zechariah 8: 20-23, which includes, “The people of one city will say to the people of another, ‘Come with us to Jerusalem to ask the Lord to bless us. Let’s worship the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. I’m determined to go’” (Verse 21).

The New Jerusalem is described as a city, but when we read the details in Revelation Chapter 21 (including the huge dimensions … 1400 miles long, 1400 miles wide, and 1400 miles high!) we realize that it’s much more than just a city. It will be larger than any nation on the earth … factoring in the 1400 mile height of the city!

So what about the 3rd rebuilt Temple and/or Ezekiel’s Temple? Just as the earthly city of Jerusalem will remain forever, so will Ezekiel’s Temple. To support this conclusion, we read the following: “In the end, the enemies of Jerusalem who survive the plague will go up to Jerusalem each year to worship the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, and to celebrate the Festival of Shelters. Any nation in the world that refuses to come to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, will have no rain” (Zechariah 14:16-17).

Then verse 21: “In fact, every cooking pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. All who come to worship will be free to use any of these pots to boil their sacrifices. And on that day there will no longer be traders in the Temple of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”

The plague referenced in this verse refers to the final defeat of all nations who fought against Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:12). When correlated with other passages of Scripture, we know this to be the final battle of Armageddon (for example, see Revelation 19:11-21). In fact, Zechariah 14:16 begins with, In the end, meaning the conclusion of the Great Tribulation. The annual Festival of Shelters or Booths (Sukkot in Hebrew) is the only festival in which God will require that all nations send representatives to attend. Why? Because the Festival of Booths is a remembrance of God’s provisions, protection, but most of all his presence among his people … going all the way back to Israel’s wanderings for forty years in the wilderness before entering the Promised Land.

Then we’re told that the sacrificial system will be ongoing, right down to the use of holy pots/pans (dedicated or set aside for this special purpose) to cook the sacrifices. And the Temple will, in fact, exist; because traders (merchants) will no longer be allowed in the Temple.

Though it’s crystal clear in Scripture that the sacrifice of Messiah’s blood and life was once and for all time to replace the Levitical sacrificial system, that doesn’t mean that animal sacrifices will not be resumed. According to Daniel Chapter 9, sacrifices and offerings will be reinstated during the seven-year treaty (Tribulation) with Israel. It’s just that the reason or purpose for them will be changed and understood by all after the Tribulation. Everyone will plainly comprehend that animal sacrifices are not the means of/to salvation; instead they will be a means of remembrance for what Christ accomplished in the past.

Ezekiel not only describes the dimensions and qualities of the Temple in extraordinary detail, but he also expounds with equally fascinating features regarding requirements of the Levitical priests and of animal sacrifices. To repeat: animal sacrifice is no longer a means of atonement for sin. Only personal belief in and acceptance of the final sacrifice of Jesus Christ can take away our sin and its penalty. So, please don’t confuse my premise that both the Temple and Temple activities (such as animal sacrifice) will continue throughout the Millennium (and beyond) with the idea that people will be redeemed by such sacrifices. That was not true under the Law of Moses, and certainly not true in the New Covenant Age of Grace, which began with the death, burial, and resurrection of Messiah. I am not in any way contradicting the entire book of Hebrews or dozens of other Biblical passages that tell us salvation is possible only by total trust in the grace of God-given to us through the finished work of Christ on the Cross.

Desecration of the (Rebuilt) Temple

As many students of Biblical prophecy know, the temple will be defiled by a ruler (known as the beast or Antichrist of the New Testament) as graphically depicted in Daniel 9:26-27. The armies of that ruler (read Out of the Abyss … can the number of the beast be solved, 666, or Eye of Prophecy articles in the category of Antichrist for the identity of this man) destroyed the 2nd Temple in 70 AD, as predicted by Daniel in Verse 26. Upon the return of this ruler (from the Abyss), he will make a seven-year covenant with Israel, but then break the treaty after 3 ½ years by putting a halt to the (temple) sacrifices and offerings, only to erect a sacrilegious object that violates the Temple. Although Daniel 9 doesn’t specifically tell us that it will be the temple that is desecrated, Jesus, himself identifies the “…sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place” (Matthew 24:15). There’s only one Holy Place for the Jews—none other than the Holy of Holies found in the inner sanctuary of the Temple. So, any observant Jew reading Daniel 9:27 would fully comprehend that the only place that could actually be defiled would be the Holy Place of a rebuilt Temple.

Why rebuild the Temple? The umbrella answer: It is part of God’s sovereign plan for the Jews and for Israel. Accordingly, most Jews today (even many secular Jews) are passionate about two things: the coming of Messiah and reconstruction of the Temple. But more specifically, it will undoubtedly be the cornerstone, indeed, the only way for the ruler or beast or Antichrist to negotiate and implement a treaty-like agreement with Israel. In exchange for what? For a promise of peace between Muslim and Jews—the kind of peace that the United States and governments all over the world are trying to establish in the Middle East, as reported by journalists and commentators nearly every day.

When will this 3rd Temple be rebuilt? Answer: Immediately following the Rapture, then the reappearance of the beast of Revelation. Another source to confirm a rebuilt Temple is found in Revelation Chapter 11, when Revelation’s author John was told to, “…Go and measure the Temple of God and the altar, and count the number of worshippers. But do not measure the outer courtyard, for it has been turned over to the nations. They will trample the holy city for 42 months” (Revelation 11:1-2). Why not measure the outer courtyard? Because that is the court (yard) reserved for the Gentiles, present in both the 1st and 2nd Temples. In the case of the 3rd Temple, Antichrist will take over the court of Gentiles and then the Inner Sanctuary itself.

What will happen to the 3rd Temple? As indicated, it will be desecrated by the Antichrist, but there are no prophecies in Scripture to indicate it will be destroyed; contrasted to the first two temples of which destruction was prophesied for both of them. After the glorious return of Messiah Jesus at the end of the seven-year Tribulation, I’m equally convinced this Temple (constructed soon after the Rapture) will be reconfigured to match precisely the dimensions and requirements stipulated in/for Ezekiel’s Temple. Or, it might completely replace the 3rd Temple; the Bible doesn’t specify one way or another.

But we can’t dismiss out-of-hand the fact that there will be a rebuilt 3rd Temple (with animal sacrifices and offerings) during the Tribulation. And there’s nothing in Scripture to indicate that the Temple (and offerings) won’t continue into the Millennium, and even after the Millennium. Conversely, there is solid evidence to show that Temple offerings/sacrifices will be on-going.

What about the communion service among believers as the means to remember our Lord’s death on the cross? I believe it will no longer be necessary once Jesus returns. “For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again” (I Corinthians 11:26, italics for emphasis). Once Christ returns, there’s no need for a continuing announcement or remembrance of his death, at least not through communion.

New Jerusalem … Old Jerusalem?

For the Jews, the rebuilt 3rd Temple in the historic holy city of Jerusalem will be their special place of worship and remembrance of Messiah’s redemption for them and for the whole world, right up to and through the time of the new heavens and earth. Indeed, there will be a New Jerusalem. But there also will be the Old Jerusalem, alive and well and flourishing on Planet Earth.

Despite the evidence already presented, if you have any doubt about both a New Jerusalem and the Old Jerusalem, then read with me from Isaiah:

“Look, I am creating new heavens and a new earth, and no one will even think about the old ones anymore. Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation! And look! I will create Jerusalem as a place of happiness. Her people will be a source of joy” (Isaiah 65: 17-18). Note: in this section of the chapter it’s important to grasp the incredible fact that the Lord will first create a new heaven and earth (which is exactly what Revelation 21 tells us), before we read what comes next. Also, the phrase create Jerusalem isn’t referring to creation of the New Jerusalem. Rather the word create in the context of the passage means to make or making Jerusalem a happy place (to live).

Then in the remainder of Isaiah Chapter 65, Isaiah paints a vivid picture of what life will be like on the new earth (not the New Jerusalem, but on the earth itself). Not the least of which is, “No longer will babies die when only a few days old. No longer will adults die before they have lived a full life. No longer will people be considered old at one hundred! Only the cursed will die that young! In those days people will live in the houses they build and eat the fruit of their own vineyards. Unlike the past, invaders will not take their houses and confiscate their vineyards. For my people will live as long as trees, and my chosen ones will have time to enjoy their hard-won gains” (Isaiah 65:20-22).

Do you see what Isaiah is saying? Unlike the New Jerusalem, which is the city built by God, full of mansions (rooms) prepared for believers by Christ himself (see John 14); a city with no need of the sun or moon, for the glory of the Lord illuminates it, the ancient city of Jerusalem in the land of Judah (Israel) will still be present on the new earth. And its inhabitants (mostly Jews) will “live in the houses they build and eat the fruit of their own vineyards.” Whereas, everything in the New Jerusalem will be totally built and provided by God, himself. Do you see the difference?

In the New Jerusalem, there will be, “…a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations” (Revelation 22: 1-2). And, as a reminder, there is no Temple in the New Jerusalem.

When describing the rebuilt temple, Ezekiel says: “In my vision, the man brought me back to the entrance of the Temple. There I saw a stream flowing east from beneath the door of the Temple and passing to the right of the altar on its south side” (Ezekiel 47:1, italics for emphasis). Notice that the stream (or river) flows from beneath the Temple door; but the river in the New Jerusalem flows from the throne of God.

Then later in this chapter, Ezekiel describes the length and directional flow of this river. Of particular interest is what he saw on both sides of the river: “When I returned, I was surprised by the sight of many trees growing on both sides of the river” (Ezekiel 47:7). Then later in this passage the man (pre-incarnate Christ) showing Ezekiel all of these things states: “Fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. There will be a new crop every month, for they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing” (Verse 12). Though there are similarities with the trees of the New Jerusalem (new crop each month and leaves for healing), there are some distinct differences.

In the New Jerusalem there are only two trees, one on each side of the river. And the river flowed down the center of the main street. In Ezekiel, there are (many) “fruit trees of all kinds (that) will grow…” *Note: The river trees of Ezekiel’s Temple will produce fruit for the people of the earth. The fruit of New Jerusalem’s trees will be for the saints who reside in that city. The leaves of all of the these trees will be for healing and medicine, with, I believe, the two trees of the New Jerusalem providing cures for ailments/diseases that even the Temple trees cannot cure! It’s much like the Levitical sacrifice of animals that covered sin, but could not remove it. Only Messiah’s sacrifice was the final cure for sin.

But the most compelling or convincing distinction of all (to demonstrate that these are different rivers and trees) is that the Temple river in Ezekiel flows to the Dead Sea and will make the Dead Sea waters fresh again, with an abundant supply of fish that, “…will fill the Dead Sea, just as they fill the Mediterranean” (Ezekiel 47:10). The Dead Sea will not be relocated to the New Jerusalem!

Chronological Summary

Rapture of the Church (Body of Christ). This could happen any day now!

Reappearance of the Beast (Antichrist) from the Abyss.

Seven-Year Treaty with Israel, to include reconstruction of the 3rd Temple and reconstitution of the Jewish Levitical Sacrificial System.

Forced cessation of offerings/sacrifices by Antichrist 3 ½ years into the treaty.

Beginning of the Great Tribulation (Times of Jacob’s Troubles) that will last for 3 ½ years.

Triumphant Return of Christ to end the Great Tribulation (Just before or just after will be the desecration of the Temple by Antichrist … see Daniel 12:11).

Complete conquest/victory by Messiah (and the host of heaven) over Antichrist and his enemies that join him. The beast and false prophet will be thrown into the Lake of Fire.

Confinement of Satan for 1000 years in the Abyss.

Rule and reign of Christ on the earth from Jerusalem, along with all believers.

Release of Satan from the Abyss after 1000 years.

Final battle of all time (Gog/Magog) when God destroys by fire all the nations that come against Jerusalem, led by Satan himself.

Satan thrown into the Lake of Fire.

Great White Throne Judgment of all unbelievers, both dead and alive. They, too, will be cast into the Lake of Fire.

Creation of a new heaven and a new earth.

The New Jerusalem descends from heaven.

The advent of Eternity, where all born-again believers with resurrected, glorified bodies will inhabit the New Jerusalem.

Life will continue on the earth, with the Old City of Jerusalem the very center of all life, including worship/sacrifices in the new Temple.

Things to Ponder

Construction for Solomon’s Temple and the 2nd Temple both began on the 1st day of the Hebrew month Iyar. We are currently in the Hebrew calendar month of Iyar. I’m wondering if work will begin on the future 3rd Temple on this same date. Also, both the 1st and 2nd Temple were destroyed on the 9th day of Av (July-August Roman calendar). But the final temple won’t be destroyed. In fact, during the Millennium (and beyond), the traditional fasts and times of mourning will be no more. Thus, for example, Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) will become exclusively a day of celebration much like Passover and Tabernacles are now. (See Zechariah 8: 18-19).

Interesting?!