Then
the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them
a sign from heaven. He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say,
‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; “and in the morning, ‘It will be
foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know
how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the
times. Matthew 16:1-3 NKJV
I
think most of us who believe in the imminent rapture of the Church would agree
that we are living in what could accurately be called the times of the
signs. A quote I am sure that most of
you have heard concerning the times we are living in goes something like this;
“when you see the Christmas decorations going up, you know that Thanksgiving is
near”. So too, we as the Church are
seeing the preparations for the events which we are told will occur during the
seven year period called the tribulation, which follows the removal of the
Church to be with our Father in heaven.
In
the passage from the book of Matthew, the religious leaders were asking for a
sign from Jesus. I have always found
this amusing considering Jesus had just fed the four thousand with seven loaves
and fishes. My question has always been,
just what would it take to convince them?
I believe the obvious answer is that there was nothing Jesus could have
done, and Jesus Himself believed it as well because He told them that the only
other sign they would receive was His resurrection. Just as in Jesus’ day, we find today that
there are many who still are not convinced we are not living in the end times
in spite of what we see happening all around us.
While
some might wonder about where the actions of our current government place us in
the scheme of end times events, I think it very telling that the position and
support our President has towards the nation of Israel seems to be so
overwhelmingly positive. One cannot help
but wonder just what moves might the nation of Israel make now that they have
such positive support from our administration? If you recall, one of the first things the
reestablished Sanhedrin did after the election of President Trump was to ask
both President elect Trump and Russian President Putin to facilitate the
rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem.
When I first read that my immediate reaction was to remember the
question from the passage above and wonder, “How’s this for a sign?” Then, this past week the following article
appears in response to President Trump recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s
capital.
Christians
and Jews Now Compare Trump to Persian King Cyrus – Will He Build the Third
Temple?
Of
course, most would hold the opinion that the odds of rebuilding a temple for
the Jews would be astronomical. However,
if you know your Bible, then you know that we are told there will in fact be
one in the near future.
“And
beside the border of Judah, from the east side to the west side, shall be the
allotment which you shall set apart, 25,000 cubits in width, and in length like
one of the portions, from the east side to the west side; and the sanctuary
shall be in the middle of it. “The allotment that you shall set apart to the
LORD shall be 25,000 cubits in length and 10,000 in width. “The holy allotment
shall be for these, namely for the priests, toward the north 25,000 cubits in
length, toward the west 10,000 in width, toward the east 10,000 in width, and toward
the south 25,000 in length; and the sanctuary of the LORD shall be in its
midst. Ezekiel 48:8-10 NASB
Could
it be that with the support of President Trump and Putin, the Temple could
actually be rebuilt as predicted in the scriptures? I believe it is entirely possible, especially
if they can come up with a solution which would somehow mollify the Muslim
community with regards to the Temple Mount.
The generally accepted school of thought is that this temple will be
built on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, sharing space with the existing Muslim
shrines. It will be defiled by the
antichrist after three and one half years, and eventually be destroyed at the
end of the Great Tribulation when the Temple Mount is split in two by a great
earthquake.
And in
that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on
the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west,
Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north
And half of it toward the south. Zechariah 14:4 NKJV
This
destruction will naturally require a fourth temple to be built, which is the
one we find described by Ezekiel in chapters 40-48 which scholars refer to as
the “Millennial Temple”. It is a massive
structure much larger than the original temple, and according to the
description given in the passage above, is located not in Jerusalem but north
of the city “beside the border of Judah”.
By studying scripture and comparing the geographical descriptions of the
different areas revealed in this passage, many believe that the location of the
temple will be where the ancient city of Shiloh was located. There is historical precedent for this
location because this is where the Tabernacle stood for close to 400 years
before the Israelites made Jerusalem their capital.
As
I studied the subject of the temple, and began to search the scripture for
passages relating to temples past and present, I noticed a few things that made
me wonder if there was something we might be missing if we follow the accepted
school of thought concerning four temples.
First of all, the Bible only speaks of three temples, not four. Nowhere are we told of a third temple being
built on the Temple Mount, rather it has simply been assumed that one will
be. The only temples revealed in
scripture are Solomon’s temple, Zerubbabel’s or Herod’s temple, and the
Millennial temple.
Now
you might think that in itself may not be enough to cause those who advocate
for four temples to rethink their position, and I would agree. So let’s look at something else that might be
cause to reconsider. Most understand
that the antichrist will defile the temple three and a half years after the
peace agreement which begins the seven year tribulation, in an event referred
to as the “abomination of desolation”.
Then he
shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of
abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation,
which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.” Daniel 9:27 NKJV
We
also know that this has happened once before in 167 BC by Antiochus IV
Epiphanes. This resulted in a revolt by
the Jews and eventually to a cleansing and rededication of the temple which is
celebrated to this day by the Jewish holiday Hanukkah. So what is my point? There is a saying by biblical scholars which
states; “pattern is prologue”. The study
of typology in the scripture has shown that much of what has happened
throughout the Bible was setting a pattern that would be repeated at a later
date. My question is this; if the
antichrist defiling the temple is a repeat of the first “abomination of desolation”,
wouldn’t it be logical to assume that the future temple will be cleansed and
rededicated rather than destroyed?
I
want you to look closely at a verse from this same chapter from Daniel, which
contains a phrase that I believe may be overlooked by many.
“Seventy
weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the
transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring
in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the
most holy place.
Daniel 9:24 NASB
This
verse relates what has come to be known as the prophecy of Daniel’s seventy
weeks. It reveals God’s plan for the
nation of Israel from that time until the end when He will return to earth. It also lists six things which will be
accomplished at the end of those seventy weeks.
Did you catch that last phrase? “and
to anoint the most holy place”. This phrase in the Hebrew is “mashach qodesh qodesh” , which is
translated “to Anoint; to smear, anoint,
spread a liquid”. Anoint what? Scholars and commentators agree that the
most holy (place) is the temple. If this
is the case, doesn’t it seem logical to assume that it is not destroyed, but
rather consecrated for millennial worship?
Are we being told here that there are just three temples, not four? This phrase was used in the book of Exodus as
well and was also referring to anointing the Tabernacle.
And
thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint (mashach) the tabernacle, and all
that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof: and it shall
be holy. Exodus 40:9 KJV
Again,
this might not be enough for some to change their belief in how many temples
there will be, but I want to suggest that this scenario is a very believable
one in light of the current situation that exists between the Muslims and the
Jewish people. It seems much more
believable that the Islamic world would allow a temple to be built in Shiloh
rather than on the Temple Mount. With
the authority of the prophecy of Ezekiel, it seems reasonable that the Jewish
people would agree as well. As I have
studied this subject, I have found that there are others who have asked this
same question and agree that this scenario is a distinct possibility.
Whatever
God’s plans for the temple mount are, it appears that we will know very, very
soon just what they are. Of course,
let’s not forget that as believers in Jesus Christ and having accepted His
sacrifice for our sins, if the Temple is rebuilt during the first half of the
seven year tribulation as many believe, we will watch these events from the
comfort of our heavenly home.
Keep
watching.
https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/99488/hanukkah-happen-today/#zHiafdGtPCl3jLwR.97
https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/99488/hanukkah-happen-today/#zHiafdGtPCl3jLwR.97
