The Building of the Third Temple in Jerusalem. Will Prophecy be fulfilled?

The Building of the Third Temple in Jerusalem?

The Book of Revelation has many key elements contained within its pages of Prophecy and one of the most important ones right up there, is the building of the Third Temple in Jerusalem. In this article we will look to see the important role that the Third Temple plays in the fulfillment of Biblical Prophecy in End Times. The history of the temple including the first and second, are their people qualified to actually enter into this temple in these modern times, whether it will actually be built and the problems surrounding the building of it, the oraganisations that are planning to build the temple and of course the important role the Temple plays in Bible Prophecy.

The Holy Temple can be summarised as being an earthly dwelling place for the Divine Presence of God (Psalm 43:3; 2 Samuel 15:25; Psalm 132:7)

The History of the Holy Temple

The First Temple

As mentioned in 1 Kings 6.1 the first Temple was built by Solomon the son of David. This temple was located on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem and is Biblically and commonly known as “Solomon’s Temple,” and was a grand temple that had never been seen before and contained the well known place "the Holiest of Holies" that could only be entered on a certain day by certain religious figures. That one day was the day of atonement. Jesus and his sacrifice was on the day of atonement, hence the significance. This temple stood for 400 years until it´s destruction by the Babylonians in 586BC

1 Kings 6:1
And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.

The Second Temple

This temple known as either Zerubbabel's Temple or Herod's Temple and it´s construction was co-ordinated by the “governor of Judah” (Haggai 1:1) who helped coordinate its construction. This temple was standing in the time of Jesus, when he was on this earth, and also at the time of King Herod who undertook major renovations to the temple. This second temple stood for almost 600 years until the Romans ensured it´s destruction in AD 70

The Importance of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem

Part of the tradition of these temples were the animal sacrifices that were undertaken as part of Jewish custom (mentioned in the bible as the Oblations and Sacrifices). Since the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans in AD 70, the Jewish People could no longer offer sacrifices in this temple. As there were no other options to conduct the essential animal sacrifices in the Holy Temple it was decided to replace this by the three T’s. The first is the T’fillah (prayer) , the second is T’shuvah (repentance) and the third is T’zdakah (charity). This is how they have survived without the Holy Temple for over 1900 years!

Will the Third Temple ever be rebuilt?

This is the question that everybody asks and until recently nobody really had the answer. Two organisations have made massive progress in drawing up plans for the construction of the third temple which is now viewable in a 3D virtual reality form. The two organisations involved with this huge undertaking are The Temple Institute and the Temple Mount and Eretz Yisrael Faithful Movement, who are also responsible for the reinstatement of sacrificial worship.

Every last detail has been seen to by these organisations with proportions used as mentioned in the Bible in the Book of Ezekiel Chapters 40–42.



These two organisations have the goal to see the establishment of the Third Temple on the site where Solomon built the Lord’s Holy Temple, which is today what we call the Temple Mount, also known as Mount Moriah. Many believe the Temple Mount is the place where Abraham bound his son Isaac in obedience to God’s command to sacrifice him.

The Problems surrounding the building of the Third Temple

There are many problems surrounding the actual building of this Third Temple but these are the main three.

1. Jews are forbidden from entering any part of the Temple Mount and a declaration was signed in January 2005 confirming this decision.

2. Everything is in place for the building of the Third Temple except the land on which to rebuild it. That area is occupied by the Islamic shrine called the Dome of the Rock.

3. The Muslim world has threatened World War if the Dome of the Rock is destroyed which is on the same site and is one of Islam´s holiest places.

The main problem as can be seen above is the Islamic Dome of the Rock.

The current Status of the Third Temple and it´s requirements

1.The Priests: DNA testing has been conducted on Israeli students that confirm that they are descended from the line of Aaron which means they are part of the Levitical priesthood. This means they are of the standard to be trained for the Third Temple Priesthood. No other person is allowed to enter the Holy Shrine known as the Holiest of Holies!

2.The Third Temple building plans have been architecturally drafted and ritual garments and objects have been created.

3.The Temple Institute states that everything is ready for the rebuilding of the Third Temple.

The Third Temple in Bible Prophecy

The Hebrew prophets all proclaimed that in the last days, the exiles of Israel would return to the Promised Land and that the Temple would be rebuilt and would be called the Third Temple. So what must happen first before Temple construction can begin, what prophecy may bring it, when it happens in relation to the 70th week, and what if anything you should do when you see the Third Temple rebuilt.

“Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.” (Ezekiel 37:28)

Bible quotes that demonstrate how important the Third Temple is in the fulfillment of Bible Prophecy. When this Temple is built, it will indicate very precisely where we are on the Revelation timeline right down to the Chapter and Verse.

Revelation 11:1-3
1. And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
2. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
3. And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

The Prophet Daniel also mentions the "Oblations and Sacrifices" in his 70th week Prophecy which would only happen in the Holy Temple and also the infamous "Abomination of Desolation" which is when the Anti Christ (The Beast of Revelation) would stand in the Holy Temple and declare himself as God and break the Seven Year peace covenant mid way through (approx 3.5 years) which would herald the start of the Great Tribulation.

Daniel 9:27 (The final week of the 70 weeks)
And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Also mentioned in Matthew 24:

Matthew 24:15-22
15. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
16. Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
17. Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18. Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
19. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
20. But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
21. For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

Summary

The Third Temple is a highly volatile topic and surrounded by much passion from Jews, Muslims and the rest of the World. Everything is in place to build it but something monumental would need to happen for it to be built. Some say (and it is indicated in the Bible especially Daniel 9:24-27) the Anti Christ will sign a peace deal between Muslims and Jews which would allow the holy Temple to be built, where is unclear. Others say some catastrophe may hit Islam, the Dome of the Rock would be destroyed allowing the Third Temple to be built. Others again say some natural disaster such as an earthquake with precise Biblical intentions would destroy the Dome of the rock enabling the Third Temple to be built. Recent developments indicate that the Third Temple may even compromise with the Islamic Dome of the rock and be built next to it, again another highly controversial decision smacking off interference from outside sources and the Coexist banner? The recent Mekudeshet event in Jerusalem being a recent case in point.

A few out there on the fringe say that Technically a Third Temple doesn´t even need to be built, a temporary structure over the holy site of the previous 2 Temples would achieve the same effect?

Whichever way you approach it, the actual building of the Third Temple where it should be built looks an impossibility in our current times but with Biblical Prophecy being fulfilled in our times, the building of this Temple looks like it will happen very soon and against all odds. It´s the fulfillment of the "Abomination of Desolation" by The Anti Christ that will mark a very specific point in the Book of Revelation as in Chapter 11 Verses 1-3. Before that we would need to see the 7 Seals of Revelation opened and also the 7 Trumpet of Revelations being blown mentioned in the preceding chapters. For Daniel´s 70th Week to be fulfilled the Anti Christ would have to sign a peace treaty of 7 years duration. For such a Treaty to be signed this would indicate that either their was unparalleled escalation in military activity in the Middle East OR an outbreak of a Third World War on a global basic or global involvement in the Middle East had occurred many Bible scholars say this would be the result of the arrival of the Second Horseman of the Apocalypse as mentioned in Revelation Chapter 6.

The Third Temple is yet another large piece in the Prophecy Jigsaw puzzle, but if it ever actually gets built, it will be yet another sign just like "The Sign of the Woman" that the Great Tribulation is one step closer to becoming reality and we are in those very times mentioned in the last Book of the Bible the Book of Revelation.