Frequently people ask my opinion about prophecy and my understanding of certain passages in both the Old and New Testaments. “When will the building of the Tribulation Temple begin?” is one of the most popular questions asked. The Temple movement in Israel began in 1987. More recently, a new school training priest for the coming Temple has begun in the Judean Hillside country. On two occasions I have personally visited a museum (not sure museum is the right word) by a group of Orthodox Jews that have begun to prepare the materials needed to resume the rituals prescribed in the Law of Moses. Have you heard of Scapegoats, Red Heifers, the Urim and Thurmmim, and sin offerings? These, along with other subjects are frequently mentioned in magazine articles, web posts, books, and sermons which point to the coming Temple. Let me give you a warning concerning these stories. Not one of these secular accounts is to be considered above the written Word of God! I love hearing preaching on things of the future. This is called Eschatology; the study of future things. It is wonderful to learn and think about these things for days on end. But the Bible is our ultimate authority. Today I want to share with you the writings of four Bible penmen, each under the inspiration of God when they wrote these sacred words. These passages are why I believe that there will be a literal Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. BTW, right now, the Temple Mount is controlled by the Jordanians, not Israel. The Muslims have one of their most holy sites sitting on Mt. Moriah today. There is a huge golden dome, The Dome of the Rock, that occupies a huge portion of the Temple mount acreage.

Daniel 9:26-27 “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off (Christ crucified), but not for himself (for us): and the people of the prince (the Romans) that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary (70 A.D.); and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 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.

  • I have underlined just a few parts of these two verses along with some parentheses to help with understanding. Weeks in the Hebrew Bible can have various meanings concerning length of time. Most scholars believe that the weeks in this portion of scripture refer to years. Notice the middle of the passage and the word covenant. This is a pact or treaty the Antichrist has signed with Israel. It is for seven years. It will be broken but they, the Jews, do not know it. The nation of Israel is excited. They now have peace, safety, and are sacrificing again. Along with the sacrifices are oblations, the offerings of grain prescribed in the Torah. How can these sacrifices take place without a place to sacrifice? It is logical to think “Temple.” Some claim this is a reference to Antiochus Epiphanes. He was one of four generals under Alexander the Great. When Alexander died he became the strongest and in a short time desecrated the Jewish Temple by offering a sow as a sacrifice on the Altar. I do not think biblically this interpretation can be accurate because the Temple nor the city of Jerusalem was destroyed at this time.

Matthew 24:15-16 “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:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:”

  • Jesus is speaking to the disciples in the Olivet Discourse. He was speaking on the Mount of Olives explaining the future to his merry band of followers. He confirmed Daniel’s prophecy to them. The abomination Jesus is speaking of is described as future and not past. The words “the holy place” seems to indicate a Temple where this desolation will occur.

II Thessalonians 2:3-4 “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first (people and doctrines are falling away quickly today), and that man of sin (Antichrist) be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”

  • Paul is telling the young church in his second epistle to the Thessalonians about the future not the past. There is a man of sin coming and he will march into the Temple, sit down, and proclaim himself to be above God. He cannot sit down in a Temple if there is not one.

Revelation 11:1-2 “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. 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.”

  • The Apostle John references a measuring of the Temple and all of the surroundings. How can you measure something that does not exist?

There are many more passages that could be given as to believing in a literal Temple during the Tribulation. But for today, I think Daniel, Jesus, Paul, and John give us plenty to think about. Back to the question I have been asked on numerous occasions, “When will the Temple be built?” I do not know, but I do know that it must be operational before the mid-point of the Tribulation because that is when the treaty will be broken and the “abomination of desolation” will take place. Remember this, it could be a Temple much smaller in size than Solomon’s Temple or even the Temple built by Herod the Great. Each of these were grand in their footprint. The first abode of God for Israel was a tent. It was called a Tabernacle. It occupied a much smaller space than the permanent structures which came later. If it is smaller, the building process could be completed very quickly.

I have one final thought this morning. The coming of Jesus for his church is not based on the sign of the Tribulation Temple or any other sign. Jesus’ return is imminent. He can come without anything prophetically happening. Let’s all enjoy reading and listening to the news clips and sermons about the future, but remember it is more important to be ready because Jesus could come at any moment.