Revelation infers a third temple will be around in the time of the end.
The apostle John wrote down the book of Revelation about 20-25 years after the second Jewish temple was destroyed. In his vision, God told John to go and measure the temple, the altar, and those who worship there at the end of the age. In the time of the end, sacrifices and offering would be ceased in the middle of the last seven year period. Sacrifices and offering cannot be ceased again unless they are first resumed at some point. A third temple would not have been measured by John unless it would be constructed sometime in the future. So a third temple has to be erected before the end of the age. The Temple Institute in Jerusalem along with some other organizations have already prepared several of the implements needed for use in a third temple; they are only awaiting the political opportunity to actually build it. Events such as the birth of an unblemished red heifer in recent years, a particular sacrifice needed for the purifying of a temple according to Numbers 19, has only heightened anticipation that the time may be near.
The Actual Location of Solomon’s temple was situated on the apex of Mount Moriah.
Solomon built the temple of the Lord on Mount Moriah, on the threshing floor that David bought from Araunah the Jebusite (II Chron 3:1). Mt. Moriah, the place where Abraham was going to sacrifice Isaac (Gen 22:2), had an irregular topography. Solomon built a retaining wall around this mountain and had it backfilled with earth to level out the peak elevation for a temple foundation. Josephus records that the temple was built directly over the top of the mountain and that the surrounding courtyard was made level with the top of Mount Moriah by this retaining wall (Antiquity of the Jews Book VII Chapter III). Herod would later extend this retaining wall to about a football field long. The original location of the first temple can be identified once the peak of the mountain has been located. Many believe this peak to be situated where the dome of the rock now sits today. Some debate among scholars and archaeologists still exists though regarding the exact location of this mountain peak. The Torah commands the Jews to seek the place the Lord chooses for his dwelling place (Dt 12:5-6) and God told Solomon his eyes and heart would be on that first temple site perpetually (I King 9:3). So I imagine the Jews will want to build the next temple over this very same site.
Understanding the surrounding topography relative to the Temple mount
Old Jerusalem, the city of Jebus (David’s city) is situated on the southern slope of Mt. Moriah and resides in the territory of Benjamin. The Old city was referred to as the lower city. The poor would enter through the southern gate into the retaining wall and up through the floor; referred to as the Haifa gate. The poor lived on the southern slopes of the lower city. Old Jerusalem is lower in elevation than Mt. Moriah, so people would say they were “going up to the temple” from there. Mt. Moriah is also surrounded by larger mountains. The mount of olives and other surrounding mountains are actually higher in elevation than Moriah itself; ‘as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so God surrounds his people” (Ps 125:2). The upper city set at a higher elevation than mount Moriah being situated along these mountain slopes. The upper city retained Herod’s palace and more affluent members of the community; It was also the home of the priests and Sadducees. Robinson’s arch, the remnants of an entryway from the upper city into the temple was built to ease the passage of the rich on to the temple mount from these surrounding slopes.
The Historical background behind How the Temple mount has been given to the Gentiles.
The apostle John was told not to measure the outer court because it would be given to the gentiles (Rev 11:1-2). Since the time the apostle John penned these words, the gentiles have by and large controlled the temple mount up until the current day. After the destruction of the second temple, the Romans built a temple to Jupiter in it’s place. Jews were prohibited from entering the city of Jerusalem any longer. The Romans renamed the city Palestine after the Jew’s ancient rivals, the philistines. Their intent was to stamp out any memory of a Jewish homeland to prevent any further uprisings. By the time of the Byzantine Empire, the temple mount was reduced to a trash dump. When the Muslims took the city of Jerusalem in 640 AD, the historical significance behind the temple mount site was pointed out to the Muslim caliphate. In response, the Muslims commissioned the Dome of the Rock to be built over the site in commemoration of Solomon’s temple. The temple mount became important to the Muslims primarily because it was first important to the Jews. Only later in 705AD did the Muslims build the Al Aqsa mosque along the south end of the temple mount to commemorate Mohammed’s night journey ascent into Heaven. In recent years, Muslims have tried to build small mosques over every inch of the temple mount complex just to make it impossible for Jews to someday build there. Muslims still look toward Mecca in their prayers and not Jerusalem. In Islam, the Al Aqsa mosque is considered only the third holiest place in their religion behind Mecca and Medina. Today, the Palestinians have administrative control over the temple mount although Israel is responsible for all the security there to keep the peace. Jews and Christians are only allowed to enter the temple mount through the western gate while Muslims can proceed through any surrounding gate. The Muslims forbid reading Bibles and praying on the temple mount. Violations of these rules can get a tourist escorted off the premises, arrested, and even deported (with a rubber stamp never to be allowed to return to Israel). The Holy of Holies was situated on the west end of the mount. The western wall is closer to this holy site. At the base of this western wall, Jews now congregate to pray. The Muslims would refer to the western wall as the wailing wall as some sort of slur for the Jew. Some of the western wall has been covered over giving Muslims near the Arab corner level access to the temple mount. Under this covering is the Rabbi’s tunnel, where they would congregate to read the scroll. Jews and Muslims clearly share the site as it stands today. So if the Jews someday build a third temple anywhere within the vicinity of this location, it is likely John’s prophecy would certainly be fulfilled given the current political circumstances.
Future Prophecies regarding Christ’s coming and the Eastern Gate
The temple faced to the east in the direction of the Mount of Olives. The Temple was made of Gold in Front and with the Rising Sun would look Brilliant. The temple stood about 17 stories tall and would have stood twice as tall as the dome of the rock. During his triumphal entry, Jesus entered the temple mount through the eastern gate. It is prophesied that When Jesus returns, He will enter the temple mount through the eastern gate again. In an effort to prevent this from happening, the Turks barricaded the gate by encasing it with cement. They also placed a cemetery at the foot of the gate thinking God would not wish to defile himself by walking there. This would be consistent with Scriptural prophecy that said the eastern gate would be shut and not be opened and no man shall enter it because the Lord God of Israel went through it (Ezek 44:2-3). Despite this, the Gate will be lifted that the King may enter in again, the Lord God almighty (Ps 24:7-10). This eastern gate and the temple mount itself also lies along a fault line. Tremors have placed cracks right through this area. It is prophesied when Christ returns, the Mount of Olives will be split in two right along this fault from east to west (Zech 14:3-4). Half of the Mount of Olives will move to the north and half of the mountain will move to the south. The messiah will come suddenly to his temple (Mal 3:1). The Messiah’s zeal for making God’s house holy will be consuming. The law of the Temple will be that the whole area surrounding the mountaintop is most holy (Ezek 43:12). He will thoroughly clean out his threshing floor (the site of God’s temple) of everything evil.Will there be a temple in the Age to Come? Yes and No
The Messiah shall likely build the fourth temple specified by the prophet Ezekiel in the Millenium. He will rebuild it’s ruins as in the days of old and set it up so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord (Amos 9:11, Acts 15:17). The Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains and shall be exalted above the hills and all nations shall flow to it (Isa 2:2). All the detailed design measurements laid out in Scripture make it difficult to think this building would just be symbolic. Offerings will be reinstated for this temple. The Lord spoke to Ezekiel and told him that this temple site would be the place of his throne and where He would dwell in the midst of the Children of Israel forever (Ezek 43:5-7), but this does not mean the physical temple itself must stand forever. By the time of the New Jerusalem, God will make all things new. The apostle John says there will be no temple in the new Jerusalem for the Lord Almighty and the Lamb will be it’s temple (Rev21:22). While both Scriptures appear contradictory at first blush, there does appear a way for both to be literal and true.
How Prophecies surrounding the First Temple affirm the promised Messiah would be God.
Since David wanted to build God a house, it has been known that a future Messiah would someday build a house for God’s name (II Sam 7:13). David assumed this prophecy would be fulfilled through his son Solomon who would build the first temple. Solomon conceded that the house He built could not contain the living God (2 Chron 6:16). God warned Solomon if his heart ever turns away, He would later cast this temple out of his sight (I King 9:7). By doing this, God prophesied the destruction of the temple from it’s very beginning. Given the sinfulness of man, it would be only a matter of time before the first temple would be destroyed. Solomon would not be the seed who would establish God’s house and reign forever. Four hundred and ninety two years later, On the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzer burned down the house of the Lord with fire (Jer 52:12). Jeremiah prophesied that God would eventually raise a branch of righteousness to David’s throne and He would be called the Lord our Righteousness (Jer 23:5-6, Jer 33:15-16). Scripture states here that the promised Messiah to come would be no other than God himself.
How Prophecies surrounding the Second Temple prove the promised Messiah to be Jesus
After the seventy year captivity in Babylon, Cyrus the Persian sent out a decree to rebuild the House of the Lord a second time (Ezra 1:2). God called Cyrus one hundred and forty years before his time through the prophet Isaiah to do this (Isa 45:1-13). In reading this prophecy regarding himself, Cyrus was so impressed He felt compelled to accomplish it (Ezra 1:1). The prophets Haggai and Zechariah called the returning captives to rebuild the second temple (Ezra 6:14). This second temple would not be the house that the Messiah himself would ultimately build. So before the decree to rebuild the city of Jerusalem even went out, Daniel would prophesy that this second sanctuary would only be destroyed once again (Dan 9:25-26). He also prophesied that the coming messiah would be cut off (or killed) before this sanctuary would be destroyed (Dan 9:26). The prophet Zechariah would also name the Messiah who would ultimately build God’s house and reign forever (Zech 6:12); His name would be Joshua or Yeshua. Joshua is the Hebrew equivalent of the Greek name Jesus. The second Temple would be destroyed in AD 70. Josephus records that a single flaming arrow hit the curtain between the holy place and the holy of holies that burned the temple to the ground. In the fire, the Gold adorning the temple melted between the remaining rocks. The Romans retrieved this gold by removing every stone and pushing them over the temple mount in fulfillment of Jesus Prophecy that not one stone would be left on another (Luke 19:44). Jesus said this would happen because they did not recognize the time of God’s coming to them. No other messianic candidate fits these prophecies better than Jesus Christ.
Why does God stress measuring the temple to people so much?
Things are measured to express the size or degree of something using some standard. Giving the dimensions and pattern of the temple were originally intended to bring shame on the people who understand their significance (Ezek 43:10-11). The layout of Ezekiel’s temple with it’s inner courtyard and four great chambers resembles the shape of a man. Scripture tells us in at least seven different places that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, God’s building (I Cor 3:16, I Cor 3:9, 2 Cor 6:16). We are living stones, being built up into a spiritual house (I Peter 2:5, I Peter 4:17, Heb 3:6) as a dwelling place for God in the Spirit (Ephes 2:20-22). The main symbolic point to all this is that men did not have access to a holy God while the first tabernacle remained standing (Heb 9:8). Endless gifts and sacrifices could not perfect the conscience of any believer (Heb 9:9). Such ordinances would only be imposed until the believer himself was reformed (Heb 9:10). So it would make sense that any physical buildings would not remain forever. The Blood of Christ has torn the veil by one sacrifice and has perfected forever those who are being sanctified (Heb 10:14). God himself will write the law into the hearts and minds of his people. Jesus said destroy this temple and in three day He would raise it up. John tells us that Jesus was speaking of his Body (John 2:21). We are members of Christ’s body (Ephes 5:30). Trying to work your own way to God through sacrifice will get you nowhere. Allow God to transform you from within and He promises to save you. Scripture says not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit (Zech 4:6). In appreciating the extents to which a man tries and fails to reach God may help some to realize the better way that has been provided.
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