By Pastor Aubrey Duncan
Temple History
It has become almost universally popular for Christians to believe that a third temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem. This world-wide movement of professed Christian believers embraces the idea of the Jewish Zionist movement, which advocates and supports the total capture of the Land of Palestine. The theological basis for the Zionists, both Christian and Jewish, is primarily the writings of the ancient Jewish leader, Joshua, who succeeded Moses just prior to their entrance into the land of Canaan. According to Joshua, the territory referred to as Canaan was divided and parceled out to the twelve tribes of Israel as they conquered and displaced the earlier inhabitants of the land.
But their continued possession of Canaan was based upon their obedience to the Creator, God. Joshua admonished the people: “Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all good things are come upon you, which the Lord your God promised you; so shall the Lord bring upon you all evil things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which the Lord your God hath given you … When ye have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed yourselves to them; then shall the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you” (Joshua 23:15–16). Both history and their sacred writings attest to the fact of their disobedience and the ensuing consequences.
Central to the Israelites’ worship and civil experience was the tabernacle, which God had instructed Joshua’s predecessor, Moses, to build some forty years prior to their occupation of Canaan and shortly after their deliverance from Egyptian bondage. The tabernacle was portable and was transported and erected at different locations along their journey from Sinai to Canaan.
The last Canaanite people to be vanquished by the Israelites were the Philistines. The place of their dwelling was called the Land of Palestine. Once established in Canaan, the Israelites, under their revered King David, sought to build a permanent structure for worship and the center of their cultural activities. This was accomplished by David’s son, Solomon, after his father’s death. This structure was called the First Temple and was constructed essentially using the pattern and furnishings of the wilderness tabernacle. Thereafter, Canaan became, for all practical purposes, the Land of Israel, today referred to as the Nation of Israel. The location of the temple and center of cultural activity has come to be known as Jerusalem. All this was occurring during the middle to end of the 10th century BC.
Some four hundred years later, in the year 606 BC, because of the Israelites’ disobedience, just as Joshua had warned, the nation was overrun and the temple devastated by the Babylonian monarch, Nebuchadnezzar. The temple remained in ruins while the majority of the population was taken captive to Babylon and dispersed throughout Nebuchadnezzar’s empire. But as is the common DNA of all empires, the Babylonians rose, ruled, and then fell. The Babylonian demise occurred around the year 536 BC, as it was taken over by the Persians.
Consequently, the Israelites became captives of the Persians. It was almost one hundred years later that the temple would be restored, but not to its former glory as it was in the days of Solomon. The year was 519 BC, and Darius, the king of the Medes, who was a vassal of the Persians and claimed to be inspired by the God of the Israelites, decreed that the Israelites return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple. That decree to return and rebuild the temple was later reinforced by Cyrus, the king of the Persians, and strengthened by his successor, Artaxerxes.
The Israelites would later survive the captivity of the Greeks, who, under the military genius of Alexander the Great, completed his conquest of the Persians around the year 331 BC. With each successive conquest, from the Babylonians to the Persians to the Greeks, the Israelites’ population in Palestine dwindled as they were scattered throughout the successive conquering empires. Most of them did not return to Israel.
Then came the Romans around 168 BC. By 146 BC, they had completed their conquest of the Greek states. It would not be very long before their influence and control were felt, literally, across the then-known world. Rome’s legendary, ironfisted dominance included the Land of Palestine, which the Jews referred to as the Land of Israel.
By the year 20 BC, Herod the Great, the Roman ruler of the region, had begun construction of what came to be known as the Second Temple. The massive building project lasted for 46 years. It was during Herod’s reign that Yeshua the Christ made His unnoticed entry onto the stage of the human drama and ushered in His work for the salvation of a disobedient race.
Salvation in the Sanctuary
When Adam and Eve first sinned and communion with God was broken in Eden, Creator God introduced His plan for their return to Him (Genesis 3:15, 21). It was a plan that was conceived in the heavenly sanctuary long before the first humans were separated from their Creator by that baleful thing called sin (Isaiah 59:2, Revelation 13:8).
God deeply desires a saving relationship with us, His most cherished creation. Ultimately, that’s what the sanctuary and its services are all about. So He instructed Moses: “And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it’ (Exodus 25:8-9). Moses obeyed, and the sanctuary and its services were instituted. This was God’s way of telling His people that He wants them to know Him, to understand His work on their behalf, and to have that saving relationship with them. Every component, from the largest curtain to the tiniest piece of furniture in that sanctuary, or tabernacle, as it is sometimes called, represented some aspect of the plan of salvation and the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
Let’s take a look at the basic construction and fundamental function of the earthly sanctuary that God commissioned Moses to build. Following God’s specific instructions, Moses oversaw the construction of a magnificent and beautiful structure. It was pitched in the wilderness and traveled with the Israelites throughout their 40+ years of wilderness wandering from Sinai to Canaan. The structure itself was 45 feet long by 15 feet wide and located on the western side of the courtyard, which was 150 feet long by 75 feet wide. It was divided into two compartments, the Holy and the Most Holy places. Around it was the courtyard, enclosed by white linen curtains and suspended with silver hooks on brass pillars.
The knowledge of the sanctuary and the lessons it teaches have been largely neglected and forgotten by most of Christendom. In the process, they have deprived themselves of the power the sanctuary offers to live a victorious Christian life. As a direct consequence, they have allowed themselves to be engrossed in and deceived into accepting a plethora of false doctrines, firmly believing them to be true. In an age when knowledge is increased beyond measure in the secular world, God’s professed people are subscribing to an unending array of false Biblical teachings and vain, perverted theologies. It is for this reason that a prayerful study of the sanctuary is vitally important to those who call themselves Christians.
The sanctuary gives the only correct view of God and His dealings with His people. It reveals God’s true perspective on sin and His plan for human redemption from it. The sanctuary reveals Jesus Christ and His plan for the salvation of fallen men. In the sanctuary, all false doctrines are turned upside down, and God’s truth comes alive in its proper places with brightness and glory.
The Apostle Paul, in attempting to persuade his fellow Jews that their sanctuary services pointed to Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah, declared: “Now of the things which we have spoken, this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man (Jesus Christ) have somewhat also to offer” (Hebrews 8:1-3). And if Jesus has something to offer, then we want to direct our focus to where He is, in the heavenly sanctuary.
M.L. Andreasen, a noted scholar on the subject, wrote: “There are professed Christians who do not see much of importance or value in the God-ordained temple services; yet the gospel plan of salvation as revealed in the New Testament is made clearer by an understanding of the Old Testament. In fact, it may confidently be said that he who understands the Levitical system of the Old Testament can much better understand and appreciate the New Testament. The one foreshadows the other and is a type of it” (M.L. Andreasen, The Sanctuary Service, p. 20).
The Psalmist David declares, “They have seen thy goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary” (Psalm 68:24). The apostle Paul could confidently declare: “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it” (Hebrews 3:16). The preaching here referred to are the lessons of the sanctuary and its services.
Feast days and the life and ministry of Jesus Christ
One of the most important functions of the temple services was the celebration of the feast days. These ceremonies, as laid out in the 23rd chapter of the book of Leviticus, versus 4–44, were prophecies of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Here are explanations of these feast days and their fulfillment in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
Passover/Unleavened Bread
“The fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord’s Passover … and on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord” (Leviticus 23:5–6, Exodus 12:5–13).
Fulfillment in Jesus Christ
“Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us” (I Corinthians 5:7).
First Fruits
“Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, when ye come into the land which I give unto you, ye shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest unto the priest … and ye shall wave the sheaf before the Lord to be accepted for you” (Leviticus 23:10-11).
Fulfillment in Jesus Christ
“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruit of them that slept… But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ at his coming” (1 Corinthians 15:20).
Pentecost
“And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord” (Leviticus 23:15, 16).
Fulfillment in Jesus Christ
“And when the day of Pentecost were fully come, they were all with one accord in one place… and suddenly there came a sound from heaven as a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the house where they were sitting… and they were filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 1:1, 2, 4).
The gift of the Holy Ghost was given to the disciples by Christ fifty days after his crucifixion. As Jesus was anointed as our High Priest in the Heavenly Sanctuary, the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost.
Luke 23:54-56; 24:1….…3 Days
Acts 1:3…………………40 Days
Exodus 29:7, 35…..…….7 Days
Total……………….……50 Days
Trumpets /Atonement
“Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, in the seventh month, in the feast day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing trumpets in holy convocation … Also on the tenth day of this seventh month, there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be a holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord” (Leviticus 23:24, 27). The Day of Atonement was a day of cleansing and judgment (Leviticus 16:30).
Fulfillment in Jesus Christ
“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell upon the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue and people… saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made the heaven and earth, and the sea, and the fountain of waters” (Revelation 14:6-7).
NOTE: The call is to cleanse ourselves from all unrighteousness through the blood of Jesus and come back to the worship of the true God, the God of creation. That call goes out to all humanity today. It’s the time in which we now live. A solemn time indeed.
Tabernacles/Booths
“Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, the fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles (ingathering) for seven days unto the Lord … Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a Sabbath and on the eight day shall be a Sabbath … Ye shall dwell in the booths seven days, all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths” (Leviticus 23:39, 42).
Fulfillment in Jesus Christ
“For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord … And I saw thrones, and they that sat upon them, and Judgment was given unto them. And I saw the souls of them which were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received the mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years” (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17, Revelation 20:4; 21:1-4).
The feast of the Tabernacles/Booths foreshadowed the return of Jesus Christ to earth to gather His elect and to take them to heaven for 1000 years. As the Jews returned to their homes after the feast, so will the people of God return to an earth made new, after the thousand years, to spend the ceaseless ages of eternity with Him (Matthew 5:5).
When Economics and Politics Trump Bible Truth
You can’t accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah and, at the same time, promote the building of a third temple in Jerusalem. Reason: They are irreconcilable concepts. The entire ancient sanctuary and its services were a type and prophecy of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ as the only Savior from sin. All that pertained to it were representations of the coming Messiah, who came through and lived among the Jewish people.
Some examples:
- The white linen curtain that surrounded the courtyard represented the imputed righteousness that Christ bestows upon us when one makes the decision to reject the world and accept Him as our Lord and Savior from sin (Romans 3:21–26).
- The animals that the penitent sinners brought and also the morning and evening sacrifices pointed to Him who gave His life for the sins of the world (John 1:29).
- The priest who performed the temple rituals prefigured His intercessory ministry as our Heavenly High Priest (Hebrews 4:14–16).
- The altar of sacrifice in the courtyard foretold of Calvary’s cross, where He gave up His life for the sins of the world (Luke 23:33).
- He identified Himself as the shewbread in the first apartment of the tabernacle (John 6:48–51).
- The incense used to anoint the furniture in the Holy Place permeated the atmosphere and ascended above the veil into the Most Holy Place, prefiguring His pure righteousness with which our prayers and works must be mixed in order for them to be accepted by His Father (Revelation 8:3).
- The Seven Branch Candlestick prophesied of the Light of truth He would bring to a world in darkness (John 8:12).
- The Mercy Seat depicts Him as the One who provides protection from the penalty of death resulting from transgression of His father’s law (Romans 6:23; Hebrews 4:14–16).
- The Law written on tables of stone and placed inside the ark speaks to the very essence of who He is, the Only Perfect Law Keeper (1 Peter 2:21–23).
For anyone to suggest that the building of a Third Temple and the reinstitution of animal sacrifices is a blatant denial of Jesus Christ being the promised Messiah, this is understandable from the perspective of the Jewish Zionists, for they have ever rejected Yeshua as the Messiah. But for the Christian Zionist, this is an abomination and a case of severe cognitive dissonance.
But that does not deter them from promoting it. Perhaps the chief advocate of Christian Zionism is John Hagee, who, among other baseless pronouncements, claims that God sent Hitler to create Israel. His demeanor is vitriolic, and he is anything but loving and compassionate, as the Jesus He claims to serve. This staunchly pro-Israel evangelical pastor is the leader of America’s most prominent Christian Zionist organization, Christians United for Israel. He uses his pulpit and platforms around the world to advance the Religious Right’s agenda of unification of church and state and the genocide of the Palestinians.
One of his and the Christian Zionist’s gravest ironies is their passionate advocacy for the legal establishment of Sunday sacredness juxtaposed with the Jewish fervent embrace of the Seventh-day Sabbath. The prophet Amos asks, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed? (Amos 3:3). Hagee and the other leaders of the Christian Zionist movement are less interested in Bible truth than they are concerned about financial gains and political power. Their objectives are achieved through the misleading and manipulation of millions who purchase their books, attend their conferences, and otherwise support them with cultish fervor with their financial contributions. Living and preaching the Christian gospel is oblivious to them.
Jesus’ Position on the Temple
At the beginning of His ministry, when challenged by the Jewish leaders to show evidence of His Messiahship, the Savior declared: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). He was telling them back then and us today that ultimately, He is the true temple that can never be destroyed. But of their cherished earthly temple, which they revered infinitely more than they did Him, Jesus prophesied: “See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down” (Matthew 24:2).
His final words to the leaders, you can call them Zionists today, were bathed in everlasting love and heartfelt pity: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate” (Matthew 23:37–39).
Earth’s Messiah made no mention of a third temple to be built that would usher in His return. But He did affirmatively present us with a clearer picture: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matthew 24:14). He gave no notion of the Zionist agenda but the worldwide proclamation of the good news that He is the only Savior of the world.
About: Follow Pastor Aubrey Duncan at his Unfolding Prophecy Page.
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Amen.
Not only what is brought out in the very good article, but any attempts to begin construction on any sort of building on the Temple Mount would bring the wrath of global Islam in such magnitude that the work of Hamas of late would be insignificant.
The Evangelical preachers from America like John Hagee and others are misleading millions of people in christendom about the rebuilding of Jerusalem temple, this is because they don’t want to learn the truth about the scriptures.They pin their false hopes on secular zionist Israel which has no any spiritual significance. The capital East Jerusalem where the Dome of rock was built is considered as the second most holy shrine by the muslim world after Mecca. If they dare to use force to built their third temple this will ignite a broader regional war pitting Zionist supporters notably U.S and Britain against Shiite an Sunni muslim powers , Iran , Turkey,Saudi Arabia against zionist Israel. This conflict will be very bloody, and the solution will be brought by the real anti christ the Pope of Rome to settle peaceful negotiation to conquer Jerusalem and make it religious capital city which will be the ultimate goal of the papacy for the last 1,900 years.
I agree that a temple will not be rebuilt in Jerusalem. The temple that God’s people’s eyes must be turned to is the tabernacle in heaven where our High Priest intercedes on our behalf… not to old Jerusalem (EW 75.2).
However…
The article didn’t acknowledge that it may be possible that there will be an ATTEMPT to rebuild a temple in Jerusalem. To attempt to rebuild, such as issuing a formal decree that the temple will be rebuilt, is far different from a temple rebuilt. Further, to lay the foundation for a new temple, or build streets in Jerusalem leading to the temple (see https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-726942), or restoring/rebuilding the walls (think western “wall”) while the world undoubtedly descends into chaos, war and bloodshed, would also not constitute a temple rebuilt. Those that stand stiffly on the notion that the temple not being rebuilt in old Jerusalem means that it will never be attempted, MAY find themselves faced with a devastating, possibly even a “faith” shattering experience one day in the not-so-distant future.
Why do I say these things? Well, first let’s have a look at a statement by EGW, which incredibly is not duplicated anywhere, other than the original Review and Herald article for which she penned these words:
“In the Scriptures are presented truths that relate especially to our own time. To the period just prior to the appearing of the Son of man, the prophecies of Scripture point, and here their warnings and threatenings pre-eminently apply. The prophetic periods of Daniel, extending to the very eve of the great consummation, throw a flood of light upon events then to transpire. The book of Revelation is also replete with warning and instruction for the last generation. The beloved John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, portrays the fearful and thrilling scenes connected with the close of earth’s history, and presents the duties and dangers of God’s people. None need remain in ignorance, none need be unprepared for the coming of the day of God.” RH September 25, 1883, par. 6
In short, sister White is plainly stating that the foremost purpose of prophecy is to reveal what will happen in the period just before Christ returns. As such, prophecy has its principle and most important application to the last days, not in history. This being the case, we may now look at the prophecies of scripture with renewed understanding and find there more than we ever dreamed that God had already revealed for the benefit of his last day Elijah messengers. Let’s look at the 70-week prophecy and notice the language chosen by God in which to convey information:
Daniel 9:24 “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.”
We pause here to notice the events foretold in the prophecy, remembering that while prophecy has indisputable application in history, we have just seen that the chief reason prophecy was given was for us, candidates for the 144,000, to know what is to take place at the close of time. We will not even come close to doing a deep dive, this is just to show that there is yet more to come in prophecy:
**Event 1 – finish transgression. Yes, Christ came and lived without transgressing, but the prophecy states that 70 weeks are determined, or decreed, or cut off for Daniel’s people (which is to say the people of God who have the same faith as Daniel), and upon Daniel’s holy City (I believe a reference not to physical Jerusalem, but rather the spiritual Jerusalem which is God’s denominated people in the last days) to finish with transgressing (which is rebellion and revolt against God), not that seventy weeks were determined for one individual called the Messiah. Has this occurred? Not that I am aware of. Will there be a people that will live upon this earth without participating any more in the revolt? Yes! The 144,000 fit this description. This event then allows for a future fulfillment without destroying the historical application to Christ.
**Event 2 – make an end of sins. Again, the event is applied to the same group of people (Daniel’s people, or the people that are of the same faith as Daniel). Has a people on this earth ever made an end of sins? No, but once again, it appears that the 144,000 would fit the description upon their sealing, in that they are described in Revelation 14 as standing with Christ (figuratively since they are still upon the earth) without fault.
**Event 3 – make reconciliation for iniquity. Iniquity in this use is synonymous with perversity. Has a people ever made reconciliation by seeking out atonement for perversity? You may say that this group or that in history was separated from perversity, but the fact remains that perversity exists today as never before in history and is pervasive everywhere, even in the SDA church, where reportedly 40% of pastors admit to struggling with pornography – admit being the key word. What might the percentage of the overall membership be? Has a people in the history of the world ever made a final (forever) reconciliation for iniquity? No. Again, our eyes turn to the promised perfect condition of the 144,000.
**Event 4 – bring in everlasting righteousness. This is particularly interesting. To “bring in” would seem to be synonymous with to “usher in.” A simple concordance lookup also shows that “bring in” has a causative application where action is involved on the part of the subject. What does everlasting mean? Simply, that the prophecy being given is absolute from that point forward – there will be no more flip-flopping between doing righteousness and falling back into sin. What group living upon the earth, of the same faith as Daniel, being God’s chosen people, will usher in or even cause (through God’s providence and grace) that everlasting righteousness be established? Again, I can think of none other than the 144,000.
**Event 5 – seal up the vision and prophecy. To seal up means to close, or make an end. It is fascinating to me, as I consider the possible end time application of prophecy, to see that the 144,000 will have understanding of prophecy beyond what we presently comprehend, and that this understanding will lead them right up to the “very eve of the great consummation.” What is the “very eve of the great consummation?” The great consummation will be when the Father’s voice booms from the heavens like peals of loudest thunder and echoes through all the earth delivering the covenant of peace to his people and giving them the very day and hour of Christ’s return. The Father is the great date-setter. To whom will this covenant of peace, or great consummation be delivered? Again, to the 144,000 living saints (together with the righteous dead who died keeping the Sabbath under the three angels’ messages of Revelation 14 and are raised up at the special resurrection just for this event).
**Event 6 – anoint the most Holy – this is what we previously described in the great consummation. After this event, the living righteous radiate the glory of God as did Moses after coming down from the presence of God on Mount Sinai. They are anointed with God’s glory, his Spirit, and are now fitted to stand in the sight of a righteous God without an intercessor. They are indisputably holy, holy, or most holy (kodesh kodesh) beings, for they have been accepted as faultless by God, through the merits of Christ, and live faultlessly while upon the earth for a period.
Now, after seeing how this prophecy has a very literal end time application, we move on to the next verse regarding additional events that will take place. By no means do I claim to understand what we are about to read.
Daniel 9:25 “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.”
Here I would like to point out the language used. The first event is “the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem.” It is interesting that the event that marked the historical fulfillment of this prophecy was a decree – we are informed that it was the third decree given by Artaxerxes. Why didn’t God just start the clock on the historic day-for-year application of the prophecy by the start of the reconstruction, or maybe by the completion of the rebuilding when the first lamb was sacrificed, or maybe he could have manifested his glory within the temple as a marker for the starting of prophetic time. His options were endless in setting up this prophecy, yet he chose to mark it by the decree of a pagan ruler to rebuild the city and the temple. With our understanding tempered by our acceptance of a yet future fulfillment to prophecy being the principle application and not forgetting the evidence of this fact already referenced in the previous text, I would suggest that God foresaw the temple hysteria that exists in these last days and He knew that part of Satan’s plan would be to beguile people by directing their minds and means to the fruitless rebuilding of a 3rd temple. For this reason, He laid out the prophecy in both applications such that it would be regulated by only a decree (commandment) to rebuild. In the first application, the temple rebuild was completed, but that does not mean that in the last-days application the commandment will lead to the same outcome. We are further informed in the verse that the commencement of rebuilding will take place in troublous times. It is not so hard to imagine how this might come to pass.
I do not offer the preceding up as a dogmatic view of final events involving the temple in Jerusalem, but rather as a possible scenario that at least partially fits the descriptions given in the prophecy. Just consider how much interpretive application must be used to establish the first fulfillment of the prophecy in the time of Christ, and the second application does not seem like it is any more interpretive, thus it is at least feasible. Therefore, while our attention should not be focused on the reconstruction of the temple, we should also not permit ourselves to be dismissive of the events which are yet to take place. I am not suggesting that brother Duncan was dismissive, but rather that we, individually must guard against the SDA malady of believing that we have all the light on Bible prophecy, even truth in general, and that nothing more is yet to be revealed.
Blessings
I leave it to Pastor Roman and his team to decide if the following is added to the prior post….
If anyone would like more information about the 144,000 – their characteristics, the prophetic timing or sequence of their work, and other such subjects, some of which are still in process of being revealed, then you may subscribe to a small monthly paper that our little home church group (we are Seventh-day Adventists, but not associated with the denomination) is planning to produce to bring attention to this subject. Email your name and address to:
theremnantherald@outlook.com
Please include “Subscribe” in the subject.
The paper will be mailed, not emailed, nor posted on social media. Eventually it may be posted/archived to a website, but that will come much later as time and resources become available.
Blessings
The world is waiting for a third temple to be built when in reality there have already been three temples. Moses built the first one exactly as God Himself instructed and though it was portable it was of such importance that it took the space of 7 chapters in the Bible to describe how it was to be built and all the furniture and clothing involved. The second and third temple were not described nearly as intricately as the first temple was. The first temple was used from a year after God’s chosen people crossed the Red Sea until King Solomon built the second temple in Jerusalem, a period of 400 years. So, it was obviously of more stature than just a tent since it was God’s home on the earth. The third temple was built after the return from captivity by the Babylonians and as Jesus predicted was torn down in 70 A.D. If another temple is built it will be number four so it will have no significance in history.
I’m surprised at such a low-quality article.
Trying to prove 50 days by cobbling together texts from Luke, Acts, and Exodus?
Saying that the Fall Feasts have been fulfilled already when Ellen White explicitly says that they haven’t been fulfilled yet?
Saying the 3rd temple won’t be built, when the Bible clearly says that the man of sin will sit in the temple showing himself as god?
Please repent, and study your Holy Bible and Spirit of Prophecy!
I find this article by Pastor Duncan most fascinating as well as the comments of response. We have a lot to learn and study out. May God help us.