{"id":103,"date":"2017-10-31T08:10:38","date_gmt":"2017-10-31T07:10:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/?p=103"},"modified":"2017-10-31T08:10:38","modified_gmt":"2017-10-31T07:10:38","slug":"the-four-temples-of-the-bible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/2017\/10\/31\/the-four-temples-of-the-bible\/","title":{"rendered":"The Four Temples of the Bible"},"content":{"rendered":"

And it came to pass, when the king dwelt in his house, and Jehovah had given him rest from all his enemies round about, that the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar<\/span>, but the ark of God dwells within curtains. And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in your heart; for Jehovah is with you.<\/p>\n

2 Samuel 7:1\u20133<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n

In this series, we are going to study w<\/span>hat the Bible says about the four Jewish temples. At the outset, we must remember that two of these four Jewish temples are historical, whereas the other two are yet prophetic. The two historical temples are: Solomon\u2019s Temple and the Seco<\/span>nd Temple, sometimes known as Herod\u2019s Temple. The two future temples are: the Tribulation Temple, to be followed by the Millennial Temple.<\/p>\n

I. Solomon\u2019s Temple<\/p>\n

From the time of Moses until the reign of King David, the Ark of the Covenant dwelt inside the Tabernacle, which was, of course, a huge, magnificent tent. When David built his own <\/span>house, it troubled him that he was living in a house while the Ark of the Covenant was living in a tent. He began to develop a desire in his heart to build a temple for the Lord. This gave rise to the First Temple, also known as Solomon\u2019s Temple.<\/p>\n

A. David\u2019s Preparations for the Temple<\/p>\n

The beginnings of David\u2019s desire and the plans he began to make are recorded in 2 Samuel 7:1\u201317<\/a>. In the course of a conversation between David and Nathan the Pro<\/span>phet, David spelled out his desire in verses 1\u20133<\/a> to build a temple for God so that there would no longer be the incongruity of David\u2019s dwelling in a house of cedar while the Ark of the Covenant dwelt <\/span>in a house of curtains: And it came to pass, when the king dwelt in his house, and Jehovah had given him rest from all his enemies round about, that the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I d<\/em><\/span>well in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within curtains. And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in your heart; for Jehovah is with you.<\/em><\/p>\n

Although Nathan, at first, told David to go<\/span> ahead with his project, God revealed to Nathan that David would not be the one to build the Temple of God in verses 4\u201311a<\/a>: And it came to pass the same night, that the word of Jehovah came unto Natha<\/em><\/span>n, saying, Go and tell my servant David, Thus says Jehovah, Shall you build me a house for me to dwell in? for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle. In <\/em><\/span>all places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel, spoke I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to be shepherd of my people Israel, saying, Why have ye not built me a house of cedar? Now therefore thus shall you say unto my servant David, Thus says Jehovah of hosts, I took you from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people, over Israel; and I have been with you whithersoever you went, and have cut<\/em><\/span> off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name, like unto the name of the great ones that are in the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as at the first, and as from the day that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel; and I will cause you to rest from all your enemies.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Because David had engaged in much warfare, in many ways, he was a man of blood so his hands were not to build the Temple of the Lord.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, in verses 11b\u201317<\/a> God was plea<\/span>sed with David\u2019s desire and God entered into a covenant relationship with him that we call the Davidic Covenant: Moreover Jehovah tells you that Jehovah will make you a house. When your days are fulfi<\/em><\/span>lled, and you shall sleep with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, that shall proceed out of your bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my <\/em><\/span>son: if he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men; but my lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before you: your throne shall be established for ever. According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

One of the features of this covenant, found in verse 13<\/a>, is that God promised that David<\/span>\u2019s son, Solomon, would be the one to build the House of God.<\/p>\n

Although David was forbidden to build the house himself, he was not forbidden to make preparations for the building of the Temple. He did t<\/span>his in two ways. First of all, he purchased Mount Moriah, the area upon which the Temple was to stand, from its Jebusite owner. This is recorded in 1 Chronicles 21:18\u201322:1<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After having purchased the <\/span>site of the future Temple of God, David proceeded to gather many materials so there would be less work for Solomon to do. The second part of David\u2019s preparations is recorded in 1 Chronicles 22:2\u20135<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Th<\/span>us we are told that David prepared abundantly<\/em> for the future building of the Jewish Temple.<\/p>\n

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B. The Building of the Temple<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/span><\/span>1. The Work Begins<\/p>\n

When Solomon established his kingdom after the death of his father David, he carried out one of the key commissions David gave while on his deathbed: to build the Temple of God. The<\/span> place where this was built is recorded in 2 Chronicles 3:1<\/a>: Then Solomon began to build the house of Jehovah at Jerusalem on mount Moriah, where Jehovah appeared unto David his father, which he made <\/em><\/span>ready in the place that David had appointed, in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.<\/em><\/p>\n

We are told several things clearly in this passage. First of all, that Solomon built a house on the very thre<\/em><\/span>shing-floor<\/em> that David had purchased from Ornan the Jebusite<\/em>. Secondly, that this was known as mount Moriah<\/em>, which was the site of the sacrifice of Isaac (Gen. 22:1\u201319<\/a>). So here we have the story of A<\/span>braham, David, and Solomon coming together in the place where God would receive the acceptable sacrifice.<\/p>\n

Solomon commenced building the Temple as recorded in 1 Kings 5:1\u20136:36<\/a>. Although David had made<\/span> many preparations for this building, it still took seven years to build according to 1 Kings 6:37\u201338<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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2. The Work Completed<\/p>\n

Further work on the Temple is described in 1 Kings 7:13\u201351<\/a>. The announcement of the completion of the project is finally described in 1 Kings 7:51<\/a>: Thus all the work that king So<\/em>lomon wrought in the house of Jehovah was finished. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated, even the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, and put them in the treasuries of the house of Jehovah<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

3. The Temple Authenticated<\/p>\n

Of course, the key question would be: Will God authenticate this Temple by making it His residence as He did in the Tabernacle? Will the visible manifestation of God\u2019s pres<\/span>ence now depart from the Tabernacle and take up His abode in the Temple? The answer is clearly \u201cyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 1 Kings 8:1\u20139<\/a>, the Ark of the Covenant is brought into the Holy of Holies of the Temple, and th<\/span>is is followed by the appearance of the Shechinah Glory in 1 Kings 8:10\u201311<\/a>: And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of Jehovah, so that t<\/em><\/span>he priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud; for the glory of Jehovah filled the house of Jehovah.<\/em><\/p>\n

Just as God authenticated the Tabernacle by the visibility of the Shechinah Glory i<\/span>n Exodus 40:34\u201335<\/a>, in the same way, God authenticated the Temple. Thus, the First Temple was completed.<\/p>\n

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C. The Desecration of the Temple<\/p>\n

In spite of its magnificence, in spite of its being the center of Jewish worship in the days of Solomon and other kings of Judah, nevertheless, certain rulers of Judah profaned this Temple for their own purposes and for pagan worship.<\/p>\n

Among the first of these was Queen Athaliah. Her desecration of the Temple is recorded in 2 Chronicles 24:7<\/a>: For the sons of Athalia<\/em>h, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house of Jehovah did they bestow upon the Baalim.<\/em><\/p>\n

According to this passage, Athaliah<\/em> and her children took the dedicated things out of the House of God<\/em> and turned them over to the temple of Baal. This is one of the earliest records of the desecration of Solomon\u2019s Temple.<\/p>\n

Even a good king desecrated the Temple. Although King Uzziah, by and large, is recorded to have been a good king, one day his pride got the best of him and he, too, profaned the Temple. His desecration is recorded in 2 Chronicles 26:16\u201321<\/a>: But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up, so that he did corruptly, and he trespassed against Jehovah his God; for he went into the temple of Jehovah to burn incense upon the altar of i<\/em>ncense. And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of Jehovah, that were valiant men: and they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It pertains not unto you, Uzziah, to burn incense unto Jehovah, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for you have trespassed; neither shall it be for your ho<\/em>nor from Jehovah God. Then Uzziah was wroth; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense; and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy broke forth in his forehead before the priests in the house of Jehovah, beside the altar of incense. And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out quickly from thence; yea, himself had also to go out, because Jehovah had smitten him. And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a separate house, being a leper; for he was cut <\/em>off from the house of Jehovah: and Jotham his son was over the king\u2019s house, judging the people of the land.<\/em><\/p>\n

Here we have an instance of a good king who ended badly. Because of his pride, he desecrated the Temple by trying to burn incense, a duty allocated by law to the sons of Aaron. Unlike other cases, this was not an attempt to institute pagan worship; the act of burning incense was part of true worship. However, it was not for Uzziah of the Tribe of Judah to do so, but only for those of the Tribe of Levi, and by doing so he, too, was guilty of desecration.<\/p>\n

A far worse deed was perpetrated by his grandson, Ahaz. This is recorded in 2 Kings 16:10\u201317<\/a>: And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tilgath pileser king of Assyria, and saw the altar that was at Damascus; and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the<\/em> fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof. And Urijah the priest built an altar: according to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damascus, so did Urijah the priest <\/em>make it against the coming of king Ahaz from Damascus. And when the king was come from Damascus, the king saw the altar: and the king drew near unto the altar, and offered thereon. And he burnt<\/em> his burnt-offering and his meal-offering, and poured his drink-offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace-offerings, upon the altar. And the brazen altar, which was before Jehovah, he brought from the forefront of the house, from between his altar and the house of Jehovah, and put it on the north side of his altar. And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the great altar<\/em> burn the morning burnt-offering, and the evening meal-offering, and the king\u2019s burnt-offering, and his meal-offering, with the burnt-offering of all the people of the land, and their meal-offering, and their drink-offerings; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt-offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice: but the brazen altar shall be for me to inquire by.<\/em><\/p>\n

The fantastic Altar that King Solomon had built and upon which the sacrifices were offered was not good enough for wicked King Ahaz. He preferred a pagan altar that he had seen in a temple in Damascus. He took careful note as to the construction of the Damascus altar and sent the plans and blueprints down to the high priest, Urijah. It was built and, in doing so, Solomon\u2019s altar was set aside, and a pagan altar replaced it. Ahaz, too, was guilty of profaning the Temple.<\/p>\n

Another king who desecrated the Temple was the grandson of Ahaz, King Manasseh. His desecration is recorded in 2 Kings 21:1\u20136<\/a>: Manasseh was twelve years when he<\/em> began to reign; and he reigned five and fifty years in Jerusalem: and his mother\u2019s name was Hephzibah. And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, after the abominations of the nations whom Jehovah cast out before the ch<\/em>ildren of Israel. For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made an Asherah, as did Ahab king of Israel, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them. And he built altars in the house of Jehovah, whereof Jehovah said, In Jerusalem will I put my name. And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of Jehovah. And he mad<\/em>e his son to pass through the fire, and practised augury, and used enchantments, and dealt with them that had familiar spirits, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of Jehovah, to provoke him to anger.<\/em><\/p>\n

Manasseh worshipped the pseudoscience of astrology. For each sign of the zodiac, he had a separate altar within the court area of the Temple of the Lord, and he began to worship pagan gods within the confines of the Jewish Temple itself. Among the various desecrations of the House of God, Manasseh\u2019s was by far the worst, because he, for all practical purposes, turned the Temple into a pagan worship center. There were four different types of pagan worship observed in the Temple Compound as a result of Manasseh\u2019s actions. These are carefully recorded in Ezekiel 8\u201311<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

D. Attacks Against the Temple<\/p>\n

On several occasions there were attacks against the Temple, desecrating it either by plunder or by the taking of tribute from the Temple treasury. The very first one to p<\/span>lunder the Temple was Pharaoh Shishak of Egypt. The details are given in 1 Kings 14:25\u201326<\/a>: And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt <\/em>came up against Jerusalem;<\/em><\/span> and he took away the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the treasures of the king\u2019s house; even took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made.<\/em><\/p>\n

Shishak<\/em> took away t<\/span>he Temple treasures<\/em>, but that is not all, he also took away all the shields of gold<\/em> that Solomon<\/em> had built for the Temple area. As a result, King Rehoboam<\/em> was forced to replace them with shields of br<\/span>ass. A parallel passage is found in 2 Chronicles 12:9\u201310<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The next person to attack the Temple was King Ben-hadad of Syria, recorded in 1 Kings 15:18\u201319<\/a>: Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that<\/em><\/span> were left in the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the treasures of the king\u2019s house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants; and king Asa sent them to Ben-hadad, the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, that dwelt <\/em><\/span>at Damascus, saying, There is a league between me and you, between my father and your father: behold, I have sent unto you a present of silver and gold; go, break your league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

In order to pay for Ben-hadad\u2019s help against Baasha\u2019s aggression toward Judah, Asa had to take the silver and gold of the T<\/span>emple treasury and pay the king of Syria. This is how the king of Syria desecrated the Jewish Temple. It was indeed a costly covenant and league. A parallel passage is found in 2 Chronicles 16:2\u20133<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Th<\/span>e third person to attack the Temple by plunder was also a king of Syria by the name of Hazael. The record of his desecration is found in 2 Kings 12:17\u201318<\/a>: Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought<\/em><\/span> against Gath, and took it; and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. And Jehoash king of Judah took all the hallowed things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own hallowed things, <\/em><\/span>and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and of the king\u2019s house, and sent to Hazael king of Syria: and he went away from Jerusalem.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

In order to keep Hazael from attacking the City of Jerusalem, Jehoash, the king of Judah, was forced to take all of the dedicated and hallowed<\/em> items of the Temple and turn them over to the <\/span>king of Syria. Once again the Temple treasury was emptied. All the gold and holy vessels were removed.<\/p>\n

While the first three plunderers of the Jewish Temple were all Gentile kings, at one time the Tem<\/span>ple was desecrated by a Jewish one. When Jehoash became king of the northern kingdom of Israel, he, too, plundered the Temple according to 2 Kings 14:13\u201314<\/a>: And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah kin<\/em><\/span>g of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubits. And he took all the gold and silver, and all th<\/em><\/span>e vessels that were found in the house of Jehovah, and in the treasures of the king\u2019s house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.<\/em><\/p>\n

Jehoash emptied the <\/span>treasury just as the Gentile kings before him had done. A parallel passage is 2 Chronicles 25:24<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The next time the Temple was plundered was by an Assyrian king named Tiglath-pileser III. The record o<\/span>f his plundering is found in 2 Kings 16:8<\/a>: And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of Jehovah, and in the treasures of the king\u2019s house, and sent it for a present to the king of <\/em><\/span>Assyria.<\/em><\/p>\n

In order to purchase the help of the Assyrians against Israel and Syria, Ahaz, the king of Judah, emptied the Temple treasury in order to pay the Assyrian monarch.<\/p>\n

Some time later, another As<\/span>syrian monarch, Sennacherib, plundered the Temple in the days of King Hezekiah. The record of his plundering is found in 2 Kings 18:14\u201316<\/a>: And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lac<\/em><\/span>hish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which you put on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in<\/em><\/span> the house of Jehovah, and in the treasures of the king\u2019s house. At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of Jehovah, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Not only was Hezekiah forced to empty the Temple treasury of its silver and gold, he also <\/span>had to take off the gold that was upon the doors and the pillars of the Temple itself, and turn all this gold over to the king of Assyria.<\/p>\n

Thus, on six different occasions that we know of, there were <\/span>attacks against the Temple in which desecration occurred either by plunder or by the taking of tribute.<\/p>\n

E. Repairs of the Temple<\/p>\n

On three occasions that we are aware of, Solomon\u2019s Temple underwent specific repairs. The first time was under King Joash, who was under the direction of Jehoiada the high pri<\/span>est. Its repairs are recorded in 2 Chronicles 24:8<\/a> and 11\u201314<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Verse 8<\/a> states: So the king commanded, and they made a chest, and set it without at the gate of the house of Jehovah.<\/em><\/p>\n

Verses 11\u201314<\/a> state: <\/span>And it was so, that, at what time the chest was brought unto the king\u2019s officers by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, the king\u2019s scribe and the chief priest\u2019s offic<\/em><\/span>er came and emptied the chest, and took it, and carried it to its place again. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance. And the king and Jehoiada gave it to such as did the work of the service of the house of Jehovah; and they hired masons and carpenters to restore the house of Jehovah, and also such as wrought iron and brass to repair the house of Jehovah. So the workmen wrought<\/em><\/span>, and the work of repairing went forward in their hands, and they set up the house of God in its state, and strengthened it. And when they had made an end, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, whereof were made vessels for the house of Jehovah, even vessels wherewith to minister and to offer, and spoons, and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of Jehovah continually all the days of Jehoiada.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Another king who brought repairs to the Temple was King Jotham, recorded in 2 Kings 15:35<\/a>: Howbeit the high places were not taken away: the<\/em><\/span> people still sacrificed and burned incense in the high places. He built the upper gate of the house of Jehovah.<\/em><\/p>\n

We are simply told that he built and repaired the upper gate of the Temple of God. A pa<\/span>rallel passage is found in 2 Chronicles 27:3<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Another king who was responsible for making repairs to the Temple was King Josiah as recorded in 2 Kings 22:3\u20137<\/a>: And it came to pass in the eighteenth yea<\/em><\/span>r of king Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan, the son of Azaliah the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of Jehovah, saying, Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may sum the money which is brought into the house of Jehovah, which<\/em><\/span> the keepers of the threshold have gathered of the people: and let them deliver it into the hand of the workmen that have the oversight of the house of Jehovah; and let them give it to the workmen that are in the house of Jehovah, to repair the breaches of the house, unto the carpenters, and to the builders, and to the masons, and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the house. Howbeit there was no reckoning made with them of the m<\/em><\/span>oney that was delivered into their hand; for they dealt faithfully.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The manifold desecrations of the Temple caused by <\/span>Manasseh\u2019s reign as well as Amon\u2019s reign required repairing the breaches in the Temple, which Josiah was faithful in doing. A parallel passage is found in 2 Chronicles 34:8\u201313<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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F. Prophetic Warnings Regarding the Temple<\/p>\n

Although the Temple of Solomon was often desecrated by Judah\u2019s extreme wickedness, they nevertheless looked to the Temple as a place of security. When King S<\/span>ennacherib of Assyria invaded the Land of Judah, all of Judah\u2019s fortified cities collapsed. There was nothing left of Judah whatsoever. However, Sennacherib failed to take over Jerusalem. God saved Jerusalem in the days of Hezekiah the king, thus, Jerusalem was spared.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because of this miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem while the rest of Judah suffered tremendous destruction, the Temple became the<\/span> symbol of false security. The people concluded from the failure of Sennacherib\u2019s invasion that as long as God\u2019s Temple was in Jerusalem, Jerusalem could never be taken nor destroyed. As a result, the people felt they could be as wicked as they pleased and nothing could destroy them. They had a sense of false security.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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1. The Message of Micah<\/p>\n

Two prophets spoke boldly against this false security. First came the prophet Micah, who prophesied of the future destruction of the Temple in Micah 3:11\u201312<\/a>: The heads thereof <\/em>judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet they lean upon Jehovah, and say, Is not Jehovah in the midst of us? no evil shall come upon us. Therefore shall Z<\/em>ion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.<\/em><\/p>\n

The wicked rulers of the people thought that since Jehovah was in the midst of Jerusalem abiding in the Temple, no calamity could possibly fall upon Jerusalem. Hence, they became more and more wicked. Yet Micah warned that this Temple in which they placed their sense of security would become nothing but a forest, totally overgrown, without even a building left.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

2. The Message of Jeremiah<\/p>\n

This was picked up by the Prophet Jeremiah, who was able to see the destruction of Solomon\u2019s Temple. The prophet speaks against the concept of the security of the Temple in <\/span>Jeremiah 7:3\u20134<\/a>: Thus says Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of Jehovah,<\/em><\/span> the temple of Jehovah, the temple of Jehovah, are these.<\/em><\/p>\n

Jeremiah\u2019s message, like that of Micah before him, was that they must repent of their ways and get into a right relationship with God. Otherwi<\/span>se, judgment would come. They were not to trust in the words of the false prophets who were saying: the temple of Jehovah.<\/em> They were being taught that, by virtue of the Temple\u2019s being in Jerusalem, Je<\/span>rusalem was indestructible. Jeremiah began to warn them that this was not so; unless they repented they would be destroyed.<\/p>\n

Then Jeremiah pointed to the lesson of Shiloh in Jeremiah 7:12\u201315<\/a>: But go ye<\/em><\/span> now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I caused my name to dwell at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel. And now, because ye have done all these works, says Jehova<\/em><\/span>h, and I spoke unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not: therefore will I do unto the house which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh. And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

When Israel conquered <\/span>the Land from the Canaanites under Joshua, the Tabernacle with the Ark of the Covenant was placed in the City of Shiloh<\/em>. Although that is where the Ark and the Tabernacle were located, in the days of <\/span>Samuel the Philistines came and destroyed Shiloh, and Shiloh was never rebuilt. It remained desolate even until Jeremiah\u2019s day. So Jeremiah pointed this out to Israel and told them to look at the lesson of <\/span>Shiloh<\/em>. The fact that the Tabernacle was in Shiloh did not make Shiloh indestructible. In fact, Shiloh<\/em> was indeed destroyed because of Israel\u2019s sinfulness. If the Tabernacle was unable to save S<\/em><\/span>hiloh<\/em>, how could they rest in the security that the Temple would save Jerusalem? The truth was, if Israel failed to repent, Jerusalem would undergo the same destruction as Shiloh<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Later in this book, <\/span>the lesson of Shiloh is brought up again in Jeremiah 26:1\u20137<\/a>: In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, came this word from Jehovah, saying, Thus says Jehovah: Stand <\/em><\/span>in the court of Jehovah\u2019s house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in Jehovah\u2019s house, all the words that I command you to speak unto them; diminish not a word. It may be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way; that I may repent me of the evil which I purpose to do unto them <\/em><\/span>because of the evil of their doings. And you shall say unto them, Thus says Jeh<\/em><\/span>ovah: If ye will not hearken to me, to walk in my law, which I have set before you, to hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I send unto you, even rising up early and sending them, but ye have not hearkened; then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make<\/em><\/span> this city a curse to all the nations of the earth. And the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of Jehovah.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

In this passage, Jeremiah was commanded to preach a message that it was not the existence of the Temple that would save Jerusalem, but the repentance of the<\/span> people. If the people would turn away from their sins and trust in the Lord, then Jerusalem would be saved. But if not, Jerusalem would become just like Shiloh: a destruction and a desolation.<\/p>\n

Becaus<\/span>e of such a bold message, the false prophets and priests wished to have Jeremiah put to death. But Jeremiah was rescued by certain princes and elders of the nation who defended him on the basis of the proph<\/span>ecy found in Micah 3:11\u201312<\/a>. This record is found in Jeremiah 26:16\u201319<\/a>: Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and to the prophets: This man is not worthy of death; for he has <\/em><\/span>spoken to us in the name of Jehovah our God. Then rose up certain of the elders of the land, and spoke to all the assembly of the people, saying, Micah the Morashtite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah; and he spoke to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus says Jehovah of hosts: Zion shall be plowed as a fie<\/em><\/span>ld, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest. Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him to death? did he not fear Jehovah, and entreat the favor of Jehovah, and Jehovah repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus should we commit great evil against our own souls.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

So the message preached by Micah one hundred years earlier is reiterated by Jeremiah the Prophet. These were prophetic warnings <\/span>against the false security of trusting in the Temple alone. The Temple could save them only if they truly had faith and were keeping the commandments of the Lord. But God will not tolerate wickedness, nor would He save them strictly on the grounds of His Temple\u2019s being in the vicinity. Thus, the people were warned of the futur<\/span>e destruction of their Temple.<\/p>\n

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G. The Destruction of the Temple<\/p>\n

In the closing years of the Judean Kingdom, the Babylonians made three campaigns against Jerusalem, and in each of them, the Temple was affected.<\/p>\n

The first campaign is<\/span> found in 2 Chronicles 36:5\u20137<\/a>: Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah his God.<\/em><\/span> Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar also carried of the vessels of the house of Jehovah to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

In his first campaign, Nebuchadnezzar the king, took the vessels of the House of Jehovah out of the Temple of God, and placed them in the pagan temple at Babylon.<\/p>\n

Next came the s<\/span>econd campaign of Nebuchadnezzar, recorded in 2 Chronicles 36:9\u201310<\/a>: Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which <\/em><\/span>was evil in the sight of Jehovah. And at the return of the year king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of Jehovah, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

In the second campaign, Nebuchadnezzar took all of the remaining vessels from the Temple.<\/p>\n

But then came the crucial, third campaign of Nebuchadnezzar, recorded in 2 Chronic<\/span>les 36:17\u201319<\/a>: Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldeans, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or virgin, old man<\/em><\/span> or hoary headed: he gave them all into his hand. And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

In the third campaign, the Temple of Jerusalem was finally destroyed. All the vessels, both large and small, and all the Temple treasures were brought to Babylon. Th<\/span>en finally, the Temple itself was burnt to the ground, and thus came the end of the First Temple.<\/p>\n

Thus, the Temple was destroyed. For the first time since Mount Sinai, the Jews had no place of sacrifi<\/span>ce. For seventy years there would no longer be any sacrifices until the Temple could be rebuilt. So ended the history of the First Temple.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/span><\/span>II. The Second Temple<\/p>\n

When we speak of the Second Temple, we must speak of it in two distinct phases. For in the course of the history of the Second Temple, it underwent such tremendous renovations th<\/span>at it almost became a new Temple. In some circles, it is even referred to in this way although that is not actually correct. Rather than thinking of two distinct Temples, we must think of the Second Temple in two distinct phases. The first phase can be called Zerubbabel\u2019s Temple. The second phase should be called Herod\u2019s Temple.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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A. The First Phase: Zerubbabel\u2019s Temple<\/p>\n

After seventy years of Babylonian captivity, during which time there was no place of sacrifice for Israel, the Jews were permitted to return to the Land and rebuild their Temple.<\/p>\n

1. The Prophecy Regarding the Rebuilding of the Temple<\/p>\n

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Isaiah the Prophet, who prophesied about one hundred years prior to the destruction of the First Temple, predicted a time when the First Temple would be destroyed and a Second Temple rebuilt. This prophecy is recorded in Isaiah 44:28<\/a>: that says of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure, even saying of Jerusalem, She shall <\/em>be built; and of the temple, Your foundation shall be laid.<\/em><\/p>\n

Isaiah prophesied that when Cyrus became king of Persia, after he defeated Babylon, he would give permission to Israel to rebuild both the City of Jerusalem and the Temple as well. While Isaiah\u2019s contemporary, Micah, prophesied the destruction of Solomon\u2019s Temple, Isaiah prophesied a rebuilding by permission of Cyrus, the King of Persia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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2. The Fulfillment of the Prophecy<\/p>\n

The fulfillment of Isaiah\u2019s prophecy regarding the decree of Cyrus came in the year 538 b.c. The fulfillment is recorded, first of all, in 2 Chronicles 36:22\u201323<\/a>: Now<\/em> in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation <\/em>throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth has Jehovah, the God of heaven, given me; and he has charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whosoever there is among you of all his people, Jehovah his God be with him, and let him go up.<\/em><\/p>\n

Another record of the fulfillment of Isaiah\u2019s prophecy is found in Ezra 1:1\u20134<\/a>. Although these passages are essentially the same, there is additional information in verses 3<\/a> and 4<\/a> of Ezra\u2019s account: Whosoever there is among you of all his people, his God be <\/em>with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of Jehovah, the God of Israel, (he is God) which is in Jerusalem. And whosoever is left, in any place where he sojourns, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with b<\/em>easts, besides the freewill offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.<\/em><\/p>\n

Thus, we see that the prophecy of the Second Temple was fulfilled by the decree of Cyrus the Emperor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

3. The Building of the Second Temple<\/p>\n

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a. The Work Begins<\/p>\n

When Zerubbabel and Ezra began leading the migrations back to the Land, one of the first things to be rebuilt for the new Temple was the Altar, even before laying the foundations for the Temple itself according to Ezra 3:1\u20133<\/a>: And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem. Then s<\/em>tood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt-offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God. And they set the altar upon its base; for fear was upon them because of the peoples of the countries: an<\/em>d they offered burnt-offerings thereon unto Jehovah, even burnt-offerings morning and evening.<\/em><\/p>\n

Since the Altar of Sacrifice was outside the Temple building, not inside, apparently the Jews felt they should build the Altar first in order to reinstitute the sacrificial system. It was by means of blood sacrifices that the Mosaic Law said one was to approach God. But for the past seventy years, there had been no blood sacrifices, so there had been no real possibility of approach to God in accordance with Mosaic Law. In order to reestablish this connection with the Lord, the Altar was rebuilt.<\/p>\n

Once the altar was rebuilt and the sacrificial system had been re-instituted, they commenced with the building of the Temple itself. The beginning of the rebuilding of the Temple by the laying of the foundations is found in Ezra 3:8\u201313<\/a>. The foundations were laid, and then a great feast was proclaimed in verses 8\u201310<\/a>: Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealti<\/em>el, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem, and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to have the oversight of the work of the house of Jehovah. Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, K<\/em>admiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to have oversight of the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites. And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of Jehovah, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise Jehovah, after the order of David king of Israel.<\/em><\/p>\n

This feast was accompanied by both rejoicing and weeping in verses 11\u201313<\/a>: And they sang one to another in praising and giving thanks unto Jehovah, saying, For he is good, for his lovingkindness endures for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great s<\/em>hout, when they praised Jehovah, because the foundation of the house of Jehovah was laid. But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers\u2019 houses, the old men that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout for joy from the<\/em> noise of the weeping of the people; for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.<\/em><\/p>\n

The younger men rejoiced greatly to see their Temple beginning to be rebuilt, as symbolized by the completion of the foundations. However, among those who had returned from Babylon were some very old men who still remembered the First Temple in all its glory. There was no real comparison between the small foundation rebuilt by Zerubbabel and the massive foundation and Temple that Solomon had built. The older generation wept rather than rejoiced because, to them, the Second Temple was of little value in comparison to the original one. Thus, with the foundations laid, there was both weeping and rejoicing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

b. The Work is Interrupted<\/p>\n

But no sooner had the foundation been laid than the Jews received opposition from their enemies. To begin with, a new group of people, known as Samaritans, wished to join in<\/span> the rebuilding of the Temple in Ezra 4:1\u20133<\/a>: Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of captivity were building a temple unto Jehovah, the God of Israel; then they drew <\/em><\/span>near to Zerubbabel, and to the heads of the father\u2019s houses, and said unto them, Let us build with you; for we seek your God, as ye do; and we sacrifice unto him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assyria, who brought us up hither. But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of father\u2019s houses of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to d<\/em><\/span>o with us in building a house unto our God; but we <\/em><\/span>ourselves together will build unto Jehovah, the God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.<\/em><\/p>\n

Because these Samaritans had corrupted the true worship of Jehovah, they were no<\/span>t allowed to help.<\/p>\n

Therefore, in retaliation they did what they could to frustrate the continuation of the building of the Temple according to Ezra 4:4\u20136<\/a>: Then the people of the land weakened the hand<\/em><\/span>s of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, and hired counselors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the be<\/em><\/span>ginning of his reign, wrote they an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.<\/em><\/p>\n

They began writing to the Persian authorities to cease the r<\/span>ebuilding of the Temple as Ezra 4:23\u201324<\/a> states: Then when the copy of king Artaxerxes\u2019 letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went in haste to Jerusalem unto<\/em><\/span> the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power. Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem; and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.<\/em><\/p>\n

Thus, w<\/span>hile the foundation had been laid, the Jews were forced by power and authority to stop and build no more. The foundations remained, but they were bare, and no building was placed upon them. In fact, no more <\/span>work was done on the Temple for another fifteen years. All the Jews had was an altar and the foundation of the Temple.<\/p>\n

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c. The Preaching of the Prophets<\/p>\n

But after this time came the preaching of two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, calling for a resumption in the rebuilding of the Temple. Ezra 5:1<\/a> states: Now the prophe<\/em><\/span>ts, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem; in the name of the God of Israel prophesied they unto them.<\/em><\/p>\n

The basic burden of Zechar<\/span>iah and Haggai was a message of encouragement that they should continue and complete the building of the Temple.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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(1) The Message of Haggai<\/p>\n

The Book of Haggai is only two chapters long, but the entire book concerns the continuation of the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple. In his first chapter, Haggai encourages and exhorts the people to rise up and finish the work they have begun. One example can be found in Haggai 1:2<\/a>: Thus speaks Jehovah of hosts, saying, This people say, It is time for us to come, the time <\/em>for Jehovah\u2019s house to be built.<\/em><\/p>\n

Another example is Haggai 1:7\u20138<\/a>: Thus says Jehovah of hosts: Consider your ways. Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure i<\/em>n it, and I will be glorified, says Jehovah.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In obedience to the message of Haggai, the people began to resume the work according to Haggai 1:12\u201315<\/a>. Then Zerubbabel the son of <\/em>Shealtiel, and Joshua th<\/em><\/span>e son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of Jehovah their God, and the works of Haggai the prophet, as Jehovah their God had sent him; and the people did fear before Jehovah. <\/em><\/span>Then spoke Haggai Jehovah\u2019s messenger in Jehovah\u2019s message unto the people, saying, I am with you, says Jehovah. And Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work on the house of Jehovah of hosts, their God, in the four and twentieth day of the <\/em><\/span>month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

While the first chapter of the Book of Haggai was an encouragement for the Jews to res<\/span>ume the work that was left off fifteen years earlier, the second chapter was an encouragement to them after they had actually resumed work. For as we noted earlier, there were many Jews still living from the days of Solomon\u2019s Temple who were not impressed with the new foundation, and t<\/span>hey were somewhat discouraging to those who were trying to rebuild the Temple.<\/p>\n

Thus, Haggai spoke directly on the <\/span>issue of what appears to be the inferiority of Zerubbabel\u2019s Temple as compared to Solomon\u2019s Temple in Haggai 2:1\u20139<\/a>: In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of Je<\/em><\/span>hovah by Haggai the prophet, saying, Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying, Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? and how do ye see it now<\/em><\/span>? is it not in your eyes as nothing? Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, said Jehovah; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, said Jehovah, and work: for I am with you, said Jehovah of hosts, according to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, and my Spirit abode among you: fear ye not. For thus says Jehovah of hosts: Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and<\/em><\/span> the sea, and the dry land; and I will shake all nations; and the precious things of all nations shall come; and I will fill this house with glory, says Jehovah of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says Jehovah of hosts. The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says Jehovah of hosts; and in this place will I give peace, says Jehovah of hosts.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In this message, Haggai freely admits that, in c<\/span>omparison to Solomon\u2019s Temple, Zerubbabel\u2019s Temple seemed as nothing. Yet God, through His prophet Haggai, made a promise: in its later history, Zerubbabel\u2019s Temple was to experience a greater glory than that which was experienced by the First Temp<\/span>le. Hence, they are not to be discouraged regardless of what the older men might say about the superiority of the First Temple. In its beginnings, the Zerubbabel Temple would indeed be inferior, but later, the glory that would be seen in this Temple would far exceed that of Solomon\u2019s Temple!<\/p>\n

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(2) The Message of Zechariah<\/p>\n

The prophecies of Zechariah came to back up the prophecies of Haggai. In Zechariah 4:1\u201314<\/a>, a message is given which is an encouragement for the rebuilding of the Temple. T<\/span>he special message to Zerubbabel is found within this prophecy in verses 6\u201310<\/a>: Then he answered and said unto me, saying, This is the word of Jehovah unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by powe<\/em><\/span>r, but by my Spirit, says Jehovah of hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain; and he shall bring forth the top stone with shoutings of Grace, grace, unto it. Moreover the word of Jehovah came unto me saying, The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hand<\/em><\/span>s shall also finish it; and you shall know that Jehovah of hosts has sent me unto you. For who has despised the day of small things? for these seven shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel; these are the eyes of Jehovah, which run to and fro through the whole earth.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In this message, Zechariah proclaims that the same person who laid the foundations will also be the one to complete the Temple. Zerubbabel<\/em> laid the foundation fifteen years earlier; it <\/span>would be Zerubbabel<\/em> who would lay the top stone<\/em> or the final stone, marking the completion of the structure. Then like Haggai, Zechariah encouraged the builders not to be too discouraged over its seem<\/span>ing inferiority to Solomon\u2019s Temple. In verse 10<\/a>, Zechariah said, \u201cDo not despise the day of small things; the greater is yet to come.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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d. The Work Resumed<\/p>\n

And so, in obedience to the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah, the work was resumed according to Ezra 5:2<\/a>: Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Joza<\/em>dak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem; and with them were the prophets of God, helping them.<\/em><\/p>\n

We are told that Zerubbabel resumed the work and encouraging him were the prophets of God. First, Haggai and Zechariah gave the message for the resumption of the work; then once it was resumed, they did not abandon the builders, but stayed with them and encouraged them with prophetic utterances from God.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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e. The Work Completed<\/p>\n

After three more years, Zerubbabel\u2019s Temple was finally completed in the year 516 b.c. according to Ezra 6:14\u201315<\/a>: And the elders of the Jews builded and prospered, through the pr<\/em><\/span>ophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded it and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the decree of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxexzes king of Persia. And this house was finished on t<\/em><\/span>he third day of the month of Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.<\/em><\/p>\n

Therefore, Zerubbabel, who was of the ro<\/span>yal house, a descendant of David, and a forefather to Joseph the stepfather of Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah, with the instigation of the prophets of God, completed the Temple.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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4. The Desecrations of Zerubbabel\u2019s Temple<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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From the year 516 b.c. when the Temple was completed to the year 168 b.c., we do not have much history regarding the events of this Temple. From all we know,<\/span> the Temple continued to function uneventfully. But then, like the First Temple, it began to undergo some desecrations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/span><\/span>a. Antiochus IV<\/p>\n

The first person to desecrate this Temple was Antiochus IV, sometimes known as Antiochus Epiphanes. He desecrated the Temple on two occasions. In the year 169 b.c., he plundered the Te<\/span>mple, emptied the treasuries, and took away its vessels of gold and silver.<\/p>\n

One year later he returned and took all of the furniture of the Temple away with him. In order to further desecrate the Temp<\/span>le of God, he offered a pig on the altar, an act expressly forbidden by God in the Law of Moses.<\/p>\n

This act by the Greek-Syrian monarch led to a rebellion on the part of the Jews, and so began the Macca<\/span>bean Wars. The five Maccabean brothers organized the Jewish forces, and they began to fight with the Hellenistic Syrians until, finally, the Temple was retaken and rededicated. Out of this rededication came the eight-day festival known as the Feast of Hanukkah or the Festival of Lights. Yeshua celebrat<\/span>ed this festival Himself as we see in John 10:22<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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b. The Roman Conquerors<\/p>\n

After the cleansing of the Temple by the Maccabees, while there was much bitter struggle over who should have the office of the high priest, the Temple itself remained intact and continued to function uneventfully. But then, during the Roman Conquest, at least two Roman generals were also guilty of desecrating the Temple. In 63 b.c., Palestine was conquered for the Romans by General Pompey. After he captured Jerusalem, he entered into the Holy of Holies; this, of course, was permissible only by the Jewish high priest. After Pompey, in the year 54 b.c., another Roman General named Crassus plundered the Temple of all its gold and emptied the Temple treasury.<\/p>\n

Hence, in the first phase of the Second Temple, the Zerubbabel phase, the Temple was plundered on at least two or three occasions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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B. The Second Phase: Herod\u2019s Temple<\/p>\n

The Second Temple, originally rebuilt by Zerubbabel, underwent such a total renovation that it almost looked like a completely new building.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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1. The Renovation<\/p>\n

When Herod was declared king of Judea by the Roman authorities in the year 20 b.c., he promised the Jews to completely renovate their Temple, which had become badly dilapidated after five centuries. The Jews, of course, did not trust Herod and made him gather all the materials together before they would allow him to even touch the Temple. And even then, they would allow him to do it only one part at a time to make sure that he did not destroy the whole Temple first and then refuse to do any rebuilding. Therefore, in the year 20 b.c., the work was begun. The new Temple building itself took only one-and-a-half years to complete. But the outer courts and the buildings of the outer courts took another eighty years to finish. The finished product was on such a grand scale that it exceeded the beauty of Solomon\u2019s Temple, fulfilling the prophecy of Haggai 2<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When the Messiah began His ministry in the year a.d. 27, the outer buildings were already forty-six years in the making. It was finally completed in the year a.d. 64, only a mere six years before the whole area was destroyed by the Romans. Thus, as we come to the time in the life of the Messiah, the new Temple building had been standing for several decades whereas the buildings of the outer court were only about half complete.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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2. The Second Temple in the Life of the Messiah<\/p>\n

It is this Herodian phase of the Second Temple that the Messiah comes in contact with in the course of His lifetime. A number of key events occurred in <\/span>relationship to the Temple. It was in this Temple that Zacharias received his vision from the angel in Luke 1:8\u201323<\/a>, who told him that he would have a son who was to become John the Baptist. It was in <\/span>the Temple that the baby Jesus was dedicated by His parents, and where Simeon and Anna prophesied and authenticated His Messiahship in Luke 2:22\u201339<\/a>. It was in this Temple Compound that Yeshua, at the <\/span>age of twelve, was able to confound the doctors of the Law with His knowledge in Luke 2:41\u201351<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When Jesus began His ministry, He began by cleansing the Temple area for the first time in John 2:13\u201322<\/a>. <\/span>In this very same Temple, He declared His equality with God in John 5:14\u201329<\/a>. In John 7:14\u20138:59<\/a>, Jesus came to this Temple to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, during which time He made two astoundin<\/span>g declarations: First in John 7:37<\/a>: If any man thirst, let them come unto me<\/em>; and secondly in John 8:12<\/a>: I am the light of the world<\/em>. Some time later during the Feast of Dedication, He came to the Tem<\/span>ple again in John 10:22\u201339<\/a>, and declared in verse 30<\/a>: I and the Father are one.<\/em><\/p>\n

Throughout the last week of His life, we find Yeshua going in and out of the Temple with many declarations. In John 12:1<\/span>\u201336<\/a>, He entered the Temple area during His Triumphal Entry. It was at this time that He cleansed the Temple for the second time according to Matthew 21:12\u201317<\/a>, and so Jesus ended His ministry the same <\/span>way He began: with the cleansing of the Temple. It was in the Temple Compound that His authority was questioned by various leaders of Israel in Matthew 21:23\u201322:46<\/a>. In this Temple area, He denounced t<\/span>he Pharisees for leading the nation astray in Matthew 23:1\u201338<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One of the greatest events connecting the life of the Messiah with this Temple was at the time of the Crucifixion. When Yeshua died, the <\/span>thick veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place was torn in two from top to bottom. This event is recorded in Matthew 27:51<\/a>: And behold, the veil of the temple was rent in two from th<\/em><\/span>e top to the bottom; and the earth did quake; and the rocks were rent.<\/em><\/p>\n

The tearing of the veil signified that access to God was now open to all through the death of Yeshua the Messiah; animal sacrific<\/span>e would no longer be the means of approaching God.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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3. The Second Temple in the Book of Acts<\/p>\n

The Temple played a part in the events of the Book of Acts as well. According to Acts 2:46\u201347<\/a>, the many Jewish believers of the early Church continued to worship in this Temple. It was in the Temple area that Peter and John healed the lame man, providing an opportunity for Peter to preach his sermon by which many more Jews were saved in Acts 3:1\u201326<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Finally, in Acts 21:27\u201336<\/a>, it was in the Temple Compound that Paul was arrested, an act that eventually brought him to the City of Rome.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

C. The Destruction of the Second Temple<\/p>\n

Like the First Temple, the Second Temple was also destroyed because of Israel\u2019s sins, in this case, the sin of rejecting the Messiahship of Jesus. Also like Sol<\/span>omon\u2019s Temple, the Second Temple was not destroyed before certain prophecies regarding its destruction were given.<\/p>\n

One of these prophecies is found in the Old Testament in Daniel 9:26<\/a>: And after three<\/em><\/span>score and two weeks shall the anointed one be cut off, and shall have nothing: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and ev<\/em><\/span>en unto the end shall be war; desolations are determined.<\/em><\/p>\n

In this passage, Daniel clearly prophesied that the Second Temple, soon to be rebuilt by Zerubbabel, would eventually suffer de<\/span>struction by an invasion like the First Temple had. Both the city and the sanctuary were to be destroyed.<\/p>\n

While Daniel prophesied the destruction of the Second Temple, he did not state the reason for <\/span>its destruction. But in the closing days of His ministry, Yeshua gave two predictions of the Temple\u2019s destruction.<\/p>\n

The first is found in Matthew 23:37\u201339<\/a>: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killed the proph<\/em><\/span>ets, and stoned them that are sent unto her! how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall<\/em><\/span> not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord.<\/em><\/p>\n

These words were spoken the very last time that Jesus was in t<\/span>he Temple area. It was a lamentation. He pointed out the fact that He often wanted to have the people of Israel regathered and to give them the special messianic protection promised by the Jewish prop<\/span>hets. However, the leaders of Israel rejected Him and, in that sense, \u201cwilled it not.\u201d Therefore, the key sin that brought about the destruction of the Second Temple was that of rejecting the Messiahship of Yeshua. Because of this sin, He declared that their house would be left desolate.<\/span><\/p>\n

He adds to this a second prophecy, found in Matthew 24:1\u20132<\/a>: And Jesus went out from the temple, and was going o<\/em><\/span>n his way; and his disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple. But he answered and said unto them, 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 dow<\/em><\/span>n.<\/em><\/p>\n

As He was leaving the Temple area after His declaration of Matthew 23<\/a>, the disciples began pointing to the construction of magnificent new buildin<\/span>gs that had been begun by Herod the Great. Yet Jesus made a dramatic prophecy concerning this Temple: that not one stone would be left on top of another that would not be totally thrown down. Yeshua clearly predicted the coming destruction of the Second Temple.<\/span><\/p>\n

These prophecies were fulfilled some forty years after the Messiah made these statements. In the year a.d. 66, the Jews revolted against R<\/span>ome, bringing about the First Roman-Jewish War. After three years of brutal fighting, in the year a.d. 68., the Roman forces began a siege of Jerusalem that lasted two years. Then, in the year a.d. 70<\/span>, the Romans were finally able to breach the walls and the Second Temple was destroyed.<\/p>\n

Once again, the Temple was gone and the Jews no longer had a place of sacrifice. But unlike the period of the Ba<\/span>bylonian captivity when no alternate approach to God was available, forty years before the destruction of the Second Temple, God had provided another approach for His people. The final sacrifice for sin was that of Jesus the Messiah, and the Jews were to come to God by means of the Messiah, no longer by means o<\/span>f blood sacrifices.<\/p>\n

III. The Tribulation Temple<\/p>\n

The next Temple is the first of the two prophetic Temples of the future. It is the Temple, which will be involved with the period of the Great Tribulation. Though there is <\/span>not a great deal of information about the Tribulation Temple, there is enough revelation given for us to be able to come to some very important conclusions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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A. The Building of the Tribulation Temple<\/p>\n

The key passage that speaks about the building of the Temple for the Tribulation is given in Isaiah 66:1\u20136<\/a>: Thus says Jehovah, Heaven is my <\/em>throne, and the ea<\/em>rth is my footstool: what manner of house will ye build unto me? and what place shall be my rest? For all these things has my hand made, and so all these things came to be, says Jehovah: but to this man will I look, ev<\/em>en to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and that trembles at my word. He that kills an ox is as he that slays a man; he that sacrifices a lamb, as he that breaks a dog\u2019s neck; he that offers an oblation, as he that offers swine\u2019s blood; he that burns frankincense, as he that blesses an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations: I also will choose their delusi<\/em>ons, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spoke, they did not hear: but they did that which was evil in mine eyes, and chose that wherein I delighted not. Hear the word of Jehovah, ye that tremble at his word: Your brethren that hate you, that cast you out for my name\u2019s sake, have said, Let Jehovah be glorified, that we may see your joy; but it is they that shall be put to shame. A voice of tumult from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of Jehovah that renders recompense to his enemies.<\/em><\/p>\n

This passage speaks of a Temple that God does not sanction. It is in light of this fact that we are able to conclude which Temple Isaiah is speaking of, for God did sanction both Solomon\u2019s Temple and the Second Temple of the past. God Himself will be involved in the rebuilding of the Fourth Temple of the Millennium and, therefore, it too is sanctioned by God. However, since this passage speaks of a Temple, which God refuses to sanction, we have to conclude that only one Temple will fit this description: the Temple of the Great Tribulation Period.<\/p>\n

Therefore, this passage begins with a protest from God, who makes it clear in verse 1<\/a>, that no house that Israel builds at this time will be acceptable, for God will not come and reside in it as He resided in the First Temple and He will reside again in the Fourth Temple. According to verse 2<\/a>, what God will require at this time is not a new house, but faith. In verse 3<\/a>, He declares that He will not accept sacrifices, and the very fact that they will build this Temple shows their failure in verse 4<\/a> to listen to God\u2019s Word and come to God through faith in Yeshua the Messiah. Then in verse 5<\/a>, Isaiah has a word of encouragement to those faithful Jews who will not participate in the rebuilding of the Temple, but who are seeking to do God\u2019s will. Thus, we know there is going to be a faithful Remnant who will not participate or be involved in the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple for the Great Tribulation period. Finally, in verse 6<\/a>, Isaiah says that this new Temple will result only in judgment. This Temple will not result in forgiveness of sin; it will not result in an acceptable worship; it will result only in judgment from God.<\/p>\n

Isaiah writes that there will be a Temple rebuilt that will not receive the sanction of God. But Isaiah says nothing about the timing of this Temple, only that some day it will be built. However, we have answers to many questions regarding this Temple from other Scriptures.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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B. The Abomination of Desolation<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/span><\/span>1. The Scriptures<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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a. The Beginning<\/p>\n

Much more revelation is given in the Scriptures regarding how this Third Temple will become an abomination. The beginning of this Abomination of Desolation is given in Daniel 9:27<\/a>: An<\/em>d he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; and upon the wing of abominations shall come one that makes d<\/em>esolate; and even unto the full end, and that determined, shall wrath be poured out upon the desolate.<\/em><\/p>\n

This passage speaks of the breaking of the covenant between Israel and the Antichrist in the middle of the Tribulation.<\/p>\n

Regarding the Jewish Temple, there are two key results of the breaking of the covenant. First of all, there is a cessation of all sacrifices. The fact that these sacrifices are stopped in the middle of the Tribulation tells us that they have been going on for some time. The key timing element, then, regarding the Temple of the Tribulation, is that in the middle of the Tribulation it is already standing and functioning, and has been functioning for at least a little while. This means that either the Tribulation Temple has to be rebuilt during the first half of the Tribulation or sometime before the Tribulation. This is as close as we can come to the timing of the rebuilding of the Tribulation Temple. The Bible just does not give us enough information to come to a specific conclusion regarding the timing.<\/p>\n

The second result of the breaking of the covenant is the Abomination of Desolation. Daniel does not tell us exactly what the Abomination of Desolation is here; he only tells us that it will occur at this time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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b. The Duration<\/p>\n

The next passage that deals with this is found in Daniel 12:11<\/a>: And from the time that the continual brunt offering shall be taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate set up,<\/em><\/span> there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.<\/em><\/p>\n

This passage tells us that the Abomination of Desolation will last a total of 1,290 days. This is thirty days beyond the ending of the Tribulati<\/span>on. For some reason, the Abomination of Desolation is allowed to continue thirty days beyond the end of the Tribulation itself. Again, no clue is given here as to what the Abomination of Desolation actually is.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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c. The Warning Sign<\/p>\n

The next passage that speaks of the Abomination of Desolation is found in Matthew 24:15\u201316<\/a>: When therefore ye see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel <\/em>the prophet, standing in the holy place (let him that reads understand), then let them that are in Judaea flee unto the mountains.<\/em><\/p>\n

In this passage, Jesus gives a warning sign to the Jews who will be living in the middle of the Tribulation. The warning is that, just as soon as they see or hear of the Abomination of Desolation, they are to get out of Israel, and they must get out of Israel very quickly. Again, we are told nothing as to what the Abomination of Desolation is.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

d. The Take-Over by the Gentiles<\/p>\n

The next passage of Scripture that says something about this whole area is Revelation 11:1\u20132<\/a>: And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and one said, Rise, and me<\/em><\/span>asure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. And the court which is without the temple leave without, and measure it not; for it has been given unto the nations: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

This passage is similar to that which is found in Daniel 9:27<\/a>. The normal functioning of the Tribulation Temple is stopped, for it is taken over<\/span> by the Gentiles, and the Gentiles are able to rule the Tribulation Temple for a period of 3\u00bd years. Just as in Daniel 9:27<\/a>, Revelation 11:1\u20132<\/a> tells us that the Temple will be given over to the Gentil<\/span>es in the middle of the Tribulation, and it will be desolated for 3\u00bd years. But again, nothing in this passage tells us what the Abomination of Desolation is.<\/p>\n

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2. The Stages of the Abomination of Desolation<\/p>\n

Now we finally come to realize what the Abomination of Desolation actually is. The Abomination of Desolation involves two key stages.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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a. The First Stage<\/p>\n

The first stage of the Abomination of Desolation is found in 2 Thessalonians 2:3\u20134<\/a>: let no man beguile you in any wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and t<\/em>he man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, he that opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that he sits in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God.<\/em><\/p>\n

In the first stage of the Abomination of Desolation, after the Antichrist takes over the Jewish Temple as prophesied in Daniel 9:27<\/a> and Revelation 11:1\u20132<\/a>, he will set up a throne in the Holy of Holies of this Third Temple and declare himself to be the one true God. This, then, is the Abomination of Desolation.<\/p>\n

The reason this is given the title \u201cAbomination of Desolation\u201d is the fact that this whole episode will be inspired by Satan himself according to 2 Thessalonians 2:8\u201310<\/a>: And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of his mouth, and bri<\/em>ng to nought by the manifestation of his coming; even he, whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.<\/em><\/p>\n

The declaration of deity by the Antichrist was stated by Paul to be satanically inspired and energized. It will be accompanied by miraculous signs aiming to deceive the world, and this work of destruction will create a great turning of mankind to the acceptance of the Antichrist as the real true God.<\/p>\n

Further light on this Abomination of Desolation in its first stage is found in Revelation 13:3\u20134<\/a>: And I saw one of his heads as though it had been smitten unto death; and his death stroke was healed: and the wh<\/em>ole earth wondered after the beast; and they worshipped the dragon, because he gave his authority unto the beast; and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? and who is able to war with him?<\/em><\/p>\n

The Antichrist succeeds in convincing the masses of humanity of his deity, and people all over the world begin to worship him. This is also made clear in Revelation 13:8<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Therefore, in the first stage of the Abomination of Desolation, the Antichrist takes over the Jewish Temple; sits down in the Holy of Holies; and declares himself to be God. The fact that this will be accompanied by signs, wonders, and miracles will deceive the masses of mankind into accepting the deity of the Antichrist.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

b. The Second Stage<\/p>\n

The second stage of the Abomination of Desolation is given in Revelation 13:11\u201315<\/a>: And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like unto a lamb, and he<\/em><\/span> spoke as a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his sight. And he makes the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose death stroke was healed. And he does great signs, that he should even make fire to come out of heaven upon the earth in the <\/em><\/span>sight of men. And he deceives them that dwell on the earth by reason of the signs which it was given him to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast who had the stoke of the sword and lived. And it was given unto him to give breath to it, even to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as should not worship the image of the beast should be killed.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Antichrist, of course,<\/span> does not remain in the Holy of Holies forever since his capitol will be elsewhere. But in order to keep the Temple as the center of the worship of himself, the Antichrist has his false prophet make an image, which is given li<\/span>fe and is set in the Holy of Holies of this Jewish Temple. This, then, becomes the second stage of the Abomination of Desolation: the image of the Antichrist, standing in the Holy of Holies. This is what Yeshua referred to when He said: <\/span>the abomination of desolation \u2026 standing in the holy place<\/em> in Matthew 24:15<\/a>. Furthermore as Daniel 12:11<\/a> stated, this image will be allow<\/span>ed to remain within the Holy of Holies for a total of 1,290 days, thirty days beyond the close of the Tribulation.<\/p>\n

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C. The Destruction of the Third Temple<\/p>\n

We are not clearly told just how this Temple will be destroyed, but there can be little doubt that it will be greatly affected by the earthquake at the time of t<\/span>he Second Coming of the Messiah, recorded in Zechariah 14:4<\/a>: And his feet shall stand in that day upon the <\/em>mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east; and the mount of Olives shall be clef<\/em><\/span>t in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.<\/em><\/p>\n

Thirty days<\/span> after this earthquake, the image will be removed and destroyed, thus bringing an end to the Abomination of Desolation. But because of the earth\u2019s renovation for the Millennial Kingdom, the Tribulation Temple, w<\/span>hich was never sanctioned by God to begin with, will be removed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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IV. The Millennial Temple<\/p>\n

The Fourth and final Temple of the Scriptures is referred to as the Millennial Temple or the Temple of the Messianic Age. In various parts of Scripture, we are given some details regarding the Temple that will stand during the 1,000-year reign of the Messiah. Because of the tremendous geographical and topographical changes in the Land of Israel during the Kingdom, we should not think that the Temple will be rebuilt on the exact same spot as the other three Temples were. The Bible makes it clear that things will be radically different for the Kingdom.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A. The Mountain of Jehovah\u2019s House<\/p>\n

The prophets make it very clear that, in the middle of the Land, a very high mountain will be grown until it becomes the highest mountain in the world. And somewhere<\/span> on this highest mountain in the world the Temple of the Millennium will be constructed.<\/p>\n

One passage that speaks about this is Isaiah 2:2\u20134<\/a>: And it shall come to pass in the latter days, that the moun<\/em><\/span>tain of Jehovah\u2019s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many peoples shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the Go<\/em><\/span>d of Jacob; and he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of Jehovah from Jerusalem. And he will judge between the nations, and will decide concerning many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Isaiah clearly states in verse 2<\/a> that the mountain upon which Jehovah\u2019s House will stand will be the highest of the mountains and by f<\/span>ar the most exalted, and all the nations will move toward it in their worship of Jehovah. In verse 3<\/a>, it is from this mountain that the law for the Millennial Kingdom will emanate. And this will resul<\/span>t in world-wide peace because differences among nations will be settled by the Word coming from the mountain of Jehovah\u2019s House according to verse 4<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Later, in Isaiah 27:13<\/a>, the prophet points out thi<\/span>s that holy mountain will become the center of all world-wide worship of God by all the nations: And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great trumpet shall be blown; and they shall come that we<\/em><\/span>re ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and they that were outcasts in the land of Egypt; and they shall worship Jehovah in the holy mountain at Jerusalem.<\/em><\/p>\n

In fact, this great mountain of Jehovah\u2019s<\/span> House will become a place of prayer for all people, Jews and Gentiles alike as stated by Isaiah 56:6\u20138<\/a>: Also the foreigners that join themselves to Jehovah, to minister to him, and to love the name o<\/em><\/span>f Jehovah, to be his servants, every one that keeps the sabbath from profaning it, and holds fast my covenant; even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for my house shall<\/em><\/span> be called a house of prayer for all peoples. The Lord Jehovah, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, said, Yet I will gather others to him, besides his own that are gathered.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

When the Gentile nations are used to help regather the people of Israel, they will be brought and regathered to this mountain of Je<\/span>hovah\u2019s House according to Isaiah 66:20<\/a>: And they shall bring all your brethren out of all the nations for an oblation unto Jehovah, upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and u<\/em><\/span>pon dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says Jehovah, as the children of Israel bring their oblation in a clean vessel into the house of Jehovah.<\/em><\/p>\n

Isaiah\u2019s contemporary, the Prophet Micah, also<\/span> spoke about this great mountain in Micah 4:1\u20134<\/a>: But in the latter days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of Jehovah\u2019s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and it shall be ex<\/em><\/span>alted above the hills; and peoples shall flow unto it. And many nations shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of Jehovah from Jerusalem; and he will judge betwee<\/em><\/span>n many peoples, and will decide concerning strong nations afar off: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of Jehovah of hosts has spoken it.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

These words of Micah, of course, are very similar to the w<\/span>ords of Isaiah. In verse 1<\/a>, the mountain of Jehovah\u2019s House will be exalted above every mountain and hill. In verse 2<\/a>, the Law of God will emanate from this Temple. The fact that the Millennial system<\/span> of law emanates from the Temple on top of the mountain of Jehovah<\/em> results in world peace in verse 3<\/a>; not only among nations, but also personal peace among individuals in verse 4<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Thus, we note from t<\/span>hese passages that there is to be a major geographical change in the Land of Israel for the Kingdom. A great mountain, the highest of mountains in the world, will be in the Land of Israel, and somewhere on top of the mou<\/span>ntain will stand the Jewish Temple.<\/p>\n

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B. The Details Concerning the Millennial Temple<\/p>\n

The last nine chapters of the Book of Ezekiel give us the details of the place of the nation of Israel in the Messianic Kingdom.<\/p>\n

Although this section d<\/span>eals with the whole theme of Israel and the Messianic Age, it is primarily concerned with the millennial system of worship in relationship to the Temple of the Messianic Age. This passage is far too long for us to deal with<\/span> in any great detail. Therefore, we shall survey it, giving a base for anyone who would like to delve deeper into what the Scriptures have to say regarding this Temple.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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1. Introduction\u2014Ezekiel 40:1\u20134<\/a><\/p>\n

In Ezekiel 40:1\u20134<\/a>, we are introduced to the entire theme of the closing nine chapters of the Book of Ezekiel. In this introduction, Ezekiel states he was given a vision of a very high mountain<\/em> on the side of which was the frame of a city<\/em>. This high mountain is the same as that which was spoken of by Isaiah and Micah, but here in verses 1\u20132<\/a>, we are given the added details of the frame of a city, set on the south side of this great mountain.<\/p>\n

Then a message is given to the prophet in verses 3\u20134<\/a> that he is about to be given certain revelations which he is to declare to the House of Israel.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

2. The Description of the Millennial Temple\u2014Ezekiel 40:5\u201343:27<\/a><\/p>\n

In this lengthy passage, there are eight main sections, describing the various facets of the Millennial Temple and giving quite a bit of <\/span>detail.<\/p>\n

The first section, verses 5\u201327<\/a>, describes the outer court, including a description of the outer wall in verse 5<\/a>. Next, is the description of the outer court in verses 6\u201327<\/a>, detailing the easte<\/span>rn gate in verses 6\u201316<\/a>, the thirty chambers and the pavement around the outer court in verses 17\u201319<\/a>, the northern gate in verses 20\u201323<\/a>, and the southern gate in verses 24\u201327<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The second section, verse<\/span>s 28\u201347<\/a>, has a description of the inner court. Ezekiel begins with the description of the gates of the inner court in verses 28\u201337<\/a>, namely the southern gate in verses 28\u201331<\/a>, the eastern gate in verses<\/span> 32\u201334<\/a>, and the northern gate in verses 35\u201337<\/a>. Also included within the area of the inner court are: the table for the preparation of the sacrifices in verses 38\u201343<\/a>, and the chambers for the ministeri<\/span>ng priests in verses 44\u201346<\/a>. Finally, we have a description of the Altar itself in verse 47<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Having described the outer and the inner courts, the third section, Ezekiel 40:48\u201341:26<\/a>, describes the Templ<\/span>e building itself, including the porch in verses 48\u201349<\/a>, the posts in Ezekiel 41:1<\/a>, the Holy Place in verse 2<\/a>, the Holy of Holies in verses 3\u20134<\/a>, the Temple wall and chambers in verses 5\u20138<\/a>, the separate<\/span> place in verses 12\u201314<\/a>, the interior of the Temple in verses 15\u201320<\/a>, and finally, the exterior of the Temple in verses 21\u201326<\/a>. From all these measurements, it is evident that the Millennial Temple will <\/span>be the largest Temple of them all, for it will be roughly one mile square. The area of the present Temple site is not large enough to hold a Temple of this great size, thus requiring some major geographical changes for this huge, one mile square Temple to stand.<\/span><\/p>\n

The fourth section, Ezekiel 42:1\u201314<\/a>, describes the chambers of the outer court.<\/p>\n

The fifth section, verses 15\u201320<\/a>, describes the outer wall<\/span>.<\/p>\n

In the sixth section, Ezekiel 43:1\u20139<\/a>, Ezekiel records the return of the Shechinah Glory. Just as the Shechinah Glory authenticated and sanctioned Solomon\u2019s Temple, in verses 1\u20135<\/a> it will also sanctio<\/span>n this Temple by its return from the same direction that it left. Therefore, the Shechinah Glory returns to Israel, to this Temple, and this is followed by the first message of the Shechinah in verses <\/span>6\u20139<\/a>. The Shechinah Glory promises to dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever.<\/p>\n

In the seventh section, Ezekiel 43:10\u201312<\/a>, the description is interrupted, where Ezekiel the Prophet is commi<\/span>ssioned to point out the sinfulness of Israel in his day.<\/p>\n

But then in the eighth section, Ezekiel 43:13\u201327<\/a>, continues with a description of the Altar. We are first given the measure of the Altar in ve<\/span>rses 13\u201317<\/a>, and then a description of the consecration of the Altar for the Millennial Temple in verses 18\u201327<\/a>.<\/p>\n

3. The Priesthood and Sacrificial System of the Millennial Temple\u2014Ezekiel 44:1\u201346:24<\/a><\/p>\n

These three chapters are concerned with various laws regulating the millennial system of priesthood and sacrifices.<\/span> While there are similarities with the commandments of the Law of Moses, there are also some marked differences. For this reason, the millennial system of priesthood and sacrifices must not be viewed as a reinstitution of the Law of Moses, which ended permanently, and forever with the death of the Messiah. During <\/span>the Messianic Age, a whole new system of law will be instituted. This particular passage has seven major sections dealing with this theme.<\/span><\/p>\n

The first section, Ezekiel 44:1\u20133<\/a>, concerns the law of the outer eastern gate. In verse 1<\/a>, we are told that the eastern gate will be shut at the b<\/span>eginning of the Millennium, never to be reopened again throughout the Kingdom. The reason for this, given in verse 2<\/a>, is the fact that the Shechinah Glory returned by the eastern gate, never to leave <\/span>Israel again. The closing of the outer eastern gate signifies the fact that the Shechinah will not depart from Israel anymore. Next, we are given a description in verse 3<\/a> of the Prince and His authori<\/span>ty and ministry in relationship to this outer eastern gate.<\/p>\n

It should be noted at this point that these words have nothing to do with the present outer eastern gate of Jerusalem, known as the Golden G<\/span>ate today. In its context, this passage speaks not of Jerusalem today, but of the Temple gate in the Millennium.<\/p>\n

In the second section, verses 4\u20138<\/a>, since the Shechinah Glory is now permanently with Is<\/span>rael, as signified by the shutting of the eastern gate, we next have the second message of the Shechinah, which again points out Israel\u2019s sins.<\/p>\n

The third section, verses 9\u201314<\/a>, describes the law of the<\/span> Levites, who are to be the caretakers of the Temple.<\/p>\n

The fourth section, verses 15\u201331<\/a>, concerns the duties of the sons of Zadok, who will be responsible for the sacrifices during the Kingdom. Accordi<\/span>ng to Isaiah 66:21<\/a>, there will also be Gentile priests.<\/p>\n

The fifth section, Ezekiel 45:1\u20138<\/a>, is a further description of the mountain of Jehovah\u2019s House itself. From previous references, we have noted t<\/span>hat it will be the highest mountain in the world, somewhere on this mountain the Millennial Temple will stand, and on the south side of this mountain will be the frame of the city that Ezekiel saw. But now we are given further descriptions of what is on top of this mountain.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this passage, we are told that this high mountain will have a flat plateau on top, and the flat plateau will be fifty mil<\/span>es square. This fifty-mile-square area will itself be divided into three sections. The northern section will be twenty miles by fifty miles. In the very center of this section will stand the Millennial Temple, which will be one mile square. The rest of the area will be living quarters for the sons of Zadok, who are respons<\/span>ible for the sacrifices according to verses 1\u20134<\/a>. The second section will als<\/span>o be twenty miles by fifty miles, and this will be the place for the Tribe of Levi, who will serve as the caretakers of the Temple according to verse 5<\/a>. In verse 6<\/a>, the southern side will be ten miles<\/span> by fifty miles. In the middle of the southern side, ten miles by ten miles, will be the city that Ezekiel saw: the Millennial Jerusalem. Thus we know that the Millennial Jerusalem will be ten miles square, and from this city Jesus will <\/span>reign. Verses 7\u20138<\/a> state that on each side of this city there is an area ten miles by twenty miles which will be for growing food for the inhabitants of Jerusalem.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Thus, after so many hints and revelations, we are given the details of what will be on top of this very high mountain. We also note that the Millennial Temple will not be in the midst of the City of J<\/span>erusalem, but it will be separated by many miles. For the Temple itself will be on the north side of this high mountain, whereas Jerusalem will be on the southern side of this high mountain.<\/p>\n

Having de<\/span>scribed the details of the holy mountain, the sixth section, Ezekiel 45:9\u201346:18<\/a>, describes the duties of the Prince, David. This includes the Law of Measurements and the Laws of Offering in verses 9\u20131<\/span>2<\/a>. Regarding the Laws of the Offering, there are some general instructions in verses 13\u201317<\/a>, followed by a number of specifics among which are the new year offerings in verses 18\u201320<\/a>, the Passover offer<\/span>ing in verses 21\u201324<\/a>, the Feast of Tabernacles offering in verse 25<\/a>. Then the Sabbath offering Ezekiel 46:1\u20135<\/a>, the New Moon offerings in verses 6\u20138<\/a>, special festival offerings in verses 9\u201312<\/a>, and the d<\/span>aily sacrifices in verses 13\u201315<\/a>. This section concludes with the rights of the Prince in verses 16\u201318<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The seventh section, Ezekiel 46:19\u201324<\/a>, concerns the laws regarding the boiling of the sacrifices.<\/span><\/p>\n

Regarding the matter of the Feast of Tabernacles, this will be one festival required not only by the Jews, but by all Gentile nations as Zechariah 14:16\u201319<\/a> makes clear. According to the prophecy of Z<\/span>echariah, any Gentile nation, such as Egypt, that refuses to come to the Temple for the Feast of Tabernacles will have rain withheld from them for that year. Consequently, punishment will be meted out to any nation that rejects attending the Fe<\/span>ast of Tabernacles.<\/p>\n

4. The Millennial River\u2014Ezekiel 47:1\u201312<\/a><\/p>\n

From the front part of the Temple, by the threshold of the door and the Altar in front of it, a river will gush out. We are told that these waters will move sou<\/span>thward, eventually heading toward the area of the Dead Sea. However, we know from other Scriptures, that the river bursting forth from the Temple on the north side of this holy mountain does not go directly to the Dead Sea, but moves southward first to Jerusalem. A parallel passage marking the Temple as the beginning of this millennial river is given in <\/span>Joel 3:18<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The fact that this river comes fr<\/span>om the Temple and first goes down to Jerusalem is made clear from Zechariah 14:8<\/a>. Here, we learn that the river that begins in the Temple of Jerusalem moves southward until it comes to the City of Jer<\/span>usalem and then it divides into two branches. The western branch moves down the mountain and empties into the Mediterranean Sea. But the eastern branch moves into the Dead Sea and empties there, thus making the Dead Sea a living sea, bringing the results spelled out in <\/span>Ezekiel 47:8\u201310<\/a>.<\/p>\n

5. The Missing Piece of Furniture<\/p>\n

Another feature about the Millennial Temple concerns one missing element of its furniture. Though it appears that the Millennial Temple will have the same furnishings<\/span> as the previous Temples, especially the First Temple, one item will be missing. In the Millennial Temple there will be no Ark of the Covenant, for Jeremiah 3:16<\/a> states that the Ark of the Covenant wi<\/span>ll not be rebuilt for the Millennial Temple. There will be no Ark of the Covenant within the Holy of Holies of the Temple. The Shechinah Glory will be there, but not the Ark of the Covenant. Since Yeshua Himself will be reigning from Jerus<\/span>alem, there will no longer be any need for the Ark of the Covenant.<\/p>\n

C. The Destruction of the Millennial Temple<\/p>\n

Although this Fourth Temple is the best of them all, even this Temple will not be eternal; it will also disappear. The disappearance of the Millennial Templ<\/span>e will come at the same time as the disappearance of the present heavens and earth, recorded in two portions of the Book of Revelation. First, in Revelation 21:1\u20132<\/a>, we read how God will destroy the ol<\/span>d order. This is also spelled out in Rev. 20:11<\/a>. He will then create a new order. According to Revelation 21:22<\/a>, the new order, the Eternal State, will not have a Temple. Revelation 21:22<\/a> reads: And I<\/em><\/span> saw no temple therein: for the Lord God the Almighty, and the Lamb, are the temple thereof.<\/em><\/p>\n

By virtue of the fact that the entire Trinity will dwell with man, there will no longer be a need for any k<\/span>ind of Temple. For this reason, the Millennial Temple, too, will pass away and, in the Eternal Order, there will be no Temple any longer.<\/p>\n

What a glorious day that will be!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

And it came to pass, when the king dwelt in his house, and Jehovah had given him rest from all his enemies round about, that the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within curtains. And Nathan said to the king, … <\/p>\n

\u201eThe Four Temples of the Bible\u201c <\/span>weiterlesen<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-allgemein"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":104,"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103\/revisions\/104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}