THE THIRD TEMPLE WILL BE BUILT!
Ezra 1:2 This is what Cyrus king of Persia says, “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah.”
After much rebellion, King Nebuchadnezzar tore the temple that King Solomon had built for the Lord to the ground. All the articles belonging to the temple were carried away to Babylon. Now that the 70 years of exile had passed just as Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 29:10, the Jews could return to their Promised Land. To begin this God put it on the heart of King Cyrus of Persia to build another temple for the Lord in Jerusalem. It was completed in 349 BC. Any Jew that wanted to return to build it could go, but not everyone did. Only those whose hearts that were moved to return went. Because many refused to return to their Promised Land, God punished them seven times greater. (Lev 26:18) This would mean the seventy years would now become four hundred and ninety years. Just as God’s prophecy was true regarding the seventy years the four hundred and forty-nine will also be true.
Daniel 9:20-27 explains how this would and will all play out. Daniel explains that the seventy, sevens or four hundred and forty-nine years would be decreed for the Jews and Jerusalem to finish or restrain its transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for the wickedness, to bring everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy. This will end with the second return of Jesus to rule the earth for one thousand years. This of course has not happened yet, because of a temporary delay.
Daniel 9:25 begins to explain this delay by saying that, “From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One (Jesus), the ruler, comes, there will be seven sevens or forty-nine years and sixty-two sevens or four hundred and thirty-four years making a total of four hundred and eighty-three years. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After sixty-two sevens or four hundred and thirty-four years the Anointed one will be cut off and will have nothing. (The death of Jesus) The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and sanctuary. (Rome in 70 AD) The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. He (probably the antichrist) will confirm a covenant with many for one seven or seven years, but in the middle or three and one half years, he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. (this tells us a third temple is to be built before the return of Jesus and about half way through the seven years of tribulation) And one who causes desolations (probably the antichrist or false prophet) will place abominations on a wing of the temple, until the end that is decreed is poured on him.”
To kind of summarize this prophecy, because the Jews still refused to obey the Lord and return to Israel when the seventy years were up, the Lord added to the seventy years another four hundred and ninety years. Starting at the seventy years or so when all the Jews refused to return, God started the clock for the extended punishment. After four hundred and thirty-four years Jesus was crucified to make atonement for the sins of humanity. Forty-nine more years (around 70 AD) the city and sanctuary was destroyed. This was a total of four hundred and eighty three years since the Jews refused to obey the Lord and return to their Promised Land, leaving seven years left to fulfill the prophecy regarding the four hundred and ninety years of punishment for the rebellion of the Jews.
This brings us up to the present church age for Christianity. God does not purposefully tell when this last seven years will begin,nor when the rapture or taking up of the church to heaven will happen. The reason I believe for this is so only those who love Jesus and want to be with him rather than just avoiding hell will be ready. If we could know the date that the last seven years would begin, we would also know when Jesus will return. One thing we do know is that there must be a third temple built,and for the Jews there is only one place that it can be built and that is on the Temple Mount by the Dome of the Rock. There is certainly room, because the temple itself is only about ninety feet long, thirty feet wide and forty feet high. While the temple can be built at any time the key event happens when the sacrifices are stopped in this new temple. When this happens it will signal for only three and one half years before the return of Jesus.
In the Book of Revelations 1:14-20 there is an event where a great harvest of people from the earth is taken by some angels of God. There will be a harvest of the righteous and unrighteous. This happens about halfway through the last seven years just before the return of Jesus. I believe that because there is a righteous and unrighteous harvest that will happen at the same time, people that are not looking for the return of Jesus will not be alarmed and miss the significance of what has happened. One thing we can be sure of is that just like God used King Cyrus to build the second temple, there will be a third one built even if Muslims all over the world protest.
God is not a lier and what he says he will bring about he will. Even the Muslims believe in Jesus’ return and are look for it. The question might be: Are you looking for it? We can believe God’s word, because of his fulfilled prophecy. He has proved himself time and again.
If you have not received Jesus as your Lord and Savior yet you need to do it right now. If you wait until you see the third temple being built you may have waited too long!
Prayer: Thank you Lord for your fulfilled promises in the Bible. You have given us good reason to believe. Please help us to stay true to you, so we can come and be with you for all eternity. We love you Jesus!
