By Dr. Bill Jones
Part 6 of a 6-part series
In previous parts of this series, we have seen God’s purposes and prophecies in the Tabernacle and Temples of Israel. We have even looked at the failed attempt to rebuild the Temple because it was not God’s timing for it to be rebuilt.
However, Scripture indicates that 2 more Temples will be rebuilt. In this final part of the series, we will look at these 2 Temples.
The Tribulational Temple
The first Temple is usually referred to as the Tribulational Temple.
Because of the words spoken in Matthew 24:15, 2 Thessalonians 2:4, and Revelation 13:6, it is believed that a Temple of some sort must be built to provide a place for the Antichrist to declare himself to be God.
This will occur during what is wrongly referred to as the Tribulation Period, but more accurately should be labeled as “The 70th Week of the Book of Daniel.” This is the final 7 years of this era of human history.
Two serious questions arise, however.
First, “Where will the Temple be built? Anyone familiar with Judaism knows there is only one place a Jewish Temple can be built – on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. And this raises the second question: “How can this happen while the Palestinians control the Temple Mount and will not even allow Jewish people to pray and worship there?”
The answer to the second question is not simple to answer. Today, the Muslim Dome of the Rock sits in the center of the Temple Mount. Also, the Al Aqsa Mosque is located inside the southwestern wall of the Mount.
This mosque, not the Dome, is regarded by Muslims as their third most holy place. Therefore, with these “sacred” buildings sitting on the Temple Mount, how can a Jewish Temple ever be placed there?
Several theories have been offered.
Some believe the Muslim holy places will be destroyed by earthquake or by war. A geographical fault runs under the Mount, and damage caused by tremors has occurred to the Mosque several times before.
Others believe that some nation may bomb the Muslim sites and blame it on Israel in the hope that multiple countries will attack the Holy Land.
However, there is another and more probable idea that is growing in credibility. This view teaches that a treaty will be signed that allows the Jewish people and the Muslim people to divide and share the city of Jerusalem, the Temple Mount included.
If this were to happen, a Jewish Temple could be built in the northern sector of the Temple Mount in alignment with the Eastern Gate without interfering with the Dome or the Mosque.
In fact, some Jewish scholars and archaeologists believe this is where the ancient Temples actually stood. This could add legitimacy to building it in the open area north of the Dome rather than having to remove the Dome by some means. Only time will tell the “how” of these details.
There is in Jerusalem a group known as the Temple Institute. They have replicated all of the instruments and implements needed to reinstate the sacrificial system. Some reports say that other groups have stockpiled stones and materials which would make it possible for an operational Temple to be up in running in 90 days’ time.
This is speculation, however, and cannot be confirmed, however, it is interesting to see how the “pieces of the puzzle” could easily fall into place.
It is this Temple that the Antichrist will enter and declare himself to be God (2 Thessalonians 2:4). This Temple will no doubt be destroyed when Jesus returns and destroys His enemies.
The Millennial Temple
This brings us to the final Temple we will consider.
It is described in Ezekiel Chapters 40-48 and is referred to by Bible scholars as the Millennial Temple. Some equate this with the Temple in Revelation 21. A strong argument can be made that there are 2 separate Temples; another that they are one and the same. We will look at Ezekiel’s Temple, but not the one in Revelation.
After Jesus removes the curse from the Earth, He will establish a kingdom of righteousness for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1-7), thus, the “Millennium,” or “thousand years.” He will also establish the Temple described by Ezekiel. It is from this Temple that Jesus will rule over the Kingdom.
Unlike Herod’s Temple with its multi-court system (Court of the Gentiles, the Women, Israel, and the Priests), this Temple has only an outer and inner court. The outer court is 825 feet square. Its wall is 10 feet high and 10 feet thick. It has 3 gates: one on the east wall, and one each on the northern and southern walls. In these outer walls are a series of rooms for preparing sacrifices that are to be eaten and rooms for dining.
The inner court is 175 feet square, also with 3 gates corresponding to the gates in the outer court. The Temple itself is the same size as Solomon’s, which was not an extremely large structure.
There is no mention of the Ark of the Covenant, veil, altar of incense, menorah (candelabra), or even the table of showbread (the bread of Presence).
Because all of these were symbols for the person and ministry of the Messiah, and because Jesus will be finally present in this Temple, there is no need for the symbols.
There is, however, a brazen altar and sacrifices (Ezekiel 43:13-21; 45:13-46:24). The obvious question is, “Why is the sacrificial system reinstituted?” A quick perusal of several Bible commentaries provides several possible explanations. All of them have merit, and any or all of them may be the answer. However, I would like to submit my own explanation.
During the Kingdom Age, the curse will be lifted from nature (Isaiah 11:6-9; Micah 4:4; Romans 8:21). There will be no more war (Micah 4:3), no liquor stores, no ammunition plants, and no worldwide web.
But the people who will be born during this time will be born with the selfish, sinful, Adamic nature. Proof of this is that at the end of the 1,000 years, when Satan is loosed for a brief period of time, he will be able to gather a huge army of people to rebel against Jesus (Revelation 20:7-9).
People born during this time will still need to be saved, by the same means we are, by grace through faith in the shed blood and atoning death of Christ. But such belief will not be easy. King Jesus will rule His kingdom with a “rod of iron” (Revelation 2:27). I believe this means people will not be allowed to do bad or wrong things. Jesus will be so powerful that no one will be able to violate God’s laws.
When the people – who have lived their lives under such an all-powerful King – are told they must believe that King Jesus once was put to death and His blood shed by wicked men, millennial citizens will be incredulous. They will think it impossible that anyone, let alone wicked men, could have done this to the omnipotent Jesus.
It will be as difficult for them to believe what happened to the Messiah in the past as it was for Old Testament people to believe what the prophets said would happen to the Messiah in the future (Psalm 22; Isaiah 52:13-53-12).
So, as the Old Testament sacrifices picture the price the Messiah would pay for the sin of the world, the Millennial Kingdom sacrifices will be a picture – a visible object-lesson reminder – of the price the Messiah DID pay. One was looking forward, the other looking back, but serving the same purpose.
Once again, this is deduced by implication, but the Bible presents no clear and concise reason why the sacrificial system will be reinstituted during the Millennial Kingdom.
There is little doubt that the Millennial Temple will be destroyed at the end of the 1,000 years, when eternity begins. Truly, all the old things will pass away, and all things will be made new in a way we can hardly imagine.
Dr. Bill Jones was a longtime teacher / writer with Zion’s Hope.
Zion's Hope 
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