Monday
So what Temple is Ezekiel seeing in his vision? I started wondering if this was the temple that would be rebuilt after the exiles returned, or is he talking about a future temple (future for us) yet to be built?
So I went online and into some of my reference books to do a little study. There are several schools of thought. We know about Solomon’s temple which Solomon built and was later destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar was followed by the temple that was rebuilt after the exile by Nehemiah. This temple modest in comparison to the first Temple was later enlarged by Herod the Great. This temple was the Temple that we read about in the Gospels and where we learn about the dedication of Jesus and where He taught and cast out the money changers. We also read of the Day of Pentecost where Jesus’ followers had assembled in the Temple courts after the resurrection. It is here where the followers are filled with the Holy Spirit and the Church is born. There are many other events that took place in the courts just outside this Second Temple until AD 70 and the destruction of this Temple (as predicted by Jesus in Matthew 24 and Luke 21) by the Roman army. Since then no temple has been built on this site, known as the Temple Mount, currently the Temple Mount is under the control of the Islamic WAQF. The Third Temple will exist during the Great Tribulation. We read about this Third Temple in Daniel, when he refers to it in Daniel 9:27, the “ruler who will come” referring to the Antichrist will enter it and stop the sacrifices during the Tribulation. Paul mentions it when he says, “the man of lawlessness” will profane the temple by entering it and declaring Himself to be God (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). The Third Temple is also mentioned in the book of Revelation when John is told to measure it – which I believe is a call to symbolically measure the Spiritual condition of the people that are there. (Revelation 11:1-2)
The Temple that Ezekiel describes in great detail in chapters 40-48 is too large to fit on the present Temple Mount site. This Temple measures about 875 feet square and sits in the middle of a large consecrated area. So, most Bible scholars believe that one day there will exist in the Holy Land a Fourth or “Millennial” Temple.
One of the important message for us in all of this is to know that God has a plan for our future, God has always had a plan for the future of His creation. Jesus fought the battle, the victory has been won and we, who believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, who have turned our lives over to Him, repented of our sins and been given the gift of salvation, will be with God for eternity. This gift is available for anyone who wants to live in eternity with God, if you would like to find out more about becoming a Christian and living your life for Jesus, leave me a message.
Sharing the Good News
Pastor Kathy