The Temple and Christ's Coming! #5
Prophecies of a Temple in Last Days?
From a book by Dr.Grant Jeffrey (published in 2007) NOW YOU WILL CLEARLY SEE WHAT THE TEACHING OF THE FUNDAMENTALIST CHURCHES ARE - Keith Hunt THE THIRD TEMPLE IN THE LAST DAYS--- J's BOOK How Plans to Build the Temple Signal Christ's Soon Return: In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old. Amos 9:11 The Holy Temple in Jerusalem was the focus of Jewish spiritual life in Israel in the centuries before its destruction by the Roman legions in AD 70. For almost two thousand years the Temple has been lost to the Jews, yet it has remained central to their aspirations. Over the centuries the Jews have prayed that God would allow them to restore their sacred sanctuary in the last days leading to the appearance of the long-awaited Messiah. (No, it is only a minority of Jews that desire that - the Israeli Government is secular - most Jews in the State of Israel - could care less about a physical Temple in Jerusalem - Keith Hunt) Throughout the Old and New Testaments, the prophets of God repeatedly declared that the Temple would be rebuilt and would play a significant role in the events of the last days. Three of the most important Old Testament prophets - Micah, Amos, and Haggai--prepared the Jewish people to anticipate the rebuilding of the Temple. (Yes in a DUAL WAY. (1) for a new Temple after the 70 years captivity of Judah in Babylon (2) for a building of a Temple AFTER Jesus has returned to earth and establisherd the Kingdom of God on earth) The prophet Amos, whose name in Hebrew means "God will judge injustice," was a shepherd living near Bethlehem who prophesied to the ten northern tribes of Israel in 760 B.C. Following the reign of Solomon, Israel had been divided into two kingdoms. The southern kingdom, Judah, was composed of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. The northern kingdom, Israel, was made up of the ten other tribes. Although Amos lived in Judah, the Lord inspired him to address his prophecy to the northern kingdom. Amos prophesied that the Lord would cause the Temple to be rebuilt in Jerusalem in the last days: "In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old" (Amos 9:11). (The CONTEXT of this prophecy is the 1,000 year age to come - the millennium, AFTER Christ has returned. See my study of the book of Amos on my Website - Keith Hunt) The prophet Micah (740 BC), who lived southwest of Jerusalem during the reigns of King Ahaz and King Hezekiah, wrote about the future Third Temple: "But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it" (Micah 4:1). (Once more, a very bad understanding by J on the context of this prophecy. It is the context of the 1,000 year age to come - Keith Hunt) Two centuries later Haggai (520 BC), who lived during the reign of the Persian king Darius, ministered to the Jewish exiles who chose to return to Israel after seventy years of captivity in Babylon. Haggai foretold, "The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LoRD of hosts" (Haggai 2:9). His prophecy appears to refer to the Second Temple. However, it also seems to look further into the future to the building of the Third Temple, which will be defiled by the Antichrist and then cleansed and purified by the return of the Messiah. (No, a third Temple will not be built until AFTER Jesus returns in power and glory. Orthodox Jews as a whole teach that the third Temple cannot be built but ONLY by the Messiah, such a teaching by Orthodox Jews is never mentioned by people like J. Again see my expounding of all the Old Prophets on my Website - Keith Hunt) Daniel prophesied that the rebuilt Temple would serve as the center of Israel's worship - complete with the resumption of the ancient animal sacrifice system. In his famous vision of the seventy weeks (see Daniel 9:24-27), he predicted that the last great world dictator - the Antichrist would arise within the area of the ancient Roman Empire and would eventually rule the revived empire, including Western Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East (Daniel 2:40-45; 7:7-8). He declared that this world dictator would sign a seven-year security treaty (covenant) with Israel: "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease" (Daniel 9:27). After only three and a half years, the world leader would arbitrarily violate the treaty, and at that time the Antichrist would enter the Holy of Holies, defiling the rebuilt Temple. (ALL OF THIS BY J IS GROSS MISUNDERSTANDING OF DANIEL'S 70 WEEK PROPHECY. The truth of that prophecy can be found on my Website either under "prophecy" or "end times" sections. Also you may find the truth of this in old "fundamental" Bible Commentaries like Albert Barnes, Adam Clarke, Matthew Henry. of the 20th century. Scofield was the guy who invented it - Keith Hunt) Obviously, the Antichrist cannot stop (or cause "to cease") the daily sacrifices unless, prior to that moment, the Corban - the daily morning and evening sacrificial system - has been reinstated. The last daily sacrifice of sheep occurred three weeks before the burning of the Temple in the summer of AD 70. At that time the Roman legions surrounded the Second Temple and prevented lambs from being brought in for the sacrifice. Before Daniel's prophecy can be fulfilled, the Jews must reinstate daily animal sacrifice. An altar will be built in the area to the east of the site for the Third Temple. Once the priests resume the daily sacrifices, the construction of the Temple itself will begin. (This is all HOGWASH and "goopady-goo" teaching by the fundamentals. Nothing of this sort is prophecied in the pages of your Bible. Notice for J it is that sacrifices will begin THEN the Temple to be built. There is NO prophecy in the Bible that tells you "animal sacrifices" must take place again by the Jews BEFORE Jesus can return - Keith Hunt) As Jesus met with His disciples, He unfolded a number of significant prophecies that would, by their fulfillment, set the stage for the events of a critical seven-year period. This period, known as the Tribulation Week, will begin with the Antichrist signing a security treaty with Israel (see Daniel 9:27). (Seven years "Tribulation periof" is NOT mentioned in the Bible. Daniel 9:27 is greatly misunderstood by modern fundamentalists - the old scholars like Adam Clarke, who wrote in the 17th and 18th and 19th century, understood correctly Daniel 9. No signing of anything by the anti-christ and the Jews is prophecied in the Bible. any government outside of the Arabs/Palestinians, in a peace treaty. They have the bomb, and very sophisticated protective dome, with planes and missiles to match anyone - Keith Hunt) Jesus warned His disciples about the coming Antichrist, the world leader who would establish a global dictatorship under Satan's leadership. Jesus quoted the prophet Daniel: "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains" (Matthew 24:15-16). The "abomination of desolation" refers to Satan, in the body of the Antichrist, defiling the Holy of Holies when he enters the Temple. After this abomination is carried out, the False Prophet, who is the partner of the Antichrist, will demand that the world's population worship the Antichrist as "god" in the Temple. Daniel's and Christ's prophecies suggest that the Third Temple will first be built so these prophecies can be fulfilled. (IT IS NOT SO FRIENDS!! The "abomination that makes desolate" is interpreted for us. No need to guess with fancy ideas like J puts forth. The interpretation is found in Luke's account of the same prophecy - Luke 21:20. All expounded to you in detail in various studies on my Website - Keith Hunt) The apostle Paul also prophesied that the Antichrist will defile the Third Temple. Paul declared that the Lord Jesus Christ will not return to establish His kingdom on earth until "that man of sin," the Antichrist, is first revealed as "the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God" (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). While some have taught that the Third Temple will be built by the Antichrist, both Paul (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4) and John (Revelation 11:1-2) describe the Third Temple as "the temple of God," suggesting that it will be rebuilt by the Jews as a genuine Holy-Temple. (First, once more a very false understanding J has on these passages of Scripture. All fully expounded on my Website under "prophecy" and "end times." Paul's use of "temple of God" can easily be seen in all the places used, in Strong's Concordance - it was never used by him to refer to any physical temple - the Bible interpreting the Bible, that's the key. "sanctuary" of God as I show in other studies. And Luke 21:20-21 shows the interpretation is Jerusalem, by armies that will make it desolate. Revelation 11: 1-2 is very well expounded by the old Protestant of long ago--- Albert Barnes in his Bible Commentary - Keith Hunt) The small nation of Israel and especially the holy city of Jerusalem are at the center of the world's most volatile spiritual, political, and military conflict. The fulfillment of dozens of Messianic prophecies in our lifetime strongly suggests that our generation will witness the rebuilding of the Temple, the battle of Armageddon, and the return of Christ. (J gives himself decades in that thought of his. If you are 8 years old and can read his book, you are still a generation that could see the coming of the Lord. If that 8 year old lives to be 80, J has given himself 72 years. And he will surely not be around to worry about himself being wrong - Keith Hunt) The final Armageddon struggle for the destiny of humanity will be waged in the Valley of Jezreel, which lies to the east of the mount of Megiddo in northern Israel. Virtually all prophecy teachers agree that the preconditions for the rebuilding of the Temple and the return of Jesus Christ, together with the current religious developments in Israel, are setting the stage for the new Temple.
and say Jesus is the Messiah, and will deceive MANY, not the few but the MANY [Matthew 24]. This Temple stuff, anti-christ making a covenant with Jews for 7 years, the Jews performing animal sacrifices in some building, the covenant broken in the middle of 7 years, and some "secret" rapture of "Christians" to heaven by Christ in an invisible coming, a first of a two-phased second coming of Jesus, is all hog-wash fundamental Protestant FALSE doctrine - Keith Hunt) For the last three decades the Temple Institute, a small but very dedicated group of orthodox rabbis, has been working quietly in the Old City of Jerusalem to train Levite priests and to re-create the ancient Temple worship vessels and musical instruments. These are essential for authentic worship in the new sanctuary. In addition, many in the Orthodox Jewish religious leadership throughout Israel now support the efforts under way to prepare for construction of the Third Temple. (Did you notice the words "a small" - the fact is MOST Orthodox Jews teach the Temple cannot be built but by only the Messiah - J forgets to mention that. He also forgtes to tell you the Israeli Government is secular as are most of the people in the Holy Land, and could care less about a physical Temple and animal sacrifices being re-instituted. and taught as he is doing, in the decade of the 1980s, as Jesus they said would be back by 1988, 40 years the Jews would be a nation. - Keith Hunt) BUILDING THE THIRD TEMPLE God declared throughout the Scriptures that the Temple must be rebuilt before the Messiah returns to earth and cleanses the sanctuary. Both of these events will occur in the generation that witnessed the return of the Jews to their Promised Land in 1948. (No, the Scriptures throughout say no such thing. Saying it as J says, does not make it so. I can say the moon is made of Swiss cheese, but it does not make it so! So the generation that witnessed the return of the Jews to the Promised Land could well be my generation, as I was born in 1942. I'm now in 2009 66 years old. Will I live in the flesh to witness the return of Christ? Maybe and then maybe be not. Let's suppose I live to be 100, that will be in 2042. From now, or from when J wrote this book in 2007, that is 35 years. the holy land. and he himself not having to worry about someone smashing egg all over his face - Keith Hunt) King David prophesied, "When the LORD shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory" (Psalm 102:16). Jesus promised His disciples that the generation that witnessed the budding of the fig tree (the rebirth of Israel) (No, it has nothing to do with the rebudding of Israel - Keith Hunt) would also see the coming of the Son of Man. Christ declared, "Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled" (Matthew 24:32-34). The fig tree was well known as a symbol of Israel, as the eagle is a symbol of America and the maple leaf a symbol of Canada. (The CONTEXT of Jesus' words had nothing to do with specific Israel, but certain prophecies He was giving, especially the "abomination that makes desolate" - Keith Hunt) In ancient Israel a political generation was considered to be a period of forty years. For example, the following judges and kings of Israel ruled for forty years: Moses; the judges Othniel, Deborah, and Gideon; and the kings David, Solomon, Jeroboam II, and Joash. However, according to Psalm 90:10 the length of a typical lifetime or a natural generation is seventy to eighty years: "The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years..." The most natural and logical interpretation of Christ's prophecy about the generation is that those who were alive in 1948 (including many readers of this book) will see the fulfillment of prophecies regarding the rebuilding of the Temple and Christ's return. Most people who were very young during Israel's 1948 War of Independence are still alive today, so in light of prophecy, most of this generation could see the Third Temple built (see Micah 4:1-2). (Did you note what he is saying is what I said above, and did you note the words "could see" - very clever are some of these fundamental prophets. As said, J has given himself another 35 years to be proved wrong about Christ's coming. He's already wrong about the third Temple and when it will be built. in the west is 80 years now], if you were a baby in 1948 when the Jews formed their nation, add 80 to 1948, you get 2028. I will tell you there will be no physical temple in Jerusalem by 2028. You have not long to see if J is correct or if I am correct. There were some in the early 1980s giving 40 years as a generation, so they said Jesus would return by 1988, 40 years from when the Jews formed a nation. All the things J preaches they were preaching - Keith Hunt) Throughout the last two millenniums, many Jewish and Christian scholars have doubted that the Temple will ever be rebuilt. One major obstacle was the fact that the Sanhedrin, the highest court of Jewish religious law makers, had ceased to exist almost fifteen centuries ago. (Not true as my study on the "calendar" will show you - Keith Hunt). The Sanhedrin must exist in order to reestablish the authentic Levitical priesthood, to train priests in the ancient rituals of Temple animal sacrifice, to determine the appropriate religious rituals, and to identify the precise, correct location for rebuilding the Temple. Besides the reconstitution of the Sanhedrin and the training of the priesthood, both of which are now under way.... (Now you type in "Sanhedrin" on the Internet, and go to their site, read carefull ALL they have to say. It will not be as J would like you to believe. See my studies under "Calendar" - Keith Hunt) ...numerous other obstacles remain, including the loss of the sacred utensils of Temple worship. But the greatest obstacle is the tremendous political, religious, and possibly military strife that would almost inevitably arise in the Arab and Muslim world in response to any Jewish building project on the Temple Mount. A move to break ground for the Third Temple would certainly risk inciting a brutal global jihad (a holy war). A small foretaste of this conflict occurred during the violent Muslim rioting on the Temple Mount in the spring of 2007 in response to Israel's excavations to rebuild the main access ramp to the mount, even though the excavation was 165 feet from the nearest Islamic sacred site. (You bet!! The Arabs would go "nuts" and Iran would shower down its nuclear warheads on them - Keith Hunt) But despite the Islamic and Arab opposition to any Jewish building on the Temple Mount, the Lord prophesied that the Jewish exiles would, in the last days, return to their Promised Land and rebuild the Temple. As the prophet Ezekiel declared: I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore. (Ezekiel 37:26-28) (J has real problems in getting the CONTEXT of prophecies in context. It's all correctly explained for you in my study of the book of Ezekiel. This is a prophecy for AFTER Jesus has returned and the age to come is here - Keith Hunt) Moses Maimonides, also known as Rambam (c.1200), was one of the greatest Jewish rabbis. Maimonides taught that the Holy Temple revealed the divine nature of God and His eternal covenant relationship to Israel. He declared that the 613 separate mitzvot (commandments) found throughout the five books of Moses, the Torah, include God's direct command to Israel to build the Temple (see Exodus 25:8-9). Maimonides noted that this divine commandment was never rescinded. Therefore he taught that the rabbis living in exile in every generation should study and teach the sacred texts that deal with the Temple and its worship. These teachings would look ahead to the day when the Jews would once again possess Israel and the city of Jerusalem. Only then could they fulfill God's command to "make me a sanctuary." (And most Orthodox Jews say it is only the Messiah that can oversee the building of the third Temple. The time of building it was never stated by Maimonides - Keith Hunt) In our generation the exiles have returned to the Promised Land and have been given both the opportunity and the prophetic task of fulfilling the nation's ancient dream. (Most of them could care less - they are not interested in the ideas of the "few" who think a Temple MUST be built before Jesus can return - Keith Hunt) Israel's stunning victory over its Arab enemies during the Six-Day War in early June 1967 reestablished Jewish sovereignty over the united city of Jerusalem for the first time in almost two thousand years. In response to Israel's remarkable victory in only one hundred hours of fierce battles, Time magazine published an article with the headline "Should the Temple Be Rebuilt?" The writer asked this provocative question: "Assuming that Israel keeps the [Western] Wall, which is one of the few remaining ruins of Judaism's Second Temple, has the time now come for the erection of the Third Temple?... Some Jews see plausible theological grounds for discussing reconstruction. They base their argument on the contention that Israel has already entered its 'Messianic Era.'" (That was back in 1967 - and it's still only the very few Jews and the Christian fundamentalists who teach such suff and want Rabbi Maimonides wrote his multivolume Mishneh Torah, the greatest codification of Jewish and biblical law, which concluded with a fourteenth volume titled Hilchos Bais HaBechirah (The Laws of God's Chosen House). The book contains six key mitzvot that summarize the Lord's laws given to Israel regarding the Temple: The Jews are to build a sanctuary. They are to build the altar with stone that is not hewn. They are not to ascend the altar with steps; they must use a ramp. They must fear and reverence the Temple. They must guard the Temple completely. They must never cease watching over the Temple. (Old Maimonides never stated that this Temple HAD TO be built BEFORE the Messiah comes. If he had so specifically stated this you can bet J would be quoting it to us. Even then it makes no difference what old Maimonides wrote, the truth of the matter is in the Scriptures, not some writings of men and Jews - Keith Hunt) During the 1990s Rabbi Eliyahu Touger wrote a new translation of the Mishneh Torah. In his introduction to the fourteenth volume, Touger wrote, "As the text was being composed, we would frequently tell each other: 'Work faster. At any moment, Moshiach may come and rebuild the Temple. Who knows how this book will sell then?'" (Did you catch that? The fellow said: "Moshiach may come and rebuild the Temple." That is exactly what most Orthodox Jews teach, only the Messiah can build the Temple when He comes - Keith Hunt) Although the conquest of the Old City of Jerusalem made it possible for the Jews to rebuild the Temple, until recently only a small percentage of the Jews in Israel expressed support for the idea. After Israel's independence was declared on May 15, 1948, the chief rabbi declared that, with the reestablishment of the Jewish state and the ingathering of the exiles, "the age of redemption" had begun. The historian Israel Eldad wrote that the sanctuary would be rebuilt in our generation: "We are at the stage where David was when he liberated Jerusalem; from that time until the construction of the Temple of Solomon, only one generation passed, so will it be with us." (Those quotes are saying nothing about the Jews building the Temple, only about the Temple being rebuilt in one generation since Israel becoming a nation. The Orthodox Jews teach the Messiah will build the Temple. And once more these are only the words of men, who are giving a time line, setting dates, and the Lord has proved many date setters WRONG in the last 2 or 3 hundred years. Going with the outside number of a "generation" of 80 years, since 1948 we are back to around 2028 before that generation is six feet under. them just ride off into the sunset and disappear and as I upload this to my blog, we are 2022, not long to see whose right - Keith Hunt) The question remains: what would possibly motivate the current nonreligious political leadership of Israel to overcome the obstacles to rebuilding the Temple? I believe that prophecy suggests God will change the hearts and minds of Israel's leadership as well as the Islamic-Arab world in the aftermath of the supernatural defeat of the Russian-Islamic armies during the War of Gog and Magog, described in Ezekiel 38-39. (Another mess-up by J. He's got no clue about the CONTEXT of this prophecy, and spouts off the old fundamental teachings. But I have seen a few fundamental writings that DO understand the context of this prophecy, some do use context logic, but not many - Keith Hunt) A military alliance composed of huge armies from Russia, Eastern Europe, former states in the U.S.S.R, Iran, North Africa, Ethiopia, and the Arab-Islamic nations will gather to annihilate the Jews. However, the prophecy of Ezekiel reveals that God will supernaturally destroy this enormous military force. (The context is all explained in my study on the book of Ezekiel so the other parts are literal also. This prophecy is not going to happen when J thinks it will. And his house of cards will come crashing down around him - Keith Hunt) A second development that could radically change the hearts of Israel's leaders would be the recovery of the long-lost ark of the covenant. This would provide a powerful motive to rebuild the Temple, since the original purpose of both the Tabernacle and the Temple was to provide a sanctuary for the ark. In chapter 8 we will look in detail at the probable location and future role of the ark of the covenant and the events that might allow it to be returned to the rebuilt Temple. (Fancy ideas of some fundamentalists. The ark of the covenant will probably never be found, and if it was it will be housed in the Jewish Museum in Jerusalem, not in some Jewish Temple - Keith Hunt) NEW FINDINGS TO THE TEMPLE'S ORIGINAL LOCATION .................... To be continued |
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