7 Reasons a Re-built Temple is Not Biblical

It seems to me that Christians too often are more interested in defending a position, rather than surrendering to what the Bible teaches. Let’s see what the Bible teaches about a rebuilt temple. Fear not to be challenged and changed.

1. Re-instituted temple sacrifices would be blasphemous to Jesus. The New Covenant began in the first century; there is no New New Covenant. SUPPORTING EVIDENCE: The writer of Hebrews said that Jesus’ sacrifice was ONCE FOR ALL (Hebrews 10:8-14).

2. All promises of restoration of Israel have come true in Messiah Jesus (Luke 1:54-55, 69-75; 2 Corinthians 1:20). Jesus replaced the temple as the focus of our faith. He is the cornerstone and believers are living stones. So, the physical temple has been replaced by a spiritual one. SUPPORTING EVIDENCE: Matthew 21:42; 27:40; Mark 14:58; John 2:19-21; Acts 4:11; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; 2 Corinthians 1:20; 6:16; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:5; Revelation 21:22.

3. The Abomination of Desolation (Matthew 24:15) has already happened. SUPPORTING EVIDENCE: Jesus told his contemporaries that THEY would witness it. (“When YOU see the abomination of desolation. . . .”) “YOU” are the people to whom Jesus was speaking. It happened when the temple was defiled by the zealots and then by the Romans in the Jewish-Roman War of AD 66-70.

4. The Man of Lawlessness (2 Thessalonians 2:3) was already at work when the inspired Apostle Paul was writing. SUPPORTING EVIDENCE: Paul himself said so in 2 Thessalonians 2:7. While there are several first-century candidates, a likely suspect for the Man of Lawlessness was the zealot leader Eleazar ben Ananus, the ruthless instigator of the rebellion that caused the Romans to attack in AD 66―leading to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70. Eleazar sat in the temple and acted lawlessly in the very manner Paul described. Jewish historian Josephus described him as if defying God in his lawlessness, abominations, and atrocities.

5. There is not a 2,000-year gap between Daniel’s 69th and 70th week in Daniel 9:26-27. SUPPORTING EVIDENCE: There is no hint of a large gap in the text. Inserting one there is reading something into the text that simply isn’t there. Daniel’s 490-year prophecy ends in the first century with the Abomination of Desolation and the “end to sacrifice and offering.” That happened in AD 70 when the temple was destroyed (cf. Daniel 12:7, 11).

6. The Great Tribulation was not a worldwide event and it has already happened. SUPPORTING EVIDENCE: Jesus told his followers they could escape it by fleeing to the mountains (Matthew 24: 16). This would happen when Jerusalem was surrounded by armies in AD 66 (Luke 21:20-21). Ancient historian Eusebius wrote that the Christians followed Jesus’ advice and did in fact flee the city to avoid the coming devastation of the war.

7. The Antichrist was already at work when John was writing. SUPPORTING EVIDENCE: John said so (1 John 4:3). John also proclaimed that IT WAS THE LAST HOUR (1 John 2:18).

But wait. What about Ezekiel’s vision of a new temple (Ezekiel 40-48)? There is solid evidence that it is a spiritual temple rather than a physical one. See this article:

Absurd, having to spiritualize at least most of the 14 detailed chapters of Ezekiel, as well as Revelation. Etc.

And among other things, this awaits fulfillment:

And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth. (Revelation 18:21-24 [KJV])

(Pasted from previous posts) Believers will be in the first resurrection in "the day of Christ," the "coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him" (2 Thessalonians 2:1) "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand." (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2)

"the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.' (Revelation 11:18)

For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? (1 Thessalonians 2:19)

Yet one is saved despite loss, and not because of such:

Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. (1 Corinthians 3:8-15; cf. 2 Corinthians 5:10)

For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God. (1 Corinthians 4:4-5)

And the best i see it, believers will first also go with the Lord to fight in the Battle or Armageddon and afterwards reign with Him for a 1,000 years, and then act as judges in the final judgment:

And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. (Revelation 19:14)

And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. (Jude 14-15)

And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. (Revelation 19:19-20)

And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. (Revelation 20:1-3)

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4-6)

In the millennium is when the Lord "shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young (Isaiah 40:11) yet speaking of the same period we also read, And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. (Revelation 19:15)

And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the Lord will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. (Zechariah 14:16-18)

Now obviously all these who go to be forever with the Lord, and fight for and with Him, and are judged as to reward, and rule for Him are all believers. All before the final judgment. And in which judgment the two classes are also manifest, with the sheep being testified to as those who had effectual faith, versus those whose deeds evidenced the contrary (see further below).

And in which believers shall be judges:

Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? (1 Corinthians 6:3) As Jude said, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed.."

Yet which final judgment occurs after the devil is loosed for one final test of man, as he leads a multitude in rebellion against the Lord and His elect in a renewed world.

And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:7-10)

And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15)

For the lost have been in Hades with the selfish man of Luke 16, but like as believers were in Heaven yet not specifically rewarded for their faith (cf. Heb. 10:35) until the Lord's return, so also the unbelievers have not yet been sentenced to their degree of punishment relative to their works and accountability. And there are differences:

And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee. (Matthew 11:23-24)

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