Rebuilding the Third Temple

Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion that they should believe the lie that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

(2 Thessalonians 2:1-12)

The implied second sign identified in this passage is the presence of the Third Temple. Although Paul says nothing directly about its construction, his reference to the “man of sin” (the Antichrist) sitting in the temple of God assumes the existence of such a temple.

At the time of Paul’s letter, the Second Temple had not yet been destroyed. Thus, when Paul wrote that the Antichrist would sit “in the temple of God,” he naturally assumed this referred to the Second Temple. However, since that temple has long been destroyed, it is evident that a Third Temple must be built to fulfil this prophecy, marking a sign of the approaching First Resurrection.

Though many in both the church and Judaism argue that rebuilding the temple is unscriptural, such arguments will become irrelevant once the Third Temple is finally erected.

"So when you see the 'Abomination of Desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not" (let the reader understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

(Mark 13:14)

Because this sign will be irrefutable once it manifests, I will briefly examine two key scriptures that confirm the presence of the Third Temple prior to the Lord’s second coming. The first is the passage quoted above.

In this passage, Jesus refers to Daniel’s prophecy of “the abomination of desolation” standing where it ought not. The parenthetical comment, “let the reader understand,” was inserted because Daniel was shown two separate visions of abominations of desolation—both future when he received them. When Jesus referred to Daniel’s prophecy, the first of these had already been fulfilled, leaving only the second to come.

The first abomination of desolation is found in Daniel 11 and was fulfilled in 163 BC when the Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes invaded Jerusalem, defiled the Second Temple by setting up an image of Zeus, and sacrificed a pig on the altar. After his defeat in 164 BC, the Jews cleansed the temple and instituted the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) to commemorate its rededication. Although this feast was not among those given to Moses, Jesus Himself acknowledged it by observing it during His earthly ministry (John 10:22–23).

The second abomination of desolation appears in Daniel 12 and is the one Jesus referred to in the passage above. Some mistakenly claim that Jesus referred to the destruction of the Second Temple in AD 70, but no such abomination stood in the temple then—it was completely destroyed along with Jerusalem and its inhabitants. Jesus’ instruction to flee when the abomination appears also proves this, for if He were referring to AD 70, there would have been no opportunity to escape.

Therefore, Jesus and Paul were both referring to the same future event—the Antichrist seated in the Third Temple as the abomination of desolation. At that time, believers in Judea will have the opportunity to flee when they see this sign. Scripture also declares that the Antichrist will trample the temple for 2,300 days before the Lord returns, after which it will be cleansed (Daniel 8:13–14). Thus, the Feast of Dedication will find its ultimate fulfilment in the purification of the Third Temple.

Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, "Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.

(Revelation 11:1-2)

The second passage supporting the Third Temple’s presence is found above. Here the apostle John is shown a vision of the temple that will exist on earth when the Lord returns. At the time of this vision (around AD 90), the Second Temple had already been destroyed two decades earlier. It is therefore evident that John saw the future Third Temple.

We know this was a physical structure, for John was told to measure it with a rod. The passage also reveals that the Gentiles will tread the temple courts and the holy city underfoot for forty-two months, corresponding to the period of the Antichrist’s rule (Revelation 13:5).

Then he called for his son Solomon, and charged him to build a house for the Lord God of Israel. And David said to Solomon: "My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build a house to the name of the Lord my God; but the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 'You have shed much blood and have made great wars; you shall not build a house for My name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in My sight. Behold, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies all around. His name shall be Solomon, for I will give peace and quietness to Israel in his days. He shall build a house for My name, and he shall be My son, and I will be his Father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.'

(1 Chronicles 22:6-10)

Having established that the Third Temple will indeed be built, the next logical question is: when will it be built? Some believe this could happen at any time, citing Israel’s growing desire for the temple’s reconstruction. Recent polls indicate that approximately half of Israeli Jews support rebuilding it.

However, the greatest obstacle remains the fierce opposition from Israel’s Arab population, the Palestinians, and much of the Muslim world. Significant political and military changes must still occur in the region before conditions will allow for construction. The ongoing conflicts in the Middle East are therefore not coincidental; they are part of the broader progression toward that end. Sadly, greater turmoil is likely before peace emerges—peace that will make rebuilding possible.

David’s experience recorded in the above passage provides an important parallel. God forbade him from building the First Temple because he had shed much blood in warfare. Instead, Solomon, a man of peace, was chosen to build it during a time of rest. In like manner, God will not permit the present state of Israel—marked by continual warfare and bloodshed—to build the Third Temple. Rather, it will be constructed by a future generation during a time of peace.

As an aside, it is worth noting that the Third Temple will not stand on the traditional Temple Mount. According to the Lord’s instructions given to Ezekiel, its location will be outside Jerusalem, approximately five kilometres north of the city (Ezekiel 40–48).

Michael E.B. Maher

Resurrection of the Dead

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