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Many Christians believe that the temple
will be rebuilt in Jerusalem. There are several reasons for this
belief, but they are all incorrect.
- Some Jews would like to see the
restoration of both the temple its sacrifices. This view fails
to understand the change brought about by Jesus ministry. His
death was the perfect sacrifice, so there is now no need for
sacrifice or altar (Heb 8,9). To establish sacrifices in a
restored temple would be a terrible insult to Jesus. The
reason that God allowed the temple to be destroyed in AD 70
was that the sacrifices offered there had become repugnant to
him. Once Jesus had completed his sacrifice upon the cross,
the sacrifices in the Jewish temple were no longer necessary.
They had been replaced by Jesus' one, true, perfect sacrifice,
and should have ceased. When continued after the perfect
sacrifice of Jesus, they were an abomination to God. The
tearing of the temple curtain at the time of the crucifixion
showed that a better way to God had been opened. If animal
sacrifices are restored, Jesus will be insulted and the wrath
of God provoked.
Note: the temple described in Ezekiel
40-44 has animal sacrifices, so it must either be a spiritual
temple or a prophecy for Old Testament times. The prophecy
cannot be literally filled now that Jesus a perfect sacrifice
has been completed. The valley of bones described in the
preceding chapter and river flowing to the sea in the following
chapter are not literal, so the Ezekiel temple is most likely a
spiritual picture of a heavenly reality.
- Some Christians believe that the temple
will be restored as a place of worship without sacrifices.
People will go to the temple to worship Jesus. However, this
view also fails to understand the change wrought by the
resurrection and ascension of Jesus. He is now seated at the
right hand of the Father in heaven, but through faith we are
seated their with him (Eph 2:6). We do not need to go to a
temple to meet with him. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy
Spirit, so we can commune with him wherever we are. The Holy
Spirit is present throughout the world, so here would be no
benefit in going to a temple in Jerusalem. There is now no
function for a temple as a place for worshipping of God.
- The most common belief is that Jesus
will return to earth and rule the world from the temple in
Jerusalem in a millennial kingdom. The teaching that Jesus
will personally come back to establish the Kingdom of God is
one of Satan’s worst lies. The church has given up on
establishing the Kingdom of God because Satan has fooled it
into believing it cannot happen until Jesus returns.
The truth is that the Church is called
to establish the Kingdom. In Daniel 7:27, there is a description
of the Kingdom coming to power, when all the "power and
sovereignty under the whole heaven is handed over to the saints,
the people of the Most High" (while the Son of Man is
seated with the Father). The bible declares that God will bring
the church to victory.
His intent was that now, through the
church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the
rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to
his eternal purpose, which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our
Lord (Eph 3:10,11).
This passage teaches that the defeat of
Satan and his forces will be accomplished through the church.
Christ will not have to return to display his glory, for his
glory will be displayed through the victories of the church.
These victories will take place "now" in the present
age.
God’s people will establish the
Kingdom while Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father in
heaven. He returns to receive the kingdom established by the
church and hands it back to the Father (1 Cor 15:24,25). Since
Jesus does not have to come back to earth to establish the
kingdom, he does not need a temple to rule from. The belief that
the temple needs to be rebuilt before the Kingdom of God can
come is part of Satan’s lie. Christians who want to see the
temple rebuilt are declaring their lack of faith in God’s
ability to fulfil his promises through the church.
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