Temple Institute Pushing Building Temple in Jerusalem

Depiction of Levites Carrying the Ark of the Covenant

A leader from the Temple Institute is planning on promoting the construction of a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem starting tomorrow:

Rabbi Chaim Richman in the USA, June 2012…

What is holding back the people of Israel from rebuilding the Temple today? How close are we? How will the nations of the world be affected? Are the obstacles really that insurmountable… or could we overcome them if we only try? Are we waiting for G-d to step in and perform a miracle… or is He waiting for us to take the initiative? How can this dream become a reality in our life time? What is the relationship between the promise of the Holy Temple, and major issues such as the peace process, Palestinian terror, America’s relationship with Israel and the Iranian nuclear threat? If you build it, he will come. With G-d’s help Rabbi Richman will be visiting the United States this coming June to share the Torah’s message of the immediate rebuilding of the Holy Temple, the source of blessing for the whole world. http://www.templeinstitute.org/if-you-build-it.htm

His presentations have been scheduled to start tomorrow in West Texas and he is expecting to speak most nights in the next ten days in a variety of cities (listed as being in Texas and New Mexico).

While the Temple Institute is essentially correct that if one only believes the Torah and not the New Testament, then the Jews need to immediately build a physical temple. However, although many misunderstand various aspects of end time Bible prophecy, including what is in the New Testament, a new physical temple does NOT have to be built in Jerusalem for the end to come.

Animal sacrifices, however, seem to be required by scripture to be resumed by the Jews, and that is something that the Temple Institute and the Sanhedrin that is somewhat associated with it are physically able to do right now. And they can do that without a new rebuilt Temple. All that physically is needed for animal sacrifices are Levitical priests (which they claim to have), animals (which they basically claim they have), various implements (which they claim to have), and a sacrificial altar (which they finished a few years ago).

The reality is that all the Temple Institute is waiting for is Israeli government permission to begin the sacrifices at any time–including without having a physical temple.

Until Solomon built the first temple (1 Kings 6:14), the Bible shows that the Jews sacrificed on altars. David, Solomon’s father, for example sacrificed on an altar (2 Samuel 24:25), as did Aaron and his descendants (Exodus 20:24; Leviticus 1:10-11). And prior to all of that, Abel (Genesis 4:4), Noah (Genesis 8:20), Abraham (Genesis 22:9-13), and others sacrificed animals to God.

So for over 3,000 years, animal sacrifices were offered without a Jewish temple. Notice an interesting scripture from Ezekiel:

12 This is the law of the temple: The whole area surrounding the mountaintop is most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple. (Ezekiel 43:12)

Biblically, all that is required are Jewish religious leaders willing to sacrifice in Israel, and anywhere on or sufficiently near the Temple Mount would apparently do.

Even after the first Jerusalem temple was built and left in ruins, the Bible itself specifically shows that sacrifices were made in the time of Ezra BEFORE the second temple was ready (but apparently on the temple mount area):

6 From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid. (Ezra 3:6)

One may argue that since it takes the participation of Jewish religious leaders in order for Jewish animal sacrifices to be resumed, that the above scripture is a moot point.

And it might be if there were no Jewish religious leaders that thought that they could not sacrifice without a temple.

But the fact is, that although they are in the minority, there are significant numbers of Jewish religious leaders who are intent on starting animal sacrifices as soon as possible. And these Jewish leaders do not believe that they have to wait in order for a temple to rebuilt in order to do so.

Some years ago, a group of Jewish religious leaders got together and formed a new Sanhedrin:

The 71 members of the “Re-established Sanhedrin” say they want to begin sacrificing animals again, despite the absence of the Temple, the ritual altar and all the required implements listed in the Bible. Rabbi Dov Stein of the group admitted…

“We want to do the sacrifice, but we have political problems,” Stein said. “We hope there will come a time when the government will agree. We will push for that to happen.” (Rabbis aim to renew animal sacrifices. Associated Press. Feb 28, 2007. http://www.jpost.com)

The “Sanhedrin” group referred to above began to form in 2004 and claims to have “the consent of hundreds of rabbis, scholars and leaders” (http://www.thesanhedrin.org/en/index.php/The_Sanhedrin_Initiative viewed 09/11/08). It also has been working on implements, including those related to having an altar.

For further clarification of the position of the reconstituted Sanhedrin, I (COGwriter) contacted that group and asked why it felt that sacrifices can be started before a temple is rebuilt. The response received was:

Rabbi Yeshayahu Hollander wrote:

רמב”ם, מעשה הקרבנות, פרק יט , הלכה טז והלכה יז:

טז [טו] מִי שֶׁשָּׁחַט קֳדָשִׁים בַּזְּמָן הַזֶּה, וְהֶעֱלָה חוּץ לָעֲזָרָה–חַיָּב: מִפְּנֵי שְׁהוּא רָאוּי לִקָּרֵב בִּפְנִים–שֶׁהֲרֵי מֻתָּר לְהַקְרִיב, אַף עַל פִּי שְׁאֵין בַּיִת, שֶׁקְּדֻשָּׁה רִאשׁוֹנָה קִדְּשָׁה לְשָׁעָתָהּ וְקִדְּשָׁה לָעֲתִיד לָבוֹא, כְּמוֹ שֶׁבֵּאַרְנוּ.
יז [טז] הַשּׁוֹחֵט קָדְשֵׁי גּוֹיִים בַּחוּץ, חַיָּב; וְכֵן הַמַּעֲלֶה אוֹתָן בַּחוּץ. וְהַגּוֹיִים מֻתָּרִין לְהַקְרִיב עוֹלוֹת לַה’, בְּכָל מָקוֹם–וְהוּא, שֶׁיַּקְרִיבוּ בַּבָּמָה שֶׁיִּבְנוּ. וְאָסוּר לְסַיְּעָן, וְלַעֲשׂוֹת שְׁלִיחוּתָן–שֶׁהֲרֵי נֶאֱסַר עָלֵינוּ לְהַקְרִיב בַּחוּץ; וּמֻתָּר לְהוֹרוֹת לָהֶם, וּלְלַמְּדָם הֵיאַךְ יַקְרִיבוּ לְשֵׁם הָאֵל בָּרוּךְ הוּא.

Translation:

Hichot Maasei HaKorbanot [The Procedures of Offering Sacrifices]

Chapter 19

Paragraph 17:

He who slaughters a Sacrifice in this period [when we have no Temple], and offered the sacrifice outside the Azara [the alloted area of the Temple] – is culpable, because the offering must be performed in the Azara, SINCE IT IS PERMITTED TO PERFORM SACRIFICES despite having no Temple, since the sanctity of the Temple is eternal.

Paragraph 18:

He who slaughters the sacrifice of a gentile outside the Azara is culpable, as is one who performs the offering. NON JEWS are permitted to offer burnt-offerings anywhere, on an alkter which they built. Jews may not help them in the performance of this sacrifice, since Jews may not offer sacrifices outside the Azara. But we may instruct them and teach them how to perform sacrificesto the ASlmighty God, Blessed be He.

Additionally, it is worth noting that on 5766, Rabbi Benyamin Fuss published a 445 page book on Sacrifices of non-jews, of which the text proper is of 372 pages [the rest are indices, etc.] called Torat Habamah: Regarding sacrifices on an Altar outside the Temple. (Email from the Sanhedrin webmaster Abrahamson to Bob Thiel September 17, 2008).

Rabbi Yeshayahu Hollander is the English language spokesman for the nascent Sanhedrin.

Thus, it appears to be a longstanding position of some Jewish scholars that Jewish sacrifices can be started on an altar and, as long as it is in the area of the old temple, that a physical temple is not first required.

This is consistent with Ezra’s previously quoted practice as well as what was recorded by Ezekiel.

For many of the past several years (mainly in the Spring), one or more Jews have petitioned Israeli courts to get permission for animal sacrifices for Passover. And, the Israeli courts have repeatedly ruled that although Jews have this right, that the political situation does not yet allow that, so they are denied.

However, the time is coming when those sacrifices will once again be started as they will be stopped by a prince (Daniel 9:26-27) who will become the end time King of the North (Daniel 11:31-40).

The tour to promote the building of the Temple will likely help the Temple Institute raise money, but the politics of Israel and its Islamic neighbors tends to prohibit the rebuilding. For one reasons, the Muslims tend to claim that this will affect some of their current holy places (some dispute the facts of this, but enough believe this is so that it is a political problem).

Despite Islamic or other complaints, according to Bible prophecy, sacrifices will be resumed. Some time after a deal (probably a peace deal per Daniel 8:25 and Daniel 11:23-24) that Daniel 9:27 refers to is confirmed, one or more Jewish leaders will likely feel politically safe enough to allow the sacrifices to resume.

Of course, it might take a regional war involving Israel for such a deal to take place. But with all the concerns about Iran and Syria, etc. it could happen this type of war could happen this year, with a peace deal following shortly thereafter.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required? Although people like Timothy LaHaye teach a third Jewish temple is required, who is ‘the temple of God” in the New Testament? What does the Bible teach about the temple in the end-times?
Solomon’s TempleThis is a a 5 minute animated film that shows one artist’s understanding of the details about Solomon’s temple.
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2012, 2013, or 2014? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Why might Daniel 9:27 be referring to a peace deal? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000?