Attempts at building a ‘third Temple’ — Freemasons say it is needed?
Model of ‘Second Temple’ by
An Italian reader sent me a link to the following by one with Masonic symbols at his website:
The Controversial building of the Third Temple …
The Temple Mount in Jerusalem is the focus of ongoing biblical history and prophecy, but also never-ending controversy among Muslims and Jews. This is the center of the world for the Abrahamic religions …
The Second Temple is where Jesus cleansed the Temple, and a poor widow gave an offering of two copper coins which Jesus said was greater than all the extravagant donations. In Jesus’s prophetic briefing (known as the Olivet Discourse), he said that Jerusalem would be in the hands once again of the Jewish people and thus Jerusalem will be the central focus of upheavals. Jesus prophesied in Luke 21: 24 that Jerusalem would be “trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” … according to bible prophecy, the Middle East would be in crisis in the last days. Jesus said in Matthew 24: 34, that the generation alive at that time “will by no means pass away till all these things take place.”
In May of this year, Itamar Ben-Gvir an Israeli lawyer and politician who serves as the Minister of National Security visited the Temple Mount, saying “I am happy to go up to the Temple Mount, the most important place for the people of Israel. It should be said that the police are doing a wonderful job here and once again proving who is in charge in Jerusalem. All of Hamas’s threats will not [change anything], we are in charge of Jerusalem and the entire Land of Israel.” The visit sparked condemnation from the Palestinians and countries in the region and around the world. Palestinian Authority spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh called the visit a “flagrant attack on al-Aqsa,” warning that it would have “serious repercussions,” according to the Palestinian WAFA news agency. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stressed that Israel is acting to maintain the status quo on the Temple Mount.” …
Since 1967, Jordan and Israel agreed that the Waqf, or the Islamic trust, would have control over matters inside the compound, while Israel would control external security. …
The term “Third Temple” refers to a hypothetical rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem. Since the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, religious Jews have expressed their desire to see the building of a Third Temple on the Temple Mount. Prayer for this is a formal part of the Jewish tradition of thrice daily Amidah prayer. Although it remains unbuilt, the notion of and desire for a Third Temple is sacred in Judaism, particularly Orthodox Judaism, and anticipated as a soon-to-be-built place of worship. Initially, the Emperor Hadrian granted permission to rebuild the temple but then changed his mind.
There was an aborted project under Roman emperor Julian (361–363 CE) to rebuild the Temple. …
In The Roman History of Ammianus Marcellinus, book 23 Chap. 1 Line 3 we find written:
Julian thought to rebuild at an extravagant expense the proud Temple once at Jerusalem and committed this task to Alypius of Antioch. Alypius set vigorously to work and was seconded by the governor of the province; when fearful balls of fire, breaking out near the foundations, continued their attacks, till the workmen, after repeated scorching’s, could approach no more: and he gave up the attempt.
The failure to rebuild the Temple by Emperor Julian has been ascribed to the Galilee earthquake of 363 CE, and to the Jews’ ambivalence about the project. Rabbi Hilkiyah, one of the leading rabbis of the time, spurned Julian’s money, arguing that gentiles should play no part in the rebuilding of the temple. Sabotage is also indicated as a possibility, as is an accidental fire, but Divine intervention was the common view among Christian historians of the time, and a view fully subscribed too.
An Armenian chronicle from the 7th century CE, written by the bishop Sebeos, states that the Jews and Arabs were quarreling about their differences of religion during the Siege of Jerusalem in 637 CE but “a man of the sons of Ishmael named Muhammad” gave a “sermon of the Way of Truth, supposedly at God’s command” to them saying that they, both the Jews and the Arabs, should unite under the banner of their father Abraham and enter the Holy Land. Sebeos also reports that the Jews began a reconstruction of the temple, but the Arabs expelled them and re-purposed the place for their own prayers.[5] Two monumental structures were built during the Rashidun and early Umayyad caliphates after the city’s capture in 637 CE: the main praying hall of al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, near the center of the hill, which is the oldest extant Islamic structure in the world that marks the spot Muhammad is believed by Muslims to have ascended to heaven even if Muhammed died five years earlier in the year 632 of the Common Era, and the Quran does not indicate he ever went to Jerusalem.
So how do they arrive to this conclusion? The political and strategical implications of taking over this site of worship from the Jews pushed the Muslim scholars to reinterpret the 17th chapter (sūrah) of the Quran in their favor, where we find among the 111 verses (āyāt), the word “Isra” that refers to the Night Journey of the Islamic prophet Muhammad,while details of the story are found in the hadith (the later collections of the reports, teachings, deeds and sayings of Muhammad), which form supplements to the Quran.[6]Two hadith sources on the Isra and the Miʿraj (Ascension),considered the most reliable are Anas ibn Malik and Ibn ʿAbbas. Both are considered ṣaḥāba or “Companions of the Prophet,” but, the were still young boys at the time of Muhammad’s journey of Mi’raj. In the Israʾ (“Night journey”), Muhammad is said to have traveled on the back of Buraq (a winged animal) to Al-Aqsa (i.e., the Temple Mount), where he led other prophets including Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses), and Isa (Jesus) in prayer. He then ascended into heaven during the Miʿraj (Ascension), where he individually greeted the prophets, and later spoke to God, who agreed to lower the number of required ṣalāt (ritual prayer) from 50 a day to five. The journey and ascent are marked as one of the most celebrated dates in the Islamic calendar — 27th of the Islamic month of Rajab but the problem is that it never happened as the Muslims did not conquer Jerusalem for another 5 years. …
However, today most Muslims view the movement for the building of a Third Temple on the Temple Mount as an affront to Islam due to the very presence of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock built on the ground of the former Holy Temple. …
While there are several differing views among Christianity about the significance or the requirement of a Third Temple being built in Jerusalem, according to the writers of the New Testament, the New Covenant is marked by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s body and every gathering of believers brings symbolically together the Temple, and for this reason the idea of rebuilding a physical Third Temple has been superseded in their eyes. But there are also Protestant dispensationalists who instead believe in the importance of rebuilding the Temple, as well as Freemasons, …
The special relationship with Jordan, including security, intelligence, and joint economic interests, has over the years turned Amman into Israel’s silent partner in its management of the Temple Mount. … Israel also tends to display much consideration for Jordan’s stance on numerous additional issues related to arrangements and even internal security on the Temple Mount and the area surrounding it. The idea of the establishment of an inter-faith Muslim council/directorate, which the Americans were considering reviving before the ongoing armed conflict between Hamas and Israel began on October 7, 2023 would have given Saudi Arabia, senior status on the Temple Mount alongside Jordan, which will have continued to maintain its senior status at the site, though not exclusively this time with the extension of such privileges to Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, and perhaps even Turkey, something that didn’t go so well with Shīʿa Islam and Iran, that immediately ordered the recent Hamas terrorist actions … http://leozagami.com/2023/10/21/the-controversial-building-of-the-third-temple-and-the-roots-of-the-israeli-palestinian-conflict/?fbclid=IwAR1RE8uHV6fr7_Iev4BzLVcrViu_CshTtawP3kXpTsj48Q7hYG9KJ_c1n9U
There are many who have suspected that Iran helped push the Hamas attacks, as it did not want closer relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
That said, various ones have attempted to build another Jewish Temple in Jerusalem.
Groups, like the Temple Institute, are currently pushing for such a building.
But even a Palestinian named Mohamed Masad called for one earlier this year. Related to that we put together the following video:
Palestinian Calls for Jewish Temple
In an interview with media personality Avri Gilad, a former Palestinian terrorist named Mohamed Masad said that God brought the Jewish people from all over the world back to the land of Israel, so that the Jews will build the Holy Temple and bring peace to the world. Is that God’s plan? Do most Muslims agree? The Temple Institute wants to disassemble the Dome of the Rock and the Muslim mosques on the ‘Temple Mount’ and move them elsewhere in order to build a “third Jewish Temple.” What is an end-time prophetic role for Jews? Do Jewish leaders from the Temple Institute and the Reconstituted Sanhedrin believe that daily sacrifices can be implemented without the need to construct a massive Jewish Temple? What did they tell Dr. Thiel about that? What does the Bible say about that? Steve Dupuie and Dr. Thiel go over these matters.
Here is a link to our video: Palestinian Calls for Jewish Temple.
Palestinian Mohamed Masad also used the term “Holy Temple.” Yet, since Jesus’ resurrection, this is not something that the Jews can build. In this era, the collective of the true Christian church is the temple of God (see Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required?).
Now, let me point out that the Temple Institute believes that it must clear the Temple Mount of Islamic structures in order to build its temple:
When will the reconstruction of the Holy Temple Commence?
There are two approaches to answering this question.
One approach is based on the geo-political dynamics of the Temple Mount, and the other approach is based on the desire of the nation of Israel and her fellow nations to rebuild the Holy Temple.
Geo-politically, the Temple Mount has to be cleared of the Dome of the Rock and the mosques which are presently located upon it before the physical rebuilding of the Holy Temple can begin. Many scenarios can be imagined which would accomplish this, the most promising, and not necessarily the most far-fetched, would entail Moslem recognition of the Mount as the intended location for the rebuilt Temple. With the acquiescence of the Moslem world the Moslem structures currently on the Mount would be disassembled and reassembled elsewhere. (http://www.templeinstitute.org/frequently-asked-questions.htm viewed 11/10/13)
Of course, the Muslims are not interested in getting their famous Dome of the Rock and their mosques removed–putting in such a temple would bring war, not peace. That is part of why I have long understood that the Jews would be willing to resume animal sacrifices without the rebuilding of a full Jewish Temple–and that is consistent with the Bible (Ezra 3:6) as well as the position of certain Jewish leaders, such as those in the reconstituted Sanhedrin (see Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required?) and even some at the Temple Institute.
Notice something that the late Pastor General of the old Radio/Worldwide Church of God, Herbert W. Armstrong, wrote about this:
God made a prophecy in the third chapter of Malachy…Continuing, “…shall suddenly come to His temple…” What kind of temple is He coming to? Are the Jews going to tear down the Dome of the Rock and build a new temple? Oh, no!… A holy temple! Christ is coming to His church! Christ is coming to His temple! Do we see that? The church is the temple. “…in whom ye are also builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” (Armstrong, Herbert W. Congress of Leading Ministers Hears Defined and Reemphasized Spiritual Organization of Church. Worldwide News, March 6, 1981, p. 10)
“And are built upon the foundation of the apostles [New Testament] and prophets [Old Testament], Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy TEMPLE in the Lord” (verses 20-21). So God reveals here that the Church is: 1) the HOUSEHOLD or begotten FAMILY of God; 2) a building—a HOLY TEMPLE—fitly joined together—that is, well organized (and, of course, on GOD’S pattern). As a building—the HOLY TEMPLE to which Christ will come—it is built on a FIRM FOUNDATION: the apostles, chosen by Christ, and the prophets. …
There has been much perplexity and discussion as to when the temple will be built to which Christ shall come. Malachi’s prophecy speaks of Christ’s second coming to His temple (Malachi 3:1-6). In Haggai’s prophecy it is referred to prophetically. Zerubbabel has been sent as governor of a colony to build the second temple 70 years after the destruction of Solomon’s temple. He built the temple to which Jesus came, though it had been enlarged and embellished by the Roman Herod. But speaking of this temple, as a type and forerunner of the temple to which Christ shall come at His second coming , it is written, “The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the ‘ Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts” (Haggai 2:9).
It is inconceivable that the Israelis, in the present international turmoil over their possession of old Jerusalem, could ever demolish the Arab Moslem Dome of the Rock – now on the site of Solomon’s temple-and build a new one there of greater splendor and glory than Solomon’s! However, as the second temple Zerubbabel was building was a typical forerunner of the temple to which Christ shall come, even so Zerubbabel was the typical forerunner of one Christ would use in building the far more glorious temple to, which Christ shall come in His GLORY!
Zechariah 4:9 : “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it . . .. ” And as Zerubbabel’s hands did finish that second temple, so shall the one Christ uses in building the temple to which He shall come in His GLORY!
And the Church of God of the present day shall be a “building fitly framed together [and growing] unto an holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:21). (Armstrong HW. 7 Proofs of God’s True Church, Part 6. Plain Truth. August, 1979, p. 38)
Many of us are being tried and tested as NEVER BEFORE–and for our own good! But, verse 11, “from the time the daily sacrifice shall be taken away ….Consider this a moment. This does NOT imply a material temple to be built in our time in Jerusalem. It does seem to imply the Israelis may restore the daily (twice daily) sacrifice–possibly at the wailing wall. (Armstrong HW. The Time We Are In, Now. Pastor General’s Report-Vol 1, No. 15, November 20, 1979, Page 2)
Let me also add here that the old Church of God, the group that changed its name to Church of God (Seventh-Day) in the 20th century, published the following in the 19th century:
What is the ‘holy place’? I understand it to be the Church, which is called the temple. Turn to 1st Cor. 3:16, 17. (Watkins J. The Midnight Cry. Hope of Israel, October 28, 1863)
So, a published Church of God position in the 1800s was that the ‘holy place’ and the temple was the Christian church.
Here is what Jesus stated:
15 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:) (Matthew 24:15)
In that verse, Jesus says that we should look at Daniel. Jesus also taught that the one who reads this passage needs to understand something—perhaps Jesus’ comment itself suggests that the apparent idea that “a physical Jewish temple may be required” may not be correct?
Carefully, notice that no temple of any kind is specifically mentioned in this passage. Bible literalists should realize that perhaps a future Jewish, physical temple was not being referred to by Jesus here, but that Jesus is referring to either the area the temple was originally built at or to something else in the city of Jerusalem.
Thus, it seems improper to teach that Jesus is specifically teaching that a third Jewish temple will be rebuilt as there is no scripture in the entire New Testament that shows that He specifically taught that.
Although several Jewish groups want a massive temple to be built and some hope the current religiously-inclined government in Israel will support that building. Let me add that representatives of the ‘Reconstituted Sanhedrin and Temple Institute have directly told me that all that they need to resume animal sacrifices is an altar. And they have had one for years–the Reconstituted Sanhedrin specifically performed a ceremony on December 10, 2018 to dedicate a new altar for the use of daily sacrifices (for more information, watch: Sanhedrin makes burnt offering to dedicate altar!).
It should pointed out that the Bible itself specifically shows that sacrifices were made in the time of Ezra BEFORE the second temple was ready:
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)
Thus, Jews know that they can perform animal sacrifices without a rebuilt Temple. And that is what the main groups, behind doing so, have told me.
That said, perhaps it should be mentioned that stones from the second temple were believed to be moved to build what seems to have been the first Christian church building in Jerusalem (see Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill). While this building might relate to one that the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2 may end up in, it would not yet seem to be a place that animal sacrifices would begin in–especially since the Temple Institute and the Sanherdin have another location in mind. That being said, because of traditions that this building is above the tomb of David and the ark of the covenant (many discount that, but others agree, see also Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill), if additional archaeological evidence surfaces to support this (or some other location related to David, the ark of the covenant, or the temple), groups like the Temple Institute may change their location ideas.
Anyway, here is a photo I took in October 2013 of some of the original bricks of the Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill:
None of those bricks are expected to be used by the Jews to build a temple before Jesus returns.
Despite the views of many that a massive third temple in Jerusalem has to be built before the start of the Great Tribulation/Apocalypse, the reality is that the Jews do not need a temple to be rebuilt before Jesus returns.
All that being said, the Bible does show that there will be daily sacrifices again in Jerusalem and that they will one day be stopped (Daniel 9:27, 11:31, 12:11) and that they can be done without a temple (Ezra 3:6).
Tearing down the Dome of the Rock will not bring real peace (though a temporary peace deal will come per Daniel 9:26-27). While the Jews can build structures in this age, they cannot build God’s Holy Temple.
Yet, since sacrifices will be resumed, the Jews will use an altar and likely put up a tent or an actual structure to do so. No massive third temple is needed for the sacrifices or for prophecies for this age to be fulfilled.
But the stopping of animal sacrifices scripturally must occur.
And that is likely to happen sometime AFTER some type of a peace deal, consistent with Daniel 9:27 is confirmed.
Some items 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? Does the Bible require a rebuilt Jewish Temple? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Por qué no se requiere un templo judío en Jerusalén? Here is a link to two sermons The Temple, Prophecy, and the Work and God’s Temple in Prophecy. And here is a version of the latter one in the Spanish: El templo de Dios en profecía.
Nascent Sanhedrin structure and high priest: The plan is to start animal sacrifices this would fulfill prophecy! The reconstituted Sanhedrin wants the reimplementation of animal sacrifices. A related video is titled Sanhedrin pushing animal sacrifices.
The Red Heifer, Jewish Beliefs, and the End of the World The Temple Institute is watching a ‘red heifer.’ Why might this be important in the sequence of end time events? Here is a related link in the Spanish language Novilla roja descubierta en EE.UU. e Instituto del Templo está interesado en ella. Here are links to three related videos in English: Red Heifers and the Fate of the World and The Red Heifer and the End of the World and 5 Red Heifers and Year 5783? and Red Heifer Sacrifice Ready April 2024? Here is a link to a video in the Spanish language: La novilla roja y su posible implicación profetica.
Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill Could this building, often referred to as the Cenacle, possibly have been the oldest actual Christian church building?
Does the ‘Cenacle’ deal have prophetic ramifications? After a 20 year negotiation, the Church of Rome has negotiated the right to have Catholic mass in the building known as the Cenacle. It is in the area where the Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill once stood. This is believed to be the location of the earliest Christian church building. How does the Bible define the ‘temple of God’ in the New Testament? Could this be the area where the ‘man of sin’ will sit in the “temple of God’ that Bible prophecy discusses in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4? This is a YouTube video.
The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27 This prophecy could give up to 3 1/2 years advance notice of the coming Great Tribulation. Will most ignore or misunderstand its fulfillment? Here is a link to a related sermon video Daniel 9:27 and the Start of the Great Tribulation.
Jerusalem: Past, Present, and Future What does the Bible say about Jerusalem and its future? Is Jerusalem going to be divided and eliminated? Is Jesus returning to the area of Jerusalem? There are also two related YouTube videos you can watch: Jerusalem To be divided and eliminated and God’s and Satan’s Plan for Jerusalem.
Who is the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2? Is this the King of the North, the ten-horned beast of Revelation 13:1-11, or the two-horned Beast of Revelation 13:12-16? Some rely on traditions, but what does the Bible teach? Here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Quién es el Hombre de Pecado de 2 Tesalonicenses 2?; here here are links to videos in Spanish: ¿Quién es el Hombre de Pecado de 2 Tesalonicenses 2? and ¿Quién es el ‘hombre de pecado’? Here is a version in Mandarin: N;ÿ Œf/’Y’jNº’ÿ Here is a link to a related English sermon video titled: The Man of Sin will deceive most ‘Christians’.
Freemasonry and the Destruction of Rome? What is Freemasonry? What about ties to the Illuminati? Could Freemasons be involved in the fulfillment of prophecy? Here is a link to a related sermon: Freemasonry, Armageddon, and Rome.
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? What about other peoples? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about Africa, Asia, South America, and the Islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon; When Will the End of the Age Come?; Rise of the Prophesied King of the North, and Christian Persecution from the Beast; and WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.
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