Various Jews fervently want another temple

Remaining Bricks of the Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill

Various Jews in Israel are fervently working on trying to have another temple:

I went to visit the Jewish Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem to see how the preparations for the establishment of the new temple were getting on. For hundreds of Israelis, the task of renewing the temple has become the job of their lives. It is about time, so they believe, to establish the Third Temple in its proper place — right on the site where the First Temple and the Second Temple were once standing before being destroyed. http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/06/buildng-third-temple-jerusalem.html#ixzz2Zb0eoMp7

What many do not realize is that a lot of the bricks from the last Jewish temple were used to build the Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill , and that contrary to certain Protestant (and sadly some in the COG), Bible prophecy does not require a Jewish temple in Jerusalem before Jesus will return. The Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2 can sit elsewhere to fulfill 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4.

But let’s notice the view of some Jews about the ramifications of a new temple:

Schwartz, Cohen and Glick are all confident that once the Third Temple is erected, the world will become a fundamentally different place. The Lord would then bestow on Earth great abundance and there would no longer be anyone in need of charity.

“Those who do not feel what is going to happen are either blind or stupid, or ungrateful,” Glick noted, clearly annoyed with me, having noticed the skeptical expression on my face. “There has never been anything like that in the history of the human race; the return of an exiled people to its homeland is unique in human annals. It is all written in the Torah. And the last, supreme stage will be the construction of the temple.” http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/06/buildng-third-temple-jerusalem.html#ixzz2Zb18AyW6

The above position reminds me of what the Fatimists (people who believe that the messages from the ‘Lady of Fatima’ are divine and reveal God’s new plan to save humanity) say will happen if Russia is consecrated to “the immaculate heart of Mary.” Basically, the Fatimists believe that act would also bring about peace and great abundance. But neither of those physical acts will save humanity–it will take the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the Kingdom of God and not some human action to usher in the millennial peace.

As far as a physical temple in Jerusalem goes, here is what the late Herbert W. Armstrong wrote:

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)

Some no longer agree with him about that, but I believe he was right and that can be shown from what the Bible also teaches (Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required?).

This does not mean that a Jewish temple cannot be built, only that it is not required to be built before Jesus returns. The Bible (Ezra 3:6) and Jewish religious leaders agree that animal sacrifices (which the Bible says will resume as it teaches that they will later be stopped per Daniel 9:27;11:31) can occur without a Jewish temple. Only an altar in the area is required (cf. Ezra 3:2-6) and the Jews already have one of those (for details, see Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required?).

A reader forwarded the following, which if true, will have ramifications on this matter between the Israelis and the USA:

The Obama administration has quietly presented a plan in which the Palestinian Authority and Jordan will receive sovereignty over the Temple Mount while Israel will retain the land below the Western Wall, according to a senior PA negotiator speaking to WND…

The proposed plan is part of the basis for U.S.-brokered talks that are set to resume in Washington next week after Secretary of State John Kerry announced that both Israel and PA President Mahmoud Abbas have agreed to open negotiations aimed at creating a Palestinian state.

Israel has not agreed to the U.S. plan over the Temple Mount, with details still open for discussion, stated the PA negotiator.
http://www.wnd.com/2013/07/secret-obama-plan-forfeits-temple-mount-to-palestinians/#MOVA4q3xHXGpHyg1.99

So, this is another potential stumbling block. The Jews and the Muslims have differing plans for the area.

While the Jews push for another temple, and may possibly get one, they also tend to push for the ability to do animal sacrifices. At some point in time, the sacrifices will begin, but will be stopped (Daniel 9:27,11:31). And that will be not be a sign of peace and prosperity, but a sign that the Great Tribulation is about to begin (Matthew 24:15-23).

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?
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.
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 is also a related YouTube video you can watch titled Jerusalem To be divided and eliminated.
Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Apparitions Do you know much about Mary? Are the apparitions real? What happened at Fatima? What might they mean for the rise of the ecumenical religion of Antichrist? Are Protestants moving towards Mary? How do the Eastern/Greek Orthodox view Mary? How might Mary view her adorers? Here is a link to a YouTube video Marian Apparitions May Fulfill Prophecy.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God was the Emphasis of Jesus and the Early Church Did you know that? Do you even know what the gospel of the kingdom is all about? You can also see a YouTube video sermon The Gospel of the Kingdom.
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2013, 2014, or 2015? 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? 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? See also the video The Great Tribulation Will Not Begin Before 2017.
Just What Do You Mean the Kingdom of God? A booklet that was written by Herbert Armstrong answers questions about the Kingdom.
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 is a version in Mandarin: 主编：谁是’大罪人’？Here is a link to a related YouTube video, in English, titled Who is the Man of Sin?