Awaken Bible Prophecy Update 12-20-23: Will the Tribulation Temple Also Be Ezekiel’s Millennial Temple?

We’re going to have a little fun today.  Well, it’s fun for me; I don’t know for all the rest of you.  Because I’m a fiction author, I engage in a lot of “what if” speculations.  That’s the only way to write fiction.  You have to go down various rabbit trails at times to come up with something that hopefully works and ties all strands of the story together.

I do similar mental gymnastics in my Bible prophecy discussions.  In order to try to put scenarios together that attempt to tie in all aspects of a prophetic situation, I think it’s necessary to do some thought experiments.  That’s what we’ll do today in our “what if” discussion.

Those of us who adhere to a literal interpretation of prophetic Scripture – as opposed to those who consider it mostly allegorical – very much believe that Israel will build a literal 3^rd Temple – the one we who study Bible prophecy from a pre-Tribulation Rapture perspective describe as the Tribulation Temple.  This isn’t difficult to imagine since all the construction plans are in place, temple utensils have been crafted, Levites are trained for their forthcoming duties, and I believe even a red heifer is ready to be slaughtered.  It is said this temple could be built and ready in some three to six months once the go-ahead is given.  The Jews are certainly ready to move forward with this project at a moment’s notice – which they believe will be very soon.

In the book of Ezekiel, the prophet is given an extensive description of the temple which will be used in the Millennium.  Two astounding aspects of this are that 1) Jesus will personally sit on the throne in the Holy of Holies in this temple, and 2) David will rule in the flesh as the Prince noted by the prophet – the reality being that it can be no one other than David.  These elements bring some interesting speculations into the picture for those of us inclined to consider some of the what-ifs associated with this future scenario.

Transcript:

We’re going to have a little fun today.  Well, it’s fun for me; I don’t know for all the rest of you.  Because I’m a fiction author, I engage in a lot of “what if” speculations.  That’s the only way to write fiction.  You have to go down various rabbit trails at times to come up with something that hopefully works and ties all strands of the story together.

I do similar mental gymnastics in my Bible prophecy discussions.  In order to try to put scenarios together that attempt to tie in all aspects of a prophetic situation, I think it’s necessary to do some thought experiments.  That’s what we’ll do today in our “what if” discussion.

Those of us who adhere to a literal interpretation of prophetic Scripture – as opposed to those who consider it mostly allegorical – very much believe that Israel will build a literal 3^rd Temple – the one we who study Bible prophecy from a pre-Tribulation Rapture perspective describe as the Tribulation Temple.  This isn’t difficult to imagine since all the construction plans are in place, temple utensils have been crafted, Levites are trained for their forthcoming duties, and I believe even a red heifer is ready to be slaughtered.  It is said this temple could be built and ready in some three to six months once the go-ahead is given.  The Jews are certainly ready to move forward with this project at a moment’s notice – which they believe will be very soon.

In the book of Ezekiel, the prophet is given an extensive description of the temple which will be used in the Millennium.  Two astounding aspects of this are that 1) Jesus will personally sit on the throne in the Holy of Holies in this temple, and 2) David will rule in the flesh as the Prince noted by the prophet – the reality being that it can be no one other than David.  These elements bring some interesting speculations into the picture for those of us inclined to consider some of the what-ifs associated with this future scenario.

We’ll examine this a little more today, but first we’ll pray and read God’s Word.

<PRAY>

Scripture:

Ezekiel 40:1-4

In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was struck down, on that very day, the hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me to the city. In visions of God he brought me to the land of Israel, and set me down on a very high mountain, on which was a structure like a city to the south. When he brought me there, behold, there was a man whose appearance was like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring reed in his hand. And he was standing in the gateway. And the man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your heart upon all that I shall show you, for you were brought here in order that I might show it to you. Declare all that you see to the house of Israel.”

Will the Tribulation Temple Also Be Ezekiel’s Millennial Temple?

• In Ezekiel 40-47 we’re provided with an extensive description through a vision the prophet had of a future temple in Jerusalem along with all its associated aspects
• This comes following the final destruction of Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar through his Babylonian army in 586 BC
• In the vision, God brings Ezekiel to Jerusalem from the exile in Babylonia
• Upon landing on the mountain of Zion, he is greeted by a man “whose appearance was like bronze”
• As we’ll see later, it seems that this is likely an angel and not Jesus
• This figure has the means to measure the temple that’s resident in the city and proceeds to escort Ezekiel through it various dimensions
• We know from what is said in the overall passage that this is a future temple, and not one that would be built immediately following the Babylonian exile, i.e. it won’t be Ezra’s temple in Nehemiah’s Jerusalem
• Again, we’ll see why later
• Ever since the 2^nd temple, i.e. Herod’s temple, was destroyed in 70 AD, the Jews in Israel and throughout their dispersion have yearned for another temple in Jerusalem where they could live in the land of Israel that God promised them and worship in that temple
• With the regathering of Jews into the reconstituted nation-state of Israel in 1948, that desire has burned within their hearts
• The problem they’ve had all these years is that the Temple Mount is managed by Jordan, and Muslims previously built the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque on that site
• Without clear access to this piece of real estate, Israel has had to refrain from any ambitious building projects in that location
• In recent years, the Sanhedrin – the ruling religious body in Israel – has been getting antsy
• They want to build a temple to resume their religious activities
• As such, they have fully prepared every aspect of this future endeavor
• They really are ready to go, but are still prohibited from proceeding
• One of my what-if speculations has been that through either or both the Psalm 83 War and Ezekiel’s War, that these two Muslim buildings may actually be destroyed
• That being the case, building the new temple would not be a problem
• Clear the rubble and away you go
• Besides that, if indeed these mosques were eliminated by missile strikes or some such in those wars, then there would be no need for the future Antichrist-brokered covenant to address this particular issue
• In a very interesting development the other day in the Israel-Hamas War, Israel actually defended the Al-Aqsa mosque from Hamas missile strikes
• Regarding this, the UN ambassador to the United Nations stated:

“Hamas proved that murdering Israelis is even more important than preserving the Islamic holy sites they claim to ‘protect.’”

• What would have resulted if those missiles had struck paydirt and destroyed those mosques?
• In that case, what would have happened to the idea that when Antichrist brokers the covenant with Israel that it includes the right to build their temple?
• This shows me that a day may come when Israel does not or cannot protect this Muslim “holy” site
• We see that probability during the Gog-Magog War when Israel appears to be unable to respond to the overwhelming attack, and it could certainly likewise happen a little down the road in this current war
• If Islam is effectively neutered as a major religious power, then a covenant with Islamic participants likely won’t be a reality
• The covenant would be with another party, i.e. the one identified as “many” in the Daniel 9:27 verse:

“And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”

• I’ve stated multiple times that I think the “many” may actually refer to the Catholic church in its Tribulation end-times fervor to encompass all peoples and religions as the great Harlot
• One way or another we come to the point that the religious authorities in the Sanhedrin have dreamt about
• Israel goes ahead and builds this structure which is the 3^rd Temple, i.e. the one we refer to as the Tribulation Temple
• We particularly make this reference because of what Daniel 9:27 noted above states, and what Jesus declared in Matthew 24:15:

“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.”

• This prophecy of Jesus may be one that has dual application for both a soon-to-come event and a later one
• It may refer to the Jews fleeing Jerusalem in the 70 AD era when the Romans destroyed the temple leaving no stone unturned
• It also likely speaks about the future time in the Tribulation when Antichrist desecrates the temple, declares that he is god, and begins persecuting the Jews
• Now, I don’t know how the Sanhedrin has proceeded in its architectural plans for the temple
• Did they consult Ezekiel and draw up everything according to this blueprint?
• It’s probably a good bet that they did, but I simply don’t know
• It’s under this idea that they used what Ezekiel said which brings us to our questions and speculations for today
• Again, the big question we’re exploring today is: Will the Tribulation Temple Also Be Ezekiel’s Millennial Temple?
• Another aspect of this is: What is the relationship of Ezekiel’s Millennial temple to what occurs in Revelation 22?
• Regarding the first question, there are several aspects of the description given about Ezekiel’s Millennial temple that steer me away from thinking that it’s the same structure as will be built for the Tribulation
• #1 – The Millennial temple is defined by God for the worship of Jesus Christ when He rules and reigns personally on earth
  • The Tribulation temple is built to worship God, but not Christ, since the Jews don’t believe He is their Messiah
• #2 – The Millennial temple has no negatives associated with it; it is pure and undefiled
  • The Tribulation temple is desecrated by Antichrist at the midpoint of these seven years of wrath and judgment
  • Its intent is to conduct worship and ritual sacrifice under the Old Covenant
  • It has nothing to do with Jesus and as such is defiled by both the Jews and Antichrist
• #3 – In the Millennial temple the glory of God enters and resides (Ezekiel 43:2-5)
  • We have no such suggestion that this will be the case during the Tribulation
• #4 – Once the glory of the Lord has entered the Millennial temple, it is then that Jesus speaks
  • It is here that we see that the man who has been ushering Ezekiel around the temple is an angel and not the Lord Himself
  • In Ezekiel 43:6-9 the distinction becomes clear since Jesus now speaks out of the temple
  • Jesus has nothing to do with the Tribulation temple
• #5 – Regarding the Millennial temple, Jesus says it is the place that He will place His throne and where He will place His feet, and where He will dwell forever (Ezekiel 43:6-9)
  • There is no indication that Jesus will do this in the Tribulation temple
• #6 – The Millennial temple will be served by the faithful Levitical sons of Zadok (Ezekiel 44:15-16)
  • I have no idea if these individuals have been located by the Sanhedrin and will be placed in this position of service
  • It’s clear from Ezekiel 44:9-14 that Levites who are not sons of Zadok will minister in the temple but not in the same privileged position as Zadok’s sons
  • Has the Sanhedrin made this distinction? – I don’t know
• #7 – The Millennial temple description details how the land surrounding the temple will be allocated
  • It’s probably unlikely that this can be accomplished today given the layout of Jerusalem
• #8 – During the time of the Millennial temple, the Prince will come and go by the east gate (Ezekiel 46:2) – as noted earlier, this can be none other than David
  • If anyone is identified as the Prince during the Tribulation, it would likely be Antichrist
• #9 – The Millennial temple will in some manner have water issuing from below the threshold and flowing south into the Dead Sea (Ezekiel 47:1) – this will be an act of God
  • There is no description of anything like this in the few passages about the Tribulation temple
• #10 – The water issuing from the Millennial temple will become a river that supports many fruitful trees along its banks (Ezekiel 47:6-7)
  • Unless men dig out such a river and plant trees as described, the Tribulation temple won’t have any of this
• #11 – This river that proceeds from the Millennial temple will cause the Dead Sea to become fresh while salt marshes remain along its edges (Ezekiel 47:8-11)
  • It’s rather doubtful that the Sanhedrin will be able to accomplish this feat during the Tribulation temple era
• #12 – The trees along the banks of the river during the Millennial temple period will not only provide food, but will in some manner provide healing (Ezekiel 47:12-13)
  • Nothing about the Tribulation temple gives us an indication that healing will result from its having been built

• There is some suggestion among Christians that we should honor the Tribulation temple because it will become the Millennial temple
• Given the time in which the Tribulation temple will be built and used, I don’t know that we can assume this
• Given my speculation that this temple could be built in place of the destroyed Muslim structures on the Temple Mount, and given how Antichrist desecrates this temple. . .
• And given how the forces of Antichrist will come against Jerusalem at the time of Armageddon. . .
• I don’t know that we can assume that this Tribulation temple won’t also be destroyed
• We know that in the final 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation – the Time of Jacob’s Trouble – the Jews will be severely persecuted until the end when they proclaim Jesus as Messiah
• Once Antichrist commits his abomination in the temple and declares he is god, we don’t know that he will necessarily retain the temple structure for any additional purposes
• A lot of people assume this, but I don’t believe we have any textual evidence to support this idea
• I personally believe Antichrist’s reign will primarily be centered in literal Babylon
• Antichrist could destroy the Tribulation temple out of spite and to show his disdain for God
• In the same manner, when Antichrist’s troops converge on and sack Jerusalem – although we have no specific text regarding this – it’s certainly feasible that the temple could be destroyed in the battle
• After all – it’s not the house that Jesus built
• As a result of all this, it appears to me that the Tribulation temple and the Millennial temple are different
• In the clean-up after the Tribulation and as preparation for the Millennial reign of Christ, I think that God will have the faithful Jews who have endured the Tribulation and now worship Jesus build this new temple for Him
• It will be constructed with the proper heart attitude per Ezekiel’s directions
• God will bless it and add His supernatural presence to it

• This brings us to the next aspect of temple construction
• It’s true that as believers in Jesus Christ, our bodies are living temples to Him
• However, that does not negate the literal physical aspect of these temples described in Scripture
• If someone goes down the road of making some aspects of this or all of it allegorical, i.e. symbolic only, Scripture becomes a total mishmash
• Is anything literal?
• Or is everything described symbolic?
• How do you choose and define which is which?
• If Revelation is all symbolic or has already been fulfilled, it seems like a waste of paper and for us to read it
• In either of these cases, it has no direct relevance to our lives
• That said, we have the interesting development in Revelation 21-22 of what is typically described as the New Heaven and the New Earth
• There is the astounding description of the heavenly Jerusalem descending upon the reconfigured mountain of Zion in Israel (Revelation 21:10)
• This is a future time even beyond that of the Millennium
• Comparing Ezekiel and Revelation we see some differences that I think point out different future time frames
• Ezekiel speaks of a measuring reed
  • Revelation describes the measure as being of gold
• Ezekiel is all about the building of a temple
  • In Revelation there is no temple specified
  • In fact, Revelation specifically says there is no temple at that time (Revelation 21:22-23)
• In Ezekiel the water issues from the threshold of the temple
  • In Revelation the river flows from the thrones (plural) of God and of the Lamb (Revelation 22:1)
  • It appears as though both God the Father and God the Son co-rule, presumably the Son sitting at the right hand of God the Father during this eternal time
• The trees along the river from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea are specifically called the Tree of Life in Revelation
  • They are for the healing of nations
  • It may be that these are the same trees in principle as those in Ezekiel, although after the Millennium, the earth will be purified with fire and everything made completely new
  • Thus it could be that the Ezekiel trees are a foreshadowing of the final trees we see in Revelation
• Although Revelation doesn’t mention the fresh water of the Dead Sea, when the earth is cleansed there’s no reason to believe that the river flowing from God’s throne won’t continue to make the Dead Sea alive
• The astounding aspect of the New Earth is that it is God’s radiance that provides light – no more sun, moon, or artificial lighting
  • That’s certainly not described for Ezekiel’s temple

• I want to throw one other tidbit into the mix of this Commentary before ending
• In Isaiah 65:17-25 the heading description for some Bibles (e.g. ESV, NIV, NASB) says New Heavens and a New Earth
• King James doesn’t provide a heading, while New King James says The Glorious New Creation
• The question is: What does this passage describe?
• Is it the Millennium or truly the period after that of the fire-forged New Heavens and New Earth?
• To my thinking, since all other OT prophetic texts describe the Millennium, I think that this does as well
• In other words, despite the text saying the following in Isaiah 65:17:

“For behold, I create new heavens
    and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered
    or come into mind.

• . . . the description given in the following text appears to synchronize with Millennium period characteristics
• People will live long lives in the 1000-year timeframe
• If someone lives less than that, it’s because he sinned, i.e. he was accursed
  • This cannot occur once God has eradicated sin after the release and destruction of Satan in the last throes of the Millennium
• With Jesus sitting on the throne during this time, there will be utopian peace to the extent that wild beasts will no longer be wild
• This all correlates with Millennial life because, frankly, we’re not given any real description of how things will be following the Millennium in the eternal state
• Isaiah 65 describes life on earth in such a way that we can still relate to it
• Once the New Heavens and New Earth are brought forth, that will more than likely result in a completely new paradigm of eternal life

• Back to our original premise, in my estimation the Tribulation temple will most likely not survive the Tribulation, when all life on earth would perish unless Jesus foreshortened it for the sake of the elect, i.e. Israel, so that those people remaining will glorify Jesus as Lord and God

• I think a new building project, i.e. a 4^th temple will be constructed for the Millennium
• This will be built with the right attitude of heart and for Jesus Himself

As a result, it will truly be glorious