Jesus very clearly said that the Temple of God which existed in His generation would be utterly destroyed (compare Matthew 24:1-2; Mark 13:1-2; Luke 21:1-6). However, He also spoke of startling prophecies for our day in answer to His disciples’ questions: “‘…Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’” (Matthew 24:3).
Among the future occurrences Jesus related, the following astounding statement is made by Him—warning of an event that was not yet fulfilled, but it would be shortly before His return:
“‘Therefore when you see the “abomination of desolation,” spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the HOLY PLACE’ (whoever reads, let him understand)…” (Matthew 24:15; also, Mark 13:14).
Jesus continued to warn His disciples, especially about “‘false christs and false prophets’” in verse 24, and He added this intriguing caution:
“‘Therefore if they say to you, “Look, He is in the desert!” do not go out; or “Look, He is in the INNER ROOMS!” do not believe it’” (Matthew 24:26).
“INNER ROOMS,” along with what Jesus had just said about “the abomination of desolation… standing in the HOLY PLACE,” gives strong evidence that a Temple of God will exist in the City of Jerusalem at the time leading up to Christ’s return, and that the “inner rooms” might refer to the section of the Tabernacle and later the Temple called the “Holiest of All” (Hebrews 9:3)!
There is more proof that this will happen, and we find it in the writings of the apostle Paul. In his second letter to the Thessalonian Church of God, Paul cautioned the brethren there not to believe what some were falsely teaching about the return of Christ being imminent:
“Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God IN THE TEMPLE OF GOD, showing himself that he is God” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).
“The man of sin” has not yet been revealed, nor did someone fulfill this prophecy in the first century A.D. before the Temple of God was destroyed by the Romans! Indeed, Paul reveals that the man he is writing about will be living when Jesus Christ returns:
“And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:8-10).
The Book of Revelation, written well after the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D., gives us more detail about “the man of sin” or the “false prophet,” as well as the religious system which he will represent and lead:
”Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666” (Revelation 13:11-18).
The fate of this individual is to be thrown alive into a burning lake of fire (compare Revelation 19:20; 20:10). This serves to confirm that the “man of sin” is uniquely singled out for the horrific actions he will commit—including his pretense of being “God” and of daring to enter into the inner rooms of the Temple of God!
Just before the two witnesses identified in Revelation 11 begin their prophesying for a period of one thousand two hundred and sixty days, mention of an existing Temple of God is made:
“Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months” (Revelation 11:1-2). Some feel that the reference to the Temple in 2 Thessalonians 2 and Revelation 11 is meant to apply to the Church of God, which is sometimes described as a spiritual Temple, but the context of these passages and the intended meaning prohibit such an interpretation.
We see, then, that the New Testament, with writings from before and after the destruction of the Temple, contains prophetic evidence that another Temple of God will be present at the end-time.
We have already established in Part 1 of this Q&A that the Old Testament both foretold and then reported on the building of the Temples of Solomon and Zerrubabel. It also contains remarkable prophecies about the Temple of God to which Jesus Christ will come!
As referred to by Jesus, Daniel speaks of “the wing of abominations… who makes desolate” and of the “abomination of desolation” in the visions given to him by God (compare Daniel 9:27; 11:31; and 12:11). The Temple of God constructed by Zerubbabel suffered a prefiguring of this prophecy when Antiochus IV Epiphanes ruled over the Jews in the second century B.C. From the Illustrated Dictionary of the Bible; Herbert Lockyer, Sr., Editor; Antiochus, page 69:
“Antiochus IV (175-164 B.C.), surnamed Epiphanes (God manifest) but called by his enemies Epimanes (madman). Antiochus IV was one of the cruelest rulers of all time. Like his father, Antiochus III the Great, he was enterprising and ambitious; however, he had a tendency to cruelty that bordered on madness. His primary aim—to unify his empire by spreading Greek civilization and culture—brought him into direct conflict with the Jews. This conflict broke into open rebellion in 167 B.C. Accounts of these conflicts are found in the apocryphal book of 2 Maccabees.
“The revolt began with Antiochus’ edict that sought to unite all the peoples of his kingdom in religion, law, and custom. The Jews were the only people who would not adhere to this edict. Antiochus issued regulations against observing the Sabbath, practicing circumcision, and keeping all food laws. These regulations were followed by the ‘Abomination of Desolation’ (Dan. 11:31)—the erection of the altar of the Greek god Zeus over the altar of the burnt offering in the Temple. Jews were forced to participate in heathen festivities and were put to death if they were caught with the Book of the Law in their possession.
“As the revolt, led by Judas Maccabeus, gained momentum, the people of Israel united to overthrow Seleucid domination of their land. The Syrians were routed and the Temple was cleansed on the 25th of Chislev, 165 B.C. This cleansing is now observed by the Jews as the Feast of Lights (Hanukkah), around December 25. According to ancient writers, Antiochus IV withdrew into the East following his defeat. He died in Persia a madman…”
Understand, however, that this event foreshadowing what would happen in a future Temple of God was just a type and not the ultimate fulfillment. Daniel was told to “‘shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end…’” (12:4); and, that “‘the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end’” (12:9). Then, in verse 11 of Daniel 12, we find this extraordinary statement:
“‘And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days.’”
This prophecy is speaking of a situation which will occur in the final generation, the one to be living just before the return of Jesus Christ! It addresses the forceful cessation of daily sacrifices—something which could only rightfully be happening at the site of the Temple of God. It is true that in the past, the Jews sacrificed at the Temple site before the Temple was actually built. But they did so after the foundation of the Temple had been laid, and in anticipation of the final completion of the structure. It also reveals that a yet future idolatrous act of sacrilege will take place—the very thing we have already cited from what Jesus warned and the apostles Paul and John wrote.
Jeremiah also addresses the desecration of the Temple of God.
In chapters 50 and 51 of the Book of Jeremiah, God’s judgment on Babylon is proclaimed. While parts of this prophecy pertain to Babylon in the time of King Nebuchadnezzar, there is duality in applying and understanding what is written.
Focusing on the future fulfillment of this prophecy, carefully consider the following:
“‘In those days and in that time,’ says the LORD, ‘The children of Israel shall come, They and the children of Judah together; With continual weeping they shall come, And seek the LORD their God. They shall ask the way to Zion, With their faces toward it, saying, “Come and let us join ourselves to the LORD In a perpetual covenant That will not be forgotten”’” (Jeremiah 50:4-5).
This is an event which has never happened, but it will in the future as many other scriptures support!
Note, also:
“‘The voice of those who flee and escape from the land of Babylon Declares in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, The vengeance of His temple’” (Jeremiah 50:28; compare 51:11, 24).
“You who have escaped the sword, Get away! Do not stand still! Remember the LORD afar off, And let Jerusalem come to your mind. We are ashamed because we have heard reproach. Shame has covered our faces, For strangers have come into the sanctuaries (better, Holy places) of the LORD’S house” (Jeremiah 51:50-51).
Again, what Jesus indicated would happen regarding the defilement of the Temple of God finds mention in prophesied events at the close of the age!
There is great significance to the Temple of God which has yet to arise in Jerusalem—prophecies from both the Old and New Testaments make mention of it! And while this Temple will again become part of Jewish life, it will also be profaned when it is seized and occupied by the final resurrection of the Roman Empire—Babylon the Great!
(To Be Continued)
Lead Writer: Dave Harris
