The Temple of YHVH will be built again before Messiah Yeshua returns for His people. This is proven on the basis of the New Covenant (B’rit Chadashah) writings of Paul (Sha’ul), John (Yochanan) and Matthew (Mattityahu) quoting Yeshua. It was Yeshua who said, “in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word will be established,” Matt 18:16. So, starting with Sha’ul, as the first witness, I intend to show unmistakably that the Temple must be built before Yeshua comes in His Kingdom. In fact, it will be built before the resurrection and “rapture” of the saints.
Before I begin, let’s establish some ground rules for interpretation of scripture. Scripture can only be interpreted by scripture. If it does not all flow together something is not right. Secondly, scriptural interpretation must be simple enough that common people can understand it. If interpretation becomes a convoluted mixture it causes confusion, and that, we know, is not of G-d, because it does not allow instruction in righteousness. Thirdly, let’s put the idea of”rapture” in correct perspective. What is called “rapture” by many is actually a mis-naming of "our gathering together unto Him [Messiah]," 2 Thess 2:1. This “gathering together” includes two events: 1) the resurrection of the righteous dead, and 2) the changing & catching away of the righteous living to meet Messiah in the atmosphere. These two events happen in unison, with the resurrection of the dead preceding the changing/catching away of the living, if only by a short span (1 Thess 4:16,17). So, being faithful to scriptural terminology, I will not use the unscriptural term “rapture”, but instead I will use “catching away” or “gathering up” as a paraphrase of the scriptural “gathering together unto Him” and being “caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the L-RD in the air,” 1 Thess 4:17. By using the term “gathering up” I will refer to both the resurrection and the catching away. With this understood, I will rephrase the first sentence: The Temple of YHVH will be built again before Messiah Yeshua returns at the gathering up of His holy ones.
SHA’UL, OUR FIRST WITNESS
Let’s prove this by the prophecy of Rabbi Sha’ul (the Apostle Paul) from 2 Thessalonians 2: 1-4:
“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Ruler, Yeshua the Messiah, and by our gathering together unto Him, that you not be soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Messiah is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come, until there comes an apostasy first, and that man of sin be revealed, the condemned offspring, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called Elohim, or that is worshipped. So that he, as Elohim, sits in the Temple of YHVH, demonstrating himself that he is Elohim.”
Sha’ul is assuring the holy ones that they have no need to be troubled about whether or when they will be gathered to be with the Messiah. He warns them not to be deceived otherwise. Yeshua will not return and they will not join Him at His coming until there comes an apostasy (a falling away from the truth which began almost immediately after the apostles died) and, the “man of sin” be revealed. So as not to leave anything in doubt, Sha’ul gives the sure event which will reveal this man. The event is the act of him sitting “in the temple of G-d, showing himself that he is G-d”. This means the “man of sin” cannot be revealed without the Temple being rebuilt. In addition, this whole event precedes the coming of Yeshua and the “gathering up” of the holy ones. Therefore, according to the record of the Apostle Paul, the end cannot come until the Temple of YHVH is rebuilt. The rebuilding of the Temple precedes what many Christians call the “rapture”, which is the gathering up of the holy ones, both dead and living.
YOCHANAN, OUR SECOND WITNESS
The second witness, Yochanan, in the book of Revelation, is not as straight forward as Paul, because there are various opinions concerning the chronology of Revelation, and Revelation is more allegorical in nature. However, if we accept the general chronology of Revelation, which this writer does, then we can see a correlation between Revelation and Sha’ul’s prophecy in 2 Thessalonians. The Messiah returns to earth in Revelation 19:11,14,15:
“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He who sat on it was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean ... And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should punish the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron. and He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of El-Shaddai.”
Revelation 20:4,5 relates the resurrection event with the time of Messiah’s coming:
“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them ... and they lived and reigned with the Messiah a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection ”
Sha’ul showed that both the resurrection of the dead and catching away of the living happen when Messiah returns to the earth (2 Thess 4:16,17), and Revelation confirms that these events coincide. In chapter 13 of Revelation we see the “man of sin” revealed, herein called the “beast” or “creature.” Revelation 13:1,6:
“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a creature rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy ... And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against YHVH, to blaspheme His Name, and His dwelling place, and those that dwell in heaven.”
Here the “man of sin” blasphemes YHVH’s dwelling place. This parallels Sha’ul’s account of him sitting in the Temple and declaring he is YHVH. In addition, in Revelation’s chronology, the Temple is already rebuilt at this point, because it’s reconstruction is told before chapter 13 in Revelation 11:1,2:
“And there was given to me a reed, like a rod. Then the messenger stood, saying, ‘Rise, and measure the Temple of YHVH, and the altar, and those that worship therein. But the court which is outside the Temple leave out, and do not measure it, for it is given unto the Gentiles, and they shall tread the holy city under their feet forty and two months.’ ”
Therefore, if we accept the general chronology of Revelation, allowing exception for some parenthetical historical material which is set forth in parabolic passages (such as, “the Woman and the Man-Child” in Revelation 12), then there is a firm scheduling of events in John’s Revelation which shows the Temple is rebuilt (Revelation 11,13) before the coming of Yeshua and our gathering to Him (Revelation 19,20).
MATTITYAHU QUOTING YESHUA, OUR THIRD WITNESS
Yeshua also prophesied these last day events with succinct clarity. It was His desire to prepare His disciples that were to come for the events surrounding His “day”, the time of His return. “And Yeshua answered and said unto them, ‘Take heed that no man deceive you,’ ” Matthew 24:4. He then began to describe a definite chronology of events which must transpire in the order given (if you believe He is the infallible Holy One). Matthew 24:15,16,21,22,29-31:
“Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the Holy Place, then let them which are in Judah flee into the mountains ... For then shall be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be again, and except those days should be shortened, there would no flesh be preserved, but for the chosen ones’ sake those days shall be shortened ... Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give it’s light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken, and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in the atmosphere, and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of the atmosphere with power and great glory ... And He shall send His messengers with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of the atmosphere to the other.”
The “Holy Place” (Mikdash) in which the abomination takes place is, of course, the Temple, for Mikdash is the correct Hebrew word for Temple. The one committing the abomination is the “blasphemer” spoken of by Daniel, who must be Sha’ul’s blaspheming “man of sin” and Yochanan’s blaspheming “beast”. The record shows that the Temple must be in place before the abomination takes place. It shows the abomination must take place before the great tribulation period. The great tribulation takes place before sun and moon are darkened. The sun and moon are darkened before the Messiah appears in the clouds. The “gathering together”of the chosen holy ones takes place with the appearance of Yeshua. This gathering by the angels/messengers is the only act of preservation of the holy ones which Yeshua mentions, and must be the same as the “gathering together unto Him” which Sha’ul tells about, which means it is the resurrection of the dead and the catching up of the living. Therefore, Yeshua declares the Temple to be in place before He comes again, and before the resurrection and catching away (“rapture”).
These three witness agree as one, without any conflict. It’s simple, easy to understand, clear, and without confusion. The Temple of YHVH will be reconstructed before Yeshua returns for His holy ones. It’s time for all Messianic believers in Yeshua to make Temple reconstruction a part of their hope and expectation; to actively participate in preparing the way of the L-RD by getting His Temple ready.
[Translations and emphasis mine.]
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