- The Temple?
THE KEY POINT OF THIS CHAPTER: If end time prophecy does not apply
to end time literal Israel; then the temple of 2 Thessalonians 2, the
temple in Revelation, and the sacrifices mentioned in Daniel chapter 9
do not either.
What does the Bible say?
Many Christians, today, are expecting
the temple in Jerusalem to be rebuilt so that the sacrifices can be
started again. It is widely believed that the Antichrist will enter the
temple sometime during the tribulation and stop the sacrifices. Is this
what the Bible teaches? The texts that are commonly used to prove this
theory are Daniel 9:27, 2 Thessalonians 2:4, and various temple texts in
Revelation. Let´s look at these texts together.
- Daniel 9:
- 27 And he shall confirm
the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he
shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the
overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the
consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
As we have already discovered, the
"he" is referring to Christ and not an Antichrist. Because
Christ is the "he," this verse is a record of history and not
a prediction of the future. The three following texts from Hebrews make
it clear that Christ´s one-time sacrifice ended the daily
sacrifices of the old covenant.
- Hebrews 8:
- 10 For this is the
covenant that I will make with the house of Israel (Spiritual Israel)
after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind,
and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they
shall be to me a people:
- 13 In that he
saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which
decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
Notice in the following text the
phrases "ordinances of divine service" and "a worldly
sanctuary." These phrases which describe the first covenant help to
clarify what Paul meant when he wrote, "he hath made the first
old." The first covenant centered around a service which focused on
the sacrificing of lambs. When the true "lamb of God" (John
1:29 & 36) was slain the figurative was made void which caused it to
decay, wax old, and vanish away. This is one of the reasons why the
Jews are not sacrificing today.
- Hebrews 9:
- 1 THEN verily the first
covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.
The Jews were instructed to
continuously sacrifice lambs, but when the perfect Lamb was sacrificed
there was no longer a need to continue the sacrifices. The following
texts make it very clear that when Christ died as the real sacrifice for
all, it was a sacrifice that only needed to be done once. This one
sacrifice ended the need for sacrifices forever.
- Hebrews 10:
- 10 By the which will we
are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for
all.
- 12 But this man, after he had offered
one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
Christ was offered once for all mankind
and that one sacrifice is for our sins, forever. The price had been
paid, the final sacrifice had been made, and the sacrificial system that
was supposed to have reminded God´s people of the real sacrifice,
was finished. In the following text notice what Christ´s final
words were just before He died.
- John 19:
- 30 When Jesus therefore
had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his
head, and gave up the ghost.
If the Jews do rebuild a temple and
start the sacrifices again, this would be the ultimate rejection and
denial of Jesus Christ as their Messiah and final sacrifice. Paul would
not be able to call a temple where the Priest practice rejecting Jesus
Christ as "the temple of God."
Also there was an event that happened
at the very moment that Christ died on the cross. Notice what this
event was as recorded by Matthew and Mark in the following verses.
- Matthew 27:
- 50 Jesus, when he had
cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
- 51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was
rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and
the rocks rent;
- Mark 15:
- 37 And Jesus cried with a
loud voice, and gave up the ghost.
- 38 And
the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
The Bible makes a point of mentioning
that the veil was ripped from top to bottom. Why? It is believed that
an angel tore the veil because a tall veil or curtain would have to be
torn from bottom to top if done by a human. If someone wanted to tear
it from the top down then he or she would have to stand on a ladder or
it would have to be taken down first. The tearing of the veil was a
divine sign that the sacrifices were no longer needed because the real
sacrifice had been made -- type had met anti-type. There is plenty of
evidence that the "he" in this verse is Christ, the One who
caused the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.
Now let´s look at another text
that is used to prove a literal temple which is to be built in
Jerusalem.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:
- 4 Who opposeth
and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is
worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple (3485) of God,
shewing himself that he is God.
The Greek word used here for
"temple" is naos (3485)4 and as illustrated by several texts
below, this word can mean "God´s church" and/or the
people in it. So one possible understanding for 2 Thessalonians 2:4,
above, is that the Antichrist will take a position at the head of a
Christian church masquerading as God. This conclusion seems to be
supported by the fact that Paul never uses "temple," naos
(3485) in reference to a literal temple here on this earth. 2
Thessalonians 2:4 is not absolute proof that there must be a literal
temple built in Jerusalem as many teach. (3485 is the number used to identify
the Greek word naos in the Stong´s Exhaustive Concordance of the
Bible.)
- 1 Corinthians 1:
- 2 Unto the church
of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus,
called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of
Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
The text above shows that the
"ye" that Paul was writing to, in the verse below, was the the
"church of God." Paul referred to the "church of
God" as the "temple of God."
- 1 Corinthians 3:
- 16 Know ye not
that ye are the temple (3485) of God, and that the Spirit of God
dwelleth in you?
- 17 If any man defile the
temple (3485) of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple (3845) of
God is holy, which temple (3485) ye are.
- 1 Corinthians 6:
- 19 What? know ye
not that your body is the temple (3485) of the Holy Ghost which is in
you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
- 2 Corinthians 6:
- 16 And what
agreement hath the temple (3485) of God with idols? for ye are the
temple (3485) of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them,
and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
- Ephesians 2:
- 19 Now therefore ye
are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the
saints, and of the household of God;
- 20 And
are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ
himself being the chief corner stone;
- 21 In
whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple
(3485) in the Lord:
Notice that even the imagery of the
temple is applied to the church.
- Revelation 1:
- 12 And I turned to
see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden
candlesticks;
- 20 The mystery of the seven
stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden
candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and
the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
Notice in the following texts who it is
that will be sitting in the church.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:
- 3 Let no man
deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come
a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of
perdition;
- 4 Who opposeth and exalteth
himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he
as God sitteth in the temple (3485) of God, shewing himself that he is
God.
Is it possible for a person that
receives his power and authority from Satan to sit at the head of what
appears to be a Christian church? Notice the following verses.
- 2 Corinthians 11:
- 13 For such are
false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the
apostles of Christ.
- 14 And no marvel; for
Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
- 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his
ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose
end shall be according to their works.
- Matthew 24:
- 24 For there shall
arise false Christ´s, and false prophets, and shall shew great
signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall
deceive the very elect.
- Revelation 13:
- 14 And deceiveth
them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had
power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the
earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound
by a sword, and did live.
- Revelation 16:
- 14 For they are the
spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of
the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that
great day of God Almighty.
- Revelation 19:
- 20 And the beast was
taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him,
with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and
them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake
of fire burning with brimstone.
Wow, false apostles, Satan as an angel
of light, false ministers of righteousness, false Christ´s, and
false prophets all of which can appear to be genuine Christians. If
Satan gives power to someone so that he or she appears to be a minister
of righteousness and works miracles, then would it not be easy for that
person to sit as head of a church? I believe the answer is obvious.
Look at some of the warnings that Luke and Paul left for the church.
- Acts 20:
- 28 Take heed therefore
unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost
hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath
purchased with his own blood.
Notice in the two following texts that
Luke warns that both people from outside the church and people from
within the church will try to deceive them. In the last verse he says
he has tried to worn the church members every day and night with tears
for three years.
- 29 For I know this, that after my
departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the
flock.
- 30 Also of your own selves shall men
arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
- 31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by
the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day
with tears.
- 1 Timothy 4:
- 1 NOW the Spirit
speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the
faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
- 2 Timothy 4:
- 3 For the time will
come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts
shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
- 4 And they shall turn away their ears from
the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
If there are those that appear to be
Christian and they are showing signs and wonders and working miracles,
then how can one not be deceived? I believe the answer can be found in
the two following texts.
- Isaiah 8:
- 20 To the law and to the
testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there
is no light in them.
- Matthew 22:
- 29 Jesus answered and
said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of
God.
One must study the Bible and use it as
a "false detector." Is your minister teaching truth? Use the
"false detector." Are your friends telling you the truth about
the Bible? Use the "false detector." Is what you were taught
by your parents the truth? Use the "false detector." Is the
minister that is performing miracles using God´s power or
Satan´s power? Use the "false detector." Is the spirit
that is moving in a meeting, where there are many people apparently
being saved, God´s power or Satan´s power? Use the
"false detector." The Bible is absolutely the only test.
Matthew 24:24 states that "if it were possible, they shall deceive
the very elect." The "very elect" are not deceived
because they test everything by the Bible, the "false
detector." Do not trust impressions, feelings, sight, hearing or
touch; trust only what the Bible teaches.
For over 300 years, Protestants such as
Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley, the translators of the King
James Bible, Charles Spurgeon, and countless others, applied the
entrance of the Antichrist into the Temple of God to the entrance of
Papal Rome and her unbiblical doctrines into Christianity. See Matthew
Henry´s Bible Commentary, or D´Aubigne´s History of
the Protestant Reformation of the 16th Century.
When will "that man of sin
..." which "exaltheth himself above all that is called God
..." sit "... in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is
God"? Will this happen before or after Christ comes to get His
saints? Notice very carefully which event, the following texts say,
will happen "first."
- 2 Thessalonians 2:
- 1 NOW we beseech
you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our
gathering together unto him,
- 2 That ye be
not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word,
nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
- 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for
that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and
that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
- 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above
all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth
in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
- 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed,
whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall
destroy with the brightness of his coming:
The Bible makes it very clear that
"a falling away" and the "man of sin" will sit in
the temple of God "first" or before the "gathering"
of the saints at the "coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." Many
people are missing this point and are failing to apply the "false
detector" to the false teaching that the rapture will happen
before.
Now let´s carefully look at 2
Thessalonians 2:1-8 as a whole. What does it reveal about the
antichrist and the timing of his or her appearance. Notice that Verse 1
ties the gathering together of the Saints onto the Lord to His coming.
Because the word "coming" is from the Greek word parousia
(3952) - number used for the Greek word parousia in the Strong's
Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, it is clear that this is referring to the second coming of
Jesus Christ.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:
- 1 NOW we beseech
you, brethren, by the coming (3952) of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our
gathering together unto him,
Compare the word "coming"
above with the texts below which use the same Greek word.
- Matthew 24:
- 3 And as he sat upon
the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell
us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy
coming (3952), and of the end of the world?
- 27 For as the lightning cometh out of the
east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming (3952) of
the Son of man be.
- 37 But as the days of Noe
were, so shall also the coming (3952) of the Son of man be.
- 39 And knew not until the flood came, and
took them all away; so shall also the coming (3952) of the Son of man
be.
In Verse 1 Paul refers to the return of
their Lord and then he instructs the people of his day to not allow
anything to convince them that this coming would be any time soon.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:
- 2 That ye be not
soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor
by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
Paul then warns them to not let anyone
deceive them about their Lord´s return because there were some
future events that would happen first. It is important to notice what
was to happen before the Lord returned to gather His saints. First
there would be a falling away and the man of sin would be revealed.
Notice once again that Paul wrote, "Let no man deceive you by any
means" concerning the timing of the Lord´s coming to gather
His saints and yet it seems that millions of people, today, have been
deceived into believing that the Lord will gather the saints before
"that man of sin be revealed."
- 3 Let no man deceive you by any means:
for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and
that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
The phrase, "a falling away"
comes from the Greek word apostasia (646) - definition and numbers are
for the Greek word apostasias found in the Strong's Exhaustive
Concordance of the Bible - which means "defection
from truth." Paul was saying that there was coming a time when the
church would fall away from the truth which would result in the rise of
the "man of sin" (Antichrist). Paul also refers to the
"man of sin" as "the son of perdition" which is what
Jesus Christ called Judas. Apparently like Judas, who was part of the
disciples of Christ, but betrayed Him with a kiss, (see Mark 14:45), the
Antichrist will be Christian in appearance.
- John 17:
- 1 THESE words spake Jesus,
and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come;
glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
- 12 While I was with them in the world, I
kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none
of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be
fulfilled.
Paul then gives a short list of
identifying characteristics of the man of sin (Antichrist). He would
oppose God, exalt himself above all that is called God, exalt himself
above all that is worshiped, will be sitting in the temple of God (we
have seen that this temple is the church), and would act like God.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:
- 4 Who opposeth
and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is
worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing
himself that he is God.
Daniel had a dream which revealed the
history of all the great powers that would come on this earth. The
study of the Man of Sin is very large, and so I will only touch on the
subject enough to provide the timing for his rising. Notice that Daniel
was told that the fourth beast was the fourth kingdom that would come on
this earth. The fourth kingdom (Rome) would become ten kings (the ten
ruling generals that divided Rome). It would be at the time of these
ten kingdoms that this different kind of power would come on the scene,
conquering three of the ten kings as it rises to power. This is the
power that would speak great words against the most High (the
Antichrist). So in history the man of sin would come on the scene
during the time of the ten divisions of Rome.
- Daniel 7:
- 23 Thus he said, The
fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be
diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall
tread it down, and break it in pieces.
- 24
And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:
and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the
first, and he shall subdue three kings.
- 25
And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out
the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and
they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the
dividing of time.
Paul then refers to a restraining
power, which in his day, was holding back the Man of Sin. He seems to
be afraid to write the name of this restraining power in his letter.
Apparently the church knew the name of the power to whom he was
referring because he reminds them that he had told them in person. It
is logical that this power was Rome. Rome was the depressive power that
all the Jews were under, and it would have been dangerous for Paul to
mention Rome in a letter, for he might be arrested as a conspirator.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:
- 5 Remember ye
not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
- 6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he
might be revealed in his time.
Apparently the power behind the Man of
Sin was already at work in Paul´s day but would not be revealed
until the restraining power was taken out of the way.
- 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth
already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of
the way.
After Rome was out of the way, in the
time of the ten kings, the Man of Sin (the little horn that comes up
after them. See Daniel 7:7,8 & 24) rises to power. The word
"coming" in Verse 8 is the same word as used in Verse 1 which
makes it very clear that our Lord´s second coming will happen
after the Antichrist is revealed.
- 8 And then shall that Wicked be
revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and
shall destroy with the brightness of his coming (3952):
There are several texts in Revelation
that refer to a temple, many apply these texts to a literal temple to be
built in Jerusalem. But, do these texts refer to an earthly temple or a
Heavenly temple? Let´s look at these texts together.
Let´s apply the "false detector."
- Revelation 11:
- 19 And the temple of
God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of
his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings,
and an earthquake, and great hail.
- Revelation 13:
- 6 And he opened his
mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his
tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
- Revelation 14:
- 13 And I heard a
voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die
in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest
from their labours; and their works do follow them.
- 14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud,
and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head
a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
- 15 And another angel came out of the temple,
crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy
sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest
of the earth is ripe.
- 16 And he that sat on
the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.
- 17 And another angel came out of the temple
which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
- Revelation 15:
- 5 And after that I
looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in
heaven was opened:
- 6 And the seven angels
came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and
white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.
- Revelation 16:
- 1 AND I heard a
great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways,
and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
- 16 And he gathered them together into a
place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
- 17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial
into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven,
from the throne, saying, It is done.
Did you notice these phrases -
"the temple of God was opened in heaven," "the temple
which is in heaven," "the temple of the tabernacle of the
testimony in heaven," and "the temple of heaven." It is
in this heavenly temple that Jesus Christ, our High Priest, now
ministers His blood in our behalf.
- Hebrews 8:
- 1 NOW of the things
which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who
is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
- 2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the
true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
- Hebrews 9:
- 12 Neither by the blood
of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the
holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
- 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ,
who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God,
purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
It is this temple in heaven that Paul
encourages everyone to enter "by the blood of Jesus."
- Hebrews 10:
- 19 Having therefore,
brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
- 20 By a new and living way, which he hath
consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
- 21 And having an high priest over the house
of God;
- 22 Let us draw near with a true
heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an
evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
Many people, today, are focused on
modern Israel and an expected rebuilt temple when their focus should be
on Christ in the Heavenly temple. They are thinking literal when they
should be thinking spiritually.
Dwight Waterhouse is the compiler of this information.
Please feel free to send your comments and questions. David Waterhouse
is the Webmaster. You can reach both of us at the same E mail
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