Two Future Temples

Devotions for Growing Christians

Two Future Temples

Reading and interpreting Old Testament prophecies is a challenge for many Christians -- especially when they point to events still in our future. It may be confusing, and we may not have all the answers, but we know all of God’s Word is important and useful to study (2 Timothy 3:16-17). So let’s look at the prophecies in Ezekiel and Daniel concerning the future Temples in Jerusalem.

The Temple Mount in Jerusalem is considered to be one of the most sacred sites in the world. The hilltop has a very large platform that’s supported by retaining walls (including the Western Wall, or Wailing Wall), built during the reign of Herod the Great. This platform area is currently home to several Islamic shrines and mosques.

The Bible tells us, however, that the Temple Mount will be the location of two future Temples. We don’t know how or when these changes will take place. Many scenarios have been presented for these future events… everything from earthquakes and explosives, to a total collapse of the Temple Mount platform.

Some Christians feel that the biblical predictions of future Temples are not literal, but should be “spiritualized” - meaning that the prophecies of future Temples actually refer to the Church or individual Christians. They point to 1 Corinthians 3:16 which says that the Church, as the body of Christ, is the spiritual temple of the Holy Spirit. And 1 Corinthians 6:19 tells us that the physical body of each individual believer is a temple of the Holy Spirit. But we believe there are plenty of indications that these predictions refer to two literal future Temples in Jerusalem. First, a Tribulation Temple, and then a Millennium Temple.

The Tribulation Temple

Jesus referred to the Tribulation Temple in His Olivet Discourse: “When you see the 'abomination of desolation' which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place... then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains” (Matthew 24:15-16).

First of all, what does this unusual phrase “abomination of desolation” refer to? An abomination is “something that causes disgust or hatred”; and desolation is “a state of complete emptiness or destruction.” Jesus was warning that a despised figure would occupy and desecrate the Temple someday, and when that horror occurred, the Judeans should seek cover immediately.

The “abomination of desolation” was also predicted earlier by the prophet Daniel, so we should look back in history to see if his prophecy was fulfilled in a past Temple. Following Daniel's prophecy, the Temple was indeed desecrated when Antiochus IV (175-164BC) of Syria invaded Judea. This evil king cut off all daily sacrifices, and set up an “abomination of desolation” by putting a statue of the Greek god, Zeus, in the holy place of the Temple. All these historical events were predicted in Daniel 11:21-35, but the fulfillment this prophecy occurred long before the words of Jesus in Matthew 24.

In Daniel 12:11 we see another “abomination of desolation.” However, the context of this occasion is the end times, as we see in verse 9: “Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time.” This future desecration was also what the apostle Paul had in mind when he wrote about a future“man of lawlessness” who will “take his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).

In 70AD -- after the ministry of Jesus and the writings of Paul -- the Temple was again desecrated and destroyed, this time by the Roman armies. Was this the fulfillment of the desecration prophecy of Daniel 12? Were the prophetic “end times” fulfilled when the Romans destroyed the Temple built by Herod the Great?

The destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD was certainly a partial fulfillment of this prophecy. We see this in Luke's account of the Olivet Discourse: “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is at hand…and they will fall by the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” (Luke 21:20-24).

We believe that “the times of the Gentiles” refers to the time between the fall of Jerusalem in 70AD up until the return of Christ. Since we’re now living in the “times of the Gentiles,” a partial fulfillment of the Olivet Discourse prophecy has taken place. However, the complete fulfillment awaits events leading up to the Lord's return, as we see in the contexts of the Olivet Discourse and Daniel 12.

In Matthew 24, Jesus said the tribulation of those days will be more devastating than any time in the history (v21). The Roman conquest of 70AD was destructive, but clearly not the worst calamity in all of world history. Furthermore, the Lord spoke of His return to earth “immediately after the tribulation of those days” (v29). So the Temple that the Lord had in mind in Matthew 24:15 could not have been the same Temple that was destroyed by the Romans. This must mean that a literal, functioning future Temple will exist and be taken over by evil forces during the Tribulation period.

The Millennium Temple

Chapters 40-48 of Ezekiel's prophecy contain an amazingly detailed vision of a glorious future Temple. Ezekiel was given the precise dimensions of the construction (chapters 40-42). He foresaw the glory of the Lord returning to this Temple (chapter 43). He was given details of the function of the priests and Levites and the order of worship (chapters 43-46), and he was shown the layout for the whole area surrounding the future Temple complex (chapter 45). Chapters 47-48 give the future topographical changes in the region, and the political reorganization with the 12 tribes of Israel.

If we practice good principles of interpretation, we can conclude that this is a literal Temple that will be built in the future. The fact that there are so many details, including exact dimensions, makes it very difficult for anyone to interpret this as a “spiritualized” reference to the Church today. A more logical interpretation indicates a literal Temple built for the Lord's literal kingdom on earth. According to Revelation 20:6, His kingdom will last for 1,000 years, and the Temple will serve as the center of divine government during the Millennium.

Two Temples

While the Millennium Temple will be built in the same general location as the Tribulation Temple, there are several indications that it will not be the same Temple. First, many topographical and geological changes will occur around Jerusalem when the Lord returns. Zechariah 14 indicates that the Mount of Olives will split in half, forming a large valley in the middle. Ezekiel 47 says that subterranean water will continuously flow from the Temple area in Jerusalem to both the Dead Sea and Mediterranean Sea. Scripture doesn’t say if these “earth-moving” events will destroy the Tribulation Temple, but geologic activity of this magnitude could cause tremendous damage to any buildings in the area.

The dimensions of the Millennium Temple complex are also on such a grand scale that it seems the Temple will have to be built after any topographical / geological changes occur. All this leads us to believe the Millennium Temple will be a different building than the Tribulation Temple. The messianic passage of Zechariah 6:9-15, tells us the coming Messiah will personally direct the building of a future Temple. Obviously, this would be the Millennium Temple, built for Christ's 1000-year reign on earth.

Zechariah's prophecy was not fulfilled at the first coming of Christ, because the King and His kingdom were rejected. That generation didn’t obey the Lord. But at the second coming of Christ, a remnant of godly Jews will come from far places and welcome the return of their Messiah. This remnant of the Jewish people is the “all Israel” mentioned in Romans 11:26: “And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written, 'The deliverer will come from Zion, and turn godlessness away from Jacob…'”. These Jewish believers will participate with Gentile believers in the building of the Millennium Temple (v15).

Israel will finally be a light to the nations in the future, as God had originally intended. There will be no Temple in the eternal state because the effects of sin will be forever erased (Revelation 21:22 and 22:3). But during the Millennium, believers, both Jew and Gentile, will maintain fellowship with the Lord by coming to Jerusalem to worship Him. (See Zechariah 14:16-21.) In that wonderful day, the entire world will appreciate the holiness and grace of the Lord, through the function of this future Temple in restored Israel under the New Covenant.

- Dave Reid

(Updated 2022, Ron Reid)