The following is excerpted from The Way of Life Commentary Series, Revelation:

“And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months” (Revelation 11:1-2).

This temple is also mentioned in the following Scriptures: Da. 8:11; 9:27; 11:31; 12:11; Mt. 24:15; and 2 Th. 2:4-5. 

This is the third Jewish temple. There have been two temples in Israel’s history. The first temple was Solomon’s temple (1 Ki. 5-8). The second temple was built by Zerubbabel after the Babylonian captivity (Ezra 1:1-4). This temple was later enlarged and embellished by Herod and became known as Herod’s temple (Mt. 24:1; Joh. 2:19-21). The Temple Mount was doubled in size. The embellishment and enlargement work began in 19 BC and took 46 years to complete, being finished during the reign of Agrippa II, great-grandson of Herod I. This temple was destroyed by a Roman army in AD 70. 

The third temple will be built during the first part of the Antichrist’s reign, as we see in Revelation 11. The act of measuring the temple describes the building process. The measuring reed was six cubits long, according to Eze. 40:5. That would be 108 inches. 

John measures the temple, but we are not told how large it is. This is in contrast to the Millennial Temple which is described in Scripture in great detail (Eze. 40-48). The Third Temple won’t be built according to divine revelation, won’t be built to God’s glory, and won’t be occupied by Christ, so the details are not important from the standpoint of Scripture. We will see further in this study on Revelation 11 that the Third Institute has drawn up blueprints for the Third Temple. 

John measures the altar. This is the altar of burnt offering (Ex. 35:16). In the coming temple, there will be a reestablishment of the Jewish priesthood and the sacrificial system. The fact that John could measure the temple is significant, for under the Mosaic dispensation only priests were allowed into the holy place containing the candlestick, table of shewbread, and incense altar, and only the high priest was allowed into the holy of holies containing the ark of testimony. Now we see that John is allowed to enter and measure every part of the temple, for he is a member of “a royal priesthood” (1 Pe. 2:9), a priesthood that has a greater calling and privileges than even the high priest under the Mosaic dispensation. In December 2014, the Temple Institute completed construction of the altar of burnt sacrifice. Made of bricks fired at roughly 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,832 degrees Fahrenheit), it can be disassembled and reassembled quickly (Breaking Israel News, Mar. 9, 2015).

He measures those that worship at the temple. These are Jews, for Gentiles are not allowed in the temple area (Ac. 21:28). 

The court is not measured (Re. 11:2). The court was the area outside of the temple proper. In the second temple, there was an outer court where Gentiles were allowed. Beyond this were the inner courts where the priests and other temple functionaries conducted their business. The boundary was marked by a partition and a plaque warning the Gentiles not to pass that point on pain of death. At least two of these plaques in Greek have survived. An entire plaque is housed in the museum in Istanbul, Turkey, and a partial one is located in the Israel Museum. The plaques said: “Foreigner, do not enter within the grille and the partition surrounding the Temple. Whoever is caught will have himself to blame for his death which follows.” The boundary was called “the middle wall of partition” (Eph. 2:14). 

The Gentiles will tread Jerusalem underfoot for 42 months or 3.5 years (Re. 11:2). This is the second half of the Tribulation. The Antichrist will break his covenant with Israel mid-way through the seven years and the last 3.5 years will be characterized by desolation (Da. 9:27). This period is described by Jesus in Luke 21:20-24. 

The “times of the Gentiles” refers to the period in which Israel is under Gentile domination. It began when the Gentile king Nebuchadnezzar took Judah captive (2 Ch. 36:1-21). Since then “Jerusalem has been under Gentile overlordship.” It will end when Christ returns. His kingdom is described by Daniel as the stone that is cut out without hands and that destroys the Gentile kingdoms (Da. 2:44-45). That Israel is still under “the times of the Gentiles” is why Israel is at the beck and call of major Gentile powers, particularly as America and the European Union. This is God’s will for the present, because Israel is still in rebellion to God and in rejection of her own Messiah.

The stage has been set for building the Third Temple since the last half of the 20th century.

- Since the destruction of the temple in AD 70, orthodox Jews have recited the following prayer three times a day: “May it be Thy will that the Temple be speedily rebuilt in our own time.” 

- In May 1948, the new state of Israel was established in its own land. (It was preceded in November 1947 by a United Nations vote in favor of its establishment, certainly a miraculous event in light of the rabidly anti-Semitic character the United Nations has displayed since then.) The official declaration of statehood announced: “We hereby proclaim the establishment of the Jewish State in Palestine, to be called Medinath Yisrael (The State of Israel). ... The State of Israel will be open to the immigration of Jews from all countries of their dispersion ... Our call goes out to the Jewish people all over the world to rally to our side in the task of immigration and development and to stand by us in the great struggle for the fulfillment of the dream of generations for the redemption of Israel. With trust in Almighty God, we set our hand to this Declaration, at this Session of the Provisional State Council, on the soil of the Homeland, in the city of Tel Aviv, on this Sabbath eve, the fifth of Iyar, 5708, the fourteenth of May, 1948.” U.S. President Harry Truman immediately announced his recognition of the new Jewish state. Jews celebrated throughout the world. In Rome, they paraded under the Arch of Titus which was built to celebrate the conquest of Jerusalem by the Roman armies in AD 70 and features depictions of Jewish captives and articles taken from the Jewish temple. 

- Immediately, the new Jewish state was plunged into war and was forced to defend itself against massive, well-supplied Arab armies, and its victory in this struggle was nothing short of miraculous. The Jews had few soldiers, few arms, and little food, but they won the war and established their state. They were outnumbered 10 to 1 at best and often 100 or more to 1. “A record of Jewish successes in attack and defense in Jerusalem conveys little of the miraculous nature of the victories. The whole war, at least the defense of Jerusalem, was a miracle. Arms, ammunition, food, water and trained soldiers were in desperately short supply. Added to this was the weariness of the soldiers, mostly young men who had been fighting, with little relief, little sleep and little food since the beginning of December 1947. The two or three Bren guns the Jews possessed had to be rushed from one point to another to give the Arabs the idea that the Jews had a large number of them. The Jews sometimes beat large tin cans as the guns were fired, thus giving the effect of many shots. Musrara, an all-Arab district of Jerusalem, was captured by the Jews with the following equipment: five rifles, two Sten Guns and thirty tin cans. And the Arabs ran” (William Hull, The Fall and Rise of Israel). By 1949, Israel had won the war and signed armistice agreements with the Arab States. The new state of Israel opened its doors wide to Jewish immigration. The banner Baruchim Habaim (“Bless the coming ones”) was hung at her gates. 

- This return of Israel to her land was in fulfillment of Bible prophecy, which described her return in preparation for the time of Jacob’s trouble. Zephaniah 2:1-2 says she will return before the wrath of God is poured out. Ezekiel 37:4-13 describes Israel’s restoration in two stages. First, she will be regathered but will not have life. Next, she will be given spiritual life. Israel is back in her land as a nation, but she is spiritually dead and still abides in rebellion and unbelief. 

- From 1948 until 1967, the city of Jerusalem was divided. “Walls, barbed-wire fences and a desolated strip of non-man’s land cut through the very heart of the city, especially excluding the Jews from the Old City and the Temple Mount.” 

- In June 1967, during the Six Day War, the Jews liberated the old city of Jerusalem, but quickly gave control of the Temple Mount back to the Muslims. “On June 7 of that year the Israeli troops moved into the Old City and stood at the Western Wall (Wailing Wall) for prayer. ... The city of Jerusalem was reunified and the Star of David flew again from its ramparts. On Saturday June 17, 1967, shortly after the end of the Six Day War, Defense minister Moshe Dayan entered the Al-Aksa Mosque for a historic meeting. In a gesture of good will, Dayan sat down on the prayer carpet with five leaders of the Supreme Muslim Council (the Waqf) of what had been Jordanian-controlled Jerusalem. That discussion fixed Israel’s policy regarding the Temple Mount, a policy that remains unchanged to this day. Dayan had ordered the Israeli flag removed from on top of the Dome of the Rock on the afternoon of the Old City’s liberation. His discussion with the Muslims led to further concessions. The administrative control over the Temple Mount was to be the sole responsibility of the Supreme Muslim Council--the (Jordanian) Waqf. Though the Jews would be permitted free access to the Mount, prayer by Jews was prohibited. Dayan refused to permit any Jewish identification with Judaism’s holiest site. To him, the Temple Mount held only historic interest. ... The government of Israel then allocated responsibility of the Temple Mount area to different groups. Israel’s Department of Antiquities was given the south, southeast, and southwest area of the Temple Mount to explore archaeologically. The top of the Temple Mount, however, site of the First and Second Temples, was given over to the Muslims to administrate. To the present day, the PLO Muslim Waqf allows tourists to visit the Mount a few hours per day--but they do not allow any freedom of worship or any non-Muslim archeological activity there. The entire area is treated as if it were a gigantic outdoor mosque” (Lambert Dolphin, “Preparations for a Third Jewish Temple,” www.templemount.org/tempprep.html). 

- In l982, after years of disagreement about methods of approach, three groups of orthodox Jews combined their forces to plan for and build the Third Temple. These were The Jerusalem Temple Foundation, To the Mountain of the Lord, and The Faithful of the Temple Mount. 

- In 1986, the TEMPLE INSTITUTE was founded with the goal “to see Israel rebuild the Holy Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem.” The founder and director of the Temple Institute, Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, was a member of the paratrooper unit that liberated the Temple Mount. The Institute is preparing articles to be used in the new Temple. They have raised tens of millions of dollars, and based on extensive research they have fashioned priestly garments, the high priest’s golden crown costing $30,000, the high priest’s breastplate with its 12 precious stones inscribed with the names of the tribes of Israel, a copper laver, an incense altar, silver trumpets, gold- and silver-plated shofars, harps, and many other things. They call their project the “temple-in-waiting.” 

- Of special interest is the Temple Institute’s large MENORAH. It is not solid gold, but it is plated with 99 pounds (45 kilos) of 24-karat gold, valued, at the time of its construction, at $3 million. In December 2007 the menorah was moved to an outside location overlooking the Western Wall Plaza and the Temple Mount. Prior to that it had stood in the old Roman cardo maximus. The Temple Institute compared the 2007 dedication of the menorah in its new location to the dedication of the Arch of Titus in Rome 1,900 years ago. Then, the menorah was moving away from the Temple, whereas today it is moving back to the Temple.

- Preparations are also being made to re-establish THE PRIESTHOOD. “Such a priesthood is now in the works. In an old stone building in the Old City of Jerusalem, a small group of young scholars are preparing for the building of the Third Temple and the coming of the Messiah. The founder of one particular yeshiva (school) is Motti Hacohen. ... Hacohen then began a search for a yeshiva that could teach him matters concerning the rebuilding of the Temple. Finding none that would satisfy his needs Hacohen founded the Tora Kohanim” (Dolphin).

- “In 1998 collection of the HOLY HALF-SHEKEL for the temple’s operation began, and by 2002, a poll indicated that 53% of Jews favoured rebuilding. ... The first Half-Shekel was minted to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Israel’s Independence, and a fresh design is produced each year. The words on each coin are the same; only the graphics change” (John Ecob, The Bible Prophecy Handbook).

- The idea of rebuilding the temple continues to grow in popularity among Jews. In his 2001 book Arab and Jew: Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land, New York Times journalist David Shipler reported: “During my five years in Jerusalem, the idea of building a Third Temple in place of Al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock evolved from a wild notion held by a very few fringe militants into a goal embraced and legitimized by parts of the established right wing.”

- In October 2004, a preliminary or “nascent” form of THE SANHEDRIN was re-established after 1,600 years. The Sanhedrin was a body of 71 Jewish rabbis dating to the Second Temple period. It convened adjacent to Herod’s temple before its destruction in AD 70 and convened outside Jerusalem until it was dissolved in about AD 400. It was the Sanhedrin that pressured Pilate to put Jesus to death for “blasphemy.” Rabbi Yeshai Ba'avad of Beit El said that the “nascent Sanhedrin” consists of 71 rabbis “from across the spectrum received the special ordination, in accordance with Maimonides’ rulings, over the past several months.” He said, “The goal is to have one rabbinic body in Jerusalem that will convene monthly and issue rulings on central issues. This is the need of the generation and of the hour” (Israel National News, Oct. 13, 2004). Rabbi Ariel, head of the Temple Institute, said, “Whether this will be the actual Sanhedrin that we await, is a question of time--just like the establishment of the State. We rejoiced in it, but we are still awaiting something much more ideal. It’s a process” (“Bird’s Eye View of the News,” traditioninaction.org, Dec. 20, 2004).

- In 2011, the Temple Institute announced completion of the first BLUEPRINTS for the Third Temple. The Chamber of Hewn Stone is intended to be the meeting place of the reconstituted Great Sanhedrin, the ruling elders of Israel. On a visit to the Temple Institute in Old Jerusalem in 2018, I saw a video of the proposed Third Temple. Their plan is to re-establish Talmudic Judaism in Israel by means of a rabbinical Sanhedrin.

- In 2016, the Temple Institute announced the opening of a school to train descendants of the tribe of Levi for service in the Third Temple. Temple Institute Director Rabbi Richman noted that “preparation for the Temple is no longer a dream, it’s a reality, in which everyone can play a part.’ … The Temple Mount in Jerusalem is currently occupied by the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque, which Muslims now claim as their third holiest site. Many Jews and Christians believe a Third Temple will one day take the place of the Muslim holy sites in accordance with several biblical prophecies” (“School for Temple Priests,” Israel Today, Aug. 11, 2016).

- In 2017, Rabbi Yisrael Ariel says the altar could be set up and sacrifices begun in a mere four hours. “An actual Temple is not needed. An altar can be constructed at the site of the original altar on the Temple Mount. ... If we were told to begin the Temple service, we could be lighting the menorah and burning sacrifices in four hours” (“Experts Weigh in on Whether Temple Service Could Be Jump-Started Today,” BreakingIsraelNews, Dec. 18, 2017).

- In February 2018, The Temple in Zion (Hamikdah Betzion) issued a memorial half shekel temple tax coin featuring the images of Persian King Cyrus and U.S. President Donald Trump on one side and the Third Temple on the other. This was in recognition of Trump’s support for Israel and his public recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. In 538 BC, Cyrus issued a proclamation ordering the rebuilding of the Second Temple. The Temple in Zion and associated groups had hoped that President Trump will institute the building of the Third Temple.

- On December 10, 2018, the last evening of Hanukkah, the “nascent” Jewish Sanhedrin consecrated a stone sacrificial altar and performed the daily offering that occurred every morning and evening in the ancient temple. The sacrifice was enacted by Kohanim (Levites) dressed in biblical priestly attire. The Temple Institute’s golden menorah was also lit (“Sanhedrin Invites 70 Nations to Hanukkah Dedication of Altar for the Third Temple,” BreakingIsraelNews, Nov. 29, 2018).

Why will the Muslims allow the Jews to rebuild the temple? 

- The world, including the Muslim nations, will accept the Antichrist as a brilliant saviour. The Muslims will possibly receive him as their long-awaited Hidden Imam. The following is an excerpt from the London Telegraph, January 14, 2006: “As Iran rushes towards confrontation with the world over its nuclear programme, the question uppermost in the mind of western leaders is ‘What is moving its President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to such recklessness?’ ... The most remarkable aspect of Mr. Ahmadinejad’s piety is his devotion to the Hidden Imam, the Messiah-like figure of Shia Islam, and the president’s belief that his government must prepare the country for his return. One of the first acts of Mr. Ahmadinejad’s government was to donate about £10 million to the Jamkaran mosque, a popular pilgrimage site where the pious come to drop messages to the Hidden Imam into a holy well. All streams of Islam believe in a divine saviour, known as the Mahdi, who will appear at the End of Days. A common rumour--denied by the government but widely believed--is that Mr. Ahmadinejad and his cabinet have signed a ‘contract’ pledging themselves to work for the return of the Mahdi and sent it to Jamkaran. Iran’s dominant ‘Twelver’ sect believes this will be Mohammed ibn Hasan, regarded as the 12th Imam, or righteous descendant of the Prophet Mohammad. He is said to have gone into ‘occlusion’ in the ninth century, at the age of five. His return will be preceded by cosmic chaos, war and bloodshed. After a cataclysmic confrontation with evil and darkness, the Mahdi will lead the world to an era of universal peace. This is similar to the Christian vision of the Apocalypse. INDEED, THE HIDDEN IMAM IS EXPECTED TO RETURN IN THE COMPANY OF JESUS. Mr. Ahmadinejad appears to believe that these events are close at hand and that ordinary mortals can influence the divine timetable. The prospect of such a man obtaining nuclear weapons is worrying. The unspoken question is this: is Mr. Ahmadinejad now tempting a clash with the West because he feels safe in the belief of the imminent return of the Hidden Imam? Worse, might he be trying to provoke chaos in the hope of hastening his reappearance? Western officials [suspect] that Iran’s president actually relishes a clash with the West in the conviction that it would rekindle the spirit of the Islamic revolution and--who knows--speed up the arrival of the Hidden Imam.”

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