Shots Fired

In the ongoing fighting against Iran there are reports that missiles hit Jerusalem's Old City, Western Wall, Al-Aqsa Mosque and Church of the Holy Sepulchre. I’ll be honest, I never thought that Iran would dare come close to hitting the Golden Dome since it is one of only three holy sites with Mecca and Medina being the other two. Yet on March 12th Iranian missiles did indeed strike very close to these sites, but the one that caused a furor was the one that struck very close to it raising questions about whether it was intentionally done or just the remains of intercepted missiles. We can debate that all we like, but the possibility of the destruction of the site raised prophetic ones about the rebuilding of the third Temple for Israel, something that Bible prophecy aficionados see happening in the end of the end times. In Matthew 24:15 Jesus Himself refers to something happening in the Tribulation:

“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand… (NKJV)

On this point we can all agree. The prophecies about a temple existing for the antichrist to desecrate halfway through the Tribulation make total sense. Obviously you have to have a temple to desecrate it so there’s that. But even if you ascribe to the thinking that the covenant the man of lawlessness brokers with Israel as we see in Daniel 9:27 will be one that allows them to build that temple and give them a chance to live in peace while the antichrist consolidates his power, nothing good comes of it. However, the third temple will be built. The timing isn’t known except for the moment when the man of sin takes it over which marks the middle of the seven-year tribulation, but sacrificing animals to cover sins isn’t what we should be praying for as we pray for Israel. So yes, the preparations for the third temple are ready and yes it means we are closer to Jesus returning than ever before, but no, it won’t be good time for Israel.

Newspaper Theology

Bible prophecy is a good thing and a helpful thing for believers to study and know. However, talking about things we thought were true when they weren’t is a product of incorrect exegesis which is a fancy Greek word for a critical criticism of a text and usually is used about studying the Scriptures. I like how an article from ariel.org explains the danger of not using exegesis on the subject of fulfilled prophecy:

Let me begin with a point I have often made in my writings and in my lectures on Bible prophecy, fulfilled and unfulfilled. The principle is this: Bible prophecy is never fulfilled approximately; it is always fulfilled exactly as it is written, as it is prophesied. Therefore, we must avoid what I call "newspaper exegesis." This is the tendency of many believers to read the daily press and start speculating. Due to one point of similarity between a current event and a biblical prophecy, they believe that the prophecy has been fulfilled. I can give many past and current examples of this tendency.

The article then goes on to explain the right way to do things:

Yet, the proper procedure to interpret the Scriptures is to first exegete the text in its own context and then check related passages and see exactly what the text actually teaches. However, when the text stops, then we must stop too and not engage in speculations as to how the prophecy may or may not be fulfilled. Then, if a current event actually fits exactly into a prophecy, then that prophecy is fulfilled, but not before.

Simple right? You’d like to think so, but many of us, myself included, can get caught up in the moment of wanting prophecy to be seen by all as making the Bible seen as the inspired Word of God that it is that we rush to promote anything that gets us closer to Jesus returning. In terms of the third temple, things go from bad to worse for Israel if we actually read the Bible and not the endless amount of sermons, books and videos about the glory of a place where Jews are willing to think they are back in the glory days of their existence. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Making A Deal With The Devil

You see, the seven-year treaty that the antichrist makes with Israel actually starts the Tribulation, a time when conditions for earth will be horrendous. Do I need to detail all the suffering, pain, and death that will occur then? Jesus refers to it as the worst time in all of history, so bad that if He didn’t end it with His second coming, no one would survive. And as for the Jews, well, they will be thinking that they are going to miss it because they actually will believe that the son of perdition will honor his word and leave them alone. On top of that they will also believe that they are in the good graces of God by once again letting the blood of sacrificed animals cover their sins. Do I need to make it worse? Going back to the article in ariel.org we read this:

The covenant is made specifically between Israel and the Antichrist. In the Bible, it is never called a peace covenant, although it will be a covenant that will guarantee Israel's military security. It is because the leadership of Israel will put their trust in this covenant and in the Antichrist, who pretends to be their friend, and not in the God of Israel, that the signing of this covenant will trigger the tribulation. Only in the middle of the seven-year period, when the covenant is broken, will the leadership of Israel finally recognize the true nature of the one with whom they signed the covenant.

God will use the Tribulation to bring His people back to Him which will happen as they see Jesus return in all His glory and set His feet on the Mount of Olives, which is a very good thing, but all the things that happen up until that moment are hardly the things we’d wish on anyone. When the antichrist turns on Israel, Jesus tells them to run to the mountains as it will be open season on Jews. The Beast will hunt down all Jews like he was already doing to Christians and anyone opposing his reign of terror and only God Himself will protect them. Now are you seeing why celebrating the building of the third temple is not the best of things to do?

Praying For Prophecy

We know that prophecy is a good thing because it shows believers and unbelievers alike that God is alive and well and that if He can fulfill promises made long before they actually happened, He can also fulfill personal prophecies made to anyone who trusts in Him. You’re not going to hear me talk badly about learning more and more about end time prophecy. Far from it. However, having a glowing conversation about the construction of a third temple is not happening going forward for me. Just as we don’t speak about the world being judged by a world-wide flood, or of the Jews spending 70 years in Babylon or wandering 40 years in the desert before entering the promised land as wonderful things, so we should refrain from smiling when we discuss the next Jewish temple. It must happen in the great plan of God to bring His children back to Him, but it won’t be a pretty process at all. So yes, we do want to see the plans for the Third Temple to move forward, and yes we want it to be built soon, and yes we can pray for the prophecies to be fulfilled, however the tone of our prayers shouldn’t be one of happiness, but of concern for what it will mean for so many wayward Jews. Just as we pray for God to use anything to bring unsaved people in our lives to a saving knowledge of His Son Jesus because it will not be a bed of roses as He does it, so we should pray for the Jews getting their last day's temple. It may bring tears to our eyes as the prodigal son gets to his lowest point and realizes he needs to run back to his father, but the tears of both him and His heavenly father will turn to tears of joy and happiness as they reconcile and embrace. Hopefully that will put this prophetic time just ahead of us in proper perspective. I know it did for me and I pray it does for you, too.