Third Temple?

[Eoghan]

This weeks Torah reading deals with the priestly vestments for Aaron and his commisioning. All the Jewish commentators seem silent on a future Temple.

Yet I found the Temple Institute has started manufacturing articles for the temple.

What is the view. I am especially uneasy at the prospect of the resumption of sacrifices. Post Cross these are ineffective at removing sins. Yet could they be re-instituted as a reminder of the Atonement.

 

[Scott1]

This would be a big topic and I'm not familiar with all its implications.

Generally, dispensationalism teaches a re-built temple as part of its misunderstanding of the nature of the Kingdom of God. Dispensationalism sees two different "kingdoms" one for people with some Jewish ancestory and one for everyone else. It teaches the first is based on earthly promises, the second based on "spiritual" promises.

John 2:19 tells us Jesus is the eternal temple that the previous were all pointing to. Dispensationalism confuses much of what is fulfilled in Christ, and therefore attaches significance to that. God judged rejection of the true temple, Jesus in 70AD and his plan now, according to Scripture, does not revolve around further rejection of Him.

 

[tcalbrecht]

This weeks Torah reading deals with the priestly vestments for Aaron and his commisioning. All the Jewish commentators seem silent on a future Temple.

Yet I found the Temple Institute has started manufacturing articles for the temple.

To quote a line from Butch Cassidy, “Who are those guys?”

As far as I can tell, the Temple Institute is an independent organization with no religious or political authority in Israel. They are a bunch of temple-builder wannabes. They probably get some funding from Christian Zionists.

There does not seem to be any uniform teaching within modern Judaism as to the timing or reality of a third temple.

What is the view. I am especially uneasy at the prospect of the resumption of sacrifices. Post Cross these are ineffective at removing sins. Yet could they be re-instituted as a reminder of the Atonement.

Ezekiel 40-48 is a prophetic vision of a rebuilt temple and redivision of the land. I believe most commentators have taken it to be spiritually representative of the person and work of Jesus Christ. We see the stream flowing from the temple and growing ever larger, which seems to correlate with the Jesus’ words in John 4 about the water that truly satisfies and steams of living waters. There is sin offering mentioned in Ezekiel 42, again indicating the work of Christ on behalf of His people.

The dispensational view has become so prevalent that it is hard sometimes to think biblically about these matters, esp. with distractions like the Temple Institute and CUFI (Is that pronounced Goofy??), the John Hagee-led Zionist organization. Folks are expected to get all excited about prospects for a literal rebuilt temple. When I talk with Christian friends with dispensational tendencies I get funny looks when I try to articulate a Reformed eschatology that runs contrary to the popular views. They just don’t get it.