Study Page – Lessons 31 – 33

Lesson 31: Temple Plans given to Ezekiel

Stephen Bramer of Dallas Theological Seminary teaches two free online courses: “Introduction to the Prophets” and “Daniel” where he discusses a nmemonic to remember the names of some of the prophets. There are 17 prophetic books in the Bible. Although Elijah and Elisha were both prophets mentioned in 1 Kings, neither of them have a prophetic book. The prophetic books are separated somewhat chronologically based on the time of the exile.

Both Joel and Obadiah are undated. Other prophetic books are either pre-exilic or post-exilic. Only two prophets are known as the exilic prophets. These prophets are Ezekiel and Daniel. Bramer’s mnemonic to remember these are “Eat Dirt” since the children of Israel were not in the land flowing with “milk and honey” during the exile – therefore, they had to “Eat Dirt” standing for Ezekiel and Daniel.

Of the two exilic prophets, Ezekiel is the one given plans for a new temple and it is indeed a grand edifice. Ezekiel chapters 40 – 47 record these plans and chapter 48 records the division of the land to the tribes with the temple at the center.

The first temple built by Solomon had been destroyed as a result of the sin of Israel and Judah. The covenant had been broken by the leaders and the people such that God enacted the curses of Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26. (See Bramer’s lectures on “Daniel” online at dts.edu)

In chapter 10, Ezekiel records a vision of the glory of God leaving the temple to the east. The glory of God inhabited the tabernacle as it was completed and sanctified and the temple of Solomon when it was completed. in Ezekiel 43, the glory of God is shown to inhabit the temple prophesied by Ezekiel.

However, history shows us several things. First, the temple rebuilt to replace the temple of Solomon was not built to the specifications given by God to Ezekiel. Second, the glory of God was not shown to inhabit the rebuilt temple. All of this is recorded in the book of Ezra.

So, what happened? Is the Ezekiel temple a future temple that just hasn’t been built yet? The second temple, built in Ezra’s time and refurbished by Herod (still not quite the Ezekiel temple) was later destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D.

An argument can be made that Ezekiel’s temple could be a literal future temple just because of the amount of detail given in the record of the vision. Another interpretation that the temple is symbolic can be made because at some point in the future, God will dwell with his people in a state of perfection.

I would argue that the temple as given by God to Ezekiel will never be built. Because of the vision given to Daniel towards the end of the seventy year exile when the Jews hadn’t really turned back to God, a seventy “sevens” punishment was ordained (see Daniel 9, specifically Daniel 9:13).

Also look at two particular verses in Ezekiel. “‘Son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their sins. Let them consider its perfection, and if they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the design of the temple – its arrangement, it’s exits and entrances – it’s whole design and all its regulations and laws. Write these down before them so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations.’” (Ezekiel 43:10-11

As shown by the other exilic prophet, Daniel, corporately, Israel was not ashamed. Don’t get me wrong, the temple built by Ezra was a Godly undertaking (although the Jews had to be goaded into finishing it – Haggai 1:2-4). I believe that the Ezekiel temple was the one God intended for his people as the second temple, but as the people were not ready for it, a different second temple was built.

As of this time, no temple is in Jerusalem since 70 A.D. There is also some debate as to the original location of the temple (whether it was located where the Dome of the Rock mosque is now or some place close by). However, there is a movement in Israel to rebuild the temple.

The Temple Institute in Jerusalem has had temple articles recreated and runs a museum in Jerusalem which highlights the history of the first and second temples. (templeinstitute.org). Also, as Jesus speaks about “the abomination that causes desolation” standing in the holy place. I surmise that this is a future event at a rebuilt temple that does not yet exist.

I don’t believe that rebuilding the temple is warranted. First, Jesus says to the woman at the well, “a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.” To some extent this becomes true when the second temple is destroyed by the Romans.

Second, the re-establishment of the temple includes temple worship such as the daily sacrifice morning and night for the expiation of sin. “But when this priest (Jesus) had offered for all time one sacrifice (himself) for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.” (Hebrews 10:12). As Jesus is the ultimate (and final) sacrifice for sin, any future temple sacrifice for sin will not take away sin.

Third, when Jesus was crucified, the curtain separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place was torn in two, from top to bottom. (Matthew 27:51) The symbolism of this event is that man is now free to approach God through the death (and later resurrection) of Jesus.

Fourth, Revelation discusses the new temple when the end time is consummated. A new heaven and a new earth will be created. “I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” (Revelation 21:22)

I believe that a third temple will be built as part of end time prophecy. Perhaps it will be built using a version of the plan given to Ezekiel. But it will be built by man to serve man’s ends. This will be fully evident when the antichrist sets himself up as a god. The third temple will never inhabit the glory of God unless the returned Jesus himself walks into the temple.

Finally, remember these words from Paul. “Don’t you know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” (1 Corinthians 3:16) If God’s Spirit dwells within because of God’s grace and faith in Jesus, why would we need an edifice and the old way to worship God?

Lesson 32: The Second Temple Rebuilding

The book of Ezra records in the first chapter a decree from King Cyrus of Persia. Cyrus was directed by God to build a temple to the LORD. (Ezra 1:2) So, the Jews were freed from their 70 years of exile (as prophesied by Jeremiah) and about 49,000 people came to Israel and Jerusalem. They also brought back the Temple items that were taken by Nebuchadnezzar.

In the seventh month of the first year of the return, the Jews built an altar at the spot where the previous temple altar had stood. The significance of this was to restart all the temple sacrifices as prescribed by the Law of Moses which had been interrupted by the destruction of the First Temple. The Morning and Evening offerings were given as well as Free Will Offerings and New Moon Offerings. According to Ezra 3:6, the sacrifices all began on the first day of the month.

Major Jewish religious festivals and holidays happen during the seventh month which made restarting the Temple sacrifices vitally important. First, the Feast of Trumpets runs from the first day of the month until the seventh day. Then, the Day of Atonement happens on the tenth day of the month where the Jews all seek God’s forgiveness for the sins of the year with the High Priest giving sin offerings to God for the nation. Finally, the Feast of Tabernacles occurred on the fifteenth to the twenty-second day of the seventh month and the Jews would live in temporary shelters as a reminder of when the Israelites wandered through the desert until they entered the Promised Land.

In the second month of the second year of the return, the people came out as one man to start the rebuilding of the temple. The foundation gets laid and many of the people rejoice, although some who had seen Solomon’s Temple were weeping. The second month was also very important because it was in the second month that Solomon started to build the first temple.

And then the problems start.

First, the Jews who returned from Jerusalem who rebuilt the altar did so “despite their fear of the peoples around them.” (Ezra 3:3) After the laying of the foundation, now these “people around them” approach Zerubbabel (the Jewish appointed governor of the line of King David) and the heads of the families and asked to be a part of the building of the Temple because “we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.” (Ezra 4:2)

Seems like a reasonable request, doesn’t it? But Zerubbabel, Joshua (the current High Priest), and the family heads deny their request. In fact, their answer was, “You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia commanded us.” (Ezra 4:3)

Why did the request to help build the temple get denied? Part of the answer can be found in these two verses, the non-Jews said, “your God” and the Jews said, “our God.” The non-Jews did not have the LORD as “our God” while the Jews did. What would have been the result of allowing the pagan peoples to help build the temple? Remember that part of the problem with Solomon was that he married many pagan women and had many pagan concubines. The result is that he started building pagan altars for his wives and sacrificing to gods other than the LORD. In the law of Moses, there was a law that Israelites weren’t to intermarry with the other peoples lest they should be led astray to false gods away from the LORD. (In a later section of Ezra and of Nehemiah, the exiles have to repent of their intermarrying with the local people!)

Also, if the Jews had become dependent on the labor of the pagans, they would have lost some of their autonomy and power to the pagan peoples. It would have been too easy to take the Holy temple they were to build and turn it into something less than holy.

Well, the denied peoples who were there before the exiles became enemies of the returned Jews. They started to discourage the building and bribe officials to frustrate Jewish plans all the way down to Darius reign. (Ezra 4:4 – 5)

Letters get written complaining about the Jews doing construction. The Jews stop building the wall. God prompts the prophet Haggai to prophesy God’s desire to finish the temple.

The Jews start building the temple again and explain their building as the decree of Cyrus. Another letter gets written and Darius responds with “Cyrus did make a decree. Do not interfere. In fact, make sure they have every thing they need – pay their expenses out of the revenue of the Trans-Euphrates. (Ezra 6:8 – 10)

Ezra, the new. High Priest shows up with the temple built and part of the wall constructed. It would take the leadership of Nehemiah by the grace of God to complete the wall.

But here are the important parts to remember. 1) The glory of God did not inhabit the second temple as it had when the Tabernacle and Solomon’s Temple was completed. 2) The Ark of the Covenant was missing from the Most Holy Place because it was lost (and still is not found.) Remember too that when the people who had seen Solomon’s Temple saw the foundation laid and the people celebrating, they were weeping – perhaps for what had been lost when the Temple had been destroyed and perhaps because the new Temple would not have the same gravitas as the first.

But, God had different plans for the Second Temple. When the Temple is completed, God directs Haggai to ask a question of Zerubabbel and Joshua the High Priest. “‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing?'”

But, then God answers His own question. He reminds them to “Be strong”, and of the covenant when he brought the people out of Egypt, and to “Do not fear.” Then, he gives them this prophecy,

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.  I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty.  ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.” (Haggai 2:6 – 9)

Regardless of the fact that the glory of God did not manifest when the Second Temple was built, or that the Ark of the Covenant was not present, or that the new Temple seemed like a poor copy of the one built by Solomon, the fact is that the Second Temple glory would be greater than the first. And why is that? Stay tuned to the answer to that question in a lesson following soon.

Lesson 33: The Archetype of the Antichrist

As a boy, I saw the film, Fiddler on the Roof. As I’ve gotten older, one of the more moving scenes to me is the Shabat (the Sabbath) when Tevye and Golda stand at opposite ends of the table and sing to their daughters about the blessings they ask God to give to them.

One celebration I did not understand as a boy was Hannukah. I did not understand the holiday that happened so close to Christmas. After reading Maccabees books 1 and 2, I understand it better.

After Babylon exiled the Jews and destroyed the Temple, and after Persia (which defeated Babylon) allowed the exiles to return and build the Second Temple, another world power came on the scene. This was Alexander the Great of Greece. Prophesies recorded in Daniel showed him to be a fast conquerer, and so he was. He actually died at the age of 33, and his kingdom came under the control of four different generals. The Ptolomies ruled Israel initially until Antiochus III (of the Seleucid empire) eventually defeated Scopas, a Ptolomaic General. Antiochus III also known as “the Great” took Jerusalem in 198 BC. Then Israel became part of the the Seleucid empire.

Later, Antiochus III joined some of the city states of Greece until Rome intervened. He had to hurriedly leave Greece and went to Anotolia (modern day Turkey). The Roman, Lucias Scipio Asiaticus, followed and defeated Antiochus III in Anatolia and the Treaty of Apanema was enacted which ceded all of Anatolia to the Roman Republic. Also, demanded a yearly payment was demanded by Rome from the Seleucid empire. Antiochus III second son, Mithradates, was taken as a political hostage to Rome. Antiochus III was later killed by a mob in Elymais as he tried to rob the Temple of Bel in order to pay what he owed to Rome.

According to one article I read, Antiochus III first son and heir, Seleucus IV, traded his own son, Demetrius I for Mithradates. Seleucus IV also sent a “tax collector” to Jerusalem who came back empty handed. (See the account in 2 Maccabees 3.) The person in charge of all the temples of the empire, Heliodorus, later poisoned Seleucus IV and took the throne for himself.

Enter Mithradates. He sailed from Greece in September and arrived in Antioch in November. As Demetrius I, the rightful heir, and a boy was still in Rome, he finagled himself into the co-regency along with the other son of Seleucus IV named Antiochus (who was just a baby) in 175 BC.

Mithradates changed his name to Antiochus IV and later added a title, “Epiphanes,” which means “God Manifested.” In 170 BC, the second son of Seleucus IV, Antiochus, died (maybe murdered?).

Antiochus IV participated in the Sixth Syrian War – the other five wars also involved the Seleucid empire vs. the Ptolemaic empire. In the Sixth Syrian War, Antiochus IV got word that the Ptolomies intended to attack over the region of Coele – Syria which had been demanded to be returned from the Seleucid empire. Instead, Antiochus IV attached Egypt and captured Ptolemy VII. He installed Ptolemy VII as his puppet king in Memphis. Alexandria decided they wanted a different king and installed Ptolemy’s brother, Physcon, as king.

The kings decided to not fight a civil war but co-rule. That wasn’t good enough for Antiochus IV who attacked Egypt and started a siege against Alexandria where both brothers were.

Enter the Romans. When the war began, the Ptolemies appealed to Rome but Rome did not respond as they were having a war with Macedonia. Now that the war with Macedonia was over, Gaius Poppilius Laernes shows up with a written edict from the Roman Senate. The story is reported this way.

Gaius approaches Antiochus IV who holds out his hand in friendship. Gaius does not grasp the hand (as he is not sure Antiochus IV will be a friend to Rome, yet). Gaius directs Antiochus IV to read the edict. Antiochus IV reads that he is to leave Egypt immediately and no longer war against the Ptolemies. Antiochus IV says he must consult his counselors. Gaius draws a circle around Antiochus IV and says in effect, “We will have your answer before you leave this circle.” As Antiochus IV does not want a war with Rome, he assents to the edict. And Gaius shakes his hand.

Ancient historians portray this event as a great humiliation of Antiochus IV. More modern historians think that Antiochus IV got the status quo back (no Coele-Syria to Ptolemy) and he had a great empire left over because he did not have to spend lives or money sieging Alexandra.

The prophecy in Daniel had this to say about the event long before it actually happened, “Ships of the western coastlands will oppose him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and vent his fury against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant.” (Daniel 11:30)

So, here’s some context for what comes next. Antiochus IV had taken a bribe from “Jason,” a Hellenized Jew (and brother to the former High Priest Onias III?), to become High Priest in Israel. (Perhaps his first name was Yeshua or Joshua and he “Hellenized” it to Jason.) Later, another man named Menelaus gave an even bigger bribe to become High Priest and was appointed by Antiochus IV. Menelaus had a gymnasium built.

Ancient Greek gymnasiums had the men train naked – not just physical training but also mental learning. As such, Jewish men would have stood out because of circumcision. Some Jews attempted to “reverse circumcision” so that they would be more “Greek” than Jewish.

These attempts by Jews participating at the gymnasium was just indicative of the two camps that divided the Jews: the traditionalists, who tried to follow the law of Moses; and, the “Hellenizers,” who preferred Greek culture and the ways of the Greeks. During the Sixth Syrian War, a rumor started that Antiochus IV had died. Jason and his followers rebelled and the current High Priest Menelaus went to the Acra, or Citadel, in Jerusalem to escape Jason’s wrath.

After Antiochus IV vacated Egypt, he stormed into Jerusalem. Many of the rebelling leaders were killed. Many other people were killed as Antiochus IV exerted his authority. Previously, part of Antiochus IV program was to introduce Greek cities into his empire (and the spread of Hellenization) to stabilize the socioeconomics of his empire. Greek cities could mint their own coins and were expected to be more Greek by following Greek customs and worshiping the Greek gods.

As part of his drastic plan for Jerusalem, he expected all of the Jews to become Greek. As such, he tore down the walls around the temple; setup an idol to Zeus (his name “Epiphanes” suggested he was Zeus incarnate); sacrificed a pig on the altar; stopped the daily sacrifices (for 3 ½ years); destroyed scripture; put many (innocent) Jews to death; stopped circumcision; stopped the Sabbath tradition; and put to death any that tried to worship God or practice Jewish law.

What a terrible time of persecution of the Jews!

This fulfilled the prophecies from Daniel 8:23 – 25 and Daniel 11:21 – 35. In the end, Antiochus IV Epiphanes left Jerusalem and later died. Those put in charge as he left had to deal with a revolt as recorded in the Books of the Maccabees.

Daniel prophesied about the actions of Antiochus IV as “the abomination who brings desolation” who fulfilled the prophecy given by God to Daniel. Many years after the reign of Antiochus IV, the disciples of Jesus point out to Jesus the magnificent buildings of the Temple. Jesus responds in Matthew 24:2, “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

The disciples then ask Jesus later about when the Temple would be destroyed. In one respect, Jesus prophecies about the destruction of the Temple which is destroyed by Titus and the Romans in 70 A.D. But in another respect, he is also prophesying about the End Time when the Third Temple is constructed. “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand.” (Matthew 24:15)

As such, when the final Antichrist is on the scene, everyone is to try and escape. This makes the actions of the antichrist, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, an archetype of the Antichrist to come who will act in much the same way as the Antiochus IV Epiphanes did in Jerusalem.

One of the more interesting aspects of Jesus prophecy of the End Time is one of the first statements he relates at the start of the 24th chapter of Matthew. The first thing Jesus says when he is asked about the sign of his coming and the end of the age is, “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.” (Matthew 24:4 – 5)

The deception of the Antichrist will most likely happen first. Only later will his true colors be revealed when he becomes “the abomination that brings desolation.” To highlight this fact, consider the history of Antiochus IV awful actions in Jerusalem when he came in as a terror as recorded by the Greek, Diodorus of Sicily.

“King Antiochus besieged Jerusalem. The Jews withstood the siege for some time; but when all their provisions were used up, they were forced to send ambassadors to him, to seek terms for a truce. Many of his friends urged him to storm the city, and to root out the whole nation of the Jews; for they only of all people hated to mix with any other nations, and treated them all as enemies. They suggested to him that the ancestors of the Jews were driven out of Egypt, as impious and hateful to the gods: 2 for seeing that their bodies were infected with white marks and leprosy, by way of expiation the Egyptians gathered them all together, and expelled them out of their county, as profane and wicked wretches. After they were thus expelled, they settled around Jerusalem, and were afterwards united into one nation, called the nation of the Jews; but their hatred of all other men descended with their blood to their posterity. And therefore they made strange laws, and quite different from other people; they never will eat nor drink with any of other nations, or wish them any prosperity. 3 His friends reminded him that Antiochus surnamed Epiphanes, after subduing the Jews, entered into the temple of God, into which none was allowed to enter by their law except the priest. When he found in there the image of a man with a long beard, carved in stone sitting upon an ass, he took it to be Moses, who built Jerusalem and brought the nation together, and who established by law all their wicked customs and practices, abounding in hatred and enmity to all other men. Antiochus therefore, abhorring their antagonism to all other people, tried his utmost to abolish their laws. 4 To that end he sacrificed a great swine at the image of Moses, and at the altar of God that stood in the outward court, and sprinkled them with the blood of the sacrifice. He commanded likewise that the books, by which they were taught to hate all other nations, should be sprinkled with the broth made of the swine’s flesh. And he put out the lamp (called by them immortal) which burns continually in the temple. Lastly he forced the high priest and the other Jews to eat swine’s flesh. 

When Antiochus’ friends had spoken about all these things, they earnestly advised him to root out the whole nation, or at least to abolish their laws, and compel them to change their former manner of living. 5 But the king, being of a generous spirit and mild disposition, received hostages and pardoned the Jews: but he demolished the walls of Jerusalem, and took the tribute that was due.” (From Books 34 and 35 by Diodorus of Sicily as reported by http://www.attalus.org/translate/diodorus34.html)

Do you see the lies that were compounded in the record? The Jews as impious and cast out of Egypt because of leprosy, hatred of all other men, enacting strange laws, the image of the man (supposedly Moses) on a donkey in the temple. The benevolence of Antiochus not to destroy the whole nation, just profaning the altar of God, abolishing their laws, destroying books of the law and forcing priests and other Jews to eat swine’s flesh. But he “pardoned the Jews” and only “demolished their walls and took tribute that was his due.”

Do you know, another antichrist, Adolf Hitler wrote about another Big Lie regarding the Jewish conspiracy to take over the world. In Main Kampf, he talks about the danger of the Jews.

“The mightiest counterpart to the Aryan is represented by the Jew.

…The Jewish doctrine of Marxism rejects the aristocratic principle of Nature and replaces the eternal privilege of power and strength by the mass of numbers and their dead weight. Thus it denies the value of personality in man, contests the significance of nationality and race, and thereby withdraws from humanity the premise of its existence and its culture. As a foundation of the universe, this doctrine would bring about the end of any order intellectually conceivable to man. And as, in this greatest of all recognizable organisms, the result of an application of such a law could only be chaos, on earth it could only be destruction for the inhabitants of this planet.

If, with the help of his Marxist creed, the Jew is victorious over the other peoples of the world, his crown will be the funeral wreath of humanity and this planet will, as it did thousands of years ago, move through the ether devoid of men.

Eternal Nature inexorably avenges the infringement of her commands.

Hence today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord [p. 60].” (from https://www.wm.edu/offices/auxiliary/osher/course-info/classnotes/fall2017/Schilling_Holocaust-Extracts-from-Mein-Kampf-Ideology.pdf)

I know this is a very long post/lesson and there’s much information here that’s like drinking water from a fire hose. However, “Whoever has ears, let him hear.” (Matthew 13:9)

I’ve always believed that knowledge of history is just as important as prophecy in understanding the End Times. As such, I hope you will take the lessons of Antiochus IV and others who have acted against God so that you will recognize the final Antichrist when he comes.

Blessings.