There are so many ideas out there today concerning “the antichrist” his coming and the sacrifices he is said to take away. Also, many theories concerning the third temple. When or how it will be constructed. Let me be frank and say this. Most of what is out there are totally wrong. Some are very sincere in their exegesis about the topic but most are just simply making up theories to sell books. I believe the problem to be the following. People are so fleshly that they cannot even fathom the spiritual side of the bible. They want to take everything in the flesh and not spiritual. And neither can they because Paul said:
1 Cor 2
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
The fruit of all these false theories and doctrines out there is a catastrophic laziness among believers. They all sit around waiting for the third temple to be build and this “antichrist” to sit in it and do all manner of evil, riding on pigs and what have you. But while they wait for this to happen they still live like hell and are lax in doing what the Lord told them to do, which is transform. You see in their mind the coming of Christ is still far off. How can He come when there is no temple and no antichrist yet? They are all still very relaxed and have a mindset of when we see something happening concerning the third temple then we will give it our all.
Galatians 6
7 Oh foolish people!! Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
So for all those people with that dangerous mindset, thinking they can test God and get away with it, we are going to settle the matter in truth. We will look at what the Word says about these things. When I say Word I mean New and Old Testament. That is the only way to get a clear view and understanding of what truth is. If we only use the New Testament we have to fill in a lot of blanks. This is where so many errors come in. Secondly we are going to look at it from a spiritual mindset. In order to do that we have to be reminded of a precept or principle and that is the following. Everything that happened to Israel in the flesh is an example for us in the spirit.
1 Cor 15
46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual.
1 Cor 10
11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
Let us look at this person called “the antichrist”. This is where a lot of people go wrong. They heard it once somewhere in a movie or from a televangelist that there is one man coming named the antichrist. Let’s look at what John said on the matter.
1 John 2
18 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.
19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.
20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.
21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
22 Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son.
John makes it very clear. There is not one “the Antichrist”! There are many. Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ is antichrist. Just think about it, there are millions of antichrists today. Muslims Jews and everybody who denies Jesus is the Christ. Most people here say that “anti” could also mean replace or instead of. That’s true but that is not what John said in this passage. He clearly says that those who deny that Jesus is the Christ, is antichrist. Where then does the confusion come from? Well it is because in another passage of scripture a man is described. He is called the man of sin and son of perdition. And straight away they say aha, that must be “the Antichrist”! When in actual fact it is speaking of another. Let’s look at that passage.
2 Thes 2
1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you,
2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.
3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,
4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
Because the bible speaks of man of sin or son of perdition most people think it speaks of one man. Truth is it could, but there is also another explanation to it. Whoever lives a sinful life is a man of sin. We know that the wages of sin is death. That also makes him then, a son of perdition, because he will go to perdition. Perdition means death or ruin, a state of destruction. Jesus Himself also referred to Judas as a son of perdition.
John 17
12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
Jesus refers to Judas as the son of perdition, thus we know there are more than one son of perdition. Now verse four above speaks of the temple and these men or people of sin that go to perdition exalt themselves in God’s temple as God above everything that is called god. But what does that mean? And if indeed it is more than one person how is such a thing possible? You see that temple is not a building made with the hands of men. It is most certainly not a temple building in Jerusalem, but rather we are that temple. Our bodies are the temple of God. And we place ourselves in our bodies as king and god, instead of God ruling and reigning in His temple as God. God is Spirit and wants to rule in us by His Spirit. When we are fleshly and exalt our own soul in our bodies, we drive out God and make an idol of ourselves and God will not have it.
Now we can look at the temple, its design, and workings. We all know that everything God does He does for a reason. Nothing is just happenstance. The temple and everything that happened in it was and is an example of something to happen in the spirit. It is very important to understand that because it reveals a whole lot of truth and clarity for us. So if we want this clarity and understanding we better study the workings of the temple and know what on earth is happening in the Spirit, right? Unfortunately most people just don’t have a clue of what happened in the temple because it was just never important enough for them and frankly because their churches were too busy tickling their ears to teach them truth! So today we will look at some of the workings or at least the most important parts of it.
When Israel was in the wilderness after the exodus out of Egypt, Moses was called up on the mountain of God. When on the mountain he was shown a picture of something that he had to make or build. He at first made it a tent and then later in Israel’s history Solomon made it a permanent building. God instructs Moses to be very careful to copy the pattern exactly as he was shown it.
Hebrews 8
5 who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”
What was that example? I believe that example was the body of Christ. And to show it to you we have to look at Solomon’s temple a bit closer and we will clearly see it. For now, I am going to ask you to use your imagination. Imagine the body of Jesus lying on His back, head up and feet down. Now the main building of the temple was the holy place. That then is the torso of the body. In the holy place was the menorah, the tables for the showbread and also the incense altar. Now place the incense altar where a man’s heart will be in the torso and the candles sticks and tables for the showbread lower in the torso towards His feet. Now you have a layout of how the holy place was arranged.
Is that a coincidence? Absolutely not!! Now just above the altar of incense towards his Head there were steps leading towards the holy of holies also called the holiest place. Six cubits high, to be precise. On top of the steps there was a very thick heavy solid veil hanging to separate the holy place from the holiest. The steps then represent the neck of the body and the holiest place then represents the head.
Now in the middle of the holiest place, place the ark of the covenant with its poles to carry it. The poles would then press against the veil and make two bulges in the veil representing the nostrils. In the ark would be the two stone tables next to each other representing the brain, the left, and right lobe. So thus far we have the torso with its heart, and the head with the nose and the brain. There is a lot more to the head and torso but for now I just want you to see the man or body of a man in the temple design.
Let’s go further. If we look at the temple from above like we imagined the body of Christ lying down we will see around the head or holiest place there were small rooms or cells where the priests would live. In the design they form the shape of a perfect turban. And more, the perfect shape of the type of turban the high priest would wear. Then next to the torso also were rooms or cells where priests used to lodge. These then formed the arms of the body right and left. At the end of those arms were 10 lavers or bronze bowls for washing purposes. Five on each side. These represent the fingers of the body.
Now moving down the torso we come to the porch. The porch then represents the pelvis of the body. In front of the porch were to pillars left and right made of bronze called Jachin and Boaz. These represent the legs of the body. Then lastly we had the altar for sacrifices which then represents the feet of the body.
As I said that is just an overview and there are many more things to say about it but I think at least now you can see the pattern that Moses saw while he was on the mountain. What was the pattern? It was the body of Christ. You see every tradition and offering and sacrifice that the Lord commanded Moses to do was a shadow and rehearsal of the things to come. The temple with all its services was to represent the body of Christ and as such when Christ came in the flesh He fulfilled it! He fulfilled the practices thereof and there is no more need for an actual building. In fact if we now want to revert back to the building doesn’t that mean we reject the body of Christ? But there is more, let’s have a look.
In the book of Ezekiel the Lord reveals to the prophet a new temple to be built. Great detail is given about its design and its workings. And most scholars believe this to be the third temple to be built. Others believe it to be a failed prophecy and others yet believe that because the Jews failed God, it was never built and it is an obsolete prophecy. This is most certainly not the case as God makes it clear that this temple and especially the design and workings thereof is very important and will serve as a means to make all the believers ashamed of themselves and their works.
Ezekiel 43
10 “Son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure the pattern.
11 And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple and its arrangement, its exits and its entrances, its entire design and all its ordinances, all its forms and all its laws. Write it down in their sight, so that they may keep its whole design and all its ordinances, and perform them.
So God says to the prophet to make known to the believers the workings and the pattern thereof, and they will come to realize something. Something amazing, and also something that will make them ashamed. What is that thing? Well the only way to see it will be to look at the pattern and workings of this new temple. This new temple that Ezekiel prophesied about against the workings and pattern of the old temple. So I think now is a good time for me to say that I believe that Ezekiel’s temple did in fact come already. It was promised by God and also delivered by God about two thousand years ago. You see the body of Christ was and is this temple that was prophesied.
John 2
19 Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
20 Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?”
21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body.
One of the first things we notice when we compare the two temples is that there are some major differences between the two. Actually the new temple lack a great number of things that the old one had. When we look at these differences and lack in the new temple we quickly realize that it is a spiritual temple and not a building. And even more amazing is that those things that are missing from the new temple in comparison to the old we find that Christ has fulfilled them. We know that temple service was just a shadow of things to come and Christ is that which was to come. Christ fulfilled all!
1 1) Wall of partition:
In Solomon’s or the old temple there was a wall that separated . You see right around the temple there was a wall and there were signs up all over stating that gentiles were not allowed to even enter that wall. It wasn’t even the temple yet merely just the grounds of the temple. So in Ezekiel’s new temple or spiritual temple or body as we now already know there is no mention of a wall of separation! Jesus fulfilled the taking away of that wall.
Ephesians 2
14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,
15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,
16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.
This breaking of the wall that separated was also prophesied:
Isaiah 56
6 ” Also the sons of the foreigner Who join themselves to the LORD, to serve Him, And to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants — Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And holds fast My covenant —
7 Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices Will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”
8 The Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, ” Yet I will gather to him Others besides those who are gathered to him.”
Isaiah 49
6 Indeed He says, ‘ It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’ “
2) Court of woman
In the old temple just before you get the altar of sacrifice and after that the porch with the pillars there was another wall that formed a court. This was called the court of woman, but not because there were only women in it. No this was so called because women were not allowed to go any further. They had no access to the temple other than the court of women. Men could see the altar and the sacrifices but not the women. In Ezekiel’s spiritual temple there is nothing mentioned about a wall or court for women.
Galatians 3
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Acts 2
17 ‘ And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.
18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.
The Spirit of the Lord is poured out on men and woman and was also prophesied in Joel 2 which Peter quoted in Acts 2.
3) The lavers (washbasin)
The lavers were used for washing before entering the holy place. This too was fulfilled by Jesus as He washed us and we are now clean. The bronze lavers are not mentioned at all in Ezekiel’s temple.
Hebrews 10
19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus,
20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,
21 and having a High Priest over the house of God,
22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
John 15
3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
John 13
10 Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.”
Ephesians 5
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
We have been washed and cleansed by Christ and there is no further need to be washed. So lavers would not be needed in the spiritual temple. This was also prophesied in the old testament
Ezekiel 36
25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.
26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.
4) The golden lampstand or candlesticks
This too is not mentioned in the new temple. Why? Because we have no need for them. Jesus is the light. When He is in us He lights the way.
John 8
12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
John 1
4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shines in the darkness…
Revelation 22
4 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.
5 There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.
Isn’t it strange that such an important part of temple service is not included in Ezekiel’s temple. I think by now the Jews were shocked by the pattern of this temple. But there’s more!
5) Tables for showbread
In the old temple there was a table covered with gold where the priest would place twelve loaves. It would remain there in the presence of God for the week after which it would be removed and eaten by the priests in the holy place. This major thing also is not mentioned in the pattern of Ezekiel’s temple. Why? Well it symbolizes the bread of life or the word of God that gives sustenance and growth. This too was fulfilled in Jesus!
John 6
33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.”
35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.
56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.
58 This is the bread which came down from heaven — not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”
But what about the fact that only the priests were allowed to eat this bread?
1 Peter 2
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
Revelations 1
6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
You see even that is fulfilled in Jesus and there is absolutely no need for an earthly building with all these practices that have been fulfilled.
6) The golden altar of incense
Once again a very big deal in the old temple service is not mentioned at all in the new temple. The golden altar of incense represents the prayers of the saints. It also represented intercessory prayers of the priests and high priest for the people
Rev 5
8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
Rev 8
3 Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand.
This too is fulfilled by Christ as He is always making intercession for us as our High Priest forever.
Hebrews 4
14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 7
25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens;
Previously we had an enemy that accused us always before the Father. Now we have a High Priest that intercedes for us always.
Rev 12
10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.
7) The veil
The veil was a very important part of the temple and its happenings. So for any Jew to hear from the prophet Ezekiel that he makes no mention of the veil must have been very strange indeed. Maybe that among other things led to his murder. It somehow never works out well for the prophets as people would rather have their ears tickled than listen to the rebuke of the prophets.
Before Jesus, the only place to pray to God was the temple in Jerusalem. And it makes sense because if the temple is fashioned after the body of Jesus then that would be the only place. We know that Jesus is the only way to the Father. After Jesus died on the cross the veil tore from top to bottom. That means God tore the veil as it was eighteen meters high. No man could tear it. And it was torn from top to bottom. Now if the veil was torn by God why would He have people build another temple and put a veil up? The way to God has been opened and prepared by Jesus! We now have access to the Father and we can pray to Him anywhere and at any time.
John 4
… you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”
21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.
22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.
23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Jesus made the way known. That way through the veil is in spirit and truth.
Hebrews 10
19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus,
20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh
Hebrews 9
6 Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services.
7 But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins committed in ignorance;
8 the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing.
9 It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience —
10 concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation.
Here Paul lets us know that the first tabernacle or temple was made obsolete. It was just a shadow of things to come. It was fulfilled by Jesus. All of it was just fleshly ordinances until the reformation or the change to the real thing. Which is the body of Christ!
Hebrews 9
23 Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
24 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;
The temple and its services were just copies and a shadow of the true. What does that mean other than it has been fulfilled? When Jesus said it is done on the cross and expired, the veil tore. That was the end of the temple, or at least the old temple system. You see verse 8 of Hebrews 9 says that The Spirit of God had not yet made known the way in the holiest of all while the first temple system was still operational. It was only symbolic and as soon as Jesus fulfilled it the new spiritual temple of Ezekiel took effect. Sure the temple building was still standing but the system was over. Never to be used again. It would never be necessary anyway because we have the real thing, Jesus!
8) The ark of the covenant or testimony
That which testified or reflected the Divine nature of God in the old temple system was the ark of testimony or covenant. That too is obsolete because Jesus now is the testimony of God. He has the fullness of the Godhead dwelling in Him. More than that God says if we transform and become like Christ we also become testimonies of God. We reflect God and shine His Light. You see Jesus is the firstborn among many brethren. There is also no more need for the law to be on stone tablets for we have the law written on our hearts. That is how we testify of God.
Hebrew 10
15 But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before,
16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,”
Romans 2
14 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves,
15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them)
This also was prophesied by the prophets:
Ezekiel 36
26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.
Jeremiah 31
31 “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah —
32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD.
33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
It should then also come as no surprise that there is no mention of the ark of covenant or testimony in Ezekiel’s spiritual temple.
In fact in the new temple there is also a new thing. We learn of a stream that comes from underneath this temple and then becomes a very strong river that gives life and sustains trees of life. That too is fulfilled in Jesus.
John 4
13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,
14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
John 7
37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
I believe the fact is clear, that there is no third temple as a building to come in Jerusalem. That third temple is already here and has been here for 2000 years. It is the body of Christ. His body as an individual but also His body in spirit. We are that body, you and I as believers make up the body of Christ
1 Corinthians 12
12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body — whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free — and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
14 For in fact the body is not one member but many.
15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?
16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?
18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.
19 And if they were all one member, where would the body be?
20 But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.
21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.
23 And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty,
24 but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it,
25 that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.
26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.
Romans 12
4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function,
5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.
So then we have established that the body of Christ is the picture that Moses saw on the mountain and the temple was modeled after it. We have also established that the new spiritual temple of Ezekiel is also the body of Christ. Everything in the old temple was fulfilled by Christ and is now obsolete and missing from Ezekiel’s temple. We have also established that we are the body of Christ. What does that mean? Simply this, we are the temple of God!
1 Corinthians 3
16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
1 Corinthians 6
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
2 Corinthians 6
16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ” I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.”
Ephesians 2
19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,
21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
1 Peter 2
5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Overwhelming evidence that we as the body of Christ are the third temple and we still want to believe all these theories about a third temple building that is supposed to be built on the temple mount. The temple has been here ever since Jesus walked the earth as a man. The temple has been here ever since that time. We have the temple we are that temple.
Problem is somewhere along the way we forgot that we are that temple and that God wants to rule in that temple as God and King. He wants to rule in and by His Spirit. He wants us to serve Him in spirit and truth. We became fleshly again and concerned ourselves with our own passions and desires. We became worldly and elevated ourselves in the temple of God as gods above everything called god. We made ourselves the masters of our own bodies not realizing that we are not our own but are God’s, and bought at such a high price.
That is truth and further that is the one big truth that we are to love. Because we did not love this one big truth that we are to be spiritual and that God wants to rule and reign in us, His temple, God sends us delusion!
2 Thessalonians 2
10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,
12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
You see because of this great abomination of placing ourselves in the temple of God as god, making ourselves fleshly and worldly again, God send us a strong lie. That is a spiritual presence to delude us. This spiritual presence is often misidentified as “the antichrist”. Remember there are many antichrists, not just one as there are many sons of perdition and many lawless ones. There are in fact passages in the bible where it does mention this enemy as a person. That is the very person that people often think is the antichrist that will build a building as a temple and sit in it. Some of these passages are in the prophets and specifically Daniel. Because we committed an abomination by putting ourselves in God’s temple He punishes us with delusion. This delusion makes us utterly desolate. Daniel actually refers to this as the abomination of desolation.
Daniel 9
27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.”
Daniel 12
11 “And from the time that the daily is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up
This spiritual influence or deceiving spirit will exalt us even more in the temple of God as God. More than this he will lead us to stop offering the dailies. What are the dailies? Well so many people today say it will be “the antichrist” that will take away the sacrifices. They also believe he will ride on a pig and offer a pig in the temple. They think that is the abomination of desolation. You see in the old temple system there were shadows of what was to come. Jesus fulfilled it but that does not mean He takes all of it away. In some cases it means He establishes it. Like for instance the dailies. If you will remember the altar of incense that symbolizes the prayers of the saints. The Jews were to offer and burn incense on it every day twice a day. That was a daily. Also people were to bring freewill offerings daily to be offered to God. Like for instance of their substance or lives or produce. So a farmer would bring grain and wine and livestock as freewill offerings. Although it was freewill offerings it had to be done daily. The free will part was the amount he wanted to offer but it had to be offered daily.
So when Jesus fulfilled these dailies it was not taken away, but instead we now did it in Him. We still burn incense every day as we pray. We have to pray always and every day. So when delusion takes away the daily of prayer he actually convinces you that you don’t have to pray every day. Same with the freewill offering. Today we still offer freewill offerings from our lives like money, sacrifice, time and whatever we decide to give up of our substance to God. Delusion will try and convince you that you don’t have to do anything anymore, just believe! This is how the enemy exalts us in God’s temple and takes away the dailies. It has nothing to do with a temple building in Jerusalem and sacrifices that they slaughter and burn on an altar.
Dear friend I hope and pray that by the grace of God I have made it clear for you today that we are not waiting for a third temple building. And more that we are not waiting for a person named “the antichrist” to sit in that building and take away the sacrifices and declare himself to be God. Doing so is very dangerous because you are relaxing in the idea that you have time to do your own will until you see these things happen. Jesus warns us of this very notion that we have time with the following:
Mark 13
33 Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.
34 It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.
35 Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming — in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning —
36 lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping.
37 And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”
There is nothing more that needs to happen for the Lord to return. Let me say that once more, there is nothing that needs to happen for the Lord to return. If you were waiting on some building and person named “the antichrist” you were duped into believing a lie! Don’t be fooled! If you are not ready for Jesus return, get ready now. Start transforming and walk in the Spirit for the flesh profits you nothing!
Till next time
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