The Second Temple

We know from scripture that God wanted Israel to build a second temple. The order to do so was given by Cyrus, the Persian. The details are set out in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. The children of Israel were persecuted by various people, and God removed them to allow the building of the temple to continue. 

Later, Israel was distracted by their own interest, and the building of the temple had been neglected. So God sent Haggai, the prophet, to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, and to Josedech, the high priest, saying: "Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, saying, this people say, the time is not come, the time that the Lord's house should be built." (Hag.1-2)."

"Then came the word of Lord by Haggai the prophet saying. is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?(Hag.1:3-4).

The people were about to be confronted with God's judgment for neglecting to first build God's house.

The Judgment

God told the people thus: "Consider your ways." In our modern world of dishonesty, decadence and depravity, people plunge themselves into all kinds of immorality without thought, and later, they suffer the frightful consequences. They don't consider their ways.

However, God said: "You have sown much, and brought in little; you eat, but you have not enough; you drink, but you are not filled with drink: you clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earns wages earns wages to put it into a bag with holes." (Hag.1:6)

That meant that God had withdrawn his blessings from the people, because they had placed their interest before the interest of God,  When Jesus was on earth, he emphasised  the need to first seek the kingdom of God, and then God will bless you. (Matt.6:33).

In summary

The people responded to God's admonition, and went to mountain and brought the materials to finish the house of God. So God, the ever faithful and loving God, told the people: "I will bless you"(Hag.2:18-19).

 Finally

It should be evident that if God wanted a third temple, it would have been built years ago, and anyone resisting its building would have been put to death. 

Sadly, the people that returned to Israel in 1948, are a remnant of the bond woman.

A Third Temple

 Since 1948 there has been much talk about the building of a third temple, and since October 7th, the day of the Hamas attack, we have seen a small army of zealous, but ignorant men, speculating about a third temple. Yet, there are no scriptural texts that say, God wants Israel to build a third temple.

Furthermore, Israel could not build a third temple, to please God, while the Dome of the rock is still standing. For as Islam is a pagan religion, that had its origin in the mind of the devil, the Dome is a desecration of the temple mount, and the God of Israel would demand that it be pulled down before the building of a third temple.

Sadly, we are livin in a deceived world, where people believe that all religions should be respected. That is not the teaching of Jesus Christ. He said, "I will build my church, and gates of hell shall not prevail against it"(Matt.16:18). "The gates of hell shall not prevail," means that Satan will not be able to destroy his church, which is his spiritual body. Also, the apostles were inspired to add, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men , whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

A life of fear

Yet, nominal and even sometimes true Christians are terrified to speak out against paganism, in all its satanic forms. The Christian is told not to be afraid of anything or anyone. Note the sublime testimony of king David, a man beloved of the Lord, when he said: "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life' of whom shall I be afraid? (Ps.27:1-2).

Those emphatic, rhetorical questions, teach us not to be afraid of anyone. Also, the inspired words of John are these, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear: because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love" (1 John 4:18).

To be continued