De Witt Tabernacle Teaching Series

 

 

"The Rebuilding of The Temple" 

 

 

C. W. Wood                 February 2000

     According to the scriptures and the teaching of our End-time Prophet, Brother William Branham, a new temple for Jewish worship is to be built in Jerusalem before the thousand year Millennium Reign. The great Jewish Temple, built some five hundred years before the birth of Christ by King Herod, was destroyed in A.D. 70 by the Roman general, Titus.

    For almost 2000 years the Jews have been without a temple, and with no temple, the priesthood, as it operated in the days of Moses, was discontinued. But, the true Jews have never forgotten their need of a temple nor lost their desire to rebuild the one destroyed. Three times a day, for all the centuries that have passed, they have prayed, “Lord God, may it be Thy will that the temple be speedily rebuilt in our days.” But, we now know that it has not been the will of God, that is, until now!

    It is this writer’s opinion that some who are alive now will see the temple rebuilt, and the temple worship re-established. But, before this is a reality, our Prophet said the Gentile Bride will be taken out. For two thousand years God has dealt with the Gentiles, but now their time is fast drawing to a close. God will again turn to the Jews, and when He does, there will never be another Gentile saved. He does not deal with the Jews and the Gentiles at the same time.

    The Gospel went to the Jews first in the days of Jesus. When they rejected him, and put him to death, the days of the Gentiles started. We are in the time period now when once again God will turn to the Jews. Brother Branham made some very enlightening statements in Daniel’s Seventy Weeks Book. One that should turn a light on for us is found on page 34, where he said that God has not yet declared Israel to be a nation. The U.N. declared is so in 1948, but the Prophet said God has not as yet accepted them as His nation. God scattered them around the world, but now has gathered them in their homeland once again. But, according to the Prophet, God has not recognized them as a nation.

    QUOTE: DANIEL’S SEVENTY WEEKS, PAGE 34, “The nation’s have declared them a nation this last year. When that hits (comes) we’re near the end. The Gentile Church is gone (will be gone). So most anytime, GOD COULD SAY, ‘ISRAEL IS MY PEOPLE.’ WHEN THAT IS (HAPPENS) THE GENTILES ARE FINISHED.” (End quote)

    One cannot help but wonder what Brother Branham meant by this statement. He clearly indicates that man’s acceptance of the Jews as a nation was not accepted by the Lord. On page 81 of Daniel’s Seventy Weeks, he sheds more light on this mystery.

    QUOTE: DANIEL’S SEVENTY WEEKS, PAGE 81, “A confederation of church will consolidate them together and bring the Jews into this confederation, AND BRING THEM BACK TO THEIR OWN TEMPLE WORSHIP AGAIN IN THE ‘THUS SAITH THE LORD OUT OF THE BIBLE, AND THEY WILL HAVE THEIR OWN CHURCH.’

    ‘They are what now? I just caught it just now, fresh. (Perhaps a vision, or the Lord spoke to him as he was preaching.) They are now a nation recognized. Is that right? BUT THEY HAVE NOT THEIR TEMPLE WORSHIP YET. And when they establish their Temple Worship, the Church (Bride) will be gone. God will be dealing with the Jews as a nation.” (End quote)

    To this writer, the Prophet is telling us that God will not recognize the Jews as a nation until they are back obeying the Laws of Moses, which is all the light they have at this time. For 2000 years they have been in a no-man’s land in that they rejected the Messiah and neither did they continue their Temple Worship. The scriptures say that God blinded the eyes of the Jews so that they could not see their Messiah. Even so, He apparently is holding them responsible for walking in the light they do have, which light has to do with their Temple Worship as taught by Moses. When they have re-established it, God will say, “Israel is my People!”

    How could anyone but a Prophet bring this out? Another strange thing comes before us as we consider what all is involved in their Temple Worship. The main ritual was the sacrificing of animal’s blood for the temporary covering of their sins. The question arises, when they establish the Temple Worship, will it include the sacrificing of animals again? Some of our good brothers say not, that God will not allow such a thing after the Lord Jesus has already sacrificed His own blood. This seems to be a quite logical thought, and I certainly can understand their thinking. Even so, I would respectfully like to set forth some thoughts that have been coming to me.

    I will base my thoughts on the scriptures and the Prophet’s message.

    QUOTE: DANIEL’S SEVENTY WEEKS, PAGE 33, “But wait, there’s coming a time when God’s Children’s going to take her over. That’s right! Jerusalem (The Temple) will be rebuilt again. THE DAILY SACRIFICE WILL BE SET UP. And the anti-Christ will make a covenant for those last seven weeks, and in the midst of it he’ll break that covenant, turn them all into Catholicism. The abomination will spread over the whole thing like that, and then the end shall be. Watch!” (End quote)

    Quite evidently, Brother Branham is speaking here of the last days, and he says the DAILY SACRIFICE WILL BE SET UP. Please note, he did not say Temple Worship here, but Daily Sacrifice will be set up.

    QUOTE: DANIEL’S SEVENTY WEEKS, PAGE 127, “Now notice here. In the middle of the week, three and a half days - three and a half years rather, he breaks the covenant AND CAUSES THE SACRIFICE and oblation that they WILL HAVE SET UP ALREADY .....Cause they’ll go right back and say, “ Now look, you all are churches, you can be received in this Image of the Beast. We’ll have a fellowship. We’ll get rid of Communism.....but now watch. And set up this--the daily worship-- The Sacrifice will come back into the city when the Temple is rebuilt. And this Prince that’s to come in the middle of this week will break his covenant and do away with THIS SACRIFICE-- as I said he’ll scatter it, and what he did lasts on till the consummation. (or end)” (End quote)

    Again, the Prophet says the animal sacrifice will be a part of the Temple Worship that will be re-established in the last days. Most of us know about the Jew’s search for the perfect red heifer, and the school set up in Jerusalem for the training of priests. We have read about the priestly garments that have already been sewn and made ready, and the vessels that play a part in the Temple Worship having been made. We know about an organization that was formed some time ago, with the sole purpose of making plans to rebuild their Temple. It is called “The Temple Institute.” But, what about the shedding of animal’s blood again, as they did before the Lamb of God shed His own precious blood? Would God allow this to take place? At first thought it would seem that He would not. But, we cannot go by what would seem right to us. We must go by the scriptures, as the Prophet explained them. In Daniel 9:27, we read that the anti-Christ will make a covenant (agreement) with the Jews for one week (seven years) and in the midst of the week, he will break his agreement and cause the SACRIFICE and the oblation to cease.

    Dan. 9:27, “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week, and in the midst of the week he shall cause the SACRIFICE and the oblation to CEASE....”

    There can be no doubt but what this speaks of the end-time, for the Prophet has taught us that Israel will, in the last days, make an agreement with Rome and her anti-Christ leader. If, then, the animal sacrifice is made to CEASE, there had to be a time when the Jews started it again.

    Could it be that a part of the agreement anti-Christ makes with the Jews is that if they come into his Union of Churches (And the Prophet declared that they will.), they will be allowed to continue their Temple Worship, just as they are now preparing to do? Animal sacrifice was the very core of the Jewish Temple Worship. Without it, there was no covering of their sins. And today, as they continue to reject Jesus as Messiah, it is unthinkable to this writer that they would omit the very thing that, in their mind, would put them back in God’s grace.

    Could this be the reason that God has not yet accepted them as His nation? They are not believing in our Christ, neither are they following the Law of Moses, therefore, they are in their sins. You make ask, do you believe God will accept the animal’s blood as a covering in this hour? I must answer as I believe the Lord has been dealing with me. The answer is “yes” and “no.” I believe that since God blinded their eyes so that they could not see Messiah, that when they continue the light they do have, which is their Temple Worship, God will give them credit for their sincerity. He will declare them to be His people again, and at the same time send them the two Prophets of Rev. 11:3 with the plan of salvation.

    These two men will most certainly show them that it was truly the Messiah they killed, and that salvation can now only come through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. One hundred and forty-four thousand of them will believe their Prophets. At their repentance, God will apply the Blood of Christ to their hearts and Brother Branham said they will receive the Holy Ghost, but they will not be in the Bride.

    Let us look again at what Brother Branham said on page 34 of Daniel’s Seventy Weeks.

    QUOTE: “They are what now? I just caught it just now fresh. They are now a nation recognized (by the U.N.). Is that right? But, they have not their Temple Worship yet. (Now, note carefully what he says next.) AND WHEN THEY ESTABLISH THEIR TEMPLE WORSHIP, THE CHURCH WILL BE GONE. GOD WILL BE DEALING WITH THE JEWS AS A NATION.” (End quote)

    Can we see that the Prophet is telling us that God will not accept Israel as a nation until they re-establish their Temple Worship? In other words, when the Jews start their Temple Worship, God’s time clock starts to tick for them again, and the days of the Gentiles are finished. According to our Prophet, and the scriptures, God does not deal with the Gentile and Israel as a nation at the same time.

    QUOTE: DANIEL’S SEVENTY WEEKS, PAGE 30, “Israel is returning to her home land. What day that God determines Israel to be a nation, that’s the day there will never be another Gentile saved.” (End quote)

    When God accepts Israel as a nation, which according to the Prophet will be when they rebuild their Temple and start their worship, their time clock will start to tick away the last three and one half years of their allotted time. This is the great tribulation period, at the end of which time the Battle of Armageddon takes place and the earth is cleansed in preparation for the thousand-year reign of Christ.

    We are well aware that the Bride will not go through the tribulation period. As the clock starts for Israel again, the last Gentile Bride member will have come in and the Rapture will take place. With the Jews in their homeland, and plans having already been laid for the building of the Temple, how close are we to the end of the Gentile Age and the Rapture?

    Concerning the building of the Temple, there seems to be one insurmountable obstacle in the way. On Mount Moriah, the area known as the Temple Mount, there stands two Islamic Temples, the Dome of the Rock, and the Mosque. It is thought by many scholars that there is no room for a Jewish Temple to be built. For the Jews to destroy either of these shrines, would most certainly start a Holy War, which no one wants, including the Jews. But, in a publication by our good Brother George Smith, Brother Branham’s son-in-law, he pointed out a very interesting thing. I will quote from a February 1996 article written by Brother Smith.

    “In 1983, in an article published in Biblical Archaeological Review Magazine, a prominent Israeli archaeologist, Dr. Asher Kaufman, presented convincing evidence that the Temple was NOT built on the spot now occupied by the Islamic Mosque, but that the Temple’s center line ran due west from the Eastern Gate.......But even though the majority of scholars (and all Muslim authorities) continue to endorse the area under the Mosque as the original Temple sight, Dr. Kaufman and others believe that existing archaeological evidence, and ancient writings prove that the correct site is NORTH of the Dome, directly opposite the sealed Eastern Gate..............Now, for the exciting part. Today, this area in front of the sealed Eastern Gate is a flat, completely empty piece of land! The Temple can be rebuilt with its inner court wall, and there will still be 26 meters (84 feet) between it and the Mosque. Now, read Revelation 11:1-2. The angel who measures the Temple is told not to include the “court which is without the Temple,” because it was given to the Gentiles until the return of the Messiah. By leaving off the outer courtyard (As God directed.), the Temple can be perfectly placed, in it’s original location, without destroying the Gentile Mosque.” (End quote)

    Then, Brother Smith included a drawing with his publication, showing the location of the Mosque and the empty land where the original Jewish Temple is thought to have been. I have not talked with Brother Smith, and I don’t know what may have developed since he wrote his article in 1996, but he does not have to try and convince me that these remaining end-time events could occur with dazzling speed, I believe it.

    As Brother Smith said in his article “ The Jews are preparing to build, are we preparing to leave?” May God help us to do so as the last hours of the Gentiles tick away. Amen.

 

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