WHO WILL BUILD THE THIRD TEMPLE? part four

Here read Acts 15:13-18
The 15th chapter of Acts records a controversy that had arisen between "a certain sect of the Pharisees" and the other Jewish Christians in the church at Jerusalem concerning how Gentiles should be converted to Christianity. Their arguments were presented to the Apostle James, one of the brothers of the Lord and the leader of the Jerusalem church, for his ruling.

The Pharisee sect argued that the Gentiles who were converted must first be circumcised and commanded to keep the law before they could become Christians. In other words, the Pharisee sect required Gentiles to become Jews before they could become Christians.

The orthodox Christians led by Peter, Barnabas, and Paul, testified that when, in their experiences, they had preached the gospel to the Gentiles, they had received the Holy Spirit as soon as they had believed. Peter offered this evidence as proof that all who hear and believe the gospel are immediately saved by the grace of God. His testimony agreed perfectly with Jesus' final words from the cross and the actions and teaching of the Holy Spirit that believers need no works or actions of their own to become Christians, but that they become born again immediately upon receiving Christ as their Savior by faith.
Here read John 19:30 John 1:12-13

After hearing these arguments, the Apostle James agreed with Peter and the orthodox Christians that God was visiting the Gentiles in order " to take out of them a people for His name." In other words, James ruled that the Gentiles could directly become Christians without becoming Jews first.

Then, in order to back up his ruling, James quotes the prophet Amos concerning God's regathering of Israel and His building of the third temple in the latter days. James' quote is quite interesting because he seems to have said that while Jews and Gentiles both get saved by the sacrifice of Christ, their histories are quite different.

James appeals to God's promises to the nation of Israel that He would return in the latter days to regather Israel and build the third temple as a testimony to the Gentiles that they, and the Jews, "might seek after the Lord." God had promised through Ezekiel and other prophets that in the latter days He would establish Israel as a nation on the earth forever. In other words, James seemed to be teaching the Pharisees that while the histories of the Jews and Gentiles would be different, they both must be saved by the same gospel and the same grace.

James goes on to rule that converted Gentiles must lead clean, moral lives. They must do so not in order to be saved, but as a testimony to unbelievers that they have been saved. The Jerusalem church then sent letters, in the hands of Paul and Barnabas and other chosen men, to all the other churches to confirm James' ruling.

Here read Daniel 9:27 Daniel 12:11 II Thessalonians 2:4
In the 9th chapter of Daniel, the prophet predicts that the last seven years of this sinful world system would be called the Tribulation period. This Tribulation period will be divided into two halves of 3 and 1\2 years each. The second half will be called the Great Tribulation. In the middle of this Tribulation period, Daniel prophesies that some wicked man who evidently holds some political and/or religious power will commit some sort of abominable act that will cause a desolation. Then this wicked man and the desolate will be consumed.

In the second chapter of II Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul wrote about this wicked man whom he called the "man of sin," "the son of perdition," and the "Wicked one." This "Wicked one" must be the same person that Daniel wrote about because Paul wrote that he and his followers would be "consumed" and "destroyed," and so did Daniel. Also, Paul wrote that this "man of sin" will sit in the temple of God and declare himself to be God, which will certainly be an abominable act. Although Daniel does not directly write that the Messiah will destroy him, Paul states that the Lord will destroy him.

In the 4th verse of the second chapter, Paul describes the abominable act of the "Wicked one." He will go into the "temple of God" and sit and claim to be God. His false claim will mark the beginning of the Great Tribulation.

Therefore, at that time, there must exist an actual temple building for him to go into and make his false claim. Also, the church age must end before the Tribulation period can begin, and the church age ends with the Rapture. Therefore, Christ must build the third temple at some time subsequent to the Rapture and prior to the Great Tribulation. However, since the Rapture of the church will once again focus God's attention on the nation of Israel, one suspects that Christ will build His third temple immediately following the Rapture.