Friday, September 16, 2011

WHO WILL BUILD THE THIRD TEMPLE? part three

Here read Psalms 127:1
While this verse, no doubt, constitutes a statement about the continuous failures of mankind to accomplish anything of eternal value; it could also be considered a prophecy about an actual future house that the Lord will build.

Again and again in scripture, God allows man to try first to accomplish something of eternal value and when he fails; God takes over and succeeds. Where Adam sinned, the Lord Jesus Christ took over and led a sinless life. Where Israel failed to keep the law and establish a righteous nation, Jesus created a righteous people by purchasing and sanctifying His church with His own blood. Many other examples of this pattern occur in scripture.

This pattern also applies to the building of the first and second temples. Man built them both and man destroyed them both. These temples symbolized man's failure to establish a righteous nation on the earth. Taking this into account, then it stands to reason that God should succeed in building an eternal temple that would stand as a symbol of the success of His Son in establishing a righteous people through His death, burial and resurrection.

Here read John 19:30 Hebrews 1:1-3 Ephesians 2:8-9
Jesus' success in establishing a righteous nation where man failed also applies to each individual member of His church. No man can save himself, or even cooperate with God in his own salvation. Any attempt to do so always ends in complete failure.

Through His death, burial and resurrection, Jesus alone accomplished man's salvation. His blood has been provided to wash away every person's sins. His burial has been provided to take away each person's sins. His resurrection has been provided to justify repentant sinners and to give them His very own eternal life. He also sits at the right hand of the Father to intercede for penitent sinners. Any sinner who hears, or reads, or remembers the gospel and who realizes that he is completely lost and cannot save himself; and who humbles himself to God and puts his complete trust in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on his behalf, will experience the miracle of being born again.
Here read John 3:3

Here read Ezekiel 37:26-28
Beginning at verse 15, Ezekiel prophesies that God will gather the children of Israel from the heathen where they have been scattered, and that He will reestablish the nation of Israel. This prophecy was wonderfully fulfilled on May 15, 1948.

At some time in the future, God will establish an "everlasting covenant" with Israel and "David my servant" will be their king. "David my servant" is another Old Testament name for the Messiah.

God promises to cleanse them of their sins, to sanctify them, and to establish them as a nation forever. Since only the blood of Jesus can cleanse from sin, and only the Holy Spirit can sanctify anyone; then this "everlasting covenant" must be the same as the New Testament one provided by the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God also promises Israel that He will "set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore," and that this sanctuary will be a testament to the heathen that God has sanctified Israel. This promise can only mean that God, in the form of the Messiah the Lord Jesus Christ, will personally build the third temple of God in Jerusalem.

Here read Amos 9:11
Amos's prophecy obviously has a double meaning. The first one is that God will reestablish the nation of Israel.

The second meaning seems to indicate, by the verbs that are used such as "raise" and "build," that God will personally build the third temple to replace the first two that fell due to man's failures.

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