(Well, two, actually. I’ll expand on that later.)
Welcome back, readers!
One of the loudest ticks on the last hour clock is Israel preparing to re-build the temple.
After looking into it myself, I think this will be at least a two-post subject, because there are a few aspects of it that make it exciting and relevant to Bible prophecy:
- The Bible strongly alludes to a temple physically being there while Israel is gathered in unbelief.
- The Temple Institute: In Israel they are making all of the preparations to re-build the temple.
- The spiritual condition of national Israel: both at this moment and when a third temple is alluded to in Bible prophecy.
Let’s start with what the Bible says (makes sense in a blog about Bible prophecy, right?), because what’s more relevant than what God Himself tells us?
What does the Bible say about the next Jewish temple in Jerusalem?
The most exciting passage is in Daniel 9.
But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. {9:27b}
Now keep in mind the “sacrifice and offering” bit while we look at the context.
Verses 24 through 27 of Daniel chapter 9 are the 30,000-foot overview of Israel’s future from Daniel’s time until the rule of the Messiah on earth. There are two aspects we need to look at before it becomes clear that verse 27b is talking about a rebuilt temple in unbelieving Israel: time and events.
The Time in Daniel 9: 70 Weeks
Gabriel, God’s messenger (a.k.a. angel), comes to Daniel during his service in the Persian empire, while Israel and Judah are exiled from their land. The first temple built by King Solomon had been destroyed by Babylon in 587 B.C. This was not long after the official, God-promised 70-year exile of Judah from the land of Israel had begun (that being 589 B.C.).
Now jump ahead 51 years, which brings us to Daniel 9 (“In the first year of Darius,” vs. 1). The prophesied 70 years of Israel’s captivity, spoken of in Jeremiah, is nearing its end, so God tells Daniel what is coming next for “your people and your holy city” (vs. 24):
24 “Seventy weeks are determined…
To finish the transgression,
To make an end of sins,
To make reconciliation for iniquity,
To bring in everlasting righteousness,
To seal up vision and prophecy,
And to anoint the Most Holy.
25 “Know therefore and understand,
That from the going forth of the command
To restore and build Jerusalem
Until Messiah the Prince,
There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;
The street shall be built again, and the wall,
Even in troublesome times.
26 “And after the sixty-two weeks
Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;
And the people of the prince who is to come
Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end of it shall be with a flood,
And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
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.”
- Verse 24 tells us the purpose of these 70 weeks (actually, “sevens” would be a more precise translation): to deal with the sins of Israel and reconcile them to God, and to bring in the righteous kingdom of God.
- Verse 25 tells us when those 70 sevens begin: the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. This is recorded in Nehemiah 2: on the 1st of the Jewish month of Nisan (our 14th of March), 445 B.C., Artaxerxes sends Nehemiah to Jerusalem with letters of permission to use the forests to rebuild the gates and the walls.
- Verse 25 also tells us when the first part of the 70 sevens ends: when Messiah the Prince comes. 490 360-day Jewish years after the command to rebuild Jerusalem, Jesus of Nazareth rides into Jerusalem, hailed as the coming King – the 10th of Nisan, 32 A.D. (our 6th of April). (This would be what is referred to as “the triumphal entry,” which is recorded in Matthew and Luke.)
- The Lord Jesus even points out that this is a significant day that the Jews should have recognized: “‘If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace!'” Luke 19:42 (emphasis added by me).
[I deliberately said “the first part of the 70 sevens,” because there is obviously a gap between the seven and sixty-two sevens of verse 25 and the one seven in verse 27.]
In that gap certain things happen: Messiah the Prince is cut off, and the people of the prince who is to come destroy the city and sanctuary. Now the Bible tells us all about Messiah being cut off (the crucifixion accounts, plus Isaiah 53), and history recorded outside the Bible is very vivid in it’s account of how Jerusalem and the second temple were destroyed in 70 A.D. by the Romans. But we must remember that these two things are not a part of the 70 sevens.
{Book recommendation alert: Daniel’s Prophecy of the 70 Weeks by Dr. Alva McClain – check it out for a shorter, digestible, and enlightening study of the 70 weeks!}
Look closely at verse 27: “Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week [h]e shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.“
Then… a very important word when you’re working with timing.
So far, Daniel’s only been told about sixty two plus seven sevens, but God originally said (in verse 24) that there would be 70 of them. What’s happened to that last week?
Then…
Then what?: he (the prince that shall come, verse 26) shall confirm a covenant with many (of your people, verse 24) for one seven.
There it is!
This week, which is coming after Messiah is cut off and the city and sanctuary are destroyed, is still coming. Why do I emphasize ‘sanctuary’? Because this verse is talking about the second temple, built in Nehemiah’s time and destroyed by Rome.
So where are the sacrifices and offerings of verse 27 happening?
In the third temple.
The Events in Daniel’s 70 Weeks
I’ve already covered a lot of the events side, because the time is marked by the events, but there are still some things to look at.
What happens in those 70 sevens?
- There is a command to restore and rebuild the street and wall of Jerusalem.
- The remnant in Israel builds up the city under Nehemiah (this, plus the building of a second temple, are recorded in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah)
- Messiah the Prince comes at the end of 69 sevens.
- After the 69 sevens:
- Messiah is cut off.
- The people of the prince who is to come destroy the city and sanctuary.
- Then the 70th seven begins with the confirmation of a covenant made by “the prince who is to come” and “the many” of Daniel’s people. In the middle of the seven the prince will bring an end to sacrifice and offering and make desolate with abominations.
- Then the determined consummation will come from God, being poured out on the prince who caused desolation.
- When it is all over and the 70 sevens end:
- Transgressions and sins will be ended.
- Reconciliation will be made for iniquity.
- Everlasting righteousness will be brought in with the anointing of the articles of the temple, sealing up vision and prophecy.
What about the third temple?
Now that we’ve looked at the context, can you see a third temple in this passage? Do you see why there has to be one?
It has to be a third temple – as opposed to the last temple – in Daniel 9:27, because the second one was (and still is) destroyed, and, until the world sees Jesus Christ riding a white horse in the clouds, we won’t get the temple promised by God to be built in His kingdom on earth.
Okay, I’ve realized that I now need to mention another coming temple here. To avoid confusion, particularly when you’re reading Ezekiel, there will be a temple in the millennial kingdom after Jesus Christ returns to earth as King in the second coming. It’s hard to miss the description of a new temple in chapters 40-48.
This is often referred to as the fourth temple or millennial temple by Bible prophecy teachers.
It is fair to ask: How do we know that this isn’t the one referred to in Daniel 9? Because the one in Ezekiel squares with everything the Old Testament tells us about the kingdom of God on earth: that Israel will possess all of the land God’s promised her (Eze. 48), Israel will be where God’s throne is and where the soles of His feet will be (Eze. 43:7), God will be in the midst of His people, there will be peace for Israel and peace in the world – God will be ruling when this temple is built. This happens once the 70 sevens are fulfilled, and the “everlasting righteousness” has been brought in.
Does bringing an end to sacrifices and offerings in the temple, and someone committing abominations and desolations in the temple sound like a time when God is ruling the earth from His throne in Jerusalem?
Daniel 9:27 is a different time. And a different temple.
Jesus Talks About a Third Temple
Now would be a good time to look at Matthew 24, because Jesus Christ actually speaks about Daniel 9:27.
“‘Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place’ (whoever reads, let him understand), ‘then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.'” {Matthew 24:15-16}
The reference to Daniel is hard to miss, but did you catch a reference to a temple, there? Where, exactly, is “the holy place”?
Look no further than Exodus 28-29, Leviticus 16, 1 Kings 8… for references to “the holy place.” It’s a clear reference to the temple (or tabernacle), where God is worshiped by Israel.
And it’s helpful to note that it is the same temple that Daniel is referencing, which is the third temple. Which is why an “abomination of desolation” is in this temple. Remember the one causing desolations in Daniel 9:27, the prince? Jesus is actually speaking about that very event when he brings an end to sacrifice and offerings in the middle of the last seven.
Then He brings to light another important part of the prophecy, previously unknown, which adds to the identity and character of “the prince”: when the Jews see this happen, run – because the prince has betrayed them, declaring himself to be God.
What’s the big deal about a third temple?
Well, I’ll leave the long answer for the next post, but the short answer is: it is an integral part of future Bible prophecy, and the possibility that it will be built soon is becoming more and more, well, possible. Which means we should be ever the more expectant of the Lord’s return for His church – at any moment!
So, in the next post I will look more in depth at the exciting (from a prophetic point of view) developments in Israel, mostly connected to The Temple Institute.
Thanks for reading! And remember you can find me at Generation 23:00 on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Anchor, Rumble, YouTube and Telegram, and Anna.gen2300 on Instagram to keep up with me and the truly amazing promises I’m always finding in God’s word!
I’ll catch you next time – unless the Rapture comes first.
Generation 23:00 
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