The following section shows that prophecies in the Bible point to the existence of a
rebuilt Temple during the Tribulation and another one during the millennial reign of Christ.
A Third Temple during the Tribulation
Jesus’ mentioned the future desecration of a temple in Jerusalem at the mid-point of the
Tribulation (Matthew 24:15-22). He said it would be the ―abomination of desolation‖ that was
predicted by Daniel (Daniel 9:24-27). This is part of Daniel’s vision about a period of time
described as “seventy sevens” (or weeks), which amounts to 490 years. The first 483 years (69
times 7) were fulfilled exactly on the day that Jesus entered the City of Jerusalem riding on a
donkey, and offering himself as king. According to Daniel’s vision, there is yet to come a
seventieth week, the last seven years, which is separated from the others. The Man of Sin, who is
called the “ruler who will come” in Daniel 9:26, will make a treaty with Israel to protect her for
seven years, but will break the covenant in the middle of the treaty. See Chapter 8 – Believers
during the Coming Tribulation.
The Apostle Paul speaks of this same event (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4) and calls the
desecrator “the man of sin.”
Thirdly, seeing ahead into the distant future, the aged Apostle John wrote about this same
Temple, which has never yet been built (Revelation 11:1-2; 13:14-15).
This subject is explored more fully in Chapter 11 – The Great Tribulation.
Location of the Future Temple
Since the Bible teaches that the Temple will be rebuilt, and it is obvious that it must be in
the general area of the Temple Mount, there is much speculation about exactly where the Temple
might be situated. There are several possibilities for the place where the Temple will be rebuilt.
Here are the main theories, summarized briefly. Detailed information on all these theories is
found on the Temple Mount web site.93
– Where the Dome of the Rock stands
That the First and Second Temples stood where the Dome of the Rock now stands is the
traditional, conventional view. Former Jerusalem District Archaeologist Dan Bahat represents
this point of view with considerable authority and knowledge. Everyone used to assume that the
Dome of The Rock had to be torn down before the Temple could be built, because the rock was
thought to be either the place of the Holy of Holies or of the Altar of Sacrifice. However, it is
unthinkable to Muslims to have anyone harm or destroy this shrine without bringing the greatest
of all jihads, or “holy wars,” by all of Israel’s Muslim neighbors.
– North of the Dome of the Rock
This theory, proposed by Physicist Asher Kauffman, suggests that the new Temple could
be built north of the Dome of The Rock without tearing it down. Asher Kaufman is a faculty
member in physics at Hebrew University and a devout observant Jew who was born in Scotland.
He has explored the Temple Mount more than 100 times since 1974.
This view is based on the known location of the Eastern Gate (“The Golden Gate”), the
location of the Dome of the Tablets, and various alignments of ancient stones on the Mount. Due
East of the Dome of the Tablets is the Eastern Gate, which may have been the very gate Jesus
entered when he offered himself as Messiah and was ultimately rejected by the religious
authorities of Jerusalem. It is thought to be the gate of the future coming of Messiah into
Jerusalem, so the Turkish Muslims walled it up completely in the hopes of keeping this prophecy
from being fulfilled. Verification of the ancient position of the Eastern Gate was made recently
with the discovery of an arch from an older gate directly below the existing one. The older gate
may even date back to the time of Solomon. The Dome of The Tablets is a cupola, also called
Dome of the Spirits in Arabic.
Whether or not there are other ancient gates in the East wall is not known because of the
depth of the rubble in the area, and a Muslim cemetery conveniently located along the Eastern
wall, both to stop excavation there and to deter a holy priest such as Messiah from entering the
area from that direction. Muslim, Christian and Jewish cemeteries are found all along the Kidron
Valley and up the adjacent Mount of Olives. All three religions have traditions about the
resurrection of the dead and the last judgment being located there. That dreadful day is
described in Joel‘s prophecy ({Joel 3:1-21). The newly discovered Western Gate, underneath the
present city is also interesting since it is on the same basic line that could be drawn through the
temple area.
This theory would place the Dome of The Rock in the outer court, the Court of The
Gentiles. Perhaps this is why Revelation 11:1-2 says:
I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the
altar, and count the worshipers there. 2But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it
has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.
This could be the key to peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Both want Jerusalem
for their capitals. Both want control of the Temple area. If an agreement could be made to allow
the Palestinians to have a part of Jerusalem, including the portion of the Temple Mount where
their holy places stand, and Israel would have the rest of Jerusalem, including the place where
they can build the Temple, the peace process might be completed.
– South of the Dome of the Rock
This view is advocated by Tuvia Sagiv in his paper “The Hidden Secrets of The Temple
Mount,”94 1992. Chuck Missler also considers this theory credible.
95 Factors discussed by these
scholars include:
● Ancient accounts that the Temple was visible from certain places, not from others, suggest that
it was further south at a slightly lower altitude.
● Aerial infrared pictures of the Dome of The Rock show a pentagonal structure below the
shrine, raising the possibility that this was part of the Antonia Fortress, which was north of the
Temple. Pentagonal structures were uncommon in Israel, and when found have occultic
significance, so the site of the Dome of the Rock may have been a Canaanite High Place and a
shrine to Ashtoreth.
● There is reason to believe the caves under the Dome may have been an ancient burial site in
which case a holy temple could never have been built there.
One big problem with this view is that it would place the Temple between the Dome of
The Rock and the Mosque of Al-Aqsa, which would be more awkward than if it were built on
the north. Sagiv’s historical research suggests that Hadrian rebuilt Jerusalem rather thoroughly
after excluding the Jews so that the buildings on the Temple Mount may reflect more of
Hadrian’s work than that of Herod the Great.
