A Temple WILL BE BUILT in Jerusalem Before Messiah Returns

In 1993, there was a great controversy between the former Chief Sephardic Rabbi Mordechai Eliahu and Rabbi Yisrael Ariel who heads the Temple Institute, concerning whether it is the responsibility of Jews to build a third Temple or whether the Temple will be brought down from heaven when the Messiah comes. Rabbi Ariel stated that the commandment obligates every Jewish man and woman to rebuild the Temple.

The commandment referred to are the 613 commandments of Judaism. Rambam (Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, also called Maimonides, 1135-1204 AD) listed the building of the Bais Hamikdash as one of the 613 commandments of the Torah. Since a commandment implies a deed performed by man, then it is obvious that the Rambam maintains that the Temple will be built by man. Mr. Israel Eldad, historian, was quoted in TIME magazine after the 1967 war when Jerusalem was captured, as saying, "From the time that David captured Jerusalem until the building of the Temple it was but one generation; so it shall be with us."

Meanwhile, Rabbi Eliahu began teaching that the Temple need not be rebuilt, but that the Temple would descend from heaven when the Messiah comes. Rabbi Ariel asserted that Rabbi Eliahu was relying on the Apocrypha and Revelations for support of his view that the Temple need not be rebuilt. So the debate rages on among the orthodox Jews, whether or not the Temple should be built by this generation.

The Temple Foundation has been soliciting donations to build the Temple since the 1970's. Later, at least two yeshivas (training schools for rabbi's) began indexing people who are descended from the priests and levites to train to conduct Temple services and rituals. Yeshiva Torat Haim and Yeshiva Aterit Cohanim both train students in Temple practices and have since the mid 1980's in Jerusalem. The Temple Institute has sponsored the creation of musical instruments, and the implements to be used in the Temple. Behind the scenes, these and many other organizations have laid the groundwork for a 3rd Temple to be constructed in very short order and be fully operational. Once construction of the 3rd Temple begins, all these opposition views will quickly melt away as Jews around the world realize that this is their opportunity to participate in an historic event, the rebuilding of the Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. It is the purpose of this article to provide the scriptural basis for the rebuilding of a literal Temple in Jerusalem before Messiah returns, and since this article is written by a Christian, it will include references from both the Tanakh (Old Testament) and New Testament of the Bible.

The 42 months are the last 3.5 years of the end-times 7 year period, and confirm the two corresponding proof texts from the book of Daniel. It is my opinion (God my Father has not told me) that the Temple will be built soon in the area to the north of the Dome of the Rock, with the most holy place of the Temple over the area now occupied by the small cupola called the Dome of the Spirits. It may take UN control or Vatican control of the Temple Mount to allow construction of the Temple without starting a war in the Middle East. Logically, a solution would be not to disturb the Dome of the Rock or the nearby Al Aqsa mosque, but allow construction of a Jewish Temple in the unused area north of the Dome of the Rock. That solution would allow separation of Jews and Moslems on the Temple Mount. Only time will tell and we are likely to see a solution soon and the rebuilding of the Temple, a sure sign of the end-times period beginning