Emet Ministries

Tens of thousands of Israeli Jews gathered at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City on Tuesday to mark ‘Tisha B'Av’ (the ninth day of the Hebrew month of ‘Av’) and publicly mourn the destruction of Israel's two temples. Millions more Jews from Israel and around the world joined in by reciting prayers of lamentation.
Rabbi Chaim Richman, director of the ‘Temple Institute of Jerusalem’, said that the time has come to stop mourning and to turn ‘Tisha B'Av’ into a day of yearning and anticipatory prayer, especially in light of the rebirth of the State of Israel; and to use ‘Tisha B’Av’ as a day of inspiration and motivation to rebuild the third temple.

Rabbi Richman noted that, while at least half of all Israelis want the temple to be rebuilt, there are others who insist that the time has not yet come to rebuild the temple and that the temple is a thing of the past. However, he concluded that “the building of the holy temple is a process that has begun and is now unstoppable”

To mark the day of ‘Tisha B’Av’, the Knesset TV Channel conducted a survey asking Israelis if they desire the building of a third temple. 49 percent said they do. Only 23 percent said they do not want a third temple.
However, 48 percent said they don't think the State of Israel should take active steps to reclaim control of the Temple Mount and build a third temple there. Israelis across the board fear the hostile and violent international and Muslim reaction that such a move would certainly evoke.
The Muslim authorities that today control the Temple Mount play off those fears, and Jews are rarely allowed to visit the site. Jews and Christians alike are forbidden to utter prayers or carry Bibles atop the Temple Mount.

So, will the third temple ever be rebuilt? This is a question that is often asked of me.

Let’s have a look at some theories: Since the destruction of the second temple in AD 70, religious Jews have expressed their desire to see the building of a third temple on the Temple Mount.
In every prayer service, Orthodox Jewish prayers include a prayer for the reconstruction of the temple and the resumption of sacrifices. The Morning Prayer service also includes a study session of the daily temple ritual and offerings as a reminder, including detailed study of the animal sacrifices and incense offerings. Following the weekday ‘Torah’ readings, there is a prayer to "restore the House of our lives and to cause the ‘Shekhinah’ (Divine Presence) to dwell among us".

Artistic impression of the third Temple

Israel currently restricts access by Jews to the Temple Mount on both religious and political grounds. Many religious authorities, including the Chief Rabbinate, interpret Jewish law as prohibiting entering the area to prevent inadvertently entering and desecrating forbidden areas as the temple area is regarded as still retaining its full sanctity and restrictions.
Moreover, political authorities, concerned about past violent clashes at the Temple Mount including one which inaugurated the Palestinian ‘Intifada’, seek to reduce the likelihood of further violent confrontations between Jewish religious activists and Muslims worshipping at the mosques, which could further damage the area's delicate archeological and political fabric.

What is the Christian view on the rebuilding of the temple?
While there are a number of differing views amongst Christianity with regard to the significance or the requirement of a third temple being built in Jerusalem, most believe that the New Covenant spoken of in Jeremiah 31:31-34 is marked by the indwelling of the ‘Ruach Hakodesh’ (Holy Spirit) in the believer and that, as such, the body is the temple. The Apostle Paul illustrates this in his letter to the believers at Corinth: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.”

However, there are certain Christian groups who do believe in the importance of a future rebuilt temple. Many Evangelical Christians believe that New Testament prophecies associated with the Jewish temple, such as Matthew 24-25 and 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, were not completely fulfilled during the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 and that these prophecies refer to a future temple. Some believe that the third temple will be rebuilt when the Anti-Christ, often identified as the political leader of a trans-national alliance such as the European Union or the United Nations, secures a peace treaty between the modern nation of Israel and its Muslim neighbors. The Anti-Christ later uses the temple as a venue for proclaiming himself as G-D and the long-awaited Messiah, demanding worship from humanity.

SO will the temple be rebuilt? I don’t know.
What I DO know is that those living under the Law of Moses were susceptible to continual defilement – through childbirth, emissions, contact with the dead, with lepers and with women during their menstruations. Under the Law, the entire course of life from birth to death is defiling. That the temple of the Mosaic Covenant was itself prone to contamination is clear from the fact that it could not admit women, lepers and Gentiles into its inner parts. The Law of Moses could never permanently cleanse those who came to worship, nor could its temple serve as a sacred dwelling place of G-D among men.
The sinless Messiah, Yeshua, on the other hand, is the incorruptible Temple of G-D. Yeshua works on a principle opposite to that found in the Law. He lovingly touched lepers and corpses in the full confidence of his absolute holiness. Life and healing flowed naturally from Him who could never be rendered unclean. Knowing this, a woman dared even to touch him in secret, though she had been bleeding for twelve years.
Being incorruptible, it is through this Temple that G-D has ordained to reconcile all things unto Himself and it is this Temple that we need to focus on – His name is Yeshua - JOHN 2:19-21: “Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." 20 Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?" 21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body.”
 
Yet some people deny Him; they scoff at Him and they refuse to enter into this glorious Temple of forgiveness, redemption and salvation that is, by far, greater than any temple made of bricks and stone – Matthew  12:6: “Yet I, Yeshua, say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple.”

For any Jew or Gentile reading this, I want to share the following with you: Scripture tells us that only through Yeshua can we obtain the forgiveness of sin and eternal life in heaven – another word for this is ‘salvation’.
Acts 4:10-12 declares: “let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.' Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

Salvation comes through a personal intimate relationship with Yeshua.
This personal, intimate relationship comes by CONFESSING your sins, REPENTING of them, receiving the forgiveness of G-D, inviting Yeshua to become Lord of your life, and a commitment to follow and serve Him all the days of your life.
And it begins with a short, simple prayer found at the end of this article.      

JEWISH PEOPLE

To my Jewish brothers and sisters of the flesh this applies to you as well.
You are NOT saved by the covenant G-D made with Abraham or by the fact that Jews are “the chosen people”. You are NOT saved through the writings of the Rabbis and the Sages; neither are you saved by going to ‘Shul’ (synagogue), doing good works and charitable deeds. All these things are good, but they will NOT get you to heaven.
Without Yeshua, you are destined for an eternity in Hades – and this breaks my heart for you. You see, the ONLY way to attain the forgiveness of sin and eternal life in heaven is through Yeshua.

Now most Jews are waiting for the return of ‘Mashiach’, and whether you want to believe it or not, His name is Yeshua.
How do we know this? Yeshua fulfilled ALL that was prophesied about Him in the Old Testament.
I encourage you; read and study the following OLD TESTAMENT scriptures which all speak of Yeshua: Deuteronomy 18:18, Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 9:6-7, Isaiah 50:6, Isaiah 52-53, Psalm 22:11-18, Daniel 9:25-26 and Zechariah 12:10-11.  
These scriptures are all found in the ‘Tenach’.
Yeshua was born Jewish; He had a ‘brith’ (circumcision); He had a ‘bar mitzvah’; He went to ‘shul’ (synagogue); He was a Rabbi and He is, in fact, the most famous Rabbi who ever lived; He died Jewish; He was buried in a Jewish tomb; He was resurrected a Jew; He is in heaven right now, a Jew; and on that glorious day when He returns to Jerusalem and stands with His feet on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 13:4), He will return a Jew.
Leviticus 17:11 declares that the only way to the forgiveness of sin and eternal life in heaven is through the sacrificial system and the shedding of blood - “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.”
However there is no more temple, therefore there is no sacrificial system. If there is no sacrificial system then there is no shedding of blood. How, then, can you make atonement for your soul?

Scripture records that Yeshua became the perfect sacrifice when He died on the cross, shedding every last drop of His blood, thus taking our sins upon Himself, guaranteeing all who believe in His death and resurrection, and who invite Him to become Lord of their lives, eternal life in heaven.
I would never ask you to stop being Jewish and follow another religion; I do, however, want to encourage you to have a personal, intimate relationship with the ‘Mashiach’ - Yeshua. Accepting Yeshua as ‘Mashiach’ does not stop you from being Jewish. You were born Jewish, you have a Jewish ‘neshama’ (soul) and you will die Jewish; and if you accept Yeshua as your Saviour, you will spend eternity in heaven, Jewish. You can do this by praying the Prayer of Salvation found at the end of this article.
Please feel free to call us if you have any questions or if you would like to discuss this; our number is 082 571 6653. If you are calling from outside South Africa, dial +27 82 571 6653.
IN CONCLUSION

Will you enter into a covenant relationship with Yeshua, commit your life to Him and allow Him to be Lord of your life – HE is the TRUE Temple of G-D.
Please feel free to e-mail us or call us if you have any questions or queries.
Also, please contact us if you have committed or recommitted your life to Yeshua. We would love to pray with you and encourage you in your new found faith.
We love you.
Shalom.
Scripture of the week: JOHN 2:15-21: “When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables. 16 And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!" 17 Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up." 18 So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?" 19 Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." 20 Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?" 21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body.”