The Prophecy Of The Third Temple

 The original temple built by King Solomon around 950 BC was destroyed around 587 BC by the Babylonians. The second temple, which was rebuilt by the Jews after their return from the Babylonian captivity around 515 BC. This one was destroyed by the Romans around 70 AD. 

As a Christian, we know that Christ paid the price required by God for sin when He died on the cross. During his earthly ministry, He prophesied that the temple would be destroyed.

Mark 13:2- And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

The idea of a rebuilt Third Temple is sacred in Judaism, particularly to Orthodox Jews, as it is believed that it will occur in tandem with the arrival of the Messiah, and only then will the sacrificial practices of the First and Second Temple be reinstated.

Orthodox Jews don't believe that Jesus was their Messiah. They won't read any of the New Testament of the Bible, and still think that the Messiah has not yet come.

The notion of a rebuilt Temple, on top of  what many call the Temple Mount, has been a core part of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Many believe that the site called the Temple Mount is where the original first and second temple stood. Several organizations, usually representing a small group of Orthodox Jews, have been formed with the objective of constructing the Third Temple in the present day. These organizations include the Temple Institute, which has made several items they say will be used in the Temple when it is established.

First, we should take note that what is called the Temple Mount is not where the original temples actually stood. Jesus prophesied that not one stone would be left of the original buildings in the city of David.

When Titus came to view the conquered city he said, "We have certainly had God for our assistant in this war, and it was no other than God who ejected the Jews out of these fortifications; for what could the hands of men, or any machines, do towards overthrowing these towers!"

According to Flavius Josephus, an historian and military leader, Titus gave orders to destroy the entire city and temple, leaving only the towers standing. In his words, " it was so thoroughly laid even with the ground by those that dug it up to the foundation, that there was left nothing to make those that came thither believe it [Jerusalem] had ever been inhabited."

The Bible clearly tells us in Daniel that the temple would be rebuilt. This was prophesied during the time of the destruction of the first temple.

Daniel 11:31- And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.

All throughout the Jews history, prophets have told them not to make any idols. Beginning with Moses and the ten commandments, it was written that there were to be no images that were worshiped. When the Hebrews split into two nations because of King Solomon's apostasy, they both fell into the habit of worshiping idols- the Samaritans worshiped the golden calves that Jeroboam set up in Bethel and Dan, along with the false idols of those around them, and the Israelites of Judah began worshiping the same false idols along with the queen of heaven and Tammuz (Babylonian religion false gods) which Jeremiah prophesied against.

This is why the temple was destroyed the first time.

When Jesus was rejected as the Jews Messiah, Paul was called to take the gospel of the forgiveness of sins to the Gentiles. 

Acts 13:46- Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

The Jews tried to revolt against the Roman's rule and eventually this led to the destruction of both the city of Jerusalem and the second temple, as Jesus prophesied.

For the last two millenia, there has been no temple. The Jewish nation didn't come back to the area until the late 1800's AD, early 1900's AD. And still, after 100 years there is no temple though the preparations have been made.

Jesus echoed the prophecy of Daniel in Mark 13:14- But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:

There will be rebuilding of the third temple. But, it won't be the Messiah that comes to it. It will be the antiChrist. He will create an image (WARNING) that he will expect the world to worship. This is what will prove that he is not the long awaited Messiah- because the real Messiah would NEVER go against the God given law of Moses and tell them to worship an image.

Right now, we have the blessing of being able to simply ask Jesus to forgive us of our sins and we will be accepted as pure in God's eyes. But when the antiChrist is on the scene, the rules change- it will take faith in Jesus and works by keeping the law of Moses.

There isn't much time left, the time of the Gentiles is almost over, and everything is prepared for the time of Jacob's trouble.

Jeremiah 30:3- For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.

The Jewish people are back in their native homeland. This prophecy of Jeremiah has been fulfilled. The rest of the prophecy is at hand.

Jeremiah 30:5-7- For thus saith the LORD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

Being A Good Steward

 Nothing turns people against each other faster than mishandled money. I have seen it affect churches, families, and friends. People who you thought would go through anything with someone else abruptly end the relationship because of this one thing!

Luke 12:42- And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?

A faithful and wise steward is someone who handles accounts well. They are in charge of paying bills, grocery shopping, feeding the family, scheduling, and all the other little things that are required to make the household or business operate smoothly.

Titus 1:7- For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;

Many churches are hung up on "the pastor of one wife" (I Timothy 3) meaning that a person can't be a pastor if they've been divorced. However, they look over the other listed qualifications as though they aren't really that important. If a person isn't apt to teach, they shouldn't be holding the office of a pastor. If they can't control the children living in their house, then they shouldn't be in charge of a congregation. And if they are given to filthy lucre (greedy for material goods) they should step down from a position of authority.

Does this mean that only a pastor should have to be a good steward? Not at all! All of God's disciples should be a good steward with what He has put under their hand. This could be a church, or a household, or a business, or a ministry, etc.

I Corinthians 4:1- Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.

We will all stand before God and give an account of how we used the things He gave us while we were on this earth. If we want to be considered a wise steward then we will learn how to manage what He has provided.

The word "manage" is the key. You'll almost never find an accountant without a bookkeeping software. They use these spreadsheets and programs to keep track of incoming monies and outgoing debts. And, we can learn a lot from how they utilize these programs.

The first step in management is to have everything in order. If you are building a house then you need a checklist of steps that you can tick off when you've accomplished them. You're not going to get a house built without a permit. You won't get a permit without proper paperwork being submitted to the correct oversight committee. And, before you can submit the proper paperwork you need surveys and plans. Everything done in the proper order.

I Corinthians 14:40- Let all things be done decently and in order.

So, how do we begin? By writing it down. You can purchase a planner or even a notebook for this- I personally like Homemaker's Friend.

If you are scheduling things, make sure you have a calendar where you can write the appointment, address, and time while also making note of who the appointment is for, who needs to be there, and any special paperwork or documents that you may need to bring.

 

This is by far the easiest way to keep things scheduled and on-track without over planning or double booking. What types of things would you need a planner for? Well, vacations, home improvement work, play dates, doctor appointments, and anything where you need to make certain you are where you need to be on time.

If you are the one who makes the meals and does the shopping, then you should take the time to create a menu (I have about 5 weeks of menus that I've created where I can choose meals from so we get a good variety). After you have your menu, then you create your shopping list.

Go through your recipes and cabinets and write down anything that you need to buy that you don't have on hand. Don't forget breakfast and lunch items! If you are on a strict budget, then you're going to want to enter all the items in the cart on the Walmart shopping app to get an idea of how much your groceries will cost you. You can then adjust your menu or go for some store-brand items to save money. Only buy what is on your list!

If you are in charge of finances, then you will have a few more steps. 

The first step is to list out all of your debts with the approximate monthly amounts in the order that they are due. Then, you will decide which paycheck those bills will get paid from.

Example:

Hubby's Check #1 ($1,300)

• Tithe
• Groceries
• Phones
• Internet
• Electric

Wife's Check #1 ($500)

• Credit Cards
• Tithe

Hubby's Check #2 ($1,300)

• Mortgage
• Groceries

Wife's Check #2 ($500)

• Utilities
• Insurance

Now that I know where each bill will get paid from, and how to pay so that they aren't late, I have my basic budget format. Now, all I do is write down when the checks come in, how much they are, and what was paid.

You can create your own or just use a notebook. Write down when it was paid, how much was paid, and your confirmation number or the check number you used to pay it.

The picture above is my personal monthly budget template. I write how much our checks are in the "Income" portion at the top, how much our bills are and how and when I paid them in the "Bills" portion in the middle, and then any extra that goes to savings or other accounts in the lower "Savings" portion. I've also put a notes section at the very bottom where I can write down things like "had the septic tank emptied on this date for this amount" or any other things that aren't general monthly items.

It will take about 3 months of doing this consistently to actually get in the groove of it, but once you do it takes literally about 30 minutes each week to finalize and tweak my budget as needed. Any additional income that's over what I've allocated either goes to savings or to the unusual expenses that happen (like emptying the septic tank).

You do not have to be a genius to be a good steward, you just need a little time and organizational skills. I love the Homemaker's Friend planner because it has so many options in one place- monthly layouts for keeping track of birthdays and anniversaries, a weekly layout for scheduling, a place for tasks, information, and projects and events, which can be used for your budget or your menu or anything else you need to have in writing, plus an area for shopping lists.

Do you have to have a planner? No! Like I said earlier, you can use a notebook- just don't lose it!

Also, you’re going to need to learn to save for emergency situations. Start with $1,000. Raise the price according to your needs. An easy way to start saving is with a game.

Your testimony is not only what you say or wear or even what church you attend it's what you do in life that others can see and what you still do even when others can't see, because God sees it all! 

Acts 24:16- And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.

Hebrews 3:5- And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;

II Corinthians 1:12- For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.

What is your testimony to those around you? How do your neighbors and other members of your church see you? How about your testimony when it comes to your banker and bill collectors? It does matter!

Babylon's First AntiChrist

 

Throughout church history there have been many attempts to identify the Antichrist. Most of these attempts have been the result of someone believing two things: (1) that they were living in the last days, and (2) that the Antichrist would naturally be associated with one of that day’s enemies of Christianity. This has led many to claim that the Pope is, or will be, the Antichrist. Others have suggested that dictators such as Hitler, Napoleon, or Ceasar were the Antichrist. Some even believe that the Antichrist could be a U.S. President. All such views stem from a lack of scriptural understanding. Yes, the Pope and various world leaders are evil, but the coming Antichrist is far more than evil; he’s the ultimate evil. He’s “that wicked” (II Ths. 2:8), and he’s “the son of perdition” (II Ths. 2:3). I do not think his home will be the White House, the Vatican, Moscow, or Shanghai. I believe God's word directs us elsewhere.

Of the many types of Antichrist found in the Bible, none are found in Europe, East Asia, or the Americas. If you’ll draw a triangle on a mid east map with the three points being Haran, Egypt, and the northern tip of the Persian Gulf, you will have identified the home of the Antichrist. Of eighteen different types of Antichrist in the Bible, all are found in this area. Add a few more men to the list, such as Lamech or some of the wicked kings of Israel, and you’ll still be in the triangle. According to the Bible, the Antichrist will be found in the Middle East. If I am wrong and the Antichrist happens to be a Pope, a UN chief, or a Western or Eastern dictator, then he will still end up in the Middle East, and it is from there that he will rule his short-lived kingdom. The earth’s first sinner was from the Tigris-Euphrates River area (Gen. 2:10-14), and it is there that the tempter first appeared to him. So, that is where Satan will plant his coming “man of sin.”

One of the earliest indicators of this is Nimrod (meaning “the rebel”) who began his kingdom at Babel in the land of Shinar (Gen. 10:8-10). While exalting man and ignoring God, this kingdom became the first united nations movement in history, and it was finally brought to an end by the intervening judgment of God (Gen. 11:1-9). All of this was centered in what is modern day Irag.

Another empire builder was Nebuchadnezzar. Like the “beast” of Revelation, Nebuchadnezzar persecuted Israel, literally became like a beast for seven years (Dan. 4), and he demanded that people worship his image (Dan. 3). Like his ancestor Nimrod, he hung his hat at Babylon.

Sennacherib the Assyrian was an empire builder who persecuted Israel and was judged by the angel of the Lord (II Kgs. 19). His capital city is first mentioned in connection with Nimrod (Gen. 10:8-11), and his kingdom covers much of the same land as Nimrod’s kingdom, including Babylon. In fact, the Holy Spirit connects him with Nimrod in a specific prophecy concerning the Antichrist: “And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.” (Micah 5:5-6) Also see Isaiah 5:10, 14:25, 23:13, 27:13, 52:4, and Jeremiah 50:17.

Haman the Agagite was another grand type of the Antichrist. He had ten sons (Est. 9:10-12), just as the Antichrist will have ten kings (Rev. 17:12), and he was “the adversary and enemy” who sought to exterminate the Jews (Est. 7:6), just as the Antichrist will do (Rev. 12:17). He was from Shushan, the winter home of the Persian kings near the tip of the Persian Gulf (Est. 3:15; 9:12), also a part of the Babylonian and Assyrian empires.

Even many of the Pharaohs of Egypt (including the ones in Genesis and Exodus) were Hyksos (“shepherd kings”) from Syria. Syria fits well within the boundaries of our geographic triangle, and it was part of the Assyrian, Persian, Babylonian, and Roman Empires.

Other types of Antichrist, such as Ahab, Goliath, Jeroboam, Judas, and Saul, are from the land of Israel because the Antichrist makes a covenant with Israel and he ends up defiling Israel’s rebuilt temple (Dan. 9:27; II Ths. 2:3-7). The whole emphasis is on the Middle East, the triangle area that we mentioned earlier.

Even when the Roman rulers Herod and Pontius Pilate come onto the Biblical scene, they are in Israel (in our triangle), not in Rome, and the Herod that murdered the Jewish children (Mat. 2:1-22) was “the son of Antipater, an Idumaean, and Cypros, an Arabian of noble descent.” (Easton’s Bible Dictionary). Contrary to fundamental opinion, all roads do not lead to Rome. They lead to the Middle East and back to Babylon where they began. The wicked Pope of Rome might very well be aligned with the Antichrist, and some have speculated that he could be the False Prophet, but I seriously doubt that the Antichrist himself will be a Pope.

Now, there’s a simple reason for believing in an Antichrist-Babylon connection more than an Antichrist-Rome connection, an Antichrist-Russia connection, or an Antichrist-White House connection. The book that tells us of the Beast and his kingdom of terror also names his city six times (Rev. 14:8; 16:19; 17:5; 18:2; 18:10; 18:21). The city is Babylon, plain and simple. It is not likely some other city that might represent Babylon, and it is not “mystery Babylon,” an unscriptural term (Revelation 17:5 places a comma between the two words, thus changing the meaning altogether. Besides, the word “mystery” isn’t even used with the other five “Babylon” occurrences in Revelation.) Zechariah 5 states that Babylon will be rebuilt, so it appears as a literal rebuilt city in Revelation, and the Beast is closely connected with it (Rev. 17:3, 18).

Is it possible that Revelation's Babylon is not literal Babylon, but rather some other city and kingdom? Yes, it's possible, and some have made some strong arguments for such a case, but it's also possible that it refers to the literal rebuilt city of Babylon as a headquarters for the New World Order of the Antichrist. Larkin believed this nearly a century ago, and I see no good reason to forsake this view, at least not yet. If Oak Ridge Tennessee can see a population increase of 2,500% (from 3,000 to 75,000) in three years (1942-1945), then we shouldn't doubt the possibility of something even greater happening in the 21st century Middle East. I could be wrong, but only time will tell.

-James L Melton

A Token of His Grace (song)

We Give Immortal Praise (poem)

 We give immortal praise to God the Father's love

for all our comforts here, and better hopes above:

he sent his own eternal Son,

to die for sins that man had done.

To God the Son belongs immortal glory too,

who bought us with his blood from everlasting woe:

and now he lives, and now he reigns,

and sees the fruit of all his pains.

To God the Spirit's name immortal worship give,

whose new-creating power makes the dead sinner live:

his work completes the great design,

and fills the soul with joy divine.

Almighty God, to thee be endless honours done,

the undivided Three, and the mysterious One:

where reason fails with all her powers,

there faith prevails, and love adores.

-Isaac Watts

Southern Praline Cake recipe

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

Cake:

1 cup dark brown sugar

4 large eggs

2 cups almond flour

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Icing:

3/4 cup butter

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

4 large eggs yolks

1 large can evaporated milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups pecans, chopped

Grease and flour three nine-inch round cake pans and preheat oven to 350°F

Cream the butter with both white sugar and dark brown sugar until very light and fluffy, then add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Mix the flours with the baking powder, baking soda and salt and add to the sugar butter mixture with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry mixture. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Divide batter evenly among the prepared pans and bake in the center of the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of the layers comes out clean. Cool layers in their pans over a rack for ten minutes, then loosen and turn out layers directly onto racks for cooling. Cool layers thoroughly before icing.

For the icing, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat, then stir in white sugar and dark brown sugar. (Sugars will not dissolve).

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the evaporated milk until smooth, then whisk this mixture into the saucepan with the sugar mixture. Return saucepan to a medium heat setting and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thick, shiny and caramel-like, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and pecans.

Cool icing to a good spreading consistency (about 30 minutes), then spread evenly between cooled cake layers and over the top and sides of the cake.

The Great Reset (video sermon)