Does God Intend There to Be a Third Earthly, Literal Temple of Stones in Jerusalem?

Hebrews 9:21-23—“[The tabernacle was made as] an illustration . . . [having] an arrangement [whereby] both gifts and sacrifices are offered . . . They have only to do with foods and drinks and various ceremonial washings. They were legal requirements concerning the body and were imposed until the appointed times to set things straight . . . [Moses] inaugurated that arrangement when [he] sprinkled the tent and ALL the vessels of the holy service with blood . . . [because] it was necessary for the typical representations of the things in the heavens to be cleansed by these means.”

So, what did the Scripture quoted above say about the matter under review here? “ALL the vessels of the holy service [were sprinkled] with the blood . . . because according to the Law nearly all things are cleansed with blood.”  Such “were legal requirements . . . imposed until the appointed time to set things straight.” When did that time come? That time came “when Christ came as a high priest of the good things THAT HAVE ALREADY TAKEN PLACE” (Hebrews 9:11). Thus there will be no literal third temple in the future that would yet again have, by physical replication, some things in it and made ready for the Messiah for when he supposedly enters into that third earthly temple. In fact, Ezekiel’s temple vision nowhere showed to him the Messiah entering into that visionary temple. (The response I am making here to this doctrine made by adherents of Messianic Judaism, which has it that the Messiah makes a fleshly body entrance into a third earthly temple, is response that does not approach refutation of the doctrine by one’s invoking the nature of Jesus’ post-resurrection glory. That, of course, is a possible approach, because Jesus’ glorification to life as an immortal spirit makes him to be like his Father in a certain way pertinent to the subject matter here. How so? Jesus, too, now “dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see” (1 Timothy 6:16). Therefore, Jesus could never again become a man here on earth.)

As goes this doctrine made by adherents of Messianic Judaism, the Messiah is supposed to enter the third earthly temple and make use of things in it for worship of the Father. But why? Why, after Jesus’ glorification, would the Father ever again want another earthly, geographically delimited area as the locale for a literal, earthly temple built of stones for sake of pure worship to be given him, the Spirit par excellence, by his earthly servants? That idea contradicts the spirit of Jesus’ words he gave the Samaritan woman for her assurance that the hour was upon men when neither on Mount Gerizim in Samaria nor on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem would the true worshipers of the Father think themselves in need of those places in order to worship the Father with spirit and truth (see John 4:21, 23, 24). But adherents of Messianic Judaism believe that there will be a third earthly, literal temple of stones—that the Father supposedly wants certain things once again to be in such a temple, namely, the replications of certain of the things that had existed first in the tabernacle and then afterward in the temples, and that were supposedly not typical representations of heavenly arrangements. 

But No! The Bible in the book of Hebrews does not distinguish between heaven-pointing (typical) things in the tabernacle/temples that needed cleansing by animal blood, on the one hand, but that, on the other hand, there were some other things in the tabernacle/temples that supposedly were not typical. See also Hebrews 8:5 for absence of any such distinction because Moses, as the last cited scripture tells us, did “make all things after their pattern,” first for their placement in the tabernacle; then other craftsmen made replications of them for placement centuries later in the earthly temples in Jerusalem, first in Solmon’s temple, and then, after the exile, in a second temple we know as Zerubbabel’s temple, which was rebuilt by Herod; but, all those things crafted by human hand for placement in the tabernacle and temples were all of them typical representations. Yes, they were all of them heaven-pointing types/patterns, or they were some of the types that were destined to have fulfillment for sake of spirit-anointed disciples while they had yet to become absent in the flesh, but who were nevertheless sealed by holy spirit for a future resurrection into life in heaven as immortal spirits serving alongside the Messiah as his under priests and as his co-rulers in his heavenly Kingdom, a Kingdom government installed on a heavenly Mount Zion. Of all things that were in an earthly center of pure worship for the nation of Israel, all of those things have already had their prophetic significance fulfilled in their antitype—the antitypes “have already taken place” (Hebrews 9:11). 

What follows in the next 2 paragraphs is bit of an excursus yet one relatable to the main point of this post. I will resume more directly the main topic in this post in the paragraph that begins with the sentence “The doctrine that has been chiefly under examination here . . .”

Jesus was anointed with holy spirit and then, 3 and a half years later (in 33 C.E.), his blood was shed on the stake on which he died the day he was nailed to it outside the city of Jerusalem, and then on the third day after that, he was resurrected a mighty spirit person for subsequent entrance into the real Most Holy (heaven itself) where he was able to officiate as the High Priest for presenting to his Father the value of his shed blood; he was a High Priest after the manner of Melchizedek, which manner for both Melchizedek and Jesus was one not according to genealogical descent as required by the now, since Pentecost of 33 C.E., obsolete Law of Moses. On that Day of Pentecost, 33 C.E., the Law of Moses became obsolete, it having been set aside together with, as its feature, the Levitical priesthood. The Law no longer codifies any conduct in which we as God’s servants must perform it out of belief that our obedience to the Law’s commands—simply because they are the Law’s commands—are crucial/necessary to us for a righteous standing unto justification to life made by Jehovah God. Our obedience to the law of our Lord Jesus Christ, however, is crucial/necessary for our salvation (Hebrews 5:9, 10). No, there is no obedience on our part that would be sufficient in and of itself for earning us our salvation, but our obedience is nonetheless necessary in order that we appropriate—accept unto ourselves—God’s undeserved kindness, his gift of salvation for as many as will accept it on his terms.  

Really, then, there were no things in the literal tabernacle/temples that supposedly were not typical, that supposedly did not point to the existence of an arrangement of things for their timely appearances in a spiritual temple that God had created in 29 C.E. on the day of Jesus’ baptism. But the Law of Moses cannot legitimate Jesus’ high priestly services because it could recognize as high priests for sake of natural Israel only certain men descended from Aaron. When, however, John the Baptizer dipped Jesus beneath the water of the Jordan River, then God anointed Jesus of the tribe of Judah with holy spirit immediately after John lifted Jesus back up from beneath the water. Jesus then began to fulfill his Father’s will as it specially applied to him, a sinless descendant of King David, so that Jesus finished his earthly life in sacrificial death upon an altar greater than the one in Jerusalem, which greater altar for him was the will of God for him who was ministering as God’s chief spokesman on earth in Israel. He was then as though he were like a certain bull and goat, those animals being carefully inspected for absence of blemish and thus fit for sacrifice so that they could be placed in turn upon the altar of burnt offering for sacrifice on the annual Day of Atonement, and the blood of them then brought one after the other in specified order into the Most Holy for sake of the forgiveness of sins. 

The doctrine that has been chiefly under examination here—one belonging to adherents of Messianic Judaism—, is that there were some things in the tabernacle/temples such that, supposedly, they might yet be replicated for use in a third literal (earthly) temple, this so that occasionally they would even need cleansing by the blood of sacrificed animals! If all this discussion about a third temple to be built in Jerusalem for animal sacrifices sounds strange to you, then know that such is the strange doctrine taught in Messianic Judaism, taught by its adherents for a literal interpretation of the closing chapters in the book of Ezekiel so that, as goes the mistaken interpretation of them, there will be a third literal temple. No, Ezekiel’s prophetic temple vision was never given for sake of ever teaching God’s servants anywhere at any time that there should be built a third literal temple situated in the middle of a designated territory in the Middle East, within the borders of the modern day state of Israel, in Jerusalem. 

Jehovah’s Witnesses have available to them on  JW.ORG (https://www.jw.org/en/search/?q=Pure+Worship) a beautiful explanation of much of Ezekiel’s prophetic visions, including timely explanation of Ezekiel’s visionary temple. You, too, can read it in its entirety. Everything offered on JW.ORG  is offered free of charge—never is there solicitation for any of your personal information, nor for any of your money—never ever! Please! We are in the last of the last days of Satan’s control of the world. So, if you love sound, Biblical teachings that build hope for the unhindered obtainment, so very near at hand now, of pure worship of Jehovah God in all the earth when there will be no more wickedness, famines, diseases of any kind, death, sorrowful tears, and absence of loved ones now temporarily parted from us in death (see Revelation 21:1-5; Acts 17:30, 31), then enjoy your study of the Bible by browsing the contents of JW.ORG, and welcome the visit of the next couple of Jehovah’s Witnesses who will come to your door, offering to assist you in your study of God’s Word for building strong, fine relationship with—godly devotion exclusively for—our heavenly Father, Jehovah God. We make declaration of the good news, that declaration being our preachments and teachings in all the world about Jesus Christ’s heavenly Kingdom government as revealed in the prophetic Scriptures. This work we do is according to the command of the everlasting God for us to promote among all the nations “obedience by faith.” (See Romans 16:25-27.)