____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ August 7, 1994 ____________________________________________________ The Temple In Jerusalem by Tom Edwards Due to its two main reconstructions about 500 years apart, the temple in Jerusalem, which was first built ca. 950 B.C., has been referred to by three different titles: the first being Solomon's Temple; the second, Zerubbabel's; and the third, Herod's. Solomon's Temple In 2 Samuel 7:1-6, David had desired to build a temple for the Lord. King David had a fine palace built for himself and thought he should do likewise for God. Commenting to Nathan the prophet, David said, ``See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within tent curtains.'' He is first told by Nathan that all that was in his heart he should do; but later that night, the word of the Lord came to Nathan saying, ``Go and say to my servant David, `Thus says the Lord, ``Are you the one who should build me a house to dwell in? For I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt, even to this day; but I have been moving about in a tent, even in a tabernacle.'' Furthermore, the Lord declared that He had never asked any of the tribes of Israel to build Him a house of cedar. Though the Lord appreciated David's thoughtfulness (1 Kings 8:18), He would not allow David to build the temple because he had been a man given to war and bloodshed (1 Chron. 28:3; also 1 Kings 8:17-19). Still, David helped out somewhat by gathering some of the material that would be used in building the temple (1 Chron. 22:5). This he apparently did because he viewed his son Solomon as being too young and inexperienced; and that the Lord's house would have to be exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all the lands (1 Chron. 22:5). It was David who received by divine inspiration the ``blue print'' of the temple, which he, in turn, gave to Solomon (1 Chron. 28:11-19); for it was Solomon whom God entrusted with the building of it ((2 Sam. 7:12,13; 1 Chron. 22:9,10). Solomon began the actual construction in the fourth year of his reign and completed it seven years later; its material wealth being exceedingly great. The site had been Mount Moriah, which is known in the Old Testament as Mount Zion (2 Chron. 3:2). The year of its completion: ca. 950 B.C. Zerubbabel's Temple About 350 years later, Solomon's temple was destroyed and remained in ruins while Judah spent 70 years in Babylonian captivity (606-536 B.C.). Then at the end of this 70-year period, just as God had prophesied (Dan. 9:2; 2 Chron. 36:20-23), Cyrus, king of Persia, issued the decree that any Jew who wanted to return to the land of Canaan could do so (Ezra 1:1-3). Not all of them did, however. Some, having been born in the captivity and raised hundreds of miles from their forefathers' homeland, did not want to make the long trek (about 900 ``traveling miles'') to a land they had never seen. Instead, they were content to remain in their own homes in the land of Babylon, where they had been taking care of their own vineyards, crops, etc. Others, however, did return. There were three main expeditions under the leaderships of Zerubbabel in 536 B.C., Ezra in 457 B.C., and Nehemiah in 444 B.C. It was Zerubbabel who is attributed with having rebuilt the temple. Thus, this ``second temple'' is referred to as ``Zerubbabel's temple.'' It was begun a year after Zerubbabel and his group of nearly 50,000 people returned (535 B.C.), but then it was delayed for fifteen years due to discouragement from opposing forces (Nehemiah 4). During this time the prophets Haggai and Zechariah exhorted the people to resume rebuilding, which they did in 520 B.C. Four years later, 516 B.C., the temple was completed. Unfortunately, Zerubbabel's temple was not as magnificent as the splendor of Solomon's, and some of the older men cried because they had remembered ``its former glory'' (Ezra 3:12). Even God referred to Zerubbabel's temple as being ``nothing in comparison'' to Solomon's (Haggai 2:3). Herod's Temple Since Zerubbabel's temple was built a few centuries before the time of Christ--and perhaps not ``grand'' enough or ``imposing'' enough for Herod the Great--we find it being restored during Herod's time. He, however, did not consider this a ``third temple,'' but simply an enlarging and enhancing of Zerubbabel's temple--but the makeover must have been stupendous. The work was begun in the eighteenth year of Herod's reign (20 or 21 B.C.) and was still being worked on during the time of Christ. The Jews had told Jesus, ``It took forty-six years to build this temple...'' (John 3:20). Some commentators mention that the temple continued to be worked on by Herod's successors up until A.D. 64--just six years before its destruction. In A.D. 70 the temple was destroyed. This, too, the Lord had foretold in Matthew 24: ''...not one stone here shall be left upon another, which will not be torn down'' (v. 2). It was the Roman armies that had moved in to besiege Jerusalem who did this. An estimated one million Jews perished. Those who trusted the Lord and obeyed Him had fled to the mountains for safety when they saw the signs that were indicating Jerusalem's imminent destruction; and, thus, they were spared (Luke 21:5-38). Though many of our Premillennial friends place great emphasis on the need for the temple in Jerusalem to be rebuilt before Christ can return, we have seen in this lesson that verses referring to its rebuilding have already been fulfilled. The temple does not need to be rebuilt anymore. What would be its purpose even if it were? The temple was part of Judaism, which Jesus ``nailed to the cross'' by His own death (Col. 2:14). Today, it is the New Covenant we are to live by--not the Old (Gal. 5:1-4); and even without the rebuilding of the temple, Jesus can still return any day--and it might be soon! Today, the true temple of the Lord is not made with bricks, wood, or stone; for it is spiritual in nature. The true temple of the Lord is the church of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 3:16,17); and every Christian is a ``living stone'' in this temple (1 Pet. 2:4,5), which has been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the corner stone (Eph. 2:19-22) and, actually, the foundation on which even the apostles and prophets stand (1 Cor. 3:11). It's also interesting to note that the New Testament uses two different Greek words that are both translated as ``temple'': one is ``naos,'' and the other is ``hieron.'' The former term is referring to the most sacred part of the temple: the Most Holy Place, also called the Holy of Holies. It's the part of the temple where the presence of God was manifested. The latter term is used in speaking of the outer courts, porches, and other subordinate buildings used in conjunction with the temple. Our above reference (1 Corinthians 3:16,17), in which the church is called a ``temple'' of God, comes from this Greek word "naos," thus conveying the intimate relationship the Christian has with the Lord. Are you a part of God's temple, the church, today? Though Solomon's temple was glorious and of great wealth and magnificence, the church today is of far greater value; for it is the ``temple'' of the redeemed who--if they remain faithful--will enjoy the endless splendor of heaven with joy and glory beyond compare! To become part of God's temple, the church, you must believe in the deity of Christ (John 8:24), repent of your sins (Acts 2:38), confess your faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:36-38), be baptized in water for the remission of your sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4; 1 Pet. 3:21), and be faithful unto death (Rev. 2:10; Heb. 10:36-39). If you would like to further study any of these topics, feel free to contact me at the address shown on this bulletin. Thank you. ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 1314 Montgomery Avenue, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________