Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
The future construction of a temple in Jerusalem is literal, as confirmed by the context of Revelation 11 and by comparison with other verses such as Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15-16, and II Thessalonians 2:3-4. Although “of that day and hour knoweth no man” (Matthew 24:36a), current events are consistent with what the Word of God predicts. For example, the Israeli government did not control the Temple Mount until 1967. The third holiest Muslim shrine, the Dome of the Rock, is located there now, but new studies have shown that this mosque could be placed in the Court of the Gentiles of the prophesied temple. As such, the temple could be seen as a symbol of peace, for the Antichrist will effectively disguise himself as a peaceful world leader (remember “the covenant” of Daniel 9:27; also, Daniel 8:25a says that “through his policy also he shall cause craft [deceit] to prosper in his hand, and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many”). Also, there are Jewish groups raising money to build a temple, training a temple priesthood, constructing the implements required for temple worship, and preparing such needed items as the “holy anointing oil” (Exodus 30:22-33) and a red heifer (Numbers 19:1-22), both needed to purify the temple instruments and priests and the desecrated temple area itself. All of these things are consistent with Scriptural prophecy and are being done by non-Christians, pointing us to the sovereign control of Jesus.