Three Temples Or Four?

Q. I’ve heard that the Millennial Temple will be different from the one during the tribulation.  I’m doing some study on this now, but the Millennial Temple seems to be quite the massive structure!

A. Yes, the Millennial Temple compound is quite a bit different from previous ones. But the idea of a “TribulationTemple” is something that originated with Christian scholars and can not be confirmed in Scripture.  It’s based on the assumption that there’ll be a  Temple built at the beginning of the 70th Week and destroyed by the its end.  That would make the Millennial Temple the 4th one.

The Jews, to whom the Temple belongs, don’t see it this way.  They think of Ezekiel’s Temple as the 3rd and final one.  A careful study of the coming Temple shows that Ezekiel’s Temple will already be in place on the day that the Lord arrives (compare Ezekiel 47:1 and Zechariah 14:8) Also, when God returns to the Temple at the beginning of the Millennium, He immediately accuses Israel of allowing foreigners (anti-christ and false prophet) to officiate in it. (Ezekiel 44:7-8)   This could only happen during the Great Tribulation.