Will the temple in Jerusalem be rebuilt?

The Bible teaches that the Jewish people will rebuild the temple at the beginning of the seven-year tribulation. They will also reestablish a system of sacrifices and offerings (Daniel 9:27; Revelation 11:1–2). Key passages say this will happen in “the holy city” of Jerusalem (Daniel 9:24; Revelation 11:2). Later in the tribulation, the Antichrist will desecrate the new temple (Daniel 11:36–45; 2 Thessalonians 2:3–4). Jesus affirms the existence of a future temple by prophesying the same profane event that Daniel and 2 Thessalonians foretell (Matthew 24:15).

The Jewish people must first return to the land to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem (Jeremiah 30:1–5; Zechariah 10:6–10). God promised this land to their forefather Abraham (Genesis 12:1–3; 15:18–21). Since 70 AD, after the Roman destruction of Jerusalem, the Jewish people have primarily lived outside it. Yet, “as a shepherd cares for his herd,” God pursued His scattered people and led them home (Ezekiel 34:12, NASB).

This return began in the late 1800s, when 25,000 Jews resettled in the land. Then a breakthrough occurred in 1948. In that year, the United Nations allocated 5,000 square miles of British-controlled territory to the Jewish people within the borders of the land God promised Abraham. At the time, about 650,000 Jews were already living there. The number of Jews living in the land has increased even more since 1948. In 2006, for the first time since the first century, more Jews were living in the land than not. These events fulfilled end-times prophecies about Israel and set other future events in motion.

According to the prophet Ezekiel, God had a plan beyond Israel’s physical regathering. His ultimate aim is the nation’s spiritual rebirth: “I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land” (Ezekiel 37:12–14). God compared Israel’s spiritual revival to the breath of life reanimating a valley of bones, causing them to stand up, reborn (Ezekiel 37:1–10). Israel’s spiritual rebirth will occur through the Messiah (Jeremiah 31:33–34; Romans 11:25–27). The New Testament identifies Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah (Mark 8:29; John 11:27).

The temple in ancient Jerusalem was the center of worship and life in Israel. It was a house for God (2 Samuel 2:1–7; 1 Kings 8:10–11) and a sanctuary for the nations (Psalm 5:7; 1 Kings 8:27–30). From the 10th century BC to the first century AD, Israel had a temple. The first one existed from Solomon until the 6th-century exile, when Babylon destroyed it. About 70 years later, when the Jews returned from exile, they rebuilt the temple. The second temple lasted for around 500 years until the Roman general Titus destroyed it in 70 AD.

A key obstacle to rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem is that the Dome of the Rock–an Islamic shrine–sits on the Temple Mount. Muslims built the golden-domed structure in 691 AD to show the superiority of Islam over Judaism. However, ever since Israel regained control over East Jerusalem in the Six-Day War in 1967, tension over the mount has increased. Today, Muslims worship on the mount, and Jews pray at the nearby Wailing Wall, a remnant of the second temple.

The Bible doesn’t describe the events that enable the Jewish people to rebuild the temple where the Dome of the Rock now stands. The shrine is the third most important site in Islam after Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia. Some speculate that natural disasters foretold in Revelation may destroy the Dome of the Rock, paving the way for a new temple (Revelation 6:12–14, 11:13). Others think the battle of Armageddon will topple it, leading to its reconstruction (Revelation 16:16).

Although the Jewish people have dreamed of a new temple for 2,000 years, advocacy groups received more attention after the Six-Day War. The most visible group, the Temple Institute, formed in 1987, has made temple furniture and priestly garments in anticipation of the rebuild. It has also trained men to serve as priests. These efforts express a desire to resume temple activities soon.

The Bible also teaches that after the seven-year tribulation and the Second Coming of Christ, the Messiah will build a temple in the Millennial Kingdom (Zechariah 6:12–13; Ezekiel 37:26–28; Revelation 20:1–6). People from all nations, Jews and Gentiles, will worship there, making it different from the first temple (Zechariah 6:15; Haggai 2:7; Isaiah 2:2–3). The glory of God will also dwell in it (Ezekiel 43:1–7), making it different from the second temple.

In summary, the Bible teaches that the Jewish people will rebuild the temple as part of Israel’s national restoration. The fulfillment of this prophecy has been underway for over a century.