Daniel 9:27 is one of the most critical verses referring to the covenant the Anti-Christ will make with the Jews to build a Jewish Temple in the Great Tribulation or the 70th week of Daniel. In this verse it first says he (the Anti-Christ or the Beast) probably with the help of the False Prophet or the Beast out of the Land will make a covenant with many meaning the Jewish people and nation of Israel for one week of 7 years. The verse then says that in the midst of the week the Anti-Christ will make the covenant and oblation to cease implying that they will be going for some time by then probably since the Anti-Christ made the covenant with the Jews three and a half years earlier at the beginning of the 7 year Tribulation or 70th week of Daniel.
The Anti-Christ will then cause an overspreading of abomination which in the New Testament is revealed to be the Anti-Christ ceasing the Jewish animal sacrifices and Temple worship and installing himself in the temple probably in the holy place and presenting himself as God and constraining all people Jews and people of the nations (Gentiles) to worship him. This scripture in Daniel 9 is a as follows:
And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. Daniel 9:27
In my personal recent reading through the Bible God has shown me something I believe that is quite significant that I hadn't seen before. I also hadn't heard this much from other sources at least that I had noticed. This is that both Solomon's Temple mentioned in 1 Kings 6 and Ezekiel's Millennial Kingdom Temple mentioned in Ezekiel 41 have the same basic dimensions for their temples. That is their overall dimensions are 20 cubits by 60 cubits with the holy of holies being 20 cubits long and the main part of the temple being 40 cubits long. I have also found in Unger's Bible Dictionary in the article about Herod's Temple or the Second Temple under Temple that Herod's Temple that was standing in the days of the Lord Jesus' first earthly ministry was the same dimensions. In my mind this greatly simplifies matters for the Jews for the building of their third temple in the tribulation as part of their covenant with the antichrist or false Messiah. This is because the Jews that don't believe in Jesus or the New Testament will think they will then be in the beginning of the Messianic or what Christians call the Millennial Kingdom and will be building the Messianic Kingdom Temple mentioned in Ezekiel. However I have heard from Orthodox Jews represented in the Temple groups that their third temple will also incorporate aspects of Solomon's Temple and perhaps especially Herod's Temple. Now if these three temples all have the same basic dimensions that greatly simplifies the criteria for the third temple I think since it seems clear what the dimensions should be for that too if all the temples it is to be based on have the same dimensions of 20 cubits by 60 cubits. A cubit is an ancient measure of length that is sometimes simplified to be 18 inches or 1 1/2 feet but it is actually closer to 20 inches or 1/2 meter.
And the house which king Solomon built for the LORD, the length thereof was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits. ... And the house, that is, the temple before it, was forty cubits long. ... And the oracle (holy of holies) he prepared in the house within, to set the ark of the covenant of the LORD. And the oracle in the forepart was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and so covered the altar which was of cedar. 1 Kings 6:2, 17, 19-20.
Afterward he brought me to the temple, ... and he measured the length thereof, forty cubits: and the breadth, twenty cubits. ... So me measured the length thereof, twenty cubits; and the breadth, twenty cubits, before the temple: and he said unto me, This is the most holy place (holy of holies). Ezekiel 41:1, 2, 4.
The interior of the temple was divided into the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. ... The holy place was forty cubits long, twenty wide, and sixty in height ... Separated from it by a wooden partition was the Holy of Holies, twenty cubits and sixty high, which was empty. Unger's Bible Dictionary, Temple page 1082.
Although these last verses of Isaiah 63 can be interpreted as referring to Israel or Judah historically around or slightly after Isaiah's time and I have read in a Bible commentary of them being taken that way, I believe these verses can also sum up the faithful Jews in the second half of the tribulation when they are being fearfully persecuted by the Antichrist and his ungodly and anti-semitic one world system. These faithful Jews are lamenting and confessing some of the sins and godlessness of their fellow people and calling for the return of God to deliver them and bless them among the nations. They are also lamenting that the nations are possessing some of the land of Israel. They are also lamenting that their enemies have trodden down thy sanctuary meaning probably that the Gentiles under the Satanic Antichrist or beast out of the sea have taken over the third or tribulation temple and installed the Antichrist as the object of worship there for the second half of the tribulation. These faithful Jews then affirm their dedication to God and remind the one true God that these Gentile people were not God's earthly nation that God ruled over and weren't called by His name as the Jews were with the name Israel that means a prince with God. The scripture reference from Isaiah 63 of the confessions of these faithful Jews in the 2nd half of the tribulation including their lament for the intrusion of the Gentiles under the antichrist in the temple then is as follows:
O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servant's sake, the tribes of thine inheritance. The people of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary. We are thine: thou hast never barest rule over them; they were not called by thy name. Isaiah 63:17-19
In my Bible reading I recently came to a relatively unfamiliar scripture passage in Leviticus 8. In this passage a description is given of the order in which the high priest puts on his garments. This is important because I previously had some confusion and some writers seem to have some confusion of the garments of the high priest mentioned in Exodus 28 and 39. Some of these terms for which I and I think others were confused were the coat and the girdle of the high priest. While I was confused whether the coat mentioned in Exodus was the white linen undergarment or a checkered, embroidered outer garment shown in some illustrations this passage in Leviticus 8 I think shows clearly that the coat is the white linen undergarment or tunic since it is mentioned here as the garment to be put on first before the blue robe or ephod which were put on after the coat and on top of it. This means among other things that the coat mentioned here and I think in Exodus 28 and 39 is already finished being produced by the Temple Institute for the third temple and we don't have to continue to wait for that to finish the garments of the high priest and have the finished garments of the high priest ready for service of the high priest in the 70th week of Daniel or tribulation in the third temple as we would if the coat meant the embroidered outer garment which I don't think has yet been made by The Temple Institute or any other group preparing for the third temple. Also I thought that the belt or girdle of the high priest might still need to be made since I didn't see it in the illustrations of the garments of the high priest made so far for the high priest on The Temple Institute web site. However this passage in Leviticus 8 says clearly that the girdle or belt was to be put on right after the coat or linen tunic and then the blue robe and ephod etc were to be put on. However if this is the case the blue robe and the ephod would readily cover the belt as well as much of the white linen tunic or coat and it wouldn't be visible even though it was there on the high priest or the current maneqin representing the high priest. Also there is an illustration of a belt of the high priest separately on the Study Tools section Priestly Garments of the High Priest and Ordinary Priests on the Temple Institute web site. So now I think the only thing that perhaps still needs to be done of the garments of the high priest to be ready for the third temple is a rounded turban that could be worn over the miter and below the golden crown of the high priest although according to the Bible all the garments of the high priest are finished since mitre in Hebrew means wound around as in the completed white mitre on the Temple Institute web site. However they haven't yet put the golden crown on this miter which leaves open the idea that this rounded turban might still need to be made but it is not really mentioned in the Bible. Anyway the scripture reference of the order in which the high priest put on the high priestly garments in preparation for service in the temple and which a high priest will probably do the same for the first half of the tribulation to serve in the third temple in Leviticus 8 is as follows:
And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water. And he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod upon him, and he girded him with the curious girdle of the ephod, and bound it unto him therewith. And he put the breastplate upon him: also he put in the breastplate the Urim and the Thummim. And he put the mitre upon his head; and also upon the mitre, even upon his forefront, did he put the golden plate, the holy crown; as the LORD commanded Moses.
In this passage most likely about the Jewish Temple Worship especially in the First half of the Great Tribulation two groups of Jewish people are described the believing remnant(those that are or become of a poor and contrite heart and tremble at God's Word) and the majority that treat the resumed Jewish sacrifices with dishonour or sacrilege (such as offerring an oblation as if he offered swine's blood). God promises He will then soon appear to the joy of the Jews that are honouring Him. This is referring to the Second Coming in power and great glory of the Messiah of Israel that these believing and God honouring Jews will realize is Jesus of Nazareth. Isaiah 66:1-6 is as follows:
Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye(you) build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath(has) mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that offerth an oblation, as if he offered swine's blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. I will also choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that which I delighted not. Hear the word of the LORD, ye(you) that trembleth at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed. A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that rendereth recompense to his enemies. Isaiah 66:1-6
In Joel 2 the context is the Tribulation and God judging the nations and defending Israel. This must be in the first half of the tribulation because the Jewish priests are still pictured as in control of the Third of Tribulation Temple and it hasn't yet been taken over by the Antichrist and False Prophet that happens at the end of the 1st 3 1/2 year half of the tribulation or 70th week of Daniel. That all the garments of the high priest and other priests and musical instruments and articles of furniture of the temple are mostly ready at this time indicate that the rapture and the immediately following decree of the Antichrist in agreement with Israel to build the Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is very near at this time. The priests pictured weeping between the porch and the altar is probably because there were at least the two major sins of Israel committed at that location in previous Jewish Temples (Solomon's Temple). In Ezekiel 8:16 there were 25 men probably apostate Jewish priests in this same location facing the sun and worshipping it (instead of the LORD in His Temple or House). The king Joash of Judah also killed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the high priest because Zechariah condemned the princes of Judah for worshipping the groves and idols and because these princes also earned King Joash's support or sympathy by doing obeisance to him. Zechariah was also killed between the court and the altar as described in 2 Chronicles 24:20-22 and in more detail by Jesus Himself in Gospel of Matthew 23:35 where Barachias is the same as Jehoiada and the same Zechariah being referred to in both cases. The priest were asking God to forgive the sins of the kings or Israel and Judah and her priests of the past and to have mercy on their people by His protecting them. This protection of Israel was from the persecution of the nations and to establish His Messianic Kingdom with the coming again in power and of God's Messiah(Christ or Annointed One) - Jesus in great glory to judge the world and establishing His Messianic Kingdom centered on Jerusalem and Israel where He will finally fully bless His people Israel or the Jews for 1000 years. This is what these priests were asking for when they were asking God to take away their reproach with the heathen ruling over them and asking where is their God. The heathen referred to that say among the people the Jews "Where is thy God?" could include Muslims, secular people, unsympathetic Christians and others. The scripture reference in Joel 2 of the Jewish priests in the tribulation asking God to take away their reproach is as follows:
Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy (your) people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? Joel 2:17
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