The Rebuilt Temple and The Return Of Our Lord
Is the third temple rebuilt before the rapture takes place?
The Bible never makes a connection between the timing of the resurrection (rapture) and the start of the Jerusalem Temple being built except that the resurrection must occur before the start of tribulation because scripture states that by the mid-point of tribulation the temple will be built and defiled by the Antichrist.
Additionally, tribulation begins with a deceitful peace treaty between the Antichrist and the Jewish people which could possibly initiate the build of the third temple. However, this is mere speculation. Marking the mid-point of tribulation the Antichrist will compromise the peace agreement, taking a seat in the temple himself and calling himself God, which in effect defiles the temple as described in 2 Thessalonians:
2TH. 2:1 Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him,
2TH. 2:2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
2TH. 2:3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
2TH. 2:4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.
2TH. 2:5 Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?
2TH. 2:6 And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed.
2TH. 2:7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.
2TH. 2:8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming;
2TH. 2:9 that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,
2TH. 2:10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.
The Antichrist will call himself god and will take a seat in the temple 3.5 years into the 7 years of tribulation (which must be rebuilt by the time of the Antichrist's appearing) and will rule the earth with the power of Satan until Christ's return. Furthermore, Paul says the specific identity of the Antichrist will not be revealed to the world until the "restrainer" is removed from the earth. The term "restrainer" refers to the Holy Spirit, Who lives in the world now (in the members of the Church), but He will leave the earth when the Church itself is removed at the resurrection (rapture). The resurrection of the Church takes place prior to the revealing of the Antichrist, therefore believers will not know the Antichrist's identity while we live on earth but may see the beginning steps to fortify the Jerusalem Temple. But again, this is not a prerequisite to the end-times timeline.
As we approach the end-times, we will continue to see increased preparations made to ensure the rebuild of the temple which started in the late 1980's, under the Temple Movement project. Furthermore, the Temple Mount Faithful, an organization that has been trying to prepare Israeli society to accept and promote the rebuilding of the temple, while making various Temple-related items, most notably a portable alter for sacrifice, are earnestly forging avenues to obtain proper worship at the Temple Mount.
As we eagerly wait for the arrival of the Messiah, the Church body eagerly awaits the rapture which can happen at any time.
https://versebyverseministry.org/bible-answers/when-is-the-third-temple-built?locale=en
Preparations for the Rebuilding Of The Temple
According to Chaim Richman, the director of the Temple Institute in Jerusalem, whose headquarters is a short distance away from the Western Wall in the Old City, a “Temple in waiting” has essentially already been created.
“The Temple Institute is actively engaged in the research and preparation of the resumption of service in the Holy Temple to the extent of actually preparing operational blueprints for the construction of the Temple according to the most modern standards,” Richman told CBN News’ Chris Mitchell.
Chaim Richman, the director of the Temple Institute in Jerusalem. (YouTube capture)
Chaim Richman, the director of the Temple Institute in Jerusalem. (YouTube capture)
Indeed, the Institute has already created over 60 sacred Temple vessels that will be needed for worship in the coming rebuilt Temple.
The High Priest’s breastplate containing the 12 precious stones of the tribes of Israel, and the musical instruments of the Levitical choir are also ready. In addition, the Institute prepared the priestly garments.
These garments will adorn a new generation of Levitical Priests (Kohanim) who are already in training.
Kohen (literally Priest) is a status given only to Aaron (who was a Levite) and his descendants. Levitical priests, therefore, are those Jews who mark their ancestry back to the tribe of Levi and are descendants of Aaron, the brother of Moses. Today, Cohen is a common Jewish last name and indicates a possible connection to the bloodline of Aaron.
While the Kohanim were charged with sacrificial duties, those Levites who were not descendants of Aaron were charged with caring for the Temple as well as its vessels and furnishings.
It has been close to 95 years since Jerusalem’s Chief Rabbi Kook was reported in a British publication to have established Torat Kohanim, a yeshiva (school for Orthodox rabbinic studies) designed for the training of Levites to serve in a rebuilt Temple.
Abraham Isaac Kook (1865–1935)
Rabbi Kook
Training in Kook’s school was said to include participation in Temple sacrifices as in the First and Second Temples.
When questioned by a Jerusalem Zionist executive, the Chief Rabbi responded that his was essentially a Torah academy, but he acknowledged that the recent establishment of a Palestinian mandate to give Jews a homeland in the ancient Land of Israel revealed a Divine providence that allowed the improbable to become probable.
In other words, it was now possible that the Temple would be rebuilt since the Jews were returning to their land.
https://messianicbible.com/feature/israels-priests-prepare-third-temple/
Third Temple advocates have been preparing for the day when the temple can be rebuilt, complete with rabbinically-certified red cows shipped from Texas for use in sacrificial purification rituals. The architectural designs are all ready, along the lines of the detailed Biblical descriptions. Robes have been woven and utensils assembled to Biblical specifications for ceremonies at the planned temple.
Abomination Of Desolation
“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), Matt. 24:15
An abomination is “something that causes disgust or hatred”; and desolation is “a state of complete emptiness or destruction.” Jesus warned that something (or someone) that people detested would stand in the temple someday. When that horror occurred, residents of Judea should seek cover without delay. Other translations speak of “the abomination that causes desolation” (NIV), “the sacrilegious object that causes desecration” (NLT), and “that ‘Horrible Thing’” (CEV). The Amplified Bible adds the note that the abomination of desolation is “the appalling sacrilege that astonishes and makes desolate.”Matthew 24:15
https://www.gotquestions.org/abomination-desolation.html