The previous two postings should prompt us to ask, as Christians, what should our view of the Temple Mount/Dome of the Rock be? What should our reaction be?
Currently, there are numerous different views on the subject, but I think they can be grouped loosely under two headings: those who believe Christ will return as the world slowly gets better and those who believe Christ will return after the apocalypse. The former group isn't all that concerned with the temple, so this post will focus on the later group.
Of course, everyone in Christianity longs for the return of Christ and many are constantly looking for ways to hasten that return. If the apocalypse must proceed the return, then some conclude that we must hasten the apocalypse. If that should indeed be our goal, then the Temple Mount is a brilliant place to start. Current beliefs about eschatology in modern evangelicalism generally require the presence of a Jewish Temple for the end of days. If said temple is to be built, most likely the Dome of the Rock will have to go. Indeed, several 'Christians' have already attempted such destructions, with less than brilliant results, as you can imagine. Other, more moderate Christians, wouldn't go quite that far. Instead they focus on helping Jews prepare to build a third temple, donating money, assisting in the breeding of a red heifer, etc. They would probably still support the destruction of the Dome, but they aren't quite ready to effect it themselves. Other Christians are even more passive when it comes to the Third Temple - they are excited at the thought that it might be built someday, but are content to let it take care of itself.
Muslims, of course, are not terrible excited by Christian support for Jewish temple, at any level.
What do Jews think? That is a question with an interesting answer. The Jews who are preparing to build the temple generally seem to welcome support. They'll take the money and not care about the source. However, this does not mean that they like Christians, or that other Jews/Israelis like Christians because of our support. America has supported Israel for a long time, largely based upon a strong Christian bias in favor of Israel. After all, in their eschatology, Israel's existence is a necessary precursor to The End and Christ's return. However, this very reason for our support of Israel and of their temple is what makes them a little leery of our goodwill. Think about it for a minute:
Christian: "Hey, I want to help you build your temple!"
Jew: "Um, well, that's kinda weird, but nice, I guess. Why do you care?"
Christian: "Well, you see, the Antichrist can't be revealed as the Antichrist unless there is a temple for him to defile."
Christian: "Well, you see, the Antichrist can't be revealed as the Antichrist unless there is a temple for him to defile."
Jew: "So...you want me to build a temple so it can be defiled?"
Christian: "...um...."
Jew: "Okay, well, we'll let that go for the moment. Why is this Antichrist guy so important anyway?"
Christian: "Oh, well, see, after he defiles the temple he's going to persecute and almost destroy the Jewish people."
Jew: "So now you want me to build a temple so my people can be annihilated?"
Christian: "Well, almost annihilated. But then Christ will return and bring world peace!"
Jew: "I suppose that would be nice, but I don't believe in your Christ so that doesn't give me much hope. Basically it sounds like you are helping to hasten me towards doom. I think I could do without that sort of support, thanks."
Of course, as Christians, we look to the promise from Romans 11:26 "all Israel will be saved" and trust that somehow the end will bring about the ultimate redemption of Israel. We must understand, though, that this is not how it looks to the Jews, especially considering the historical persecution they received from Christians.
This does not automatically mean that we should not support the building of a temple, but it is something to consider.
Perhaps this would be a good point to consider what the Bible says that Christians ARE supposed to be doing on earth. After all, we were given a bunch of specific jobs. For example:
1. Matthew 28:19 tells us to make disciples of all nations.
2. Hebrews 12:14 tells us to pursue peace with all men
These are the first two things that came to mind, and they are themes repeated throughout the Bible. If we stop with only these two commands, several problems with our support of the temple are already clear.
To start with the command to make disciples, we have already discussed the attitudes of both Muslims and Jews towards Christian support of a Third Temple. Basically, it doesn't seem to be drawing them in, making them desire to be Christians. In our desire to hasten the end of the world, we seem to have forgotten what we are actually supposed to be doing. In addition, it could be argued from Matthew 24:14 ("And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.") that the one hint we are given about how to hasten the end has far more to do with making disciples than with building a temple.
The second command is equally problematic. If we truly want peace in the Middle East, it must be recognized that building a temple in Jerusalem is not going to do the trick. It's more likely to spark a third world war. Some might argue that the peace will not come until after the war. That may be, but even if so, I don't think it is our job to start a war in pursuit of peace. Ultimately, peace will only come through change hearts, and Jesus Christ is the only one I know who can change hearts. If we really want to pursue peace, evangelism and discipleship are our best bet.
This is, of course, not an exhaustive treatment of the subject at hand, but it is long enough to start. As always, I welcome relevant comments, insights, and questions. :)
1 comment:
Great post, Miss Amunrud (Alana :). That definitely raised issues I hadn't thought about before. I had kind of thought that a third temple was a weird idea but one that would be good for Jews and Christians alike. Thanks for your thoughts!
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