Temple Institute Pushing Building Temple in Jerusalem

The Ark of the Covenant
Depiction of Levites Carrying the Ark of the Covenant


A leader from the Temple Institute is planning on promoting the construction of a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem starting tomorrow:

Rabbi Chaim Richman in the USA, June 2012…

What is holding back the people of Israel from rebuilding the Temple today? How close are we? How will the nations of the world be affected? Are the obstacles really that insurmountable… or could we overcome them if we only try? Are we waiting for G-d to step in and perform a miracle… or is He waiting for us to take the initiative? How can this dream become a reality in our life time? What is the relationship between the promise of the Holy Temple, and major issues such as the peace process, Palestinian terror, America’s relationship with Israel and the Iranian nuclear threat? If you build it, he will come. With G-d’s help Rabbi Richman will be visiting the United States this coming June to share the Torah’s message of the immediate rebuilding of the Holy Temple, the source of blessing for the whole world.  http://www.templeinstitute.org/if-you-build-it.htm

His presentations have been scheduled to start tomorrow in West Texas and he is expecting to speak most nights in the next ten days in a variety of cities (listed as being in Texas and New Mexico).

While the Temple Institute is essentially correct that if one only believes the Torah and not the New Testament, then the Jews need to immediately build a physical temple.  However, although many misunderstand various aspects of end time Bible prophecy, including what is in the New Testament, a new physical temple does NOT have to be built in Jerusalem for the end to come.

Animal sacrifices, however, seem to be required by scripture to be resumed by the Jews, and that is something that the Temple Institute and the Sanhedrin that is somewhat associated with it are physically able to do right now.   And they can do that without a new rebuilt Temple.  All that physically is needed for animal sacrifices are Levitical priests (which they claim to have), animals (which they basically claim they have), various implements (which they claim to have), and a sacrificial altar (which they finished a few years ago).

The reality is that all the Temple Institute is waiting for is Israeli government permission to begin the sacrifices at any time–including without having a physical temple.


So for over 3,000 years, animal sacrifices were offered without a Jewish temple. Notice an interesting scripture from Ezekiel:

12 This is the law of the temple: The whole area surrounding the mountaintop is most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple. (Ezekiel 43:12)

Biblically, all that is required are Jewish religious leaders willing to sacrifice in Israel, and anywhere on or sufficiently near the Temple Mount would apparently do.

Even after the first Jerusalem temple was built and left in ruins, the Bible itself specifically shows that sacrifices were made in the time of Ezra BEFORE the second temple was ready (but apparently on the temple mount area):


One may argue that since it takes the participation of Jewish religious leaders in order for Jewish animal sacrifices to be resumed, that the above scripture is a moot point.


But the fact is, that although they are in the minority, there are significant numbers of Jewish religious leaders who are intent on starting animal sacrifices as soon as possible. And these Jewish leaders do not believe that they have to wait in order for a temple to rebuilt in order to do so.

Some years ago, a group of Jewish religious leaders got together and formed a new Sanhedrin:



The “Sanhedrin” group referred to above began to form in 2004 and claims to have “the consent of hundreds of rabbis, scholars and leaders” (http://www.thesanhedrin.org/en/index.php/The_Sanhedrin_Initiative viewed 09/11/08). It also has been working on implements, including those related to having an altar.

For further clarification of the position of the reconstituted Sanhedrin, I (COGwriter) contacted that group and asked why it felt that sacrifices can be started before a temple is rebuilt. The response received was:

Rabbi Yeshayahu Hollander wrote:




Hichot Maasei HaKorbanot [The Procedures of Offering Sacrifices]

Chapter 19

Paragraph 17:


Paragraph 18:





This is consistent with Ezra’s previously quoted practice as well as what was recorded by Ezekiel.

For many of the past several years (mainly in the Spring), one or more Jews have petitioned Israeli courts to get permission for animal sacrifices for Passover. And, the Israeli courts have repeatedly ruled that although Jews have this right, that the political situation does not yet allow that, so they are denied.

However, the time is coming when those sacrifices will once again be started as they will be stopped by a prince (Daniel 9:26-27) who will become the end time King of the North (Daniel 11:31-40).

The tour to promote the building of the Temple will likely help the Temple Institute raise money, but the politics of Israel and its Islamic neighbors tends to prohibit the rebuilding.  For one reasons, the Muslims tend to claim that this will affect some of their current holy places (some dispute the facts of this, but enough believe this is so that it is a political problem).

Despite Islamic or other complaints, according to Bible prophecy, sacrifices will be resumed.  Some time after a deal (probably a peace deal per Daniel 8:25 and Daniel 11:23-24) that Daniel 9:27 refers to is confirmed, one or more Jewish leaders will likely feel politically safe enough to allow the sacrifices to resume.

Of course, it might take a regional war involving Israel for such a deal to take place. But with all the concerns about Iran and Syria, etc. it could happen this type of war could happen this year, with a peace deal following shortly thereafter.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2012, 2013, or 2014? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Why might Daniel 9:27 be referring to a peace deal? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000?

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