When God forbid David to procede with the building of the Temple through His
instructions to David by way of His prophet Nathan. Notice the details of His
prophecy, given at that time:
2 Sam. 7:12-16 -- "When your days are over and you rest with
your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own
body, and I will establish his kingdom.
He is the one who will build a house for My name, and
I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he
will be my son.
When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of
men, with floggings inflicted by men.
But my love will never be taken away from him, as I
took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you.
Your house and your kingdom will endure forever
before me; Your throne will be established forever."
Solomon's Temple
We look at this prophecy and many say: This prophecy is perfectly fulfilled by Solomon
who, as David's son, had the temple built according to God's instructions. But did
Solomon meet all the requirements to fulfill this prophecy, or was his building of this
Temple just a type or application to a future builder and his temple that God was pointing
forward to?
Notice, "When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up
your offspring to succeed you, who will come from you own body, and I will establish his
kingdom." Solomon was not raised up after David was laid to rest with his
fathers. He continued living for years after Solomon ascended to the throne.
In fact, David and Solomon reigned jointly for several years in order for Solomon to have
a smooth transfer of power to establish his throne securely.
Even more damaging to this referring to Solomon is the statement:
"He is the one who will build a house for My name, and I will
establish the throne of his kingdom forever."
Approximately 400 years later, Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and Solomon's Temple
which brought an end to his kingdom.
"I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me."
Could this be speaking of Solomon? It sounds quite unlikely.
"When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings
inflicted by men,"
Isaiah 53:4-6 --
Yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But
he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment
that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we were healed."
We know that Solomon was guilty of iniquity at times, but we have no evidence that he
was ever flogged and beaten physically by men. I believe that on the basis of this
conflicting evidence we can be assured that Solomon was a type of a much more important
personage that was to set up his kingdom and would build himself a much more glorious
temple which was to last forever.
Approximately 100 years, or less, following the destruction of Solomon's Temple we find
the freed Jewish exiles back in Jerusalem and attempting to build a new temple.
Zerubbabel's Temple
Now note God sending another similar message to Zerubbabel (who was heir to the throne
of Judah) through God's prophet Haggai. Once again we
have a descendent of the line of David that God is urging to build the temple which He
calls, My house:
Haggai 1:8 (Amplified) -- "Go up to the hill country and
bring lumber and rebuild my house, and I will take pleasure in it and I will be glorified,
" says the Lord. [by accepting it as done for my glory, and by displaying My glory in
it].
( *all material enclosed in brackets are supplied by the translators.)
Haggai 2:20-23 (Amplified) -- And again the word of the Lord came
to Haggai in the 24th day of the month, saying, speak to Zerubbabel [the representative of
the Davidic Monarchy and covenant, and in the direct
line of the ancestry of Jesus Christ] governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens
and the earth; [Hag.1.1; Ezra 5:1-5; Zech. 4:6-10; Matt. 1:12,13.]
Vs. 22 -- And I will [in the
distant future] overthrow the throne of kingdoms, (see entire chapter 18 of Rev.) and I
will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the[ungodly] nations, and I will overthrow
the chariots and those who ride them, and the horses and their riders shall go down, every
one by the sword of his brother. [Dan. 2:34,35,44,45; Rev. 19:11-21]
Vs. 23 -- In that day, says the
Lord of hosts, will I take you, O Zerubbabel, My servant, the son of Shealtiel, says the
Lord, and will make you [through the Messiah, your descendent] My signet ring; for I have
chosen you [with whom to renew my covenant to David's line], says the Lord of hosts.
[2 Samuel 7:12-16]
(*all material enclosed in brackets are supplied by the translators.)
Is this the Temple that Nathan prophesied to David that God would have built for
Him by one of David's descendents, and which would last forever? It certainly is an
application of it and Zerubbabel was made to represent God's signet ring to authorize that
this coming real fulfillment would be coming through one of Zerubbabel's descendents.
But there are other reasons why Zerubbabel could not be the fulfillment of this
prophecy. This prophecy lists some of the activities happening on the earth at the
time appointed so there will be no doubt which one is the promised descendent of David who
will establish his throne and temple that will last forever.
Haggai 2:21 (Amplified) -- "I will shake the heavens and the
earth."
This is one of the events that will happen at that time. Note the description of
this shaking of the earth at Christ's second coming.
Isaiah 2:19 -- "Men will flee to caves in the rocks and to
holes in the ground from the dread of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty, when he
rises to shake the earth."
Haggai 2:22 (Amplified) -- "And I will [in the distant
future] overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms
of the ungodly nations."
(*all material enclosed in brackets are supplied by the translators.)
This is speaking of the satanic beast of Rev. 13, with its seven heads and ten horns
representing the one World Order Armies directed by the Antichrist.
Revelation 19;19 -- Then I saw the beast and the kings of the
earth (10) gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army
(Christ).
But the beast was captured and with him the false
prophet... The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
The rest of them were killed by the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider
on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
Revelation 17:12-14 -- The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet
received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the
beast.
They have one purpose and will give their power and
authority to the beast.
They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb
will overcome them because he is Lord of lord and King of kings -- and with him
will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.
Can there really be any doubt of which time this passage is speaking? Then look:
Haggai 2:22b (Amplified) -- "I will overthrow the chariots
and those who ride them, and the horses and their riders shall go down, every one by the
sword of his brother."
Note the Battle of Armageddon that all these texts are pointing to, and a portion of
its description by Ezekiel.
Ezek. 38:19-22 -- This is what will happen in that day:
When Gog (the Antichrist) attacks the land of
Israel, my hot anger will be aroused, declares the Sovereign Lord.
In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that
time there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. (earth's greatest earthquake
ever)
Vs. 20 -- The fish of the sea, the
birds of the air, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and
all the people on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. (proof positive
this is occuring due to Christ's presence)
The mountains will be overturned, the cliffs will
crumble and every wall will fall to the ground, (no real estate will be standing in the
land of Israel for sure)
Vs. 21 -- I will summon a sword
against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign Lord. Every man's sword will
be against his brother. (remember this in Haggai's prophecy to Zerubbabel.)
Vs. 22 -- I will execute judgment upon
him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning
sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him. (the ten
kings with each his army)
Haggai 2:23 continuing (Amplified) -- "In that day, says the
Lord of hosts, will I take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, says the
Lord, and will make you [through the Messiah, your descendent] My signet ring; for I have
chosen you [with whom to renew my covenant to David's line], says the Lord of host.
(*all material enclosed in brackets are supplied by the translators.)
This is exactly right. This is the time appointed for the prophecy that God
revealed through His prophet Nathan to give to David. Won't it be a shame that David
can't be around when this takes place? I believe the Lord makes an exception to make
sure David will be raised for this very period and to serve an important function in the
fulfilling of this prophecy.
Haggai, Zechariah and Zerubbabel were contempories in that group of Jewish exiles that
returned to Jerusalem following the 70 years of captivity of the Jews in Babylon.
Haggai and Zechariah were prophets who brought comforting messages for Zerubbabel, from
God, to move with confidence toward the building of the "Zerubbabel Temple."
Remember that these prophecies are to help us realize when the prophetic builder of
this temple is being fulfilled in reality.
Zech. 3:8,9 -- "Listen, O high priest Joshua and your
associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come:
I am going to send my servant the Branch.
See the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes on that one
stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it, says the Lord Almighty, and I will remove
the sin of this land in a single day.
Zech. 4:1-10 -- Then the angel who talked with me returned and
awakened me, as a man is wakened from his sleep.
He asked me, "what do you see?" I
answered, "I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl on the top and seven lights on
it, and seven channels to the lights. Also there are two olive trees by it, one on
the right of the bowl and the other on the left."
I asked the angel who talked to me, "What are
these, my Lord?" He answered, "Do you not know what these are?"
No my lord, "I replied."
Vs. 6 -- So he said to me,
"This is the word of the lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by
my Spirit, 'Says the Lord Almighty
Vs. 7 -- What are you, O mighty
mountain? Before Zerubbabal you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the
Capstone to shouts of "God bless it! God bless it!"
Vs. 9 -- "The hands of Zerubbabel have
laid the foundations of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will
know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you.
Vs. 10 -- "Who despises the day of
small things? Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hands of
Zerubbabel." (These seven are the eyes of the Lord, which range throughout the
earth.")
Isn't the picture beginning to come into focus more clearly? There is certainly a
treasure house in these 12 verses, but I want to emphasize a few of the most explicit to
fill in our picture.
Zechariah 3:8 -- "Listen, O high priest Joshua and your
associates seated with you, who are symbolic of things to come: I am going to send my
servant, the Branch."
Jeremiah 33:15,16 -- "In those days and at that time I will
make a righteous Branch sprout from David's line...
This is the name by which it will be called: The Lord our
Righteousness."
Isaiah 4:2-6 -- In that day the Branch of the Lord will be
beautiful and glorious, (Christ) and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of
the survivors in Israel. (2/3 of the Israelites will be struck down and perish)
Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem,
will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem. (How could He
explain it more explicitly?)
The Lord will wash away the filth of the women of
Zion, he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit
of fire.
Then the Lord will create over all of Mount Zion and
over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night;
over all the glory will be a canopy.
It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the
day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.
Zechariah 3:9 -- "See, the stone that I have set in front of
Joshua! There are seven eyes on that one stone, and I will engrave an Inscription on
it." (This is the stone that the builders rejected at Christ's first coming.)
Psalm 118:22 -- "The stone the builders rejected has become
the Capstone; The Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the
Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."
I believe we can all agree that this stone can only be referring to Christ. This
stone was not used as a capstone at the time of Christ's first coming as it was rejected
by the prospective builders (the Jewish nation) and didn't become the Capstone in reality
until His glorious second coming, when His temple is built.
Zechariah 3:9b -- "And I will remove the sin of this land in
a single day."
Zechariah 13:1 -- "On that day a fountain will be opened to
the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and
impurity."
This is all speaking of events that are to take place just before and immediately after
Christ's second coming.
Zechariah 12:10 -- "And I will pour out on the house of
David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace, (unmerited favor) and
supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn
for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a
firstborn son."
Does this not ring a bell as this being the time of God's covenant with Israel, as
given by Daniel, to be fulfilled? This is the 70th week of that 70 week prophecy in Daniel
9.
Daniel 9:24 -- "Seventy 'sevens' (or weeks) are decreed for
your people to finish transgressions, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to
bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to annoint the most
holy."
All these are covered by the events that we have just been studying. "To
bring in everlasting righteousness," -- the arrival of the Branch, Christ
our righteousness. The Capstone of Christ's Temple in Jerusalem.
"To seal up the vision and prophecy." Obviously this will no longer be
needed as Christ will be living with us and giving to us, in person, what He wants us to
know.
"To annoint the most holy." This is when Christ becomes King of kings
and Lord of lords in reality; when He sits on David's throne in Jerusalem as King of all
the earth.
Zechariah 4:6,7 -- So he said to me, "This is the word of
the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord
Almighty.
"What are you, O mighty mountain? Before
Zerubbabel you will become level ground."
Where does this come into this picture, where this mighty mountain becomes level ground
in the time frame of these events? Consider the following prophetic events:
Zechariah 14:1,2 (NRSV) -- A day of the Lord is coming for the
Lord, when the plunder taken from you will be divided in your midst.
For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to
battle, and the city will be taken and the houses looted and the women raped.
Half of the city shall go into exile, but the rest of the
people shall not be cut off from the city."
This begins the 1260 days of trampling, plundering and raping of the Israelites --
the l/3 who escape with their lives at the time of their subjugation.
Vs. 3 -- Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those
nations as when he fights on a day of battle."
This is the Battle of Armageddon when Christ battles the Antichrist and his armies, to
set the remnant Israelites free at the end of this set time of punishment -- 1260
days.
Vs. 4 -- "On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of
Olives, which lies before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives shall be split in
two from east to west by a very wide valley; so that one half of the Mount shall withdraw
northward, and the other half southward."
This is the mighty mountain that Zerubbabel will make level when He comes as
Zerubbabel's descendent to claim His throne. This mountain flattening occurs shortly
before His second coming because this is plainly so stated:
Vs. 5 -- "And you shall flee by the valley of the Lord's
mountain (which had just been created) for the valley between the mountains shall reach to
Azel; and you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of
Judah."
Some have thought this was speaking of fleeing from the Roman army of Titus in 70 AD,
but that is an impossible fit.
Vs. 5b -- "Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy
ones with him."
This is Christ's second coming for sure, with no second choices possible.
Vs. 9 -- "And the Lord will become king over all the earth;
on that day the Lord will be one and his name one."
The material for the rest of this booklet will be pertaining to the last temple, and
fulfilling of this prophecy to David.
Christ's Temple
Under the heading of the Restoration of Israel in the book of Jeremiah we have the
following passage:
Jer. 30:8,9 -- "In that day," declares the Lord
Almighty, 'I will break the yoke off their necks and will tear off their bonds; no longer
will foreigners enslave them. Instead, they will serve the Lord their God
and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.
Jer. 33:14-16 -- "The days are coming,"declares the
Lord, ' when I will fulfill the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and the
house of Judah," (Isn't this the gracious promise that we have been
investigating?)
"In those days and at that time I will make a
righteous Branch sprout from David's line; he will do what is just and right in the
land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety.
This is the name by which it will be called: The Lord
our righteousness."
We know this has never happened before and certainly it is far from the conditions in
the land of Israel now. But God's gracious promise to the house of Israel and the
house of Judah is soon to be fulfilled. I believe that if we only had this passage
in Jeremiah we would have
enough to pinpoint where and who would be the king to set on David's throne forever.
Ezek. 37:24-27 -- "My servant David will be king over them,
and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep
my decrees. They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where
your fathers lived. They and their children and their children's children will live
there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever.
I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be
an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and
I will put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with
them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. Then
the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when My sanctury is among them
forever.
Zech. 1:16,17 -- Therefore this is what the Lord says, "I
will return to Jerusalem with mercy and there my house will be rebuilt. And the
measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem, declares the Lord Almighty,"
Proclaim further: This is what the Lord
Almighty says: My towns will again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again
comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem."
When the Lord returns to Jerusalem then His house will be rebuilt. Not built now,
and then He will come to live in it later. We know if every wall in the holy land,
and most everywhere else, will fall to the ground at earth's greatest earthquake at His
coming, then this Sanctuary or Temple that will be built for Him will have to take place
after His coming. For sure we know it hasn't been built yet because it will be built
on the temple mount and will endure forever. "It will never be
demolished."
Zech. 2:10-12 -- Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For
I am coming, and I will live among you," declares the Lord.
"Many nations will be joined with the Lord in
that day and will become my people.
I will live among you and you will know that the Lord
Almighty has sent me to you.
The Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the
Holy land and will again choose Jerusalem."
Christ chose Jerusalem as the city of His choice for the site of His first temple,
built by Solomon. For the site to rebuild His house by Zerubbabel, He again chose
the same site in Jerusalem. And at His second coming He will again choose Jerusalem
where the city and the
glorious Temple -- the third and last Temple will be rebuilt.
"Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my
people." This is referring to the born again Christians who will be gathered
from all the nations of the earth and who will be citizens of the Millennial Kingdom with
Christ their king and David their prince.
Isaiah 60:10-14 -- Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their
kings will serve you. Though in anger I struck you, in favor I will show compassion
on you. Your gates will always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night, so
that men may bring you the wealth of the nations -- their kings led in triumphal
procession.
For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you
will perish; it will be utterly ruined.
The glory of Lebanon will come to you, the pine, the
fir and the cypress together, to adorn the place of my sanctuary; and I will glorify the
place of my feet."
Joel 3:16-21 -- The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem;
the earth and the sky will tremble.
But the Lord will be a refuge for his people. (second
coming for sure) Then you will know that I, the Lord your God, dwell in Zion, my
holy hill.
Jerusalem will be holy; never again will
foreigners invade her.
In that day the mountains will drip new wine, and the
hills will flow with milk; all the ravines of Judah will run with water...
Judah will be inhabited forever and Jerusalem through all
generations.
Isaiah 14:1,2 -- The Lord will have compassion on Jacob; once
again he will choose Israel and will settle them in their own land.
Aliens will join them and unite with the house of
Jacob, (Gentile believers) And the house of Israel will possess the nations as
menservants and maidservants in the Lord's land. They will make captives of their
captors and rule over their oppressors."
The nations that survive Christ's second coming will be servants or slaves to the
redeemed who reside in the land of Israel. I'm sure it will be a compassionate
master-slave relationship but one that has teeth in it if it is required.
Jer. 38-40 -- "The days are coming, "declares the Lord,
" when this city will be rebuilt for me from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate.
The measuring line will be stretched from there
straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn to Goah.
The whole valley where dead bodies and ashes are
thrown, and all the terraces out to the Kidron Valley on the east as far as the Horse
Gate, will be holy to the Lord. The city will never again be uprooted or
demolished."
This leaves no doubt that God is speaking of the Jerusalem located in the holy land as
we now know it. Its being rebuilt for Him can only be after His coming in order to
meet the specifications of this prophecy.
Zech. 2:7-10 -- Come, O Zion! Escape you who live in the Daughter
of Babylon! For this is what the Lord Almighty says:
"After He has honored me and has sent me against
the nations that have plundered you -- for whoever touches you touches the apple
of His eye -- I will surely raise my hand against them so that their slaves will
plunder them." Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me.
Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion.
For I am coming, and I will live among you." declares the Lord."
This punishment and plundering of the Israelites that the Bible describes as being
trampled for the 31/2 years prior to Christ's coming, because it is to free them from this
slavery that His coming points forward to. The actual freeing is accomplished by the
Battle of Armageddon. After the plundered are freed they will be allowed to plunder
those who had previously plundered them.
Rev. 11:1,2 -- I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was
told, 'Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there.
But exclude the outer court; do not measure it,
because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy City for 42
months.
(42months = 1260 days = 3 1/2 years)
Luke 21:23,24 -- There will be great distress in the land (the great
tribulation) and wrath against this people. They will fall by the sword and will be
taken as prisoners to all the nations.
Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the
Gentiles are fulfilled.
(time, times, and a half time = 42 months)
Now that we see how events are to take place at and following Christ's second coming in
regards to the one that will fully fulfill this prophecy from God that Nathan presented to
David; let us see how Psalms 2 makes compete sense.
Psalms 2:1-12 -- Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot
in vain?
The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers
gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One. "Let us break
their chains, " they say, "and throw off their fetters." (They are
slaves to Christ and the inhabitants of the holy land -- the redeemed.)
The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord
scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger andterrifies them in his wrath,
saying, "I have enstalled my King on Zion, my holy hill." I will proclaim
the decree of the Lord:
He said to me, "You are my Son; today I
have become your father. (Isn't this part of the decree Nathan gave David?)
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your
possession. You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces
like pottery."
Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers
of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the
Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a
moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.