For what purpose? Why would they need it? There was a reason the curtain was ripped in two. There was a reason the temple was destroyed in AD70. The temple has been rendered redundant. It has been replaced by a better temple.
The Jews at the time of Christ, being ignorant and earthly minded, interpreted this statement to mean: He would destroy and rebuild the physical Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. The reading records, “Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?”
However, the next verse exposed their blindness, saying, “But he spake of the temple of his body” (v 21).
Christ spiritualizes the temple here. None could surely dispute this. There were 2 different mindsets in this picture. Christ’s heavenly mind-set presenting the introduction of the new covenant in the form of Himself and the Jews carnal earthly mind-set hankering towards an old inadequate system.
Christ also declared during His ministry, whilst standing in the actual temple, “I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple” (Matthew 12:6). However, the Jews in the main had No comprehension of that glorious statement. To this spiritual Temple would the nations finally find mercy, thus, fulfilling perfectly what the old temple couldn’t. And thus, through Himself (the living Temple), fulfilling Isaiah 2:2 that “all nations shall flow unto it.”
Granted, the temple was central to the Jewish faith. For anyone to intimate in any way that it would be destroyed was viewed as nothing short of blasphemy. However, Christ was redirecting their eyes from the old temporal building – which was an imperfect shadow and type of Himself – and pointing them towards the new all-sufficient eternal temple – in the form of His person. Through His impending death, the temporal temple and its ceremonies would be done away with.
Hebrews 9:11 directly rebukes those who look to an earthly carnal building in modern Israel. It explicitly states, “Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building.”
This is God’s perfect temple today – and it is eternal. This building will never fall, be replaced or share a central place with another.
Hi on the railroad there are parallel tracks and the things you note about the new covenant and Jesus body being a spiritual temple are all very true and I believe both. In fact the new covenant no one was ever saved apart from it. If you think about it Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Yet Abraham died and was in the grave with Lazarus in a place of comfort as Jesus told. In Rev we see all those in heaven singing worthy is the lamb and note who has redeemed us by his blood out of every tribe tongue kindred and nation. So the new covenant made is Jesus blood was instituted at that time.
When you get to the promise of the new covenant found in Jer 31 it follows Jer 30 talking about the days of Jacob's trouble and being saved out of it. When we get to chapter 31 we also see the verses immediately following the promise of the new covenant should stand out as to why they are placed here and what is it saying.
5 Thus says the LORD,
Who gives the sun for a light by day,
The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night,
Who disturbs the sea,
And its waves roar
(The LORD of hosts
is His name):
36 “If those ordinances depart
From before Me, says the LORD,
Then the seed of Israel shall also cease
From being a nation before Me forever.”
37 Thus says the LORD:
“If heaven above can be measured,
And the foundations of the earth searched out beneath,
I will also cast off all the seed of Israel
For all that they have done, says the LORD.
Now Jesus certainly predicted the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. Jesus announced He was instituting the new covenant. Yet right here in Jer God knowing the future affirms two things that Israel will not cease to be a nation and God will not cast them off for all they have done. Now we are seeing the second rail on the track that has nothing to do with the rail you have hung your hat on it. If you finish the chapter there is another very odd prophecy.
38 “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, that the city shall be built for the LORD from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39 The surveyor’s line shall again extend straight forward over the hill Gareb; then it shall turn toward Goath. 40 And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the Brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east,
shall be holy to the LORD. It shall not be plucked up or thrown down anymore forever.”
Now for the city to be rebuilt it would have to be largely destroyed. Note at the time it is rebuilt there is a whole valley of dead bodies so this can in no way be New Jerusalem. Note again this city is being built for the LORD and is now Holy to the LORD. If you read Zech 14 and see the day the LORD is king over the earth Jerusalem is being overrun and the LORD will slay many that day and in that day they will say the LORD is one. This is why this is all happening again. Like Joseph revealing himself to His brothers Jesus is received by Israel and they know He is the LORD.
Lets look again at Jer 31 the new covenant, 31 “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day
that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt,
Note the covenant being replaced is the one made with them when they were taken out of Egypt. This is the one being replaced. The covenant with Abraham is unconditional and has two main clauses. One Abraham and his descendants will inherit the promised land. Two in Abraham's seed Jesus all the nations would be blessed.
In luke 1
67 Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:
68 “Blessed
is the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited and redeemed His people,
69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of His servant David,
70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets,
Who
have been since the world began,
71 That we should be saved from our enemies
And from the hand of all who hate us,
72 To perform the mercy
promised to our fathers
And to remember His holy covenant,
73 The oath which He swore to our father Abraham:
74 To grant us that we,
Being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.
Now we see what Jesus will accomplish through the tribulation and perform this exact deliverance to Israel and from that time on they will be Holy having been born again Dan 7 and Rev show the same thing. Hosea says where it was said you are not my people you shall be called the sons of the living God. Jesus told Israel you will see me no more until you will say blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD. Jesus said He came in His fathers name and was rejected and warned if another comes in His own name him you will receive. The 3rd temple will be for the man of sin to be revealed in and the abomination of desolation to occur in. The fact that plans for this temple and the world is following this script to unite one world government are strong evidence this view is correct.
