Temple

The Temple was the permanent building in Jerusalem where God’s presence dwelt and where people could come to worship Him. The Temple was the successor to the Tabernacle. It was built by King Solomon and stood for over 400 years until it was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587BC (1 Kings 5-8, 2 Chronicles 36:15-23). A Second Temple was later rebuilt on the same site. It was gradually improved from the return of the exiles to Judah until Jesus’ day, especially by King Herod the Great. It was finally destroyed by the Romans in 70AD. Jesus prophesied this destruction as a judgement on Israel for rejecting Him as their Messiah (Luke 21:5). The Bible teaches that the Temple, with all its systems, priesthood and practices, was pointing towards Jesus Christ: He was the true temple, God Himself dwelling on earth with human beings (John 1:14, John 2:19-22); He was the Great High Priest, who would offer a sacrifice for sins once for all (Hebrews 7:27); and through His body on the cross He would tear away the curtain that separated human beings from God’s holy presence, allowing them to approach Him and have a relationship with Him (Hebrews 10:19-22). Because of Jesus, Christians have, through faith, become temples themselves, as God the Holy Spirit dwells within their hearts (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).