The Temple At Jerusalem

One of the prophecies of the last days that has been given to us by modern prophets is that the temple in Jerusalem must be rebuilt at some point.  Joseph Smith gave this statement about that rebuilding: “Judah must return, Jerusalem must be rebuilt, and the temple, and water come out from under the temple, and the waters of the Dead Sea be healed. It will take some time to rebuild the walls of the city and the temple, &c., and all this must be done before the Son of Man will make His appearance.”  The scriptural prophecy that he referred to was that given in the later chapters of Ezekiel.  Ezekiel was given the vision of a temple at Jerusalem that must be referring to a yet future day.  He saw in particular that “waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward” and eventually saw how those waters healed the Dead Sea (Ezekiel 47:1).  This is what the Prophet was referring to, and he clearly understood this vision to be something that would be literally fulfilled.  There is a lot that we can learn symbolically from the vision about the healing nature of the temple, but it is also a literal prophecy containing very specific details about how the temple will be built at Jerusalem.

               To my knowledge there aren’t a lot of other scriptures that refer directly to the building of this temple at Jerusalem, but several of the Church leaders have also prophesied about the temple at Jerusalem.  For example, Wilford Woodruff said this, “The time is not far distant when the rich men among the Jews may be called upon to use their abundant wealth to gather the dispersed of Judah, and purchase the ancient dwelling places of their fathers in and about Jerusalem, and rebuild the holy city and temple.”  He also gave us a specific timeline for when this would have to happen: “Christ will not come until these things come to pass. Jerusalem has got to be rebuilt. The temple has got to be built.… These things have been revealed by the prophets; they will have their fulfillment.”  The temple must be built by the Jews before the Savior’s return to the earth.  Orson Pratt also spoke about this event which gives us a little more information: “The Temple at Jerusalem will undoubtedly be built, by those who believe in the true Messiah. Its construction will be, in some respects different from the Temples now being built. It will contain the throne of the Lord, upon which he will, at times, personally sit, and will reign over the house of Israel for ever.”  So the temple is to be built before the Second Coming by Jews in Jerusalem who believe in the Messiah.  We don’t know when that will be, but it will be before the great and dreadful day of the Lord.