His Perfect Love

Guest (Male): The Antichrist will give the Jews what they long for, peace and a temple. But they'll soon discover his true colors. His perfect love is next.

Guest (Male): At the present time, the Jews don't have a temple, but there's coming a day when it will be erected. And then the Antichrist will desecrate it at the midway point of the tribulation period. That's foretold in the scriptures, as we'll discover today on His Perfect Love. Pastor Matt Vanderven is taking us through Revelation and today we make a visit to chapter 11 verses 1 and 2. Here is Pastor Matt with a message first delivered at Calvary Chapel Harrisburg West Shore.

Matt VanderVen: Let's go into this because I think this is going to I'm going to show you something here in a moment. I think it's going to be eye-opening to many people. Because he said believe out the court which is outside of the temple and do not measure it. John was measuring everything else for it has been given to the Gentiles and as I just read they will tread the holy city under the under foot for 42 months. And I will give power to my two witnesses and they will prophesy 1,260 days which is also what? 42 months or 3 and 1/2 years clothed in sackcloth, right?

So next we read specifically here 3 and 1/2 years the Gentiles are going to be able to tread outside wherever this is. And and God says don't measure that. Don't measure that. I think that's important. Really important. If we had had that measurement, I don't think there'd be a single person here that would go why didn't I see this before? I'm going to show you something in a moment. Now what does the altar refer to? He told us to measure that. What is that? That's the Holy of Holies, right? We understand that would be the Holy of Holies.

What is the holy place? Well, that's the temple of God or the temple of God is the holy place, okay? So they're only accessed by priests. Anyone that's traveled to Jerusalem knows that going to Mount of Olives Anybody Anybody been to Mount of Olives here? Couple people. Okay. If you go to the Mount of Olives and you go on the east side of the Temple Mount, certainly a significant highlight for anyone's trip to Israel. If you stand on the Mount of Olives and you were to look directly west, okay, you know what you would see?

You would see Mount Moriah which is the Temple Mount. Now, do you know what you would see on there? Would you see one or two mosques? You would actually see two mosques. Al-Aqsa or Al-Aqsa. Some pronounce it that way mosque. And you would also see the Dome of the Rock. Now the Al-Aqsa mosque is considered the second holiest site. Everybody talks about the Dome of the Rock and that's true. That's the third holiest site. But Al-Aqsa is the second holiest site on Mount Moriah and right on the top. And it has the capacity to hold over 400,000 worshippers of Islam.

Okay? I just want to give you proximity so you understand. Just think about what a room would or an area or ground would have to be to hold 400,000 people that would be able to worship, okay? It's pretty big area, okay? You with me? This is important. Now, Matthew 24 and again the Olivet discourse speaks all this from Jesus's lips. You can go back and read it starting in Matthew 24 3. We just read it together though. Jesus declared that the Antichrist, the Jewish false Messiah will defile the temple by idolatry commanding to be worshipped in the place of God.

When the Jews see this, they're told to get out. Remember that? And he says get out, flee to the hills, run. Basically get out of dodge, right? Run for your life because the Antichrist isn't going to stop there with declaring himself God in that temple. He's going to turn around and in in in persecute and kill the Jewish people with such intensity. We need to know that. Now, Daniel 9 27 also says that obviously there's a peace treaty or some kind of covenant. That's the word that was used that the Antichrist is going to make with the Jewish people to rebuild.

And I believe because everything revolves around what for Israel. They don't want it to be a two-party state. The Arabs want it to be a two-party state, don't they? They even want to redefine borders and boundaries, but Israel has never wanted that. Why? Because the minute The only way that they would be willing to concede to do something like that is if they were given back control of the what? The Temple Mount, Mount Moriah. That's their one thing. And what if the what did the Muslims and the Arabs saying? Absolutely not. That's our second and third holiest site.

Both exist right on Mount Moriah, one being the Dome of the Rock. We think that's where Muhammad ascended. And then the other one I already told you Al-Aqsa, right? This big gathering place for worship. So they're not willing to give that up. So that means a treaty or a covenant What do they want out of this? They want their temple would have to do something in some way that either would allow the Muslim people to say okay, go ahead and demo it. Or maybe there's something else going on here. Again, remember Israel's a secular nation, very small population as I mentioned earlier, much like the United States that actually believe are religious.

If you were to act ask a practicing Jewish person in the secular nation of Israel Israel to know how you will know Messiah, how would you recognize them and how do you know he's the one or he's to come? Do you know what their answer would be? Some of you guys know Eddie and Laura. They were missionaries in Israel for 20 years. They fellowship with us. And it's beautiful talking to them. Well, Eddie gave me a video one time and I I watched it. It was very interesting cuz they were over there 20 years and they were over there to witness for Christ.

Laura was a Jewish citizen as well. And there were many times A lot of people don't know this. The religious leaders are very hostile towards Christians or anybody that takes the name of Christ very often. Now certainly not on the tours. Oh, they love the money on the tours and the marketplace and all that. Oh, just spend the dollar. No problem there. But the minute you go out of that area and you start going into some of the other parts of Israel, well, I have it on video. I mean this guy one of the religious leaders, rabbi came up.

He grabbed the back of Eddie's shirt and ripped it off his back as he was standing right there because his shirt said Yeshua or Jesus is Lord or King. So please don't be disillusioned about what Israel and the peo It's it's a secular nation, okay? They don't believe that Jesus is Lord. And while we can go over there and spend our money on tours and trips just like any other religious group can, the Catholics and other folks like that can do that, there is a very big difference between saying we agree with you and we'll allow you to do something.

Okay? I just want to be clear here. So if you were to ask them though, and this has been done over there, and that why I'm bringing it up, one of the pastors I know well went over there and he asked this very question. What do you think their answers will? We will recognize the Messiah because he will be the one that allows us to rebuild our temple. You can ask the tour guides, the the bus drivers, you can ask all the people on the tour. They'll tell you the same thing. The Messiah will be the one that will allow us to rebuild our temple.

That's how we will know. And that's what we're looking for. And isn't that interesting? Cuz remember back in verse 11 of Matthew chapter 24 and many false prophets will go forward. It's already The net is being set is what I'm getting at, right? It's striking when you look in regards to the text that we've been in them this morning in regards to Daniel's prophecy, Jesus himself. They're not looking for a divine son. They're not looking for the son of God. They're not looking for a divine God. Christians are, but the Jewish person is looking for a great man that will overthrow Jewish oppression and help them to rebuild their temple.

And that 's why during the Abrahamic accord and during when Netanyahu was speaking that very day, and it's on camera and video, you can go and watch whatever you tool you use to do that. Count how many times again rebuild the temple, the temple three different times in his very short conversation giving all credit back to Ivanka Trump and to the son-in-law Jared. And then Trump himself a lot of love was given around like that and that's great. But that all was going on and it was all in the idea of now we are going to be recognized as a sovereign state again.

Why do they want that as a sovereign state for Jerusalem? Because then they can turn around and exercise power over the Mount Moriah to make that their place for the temple. That's all they care about. As a matter of fact, if you don't believe me, go back 30 years I think it's 30 35 years ago it's 37 some argue. Rabbis have been calling people all around the world to make Aliyah and come back to Jerusalem to come back to Israel right now. You know, we talk about as a church, right? We will take our monies and put our love, you know, the boxes, our love offerings.

We do that as our worship. God, you know, hilarious givers. We do that and we'll use that to support missionaries. We pay the mortgage. We do the things we need to buy food for people, help people, all kinds of things like that, right? The Jewish people, do you realize they will take monies, and I mean vast amounts of monies, and they are all funneling that back to Jerusalem which has been funneling a lot of the work at the Temple Institute as well as rebuilding the temple. The elements, all of the stuff They've been doing this for 10, 15, 20 plus years.

People have been coming back, getting their citizenship in Israel again. People have been making their way back and they're funneling a lot of money back into Israel from the people from all around the world because they're being faithful They believe they're being faithful to God to come back to Israel because they know that they're God's chosen people. Praise the Lord. But I just point that out that it's not what you and I think with the Jewish You know, with the the Gentile mind, we're thinking well, it'll be that simple. They'll just look for the son of God or something.

That's not what they're looking for. They're looking for a political savior that's going to be one that's really good at the art of the deal. They're looking for somebody that's going to be able to sit down at a table and and let's say let's have a give and get. I want the top negotiator to come forward to establish a covenant that's going to be able to sit and make this covenant and say okay, you get this, I get this. What are they going to ask for? Everybody already knows it, the temple. Well, how can that be done without offending the Muslims and the other people?

Well, I think it's interesting. Jesus already alluded to this. You know, where did I never read that? John chapter 5 verse 43. Jesus spoke in the gospel. He said that Jesus says I came in the name of my father and you reject me. But another will come in another's name. And that's really interesting. In another's name, somebody that's a broker in another's name and him you will see. He's talking to the Jewish people at the time. And that language is very important in the Greek because it's it's it gives us the idea that there's going to be multiple people at the table, but the Antichrist will be the one that seals the deal.

But there'll be other people that will be in the name of who? Of Satan, not God the father. And then John is told to measure the temple, but don't measure the court of the Gentiles as we just read. Now this again very interesting. And I'm going to pause here for a moment um and we'll finish our time really here this morning on this last little part here. And I think it's very very important. I'm going to show you something in a minute. I believe we need to go back to the first temple. Some call it Solomon's temple.

Why do I say that? Because that was the crowning achievement of Solomon's reign. It was the erection of this magnificent temple in Jerusalem, the first temple, right? Solomon's father again, King David, he wanted to build a temple for God a generation earlier, a permanent resting place for the Ark of the Covenant which contained the Ten Commandments. However, God forbade it. Do you remember that? In 1 Chronicles 28 verse 3 he said you will not build a house for my name for you are a man of battles and have blood or shed blood on your hands.

Do you remember that? So he was disqualified. He was not allowed to do it, but he did collect all the materials. He did collect the material. The things were already in motion. Much like what I think is happening today within Israel, things have already been put in motion one collecting the materials for the temple. So Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. And where did he build it? You know it, Mount Moriah where the Lord had appeared to his father David, right? 2 Chronicles 3 1. Now, this new stationary temple would replace the portable tabernacle constructed during the wilderness wanderings.

Now the Bible's description of Solomon's temple suggests a very interesting building. It was 100 feet 180 feet up to 180 feet long, 90 feet wide or 50 feet high. That's some interpretation of a cubit being 18 inches. Not very big, is it? If I took 180 feet, right? That's maybe twice the size. This is 100 feet just to give you an idea here. If I took this and doubled it, that would be 200 or even be longer than this. So just think about two lengths this way. That's not very big. Think of a shoebox. The length of a shoebox.

You know, it's rectangular that way. This would be the size of it. Okay? And then interestingly, it's 90 feet wide. I just mentioned it's this is 100. It's actually smaller than this sanctuary right now in width. I think a lot of people in their mind have this idea of a temple. But it's not it's not the temple that 1 Kings 6 1 through 38 or chapter 7 and 8 described. And this is important. How do people get the idea of the wrong size temple? Because the first temple was destroyed by the Babylonians, right? 400 years later.

586 BC sacrifice was con conducted to God there for the atonement of sin. 70 years later, a second temple was completed at the same site. And the sacrifice resumed. Remember uh Zerubbabel and Ezra were to go back. And also interestingly just You want to know more about your God and how good he is? There were people that didn't go back. They stayed in where? Babylon. And do you know at the time there was a book written about those people that were back there? And there was a young woman. Her name is Hadassah. And we know her as Esther.

Do you realize that was the people that were rebellious? The people that were back in Babylon that didn't leave after the 70 years of captivity that they were supposed to go back. Remember Jeremiah and we read here uh 70 years of captivity would be for their And then after that they were to go back and Zerubbabel led a group of people and then you know Ezra the priest came and he led a group of people. Why didn't all the people that were in captivity in Babylon go back? Because some had established families, some had started focusing more on the temporal.

Babylon became their new home. It became in Egypt to them. It became a place where they said but we got the flesh pots. Remember Moses's day? We got the good things here. We got the grass. We got all these This be Why would we ever go anywhere? Cuz God commanded you to go back. And they were to rebuild their temple and they were to rebuild Jerusalem. Remember that because that was their punishment. And then they were to come back cuz God said I have given you that holy land that is God's holy land and it's for my chosen people.

It is for Israel. That land belongs to Israel. Nobody can divide that land. That's God's land. And he's given it to the people of Israel. But they rebelled. And those people that rebelled, what did they do? They actually fall into Haman's hands, don't they? And the King and what does he want to do? Well, Mordecai. Mordecai was also rebellious because what was Mordecai doing there? Mordecai should have been where? Jerusalem. And yet our God, does he not preserve the people that are even in rebellion and save them and save the peo How many of you knew that?

How many of you correlated that that that's what happens in the book of Esther and when you're reading through that that those were people that actually were disobedient and God is so good and loving. Well, anyway, when Ezra chronicles the building of the second temple, the temple was destroyed again by who? Antiochus Epiphanes. And by the way, how many years? It was 400 years from the first time of the first temple. The second temple or the rebuilt temple that way, right? That was desecrated was another what? 400 years by Antiochus Epiphanes. And that was during the smental period, the quiet time right before Christ will come back.

Now then you turn around and you end up with a different temple being rebuilt. And we know that temple. And this is the temple that everybody's modeled everything off of. But it's the wrong temple because it's the temple of Herod the Great. Do you remember Herod? This is a man that was extravagant in his ego. He literally built onto this temple and made it this extravaganza thing here because it was like you know, an an enlargement of his own personal ego. And it even became known as whose temple? Herod's temple. It became known as his temple.

Now that temple was also destroyed in Rome, right? Or by the Romans, excuse me, in 80 70 during the siege of Jerusalem. Only a small portion remains to this day that's above ground that we can see. Anybody know what that's called? The wailing wall. And every year you will see people and every day they will go in Israel and they will take a piece of paper and they will stick it in stick it in the grout lines of that area and you will see them begin to do this. And what are they doing? Praying. Here's the funny thing.

We know that's the Western Wall, right? Guess what God excavated not too long ago. They were digging down deep as they went to the opposite side cuz they know that if you look where the Western Wall, the mosque and everything is up here. So let's go over here. Surely the Arabs and the Muslims will let us do that. So they did. If you have west here, what's over here? East. Guess what they discovered? The Eastern Gate. The gate that's known as the Beautiful Gate. Oh my. When that became discovered in the excavator came the uh Remind me what the sign the uh Yes, came forward, turned around and after they dug it you know, they figured out oh yes, this is the gate.

The Muslim people at that time shut it down. No more permits are to be issued at all. Cover everything back up. We want nothing dug up. You are no longer allowed to dig any holes surrounding even the remaining walls of that area even though they have found tunnels and different things through there. But they shut it down. No more permits are issued to this day. They don't allow it in that area. Now I mean there's certain other sites that they're doing but not the Jewish people. They're not being allowed to do that. If that's the Eastern Gate and you look at where it lines up, I'd like to show you something here.

I'd like you to look up here for 1 minute. Does everybody know what that object is down here, that mosque is? If in fact the Western Wall is over here, right? And you turn And again you know, we could turn and you know make it a little bit more, you know, geographically appropriate. But you have multiple gates. Do you know what that gate would be right there? If the Western Wall is over there, that gate over here would be the Eastern Gate. The Beautiful Gate. And do you know what that would make where that courtyard is right there, that dome is sitting in what courtyard?

The court of the Gentiles. Did you know that? And didn't we just read but leave out the court which is outside of the temple and do not measure it for it has been given to the Gentiles. I wonder if God had given us the exact dimensions that right now that would prohibit a temple from ever being erected right next to it because the Muslim people would realize it's talking about their mosque that's the courtyard of the Gentiles. You can't make this up. You just can't make this up and the excavations show it. And again you know, where is Jesus going to enter through?

Remember that? The Eastern Gate. I heard somebody say the Eastern Gate, right? So again the Arabs have banned since banning excavation there. And again I bring this up because I think so many people are looking for Herod's temple to be erected. And you couldn't do that on that on that footprint. But you absolutely could with Solomon's or the first temple. Why did people pick Herod's temple? Jesus didn't say it would be Herod's temple. The only temple that Jesus gave the dimensions to are two. One, there's an Ezekiel temple, but then there's also a temple that we read, as I already mentioned, which was Solomon's temple.

Herod did all that on his own without the leading of the Lord. That was his doing. But what God did was the first temple and Solomon's temple. And that meets exactly what you see and it fits right there on Mount Moriah. Now if you were coming and you wanted to negotiate a peace treaty, guys, I got a solution. Everybody wins. You let the temple be erected and it gets put right out here right next to it. You still get your mosque which is your holy place. You still get your other mosque over here is your holy place.

We're not disturbing that, but we get to put the temple here. And what do the people of Israel want? How will they recognize their Messiah? Because the one that helps them to rebuild the temple is their Messiah. Check check. Equation solved. They start worshipping that person. They start saying you're the Messiah until what happens? He walks into the other gate, goes right direct into the Holy of Holies which he would have no business going into. Only the priests were allowed in there. And sits there and declares himself God. And at that point the people then realize the Jewish people what?

We have been duped. They call out to Christ and the rest of Revelation will unfold. I can't be dogmatic. I want to be clear here. I can't be dogmatic that it'll be just that angle. But I will high five you on the way up when we're raptured out. And we're looking down from the mezzanines. You might have me on 20 foot either way, but I'm telling you right now it is brilliant of the Antichrist to think about a way that he could do this because he is a political leader. He's going to turn around and do this with savviness and it's going to appease both people and everybody would move forward this and they'd have no problem with a two you know, a a two uh state, you know, a two-person state that way.

They'd be willing to give that up just to have their temple again so that they could establish their sacrificial system. Interesting, isn't it? Something to be Bereans about. You go ahead and you consider this. And And now I I think I'm going to get ready to close here. I just want to see if there's anything else I want to share with you. So again you you look at this picture, you know, whether it's 90 feet, 180 feet long, 30 feet, 50 feet wide. We clearly see it fits into the landscape. And again right after this happens or right during this when this is erected, then what's going to happen?

God is going to put these two witnesses right on the scene. And then they're going to have miraculous supernatural power. If the Lord should tarry, we'll come back next week and we'll go to verse 3. We're really cooking, right? We're making our way through. But isn't this wonderful? I mean we're really studying the Bible the way God has intended us to study his word, not just jump through it but chew it, marinate on it. You know, let it let it work and then do that work in our souls. Amen.

Guest (Male): You're listening to Pastor Matt Vanderven on His Perfect Love. You can hear the study from Revelation again when you visit hisperfectlove.org. That's hisperfectlove.org. We've expanded our podcast, too. Look for us on oneplace.com and most of the major podcast platforms. The Calvary Chapel Harrisburg mobile app is another great way to listen to Pastor Matt's messages shortly after they're delivered. We can help you get started when you visit hisperfectlove.org. We're thankful for the listeners that come alongside of us with their prayers and financial support. If you're interested in supporting this radio ministry, there's a place to do that at hisperfectlove.org.

Together we can reach people with the love and truth of God in these last days. Pastor Matt loves to hear from his listeners. Even just a quick hello telling him where you hear the program and how you're blessed by it means a lot. Email us there at the website hisperfectlove.org. And whether you live in or around Mechanicsburg, PA or we'll be visiting the area soon, we'd love to have you join us for a service at Calvary Chapel Harrisburg West Shore. Sunday morning services begin at 8:30 and 10:30. We have a midweek service, too, Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m.

You'll find us at 28 North Locust Point Road in Mechanicsburg, PA. Go to ccharrisburg.org for more information. Well, that'll do it for today, but come back next time when Pastor Matt will again study the book of Revelation with us here on His Perfect Love.

Guest (Female): His Perfect Love is brought to you by Calvary Chapel Harrisburg West Shore.