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N
I agree. A study of all areas when people are marked or sealed would shed much light on the subject. Your mention of the 144,000 and Cain would not appear to be physical either. Forehead and hand has many symbolic meanings throughout Scripture.
Forehead also coming from base word in Greek, horao, meaning to see, perceive, behold, take head, etc and can signify the place of knowledge, mind, to know and also speaks of our carnal nature and flesh. Thought and reason as if to observe a deity or an idol.
Hand from the base Greek word cheir, with meanings of power and control.. so both in Revelation can also mean to give up one's control, power, thoughts, etc unto the beast instead of to God and being marked/sealed by God.
Forehead also coming from base word in Greek, horao, meaning to see, perceive, behold, take head, etc and can signify the place of knowledge, mind, to know and also speaks of our carnal nature and flesh. Thought and reason as if to observe a deity or an idol.
Hand from the base Greek word cheir, with meanings of power and control.. so both in Revelation can also mean to give up one's control, power, thoughts, etc unto the beast instead of to God and being marked/sealed by God.
N
Gospel being preached in all the world, to all nations is an interesting point. A few passages actually can point to this topic directly in the generation that then existed and was Paul's view at the time.
Colossians 1:5-6, "because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth;
Colossians 1:23, " if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Romans 10:18, " But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: "Their sound has gone out to all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world."
Matthew 10:23, "When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
Colossians 1:5-6, "because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth;
Colossians 1:23, " if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Romans 10:18, " But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: "Their sound has gone out to all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world."
Matthew 10:23, "When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
The abomination of desolation was in the past with the destruction of Jerusalem. That is the only historical event which matches (loosely i.e. prophetic timeline) the chronological record of Daniel and fits with Christ's words about Jerusalem being surrounded with armies. Newsflash: already happened. All you people thinking it's all going to happen in the future are mistaken. Look around you there's no temple. Maybe you'd like to join Benny Hinn to help re-build it. Bit hard considering there's a gigantic mosque on it. Newsflash: that's an abomination of desolation right there and has been standing there for some time. There won't be a future rebuilding of the temple. You've got your timelines all wrong, that already happened after the babylonian captivity - their future not ours. Newsflash: God destroyed the temple since Christ because the old temple system has been done away with. So why would God be interested in rebuilding it when we now have Christ. There's no levitical priesthood system anymore that is going back to the old testament. The point is Jerusalem has been surrounded by armies many times, the Roman one was the most influential in terms of the catastrophic destruction of the sacred Jewish sites. That's why Jesus said "this generation will not pass away". That generation did not pass away because the events that Christ foretold occurred within about 30 to 40 years. Then we also have subsequent abominations of desolation in the periods of the Muslim conquests in the middle ages. So, it's already happened, you're quite a few hundred years behind in the bible prophecy.
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G
Jesus was not speaking about the generation at that point in time,
Mat 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
Mat 24:33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
Mat 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled
He was saying that when these signs that He spoke of are seen, then THAT generation will not pass away.
So if the Temple is no more and will never be build...where will Jesus reign from in Jerusalem?
Are you also saying that Israel today has no bearing on Bible prophesy anymore?
Mat 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
Mat 24:33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
Mat 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled
He was saying that when these signs that He spoke of are seen, then THAT generation will not pass away.
So if the Temple is no more and will never be build...where will Jesus reign from in Jerusalem?
Are you also saying that Israel today has no bearing on Bible prophesy anymore?
So you say. But John Wesley for one interpeted it to mean the generation within 30-40 years of Jesus saying that, so does Albert Barnes:
Barnes says:
Mat 24:34 This generation of men now living shall not pass till all these things be done - The expression implies, that great part of that generation would be passed away, but not the whole. Just so it was. For the city and temple were destroyed thirty - nine or forty years after.
I can't see any reason why Jesus would suddenly jump to the future when he's talking to them in the right then and now.
Admittedly there are a couple of interpretations from that text of what the generation means. It could be those living at the time, it could be the Jewish race in general, it could refer to the general body of Christianity.
Where does the bible say Jesus will reign from Jerusalem in a Temple? You know there's a lot of popular opinions and myths circulating in our evangelical churches today, but that doesn't make it fact. Like the Bereans search the Word to see if those things are so.
Barnes says:
Mat 24:34 This generation of men now living shall not pass till all these things be done - The expression implies, that great part of that generation would be passed away, but not the whole. Just so it was. For the city and temple were destroyed thirty - nine or forty years after.
I can't see any reason why Jesus would suddenly jump to the future when he's talking to them in the right then and now.
Admittedly there are a couple of interpretations from that text of what the generation means. It could be those living at the time, it could be the Jewish race in general, it could refer to the general body of Christianity.
Where does the bible say Jesus will reign from Jerusalem in a Temple? You know there's a lot of popular opinions and myths circulating in our evangelical churches today, but that doesn't make it fact. Like the Bereans search the Word to see if those things are so.
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Graybeard can you provide any scripture which says that Christ will actually reign from an actual temple in actual Jerusalem? I'm yet to find any.
With regards to the many scriptures you presented, you said there is no way Christ has returned already and that is correct, but also remember that Christ coming can mean God's judgement upon a particular nation, individual or group of people.
Here's some examples of Christ coming for judgement:
Rev 3:3 Remember then how you have received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.
Rev 2:16 Repent! But if not I will come to you quickly, and will fight with them by the sword of My mouth.
Rev 2:5 Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and will remove your lampstand out of its place unless you repent.
In verse 2:5 for example, Christ coming quickly and removing the lampstand out of its place , refers to whole churches which were destroyed, because they did not repent. Now this actually happened, in the past.
Let's take an honest look at what the new testament says.
Firstly, Christ Himself mentions the destruction of the temple, but nowhere its being rebuilt. Such an important event of Christ coming back to live in a reconstructed temple would have been made clear by Him.
Secondly, the language referring to the temple in the new testament all refers to the church and Christian believers being built up as in a spiritual house or spiritual temple. See Acts 15:14-16. Again, I'll quote Wesley who clearly attributes this to be spiritual in nature:
Act 15:16 After this - After the Jewish dispensation expires. I will build again the fallen tabernacle of David - By raising from his seed the Christ, who shall build on the ruins of his fallen tabernacle a spiritual and eternal kingdom. Amo_9:11.
There is also the teachings by Paul how each individual member of the body and the church as a whole is God's temple, because Christ dwells amongst us. So it begs the question why on earth Christ would want to set up shop in another earthly temple on earth at all?
By the way the temple on the earth was called Solomon's temple for a reason, -it was Davids/Solomon's idea to build the temple originally, not God's. I don't believe God likes the idea of coming back to live in an earthly temple which caused Him so much grief in the first place, that He had to send His only begotten Son and show that the old system was done away with by the tearing of the curtain and the subsequent judgement on the nation of Israel via the Roman occupation and destruction of the temple. The new testament teaches there is no need for a temple in the new Jerusalem:
Rev 21:22 And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty is its temple, even the Lamb.
If any temple is to be re-built, as you say it will, do you know who for? It won't be for Christ but for the anti-Christ who will pretend to be God. Be careful you don't want to confuse the anti-Christ for Christ if you see one sitting in a physical earthly temple in the earthly physical Jerusalem. See:
2Th 2:4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself forth, that he is God.
In summary, all references to the temple and Jerusalem by the apostles refer to the church and are spiritual in nature. Christ is coming back for His bride not for a temple. The old things have passed away and that includes the whole idea of God living in some sort of earthly temple. Do you think that the sacrificial and levitical priesthood system will be restored then as well? (that is what must happen if the temple is to be re-built, in which case it is going back to the old law). Remember that we serve not in oldness of law but newness of the spirit. The temple is no longer physical it is made of flesh and Spirit. And any references such as 2 Th 2:4 do not say Christ sits in a earthly temple, but the anti-Christ. So be careful with this one.
Again, I ask you to provide one verse from the new testament that says Christ will come and sit in an earthly temple in Jerusalem?
With regards to the many scriptures you presented, you said there is no way Christ has returned already and that is correct, but also remember that Christ coming can mean God's judgement upon a particular nation, individual or group of people.
Here's some examples of Christ coming for judgement:
Rev 3:3 Remember then how you have received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.
Rev 2:16 Repent! But if not I will come to you quickly, and will fight with them by the sword of My mouth.
Rev 2:5 Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and will remove your lampstand out of its place unless you repent.
In verse 2:5 for example, Christ coming quickly and removing the lampstand out of its place , refers to whole churches which were destroyed, because they did not repent. Now this actually happened, in the past.
Let's take an honest look at what the new testament says.
Firstly, Christ Himself mentions the destruction of the temple, but nowhere its being rebuilt. Such an important event of Christ coming back to live in a reconstructed temple would have been made clear by Him.
Secondly, the language referring to the temple in the new testament all refers to the church and Christian believers being built up as in a spiritual house or spiritual temple. See Acts 15:14-16. Again, I'll quote Wesley who clearly attributes this to be spiritual in nature:
Act 15:16 After this - After the Jewish dispensation expires. I will build again the fallen tabernacle of David - By raising from his seed the Christ, who shall build on the ruins of his fallen tabernacle a spiritual and eternal kingdom. Amo_9:11.
There is also the teachings by Paul how each individual member of the body and the church as a whole is God's temple, because Christ dwells amongst us. So it begs the question why on earth Christ would want to set up shop in another earthly temple on earth at all?
By the way the temple on the earth was called Solomon's temple for a reason, -it was Davids/Solomon's idea to build the temple originally, not God's. I don't believe God likes the idea of coming back to live in an earthly temple which caused Him so much grief in the first place, that He had to send His only begotten Son and show that the old system was done away with by the tearing of the curtain and the subsequent judgement on the nation of Israel via the Roman occupation and destruction of the temple. The new testament teaches there is no need for a temple in the new Jerusalem:
Rev 21:22 And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty is its temple, even the Lamb.
If any temple is to be re-built, as you say it will, do you know who for? It won't be for Christ but for the anti-Christ who will pretend to be God. Be careful you don't want to confuse the anti-Christ for Christ if you see one sitting in a physical earthly temple in the earthly physical Jerusalem. See:
2Th 2:4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself forth, that he is God.
In summary, all references to the temple and Jerusalem by the apostles refer to the church and are spiritual in nature. Christ is coming back for His bride not for a temple. The old things have passed away and that includes the whole idea of God living in some sort of earthly temple. Do you think that the sacrificial and levitical priesthood system will be restored then as well? (that is what must happen if the temple is to be re-built, in which case it is going back to the old law). Remember that we serve not in oldness of law but newness of the spirit. The temple is no longer physical it is made of flesh and Spirit. And any references such as 2 Th 2:4 do not say Christ sits in a earthly temple, but the anti-Christ. So be careful with this one.
Again, I ask you to provide one verse from the new testament that says Christ will come and sit in an earthly temple in Jerusalem?
Graybeard you said before that Christ will rule from a temple in Jerusalem, but the scripture I posted shows that this temple is for the purpose of the anti-Christ. This "temple" is very likely the Dome mosque. In other words, it is no place God would ever dwell. Christ Himself never said he would return to rule from a temple in Jerusalem, that's why you find it so hard to find those verses - they do not exist.
If we think there is going to be a Levitical priesthood system put back in place (I mean that is the logical conclusion when one re-builds a temple), then we obviously haven't understood the whole new covenant system and much of the new testament. You are right that the Jews are still God's people but where you err is thinking that there is a restoration of the old covenant when the new testament makes very clear, that the Jews also must come back to God by faith in Christ, and there is no mention of such a great event as a restoration of the temple. It is no surprise that God is not going to rebuild the temple because this idea of God living amongst His people in a man-made temple was man's idea from the start, not God's.
The "temple" in 2 Th 2:4, is not an actual temple but the church. It is rendered "house of God". This is what the theologian John Gill has to say :
so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God; not in the temple of Jerusalem, which was to be destroyed and never to be rebuilt more, and was destroyed before this man of sin was revealed; but in the church of God, so called, 1Co_3:16 the Ethiopic version renders it, "in the house of God"; for antichrist rose up out of, and in the midst of the church; and it was a true church in which he first appeared, and over which he usurped power and authority; though it has been so corrupted by him, as now to be only nominally so; here he sits, and has homage done him by his creatures, as if he was a god, and is not only styled Christ's vicar, but a god on earth, and our Lord God the Pope; so in the triumphal arch at the entry of Pope Sixtus IV, these lines were put, "oraculo vocis, mundi moderaris habenas, et merito in terris crederis esse Dens"; the sense is, that he governed the world by his word, and was deservedly believed to be God on earth; and their canon law (g) says,
This "Wesley guy" is John Wesley. I find many of the old protestant theologians do not support what you are saying. But it's not your fault. What you believe is the stuff of science fiction and popular opinion, and popularised by Judaizers and Jewish sympathizers like Benny Hinn and others in the pentecostal movements.
1948 is in not really a fulfillment of prophecy for a couple of reasons. a) the prophecy (if its the one i think you are referring to) says Israel will have peace on its borders, but present Israel has been in perpetual state of war since 1948. b) the current nation of Israel today is only a portion of the land originally promised to God's people by God. It is a partial fulfillment at best, and at worst, no fulfillment at all. You will find that any supposed references to Israel being restored in our time refer to the restoration of Israel out of Babylonian ( i think it was babylon) captivity. In other words you have the timelines all messed up.
If we think there is going to be a Levitical priesthood system put back in place (I mean that is the logical conclusion when one re-builds a temple), then we obviously haven't understood the whole new covenant system and much of the new testament. You are right that the Jews are still God's people but where you err is thinking that there is a restoration of the old covenant when the new testament makes very clear, that the Jews also must come back to God by faith in Christ, and there is no mention of such a great event as a restoration of the temple. It is no surprise that God is not going to rebuild the temple because this idea of God living amongst His people in a man-made temple was man's idea from the start, not God's.
The "temple" in 2 Th 2:4, is not an actual temple but the church. It is rendered "house of God". This is what the theologian John Gill has to say :
so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God; not in the temple of Jerusalem, which was to be destroyed and never to be rebuilt more, and was destroyed before this man of sin was revealed; but in the church of God, so called, 1Co_3:16 the Ethiopic version renders it, "in the house of God"; for antichrist rose up out of, and in the midst of the church; and it was a true church in which he first appeared, and over which he usurped power and authority; though it has been so corrupted by him, as now to be only nominally so; here he sits, and has homage done him by his creatures, as if he was a god, and is not only styled Christ's vicar, but a god on earth, and our Lord God the Pope; so in the triumphal arch at the entry of Pope Sixtus IV, these lines were put, "oraculo vocis, mundi moderaris habenas, et merito in terris crederis esse Dens"; the sense is, that he governed the world by his word, and was deservedly believed to be God on earth; and their canon law (g) says,
This "Wesley guy" is John Wesley. I find many of the old protestant theologians do not support what you are saying. But it's not your fault. What you believe is the stuff of science fiction and popular opinion, and popularised by Judaizers and Jewish sympathizers like Benny Hinn and others in the pentecostal movements.
1948 is in not really a fulfillment of prophecy for a couple of reasons. a) the prophecy (if its the one i think you are referring to) says Israel will have peace on its borders, but present Israel has been in perpetual state of war since 1948. b) the current nation of Israel today is only a portion of the land originally promised to God's people by God. It is a partial fulfillment at best, and at worst, no fulfillment at all. You will find that any supposed references to Israel being restored in our time refer to the restoration of Israel out of Babylonian ( i think it was babylon) captivity. In other words you have the timelines all messed up.
G
You are doing a good job, Graybeard.
The events of 1948 were prophesied in Ezekiel.
In 1948 David Ben Gurion used Ezekiel as justification for the reestablishment of the State of Israel.
The Jews who are still looking for the Mesiiah believe they need to rebuild the temple for the Messiah to come. They have ererything prepared. They are just waiting for the correct block of land to become available(the temple mount - or part thereof). If tha thappens then that will only be because God makes it possible.
Ezekiel describes the existence of a temple in the Millennial Kingdom. It will be open New Moons, Sabbaths and special holidays.
The events of 1948 were prophesied in Ezekiel.
In 1948 David Ben Gurion used Ezekiel as justification for the reestablishment of the State of Israel.
The Jews who are still looking for the Mesiiah believe they need to rebuild the temple for the Messiah to come. They have ererything prepared. They are just waiting for the correct block of land to become available(the temple mount - or part thereof). If tha thappens then that will only be because God makes it possible.
Ezekiel describes the existence of a temple in the Millennial Kingdom. It will be open New Moons, Sabbaths and special holidays.
There's a very simple reason why 1948 was not fulfillment of prophecy.God's promise to restore them to their land was conditional upon their return to Moses and repentance. See Lev 26, Deut 28-30.
Deu 30:1 And it shall be when all these things have come on you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and when you shall call them to mind among all the nations where Jehovah your God has driven you,
Deu 30:2 and shall return to Jehovah your God and shall obey His voice according to all that I command you today, you and your sons, with all your heart, and with all your soul,
Deu 30:3 then Jehovah your God will turn your captivity. And He will have compassion on you, and will return and gather you from all the nations where Jehovah your God has scattered you.
Did they repent and return to God in 1948? No they did not. And they still have not. In fact the majority of the Jews that returned in 1948, and that are there today are, "atheists and agnostics", as Dr Arnold Fruchtenbaum says.
So we see that God no where promised to return Israel back to their land whilst they are in a state of unbelief.
Deu 30:1 And it shall be when all these things have come on you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and when you shall call them to mind among all the nations where Jehovah your God has driven you,
Deu 30:2 and shall return to Jehovah your God and shall obey His voice according to all that I command you today, you and your sons, with all your heart, and with all your soul,
Deu 30:3 then Jehovah your God will turn your captivity. And He will have compassion on you, and will return and gather you from all the nations where Jehovah your God has scattered you.
Did they repent and return to God in 1948? No they did not. And they still have not. In fact the majority of the Jews that returned in 1948, and that are there today are, "atheists and agnostics", as Dr Arnold Fruchtenbaum says.
So we see that God no where promised to return Israel back to their land whilst they are in a state of unbelief.
Eze 11:17 Therefore say, So says the Lord Jehovah: I will even gather you from the people and assemble you out of the lands, in those where you were scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.
Eze 11:18 And they shall come there, and they shall take away all its hateful things and all its abominations from it.
Eze 11:19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. And I will remove the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh,
A quick look up in any bible commentary written by a knowledgable theologian will tell you this refers to things fulfilled in the time of Zerebbabel, Ezra, Haggai.
That's not referring to the temple at Jerusalem but the tent of the Lord's presence. It is not until we come to David who has the idea of building God a grand house (temple) to which God replies:
2Sa 7:5 "Go and tell my servant David that I say to him, 'You are not the one to build a temple for me to live in.
2Sa 7:6 From the time I rescued the people of Israel from Egypt until now, I have never lived in a temple; I have traveled around living in a tent.
2Sa 7:7 In all my traveling with the people of Israel I never asked any of the leaders that I appointed why they had not built me a temple made of cedar.'
Eze 11:18 And they shall come there, and they shall take away all its hateful things and all its abominations from it.
Eze 11:19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. And I will remove the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh,
A quick look up in any bible commentary written by a knowledgable theologian will tell you this refers to things fulfilled in the time of Zerebbabel, Ezra, Haggai.
That's not referring to the temple at Jerusalem but the tent of the Lord's presence. It is not until we come to David who has the idea of building God a grand house (temple) to which God replies:
2Sa 7:5 "Go and tell my servant David that I say to him, 'You are not the one to build a temple for me to live in.
2Sa 7:6 From the time I rescued the people of Israel from Egypt until now, I have never lived in a temple; I have traveled around living in a tent.
2Sa 7:7 In all my traveling with the people of Israel I never asked any of the leaders that I appointed why they had not built me a temple made of cedar.'
Perhaps if i quote yet another theologian , Barnes who explains it a bit better:
Sitteth in the temple of God - That is, in the Christian church. It is by no means necessary to understand this of the temple at Jerusalem, which was standing at the time this Epistle was written, because:
(1) the phrase "the temple of God" is several times used with reference to the Christian church, 1Co_3:16, 1Co_3:17; 2Co_6:16; Eph_2:21; Rev_3:12; and,
(2) the temple was the proper symbol of the church, and an apostle trained amidst the Hebrew institutions would naturally speak of the church as the temple of God. The temple at Jerusalem was regarded as the peculiar dwelling-place of God on earth. When the Christian church was founded, it was spoken of as the peculiar dwelling-place of God; see the passages referred to above. He dwelt among His people. He was with them, and walked with them, and manifested himself among them - as he had done in the ancient temple. The usage in the New Testament would not lead us to restrict this language to an edifice, or a "church," as the word is now commonly used, but rather to suppose that it denotes the church as a society, and the idea is, that the Antichrist here referred to would present himself in the midst of that church as claiming the honors due to God alone. In the temple at Jerusalem, God himself presided. There he gave laws to his people; there he manifested himself as God; and there he was worshipped. The reign of the "man of sin" would be as if he should sit there. In the Christian church he would usurp the place which God had occupied in the temple. He would claim divine attributes and homage. He would give laws and responses as God did there. He would be regarded as the head of all ecclesiastical power; the source from which all authority emanated; the same in the Christian church which God himself was in the temple. This does not then refer primarily to the Pope as sitting in any particular church on any particular occasion, but to his claiming in the Church of Christ the authority and homage which God had in the temple at Jerusalem. In whatever place, whether in a cathedral or elsewhere, this authority should be exercised, all that the language here conveys would be fulfilled. No one can fail to see that the authority claimed by the Pope of Rome, meets the full force of the language used here by the apostle.
So in short, the reference to sitting in the temple, means having a place of honor in the church, where God now dwells.
I don't know if it's occurred to you yet Graybeard, but since Christ God no longer dwells in human-built temples but in the church.
Act 17:24 The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of Heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands,
The best argument against the idea of any rebuilding of the temple for God to live in, is the fact that Christians believe the old things have passed away and that is for the Jews as well. There aint going to be any Jews offering sacrifices under a Levitical priesthood system in a temple in Jerusalem, whilst at the same time Gentiles are offering sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving being temples of God in their bodies.
Sitteth in the temple of God - That is, in the Christian church. It is by no means necessary to understand this of the temple at Jerusalem, which was standing at the time this Epistle was written, because:
(1) the phrase "the temple of God" is several times used with reference to the Christian church, 1Co_3:16, 1Co_3:17; 2Co_6:16; Eph_2:21; Rev_3:12; and,
(2) the temple was the proper symbol of the church, and an apostle trained amidst the Hebrew institutions would naturally speak of the church as the temple of God. The temple at Jerusalem was regarded as the peculiar dwelling-place of God on earth. When the Christian church was founded, it was spoken of as the peculiar dwelling-place of God; see the passages referred to above. He dwelt among His people. He was with them, and walked with them, and manifested himself among them - as he had done in the ancient temple. The usage in the New Testament would not lead us to restrict this language to an edifice, or a "church," as the word is now commonly used, but rather to suppose that it denotes the church as a society, and the idea is, that the Antichrist here referred to would present himself in the midst of that church as claiming the honors due to God alone. In the temple at Jerusalem, God himself presided. There he gave laws to his people; there he manifested himself as God; and there he was worshipped. The reign of the "man of sin" would be as if he should sit there. In the Christian church he would usurp the place which God had occupied in the temple. He would claim divine attributes and homage. He would give laws and responses as God did there. He would be regarded as the head of all ecclesiastical power; the source from which all authority emanated; the same in the Christian church which God himself was in the temple. This does not then refer primarily to the Pope as sitting in any particular church on any particular occasion, but to his claiming in the Church of Christ the authority and homage which God had in the temple at Jerusalem. In whatever place, whether in a cathedral or elsewhere, this authority should be exercised, all that the language here conveys would be fulfilled. No one can fail to see that the authority claimed by the Pope of Rome, meets the full force of the language used here by the apostle.
So in short, the reference to sitting in the temple, means having a place of honor in the church, where God now dwells.
I don't know if it's occurred to you yet Graybeard, but since Christ God no longer dwells in human-built temples but in the church.
Act 17:24 The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of Heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands,
The best argument against the idea of any rebuilding of the temple for God to live in, is the fact that Christians believe the old things have passed away and that is for the Jews as well. There aint going to be any Jews offering sacrifices under a Levitical priesthood system in a temple in Jerusalem, whilst at the same time Gentiles are offering sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving being temples of God in their bodies.