Hollywood and the Second Coming

Welcome to the latest end-of-the-world "thriller" from Netflix, coming out Jan. 1.

It's a miniseries called "Messiah" that even boasts a "replica of the rebuilt Temple."

When people tune in to most Second Coming fare, they expect to see people battling over the Third Temple. Many Orthodox Jews and prophecy-minded Christians are eagerly waiting for someone to rebuild – amid controversy over the inconveniently placed Islamic shrines the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.

Hold on! Is that really the way things take place?

It would be great drama. But there's one thing Jesus has planned, according to Scripture. He's pretty clear about it. And it doesn't look like He'll need anyone to build a Temple for Him. Nor is he waiting for a pre-fabricated version.

It seems that the Master Builder has plans of His own for the Sanctuary and Holy City.

Consider Zechariah 6:12-15:

"And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The Branch; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord: Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. … And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the Lord, and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God."

Here God speaks clearly through His prophet Zechariah, unmistakably of Jesus, as "The Branch." We're told specifically he "shall build the temple of the Lord." If that's not clear enough, he repeats it. "Even he shall build the temple of the Lord."

Clear enough? Who gets the glory?

If there is any confusion about this "Branch" and His fondness for David, it should be settled in Jeremiah 23:5:

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth."

2 Samuel 7:12-13 states: "And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever."

Here's another mention of David, the king who pleased God's heart and who will share His throne forever.

Amos 9:11: "In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old."

But still there's more.

There's even a prophecy way back in Exodus 15:17 that seems to point the way:

"Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established."

There are even a couple of hints in the New Testament of God's plans.

"And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God," John writes in Revelation 21:10. He follows up a few verses later, in Revelation 21:22: "And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it."

Don't get me wrong. I'll be interested to watch "Messiah" for some exciting entertainment – Hollywood-style – beginning the first of the year.

As good as it may be, it will be no match for the real thing that's coming. All good things happen in His timing and in the supernatural by the hand of the Lord.

Imagine that! A whole new great city and Holy Jerusalem just descending from heaven! Hallelujah!

See the "Messiah" trailer:

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