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TOWER OF TEMPTATION
In the many Scriptural references related to towers,
not only do we find similitudes which are illustrative of how the LORD has
moved historically, we also see a predictive dimension to the symbolism. For
instance, the original Tower of Babel, wherein a Multitude
comprised of Noah’s descendants worked together to engineer a great
extension of their own imagination, carries all sorts of meaning:
“And they said, go to, let us build us a city and a tower,
whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be
scattered abroad upon the face do the whole earth” (Genesis 11:4).
In recent times, I’ve been struck by the sheer
number of Scriptural accounts where we see a great Multitude, referenced
in Revelation 13 as those “that dwell on the earth” in the Image
of the Beast passage, which is engaged in constructing a projection of
their collective will – and the Tower of Babel episode is an
excellent example. To rephrase this thought, the tale of the tower is actually
a metaphor related to the building of the Image of the Beast.
The symbolism associated with a great tower is also one
of prophetic foreshadows. For example, in the prophecies of the Messiah to come
in Daniel, we find a unique play on words where a tower is
in view, but it is veiled, and only perceivable by those with ears to hear.
Paralleling the Babylonian “city and tower,” the prophet is told
about “the city and the sanctuary,” during a time when the
“Messiah [shall] be cut off,” and an abomination of desolation
occurs:
“…and for the overspreading of abominations,
he shall make [the city and the sanctuary] desolate” (Daniel 9:27).
A Veil Over The Word
This word rendered “overspreading” in the
KJV is veiled, as the text actually speaks of an extension, or an addition
to an existing building – and in Biblical lexicons (including
Strong’s Concordance), it points us to a tower:
“Overspreading. 3671: kanaph, kaw-naf; from 3670; an
edge or extremity; spec. (of a bird or army) a wing (of a
garment or bed clothing) a flap (of the earth) a quarter, (of a building)
a pinnacle” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance,
emphasis mine).
Actually, dynamic equivalency driven translations, such
as the NIV, render “overspreading” as “a wing” –
as the text tells us this abomination will occur “on a wing of the
temple” (Daniel 9:27 NIV). Although we don’t trust the NIV and
other contemporary translations, in this case the translation is accurate.
Further, it is clear this “wing” – also rendered as a pinnacle
by Strongs – has to do with a construction associated with the Jerusalem
temple.
When we move to the New Testament, and see the episode
where the Devil tempts Jesus, he takes him up to a pinnacle which
overlooks the temple:
“And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a
pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God,
cast thyself down from hence…” (Luke 4:9).
Further research shows this “pinnacle” was
well known in historical accounts, for it was extravagantly refurbished by King
Herod, and renamed The Tower of Antonia – as in the
Caesar figure history identifies as Mark Antony. Even more intriguing is
how the historian, Flavius Josephus identifies this “pinnacle” as a
tower and a palace, which was rebuilt by the despot Herod,
and actually functioned as a high tower directly connected to the temple
itself:
“This fortress, castle, citadel, or tower….which
overlooked the temple, could be no other than what Hyrcanus I
built, and Herod the Great rebuilt, and called the Tower of
Antonia” (Antiquities of the Jews, Flavius Josephus, Book XIII,
Chapter XVI).
Thus, we see the evil which was nested in evil King
Herod, had encroached upon the sacred temple itself, and this could only be
viewed as an abomination which made the temple desolate:
“And for the overspreading of abominations, he
shall make it desolate” (Daniel 9:27).
This Tower of Temptation, mentioned in
Scripture as the very pinnacle upon which Satan tempted our Lord,
has another fascinating detail, which conclusively connects it to the prediction
of abominations in Daniel. James Strong’s famous concordance, which tells
us the English word “overspreading” has as its meaning a pinnacle
(read tower) in the text, carries the further meaning of “a
quarter, (of a building) a pinnacle” (Strong’s
#3671).
Josephus Calls It A Quarter
Back in the detailed account of the Tower of Antonia
found in Josephus, we learn that Herod had lavished such wealth
upon the huge building addition (alternatively referenced as the Citadel, the
Fortress, the Pinnacle, or the Tower), that it encompassed fully one fourth
of the temple itself:
“The expenses he laid out upon it were vastly large also,
and the riches about it were unspeakable….the citadel he repaired at a
vast expense; nor was it other than a royal palace, which he called
Antonia…it lay on the North-west side of the temple, and was a quarter
as large” (Wars of the Jews, Flavius Josephus, Book I, Chapter XXI).
The symbolism in all of this is exquisite, for wicked King
Herod, who was not a Jew, had not only set foot in the temple in
violation of the law restricting entrance to true Israelites, he had placed his
domicile within the temple precincts themselves – as he lived in luxury
in a tower which was raised to such a high degree that he looked
down upon the holy place within the temple of the LORD.
What is even more significant in all of this is related
to the fulfillment of the prophecy of Daniel, concerning the overspreading
of abominations, as this is but a portion of the famous 70 Weeks
prophecy, which describes, in detail, the arrival of the Saviour. Most
believers have been taught the 70 Weeks are related to an alleged future treaty
with Antichrist, and the tribulational period – a series of events
usually said to follow the fraud called the pre-tribulation rapture.
The fact is, this prophecy from Daniel 9, which predicts
that Jesus Christ will “bring in everlasting righteousness” and
“make reconciliation for iniquity” (Daniel 9:24), was fulfilled
at the cross. Further, in the very same verse which speaks of the pinnacle
of abominations which was strikingly fulfilled with Herod’s Tower of
Antonia, we also learn that Messiah will “confirm the covenant”
between God and Israel (Daniel 9:27) – thus conclusively pinning
the event to the time of Jesus Christ.
Not The Preterist Apostasy
These facts are sometimes found in the output of Preterists
– the false prophets who errantly conclude the tribulation prophecies
were exhaustively concluded when the Romans sacked Jerusalem in 70 AD. However,
it is foolhardy to reject facts such as these because we fear where the data
may take us. Indeed, Preterism is a prophetically bankrupt
worldview, but that does not change the fact that supernaturally derived
advance knowledge, associated with the raising of an apostate tower
in the midst of the temple of God, is of great prophetic importance.
The significance of the fact that the appearance of the pinnacle,
which was predicted to bring desolation to “the city and the
sanctuary,” occurred in the time of Christ should not be underestimated.
Further, because the recognition of things such as fulfilled prophecy
frequently runs counter to what we’ve been taught does not mean such
things may be overlooked, or even marginalized.
In the aforementioned case of Preterism,
because Futurists (those who accurately see much prophecy as
still in the future) view Preterism (or non-millennialism, or a host of
other theologies) as a challenge to their existing beliefs, does not give
believers a license to ignore profound prophetic fulfillments such as these.
The New Testament pointedly tells us that it is a fact
that Christ fulfilled Old Covenant prophecy which testified as to His identity.
Thus, any prophecy dealing with the Saviour and His arrival, which we relegate
to the future (when it has already occurred), places us in genuine jeopardy;
for as the Apostle Peter says, even though they beheld Him with their
own eyes, it was the fact that He fulfilled all that was written
of Him which proved that Jesus is indeed the Christ.
Indeed, Peter went so far as to state that the very fact
that Christ fulfilled prophecy in His earthly incarnation, was even more
compelling evidence than when the disciples stood by and heard the voice of the
Father at the transfiguration of Christ:
“For we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we
made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were
eyewitnesses of his majesty…when there came such a voice to him from the
excellent glory [saying] This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And
this voice which came from heaven we heard….
“We have also a more sure word of prophecy…For
the prophecy came not in old time by the will of men, but holy men of God spoke
as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (II Peter 1:16-19, 21).
But Peter then said this “more sure word of
[fulfilled] prophecy,” which he and the other disciples witnessed in the
life of Christ, would be denied by “many,” because of
the work of false prophets:
“…there shall be false teachers among you
[introducing] damnable heresies, even denying the LORD that
bought them…” (II Peter 2:1).
Believers Denying Christ?
It is self evident that no believers think they are
“denying” Christ, when they relegate already fulfilled prophecy to
the future, but the Apostle John says that to deny any part of what
Christ accomplished is actually a characteristic of Antichrist.
“Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the
Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father…”
(I John 2:22).
Once again, believers have been falsely taught that
passages such as the 70 Weeks prophecy apply to Antichrist, and not to Jesus
– so they not only deny the past tense “more sure word of
prophecy” which Peter referenced, according to the verse just cited in
John, if we refuse to acknowledge that fulfillment, we are also denying
the Father.
John goes on to tell us how so called
“believers” are denying the father, when He tells us that by
refusing to acknowledge Christ fulfilled all that was written of Him, we
are denying the record that God the Father provided as the method for
identifying the Son:
“He that believeth not God hath made him a liar, because
he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son” (I John
5:10).
This says very succinctly that if we fail to recognize
that Christ fulfilled the predictions provided by the Father through the
prophets to identify the Saviour, we have made God a liar because we
“believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.”
God moved on the prophets to provide a witness of His
Son, and this includes Daniel’s amazing prophecy of how Christ will
“bring in everlasting righteousness” (Daniel 9:24), and how He will
cause “the sacrifice and the oblation to cease” (Daniel 9:27), through
His one-time sacrifice on the cross. That same prophecy goes on to
tell us this will occur when the Tower of Temptation is
constructed as a wing of the temple – creating a pinnacle
on which the Devil will perch as he tempts Christ.
Thus, if we deny that any of these things occurred, we
will have made God a liar because, as John states, this is “the record
that God gave of his Son” (I John 5:10).
Worse yet, those in the Rapture Cult, along with many
other false prophets, tell us the “record that God gave of his
Son,” is actually speaking of the so called Antichrist, a
supposed treaty he will engineer, and a fictional betrayal of the Jews which
will occur when he allegedly breaks the treaty, and causes “the sacrifice
and the oblation to cease” (Daniel 9:27).
This “damnable heresy” (II Peter 2:1) subtly
challenges the very prophetic record which identifies JESUS as the Son of God
– the identical theme of Satan when he took Jesus up to the Tower of
Temptation!
“And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a
pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God,
cast thyself down from hence: for it is written….” (Luke 4:9, 10).
Do You Live In The Temple Or The
Tower?
Very few Christians have been instructed in such things,
largely because the Gospel they’ve been taught is viewed with the basic
understanding that Jesus did not accomplish all that was written of Him
– notably the salvation of Israel. It is a given that theologians
today widely teach that Israel rejected her Saviour, but Christ will return a
second time to complete His mission.
How ironic that the New Testament tells us point blank
that Christ redeemed Israel – and it says it in the past tense.
Few stop to consider the words of Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist
who, upon learning of the birth of his son, who would herald the arrival of
Christ, rejoiced in faith that God has redeemed Israel:
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited
and redeemed his people…to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and
to remember his holy covenant” (Luke 1:68, 72).
That covenant is the identical “covenant”
which was “confirmed” by Christ, in complete fulfillment of the 70
Weeks prophecy, the very same prophecy which tells us this will occur when the Tower
of Temptation is raised:
“And [Christ] shall confirm the covenant
with many for one week; and in the midst of the week he shall cause the
sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and [because of the Tower of Temptation]
he shall make [the city and the sanctuary] desolate, even until the
consummation…” (Daniel 9: 27).
Unfortunately, during the great Falling Away (II
Thessalonians 2:3) which is already in progress, this truth has been turned
upside down in the churches, and millions have instead been taught the gospel
of Antichrist. This modern misunderstanding of the true Gospel forms a
Spiritual outpost within the contemporary temple of God -– the body of
Christ -– and those who are inhabited by that false perspective are
looking down from that iniquitous Tower of Temptation, upon the true
Holy Place where Christ and His body are situated:
“But God who is rich in mercy…hath quickened us
together with Christ (by grace ye are saved) and hath raised us up together, and
made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus”
(Ephesians 2:4, 5).
It is not a coincidence that the physical pinnacle which
supported the Devil then, is that mystical tower now filled with
“believers” who have inadvertently embraced the “other
gospel” -- the one that says “flesh and blood [will] inherit the
kingdom of God” – but that “kingdom” is actually the
principality of Antichrist. The Good News is his wicked reign will not last
forever, as he and his subjects view this world from that apostate high place
– The Tower of Temptation.
--
James Lloyd
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elaborating on the crucial facts seen in THE TOWER OF TEMPTATION. However, the enemy has
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