The buzz surrounding the idea of a ‘Third Temple’ seems to have gone up a notch. Unofficial road signs are appearing, directing people to “The House of the Lord.” They may be made by rogue sign makers in a guerilla operation, but their very existence signifies that something major is brewing.

Never far from the minds of many Orthodox Jews, the reconstruction of the Temple is something promised in scripture several times in both the Old and New Testaments. What was once dismissed as the pipe dream of fringe radicals is now beginning to crystallize into a tangible possibility within our lifetime – especially amid current discussions of previously unimaginable peace agreements.

Each day, the Jewish people pray the “amida” – a set of blessings said three times a day, facing Jerusalem. The seventeenth blessing, “Avodah” (which means service, or worship) goes like this: “Accept Your people, O Lord our God, and receive their prayer. Restore the most holy service of Your house and accept in love the offerings and prayers of Israel. May the service of Your people Israel always be pleasing to You. May our eyes see You return to Zion in mercy. Blessed are You, O Lord, Who restores His Presence to Zion.” The prayers and expectation in Jewish tradition includes faith in the biblical promises of regathering Israel, rebuilding Jerusalem, and the restoration of the Temple.

An end-times Temple is mentioned in the Bible several times in prophetic literature, such as Isaiah 2:2–3, Micah 4:1–2, Daniel 9:27 and Zechariah 14:20, as well in the New Testament in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 and Revelation 11.

It is described as the “Temple of God” and the “House of the Lord of Hosts,” yet it seems from the texts that it will at some point be defiled by the antichrist “standing where he should not stand” as Jesus says in both Matthew and Mark, referring back to Daniel’s prophecy.

The Temple Institute has been campaigning and preparing for the Third Temple since its establishment in 1987. The museum in Jerusalem’s Jewish quarter presents displays of how the First and Second Temple might have looked, with models and replicas of all the accoutrements along with the outfits of the priests. In addition to being an interesting stop for tourists, the Temple Institute is actively pushing for the rights of Jewish people to worship at the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism.

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