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THE 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 (the Never Inspired Version) 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 3:22).

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`