The Third Temple refers to a hypothetical rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem, which would succeed the first and second, destroyed in 587BCE and 70CE respectively.
The idea of a rebuilt Third Temple is sacred in Judaism, particularly to Orthodox Jews, as it is believed that it will occur in tandem with the arrival of the Messiah, and only then will the sacrificial practices of the First and Second Temple be reinstated.
Conservative Judaism believes that while the Third Temple will be rebuilt, sacrificial worship will not resume, and Reform Judaism does not believe in the rebuilding of a Temple, saying Judaism has evolved further than that.
The notion of a rebuilt Temple, on top of the sites of the First and Second Temples on Temple Mount, has been a core part of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Several organizations, usually representing a small group of Orthodox Jews, have been formed with the objective of constructing the Third Temple in the present day. These organizations include the Temple Institute, which has made several items they say will be used in the Temple when it is established.
A Christian farmer in Texas raised the prized heifers which are essential for priests to serve in the Temple.
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