Feb 2008: Rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem

The Jews anxiously await the day that they will be able to rebuild the Jerusalem temple, often referred to as the third temple, as a holy house of worship of God. There has been a Jewish institute established, The Temple Institute, in Jerusalem for the very purpose of researching the history of the temple and its eventual reestablishment on the temple mount, and making steps toward that end goal. The Jews plan to reinstitute or “restore” daily temple prayer and sacrifice, as was prophesied in the Bible, and they speak with fervor about the “restoration” of the divine service of worshiping Almighty God in His holy house. It is interesting that in ancient Israel the building of the temple was always directed very carefully by abundant revelation of God to His prophet on the earth. In a different sense, The Temple Institute today seeks understanding in ancient prophesy and tradition as found in the Torah to restore the architecture, vessels, ordinances, worship, and other characteristics that will accompany the temple of God.¹
The Latter-day Saints also see the reconstruction of a temple in Jerusalem as one of the signs of the times of the Second Coming of the Savior. Whether it will be built by the Church or the Jews or the Jews under the direction of the Church or will later come under the direction of the Church after the Jews are converted to Christ is unclear (Do you know of any studies clarifying this?). What is clear is that the saving ordinances of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ will be performed therein at some point, under the authority of the priesthood of God, as they are performed currently in 125 temples around the world.
Joseph Smith once taught:

What was the object of gathering the Jews, or the people of God in any age of the world? …The main object was to build unto the Lord a house whereby He could reveal unto His people the ordinances of His house.²

In addition to the scriptural prophesy, specifically in Ezekiel 40-48, consider the following quotations from latter-day prophets and apostles:³

Judah must return, Jerusalem must be rebuilt, and the temple, and water come out from under the temple, and the waters of the Dead Sea be healed. It will take some time to rebuild the walls of the city and the temple, Etc.; and all this must be done before the Son of Man will make his appearance.⁴ The work is moving on for the gathering of the Jews to their own land that they may build it up as it was in former times; that the temple may be rebuilt and the mosque of the Moslem which now stands in its place may be moved out of the way; that Jerusalem may be rebuilt upon its original site; that the way may be prepared for the coming of the Messiah, who shall be seen in the midst of those whose ancestors nailed him to the cross, and who, when they see the marks in His hands, shall say in answer to their inquiries, “These are the wounds with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.”⁵

 ...

 By and by there will be a Temple built at Jerusalem. Who do you think is going to build it? You may think that it will be the unbelieving Jews who rejected the Savior. . . . The Temple at Jerusalem will undoubtedly be built, by those who believe in the true Messiah. Its construction will be, in some respects different from the Temples now being built. It will contain the throne of the Lord, upon which he will, at times, personally sit, and will reign over the house of Israel for ever.¹⁰

http://www.templestudy.com/2008/02/29/rebuilding-the-temple-in-jerusalem/