Why Does Satan Want to Destroy the 3rd Temple Even Though He Will Fail to Do So?

Matt. 24.15 explains why Satan wants to destroy the 3rd Temple even though he will fail to do so. "Because the Jews have already defiled it" by returning to sacrifices, for Jesus already fulfilled the sacrifices as the once for all sacrifice.

We earlier learned that the period from the setting up of the image to the appearing of Christ will be three and a half years. Soon after the image is placed in the holy temple, the latter’s destruction will not be far away. The Destroyer will first defile the temple before he destroys it (see Ps. 74.3-7, Is. 64.10-11, Lam. 4.1, Dan. 8.11).

[Psa 74:3-7 KJV] 3 Lift up thy feet unto the perpetual desolations; [even] all [that] the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary. 4 Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations; they set up their ensigns [for] signs. 5 [A man] was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick trees. 6 But now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers. 7 They have cast fire into thy sanctuary, they have defiled [by casting down] the dwelling place of thy name to the ground.

[Psa 74:3-7 NLT] 3 Walk through the awful ruins of the city; see how the enemy has destroyed your sanctuary. 4 There your enemies shouted their victorious battle cries; there they set up their battle standards. 5 They swung their axes like woodcutters in a forest. 6 With axes and picks, they smashed the carved paneling. 7 They burned your sanctuary to the ground. They defiled the place that bears your name.

Though the 1st Temple and the 2nd Temple were destroyed, the 3rd Temple will not be destroyed because the Antichrist will reign in it for 1260 days. The outer court will be destroyed or damaged though.

"Do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample over the holy city for forty-two months." (Rev. 11.2).

[Isa 64:10-11 RSV] 10 Thy holy cities have become a wilderness, Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. 11 Our holy and beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, has been burned by fire, and all our pleasant places have become ruins

[Isa 64:10-11 NLT] 10 Your holy cities are destroyed. Zion is a wilderness; yes, Jerusalem is a desolate ruin. 11 The holy and beautiful Temple where our ancestors praised you has been burned down, and all the things of beauty are destroyed.

[Lam 4:1 NLT] 1 How the gold has lost its luster! Even the finest gold has become dull. The sacred gemstones lie scattered in the streets!

[Lam 4:1 KJV] 1 How is the gold become dim! [how] is the most fine gold changed! the stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street.

[Dan 8:11 KJV] 11 Yea, he magnified [himself] even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily [sacrifice] was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.

[Dan 8:11 NLT] 11 It even challenged the Commander of heaven's army by canceling the daily sacrifices offered to him and by destroying his Temple.

Why will God allow the temple to be defiled and destroyed? Because the Jews have already defiled it (see Jer. 32.34, Ez. 8.5-15) as they will build it again and defile it again as usual. The difference between the 1st and 2nd Temples with the 3rd Temple is the 3rd Temple though it will be defiled it won't be destroyed.

[Jer 32:34 NLT] 34 They have set up their abominable idols right in my own Temple, defiling it.

[Jer 32:34 KJV] 34 But they set their abominations in the house, which is called by my name, to defile it.

[Eze 8:5-15 RSV] 5 Then he said to me, "Son of man, lift up your eyes now in the direction of the north." So I lifted up my eyes toward the north, and behold, north of the altar gate, in the entrance, was this image of jealousy. 6 And he said to me, "Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel are committing here, to drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see still greater abominations." 7 And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold, there was a hole in the wall. 8 Then said he to me, "Son of man, dig in the wall"; and when I dug in the wall, lo, there was a door. 9 And he said to me, "Go in, and see the vile abominations that they are committing here." 10 So I went in and saw; and there, portrayed upon the wall round about, were all kinds of creeping things, and loathsome beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel. 11 And before them stood seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, with Ja-azani'ah the son of Shaphan standing among them. Each had his censer in his hand, and the smoke of the cloud of incense went up. 12 Then he said to me, "Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, every man in his room of pictures? For they say, 'The LORD does not see us, the LORD has forsaken the land.'" 13 He said also to me, "You will see still greater abominations which they commit." 14 Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the LORD; and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. 15 Then he said to me, "Have you seen this, O son of man? You will see still greater abominations than these.

[Eze 8:5-15 NLT] 5 Then the LORD said to me, "Son of man, look toward the north." So I looked, and there to the north, beside the entrance to the gate near the altar, stood the idol that had made the LORD so jealous. 6 "Son of man," he said, "do you see what they are doing? Do you see the detestable sins the people of Israel are committing to drive me from my Temple? But come, and you will see even more detestable sins than these!" 7 Then he brought me to the door of the Temple courtyard, where I could see a hole in the wall. 8 He said to me, "Now, son of man, dig into the wall." So I dug into the wall and found a hidden doorway. 9 "Go in," he said, "and see the wicked and detestable sins they are committing in there!" 10 So I went in and saw the walls engraved with all kinds of crawling animals and detestable creatures. I also saw the various idols worshiped by the people of Israel. 11 Seventy leaders of Israel were standing there with Jaazaniah son of Shaphan in the center. Each of them held an incense burner, from which a cloud of incense rose above their heads. 12 Then the LORD said to me, "Son of man, have you seen what the leaders of Israel are doing with their idols in dark rooms? They are saying, 'The LORD doesn't see us; he has deserted our land!'" 13 Then the LORD added, "Come, and I will show you even more detestable sins than these!" 14 He brought me to the north gate of the LORD's Temple, and some women were sitting there, weeping for the god Tammuz. 15 "Have you seen this?" he asked. "But I will show you even more detestable sins than these!