MegaChurch, Built as a Grand Replica of Temple of Solomon, Opens in Brazil

Teresa Neumann : Jul 30, 2014
The Temple of Solomon

"This is not the project of one person or one denomination, but something so glorious from a spiritual point of view, that it transcends reason itself. It will certainly awaken the faith of the cold and lukewarm and promote a spiritual revival across the country and around the world." -Temple of Solomon website

(Sao Paulo, Brazil)—One of Brazil's largest churches, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, has been in the process of building a 10,000 capacity replica of Solomon's Temple in Sao Paolo. Numerous reports note that the structure is built according to Biblical dimensions and houses a replica of the Ark of the Covenant. (Photo: Courtesy of Petzel Gallery, New York; Annet Gelink Gallery, Amsterdam, and Sommer Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv)

It is set to open this week, drawing the attention of media outlets around the world.

The church stands 18-stories tall—twice the height of Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer statue—and towers over central Sao Paulo, occupying an entire block in the megacity. (Photo via Temple of Solomon website)

R. Andrew Chestnut, an expert on Latin American religions at Virginia Commonwealth University, told the NY Times, "The monumental temple will be a powerful symbol both of Brazil as the epicenter of global Pentecostalism and of the Universal Church as the leading congregation... in Brazil."

Though supposedly controversial because of the immense costs involved, many are viewing the structure as a physical manifestation of the Kingdom of God in a world intent on ignoring Him.