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“Feast of Tabernacles” “Wilderness
Tabernacle, Jerusalem Temple and
Temple Mount History” Web Site Link:
CLICK HERE
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| JERUSALEM TEMPLE And TEMPLE MOUNT HISTORY By FeastsOfTheLord.Net The Feast
of Tabernacles is the seventh and last of the “Feasts of the Lord” described in Leviticus
23. These 7 Feasts outline God’s redemptive plan for mankind, and are essentially God’s calendar of
redeeming grace through His “Appointed Times” for mankind, to preserve the holy elect for Himself. The
history of sacrificial offerings practiced during the feasts have their initial origins with Abraham on Mount Moriah.
They were codified by Moses with the “Wilderness
Tabernacle” until Solomon’s
Temple was built on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. It was destroyed by the Babylonians. in 606
B.C. There were also visions of the temple given first to Ezekiel at the time of the Babylian exile. The temple
was later rebuilt by Zerubbabel as the
Second Temple. In the first century B.C., the Maccabeans celebrated a delayed Feast of Tabernacles
as a rededication of the Temple, aka Hanukkah.
The temple was reconstructed and expanded
by King Herod, but was ultimately destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. A heavenly Temple
was shown to the apostle John in a vision as recorded in Revelation.
Mount Moriah is identified in Genesis 22:1-18 as the area where Abraham
obediently offered up his son for sacrifice in approximately 2,000 BC. God provided Himself a ram for an atonement
sacrificial offering, which also symbolized God providing His only son Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. This
mount was later to become the Temple Mount some 1,000 years later, the site of Solomon’s temple. Following the Hebrew ‘Exodus’ led by Moses from Egypt in approximately 1450 BC, God established the “Wilderness Tabernacle” as a place of His presence to
dwell with His “Elect” / Chosen to carry out His Redemptive plan for mankind as given to Moses, and as
outlined in Leviticus 23 by the 7 Feasts. See Feast of Tabernacles
website:http://www.feastsofthelord.net/feastoftabernacles/ The 1st Temple was built by Solomon between the years of
966 and 960 B.C. It
was ultimately destroyed by the Babylonians in 586
B.C. The 2nd Temple was built under the supervision
of Zerubbabel between 536 and 516 B.C.,
to rebuild the spiritual house of God; which was expanded by King Herod starting in 20 B.C. This temple too was destroyed, this time by
the Romans in 70 A.D. It should be noted that many have mistaken Herod’s temple
as having been a third temple. But Herod’s project was one of reconstruction, expanding the already-existing
temple built by Zerubbabel. Others consider Ezekiel’s
vision of a temple as a 3rd Temple that might possibly be built at the ‘End of the Age’;
see Ezekiel chapter 40 for a physical description of a temple mount structures. However, this vision in
574 B.C. appears to describe the future Zerubbabel Temple built in 516 B.C. which was reconstructed by King Herod
between 20 B.C. to 70 A.D. Ezekiel also seems to describe
Jesus as the Prince Who entered in by way of the East Gate, Who then left by way of the same East Gate, and Who will return
as He had left. During this time the East Gate will remain shut until His Return (Ezek. 45:17-46:17; Acts 1).
Then Ezekiel describes a vision of the heavenly temple, as seen by John in Rev. 21-22 (see Ezekiel chapter 47); "...and
the Name of the city from that day shall be "the Lord is there" Ezek. 48:35.
See discussion below and
East Gate references at: http://www.feastsofthelord.net/id11.html King Solomon's Temple: 967 BC - 960 BC (Construction Period) 960 BC - 586 BC (374 Years of Worship until Destroyed) About 1000 B.C. King David wanted to build a
great Temple for God as a permanent resting place for the Ark of the Covenant, but he was not permitted to build the
Temple because he had been a warrior. The task was to fall to a man of peace, his son Solomon. The crowning achievement
of King Solomon’s reign was the construction of the first magnificent Temple (Beit ha-Midkash) in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah,
where God had led Abraham with his son Isaac in obedience to His command (Genesis 22) and where a millennium later
Jesus would be crucified. The
Bible's description of Solomon's Temple indicates that the inside ceiling was 180 cubits long, 90 cubits wide,
and 50 cubits high (150 x 75 x 45 feet). Temple that King Solomon built was made of limestone quarried near Jerusalem.
The stone walls were covered with paneling of cedar from Lebanon. The Temple consisted
of 3 sections: the porch (Ulam), the Holy Place (Hekhal), and the Holy of Holies (Devir). At the entrance to the Holy Place stood 2 pillars, called Jachin (meaning ‘He establishes’) &
Boaz (i.e. ‘in Him is strength’) (1 Kg. 7:15-22). The doors of cypress were ornately carved
with cherubim, palm trees & open flowers, inlaid with gold (I Kg. 6:18,32,35). The sides and rear of the
temple contained a structure of 3-storied storage rooms. In one room called the Chamber of Secrets, the devout placed their
gifts in secret, which were also distributed in secret to the poor. The second room was named the Chamber of Utensils. This room was a room
for storing gifts designated for the poor, from which distribution was made every 30 days. The third room was
a vaulted Chamber of the Hearth. Here the eldest sons could stay and young priests slept with the keys of the Temple Court in their
custody. A fired burned continuously there to keep the occupants warm. Solomon's Temple was not a large structure,
it measured only 75 feet wide, 150 feet long and 45 feet high (50 x 150 x 30 Cubits at 18” per cubit per 1 Kings
chapter 7). Nevertheless, this temple commanded attention as it stood there on its nine foot high platform atop Mount Moriah. 1 Kings 6:1-38 tells how King Solomon built the Temple: details of the building are given in this chapter and chapter 7 (see Description section below), and its dedication by Solomon is described in chapter 8. Solomon initiated an extensive building program, between
966 BC and 960 BC that included his palace, the temple and the extension of the city walls (2 Chronicles 2 & 3).
His development of the areas north of David’s city, including Mount Moriah, increased the area of Jerusalem
from eleven to thirty-two acres and provided the additional space required for constructing his temple. The beauty of Solomon's temple was not in its size, but in its magnificent
details. In the court area outside stood the huge "sea"
made of brass that held "two thousand baths" (1
Kings 7:26), or an estimated 10,000 gallons. This massive pool of water was about fifteen feet
in diameter and seven and a half feet high. This "sea" was set atop the backs of twelve brass bulls that faced
out in all four directions. It was used for the ceremonial cleansing of the priests. There were ten lavers of brass,
five on each side of the "sea". These were used to wash the offerings before they were brought to the altar
for burning. The brass altar of burnt offering, was near the "sea", (II
Chron. 4:1) and it served as the central place for public ceremony. That altar is believed to
have stood on the rock that is today enclosed by the Dome of the Rock Mosque on the Temple Mount.
Ten steps
led up to the temple's entrance, which was framed on either side by a free-standing brass pillar.
Each pillar was a massive 18 feet in circumference
and 27 feet high. These two columns were adorned with lilies and palms, and were crowned with brass
capitals engraved with lilies and hundreds of pomegranates. (1
Kings 7: 19-20). The temple doors were made of cypress, which were carved and inlaid with gold cherubim,
flowers and palm trees. Behind the doors was the vestibule, or Ulam. It served as the entrance to the Holy Place, or Hekhal.
Cedar paneling with gold inlaid designs of flowers and gourds covered the walls inside. Boards of fir were laid on
the temple floors. Although high, narrow windows provided the light by day, one gold lampstand was lit in the daytime.
Ten gold lampstands provided the lighting in the temple by night. There were also twelve tables for the twelve loaves
of showbread in the Holy Place. This grand
hall was 60 cubits (90 ft)in length, and led to the Holy of Holies, or Devir. The Holy of Holies was a 30 cubits (45
ft.), plated completely in gold, with an incense altar near its entrance. (1 Kings 7:48) There were no windows in the Holy of Holies,
for it was the holiest place in Israel, and was also the most unapproachable. It was here that the Ark of the Covenant
was kept, within it, the tablets given to Israel by Moses. It was here that the "Shekinah" of God was believed
to dwell. Only the high priest could enter inside the Holy of Holies, and then only on the Day of Atonement to sprinkle
the sacrificial blood on the mercy seat for the forgiveness of the sins of the people. Construction of the Temple was completed in 960 BC in the 8th month of the biblical year. King
Solomon then dedicated it 11 months later in 959 BC at the Feast of Tabernacles. 2 Chron. 5:3 Solomon
dedicates the temple at the Feast of Tabernacles 2 Chron. 7:1-3 God transfers His Shekinah glory from the Tabernacle to Solomon’s temple. Solomon
inaugurated the temple with prayer and sacrifice, and even inviting non-Jews to come and pray there. He urged
God to pay particular heed to their prayers: "Thus all the peoples of the earth will know Your name and revere You,
as does Your people Israel; and they will recognize that Your name is attached to this House that I have built"
(I Kings 8:43).
| 586 BC Temple destroyed 593 - 571 BC Ezekiel's Vision of a
Future Temple 536 BC
Zerubbabel starts rebuilding the Temple 516 BC Temple Completed
70 years after it was destroyed 20
BC - 70 AD Herod expands Temple per Ezekiel's vision
30 AD Jesus fulfills
Ezekiel's prophecies;
Ezekiel prophesies Jesus' Return |
In 606
BC the 10 northern tribes were taken captive into exile bythe Babylonians. The Temple was destroyed 20 years
later during the capture and exile of Judea by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. 50 years later Zerubbabel started
the reconstruction of the temple and the return to Israel. Zerubbabel's 2nd Temple: 516 BC to 70 AD 536 - 516 BC Reconstruction
Period 20 BC to 70 AD Herod’s
Reconstruction /
Expansion of the Temple In 538 B.C. Cyrus the Great conquered
Palestine, then unexpectedly told the Jews they could return to their homeland (an event revealed by God to Isaiah
160 years earlier). While he was probably motivated primarily by the desire to have someone else rebuild Palestine
and to make it a source of income for the Persian Empire, the impact on the Jews reinvigorated their faith. By
516 B.C., a smaller Temple was built on the same site, and the sacrifices
resumed. The construction of the Temple, led by Zerubbabel & Ezra the scribe was initiated in 536 BC and
completed 20 years later
in 516 BC, exactly 70 years
after it was destroyed. Zerubbabel's temple was finished in 516 B.C.; exactly 70
years after it had been destroyed upon the captivity of Judea in 586 BC They rebuilt the temple, although on a much smaller scale than
Solomon’s temple (Ezra 3:8-13). Although this new temple was roughly the same size as first (Solomon’s) temple, there were differences.
The courtyard
outside of this temple was divided into a Court of Women, and a Court of Men. Although
Zerubbabel's temple was modest in
comparison to Solomon's, it was an extremely important structure in the religious life of the faithful
Jews of those days. Once again, the Jews had become established in their land. The Jewish faithful grew in numbers. | Chronology according
to Scripture: Years 70 606 -
536 BC Captivity of 10
Northern Tribes Starts - 70
year Captivity. 70
586 BC Temple destroyed
593 - 571 BC Ezekiel's Vision of a Future Temple
50 586
- 536 BC Judah
Captivity into Babylonian starts for 50
years. 70 606 - 536 BC 10 Tribes Captivity Ends after 70 years
50 586
- 536 BC Captivity Ends 50
years after the Temple was destroyed 50 586 - 536
BC Judah Captivity ends after 50
years
536 BC Zerubbabel
start rebuilding the “Zerubbabel” Temple 70
516 BC Temple Rebuilt - 70 years after it was destroyed. 457 BC Ezra
leads return per orders of Artexerxes
to restore the “House of God”
445 BC Nehemiah is ordered to “Restore & Rebuild
the city of Jerusalem.” “City of Jerusalem lays wasted”.
Neh. 2:1,8 fulfillment of Dan. 9:24-25: 69-7’s prophecy.
See: DANIEL 9: 24-27 PROPHECY file link LAST DAYS DATA * file link
20 BC - 70 AD
Herod expands Temple
according to Ezekiel's vision
30 AD Jesus fulfills Ezekiel's prophecies and continues to prophesy Jesus' Return
|
According to Ezra chapters
1-10, Ezra was commissioned to rebuild the spiritual condition of the people who had been delivered from bondage.
The physical restoration of the temple was guided by Zerubbabel; while the spiritual reformation was guided by Ezra.
Ezra
was instructed to guide the Jews to return to Jerusalem and “rebuild
the house of God”, See http://www.feastsofthelord.net/id134.html In the 1st year of his reign, Cyrus
made a proclamation charging Zerubbabel to return to Jerusalem to build the house of his God. In the 7th month, Zerubbabel & Jeshua the priest built the altar to observe the Feast of Tabernacles,
“but the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid” (3:6). Then in the 2nd
month of the 2nd year of their return to Jerusalem to rebuild the house of God (3:8), they set forth the
work to build the house
of the Lord (3:8, 9, 10, 11, 12), and the foundation of the house of the Lord was completed. Work on the house of God ceased until the 2nd year
of the reign of King Darius (4:24). Then Zerubbabel arose to rebuild the house of God at Jerusalem (5:2). He showed King Darius the
original decree of King Cyrus to rebuild the house of God that was not yet finished (5:13, 16). King Darius issued
a decree to search for the records and found that in the 1st year of Cyrus, a decree had been made concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, authorizing that it be
built (6:1-3). So the temple was rebuilt and
finished according to the commands of Cyrus, Darius & Artexerxes. It was completed in the month of Adar in the 6th year of the reign of Darius, i.e. 516 B.C. (6:14-15). So they kept
the Feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread on the 14th day of Nissan. (Ezra chapters 4-6) Ezra leads the people to repopulate Jerusalem and restore worship in the house of God, 457 B.C. (Ezra Chapter 7). Note: The book of Ezra contains 20 references
to rebuilding the Temple / “House of God”, and zero references to the “rebuilding of Jerusalem; Chapter
1-6 (536-516 B.C.) Conversely, the book of Nehemiah has zero references to rebuilding
the Temple, but includes 8 references to the rebuilding of Jerusalem. In Neh. 2:1,8 Nehemiah receives his
commission from King Artexerxes in 445
BC “to rebuild the walls and streets of the city of Jerusalem; because it still lay wasted”. See also: http://www.feastsofthelord.net/id134.html For more on God’s Prophecy through Daniel to
rebuild Jerusalem: See Dan. Chapters 8-12
website: http://www.feastsofthelord.net/daniel70/
| |
The Temple in the Maccabbean Period In
332 B.C. Alexander the Great
swept through the Middle East, became Palestine's ruler and introduced Greek culture and ideals, i.e. Hellenism. Though
many Jews had been seduced by the virtues of Hellenism, the extreme measures adopted over the years helped unite the
people. Antiochus IV was of the lineage of the
Seleucid empire; he was the little horn, Daniel
12, foreshadowing the antichrist
as noted in Daniel 8-12, (see http://www.feastsofthelord.net/id116.html). When he tried to make a sacrifice to a pagan god in the temple, the Jews rose up against this abomination
in 167 B.C. in support of
Mattathias and his five sons and fought for their liberation. The
family of Mattathias became known as the Maccabees, from the
Hebrew word for "hammer," because they were said to strike hammer blows against their enemies. The family is
more commonly known as the Hasmoneans. The Maccabees recaptured the temple c.165
BC. The Feast of Tabernacles, delayed 75 days due to the fighting, was celebrated as the
Festival of Hanukkah, or
Festival of Lights, as a rededication of the temple. See 2
Chron. 5:13; 7:1-9, 16 and institution of Hanukkah:
http://www.feastsofthelord.net/id138.html The last Jewish kingdom survived only 76
years, for the grandsons of the Maccabees who had won Jewish independence lost it in large part because of their jealousy
and greed. After three years of fighting, Herod's Roman-backed army took control of Jerusalem and the rest of
Judea from the Jews in 63 B.C.
Herod's Expansion of the 2nd Temple (20 B.C. to 70 A.D.) The most significant of Herod's projects, the rebuilding
of Zerubbabel’s Second Temple, took 10,000 people and 1000 priests many years to complete. The original Temple
of King Solomon was a relatively small building on top of a platform on Mount Moriah.
Herod’s reconstruction doubled the area of the Temple Mount and surrounded it with four massive retaining
walls. The wall on the west is the longest, about 1600 feet (485 meters), and includes the Jewish area of prayer known
as the Kotel or Western Wall.
Herod also greatly enlarged and expanded the Temple during the 1st century B.C. Inspiring images
of the temple can be seen at: http://www.feastsofthelord.net/id121.html Herod reconstructed the Second Temple (enlarging and refurbishing Zerubbabel’s temple) on the site
of Solomon’s temple, enlarging the surface area of the Temple Mount to some twenty acres. In the days of Herod the
Great, Zerubbabel's temple was replaced with a larger, more impressive temple complex which was built atop a massive
stone platform - the Temple Mount. Herod had
been declared king of the Jews by the Roman Senate. This king had been busy rebuilding many cities and structures
in his domain, for his own glory. Herod
considered a new temple in the capital city of Jerusalem to be his crowning achievement. Although the actual temple building was about the size of its predecessors,
the whole Temple Mount
was twice as large as that of the previous temple. The building site had to be enlarged, then raised with fill and leveled.
The site was supported underground by arches placed inside a cavern. This underground area is known today as Solomon's
Stables. Retaining walls were built around the entire Temple Mount site to hold in the fill. The "Wailing Wall"
is a section of this retaining wall, and it stands today as a monument to that third temple; although still referred to
as part of the second temple period. <!--[if
!supportLineBreakNewLine]--><!--[endif]--> Although construction began around 20 B.C,
the temple with all of its surrounding courts, was not completely finished until 64 A.D. A high wall encompassed the
temple, and its courts. Entrance to the Temple Mount was made through gates, located on each wall. Porches ran around
the inside of the outer walls. After the porches came four, successive courts, each with its own wall, each progressively
more restricted. The first was the Court of the Gentiles, which was not considered to be holy ground.
But, it was here that Christ chased out the money changers, cleansing the temple, because of the zeal He had for his
father's house. (John 2:13-17) The next level was considered to be holy ground, and it contained the Court of Women, where the money offerings
were given. This is where Jesus gathered His disciples, and explained that the poor widow "cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury."
(Mark 12: 43b) Above it stood
the Court of Israel, where only the men of Israel were allowed. The men of Israel watched the offerings of sacrifice
from this court. Above it was the Court of Priests with its laver for cleansing and its altar for the burnt offering.
The
temple building stood above the Court of the Priests. Herod
had constructed the temple in sections, gradually replacing the older temple, so that the temple services would not
be disrupted. The temple was built of white marble, with its eastern front plated with gold. It too had curtains separating
the vestibule, the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. We know from the Scriptures, that the veil of this
temple was "rent in twain from the top
to the bottom" when Christ was crucified. (
Matthew 28: 51). Access to the living God was now within the grasp of not only the High Priest, but those
who served in the Court of the Priests, and those who gathered in the Court of Israel, those who came to the Court
of Women, and even those 'strangers' in the Court of the Gentiles. In 66 A.D., after the Roman
procurator Florus provoked the Jews through a variety of activities that ranged from stealing silver from the Temple to
desecrating the vestments of the High Priest, the Zealots started a revolt. The Jews initially succeeded, routing
Roman armies in Jerusalem. Soon however, the Romans returned with a larger force. The Jews hoped to hold off
the Romans in fortified Jerusalem, but they began a fratricidal battle in which the Zealots murdered Jewish leaders who
refused to go along with their rebellion. The Romans laid siege to the city, overwhelmed the remaining defenders and
destroyed the Second Temple. Some of the Zealots escaped and made their last stand at Masada. The Second Temple was
destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D., just as Jesus had prophesied (Luke 19:44). The destruction of the Temple is
still mourned annually as the Jewish fast Tisha B'Av. The
Romans’ destruction of Herod’s reconstructed Temple (40 years from time Jesus started His ministry) all
sacrifices in 70 AD. In Jewish worship there was a change to works (mitzvot)
rather than blood sacrifice, based upon Hosea 6:6 (“I desire mercy, not sacrifice”) and Micah
6:8; “What does the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, love mercy & walk humbly before your God”.
The Passover lamb was no longer possible; so it
was substituted by the lamb shank bone afikomen - this
is the only Greek word in the Jewish Seder, meaning “He came or what is to come” … God’s ‘hint’!.
Not only was the Temple destroyed, but perhaps as many as one million Jews were killed and many survivors enslaved.
After the suppression of the Jewish revolt, relative calm settled on the Holy Land for nearly 60 years. The Emperor Hadrian (76-138 AD) had even talked at one point of rebuilding the Temple. He did build a temple,
but it was in honor of Jupiter rather than God. He also renamed Jerusalem ‘Aelia Capitolina’ and
made it a Roman city. Later, his temple of Jupiter was destroyed at Constantine’s direction, who despised
the place and made it a dump. This insult, along with other indignities provoked yet another rebellion beginning
in 132 A.D., this time under the charismatic leadership of Simeon Bar-Kokhba. It took
nearly three years for the Romans to pacify the country and, when they were done, c. 600,000 Jews were dead (including
Bar-Kokhba) and Judea had been devastated. The Emperor renamed the entire province Syria Palaestina. Jerusalem became a pagan city that Jews
were forbidden to enter and the persecution of Judaism became widespread. The influence of Christianity began
to grow in the region, culminating in 330 A.D. with Emperor Constantine's decision to move the capital of the empire
from Rome to the city of Byzantium, which he renamed Constantinople (now Istanbul).
It should be noted that many
have mistaken Herod’s temple as being a third temple. But Herod’s project was one of reconstruction,
expanding the already-existing temple built by Zerubbabel. Built
by Zerubbabel by 516 B.C. and expanded by King Herod, starting in 20
B.C., this temple too was destroyed in 70
A.D.; this time by the Romans as prophesied by Jesus
Luke 19:40-44 (New King
James Version) Verse 40: But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately
cry out.”
411 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and
wept over it, 42 saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make
for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For days will come upon you when your enemies
will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 44 and level you, and
your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know
the time of your visitation." Likewise, in response to the
apostles’ question as to when would be the ends of the age and the signs of His return, Jesus stated that “Jerusalem
shall be trodden down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”
See “End of the Age and
Signs of Jesus Coming”; a condensed duplicate prophecy in Mth. 24; Luke 21 and Rev. 6 at: http://www.feastsofthelord.net/id34.html Ezekiel’s Temple? Some think of Herod’s reconstruction as the third temple. Others see Ezekiel’s experience
as a 3rd or 4th temple; but both are incorrect. It should be noted that Ezekiel was given a vision &
prophecy; this was not a physically-constructed temple. Just as Moses and later John were given
views of the heavenly reality. See East Gate references
at: http://www.feastsofthelord.net/id11.html See Ezekiel chapter 40 for a physical description
of a future temple, and
temple mount structures. Ezekiel then states in chapter 43 that he “beheld the glory of God coming from the
way of the East … and the glory of the Lord came into the house (of God) by way of the East Gate … and the
glory of the Lord filled the house” (43:1-4). Then
Ezekiel goes on to say in chapter 44:1-3 that “the East Gate will remain shut because the Lord, the God of Israel,
has entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut (and is still shut today). It is for the Prince; the Prince,
He shall sit in it to eat bread before the Lord; and He shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go
out by the way of the same (gate).” His
vision regarding the Prince and the East Gate continues from Ezekiel 45:17 through chapter 47, all essentially referring
to the Prince (Jesus) preparing sacrificial offerings at his First and Second comings. NOTE: There is a significant difference between offerings Jesus
made at His first coming and those He will offer at His Return. At Jesus’ Second Coming He will present burnt offerings and peace offerings which would symbolize
praise and commitment to God. These are in contrast to the type of sacrifices offered by the Prince at His First Coming:
sin offerings, often referred to as blood sacrifices. This type of sacrifice was fulfilled by Jesus at His First
Coming. Therefore sacrificial offerings at His Second
Coming are only for praise and commitment to God, not blood sacrifices as atonement for sin because "He made
atonement once for all" according to the author of Hebrews. Ezekiel
47:17 references the year of liberty, aka “Year
of Jubilee” when all that belongs to God is returned to God, for He is the One and only Owner of
all things. It is also worth emphasizing
that the antichrist’s efforts can only
be attempts to hinder or stop 'burnt offerings' in praise and commitment to God, as blood sacrificial offerings
are no longer relevant since they were fulfilled by Jesus’ propitiation offering of Himself as “the Lamb of
God who takes away the sins of the world”. Therefore,
when Daniel prophesies (Dan. 9:27) that the antichrist “shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease”,
it is not
referring to blood sacrifices, but rather sacrifices of praise and commitment to God, as stated above. A
heavenly Temple was shown
to the apostle John in a vision as recorded in Revelation chapters 20 and 21. Some consider Ezekiel’s
vision of a temple as a 3rd Temple that might possibly be built at the ‘End of the Age. Reference Ezekiel chapter 40 for a physical
description of a temple mount structures. However, this
vision in 574 B.C., 12 years after the destruction of Solomon’s Temple, appears to describe both the future Zerubbabel Temple built in 516
B.C., followed by a prophecy of Jesus 1st coming, plus a prophetic spiritual temple coinciding with the
heavenly temple, as seen by
John in Rev. 21-22 (see Ezekiel
chapter 47). Ezekiel describes Jesus
as the Prince Who entered in by way of the East Gate, Who then left by way of the same East Gate, and Who will return as He had left. During this time
the East Gate will remain shut until His Return (Ezek.
45:17-46:17; Acts 1). Then Ezekiel describes a vision of the heavenly temple, as seen by John in Rev. 21-22 (see Ezekiel chapter
47); "...and the Name of the city from that day
shall be "the Lord is there" Ezek. 48:35.
| | | Dome of the Rock Mosque Built in 683 AD in place of the Jewish Temple
Daniel 12: 11-12 Re.: 1260 DAYS + 30 DAYS = 1290 + 45 = 1335 DAYS PROPHECY:
Note: 2 x 1260 (3.5yr) = 2520
Days = 7 Prophetic years.
683 A.D. Dome of the Rock built upon the site of Temple. 683
+ 1290 (1260+30) Days / Years = 1973 Yom Kippur War 683 + 1335 (1260+30+45) Days / Years =
2018 A.D.
Daniel 8: 8-14 2300 DAYS Prophecy: 281
B.C. Antiochus 1 Soter (meaning savior) took throne. The "little horn" initiating the 'Seleucid' empire
Of Antiochus Epiphanes (Typological Anti-Christ) 281
+ 2300
Day / Years = 2018 A.D.
See
Daniel Chapters 8-12 at: http://www.feastsofthelord.net/id116.html See "Prophecy or Coincidence ?" at: http://www.feastsofthelord.net/id118.html The Islamic conquest of Palestine, which began in 633, initiated a 1,300-year span during which more than
ten different empires, governments, and dynasties ruled the Holy Land prior to the British occupation after World War I.
In 638, the Jews in Palestine assisted the Muslim forces in defeating the Persians. As a reward for their assistance,
the Muslims permitted the Jews to return to Jerusalem and to guard the Temple Mount. A caliph approached the Byzantine
ruler of Jerusalem to ask for a place where the Moslems might build their mosque. The ruler gave them permission to
build the mosque on a dump filled with rubbish and trash. This dump was the Temple Mount area. Built atop the earlier
location of the Temple, the Dome of the Rock was erected by the Muslim ruler Abd el-Malik in 683. Because of its
situation on bedrock, the numerous earthquakes over the centuries have not caused significant damage to the structure (unlike
its neighbor the Al Aqsa mosque). It is also known as Kubbat as-Sakhra, Kubbet es Sakhra, “Mosque of
Omar,” Qubbet el-Sakhra. The Muslims fended off their rivals until the
end of the 11th century, when in 1095, Pope Urban II called for Crusades to regain Palestine from the infidels. They
succeeded in 1099 and celebrated by herding all the Jews into a synagogue and burning them alive. Non-Christians were
subsequently barred from the city. But Saladin succeeded in expelling the Crusaders and recaptured Jerusalem for the
Muslims in 1187. Two years later, the Christians mounted the Third Crusade to retake Jerusalem, but Saladin's
forces repelled them.
Jerusalem was the conquest of the Ottoman Turks at the beginning of the 16th century. The Turkish sultan Suleiman became responsible for Jerusalem, but it
was merely a source of revenue to the Turks. Like many of their predecessors, they allowed Palestine to languish
with the exception of some poorly-built reconstruction on the Jerusalem wall (see below). They also began to impose oppressive
taxes on the Jews.
The East gate of Jerusalem
was walled up by Ottoman Sultan Suleiman in 1530 A.D. because he was concerned what he had heard about the Return of Christ
through the East Gate. A cemetery was also built in front of it. These attempts to prevent the entrance of the
Jewish Messiah through that gate were foretold by Ezekiel’s & Zechariah’s prophecies (Ezek. 9-11, 44-47;
Zech. 14:1-4).
However, Ezekiel also prophesied the shutting of this gate itself around 600 B.C.; that it would be shut "because
the LORD (Jehovah or Yahweh), the God of Israel, entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut." (Ezek.44:2)
The Eastern gate is presently considered by the Arabs to be their exclusive property. Although it’s currently
sealed up and blocked off, one day the Messiah will land on the Mount of Olives, with all His saints, and walk down to
and right through the Eastern Gate and
into the Temple area! (Acts 1:11) See http://www.feastsofthelord.net/id11.html
In 1867 American author Mark
Twain visited Jerusalem and wrote of his Jerusalem visit in Innocents Abroad: ”Jerusalem is mournful,
and dreary, and lifeless. I would not desire to live here … Everywhere about the Mosque of Omar are portions of
pillars, curiously wrought altars, and fragments of elegantly carved marble -- precious remains of Solomon's Temple.
These have been dug from all depths in the soil and rubbish of Mount Moriah…It was rumoured there were problems
with Muslims throwing objects and trash from the Temple Mount down on Jewish worshipers at the wall. ”
God
fulfilled Daniel’s prophecy (Dan. 9:24-27). On May 13, 1948 the state of Israel was born. Immediately
Jordan invaded and occupied east Jerusalem, dividing the city for the first time in its history. In 1950, Jordan
annexed all the territory it occupied west of the Jordan River, including east Jerusalem. The other Arab countries denied
formal recognition of the Jordanian move, and the Arab League considered expelling Jordan from membership. Eventually,
a compromise was made by which the other Arab governments agreed to view all the West Bank and east Jerusalem as held
"in trust" by Jordan for the Palestinians. [For some stirring images of Israel’s birth. See:http://benatlas.com/2009/07/life-in-israel-in-1948-part-1/]
From 1948-67, the city of Jerusalem was divided between Israel and Jordan. Israel made western Jerusalem
its capital while Jordan occupied the eastern section. Because Jordan (like all the Arab states at the time) maintained
a state of war with Israel, the city became two armed camps. Then in violation of the 1949 Armistice Agreement, Jordan denied Israelis access to the Temple Wall and to the cemetery on the
Mount of Olives, where Jews have been burying their dead for 2,500 years. Jordan’s King Hussein permitted the
construction of a road to the Intercontinental Hotel across the Mount of Olives cemetery. Hundreds of Jewish graves were
destroyed by a highway that could have easily been built elsewhere. The gravestones, honoring the memory of rabbis and sages,
were used by the Jordanian Arab Legion engineer corps as pavement and latrines in army camps. The ancient Jewish Quarter
of the Old City was ravaged. 58 Jerusalem synagogues, some centuries old, were destroyed or ruined; others were
turned into stables & chicken coops. Slum dwellings were built abutting the Western Wall. Jews were not the only ones
who found their freedom impeded. Under Jordanian rule, Israeli Christians were subjected to various restrictions, with
only limited numbers allowed to visit the Old City and Bethlehem at Christmas and Easter. Because of these repressive policies,
many Christians emigrated from Jerusalem, their numbers dwindling from 25,000 in 1949 to less than 13,000 by June 1967. In 1967, Jordan ignored
Israeli pleas to stay out of the Six-Day War and attacked the western part of the city of Jerusalem. The Jordanians were
routed by Israeli forces and driven out of east Jerusalem, allowing the city's unity to be restored .
On June 7, 1967 the
City of Jerusalem And Temple Mount Recaptured by Israeli
NOW AGAIN A NATION OF ONE KING. Just as EZEKIEL 37
Jesus In Luke 21, MTH 24:5-31 AND
Dan.9:24-27 had prophesied ! FOR THE "END OF THE AGE HAS COME ! Prepare ye the way of the lord !
the king is coming ! see:
"End of Age & Signs of Jesus
Coming"
Hermeneutics
Feast of Trumpets to Feast of
Atonement Thru
Jubilee To Feast of Tabernacles at:
http://www.feastsofthelord.net/id34.html The Western Wall in the Old City, the last remaining wall of the ancient Jewish Temple and the holiest site
in Judaism, is the focus of Jewish prayer. Three times a day for thousands of years Jews have prayed, “To Jerusalem,
Thy city, shall we return with joy”. They also repeat the Psalmist's oath: “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget her skill.” Jews have been living in Jerusalem continuously for nearly two millennia.
They have constituted the largest single group of inhabitants there since the 1840's. Today, the total population
of Jerusalem is approximately 662,000, with the Jewish population in areas formerly controlled by Jordan greater than 160,000,
outnumbering Palestinians in "Arab" East Jerusalem. God's world is great and holy. The holiest land in the world is the land of Israel. In the land
of Israel the holiest city is Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, the holiest place was the Temple, and in the Temple the holiest
spot was the Holy of Holies. The shofar
(Ram’s Horn) was blown again for the first time in 1,897 years; made possible because Ezekiel’s prophecy of Israel & Judah becoming 1 nation (Ezek.37)
was fulfilled in 1948.
God perfectly accomplishes every detail
of His prophecy.
See:
http://www.feastsofthelord.net/id118.html; Also: http://www.feastsofthelord.net/iDaniel70/ For a glimpse of TEMPLE MODEL PHOTOS, see: http://www.feastsofthelord.net/id121.html & http://www.templeinstitute.org/gallery_30.htm ADDITIONAL STUDY RESOURCES: WEB: FeastsOfTheLord.Net Teacher classroom “Syllabus”. http://www.feastsofthelord.net/fotlclass/
DVD: The Wilderness Tabernacle
- 50
min. Jerusalem & Temple Model in the Time of
Jesus lecture – 56 min. Solomon’s Temple -
30 min. Jerusalem, the Covenant City
/ Parts 1 & 2 - 108 min. ** The Last Supper - 60 min.
The Messiah: Prophecy Fulfilled - 50 min. The Gospel According to Isaiah VHS:
Behold the Lamb - The Holyland Experience 43 min. Christ
in the Passover - Jews for Jesus - 40 min. Messiah
in the Day of Atonement – 30 min. The Messiah: Prophecy Fulfilled
- 50 min.
Note: For purchase information,
additional videos and sources with ONLINE ORDERING LINKS see:
http://www.feastsofthelord.net/id41.html PROPHECY CHART LINKS: PROPHECY CHART #1 PROPHECY CHART #2 PROPHECY CHART #3
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