This is the outside wall of the Temple Mount...many say the holiest of biblical locations. The rounded dome inside the wall is a Muslim mosque (unfortunately). The temple mount is approximately 35 acres and is surrounded by this wall. The wall itself is slightly over 1,000 feet high and is about 900 x 1,500 x 1,600. Sometimes the Temple Mount is referred to as the "Hill of Zion". I hear this term in songs and go, "Wow, I' know right where that is!" This is where many believe that Abraham intended to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22:1-2). How amazing it is to read the bible and have an understanding of where things took place and have a glimpse into what life could have been like.
You can only imagine what the temple was like inside. There was a museum located nearby called the Temple Mount Institute that is run by an organization called the "Faithful of the Temple Mount." This group is making objects that will the used when the Third Temple is built. The Jewish people believe this new temple will be built and they want replicas of things inside. They will not be able to build this temple of course as long as the Muslims occupy the holy grounds inside the wall. It was odd to listen to their docent talks because they are so completely dedicated to the truth as they know it from the Old Testament. They know nothing of the New Testament and the book of Revelations.
This is also where David prepared to build and where Solomon did build the temple (I Chron. 22:14-15; 28:11-20). This is also the location where many important events took
place like where Jesus astonished the religious leaders with His understanding and insight as a 12 year old (Luke 2:41-50) and where Jess was betrayed by Judas for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14,16). The wall overlooks the Kidron Valley below. We got everyone from our church to sit on the steps for a "group" shot.
The story goes that the many stairs that lead up to the Temple Mount are unevenly space on purpose. Because this was the center of things, it would be heavily populated and folks may have tended to stop and congregate. The stairs- wide-narrow-wide etc. are not easily navigated and would keep traffic slowing as they had to pay attention to moving forward. It is hard to tell from the pictures, but this wall is immense!
You can only imagine what the temple was like inside. There was a museum located nearby called the Temple Mount Institute that is run by an organization called the "Faithful of the Temple Mount." This group is making objects that will the used when the Third Temple is built. The Jewish people believe this new temple will be built and they want replicas of things inside. They will not be able to build this temple of course as long as the Muslims occupy the holy grounds inside the wall. It was odd to listen to their docent talks because they are so completely dedicated to the truth as they know it from the Old Testament. They know nothing of the New Testament and the book of Revelations. 
No comments:
Post a Comment