Temple Mount- Jerusalem

Temple Mount- Jerusalem

On our third trip to Israel 

we finally got permission to visit this site.

The Temple Mount is built on Mount Moriah, 

the famous mountain where Abraham 

offered his son, Isaac, 

as a sacrifice to God. 

Isaac was spared when God provided the sacrifice.

This famous mountain lends its name 

to the entire mountain range running north 

to south between the Kidron Valley 

and Mount of Olives (to the East).

This was once the Tyropean Valley 

and Mount Zion (to the West).

Layers of rubble from Jerusalem's 

many destructions have completely

 filled in the Tyropean Valley.

Originally, The Jebusites took up residence 

on the southern slope of Mount Moriah 

above the Gihon Spring. 

When David became king, 

he fought for and took the site 

and renamed it the "City of David" 

and made it the capital city of his monarchy.

The Northern area of the mountain's summit 

remained the private threshing floor of Araunah, 

the city's former Jebusite king. 

Late in his reign as King of Israel,

 David erred grievously in the sight

 of the Lord by ordering a census to be taken.

2 Samuel 24:10- 1 Chronicles 21:1-8

As part of his repentance, David purchased the property,

 as well as several oxen, 

from Araunah for 600 shekels of gold. 

David then erected an altar

 and offered sacrifices there.

It was David's intent to someday build a temple 

to the Lord on this property. 

However God chose Solomon for this task instead. 

The last days of David's reign 
were spent gathering resources 

for his son Solomon to build a magnificent building 

to house God's glory. 

In 1015 BC the Temple of Solomon was built on the site.

It incorporated the spectacular rock

 at the top of Mount Moriah.

Solomon used dirt from the temple construction

 to fill in this east-west lateral rift on Mount Moriah

 so that he could build his own palace 

on an area that separate the summit of the mountain

 and the Temple from the city below. 

When Solomon's Temple 

was destroyed by the Babylonians, 

Zerubbabel; 
rebuilt the Second Temple on this same site. 

Later, it was enlarge by Herod in 19 BC 

and renamed Herod's Temple. 

This was where Jesus often taught 

during his ministry in Jerusalem. 

Herod's Temple was demolished in 70 AD 

by the Romans as a result of the Jewish rebellion.

At Temple Mount-Daughter Jessica 

and son-in-law Daniel on our tour.

Connie and daughter Jessica

Connie and husband John---

standing the appropriate distance apart 

so that the guards don't come and make you separate.

No Touching! 

can certainly be heard on Temple Mount. 

To respect the site it is important 

that men and women do not touch-

 an influence of the Muslim culture that manages this site.

The Heinitz- Murphy family 

that joined our Israel trip- Dec- 2016.

The young folks that joined our tour Dec 2016.

In 1315 AD, the Roman Emperor Hadrian 

began construction of a new city, Aelia Capitolina, 

upon the ruins of old Jerusalem. 

Hadrian built a temple to Jove, the Greek god Jupiter, 

on the site of the destroyed Jewish temple. 

But this temple was demolished by the Byzantines 

after the empire became Christian

 under Emperor Constantine (306-337 AD).

In 638 AD, six years after the death of Muhammad, 

Jerusalem ws captured by the Muslims. 

Soon after occupying the city, Caliph Umar 

cleanses the Temple Mount and built a small mosque

 dedicated to Muslim worship. 

Later, in an effort to create a worship center 

that rivaled the architecture of the nearby

 Christian Church of the Sepulchre, 

the Muslims decided to build 

a more impressive building. 

The site chosen was the same sacred rock

 where the Jewish temples had stood. 

This was based on a story in the Koran 

linking the Prophet Muhammed 

with Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.

This story is called "The Night Journey" 

and is found in the seventh Sura of the Koran.

 It tells of a mystic journey where Muhammed 

was taken by the Archangel Gabriel on a winged horse 

to Mt. Sinai, Bethlehem,

 to finally land on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. 

There they encountered Abraham, Moses, 

Jesus and other prophets 

whom Muhammad led in prayers.

According to the account, 

Gabriel then escorted Muhammad 

to the pinnacle of the rock on the Temple Mount 

where Muhammad ascended through the 

seven heavens into the presence of Allah. 

Following this divine meeting, 

Muhammad flew back to Mecca with Gabriel.

From Temple Mount you can see 

the cross of Redeemer Lutheran Church.

 This highlights the story of the juxtaposition 
of the cultures 

and religions that mark Jerusalem.

The spectacular gold-topped mosque commemorating

 this dream was called the dome of the rock

 and was completed in 691 AD. 

It covers the huge rock where the altar 

of burnt offering stood. 

In fact, several channels are etched 

into the rock and a large room 

has been cut out beneath it.

The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism,

 which regards it as the place 

where God's divine presence

 is manifested 

more than in any other place. 

According to the rabbinic sages whose debates 

produced the Talmud, 

it was from here the world expanded

 into its present form and where God

 gathered the dust used to create 

the first human, Adam.
Temple Mount is known to Muslims 
as the Haram esh-Sharif.
In light of the dual claims 
of both Judaism and Islam, 
it is one of the most contested 
religious sites in the world. 
Since the Crusades, the Muslim community 
of Jerusalem has managed the site as a Waqf,
 without interruption. 
As the site is part of the Old City, 
controlled by Israel since 1967, 
both Israel and the Palestinian authority
 claim sovereignty over it,
 and it remains a major focal point 
of the Arab-Israeli conflict. 
In an attempt to keep the status quo, 
the Israeli government enforces 
a controversial ban on prayer by non-Muslims.

The controversy and tension 
that surround Temple Mount 
leads to strong feelings of who 
"owns or controls" the site. 
Permission to visit for Christian tourists
 is often on the whim of the Muslim officials. 
Our guide told us to not expect to ever get access 
and then if it happened it would be a great surprise. 
Good advice when visiting Jerusalem.
This Holy Week reflection time 
helps us to understand a bit of the political 
struggle in the works in the time of Jesus.
and also afirms that all the strife 
and tension in leadership
 church and in state is "nothing new under the sun."

Information - 
Temple Mount Wikipedia 
and the Imagine Tours Travel Guide.