The Temple Mount in Jerusalem and incidents on Mountains in the Moriah Region prophetically pointing to Jesus’ first and second coming

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Introduction

The Temple Mount6 in Jerusalem is one of the mountains that are part of the Moriah Land region mentioned in the Bible. It has particular historical and religious significance for three religions: the Christians, Judaism, and Islam.  

Mountains in the Moriah Region prophetically pointing to Jesus who would come later

1. Mount Salem over whom Melchizedek was king and who later became part of Jerusalem

(See Map 1 below or Map 8.6 on the Home Page for the location of Salem) 

Gen 14:17-18 “(17) The king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, at the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). (18)  Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High.” (2084 BC)1

Also see Psa 76:3 “(3) There he broke the flaming arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah” (979 BC)1 refers to Salem in a way that implies that it would later become part of Jerusalem because Mount Zion is also part of Jerusalem. 

Jesus is a priest like Melchizedek, but He lives forever.

See Heb 7:1-3 “(1)  For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, (2)  to whom also Abraham divided a tenth part of all (being first, by interpretation, “king of righteousness”, and then also “king of Salem”, which means “king of peace”; (3)  without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God), remains a priest continually.” (68 AD)1

Jesus is further compared to Melchizedek in Heb 7:11-28. 

2. Mount where Abraham should have gone to sacrifice Isaac, most likely Calvary

Gen 22:1-2: Gen 22:1-2 (1) After these things, God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” He said, “Here I am.” (2) He said, “Now take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go into the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will tell you of.”” (2054 vC)1

Isaac asked Abraham a very difficult question and he actually answered prophetically according to Gen 22:7-14: Gen 22:7-14 

“(7) Isaac spoke to Abraham his father, and said, “My father?” He said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”

(8)  Abraham said, “God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they both went together.

(9)  They came to the place which God had told him of. Abraham built the altar there, and laid the wood in order, bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, on the wood.

(10)  Abraham stretched out his hand, and took the knife to kill his son.

(11)  Yahweh’s angel called to him out of the sky, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” He said, “Here I am.”

(12)  He said, “Don’t lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”

(13)  Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and saw that behind him was a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering instead of his son.

(14)  Abraham called the name of that place “Yahweh Will Provide”. As it is said to this day, “On Yahweh’s Mountain, it will be provided.” 

Abraham did not know what God would do and that a ram would be sacrificed in place of his son. He prophesied that God would provide the sacrifice at Calvary for mankind. Thus Jesus was later crucified at Calvary. Therefore, the mountain outside the city wall can be taken as Calvary (See Map 8.6). It is also known as the traditional Calvary.

Among other things, the Lord’s plan was to make the Moriah region the focal point of Judaism and Christianity until the end of the earth’s existence. On one of the mountains His Son would be sacrificed. Already at the Fall in Paradise, God worked out a plan of salvation.

3. Mount Zion

See Map 1 below or Map 8.6 on the Home Page for the location of Mount Zion

2Sa 5:7:  Sa 5:7 “(7) Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion. This is David’s city.” (1003 vC)1

4. The Threshing Floor of Arauna later became the Temple Mount.

Following is a summary of events that took place on the Temple Mount and in the vicinity.

See Map 1 below or Map 8.6 on the Home Page for the location of the Temple Mount.

  1. See 2 Sa 24:18: “Gad came to David that day and told him: “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Arauna the Jebusite.” (970 vC)1
  2. In 966 BC, Solomon built the Jewish Temple and placed it so that the Holy of Holies was over the threshing floor of Arauna. 2Ch 3:1” (1) Then Solomon began to build Yahweh’s house at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where Yahweh appeared to David his father, which he prepared in the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.”
  1. Jesus was born on April 17, 5BC3 in Bethlehem, about 12 km South of the Tempel Mount.
  1. On Thursday, April 6, AD30(See reference 3), Jesus, only begotten Son of God died at Calvary, west of the Temple Mount. The veil in the Temple tore across the threshing floor.
    Mat 27:51
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    “(51) Behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split.”
  1. On Sunday, April 9, A.D., 30 A.D3., Jesus rose from the dead, also near the Tempel Mount.
  1. On May 18, AD 303, Jesus ascended to heaven from the Mount of Olives, east of the Tempel Mount.
  1. On May 28, AD 303, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descends on the people in the Upper Room, also near the Tempel Mount..
  1. In 70 AD, the Romans dismantled the Jewish Temple.
  1. In about 700 AD4, the Muslim Al-Aqsa Mosque was built across the Threshing Floor, where the Jewish Temple stood.
  1. The only remnant of the old Temple Mount is the Western retaining wall. Today it is called the Wailing Wall. The Jews consider it uniquely sacred to them it is a place of prayer and pilgrimage. The original height of this wall was about 60 meters. 
  1. At Jesus’ 2nd coming, He will step on the Mount of Olives, east of the Tempel Mount. Zec 14:4 “(4)  His feet will stand in that day on the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in two, from east to west, making a very great valley. Half of the mountain will move toward the north, and half of it toward the south.”
  1. The Jews believe that their temple will be rebuilt for the third time when their Messiah will reign in the 1000 years of peace according to Revelation 20.

Map 1. Region of Moriah’s topography2 at the time when Abraham had to go and sacrifice Isaac, most likely at Calvary.

References

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