THE PAST HISTORY OF JERUSALEM’S TEMPLE MOUNT

THE PAST HISTORY OF

JERUSALEM’S TEMPLE MOUNT

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. Three of the world’s great religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam hold it in the highest regard. To Judaism and Islam, the Temple Mount is the holiest site among a city of many “holy sites.”

How did Jerusalem and the Temple Mount come to be so important? Why do all three of these

religions believe that the Temple Mount will be the spot where great events will someday take

place?

In our first section, we will consider the history of the Temple Mount, from its earliest biblical reference until modern times. In doing so, we will discover why this one plot of ground is of so much importance to these three world religions, and to the future of our planet.

CHAPTER 2

THE LEGACY OF ABRAHAM:

THE JEWS, JERUSALEM AND MOUNT MORIAH

There is an outcropping of starkly bare rough limestone rock in Jerusalem which for thirty centuries past has gripped the minds and hearts of sons of men as being the most sacred spot on earth.   Known to the Jews as the Temple Mount and to the Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary. Tradition and legend blend together where it is difficult to separate the two.
Few places in the world have been  . . . as sacred as this city, this flattened mountain and this rock. While the world lasts and as long as the sons of men believe that one spot on it is more sacred and hallowed than another, this will remain so.¹

Solomon Steckoll

In every age, the memory of Jerusalem has stirred the deepest feelings. Jews, Christians, and Mohammedans turn to it with reverent affection. It almost seems as if in some sense each could call it his ‘happy home,’ the ‘name ever dear’ to him. For our holiest thoughts of the 

past, and our happiest hopes for the future, connect themselves with ‘the city of our God.’²

Alfred Edersheim

The story of Jerusalem, the Jews, and the Temple Mount takes us back some forty centuries—to the time of Abraham.

In the first eleven chapters of the book of Genesis we have the record of God creating the universe, humankind, the Fall of humankind, the Flood, and the Tower of Babel.

Beginning at the twelfth chapter of Genesis, and continuing through the rest of Scripture, we have the story of God’s dealings with humankind through a specific race—the descendants of Abraham.

Abraham’s Importance To The World The importance of Abram (whose name was later changed to Abraham) cannot be overestimated. 

Today there are three major religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) that believe in only one God. Each of these world religions has one central person whom they revere. The outstanding figure among the Jews is Moses, the giver of the Law. The Muslims look to Mohammed, the last and greatest of the prophets. Christians worship Jesus, God’s only Son, and the promised Messiah.

Yet each of these three world religions trace their beginnings back forty centuries ago to the same man, Abraham. Jesus, Moses, and Mohammed were all physical descendants of this man Abraham. Thus Abraham is a central figure in three of the major world religions in our day.

The Call Of Abraham

The reason for Abraham’s importance is because of a specific covenant that God made with him. Four thousand years ago, God called Abraham out of a sinful culture, and made him promises that still apply today.

We read the following in Genesis.

Then the LORD told Abram, “Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. I will cause you to become the father of a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and I will make you a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:1-3 NLT).

God took Abraham from the place where his fathers had served other gods and led him to the Promised Land. According to God’s promise, this land would belong to his descendants forever.

The Promise Of Descendants

Among other things, God promised Abraham that he would have a tremendous number of descendants. The Bible says Abraham believed God’s promise.

He brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And he believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:5,6 NRSV).

The Lord made Abraham a promise and Abraham believed the promise. The Borders Of The Land Are Defined

God specifically told Abraham the borders of the land that was to belong to him and his descendants. The Bible puts it this way.

Now the people of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD. The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Raise your eyes now, and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever” (Genesis 13:14-17 NRSV).

The Lord also said.

On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates” (Genesis 15:18 ESV).

Such were to be the borders of the land.

The Promises Are Repeated

In Genesis 17, these promises are repeated and enlarged upon. The promises made to Abraham and his descendants are everlasting. God said.

I will keep My covenant between Me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, as an everlasting covenant  to be your God and the [God] of your offspring after you. And to you and your offspring after you I will give the land where you are residing—all
the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession, and I will be their God (Genesis 17:7,8 HCSB).

This covenant, or agreement, that God made with Abraham’s descendants cannot be revoked. It was later confirmed to Abraham with an oath.

The Book of Genesis has the following to say about what occurred between the Lord and Abraham. We read.

The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me” (Genesis 22:15-18 NIV).

God confirmed the covenant with Abraham.
God’s Promises To Abraham Are Many

God made a number of promises to Abraham and his descendants. We can sum them up in the following way.

1.    A great nation will descend from Abraham and Sarah.

2.    Abraham’s name shall be blessed.

3.    Whoever blesses Abraham’s descendants will be blessed.

4.    Whoever curses Abraham’s descendants will be cursed.

5.    His descendants will continue forever.

6.    His descendants will inherit a Promised Land with clearly defined borders.

7.    The ownership of the land belongs to them forever.

Against seemingly impossible odds, these promises have been literally fulfilled. The fact that they have been fulfilled, as the Lord had promised, demonstrates both God’s existence and faithfulness.

The Promised Son

One special promise that God made to Abraham was that of a son. Abraham and his wife Sarah waited year after year for the promise to be fulfilled. Yet no child was born. Eventually they reached the place where they were beyond the child-bearing years. In a lapse of faith, Abraham took his handmaiden Hagar and had a son through her. The son’s name was Ishmael. The Bible says Abraham and Sarah wished Ishmael to be the son of promise.

Sarai said to Abram. “Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.” And Abram agreed . .   So Abram slept with Hagar, and she became pregnant. When Hagar knew she was pregnant, she began to treat her mistress Sarai with contempt . . So
Hagar gave Abram a son, and Abram named him Ishmael (Genesis 16:2,4,15 NLT).

Ishmael became the father of the Arab people. Though Abraham and Sarah did not want God’s promises to be fulfilled in Ishmael, he was not the son that God had promised.

The Lord Appears To Abraham

The Bible says that the Lord appeared to Abraham when he and his wife Sarah were advanced in age. At that time He promised that they themselves would have a son the next year. Sarah laughed when she overheard the promise.

The LORD appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. Then one of them said, “About this time next year I will return, and your wife Sarah will have a son.” Now Sarah was listening to this conversation from the tent
nearby. And since Abraham and Sarah were both very old, and Sarah was long past the age of having children, she laughed silently to herself. “How could a worn-out woman like me have a baby?" she thought. "And when my master-- my husband-- is also so old?” Then the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, 'Can an old woman like me have a baby?’  Is anything too hard for the LORD? About a year from now, just as I told you, I will return, and Sarah will have a son” (Genesis 18:1,10-14 NRSV).

Though both Abraham and his wife Sarah were beyond the child-bearing years, God proved to be faithful to His Word. Abraham and Sarah had a son whom they named Isaac, which means “laughter.”

Abraham Is Brought To Mount Moriah

About thirty years later, when Isaac had grown into a man, God asked Abraham to make the supreme sacrifice. After waiting so long for a son to be born, the Bible records that God told Abraham to take this beloved son of promise and offer him as a burnt offering.

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.
Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of 

Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about” (Genesis 22:1,2 NIV).

Abraham acted in obedience to God, and went on a three day journey to the site which God had chosen—the land of Moriah. The site that God brought Abraham, Mt. Moriah, would later become the city of Jerusalem.

The Binding Of Isaac

When they reached the specific mountain that God had chosen, Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his only son Isaac.

Then Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, “My father.” And he replied, “Here I am, my son.” Isaac said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Then the two of them walked on together (Genesis 22:7,8 HCSB).

At the last moment, God stopped the hand of Abraham as he was about to sacrifice his son. Instead, Abraham offered a ram as a sacrifice on Mt. Moriah in place of his son. There Abraham appropriately named the spot.

And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of The LORD it shall be provided.” (Genesis 22:14 NKJV).

Abraham looked forward to the day when God would provide another sacrifice at that location. Is This The Temple Site?

Since God guided Abraham to a specific spot, the Jews see this as prophetic. They commonly believe that this was the exact site where the Temple was later built. It is also an ancient Jewish tradition that many other significant events occurred of this exact spot. Rabbi Chaim Richman writes.

The exact location of the altar is extremely precise, and can never be changed . . . and it is a universally accepted tradition that the place on which David and Solomon built the altar (on the site of the threshing floor of Aravnah) is the very same spot on which Abraham built the
altar on which he bound Isaac . . . this is the same spot on which Noah built an altar upon leaving the ark, and this is the altar which Cain and Abel offered their sacrifices, and upon which Adam was created. The sages said: ‘Adam was created from the very spot that atones
for him.’³

Among many Jews, therefore, it is believed that this spot on Mount Moriah was where Adam was created, where Cain and Abel built their altar, where Noah built his altar after the Flood, as well as the site of the Temple. There is, however, no biblical evidence for any of these events occurring at this place—apart from Abraham’s binding of Isaac.

The Future Site Of The Temple

The Jews also believe that this exact spot will be the site where their future Temple will be built.

The hill on which Adam offered his first sacrifice after he was created thereon, where Noah built his altar and sacrificed, when he left the Ark, where Abraham erected his altar to bring the supreme sacrifice—his son Isaac; on this hill Solomon built the first Temple, there also the second one stood and in this very place the Third Temple will be erected.⁴

It May Be Golgotha, Not The Temple Site

Some Christians believe that the spot to which Abraham was directed was not the eventual site of the Temple, but rather the site of Golgotha (Calvary)—the place of Jesus’ crucifixion. Indeed, the two traditional sites for Golgotha are found on Mount Moriah.

There are some facts that may indicate that Abraham took Isaac to Golgotha rather than the present-day Temple Mount. First, Golgotha is on higher ground than the Temple Mount. Second, during the time of Abraham, there was an existing Jebusite city on the southern slope of the Temple Mount. Many Bible students believe it unlikely that Abraham would have taken Isaac to sacrifice him directly above that pagan city. However, the exact place of the binding of Isaac cannot be precisely determined.

Summary To Chapter 2

Through Abraham and his descendants God promised to fulfill His Divine plan. Abraham and his offspring would testify to the faithfulness of God and His promises. The entire world would know that God was providentially watching over them.

The nation of Israel began in a supernatural way. Isaac, the son of promise, was miraculously born to Abraham and Sarah, after they had passed the childbearing years. When Isaac had grown to be a man, Abraham was ordered to sacrifice him at a specific spot that God determined. Abraham obeyed, and God brought him to the appointed spot to sacrifice Isaac—Mt. Moriah— the same mountain range where Jerusalem would later be built, and the Temple constructed. As Abraham was about to offer his son, the Lord stopped him. God then promised to provide another sacrifice on that mountain in the future.

The stage was now set for the promises of God to be fulfilled toward Abraham’s descendants, the city of Jerusalem, and that mountain where God instructed Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.

Endnotes For Chapter 2

1. Solomon Steckoll, The Temple Mount, London, Tom Stacey Publishers, 1972, p. 9.

2. Alfred Edersheim, The Temple, Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, reprinted 1992, p. 23.

3. Chaim Richman, The Odyssey Of The Third Temple, Israel Publications And Productions, n.d., p. 12,

4.  Chaim Richman, The Odyssey Of The Third Temple, Israel Publications And Productions, n.d., p. 14,

PART 1

THE PAST HISTORY OF

JERUSALEM’S TEMPLE MOUNT

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. Three of the world’s great religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam hold it in the highest regard. To Judaism and Islam, the Temple Mount is the holiest site among a city of many “holy sites.”

How did Jerusalem and the Temple Mount come to be so important? Why do all three of these
religions believe that the Temple Mount will be the spot where great events will someday take
place?

In our first section, we will consider the history of the Temple Mount, from its earliest biblical reference until modern times. In doing so, we will discover why this one plot of ground is of so much importance to these three world religions, and to the future of our planet.

2                            Course 22: The Jews, Jerusalem And The Next Temple: Chapter 2: The Legacy Of Abraham

www.thebibleanswersite.com

CHAPTER 2

THE LEGACY OF ABRAHAM:

THE JEWS, JERUSALEM AND MOUNT MORIAH

There is an outcropping of starkly bare rough limestone rock in Jerusalem which for thirty centuries past has gripped the minds and hearts of sons of men as being the most sacred spot on earth.   Known to the Jews as the Temple Mount and to the Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary. Tradition and legend blend together where it is difficult to separate the two.
Few places in the world have been  . . . as sacred as this city, this flattened mountain and this rock. While the world lasts and as long as the sons of men believe that one spot on it is more sacred and hallowed than another, this will remain so.¹

Solomon Steckoll

In every age, the memory of Jerusalem has stirred the deepest feelings. Jews, Christians, and
Mohammedans turn to it with reverent affection. It almost seems as if in some sense each
could call it his ‘happy home,’ the ‘name ever dear’ to him. For our holiest thoughts of the
past, and our happiest hopes for the future, connect themselves with ‘the city of our God.’²

Alfred Edersheim

The story of Jerusalem, the Jews, and the Temple Mount takes us back some forty centuries—to the time of Abraham.

In the first eleven chapters of the book of Genesis we have the record of God creating the universe, humankind, the Fall of humankind, the Flood, and the Tower of Babel.

Beginning at the twelfth chapter of Genesis, and continuing through the rest of Scripture, we
have the story of God’s dealings with humankind through a specific race—the descendants of
Abraham.

Abraham’s Importance To The World

The importance of Abram (whose name was later changed to Abraham) cannot be overestimated.
Today there are three major religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) that believe in only one
God. Each of these world religions has one central person whom they revere. The outstanding
figure among the Jews is Moses, the giver of the Law. The Muslims look to Mohammed, the last
and greatest of the prophets. Christians worship Jesus, God’s only Son, and the promised
Messiah.

Yet each of these three world religions trace their beginnings back forty centuries ago to the same
man, Abraham. Jesus, Moses, and Mohammed were all physical descendants of this man
Abraham. Thus Abraham is a central figure in three of the major world religions in our day.

Course 22: The Jews, Jerusalem And The Next Temple: Chapter 2: The Legacy Of Abraham                            3

www.thebibleanswersite.com

The Call Of Abraham

The reason for Abraham’s importance is because of a specific covenant that God made with him. Four thousand years ago, God called Abraham out of a sinful culture, and made him promises that still apply today.

We read the following in Genesis.

Then the LORD told Abram, “Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. I will cause you to become the father of a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and I will make you a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:1-3 NLT).

God took Abraham from the place where his fathers had served other gods and led him to the
Promised Land. According to God’s promise, this land would belong to his descendants forever.

The Promise Of Descendants

Among other things, God promised Abraham that he would have a tremendous number of descendants. The Bible says Abraham believed God’s promise.

He brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And he believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:5,6 NRSV).

The Lord made Abraham a promise and Abraham believed the promise. The Borders Of The Land Are Defined

God specifically told Abraham the borders of the land that was to belong to him and his descendants. The Bible puts it this way.

Now the people of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD. The LORD said to
Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Raise your eyes now, and look from the place
where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land that
you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever” (Genesis 13:14-17 NRSV).

The Lord also said.

On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this
land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates” (Genesis 15:18 ESV).

Such were to be the borders of the land.

4                            Course 22: The Jews, Jerusalem And The Next Temple: Chapter 2: The Legacy Of Abraham

www.thebibleanswersite.com

The Promises Are Repeated

In Genesis 17, these promises are repeated and enlarged upon. The promises made to Abraham and his descendants are everlasting. God said.

I will keep My covenant between Me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their
generations, as an everlasting covenant  to be your God and the [God] of your offspring after
you. And to you and your offspring after you I will give the land where you are residing—all
the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession, and I will be their God (Genesis 17:7,8
HCSB).

This covenant, or agreement, that God made with Abraham’s descendants cannot be revoked. It was later confirmed to Abraham with an oath.

The Book of Genesis has the following to say about what occurred between the Lord and Abraham. We read.

The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me” (Genesis 22:15-18 NIV).

God confirmed the covenant with Abraham.
God’s Promises To Abraham Are Many

God made a number of promises to Abraham and his descendants. We can sum them up in the following way.

1.    A great nation will descend from Abraham and Sarah.

2.    Abraham’s name shall be blessed.

3.    Whoever blesses Abraham’s descendants will be blessed.

4.    Whoever curses Abraham’s descendants will be cursed.

5.    His descendants will continue forever.

6.    His descendants will inherit a Promised Land with clearly defined borders.

7.    The ownership of the land belongs to them forever.

Course 22: The Jews, Jerusalem And The Next Temple: Chapter 2: The Legacy Of Abraham                            5

www.thebibleanswersite.com

Against seemingly impossible odds, these promises have been literally fulfilled. The fact that
they have been fulfilled, as the Lord had promised, demonstrates both God’s existence and
faithfulness.

The Promised Son

One special promise that God made to Abraham was that of a son. Abraham and his wife Sarah waited year after year for the promise to be fulfilled. Yet no child was born. Eventually they reached the place where they were beyond the child-bearing years. In a lapse of faith, Abraham took his handmaiden Hagar and had a son through her. The son’s name was Ishmael. The Bible says Abraham and Sarah wished Ishmael to be the son of promise.

Sarai said to Abram. “Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through
her.” And Abram agreed . .   So Abram slept with Hagar, and she became pregnant. When
Hagar knew she was pregnant, she began to treat her mistress Sarai with contempt . . So
Hagar gave Abram a son, and Abram named him Ishmael (Genesis 16:2,4,15 NLT).

Ishmael became the father of the Arab people. Though Abraham and Sarah wanted God’s promises to be fulfilled in Ishmael, he was not the son that God had promised.

The Lord Appears To Abraham

The Bible says that the Lord appeared to Abraham when he and his wife Sarah were advanced in age. At that time He promised that they themselves would have a son the next year. Sarah laughed when she overheard the promise.

The LORD appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent
in the heat of the day. Then one of them said, “About this time next year I will return, and
your wife Sarah will have a son.” Now Sarah was listening to this conversation from the tent
nearby. And since Abraham and Sarah were both very old, and Sarah was long past the age
of having children, she laughed silently to herself. “How could a worn-out woman like me
have a baby?" she thought. "And when my master-- my husband-- is also so old?” Then the
LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, 'Can an old woman like
me have a baby?’  Is anything too hard for the LORD? About a year from now, just as I told
you, I will return, and Sarah will have a son” (Genesis 18:1,10-14 NRSV).

Though both Abraham and his wife Sarah were beyond the child-bearing years, God proved to be
faithful to His Word. Abraham and Sarah had a son whom they named Isaac, which means
“laughter.”

Abraham Is Brought To Mount Moriah

About thirty years later, when Isaac had grown into a man, God asked Abraham to make the supreme sacrifice. After waiting so long for a son to be born, the Bible records that God told Abraham to take this beloved son of promise and offer him as a burnt offering.

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.
Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of

6                            Course 22: The Jews, Jerusalem And The Next Temple: Chapter 2: The Legacy Of Abraham

www.thebibleanswersite.com

Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about” (Genesis 22:1,2 NIV).

Abraham acted in obedience to God, and went on a three day journey to the site which God had chosen—the land of Moriah. The site that God brought Abraham, Mt. Moriah, would later become the city of Jerusalem.

The Binding Of Isaac

When they reached the specific mountain that God had chosen, Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his only son Isaac.

Then Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, “My father.” And he replied, “Here I am, my son.” Isaac said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Then the two of them walked on together (Genesis 22:7,8 HCSB).

At the last moment, God stopped the hand of Abraham as he was about to sacrifice his son. Instead, Abraham offered a ram as a sacrifice on Mt. Moriah in place of his son. There Abraham appropriately named the spot.

And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of The LORD it shall be provided.” (Genesis 22:14 NKJV).

Abraham looked forward to the day when God would provide another sacrifice at that location. Is This The Temple Site?

Since God guided Abraham to a specific spot, the Jews see this as prophetic. They commonly
believe that this was the exact site where the Temple was later built. It is also an ancient Jewish
tradition that many other significant events occurred of this exact spot. Rabbi Chaim Richman
writes.

The exact location of the altar is extremely precise, and can never be changed . . . and it is a
universally accepted tradition that the place on which David and Solomon built the altar (on
the site of the threshing floor of Aravnah) is the very same spot on which Abraham built the
altar on which he bound Isaac . . . this is the same spot on which Noah built an altar upon
leaving the ark, and this is the altar which Cain and Abel offered their sacrifices, and upon
which Adam was created. The sages said: ‘Adam was created from the very spot that atones
for him.’³

Among many Jews, therefore, it is believed that this spot on Mount Moriah was where Adam was created, where Cain and Abel built their altar, where Noah built his altar after the Flood, as well as the site of the Temple. There is, however, no biblical evidence for any of these events occurring at this place—apart from Abraham’s binding of Isaac.

Course 22: The Jews, Jerusalem And The Next Temple: Chapter 2: The Legacy Of Abraham                            7

www.thebibleanswersite.com

The Future Site Of The Temple

The Jews also believe that this exact spot will be the site where their future Temple will be built.

The hill on which Adam offered his first sacrifice after he was created thereon, where Noah built his altar and sacrificed, when he left the Ark, where Abraham erected his altar to bring the supreme sacrifice—his son Isaac; on this hill Solomon built the first Temple, there also the second one stood and in this very place the Third Temple will be erected.⁴

It May Be Golgotha, Not The Temple Site

Some Christians believe that the spot to which Abraham was directed was not the eventual site of the Temple, but rather the site of Golgotha (Calvary)—the place of Jesus’ crucifixion. Indeed, the two traditional sites for Golgotha are found on Mount Moriah.

There are some facts that may indicate that Abraham took Isaac to Golgotha rather than the present-day Temple Mount. First, Golgotha is on higher ground than the Temple Mount. Second, during the time of Abraham, there was an existing Jebusite city on the southern slope of the Temple Mount. Many Bible students believe it unlikely that Abraham would have taken Isaac to sacrifice him directly above that pagan city. However, the exact place of the binding of Isaac cannot be precisely determined.

Summary To Chapter 2

Through Abraham and his descendants God promised to fulfill His Divine plan. Abraham and his offspring would testify to the faithfulness of God and His promises. The entire world would know that God was providentially watching over them.

The nation of Israel began in a supernatural way. Isaac, the son of promise, was miraculously born to Abraham and Sarah, after they had passed the childbearing years. When Isaac had grown to be a man, Abraham was ordered to sacrifice him at a specific spot that God determined. Abraham obeyed, and God brought him to the appointed spot to sacrifice Isaac—Mt. Moriah— the same mountain range where Jerusalem would later be built, and the Temple constructed. As Abraham was about to offer his son, the Lord stopped him. God then promised to provide another sacrifice on that mountain in the future.

The stage was now set for the promises of God to be fulfilled toward Abraham’s descendants, the city of Jerusalem, and that mountain where God instructed Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.

8                            Course 22: The Jews, Jerusalem And The Next Temple: Chapter 2: The Legacy Of Abraham

www.thebibleanswersite.com

Endnotes For Chapter 2

1. Solomon Steckoll, The Temple Mount, London, Tom Stacey Publishers, 1972, p. 9.

2. Alfred Edersheim, The Temple, Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, reprinted 1992, p. 23.

3. Chaim Richman, The Odyssey Of The Third Temple, Israel Publications And Productions, n.d., p. 12,

4.  Chaim Richman, The Odyssey Of The Third Temple, Israel Publications And Productions, n.d., p. 14,