Mount Moriah and the Temple: Discovering the Truth Through Scripture and History

Male announcer: Previously on “The Endtime Show.”
Dave Robbins: So the Bible provides the most detailed and
reliable account of Mount Moriah and the specific location of
both the first and second temples.
So if you’re looking for the truth about where the temple
stood, look to history.
Yes, it sure–you have to, but most importantly, look to the
scriptures because the scriptures tell it all, and
that’s what we’re gonna go through, here.
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Dave: So Genesis 22, it tells a story.
God said, “Hey, Abraham, take now your son, your only son,
Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah.
It’s very important, the land of Moriah, and offer him there as
a burnt offering on one of the mountains.”
Listen closely, God said, “You go to one of the mountains that
I will show you.”
God handpicked the mountain.
So Abraham, he journeys the 30 miles north from Beersheba to
Mount Moriah, and what we now know today as the Temple Mount
in Jerusalem.
I’ve stood there many times and had goosebumps thinking, “Man,
this is where Abraham came to sacrifice Isaac.”
Think about that.
But just as Abraham lifted the knife over Isaac, God
stopped him.
He said, “Abraham, now I know that you have withheld nothing
from me.”
And Abraham saw a ram caught in the thicket, and the substitute
God provided.
Well, 1000 years later, King David would capture the city of
Jebus, later renamed it–it was later renamed Jerusalem, and
he’s gonna make it the capital of Israel.
And one of his first acts was to bring the ark of the covenant
back to Israel.
And at first, the ark was mishandled, and tragedy struck,
and you remember when the guy reached out his hand, Uzzah, and
touched the ark and God smote him, dead.
And it was because David did not–they weren’t bringing him
back, they weren’t worshiping and different things like they
should have been, and sacrificing.
And man, when they come across one of the threshing floors on
the way back, the ark, it kind of rattled on the cart and Uzzah
reached out his hand to steady it and God killed him.
But David corrected the error and the Levites carried the ark
into the City of David, which is south of today’s Temple Mount,
the City of David’s on the slope down below.
And of course, they brought it back with praise and sacrifice,
which was correct, and they placed it in a special tent that
David had prepared.
The special tent was not the temple mount–or was not
the temple.
Two different things, read the Word of God.
In 2 Samuel 6:17, it says, “They brought in the ark of the Lord,
and set it in its place, in the midst of the tabernacle that
David had pitched for it.”
But even then–now, remember, David didn’t build the
first temple.
David pitched a tent for that, made a small tabernacle, but
even then, the City of David was not the ark’s final home.
This is very, very important because there are people putting
out videos and different things saying, “Well, the temple was
located in the City of David,” not according to the Bible.
Again, this is why, beyond any religious book, beyond any
archaeological book, any commentary, anything, we’re
going to the Word of God.
Some time had passed when David decided to number the people of
Israel, and even though God had instructed him not to, and
because of his disobedience, God sent a mighty plague upon the
people of Israel, and it killed 70,000 men.
Well, David cried unto the Lord for mercy, and God sent the
prophet Gad to David to tell him what to do, that the plague
might be stopped.
The prophet told David, “David, here’s what you’re gonna do.
You’re gonna grow up and and you’re gonna build an altar unto
the Lord in the threshing floor of Araunah, the Jebusite.”
The threshing floor of Araunah just happened to be Mount
Moriah, where God had sent Abraham and to sacrifice
Isaac, remember?
1000 years before.
So God, once again, chose this specific place for his
special purpose.
Now, folks, this is as accurate, historically, as you’re
gonna find.
This is it.
This is biblical accuracy.
There’s nothing more accurate than this.
Well, David purchases the threshing floor of Araunah for
50 shekels of silver.
That’s in 2 Samuel 24:24.
“And it also became the place where Solomon built Israel’s
first temple.
And then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at
Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David,
his father, in the place that David had prepared in the
threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.”
It’s the same place as the threshing floor of Araunah,
that’s 2 Chronicles 3:1.
So Solomon builds the first temple.
And, you know, King David had a dream, and he wanted to build
the house of the Lord, but God said, “You know, I’ve got some
other plans,” because David– you remember, you guys
know scripture.
David was a man of war.
He had shed much blood, and so God passed the construction
project over to his son, Solomon.
Well, shortly before David’s death, he gathered the leaders
of Israel and he said, “Look, I had it in my heart to build a
house for the Lord and for the ark of the covenant, but God
said to me, ‘You shall not build the house for my name because
you’re a man of war.
You’ve shed too much blood, but Solomon, your son, is gonna
build my house.'”
That’s from 1 Chronicles chapter 28.
And so David gave the job to Solomon, and he said, “Be strong
and do it.”
And after David passed, Solomon’s kingdom, it
flourished, and then he began construction on the first
temple, the house of the Lord.
Here’s the question: Where did Solomon build the temple?
They already had the–they had the ark of the covenant in
a tabernacle in David’s–the City of David, right?
And some say, “Well, that–no, the temple stood in the City of
David,” but scripture tells a different story, everybody.
This is very important to today’s topic.
2 Chronicles 5 says that Solomon, once he had built the
house of the Lord, that Solomon brought up the ark of
the covenant.
This is 2 Chronicles 5, Solomon brought the ark of the covenant
of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion, and the
Bible says they went–took it up to the house of the Lord.
Now, I’ve been to Israel, again, I think at least 20 times,
maybe more.
David’s city is on the slope south of the Temple Mount.
You can see–go there, it’s in–the house of the Lord, the
Temple Mount’s way up above the city of David on the slope
down below.
So the Bible says–I mean, it’s easy once you’re standing there
to see what happened.
They had a tabernacle built down below.
The Bible says they brought it out of the city of David up to
the house of the Lord.
In 1 Kings chapter 8, it confirms it.
Says, “Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel–” after
they built the house of the Lord, when he was completed,
“…and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers
of the children of Israel, unto King Solomon in Jerusalem, that
they might bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the
city of David, which is Zion.
And all the elders of Israel came, and the priest took up
the ark.
And they brought up the ark of the LORD, and the tabernacle of
the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the
temple, even those did the priest and the Levites
bring up.”
Up out of the city of David.
The Bible says, “All the elders of Israel came and the priest
took up the ark and brought it to the temple.”
And when the Bible says–and when the Queen of Sheba visited,
that she was awestruck by everything she saw, and it
includes this quote.
It says, “The ascent by which Solomon went up to the house of
the Lord.”
Out of the city of David, they brought the ark and took it up
to, and all the vessels, up to the house of the Lord, in
a higher elevation from city of David, which was the Temple
Mount, up there.
So, folks, the Bible’s very, very clear.
The temple wasn’t in the city of David, the temple wasn’t in–
down in Yemen, it wasn’t in Nablus and it wasn’t anywhere
else on the planet.
The first and second temples were up on the Temple Mount, and
that is–it’s Mount Moriah, where God sent Abraham, where
God sent David to purchase the threshing floor of Araunah, and
that is where the third temple is going to stand.
2 Chronicles chapter 3 verse 1 says, “…Solomon began to build
the house of the Lord at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where
the Lord had appeared to David.”
That mount, Mount Moriah, is what we now call the
Temple Mount.
So the temple was built exactly where God had ordained it.
He chose the spot for Abraham, he chose the spot for David, and
that’s where Solomon builds the first temple.
And it’s not speculation, but it’s according to God’s
holy Word.
And so the first temple was built on the Temple Mount.
You know, King Solomon, he built Israel’s first temple on the
Temple Mount in Jerusalem, and that was–and dedicated it in
968 BC.
And concerning that sacred location, God told Solomon in 1
Kings 9:3, he said, “I will put my name there, forever.”
Now, what’s going on in the Middle East, folks?
That is a–that’s a battle of good and evil.
It’s a spiritual battle, Satan versus God.
When God said, “I’ll put my name there,” it’s like Satan said,
“Well, if you want your name there, I’m gonna fight you,” and
that’s what’s been happening ever since.
There’s been 40 major wars fought over that territory.
However, when the magnificent temple was completed, Solomon
gathered all of Israel for its dedication.
And they were standing before the altar, and he lifted his
hands to heaven, and he prayed one of the most powerful prayers
in all of scripture.
It’s found in 2 Chronicles chapter 6, and then something
miraculous happens.
In 2 Chronicles chapter 7, it says, and I’m quoting, “Now when
Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from
heaven, and consumed the burn offering…
and the glory of the LORD filled the house.”
Have you ever been in a church service, or in a prayer meeting,
when the glory of the Lord filled the house?
Oh, man, you can walk out of a meeting like that and feel like
somebody just reached inside of you and scrubbed all your
insides with a big brush and you’re just clean, and you feel
the presence of God, and it’s like there’s nothing better
than that.
Well, that’s what these guys were experiencing.
God’s presence was so overwhelming that the priests,
they couldn’t even enter.
The people fell on their faces and they worshiped and they
cried out to God.
You know, we need more of that, today, don’t we?
We need more of the presence of God to consume us, to enter into
our prayer meetings, into our church services to the point
where all we can do is just fall on our face before God and say,
“God, I need you.
I need you in this world in the times just ahead.”
Dave: Many people argue America is not mentioned in the
prophecies of the Bible.
But they will miss so much about the coming events that will
happen in the end-time if they don’t get that understanding.
What do these beasts symbolize?
That’s what we need to answer because if we can’t understand
what these beasts symbolize, there’s no point in even
studying this, right?
If you don’t believe that America is mentioned in the
Bible, you’re gonna be stuck when it comes to figuring out
all these prophecies.
But once you understand this, America has a prophesized
future, it’s given to us in the Bible, and the America will not
be part of the world government, but we’re gonna be protecting
Israel against the world government, all the way to the
Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
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Dave: That’s of utmost importance in your life,
the presence of God.
Sin in your life will separate you from that.
But when you can repent and ask God, and say, “Lord, to the best
of my ability, I’m gonna turn away from all that, and I’m
gonna live for you to the best of my ability, the rest of the
days, if you’ll help me,” and you’re gonna need God to help
you every step of the way.
But man, when you can enter into a prayer meeting and you feel
the presence of God, there’s nothing like that.
We feel it every morning in our prayer meetings up here at
Endtime Ministries.
Our entire staff gathers together and we have
a prayer meeting.
We pray for all of our partners, and people that follow us, and
prayer partners, and different things.
And we’ve had many miracles happen as a result of those
prayer meetings, why?
The presence of God comes in, he speaks to us.
He’s leading and guiding us by his Spirit.
Well, that’s what was happening here with Solomon and all them.
The presence of God.
God was letting them know, “I am here with you, and I am
overshadowing this, and I approve of this.”
You know, the Lord is good, right?
And his mercy endureth forever, and he shows us that all the
time in prayer.
Well, that night, God appeared to Solomon and said, “…I have
heard thy prayer, I have chosen this place to myself for and
house of sacrifice…
If my people, which are called by my name, shall
humble themselves…
then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin,
and I will heal their land.”
God sealed it with a covenant.
“…mine eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually.”
This was Almighty God saying this.
What made this location so holy?
It was obedience.
Abraham offered Isaac there, David purchased the threshing
floor like God told him to, and Solomon built the temple as God
commanded, right there on Mount Moria, which is called the
Temple Mount, everybody.
And that’s why God chose that place, and that is why his glory
filled the house.
Well, then we’re gonna come to the end of the first temple era,
and, you know, Solomon’s magnificent temple stood for
nearly 400 years.
It was from 968 BC to about 586 BC, when it was destroyed.
And after Solomon’s reign, the kingdom was divided, and I won’t
take time to tell the whole story here.
Most of you know that, why it was divided, and everything that
happened there.
But ten tribes formed the northern kingdom of Israel with
Samaria as its capital, and the remaining two tribes became the
southern kingdom of Judah, and that centered in Jerusalem,
where the temple still stood.
In 721 BC, the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom,
scattered its people, and Israel, as it was,
ceased to exist.
But God continued working through Judah in the south.
And as time passed, Judah, they also fell into disobedience, and
God sent the prophet Jeremiah– read the book of Jeremiah.
To warn them.
This is–Jeremiah’s book is basically warning Israel of
what’s coming.
And judgment was coming, and Babylon would be–would rise,
and captivity would follow.
Jeremiah prophesized that Judah’s captivity would last 70
years, and yet, as he–he also gave hope that, after that 70
years, God would bring them back into their land.
Well, in 606 BC, Nebuchadnezzar, he–just like Jeremiah said, he
invaded, taking many of the Jews captive, and placing Judah under
a tribute tax.
Zedekiah was installed as kind of like a puppet king, and–but
when he rebelled, he refused to pay that tax, and Babylon, they
come back, they struck again, and in 586 BC, Nebuchadnezzar
came back and he destroyed Jerusalem, and Solomon’s temple
was reduced to rubble.
And the last of Judah was taken to Babylon, and just as the
prophet had foretold.
Well, the Second Temple era, that’s got to begin, right?
Because there were two temples.
Well, in 538 BC, everything changed.
The mighty Babylonian Empire fell to the Medes and
the Persians.
That same year, King Cyrus and Persia, issued
a remarkable decree.
Any Jew who wished to return to Israel was free to go.
And not only that, but he encouraged them to rebuild the
house of the great god in Jerusalem.
Well, by 536 BC, under the leadership of Zerubbabel,
a group of exiles journeyed back to Jerusalem and began restoring
what had been lost, the Second Temple.
And they didn’t choose a new location.
Scripture is very clear that the Second Temple was built on the
exact same site, the same foundations as Solomon’s
first temple.
Ezra chapter 2, verse 68 in the New Living Translation says,
“…toward the rebuilding of God’s temple on its
original site.”
And then Ezra 5:15 in the New King James version says, “…let
the house of God be built on its former site.”
And then Ezra 6:7 in the New Living translation says, “Let it
be built on the original site, and do not hinder the governor
of Judah and the elders of the Jews in their work.”
So, despite fierce opposition, the temple was completed in 516
BC, exactly 70 years after the first one was destroyed.
And centuries later, around 20 BC, here comes King Herod, and
he enlarges and beautifies the temple built by Zerubbabel
and them.
And you know, it has been said that “he that hath never seen
Herod’s temple has never seen a beautiful building in his life,”
at that time.
And this was the temple that stood during the time of Jesus,
and–but it was still located on the Temple Mount, on the same
sacred ground chosen from the beginning.
Remember in Matthew chapter 24, when the Bible says that Jesus
told them they were–the disciples were showing the
temple, and he said, “You guys, it’s all coming down.”
What temple was he referring to?
They were standing right there, he took them across the Kidron
Valley, up on the Mount of Olives.
Matthew 24 was the “olive of discourse.”
They’re looking at the Second Temple, but there are still
people that say, “There was never a temple there,” really?
Not if you believe the Bible, and the Bible’s the best history
book, the best archaeological book, the best religious book,
the best book ever written by a million miles.
So, the problem is the second temple era has to end.
Jesus approached Jerusalem, he’s weeping, he knows what’s coming,
and Luke chapter 19, verse 41 to 44.
The Bible says that Jesus said, “If thou hadst known, …
the things which belong unto thy peace!
but now they are hid from thine eyes…
they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou
knewest not the time of thy visitation.”
And just as Jesus prophesized in 70 AD, the Romans destroyed the
city and the temple, stone by stone.
In his olive of discourse, he said, “This is all coming down,
not what stone’s gonna be left upon another.”
And of course, this begins the second great exile–the second
great Jewish exile.
And for nearly 2000 years, the Jewish people were scattered
across the earth.
And during persecution, the Spanish Inquisition, the
Holocaust, and yet, through it all, they survived.
Preserved by the hand of God, just as he promised Abraham.
Remember the promise?
But the Bible says there’s gonna be a third temple.
So when did the third temple era begin?
Well, after World War II, a prophecy was fulfilled.
Ezekiel 37 came to life as God brought the Jewish people back
to their homeland, and on May 14th, 1948, Israel declared
its independence.
And in the years that followed, Israel fought for survival, many
wars, but in 1967, during the Six Day War, something very
historic happened.
Israel captured East Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.
Now, think about it.
They’ve been banished from there for almost 2000 years.
Now they’ve got it back.
And among the soldiers that day was Yisrael Ariel.
He stood on the Temple Mount and he dreamed, like many others, of
a third temple rising again.
But today, East Jerusalem and the Temple Mount remain fiercely
contested, and the Palestinians, and much of the international
community, they refused to recognize Israel’s right to
those territories.
Peace talks have stalled, I mean, again and again, over one
central issue.
Who controls the Temple Mount?
That burdensome stone that Zechariah chapter 12
talks about.
Back in 2000, President Bill Clinton tried to broker peace at
Camp David.
But when talks reached the issue of the Temple Mount,
everything collapsed.
Arafat said, “We can’t give it up.”
Barack countered, “You’ve got Mecca, you’ve got Medina, we’ve
only got one holy place.”
And Clinton said, “Look, why don’t you guys just share it?”
And Arafat said, “Nope, that’s not gonna work.
Jews and Arabs on the same 35 acres?
They’ll kill each other.”
And the idea of a sharing at the Temple Mount didn’t disappear.
That I’ve heard about people in the Knesset, a guy named Halivi,
he proposed sharing the Temple Mount, just within the last year
or two.
And that’s what happens, Bible says that’s going to happen in
Revelation 11:1-2.
John is told, “Measure the temple, but not the outer court.
Because I–” because it would be given to the Gentiles for
42 months.
That’s a clear picture of a shared Temple Mount, part
under–partly under Jewish control, part under
Gentile authority.
And many believe this prophecy points to what’s coming,
a future peace agreement that allows both Jews and Muslims to
worship there, side-by-side, on the Temple Mount.
So what are we talking about?
The city of Jerusalem, that burdensome stone, and the 35
acres located there that the Battle of Armageddon is gonna be
fought over.
And yes, Israel is going to build a third temple up there.
2 Thessalonians chapter 2, verse 3 through 4 tells us the
Antichrist will one day sit in that temple, claiming to be God,
so that–the Bible says, “…so that he as God sits in the
temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”
And that can’t happen unless the temple is rebuilt.
So where’s it gonna be rebuilt?
Well, that’s easy.
Jesus gave us the answer in Matthew 24:15.
He’s speaking of the future, and he said, “The abomination of
desolation would happen in the holy place.”
That’s the same place Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac,
where David purchased the threshing floor, where Solomon
built the first temple, and where the Second Temple
once stood.
There’s only one location it could be, and that’s the Temple
Mount in Jerusalem.
Now, this is a very condensed version of the many articles,
and DVDs, and books, and different things we’ve written
over the years about Israel’s history, how God promised that
land to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and to that lineage, and those
prophecies are playing out right before our very eyes, folks.
Israel–the true people of Israel are in the nation of
Israel over there, they have East Jerusalem, they have the
entire city of Jerusalem, and before very long, they will
build a third temple up on that Temple Mount.
Oh, can’t you wait till that day happens, when we can come on
the television, and the radio, and write articles on.
Folks, they just began.
They’re laying the foundations, they’ve set the cornerstones for
the third temple.
It’s gonna happen and I can tell you where it’s gonna be built.
It’s gonna be built up there on that Temple Mount.
The Bible tells us that, and you can take it to the bank when
the Bible says it.
“Thy word, oh Lord, is forever settled in heaven.”
God bless.
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