A precise location on earth since the beginning of time.
Somewhere on this earth is a spot where the dust of the ground was taken from to form the first human being. This created man was the first person GOD made a living soul.
Genesis 2:7-8 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
This spot on the earth where Adam was created is used as the center point of the compass needle in the scripture. All Bible verses used to give a cardinal direction of the compass (north, south, east, and west) are written as if you were standing on the spot where GOD created man. (Where is this spot? Sorry, you will need to follow this lesson as it walks through the Bible to discover this destination)
GOD leads Abraham to a specific place to make his sacrifice.
Genesis 22:2-14 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.
This is the first time the location of the future temple is eluded to. The amazing thing about this scripture is God ties his name to this spot. Abraham says in the mount of the LORD it shall be seen, and for the first time a title is given for Jehovah. This verse actually means, in the mount of the LORD the sacrifice will be seen. Abraham calls GOD JEHOVAH-JIREH meaning the LORD shall provide. I am way ahead of the lesson, but here we go! This place God shows Abraham to sacrifice his miracle born son is a place GOD was going to use to provide a substitute sacrifice for man (read below verse). This sacrifice GOD was going to provide as a substitute for man would be seen on this mountain. The sacrifice GOD would provide here 2000 years later would also be a miracle born son, the only begotten. He was labeled as the lamb that takes away the sin of the world. Why this mount? Why this place? Why this spot on the earth? (Sorry, we must finish the lesson to find this answer!)
Genesis 22:7-8 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: (WOW) so they went both of them together.
Now we are given a name, a place, and a promise of a lamb provided by GOD for our sacrifice.
One hundred and one years later GOD leads another man to this place. His name is Jacob who God renames Israel.
Genesis 28:10-12,16-18,22 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
This place that the patriarchs of the Jews, and Christians were lead to are said to be one and the same place. It also is said to be the place Noah came to build an altar to the LORD after the flood. (Gen. 8:20) This may be Jewish tradition, or it may be fact. Either way this is what has been handed down by the Jewish sages since before America was ever discovered, and before there was a church in Rome. Who am I to doubt those that the oracles of GOD were committed to? (See Romans 3:1-2) The question is why is this place so special? What is there about this spot that Abraham and Jacob call:
- The place where the LORD will provide(a sacrifice)
- The house of GOD
- The gate of heaven
- Hint, GOD said it was in the land of Moriah on a mount (read proceeding verses)
- (Sorry, we have to finish the lesson to find the answer.)
GOD now begins to close in on identifying this spot. Much like Googling a place on the earth from a wide shot and zooming in with Google Earth to a specific spot. (Those that wrote the scriptures would have as much trouble understanding what I’m talking about with Google as I have understanding some things they wrote of.)
Jacob, who God changed his name from Jacob to Israel now leaves this place he calls GOD’S house and the gate of heaven.
Genesis 29:1 Then Jacob went on his journey, and came into the land of the people of the east. (East of where?)
As time goes on Israel has twelve sons by four different mothers. (Leah, Bilhah, Zilpah, and Rachel.) They and their families, seventy souls in all (counting their brother Joseph who already was in Egypt) end up going into Egypt. As they began to multiply in number they end up being slaves to Pharaoh. (They had multiplied from seventy souls to 600,000 men plus women and children. See Exodus 12:37)
Exodus 12:40-41 Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.
GOD miraculously delivers the tribes of Israel from Egyptian bondage when they begin to cry out to HIM. After GOD delivers Israel, instruction is given them to perform his plan on the earth. (I will not go in to all that is contained within GOD’s plan for them.)
I will now focus on the portion of GOD’S plan that relates to this Bible lesson,” THE PLACE, and THE SPOT”
Exodus 15:17 Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established.
In all the things we major on teaching about the children of Israel’s deliverance, their wandering in the wilderness and so on, we may not have stopped to examine the above verse of scripture. This is given right after the Red Sea closes over the Egyptian army, leaving Israel totally free from their former task master. It is GOD saying: I am calling you to a mountain of inheritance, to the place where a Sanctuary will be built for GOD to dwell in.
Remember GOD told Abraham, take Isaac and sacrifice him on the mount I will tell the of. On this mount Abraham finds the ram to be a substitute for Isaac. Abraham then calls GOD by the Name JEHOVAH-JIREH, in the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. Later Jacob ends up on this spot. Here he dreamed it was the house of GOD. Now GOD sets Israel’s children free to take them to a place on a mount where there is a spot that the sanctuary or temple shall be built for GOD to dwell in. This place he will lead the children of Israel will be none other than the spot Abraham and Jacob were led.
Why is this place of such importance to GOD?
Deuteronomy 12:1, 5-7 these are the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the LORD God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth. But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come: And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks: And there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath blessed thee.
This place and spot the LORD is calling them to is:
- In the land which they were being led to by GOD’S cloud by day and fire by night
- This place and spot would be where GOD would place his name
- This would be God’s only accepted spot for the sacrifices he would require
- This place would be a place of fellowship, and rejoicing with the LORD
GOD said this place he was going to reveal to them was also a place for judgment. (Read below)
Deuteronomy 17:8 If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee up into the place which the LORD thy God shall choose;
After the children of Israel enter the Promised Land they must fight many battles with the inhabitants. Remember forty years ago when they were set free from Egypt they were instructed to build a portable tabernacle. This tabernacles plan and function were given by GOD to the Israelites. One of the purpose of this portable tabernacle was a place for GOD’S presence to dwell among them as they journeyed.
All of the story and scriptures read in this lesson have been about GOD’s people before they inherited the Promised Land. From this point on our lesson will teach on what GOD has the Israelites do in the land. (The Promised Land)
Now that the visible manifestation of GOD’S pillar of cloud by day and fire by night has brought us to this land, it vanishes. Do not worry that fire of GOD that leads his children will reappear?
Exodus 13:21-22 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
For the next 500 years the Israelites fight with the enemies of their GOD in the land they inherited. It seems they did only enough fighting to allow them to get on with building, buying, selling, and raising families. They never decided to follow the commandment of totally destroying all their enemies. (Ouch) So GOD finds a man after his own heart. He anoints this man named David to be the King of Israel. David brings victory to all of Israel, even to the retrieving of ark of GOD which had been taken by the enemy. God anointed this man David who had a desire to build GOD a dwelling place, a house. Scripture says” There is no new thing under the sun.” GOD today is still anointing people that want to build him a temple. This anointing today is the baptism or immersion of the Holy Ghost, which makes us the temple of GOD.
Scripture reference for above.
Matthew 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire. ( fire came back to lead us like it did while they were in the wilderness.)
2 Corinthians 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
1 Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
Back to the lesson.
GOD has lead his people to a place, and now he is going to lead them to a particular spot.
1 Chronicles 22:1-19 Then David said, This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel. And David said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God: But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight. Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days. He shall build an house for my name; and he shall be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever. Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God; arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary of the LORD God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of the LORD.
2 Chronicles 3:1 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.
So the place where GOD has man build GOD’S temple is on Mount Moriah. Remember this is the place of Abraham offering Isaac, the place where a substitute is provided by GOD for the sacrifice. This is the place Jacob sees the ladder where angels are ascending and descending. This is the place Jacob said was none other than the house of GOD and the gate of heaven. This is the place Jewish history and traditions say:
- Adam built the first Altar and sacrificed to God.
- Then the place where Cain and Able brought their sacrifices to God, and Able offered his offering on the same spot where his father Adam had built the first altar.
- This is the place Noah traveled to after leaving his ark, and built an altar for sacrifices.
Some more history on this place of Mount Moriah and we will reveal why all this had to happen at this place as well as on a certain spot.
2 Samuel 24:21 And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshing floor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people.
The place where GOD had lead his people to build him a house was in Jerusalem. The spot where he led them to build his house was to the high point of Mount Moriah. Interesting that at the time of David purchasing this spot it is to stay the plague of the people. The word plague is used 98 times in scripture, however the majority of the uses of this word deal with leprosy. Leprosy untreated was a slow death sentence. We liken Old Testament stories of leprosy too sin in a believers life today. Could it be we needed this spot to treat our sin? Another interesting description of this place at its time of purchase is its use as a threshing floor. The threshing floor is used to separate wheat from the chaff. Jesus uses the story of the threshing floor as a place to describe a future event. This future event is where GOD will judge and separate the righteous from the unrighteous.
Matthew 3:12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
With the biblical information we have now covered it is obvious GOD had a specific reason to lead his people to procure this place and spot. It is the only place he would allow them to build the Temple and a permanent altar for sacrifice to GOD.
So why this place and spot?
THE ANSWER
Genesis 2:7-8 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
This is the place and spot of the dust that was used to form Adam. It is understood in Judaism that the place where man was created is the place where atonement must be made. When the temple was built the altar of sacrifice was built over this very spot. This is the only place the third temple and altar can be rebuilt. Once GOD had them erect this altar it was against the laws of GOD to offer a blood sacrifice anywhere but this place. Today we can observe all the Feasts of the LORD but we are not to offer a sacrifice while we observe his feasts. It is on this altar on the Day of Atonement the blood of the sacrifices would be sprinkled each year to atone for the children of Israel. It is on this Mount that the blood of the perfect sacrifice was offered when Christ was crucified on this mount. Yes Abraham did see the place where in the future GOD would provide himself a sacrifice. For he is JEHOVAH-JIREH the LORD did provide.
THE PLACE AND SPOT IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
In 70 A.D. the temple and altar of GOD on earth were destroyed by the Roman General Titus and his army’s . The gold and golden vessels of the temple were taken back to Rome. There they were used to finish financing the Coliseum.
132 A.D. The Jewish rebellion in Israel against the Romans by Bar Kokhba to possibly rebuild the temple.
326 A.D. Byzantine emperor Constantine builds a church in Jerusalem overlooking the temple ruins. Thus as an example that Christianity is now the new spiritual center. This church still is standing today and is called the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
622 A.D. Mohammed is said to have journeyed here in a night vision and from the rock where the temple of GODS holy of holies once stood he ascended to the seventh heaven.
637 A.D. Muslims conquer Jerusalem.
691 A.D. Muslims complete the building of the Al-Aqsa Mosque over the temple site of GOD
1099 – 1118 A.D. Christian crusaders capture Jerusalem and transform Muslim Dome into a Christian church
1187 A.D. Muslims under Saladin recapture Jerusalem and once again establish the Al- Aqsa Mosque.
June 7, 1967 Israel, during Six- Day War, liberate Jerusalem and the temple mount, creating hope of rebuilding GOD, S Temple revive. Later Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan give this 35 acre temple site back to the Muslims.
You may have noticed I never refer to GOD’S temple as the Jewish temple. So often I hear this phrase from people who make mention of this place as they refer to: The Jewish Temple, or the temple of the Jews. Actually it is the Temple of GOD on earth. And it was and will be built again for all men. Here, where GOD created man is where GOD will reign and rule over the affairs of all men. Here the KING OF KINGS and LORD of LORDS will sit upon the throne of David forever.
Luke 1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
Notice below it is now a Temple for all nations.
Isaiah 2:2-3 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Below is speaking of after the battle of Armageddon, in the millennial reign of Christ on the Earth.
Zechariah 14:16-17 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.
Today in the year 2013 you may visit a web site provided by GOD’s people that are making preparation for when the time comes. www.templeinstitute.org. I have had the great blessing of visiting and learning from the works of these Rabbis, scholars and workers on our trips to Jerusalem. May I say that if anyone on earth knows the facts about the Temple of GOD it is this organization. Please do not listen to rumors on this subject, GOD has made a way that all can know with a few clicks of a mouse. (Once again, the apostles would have as much confusion with the definition of our words as we do with their words from thousands of years ago.)
CLOSING COMMENTS
THIS ROCK WHERE MAN WAS CREATED HAS A NAME.
“THE FOUNDATION STONE”
AS IT IS THE FOUNDATION BOTH OF MAN, AND GOD’S TEMPLE.
Exodus 24:12 And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.
Notice GOD brought these stone tablets to MOSES.
You guessed it!!!!!
It is taught: God cut these stone tablets from the very spot where he would have them place his Ark of the Covenant, inside the Holy of Holy’s in his future temple he would have them build on the place. This is a foundational lesson of GOD’S word. The knowledge of HIS purpose of this place and spot will help us to get understanding of the how’s and why’s of GOD. As you listen or read our future lessons your understanding of GOD’S purpose of this place will clarify some hidden logics OF OTHER Bible insights.