An Important Discovery by Anita Durairaj

I have always found Revelation and the end times interesting (yes, I’m a nerd) and a current discovery about the location of Solomon’s Temple is key in  relating to the end times.* One of the requirements of the last day's events to be completely fulfilled is that Jews rebuild Solomon’s Temple for a third and last time. So what’s stopping them? Well, the assumed location of the Temple, the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, is already occupied by a very important mosque. If Jews even set foot in the temple, Muslims have made it clear that a nuclear war will break loose. However, recent evidence shows that this assumed location could be incorrect and that Jews could start building their temple in a different, Jewish-owned location.

Why can’t Jews just rebuild their Temple anywhere? Well, the Jews do need a place of worship; not just any place, but the specific location of their previous temple, Zion. How much this place is revered can be seen in Psalm 132: 8,13: “Arise, O Lord, and come to your resting place, you and the ark of your might…For the Lord has chosen Zion, he has desired it for his dwelling” (New International Version Life Application Study Bible)

Ever since Abraham claimed the Holy Land in biblical times, Muslims and Jews have been in conflict, each claiming to be Abraham’s chosen descendants. From the bloody Crusades in the 11^th century to the recent 6-day war of 1967, heavy tension has existed between the two people groups. This makes it painfully obvious that it will be impossible for Jews and Muslims to ever come to peace agreements for them both to compromise over the Temple Mount.

So, what can the Jewish people do? They’ve been waiting for many, many years for God to somehow make is possible for them to build their temple on the Temple Mount. Urgency is building up; they can’t wait any longer. Impatience could lead to the mosque’s damage, resulting in war.

Well, new data discovered by archaeologist Robert Cornuke in his book Temple: Amazing New Discoveries that Change Everything About the Location of Solomon’s Temple, offers facts that the Temple may actually be located not on the Temple Mount but, instead, in a location ridiculously close to the Temple Mount, but on territory free to build a temple on. It’s almost as if God is allowing Muslims to have the Temple Mount and giving Jews the holy area literally right next to build their temple. It’s the perfect solution, and there is a lot of evidence both biblically and archaeologically, to support this stance.

There is now way I can name all the evidence in this article, but here are two incorrect theories and the correct counter-theories:

(1)   Jews believe that the Temple Mount area housed both the Temple and a Roman Fortress.

There is no doubt that a Roman fortress did exist very close to the temple. The second temple existed during Roman rule, and there would definitely be many Roman soldiers near the temple, ready for action should a rebellion or scrimmage break out. A man named Josephus was a writer back from the Roman times who detailed the size of the roman fort. He used the word tagma to describe the amount of soldiers at the fort. Tagma means approximately 6,000 men and if you add the support staff to that, there would be as many as 10,000 men at the fort.

However, in order to make enough room for the temple, current theory says that there was only a small Roman fort of about 480 men next to the temple. Very unlikely. Would the Romans degrade their status by putting a tiny fort next to the Jews’ most revered, magnificent building? Never!

We read in the bible that the Roman fort send 470 men just to escort the apostle Paul from Fort Antonia to Caesarea. Would a fort of 480 men send 470 men to escort one prisoner and leave behind 10 to handle millions of people in the temple crowds? I certainly don’t think so.

In fact, the Temple Mount is believed to have been the location of a large Roman Fort, and the famous Western Wall (or Wailing Wall), revered by Jews, may have actually been a part of that fort. The Temple would be close by, but not in that exact location.

(2)   Jews believe that the Western wall was a part of the Temple.

Not only was the Western wall a part of a Roman fort, biblically, it shouldn’t even be there if it was  part of the Temple. Matthew 24:1-2 says: “Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. ‘Do you see all these things?’ he asked. ‘I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.’” There shouldn’t be a whole wall of the Temple left if “not one stone would be left upon another”. Romans completely demolished the temple; they definitely wouldn't leave a whole wall standing.

How come Jews haven’t yet started work on their new temple? Wouldn't they immediately jump on to this new location? The word “Temple Mount” has been drilled into them. Years of tradition has kept Jews thinking that the revered Western Wall was a part of the temple; that the Temple Mount is sacred. Such a build-up of tradition is incredibly hard to break.

Although many Jews have shunned the information as incorrect, it is still relatively new. If you’re interested in this topic, I encourage that you read Robert Cornuke’s book. And if you know any Jewish people, please tell them the importance of this discovery! It could be revolutionary for the Christian and the Jewish people. Such information is so important, that it could mean that Jesus’ return is near at hand, and we need to make sure that Jews know about it because it concerns their cherished history.

 

*All evidence for the Muslims and Jews conflict and the new temple theory are either indirectly quoted from Temple: Amazing New Discoveries that Change Everything About the Location of Solomon’s Temple by Robert Cornuke.