In Three Days – I will Rebuild this Temple

Daily Thoughts – September 10th

It’s important to understand the geography of Jesus day to understand the paths He walked.  Jerusalem was not large by today’s standards, but a huge epicenter in biblical days.  The wall contained city measured just short of a mile end to end, and just over ½ mile at it’s widest point.  We would think of it as a large farm in America, just under 350 acres.  It was fortified against attack by walls and gates on all sides, and within the walls contained the Palace of Herod (along the west side of Jerusalem), Antonio Fortress (in the North), Temple Mount (Northeast corner), Upper city (Southwest corner), Lower city (South) and City of David (Southeast corner).  The Mount of Olives was ½ mile East of Jerusalem, separated by a large valley, known as the Kidron Valley.  The Garden of Gethsemane was on the Mount of Olives, just East of the Golden Gate (entrance to the Temple), less than 1000 feet from the Temple Mount.  Bethany, where Lazarus was raised from the dead, was about 2 miles farther to the East, and Bethlehem was about 6-7 miles Southeast of Jerusalem. 

In Three Days – I will Rebuild this Temple

“Every day Jesus taught at the temple, but every evening He went out to spend the night on the Mount of Olives. And early in the morning all the people would come to hear Him at the temple.” – Luke 21:37-38 (in context)

Why is this city (Jerusalem) so important in today’s world?  Because in Bible prophecy it clearly tells us that the Messiah will return this little city in the last days.  Zechariah 14:4 states, “And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.”  Splitting from the mount of Olives from the east to the west will split directly through the old city of Jerusalem, and many believe more specifically, right through the Eastern gate of the Temple Mount (also known as the Golden Gate).  Standing on the Mount of Olives and looking toward the city of Jerusalem, one sees the Eastern gate. 

It was sealed shut by the Muslims during the reign of Suleiman, in the early 16^th century, fulfilling the prophecy of Ezekiel 44:1-3, “Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it was shut. Then said the Lord unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the Lord, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut. It is for the prince; the prince!” 

In Jesus day, this gate was open, and would have frequently been used by Jesus as He went to the Temple to teach and pray.  Jesus was on the Mount of Olives overlooking the city of Jerusalem when the scriptures tell us in Luke 19:41-44,“As Jesus approached Jerusalem (from the mount of Olives) and saw the city, He wept over it and said, “If only you had known on this day what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side. They will level you to the ground—you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.”  He was coming down the pathway (road) into Jerusalem and looking right at the Temple and Eastern Gate.

These steps are on the southern side of the temple mount, and would lead right into the colonnade, and inner temple courtyard.  As Jesus made His way to the temple from the Mount of Olives, He had to have walked along these steps and entered into the courtyards to teach, pray, and chastise the merchants selling therein.  These steps have been excavated, in the late 1800’s, and are still there today.  Some have been overlayed with new concrete blocks, but one can still walk along the evidenced original stone steps leading up to the southern wall of the Temple mount.  It is with 95% certainty that these are the same steps Jesus walked upon multiple times throughout His life.

-     Luke 2:27-28: ..the child Jesus was taken to Simeon in the temple to be consecrated to the Lord.

In Jesus day, as one would make their way into the city walls with the intent of going to the temple to they would ascend a flight of stairs, carved into the hard stone of the hillside.

-          Luke 2:41-49: …the teenage Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem when His parents left.  They returned to find Him with the teachers and rabbi’s learning and listening.

-          Luke 21:27-28: … Jesus enters the temple from the Mount of Olives to teach

-         Mark 11:15-18: … Jesus overturns the money-changers and merchants tables

-         Matthew 22:21, Matthew 22:31-32, Matthew 22:37-38, Luke 21:2-4, Luke 2:47, Matthew 22:33, Luke 21:38: …Jesus teaching in the temple courtyard, parables, watching the widow give two small coins, etc.

Neil Armstrong, first man to step foot on the moon, was quoted after visiting Israel in 1994, “walking on the southern steps of the Temple Mount is even more exciting than walking on the moon” as he bent down and kissed the steps leading to the temple.  It was also a very emotional place for Lisa and I when we visited.  As you sit on the steps on imagine Jesus standing here and teaching, or challenging the Pharisees, it quickly overwhelms one.  This is a must visit if you ever have the chance to visit Jerusalem. 


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