DOME
OF THE ROCK
The Dome of
the Rock is not a mosque for pubic worship, but a shrine for pilgrims.
First Word
·
King Solomon built the first Temple in
950 BC; some 3000 years ago, which was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC.
·
King Herod built the second Temple seventy
years later on the original foundations when the Jews returned from exile.
·
From various time periods, there was located within
the Temple Mount area about 100 different structures which have come and gone,
all of which are a DESECRATION to this Holy Site including the current
Dome of the Rock.
Muhammad
·
In 610 A.D. the Angel Gabriel
appeared to Muhammad who was alone in the wilderness near Mecca, instructing
him to "Recite! Recite! Recite!” –
Then the angel recited three verses and when Muhammad awoke, he had memorized these
verses. - This memorization continued for 10 days. – This would become the verbally
transmitted Qur’an, which the verses later on would be written down and divided
up into “Surah’s”.
·
Muhammad believed himself to be a messenger
of God and was the SEVENTH and last in a progressive
line of prophets beginning with Abraham and ending with prophet number six; Jesus. (Seven is seen as the
Biblical number for “completion”.)
·
His Revelation was… God’s people;
the Jews and Christians have all gone astray and need to be restored to the
proper path; thus the birth of Islam.
The Platform
& Stone
·
The Platform or Temple
Mount
was constructed and enlarged under the rule of Herod the Great as part
of the rebuilding process of the second Temple. – This re-constructed Second
Temple would include the western wall also known as the Wailing Wall. - This would be the same Temple where Jesus
worshipped and prophesized of its future destruction. – This Second
Temple was demolished in 70 AD.
·
The Midrash is a Hebrew Book that
provides a method for interpreting teachings, stories and difficult text of the
Hebrew Bible. It says that when the Ark
of the Covenant was taken away and there remained a STONE that was there
from the time of the early prophets.
·
This Stone or “Foundation
Rock”
is located at the highest point in the center of the first and second temples.
- This places it in the Holy of Holies,
on which the Ark of the Covenant rested. – Jewish Tradition holds this
“Foundation Rock” site as the Holiest spot on earth.
·
Side Note: The actual dimensions of
the rock that you see today is much larger than that of the Holy of Holies and
could not possible fit inside, but this is because of erosions and other
factors that removed the dirt that covered it.
When covered to its proper level of about 3 fingers in height, only 2 ½
inches was actually exposed within the Holy of Holies.
·
There is a cave or cavity beneath the
rock accessible only by a staircase known as the ‘Well of Souls” which
purpose is not fully understood to this day. – The Crusaders’ used it as a
confessional. – Muslims say the cave was made when the rock and earth tried to
rise up with Mohammad as he went to Heaven and the Angel Gabriel stopped its
upward motion.
Jews House of Prayer
·
A Caliphate is an Islamic state and
is led by a political and religious leader called a Caliph.
·
On Mount Moriah in 638 AD, The Jews
showed Caliph Omar ibn al-Khattab where the Holy Temple had once stood
on the debris strewn deserted Temple Mount. - Omar cleared the mount to put up
a building that faced Mecca AND at the request of the Jewish people
ordered another building as a Wooden Temporary house of prayer for the Jews
until their Temple could be re-built; it did NOT face Mecca. . - NYOBS 07.002 – ESCHATOLOGY
·
The Dome was complete in
691 AD
by Umayyad Caliph Abd el-Malik, a Muslim who was actually a follower of
the Jewish faith. - He ordered his citizens to pray with their faces towards
Jerusalem and ordered them to make pilgrimages to Jerusalem instead of Mecca.
He returned the management of the Temple Mount to the Jews. – His name was
removed from the Dome of the Rock and removed from their writings to blot out
his existence.
·
Manuscripts indicate that the Jews used the
remains of the temple to build their “House of Prayer”. Today the remains can still be observed in the
structure of the Dome of the Rock.
·
The main entrance faces South not
South-East toward Mecca. – It had four pillars that line up E-W-S-N on which
the dome rests. They represent the four
camps of the Israelites in the wilderness as they encamped around their
portable Tabernacle.
·
Beginning in 1520 the exterior was covered
with tiles which took some 7 years to complete. Centuries later the inside was
decorated with mosaic, faience and marble. - The walls were of motif designs of
vessels and winged crowns as well as vegetative scrolls, palms, grapes and figs
which are all mentioned in the Torah. – The mosaics contain no human figures,
nor animals. – Remember the Jew’s commandment to “MAKE NO GRAVEN
IMAGE”.
·
It has twelve pillars with
palm trees
on the capitals which is another Jewish motif; these pillars represent the
twelve tribes of Israel. – The Octagonal base with the Spherical cupola
symbolized the transition from Earth to Heaven.
Exodus 20:3-4 – Make no graven image
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee a GRAVEN IMAGE, nor any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. (ASV)
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee a GRAVEN IMAGE, nor any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. (ASV)
Num 2:3 - East side of the Temple
3 And on the east side
toward the rising of the sun shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah
pitch throughout their armies
KJV
Num 2:18 - West side of the Temple
18 On the west side
shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their armies:
and the captain of the sons of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son of Ammihud.
KJV
Num 2:10 - South side of the
Temple
10 On the south side
shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their armies:
and the captain of the children of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur.
KJV
Num 2:25 - North side of the
Temple
25 The standard of the
camp of Dan shall be on the north side by their armies: and the
captain of the children of Dan shall be Ahiezer the son of Ammishadda.
KJV
Matthew 24:1-2 – Prophecy destruction of the
Temple by Jesus
1 Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple.
2 But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” (ESV)
1 Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple.
2 But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” (ESV)
Jew – Christian - Muslim
·
The Dome over the Rock was built from 688 to 691
AD on the highest point of the Temple Mount and rises up some 67.2 feet. - It was built as a symbol of oneness and
continuity of the Abrahamic people; Jewish, Christian and Muslim Faiths. - The
direction of this rock is where Jews would pray toward from every place in the
world.
·
In 1099 the Crusaders had made
the Dome of the Rock structure into a Christian Church and Jerusalem became
primarily Christian and the shrine was renamed “Templum Domini” or Temple of the Lord and a cross was placed
on top of the Dome, but by 1187 it was re-consecrated as a Muslim shrine (Not a Mosque) and the Cross was taken
off the top and replaced with the Islamic crescent.
·
In 1982 a gate and tunnel was
discovered that was built by King Herod which led directly up to the Holy of
Holies that was used by the priest to avoid coming into contact with ordinary
Jews, thus keeping themselves Holy and purified. – It is called the “Gate
and Tunnel of the Priest.” – So we now know exactly where the Holy of
Holies was located.
·
The Jew as well as the
Christian
feel connected to this Rock. It
is believed that this is the very rock where Abraham prepared to offer his son ISAAC as a sacrifice to God;
when God intervened. - NYOBS 39.20 – ISLAM vs;
CHRISTIANITY
For the Muslim
·
This is where Abraham prepared to offer his son
ISHMAEL as a sacrifice to
God; when God intervened. – Muslim legend has it that the angel Gabriel took
Muhammad on a night journey from Mecca to the rock on Mount Moriah, riding on a
winged horse named El Burak which means “lighting”; there Muhammad
talked with all the prophets that had gone before him, including Abraham, Moses
and Jesus and then ascended into the seventh heaven on a golden ladder made of
light and saw Allah sitting on His throne surrounded by angels.
·
There Muhammad received
instructions
for his followers as well as for himself and returned to Mecca on his winged steed
before dawn. – Muslim tradition has it that the rock bears the hoof print of
the winged horse as it leapt into the sky.
Other writing say it bears the foot print of Mohammad when he pushed
down on the rock to keep it from rising up with him to Heaven. Even more writings say it bears the
fingerprints of Michael the high Arch Angel as he held down the rising rock.
·
The Dome of the Rock used the
measurements of the Dome of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher therefore
they have almost identical domes, however the Dome of the Rock’s elevated
position and its magnificence is a way of showing that Islam is superior
over Christianity. – Today a Mosque is sought to be built in every major city
in the USA to show domination.
·
The Kiblah is the direction that
should be faced when a Muslim prays during salat. - It was fixed as the direction of this rock
until Mohammad received a revelation from Allah to change the direction of the Kiblah
from Jerusalem to face Mecca.
Genesis 22:9-13 – Abraham prepared Isaac as a
sacrifice
9 Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound ISAAC his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.
12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” (ESV)
9 Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound ISAAC his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.
12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” (ESV)
Renovations
·
In 1993 the
dome was covered with gold with a donation of 8.2 million dollars from King
Hussein of Jordan.
·
After the 6 day war, in an effort to “Keep
the Peace”, the authority to manage the Temple Mount was given over to the
Muslims where at this writing it still remains today. – Limited access and
strict security screening is required of all non-Muslims.
·
The following is inscribed on the walls of the dome
– It is not befitting to Allah that He should beget a son. - (God has
no companion) - This rejects Jesus Christ as the Son of God, making it
BLASPHEMY to suggest that God has a son, and that is why the Muslims hate the
Infidel Christians today. There are
other inscriptions denouncing the Christian doctrines of the Trinity and
the divinity of Jesus, while emphasizing the unity of God and affirming
Jesus’ status as only a prophet. - NYOBS 29.24 – CASE FOR CHRISTIANITY
Quran 19:33–35 – It is not
fitting that God should begat a Son
33. "So peace is upon me the day I was born,
and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive!"
34. Such is Jesus, son of Mary. It is a
statement of truth, about which they doubt.
35. It is not befitting to Allah that He
should beget a son. Glory be to Him! When He determines a matter, He only
says to it, "Be", and it is.
The Third
Temple
·
The Re-building of the Holy
Temple
depends on the finding of an unblemished RED HEIFER (parah adumah) deemed to be of absolute
Divine origin; an absolute rarity; a biological anomaly - God
has ordained that its ashes alone
are the single missing ingredient
for the reinstatement of Biblical purity – Then after that, the building of the
third Holy Temple can begin which will give God more honor than the previous
Temples.
·
This Holy Cow under Jewish law requires keeping the young cow under strict
care until it reaches THREE YEARS of age - During this time, leaning
on the cow, riding it even once or even putting a piece of cloth
on its back disqualifies it from becoming a Red Heifer. – The color
is not actually a bright red, but is closer to an “earth brown red” which must
be consistent over the entire body down to and including the hoofs and even the
eye lids.
·
Once found Kosher it is ritually
slaughtered outside of the camp. - A
ritually pure “Kohen” slaughters the heifer, and sprinkles its blood in the
direction of the Temple seven times. - The ceremony of the burning of the red
heifer itself takes place on the Mount of Olives.- Cedar
wood, hyssop, and wool dyed scarlet are added to the fire, and the
remaining ashes are placed in a vessel containing pure water – (Red is considered the color of sin.)
·
God told Moses to have the children of
Israel bring him a RED HEIFER. - He alone would understand what this Red Heifer
represented. - NYOBS 40.11 RED HEIFER
·
Unblemished –
The Red Heifer was to be unblemished with no defect and on which a yoke had
never been placed. – The Temple Institute says that the cow must also have red
hoofs and cannot have even two gray hairs and that all the hairs must be
straight.
·
Ashes – When we think of
roasting a cow, we are thinking of the meat, but the product that is desired is
the ashes, not the meat.
·
When the Priest performs
the ritual, he becomes ritually unclean, and must then bathe himself and
his clothes in a ritual bath. - He is deemed impure until the evening. - He
would withdraw into a chamber made entirely of stone, including stone vessels
to prevent himself from coming in contact with anything that could contaminate
him and make him unclean – In Jewish law, stone does not act as a carrier of
ritual impurities.
·
Side Bar - Each time a heifer was
burned, one third of the ashes was removed and kept by the priests for use by
future generations. – The ashes were mixed in a solution of water. It was called the "Waters of Sanctification" and the priest was
sprinkled with it every day during his time of separation, sanctification and
purification. – This was in case he had unknowingly walked over a grave or had
come near the dead, thus making him unclean.
·
The Water was drawn from a “living
natural spring” source such as from the Shjiloach (Siloam) spring in the city
of David located at the foot of the Temple Mount. (Rainwater is not accepted) - It had to be drawn by someone who was
pure enough to go draw it. – This is a complex procedure utilizing children to
draw and carry the water for the ceremony. - The children were born and reared
in isolation for the specific purpose of ensuring that they never came into
contact with a corpse. - This emphasizes how important the purification and
sanctification process is considered.
·
Nine Red Heifers have been slaughtered
during the period extending from Moses to the destruction of
the Second Temple. - Moses prepared the first, Ezra the
second, Simon the Just prepared two and Yochanan the High
Priest prepared two, and Elioenai ben HaQayaph and Hanameel
the Egyptian prepared one each.
·
The TENTH and FINAL Red Heifer
- Ten is the Biblical number for “The Law”, i.e. the Ten
Commandments. – There were ten linen curtains in the Tabernacle which
represented the Law. Jesus fulfilled the
law when he was nailed to the cross.
Josephus 4.4.4:79-81 – Red
Heifer was killed outside the camp.
79 He brought a HEIFER that
had never been used to the plough or to do husbandry that was complete in all
its parts, and entirely of a RED color, at a little distance from the camp,
into a place perfectly clean.
This heifer was slain by the high priest and her blood sprinkled with
his finger seven times before the tabernacle of God.
80 After this the entire
heifer was burnt in that state, together with its and entrails; and they threw cedar
wood, and hyssop, and scarlet wool, into the midst of the
fire: then a clean man gathered all her ashes together, and laid them in
a place perfectly clean.
81 When therefore any
persons were defiled by a dead body, they put a little of these ashes
into spring water, with hyssop, and, dipping part of these ashes
in it, they sprinkled them with it, both on the third day; and on the
seventh, and after that they were clean.
Then he enjoyed them to do also when the tribes should come into their
own land.
Dual
Perspectives
·
For the Jew, the “Purification”
provided through the Red Heifer signals the way for the commencement of the re-building
of the Third and final Holy Temple. This
will usher in for the FIRST TIME the appearance of the Jews long-awaited
Messiah.
·
For the Christian who believes the Messiah
is Jesus Christ and has already come, believes it points toward the
“Rapture” or catching away of His saints at His SECOND coming and bringing the
onset of Armageddon. – NYOBS 22.02 - ARMAGEDDON
1 Cor 15:52 – We will be changed in the twinkling of an eye
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,
at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed KJV
1 Thess 4:16-17 –
Christians Raptured in the Air
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise
first:.
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall
be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the
air: and so shall we ever be
with the Lord. KJV
At the Return
of Christ
- When
Christ returns for His millennial reign, the Ark of the Covenant that sits on the ROCK will not be present, it will not even be thought
of because Christ will be on the throne in Jerusalem. - There will be no
need to make a new Ark; and they won’t.
Jer 3:16-17 – The Ark will no longer be remembered.
16 In those days, when
your numbers have increased greatly in the land," declares the LORD,
"men will no longer say, `The ark of the covenant of the LORD.' It
will never enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor
will another one be made.
17 At that time they will
call Jerusalem The Throne of the LORD, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem
Ark of the Covenant
·
It is believed that the second temple
did NOT contain the Ark of the Covenant as it had been hidden away before
it was built. – The Holy of Holies was actually EMPTY.
- The Dead Sea Scrolls are the final
reference to the Ark of the Covenant and its location. The
Jeremiah letter: - Jeremiah came and found a cavern
in the rock, and there he brought in the Tabernacle, and the Ark, and the Alter
of Incense; and he made fast the door – “Yea, and the place shall
be unknown until God gather the people again together, and mercy come;
and then shall the Lord disclose these things”.
- Other writings not found in the
Bible indicate that the Knights Templar from 1118 to 1127 excavated
tunnels under the Temple Mount and found vast wealth including the Ark.
- More writing suggest that
Solomon, concerned about an invading army, for protection built a replica
of the Ark of the Covenant and that the real Ark was sent to Ethiopia
for safe keeping with his son that he fathered with the Queen of
Sheba and is under guard there even today awaiting its return. - NYOBS 16.20 – ARK OF THE COVENANT
·
There are now reports that The Temple
Institute is now in possession of the original Ark claiming it was never
lost; only hidden. – I have followed this for years and have never seen a
picture of it yet, but it’s Fun to ponder - We will all see.
1 Esdras 1:54 (Apocrypha) – Carried off to
Babylon
54 Babylonians took all the holy vessels of the
Lord, both great and small, and the ARK of God, and the King’s treasures
and carried them away into Babylon
2nd
Maccabees 2:4-10; (Dead Sea Scrolls) The Jeremiah Letter
4 Jeremiah came and found a cavern in the rock,
and there he brought in the (tent) Tabernacle, and the Ark, and the Alter of Incense; and he made fast
the door – “Yea, and the place SHALL BE UNKNOWN until God gather the people
again together, and mercy comes; and then shall the Lord disclose these
things”. – The glory of the Lord and the cloud shall appear, as
they were shown before Moses and Solomon.
Final Thoughts
·
This Holy Rock on Mt. Moriah was FIRST a
place of worship for the Jebusites, then became the site for Two Jewish
Temples, next a sanctuary for the Roman god Jupiter, then later the Muslim's Dome
of the Rock, next occupied by the Christians, and then finally reverted back to
a Muslim shrine again.
·
Previous writings
indicated that
the foundations of Solomon’s Temple on the Temple Mount ended about 150 feet
from the Dome of the Rock which would remain under the control of the Muslims (The Gentiles) “until their time is fulfilled”
– But the recent finding of the “Gate and Tunnel of the Priest” leading
to the Holy of Holies and “The Rock” disputes this theory.
·
The Latest information says that the Dome of the
Rock is exactly on the spot of the Holy of Holies and the dome must be
dismantled and perhaps re-assembled in Mecca.
·
Will Israel trust God and rebuild the prophetic
third temple on the exact foundations of the first and second temples which
would include removing the Dome over the Rock or will they cave in with fear
that it would force an all-out war with the Muslims.
·
Will they choose to build
the Temple
somewhere else or not at all. – It’s easy for us to say “TRUST GOD”
because we don’t live in Jerusalem.
Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem
In the multitude of counselors,
there is wisdom.
Proverbs 11:14
I
am grateful to those that went before me providing concepts, ideas, historical
information, and scripture verses.
Because of them I can stand on their shoulders and see further that I
otherwise ever could have.
Antiquity of the Jews – Flavius Josephus Matthias
Apocrypha - Goodspeed
Bible Almanac; The – Packer-Tenney-White
Bible Dictionary – Harper and Row
Bible Study Tools - Crosswalk
English Standard Version
Bible – ESV
Expositor’s Bible
Commentary – Frank E. Gaebelein
Illustrated Bible
Dictionary – Nelson’s
Illustrated Bible
Dictionary; The – Tyndale
King James Version Bible –
KJV
Mysteries of the Bible –
Readers Digest
Nave’s Topical Bible - Zondervan
New International
Dictionary of the Bible; The – Douglas -
Tenney
New International Version
Bible – NIV
Temple Institute; The
Temple Mount & Land of
Israel Faithful Movement
Temple Mount Location - Dr. Asher Kaufman
Thru the Bible – J. Vernon McGee
Who’s Who in the Bible – Paul D. Gardner
Wikipedia -
Zondervan Pictorial
Encyclopedia of the Bible; The – Tenney
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