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HOUSMAIL HM008 23
October 1998 A TEMPLE
TIMELINE There
have been many recent reports that preparations are under way for
construction of a Third temple in Jerusalem. There have also been other
spectacular claims that the location of many of the vessels from earlier
Temples is now known, and that The Ark Of The Covenant has been found. And of
course, there is the Red Heifer discussed in HOUSMAIL HM007 In
the course of investigating these reports, I spent some time studying the
Biblical history of the FIRST and SECOND Temples. Some of this information
may be interesting to those who like to have a picture of events in their
historical setting. For some of us, it may also be helpful to our evaluation
of whether the reports mentioned above, are relevant to the fulfilment of
Bible Prophecies about the THIRD Temple. It is summarised below. THE
FIRST TEMPLE The
first temple in Jerusalem was built by Solomon. It was commenced in the
fourth year of his reign and dedicated in the eleventh year (About 1004BC)
and continued for about 418 years. It was constructed with FORCED LABOR.
There were 30,000 slaves, drawn from amongst the descendants of the people
who had occupied the land before Israel. (1
Kings 5:13, 9:15,21) Over
the centuries, under evil kings, the temple was often in disuse, or defiled
by idolatry. (Indeed, although it is not directly stated, there is a
possibility that Solomon may have been the first to defile his own temple,
when he burned incense, and sacrificed to the foreign gods of some of his
many wives!) Under
the rule of good kings who walked in the ways of God, it was restored and
cleansed. The
table below summarises some of the history of the two previous Temples in
Jerusalem. Dates shown are based on Ussher's chronology. However, please note
that dates followed by a question mark are mere GUESSES. They do fit into the
time frames indicated by Ussher, for the reigns of the various kings, but
they have been "estimated" and shown here, only for the purpose of
indicating an approximate historical setting for the events listed. (If
anyone has does have more accurate dates, or better guesses, please let me
know.) BC1004 Temple dedicated by Solomon. Ark Of The Covenant transferred to
Temple. BC971 5th year of Rehoboam - Shishak, king of Egypt, took away all
Temple treasures. BC940? Treasury emptied by Asa - tribute to Benhadad king of Syria. (1 Kings 15:18) BC856? Joash repaired temple and made new vessels. (2 Kings 12:6-12, 2 Chronicles 24:14) BC842? Treasury emptied by Joash - tribute to Hazael king of Syria. (2 Kings 12:18) BC825? During reign of Amaziah, vessels of temple seized by Jehoash
king of Israel. (2 Kings 14:14) BC772? Uzziah is King. EARTHQUAKE does major damage to temple. (Amos 1:1, Zechariah 14:5, Josephus Antiquities 9,10,4) BC740? Treasury emptied by Ahaz - tribute to Tiglath-pileser, king of
Assyria. (2 Kings 16:8) BC738? Ahaz replaced bronze altar with a design copied from Damascus.
(2 Kings 17:10-16) BC730? Ahaz destroyed the vessels of the temple, closed its doors, and
stopped sacrifices. (2 Chronicles 28:24,
29:7) BC726 Hezekiah reopened the doors, cleansed the temple, restored
sacrifices, and Passover. (2 Chronicles 29:3, 30:1) BC713 Treasury emptied by Hezekiah - tribute to Sennacherib, King of
Assyria. (2 Kings 18:15). BC680? Manasseh built altars in the temple, for foreign gods. (2 Kings 21:3-7, 2 Chronicles 33:7) BC644? Manasseh repented and removed idols (2 Chronicles 33:15-16) BC623 Josiah's 18th year - purged and repaired temple, restored ark
to its place. (2 Chronicles 34:8, 35:3) BC606 Jehoiakim's 11th year - Nebuchadnezzar takes part of the temple
vessels to Babylon. (2 Chronicles 36:7) BC598 Jehoiachin's short reign - more vessels taken to Babylon. (2 Chronicles 36:10) BC598-586 Temple polluted by Zedekiah. (2 Chronicles
36:14) BC586 Temple finally destroyed and burnt by Nebuchadnezzar. All
remaining temple vessels carried off to Babylon. Jerusalem almost totally
destroyed. (2 Chronicles 36:18-19) THE
SECOND TEMPLE The
second temple was built by Zerubbabel, after the return from the Babylonian
captivity. It was commenced about BC536 and dedicated in BC516. From the
dimensions given in Ezra 6:3, it appears to have been slightly larger than Solomon's Temple.
However, Haggai says that it was much inferior in construction. (Haggai 2:3) The
temple vessels taken by Nebuchadnezzar, were handed back by Cyrus (Ezra 1:7, 5:14, 6:5) and used in the
rebuilt temple. However, the Bible does not mention the Ark Of The Covenant
in relation to this Temple. If it did still exist, it was not returned from
Babylon. However, it may have been lost when the FIRST Temple was burned.
Secular history confirms that the second temple did not contain the Ark. Over
the next 500 years, Zerubbabel’s temple was also ransacked and defiled
several times. The most notable of these events was in the time of Antiochus
Epiphanes, BC169-165. The sanctuary was defiled by the blood of the many who
were slain there. The sanctuary itself was laid waste. Jewish sacrifices were
forbidden, and the altar was defiled by pagan sacrifice. The Temple was
abandoned and lay derelict until restored and cleansed under the Maccabees. On
another occasion, the Holy of Holies was defiled when the Roman General
Pompey insisted on entering it about BC63. (It is recorded that Pompey said
that he could not understand all the Jewish interest in the sanctuary when it
was only an empty room.) HEROD'S
TEMPLE Herod's
Temple was actually a major restoration and enlargement of Zerubbabel’s
temple. One source says that Herod put 10,000 men to work and trained 1,000
priests as masons so that they could work on the most sacred parts of the
temple. The main building work commenced in BC19 and finished 10 years later.
However, decoration work continued for many years after that. In the time of
Jesus, the building project had been in progress for 46 years. (John 2:20) This statement must
have been made about AD30. It was finally completed about AD64, six years
before its final destruction by the Romans. Herod
enlarged the dimensions considerably. The main part of the Temple itself, was
much the same size as Solomon's. However other associated buildings, and the
surrounding courts, made the whole structure much larger. This
was the Temple to which Jesus came. On
the day of the Crucifixion of Jesus (AD30?) an earthquake shook
Jerusalem, including the Temple site. Other damage is not recorded, but
Matthew does tell us that the temple curtain was torn in two, from top to
bottom. (Matthew 27:51) A
generation later, in AD70, it was destroyed by the Roman army led by Titus
and Vespasian. Just as Jesus said, "there was not one stone left upon
another." (Matthew 24:1-2) To complete the destruction the Roman General, Turnus Rufus,
had the site ploughed. (Micah 3:12) Josephus
says that, in return for a promise of mercy, some of the golden vessels and
instruments of the Temple were handed to Titus by one of the priests. (War
6,8,3) They were taken to Rome, where they were installed in a "Temple
Of Peace", built by Vespasian. (Josephus War 7,5,7) One source which I
read claims that they are now held in the Vatican Museum. AFTER
HEROD'S TEMPLE Since
the destruction of Herod's Temple, the site has continued to play a major
role in world history. Besides its importance to the Jews, it has become the
THIRD most important sacred site for Muslims. Jealousy over its ownership has
triggered wars, influenced politics, and shaped the destiny of nations. Some
of the significant events are listed below. AD136 A Temple to Jupiter built on the site by Hadrian, after the
rebellion led by Bar Kochba. AD325? Temple to Jupiter destroyed by Constantine. Byzantine
Christianity assumes control. AD363 Emperor Julian authorises Jews to rebuild Temple. Work stopped
by fire or earthquake. AD614 Persians conquer Jerusalem. Jews temporarily resume sacrifices
on Temple Mount. AD628 Byzantines regain control. Small octagon shaped Church built on
temple site. AD638 Muslims regain control. Byzantine church on Temple site
converted to Mosque. AD691 Abd al-Malik completes The Dome of the Rock on the Temple site. AD700 First Al-Aksa Mosque constructed of wood. AD746 EARTHQUAKE destroys Al-Aksa Mosque. AD1016 EARTHQUAKE causes structural damage on Temple mount. AD1033 EARTHQUAKE damages Al-Aksa Mosque. AD1099 Jerusalem conquered by "Christians" in the First
Crusade. Knights Templar convert the Dome of the Rock into the "Temple
Domini" church and place a cross on top. AD
1187 Saladin reconquers Jerusalem. Cross and icons
removed, and Temple Domini becomes a mosque again. AD1855 First acknowledged non-Moslem visitor permitted to enter Temple
mount since AD1187. AD1917 British capture Jerusalem from Turks. Temple mount opened to
Europeans. AD1948 Rebirth of State of Israel. AD1949 Jerusalem named as capital city of Israel. AD1967 6 Day War. Israel captures Temple Mount, but control and
stewardship returned to Moslems. AD1996 Claimed birth of first Red Heifer in Israel since destruction
of Temple in AD70. AD1998 Reports of preparations by several militant Jewish
organisations, to rebuild Temple. Q.
Are the original Ark Of The Covenant and the original Temple vessels
available for use in a THIRD TEMPLE? A. It would seem unlikely that they have survived the repeated
cycle of pillage and destruction of previous temples. It would seem most
unlikely that any of the vessels taken to Babylon, were originals from
Solomon's time. New vessels had already been made, long before the end of the
FIRST TEMPLE period. (2 Kings 12:6-12, 2 Chronicles
24:14) The Ark of The Covenant restored to its
place by Josiah, may well have been only the latest in a series of copies
made to replace earlier versions, stolen by invaders. And there is a strong
hint in Jeremiah 3:16
that the Ark no longer exists and will never be replaced. Q.
Are they essential for a THIRD TEMPLE? A. Certainly there was no Ark Of The Covenant in the SECOND TEMPLE.
There does not seem to be any sound reason why it would be more essential for
a THIRD TEMPLE. And since a precedent has already been set for the use of
replacement copies of the other vessels there doesn't seem to be any
essential requirement for originals in any future temple. Q.
Will the temple be rebuilt at all? A. I have already indicated my personal preference for the view
that this seems unlikely, but not impossible. (A good old fashioned each way
bet!) God willing, this vexed question, will be discussed in more detail, in
the next HOUSMAIL. Allon
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