For some years now I have had a fascination and an eagerness to learn and understand about Jerusalem, God’s temple, and the land of Israel. On two trips in 2013 and again in 2017, I got to walk where Solomon’s and Herod’s temple would have stood in the old city of David. We walked underneath where the temples would have stood walking in the waters of the Gihon Spring in the tunnel carved out by King Hezekiah 2800 years or so ago. The historian Josephus called Jerusalem the navel of the country and later it was known amongst Jews and Christians as the navel of the world.1
From a religious point of view, it is where everything will happen right at the end of our time and it is where the two final witnesses will emerge as well to usher us into the final 3 ½ years before Jesus returns. We need to watch this space. Spiritually it is the hottest place on earth with Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
Listen to the “Spy out the land” series particularly the sermon about Jerusalem.
Also check out Dr. Ernest L. Martin’s work on the forgotten temples of Israel and their true location.2
Countdown to the two witnesses...
- Josephus, The Wars of the Jews 3.3.5[52] [↩]
- https://www.askelm.com/index.asp [↩]
2 Responses
Would really love to go and look at some of the historical sites some day in the very near future, those tunnels look fascinating! Problem is you would never feel like you had enough time in each city/area!
In regards to the two witnesses that will be sent in sackcloth to preach…I wonder where they will be located? Will it be at the temple after it is rebuild and the daily sacrifices are resumed? My mind has gone blank
Yes that is always a problem when you visit Israel – you feel like you would like more time. When I visited in 2013 and again in 2017 we had about 1 week in Israel. But still well worth it. Got to walk along Hezekiah’s tunnel both times. One great thing about the tunnel is that it is totally genuine and you know that the original Solomon’s temple must have been close if not directly above as the temple needed a water source for the sacrifices that were undertaken twice each day. The Gihon spring is one of only about 5 “siphon” systems in the world where the water springs up through the mountain by itself through “Warren’s Shaft.” “Gihon” comes from the Hebrew “giha” meaning gushing forth. Twice a day, due to the siphon effect, the water would gush up, probably to where the priests needed it at the temple.
In the end the two witnesses will actually measure out where the true temple should be, not where the temple mount is as there is no water source there. It is about 600 yards away from the southern walls of Jerusalem as measured from the Dung gate. I figure that they will preach near the true location of the temple, maybe at the Western Wall as well as there are 1000’s of people who gather in that area each day.