Then Yahweh appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My Name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place. For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that My Name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there forever.”

2 Chronicles 7: 12-16

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Yahweh’s Temple was not on the Temple Mount

The information I’m presenting in this SnyderTalk editorial is not the end of my journey.  It’s a report about some of the things I have discovered so far on my journey.  There is a lot more to come.

I don’t know exactly where this project will take me.  At first, I thought I was debunking the myth that Yahweh’s Temple was on the Temple Mount, but that turned out to be my starting point. My destination has more to do with the City of David than with the Temple Mount.

As you will see, Yahweh’s Temple was in the City of David.  That fact is spelled out clearly in the Bible, but the Temple Mount is recognized by most Jewish people as the site of Yahweh’s Temple.

Why?

The answer is simple: Jewish tradition.  In this instance and in many other instances, Jewish tradition is wrong.

Read this editorial carefully.  It’s detailed, and it contains pictures and videos that help to make my points.  Examine everything.  In the City of David, Yahweh is revealing things that have been hidden for almost 2000 years. Thanks to the Ir David [City of David] Foundation, history is coming back to life. Eventually, archeological evidence will confirm the true location of Yahweh’s Temple. Facts can’t and won’t be ignored forever.

Errant Jewish traditions are formidable obstacles.  They must be abandoned before the truth is accepted. Thankfully, the Temple that Solomon built was in the City of David, not on the Temple Mount where Muslims control day-to-day operations. That is an extremely important point.

Jerusalem

Every time I visit Jerusalem, I learn things that shed light on things I thought I knew.  Many times, I discover things that change my understanding completely.  So, this is my guiding principle:

If facts contradict my opinions, I change my opinions, because my opinions won’t change the facts.

To understand Yahweh’s holy city, you need to keep an open mind.  Many of the things we think we know about Jerusalem are not correct.

Tradition Right or Wrong is a Really Bad Strategy

Many Jewish traditions are nothing more than widely held beliefs.  Their factual support doesn’t exist, but over time they come to be accepted as truth.  New discoveries prove conclusively that some of those traditions are wrong, but religious Jews in particular refuse to let them go. They hold onto traditions as though they are sacred, more sacred than Yahweh’s word. That’s dangerous.

After my first trip to Israel more than two decades ago, I bought a book titled Jerusalem: An Archaeological Biography by Hershel Shanks.  He founded the Biblical Archaeology Society.  At that time, he was editor of Biblical Archaeology Review.  Shanks’ book is authoritative.  I still refer to it from time to time.

In the book, Shanks discussed many misconceptions people have concerning Jerusalem.  For instance, he talked about David’s Citadel, Zion, and David’s Tomb.

David’s Citadel

Most tourists to Jerusalem have seen David’s Citadel.  It’s shown in the picture below.  The name suggests a close connection with King David, but the site where David’s Citadel is located is actually the place where King Herod built his palace in the first century BC.  That was about 900 years after David’s death.  The iconic tower at David’s Citadel was built by the Ottomans in the 1500s AD.  That’s about 2,400 years after David died.

In David’s day, David’s Citadel was probably a barren hillside at the upper end of the Hinnom Valley.  It may have been a great place for grazing sheep and goats, but David never lived or worked there.

The picture below was taken from the Ramparts Walk beside David’s Citadel.  I was standing on the roof of a building the basement of which was the dungeon in Herod’s palace.  Pontius Pilate stayed in the palace while he was in town.  In the basement of the building, Roman soldiers scourged the Messiah, put a crown of thorns on His head, and a cloak around Him.

The place where Pilate presented the Messiah to the crowd and said, “What should I do with Him?” is in the picture below.  That place is called “The Pavement”. (See John 19:13)  The Pavement is embedded in the base of the Old City wall.

The picture below shows the excavated dungeon area in Herod’s palace. That’s where the Roman soldiers did their dirty work.  This area has not been excavated completely, and it may never be completely excavated.  Parts of Jerusalem’s iconic Old City wall and parts of David’s Citadel would need to be destroyed to complete the project.  Israeli authorities are not likely to let that happen.

Thankfully, the City of David is outside the Old City walls.  It can be excavated if the land can be acquired.  Buying land in the City of David is a challenge, though.  It is a capital offense for “Palestinians” to sell their land to Jews, and a lot of land in the City of David is owned by “Palestinians”.  I’ll have more to say about that in the days ahead.

David’s Tomb and Zion

The place that’s called “David’s Tomb” is just outside Zion Gate to the Old City of Jerusalem near the Church of the Dormition.  It sits on a hill that’s called “Zion”.

If you have difficulty finding David’s Tomb, look for the Church of the Dormition and go there.  It’s easy to spot because it is so distinctive.  You can see it from a long way off.  Below is a picture of the Church of the Dormition.  It looks like a castle.  You can’t miss it.  The tower in the picture is the church’s bell tower.

Below is a closeup view of the Church of the Dormition.  David’s Tomb is not far from the place where I was standing when I took the picture.

Near David’s Tomb, there is a statue of David.  (See the picture below.)  When you see the statue, you are almost there.

Religious Jews go to David’s Tomb to pray and study. Tourists flock to the site with cameras in hand. But the hill on which David’s Tomb sits is not Zion, and the likelihood is not good that David is buried in David’s Tomb.

Below is a picture of the anteroom at the entrance to David’s Tomb. Every time I have been there, religious Jews have been there, too, studying and praying.  They think the site is holy thanks to King David. Muslims regard the site as holy, too, for the same reason, but I have never seen a Muslim inside David’s Tomb.

According to Christian tradition, near the site of David’s Tomb, Mary the Messiah’s mother is buried, the Last Supper was held, and the Holy Spirit came down on believers on Pentecost (Shavu’ot) the year the Messiah was crucified.  (See Acts chapter 2.)  Needless to say, Jews, Christians, and Muslims think David’s Tomb is a special place.

David was buried in the City of David, and the City of David is called Zion:

“Then David slept with his fathers and was buried in the City of David.” (1 Kings 2: 10)

In the Bible, Bethlehem and Jerusalem are called “the City of David”.  King David was born in Bethlehem.  That’s why it is called the City of David.

David became King of Judah when he was 30-years-old, and he reigned in Hebron for 3 years. When David was 33-years-old, he became King of Israel, and he reigned in Jerusalem for 37 years. That’s why Jerusalem is called “the City of David”. All told, David reigned as king for 40 years: 3 years in Hebron and 37 years in Jerusalem.

Because the Bible refers to Bethlehem and Jerusalem as “the City of David”, some people have argued that 1 Kings 2: 10 tells us that David was buried in Bethlehem, but that is not correct.  The phrase “slept with his fathers” simply means that David died. It does not mean that he was buried in Bethlehem near his ancestors’ graves.

On Pentecost (Shavu’ot) the year the Messiah was crucified, Peter was speaking to a group of Jewish believers in Jerusalem, and he said, “Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.” (Acts 2: 29)  That was in about 30 AD. At that time, the location of David’s tomb was common knowledge.  It was in the City of David or ancient Jerusalem.

At some point, David’s tomb was relocated. That may have happened in about 70 AD when Roman soldiers destroyed Jerusalem, looted the city, and covered it over with dirt. No one can say for certain where David’s remains are today. It’s possible that they are in “David’s Tomb”, but it is not likely.

In the 11^th century AD, more than a thousand years after Peter talked confidently about the location of David’s tomb, Crusaders from Europe talked with locals and identified David’s tomb on the hill that is called “Zion” today. We know for certain that the Crusaders misidentified Zion, and the odds are not good that they correctly identified the location of David’s Tomb. Even so, tradition is powerful even when it is highly questionable or unquestionably wrong.

Later, I will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the City of David is ancient Jerusalem and that it is called “Zion”.

Despite what we know, David’s Tomb remains a popular destination for religious Jews and tourists.  Religious Jews, in particular, should know better, because they claim to be Bible scholars.  Their scholarship leaves a lot to be desired.  Most of them have a hard time distinguishing between fact and fiction.

When facts and traditions collide, most religious Jews go with traditions.  That’s a problem that betrays the notion that they are scholars.

In 2018, I took the picture below inside David’s Tomb.  When I visited David’s Tomb the first time more than two decades ago, men and women visiting the tomb were not segregated.  That changed several years ago.  Today, there are two entrances to David’s Tomb: One for men and one for women.  The wooden divider seen in the picture separates the men’s and women’s sides of “David’s” sarcophagus.  I don’t want to raise a ruckus, but the men’s side is bigger than the women’s side.

I took the picture of David’s Tomb below in 1999. Rebekah, Katie, and Melanie are in the picture from left to right. If men and women had been segregated in 1999, I could not have taken the picture. Katie won’t like this picture because her eyes are closed, but it’s the only picture I have that makes my point.

The City of David, Ancient Jerusalem, and Zion are the Same Place and Yahweh’s Temple was There

The City of David is the Jerusalem talked about in the Old Testament/Tanach, and the City of David is also called “Zion”.  That’s important, because it supports the fact that Yahweh’s Temple was not built on the Temple Mount.  This is what the Bible says:

• “Nevertheless, David captured the stronghold of Zion, that is the City of David.” (2 Samuel 5: 7)
• “The inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You shall not enter here.” Nevertheless, David captured the stronghold of Zion that is, the City of David.” (1 Chronicles 11: 5)
• “But as for Me [Yahweh], I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.” (Psalms 2: 6)
• “May He send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion.” (Psalms 20: 2)
• “By Your [Yahweh’s] favor do good to Zion. Build the walls of Jerusalem. Then You [Yahweh] will delight in righteous sacrifices, in burnt offering and whole burnt offering. Then young bulls will be offered on Your altar.” (Psalms 51: 18-19)
• “His tabernacle is in Salem [Jerusalem]. His dwelling place also is in Zion.” (Psalms 76: 2)
• “Yahweh is great in Zion. He is exalted above all the peoples.” (Psalms 99: 2)
• “For Yahweh has built up Zion. He has appeared in His glory….that men may tell of the Name of Yahweh in Zion and His praise in Jerusalem….” (Psalms 102: 16 and 21)
• “For Yahweh has chosen Zion. He has desired it for His habitation.” (Psalms 132: 13)
• “After David had constructed buildings for himself in the City of David, he prepared a place for the ark of Elohim and pitched a tent for it.” (1 Chronicles 15: 1)
• “Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh from the City of David, which is Zion.” (1 Kings 8: 1)
• “Then Solomon began to build the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem [the City of David and Zion] on Mount Moriah, where Yahweh had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.” (2 Chronicles 3: 1)

There are many more Bible verses and passages of Scripture telling us in no uncertain terms that Zion, the City of David, and ancient Jerusalem are the same place. Those passages of Scripture also tell us that King Solomon built Yahweh’s Temple there.

Excavations in the City of David are confirming the accuracy of the Bible in minute detail. We can have confidence in Yahweh’s word. It is the best source for determining the exact location of Yahweh’s Temple.

From Ezekiel’s Prophecy about Yahweh’s Temple

Below is an excerpt from Ezekiel 43. Notice that Yahweh told Ezekiel to warn Israel not to allow her kings to be buried next to His Temple anymore and to remove the kings’ corpses that were buried there already. David and Solomon and the kings of Judah were buried in the City of David. Some of them were buried too close to Yahweh’s Temple.

1 Then he led me to the gate, the gate facing east; 2 and behold, the glory of the Elohim of Israel was coming from the way of the east. And His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone from His glory. 3 And it was like the appearance of the vision which I saw, like the vision which I saw when He came to destroy the city. And the visions were like the vision which I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell on my face. 4 And the glory of Yahweh entered the house by way of the gate facing east. 5 And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner courtyard; and behold, the glory of Yahweh filled the house.

6 Then I heard Him speaking to me from the house, while a man was standing beside me. 7 And He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell among the sons of Israel forever. And the house of Israel will not again defile My holy Name, neither they nor their kings, by their prostitution and by the corpses of their kings when they die, by putting their threshold by My threshold, and their door post beside My door post, with only the wall between Me and them. And they have defiled My holy Name by their abominations which they have committed. So, I have consumed them in My anger. 9 Now let them remove their prostitution and the corpses of their kings far from Me, and I will  well among them forever. (Ezekiel 43: 1-9)

In ancient Israel, kings of Judah wanted to be buried close to Yahweh’s Temple, because they knew it was a holy site. It’s obvious that Yahweh wasn’t happy about it.

The Temple Mount

No site in Jerusalem is more recognizable than the Temple Mount. Images of the gold-domed Dome of the Rock sitting atop the Temple Mount represent Jerusalem.  According to Jewish tradition, the Dome of the Rock is where Yahweh told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, and it’s where King Solomon built Yahweh’s Temple.

Below is a picture of the Dome of the Rock that I took while I was visiting the Temple Mount a few years ago.  I don’t go to the Temple Mount very often anymore, because it makes me angry.  You’ll see why when you watch the videos below.

Ornan’s Threshing Floor

The Bible says that King David bought Ornan’s threshing floor for 600 shekels of gold:

Then the Angel of Yahweh commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up and build an altar to Yahweh on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.  So David went up at the word of Gad, which he spoke in the name of Yahweh.  Now Ornan turned back and saw the Angel, and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. And Ornan was threshing wheat. 

As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out from the threshing floor and prostrated himself before David with his face to the ground.  Then David said to Ornan, “Give me the site of this threshing floor, that I may build on it an altar to Yahweh; for the full price you shall give it to me, that the plague may be restrained from the people.” 

Ornan said to David, “Take it for yourself; and let my lord the king do what is good in his sight. See, I will give the oxen for burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for wood and the wheat for the grain offering; I will give it all.” 

But King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will surely buy it for the full price; for I will not take what is yours for Yahweh, or offer a burnt offering which costs me nothing.” 

So David gave Ornan 600 shekels of gold by weight for the site.  Then David built an altar to Yahweh there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And he called to Yahweh and He answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.  Yahweh commanded the Angel, and He put his sword back in its sheath. (1 Chronicles 21: 18-27)

Later, the Bible says that King Solomon built Yahweh’s Temple on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite that David bought:

Then Solomon began to build the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where Yahweh had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. (2 Chronicles 3: 1)

Words matter, and where Yahweh is concerned, words matter a lot. 2 Chronicles 3: 1 says that Solomon built Yahweh’s Temple “in Jerusalem…on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.”

This is the crucial point. Yahweh’s Temple was “in Jerusalem”, and Jerusalem is the City of David and Zion. No part of the Temple Mount was “in Jerusalem” in David’s or Solomon’s days. I will say more about that fact later.

The Dome of the Rock was Not Built Over a Threshing Floor

Threshing floors were hard, flat surfaces, but the slope of Mount Moriah underneath the Temple Mount is not flat.  It’s steep. See “What is the Bible talking about when it mentions a threshing floor?”

King Herod built the retaining wall for the Temple Mount about 900 years after Solomon built Yahweh’s Temple.  He wanted to create a large, flat surface on Mount Moriah for use as a Roman fort to house about 6,000 soldiers plus support personnel and everything they needed to protect Jerusalem and maintain order.  The fort was north of the Temple, and it wasn’t small.  There may have been as many as 10,000 people stationed at the fort. I’ll say more about that later.

The Dome of the Rock sits on the Temple Mount over the exposed top of a huge rock outcropping on Mount Moriah.  The rock inside the Dome of the Rock must have been at least 20 feet high before Herod built the Temple Mount retaining wall.  Huge rocks are not located at the center of threshing floors.

Below are two pictures. I took the first one in 2003. I was standing outside the Temple Mount very near the Eastern Gate. A Muslim graveyard was the only thing between me and the gate. In the 1500s AD, Ottomans blocked up the Eastern Gate and put a graveyard in front of it to prevent the Messiah from returning through that gate. I took the second picture in 2014. I was standing on the Temple Mount platform directly in front of the Eastern Gate.

The Eastern Gate lines up perfectly with the Dome of the Spirits on the Temple Mount. It’s about 80 yards north of the Dome of the Rock. As you can see in the second picture above, the Temple Mount Platform comes up to very near the top of the Eastern Gate. The platform at that point must be at least 10 to 15 feet higher than Mount Moriah underneath the platform’s surface.

As you move south toward the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount platform, the distance between the platform’s surface and Mount Moriah underneath the surface increases. As I said before, the rock inside the Dome of the Rock must have been at least 20 high before King Herod built the retaining wall. It may have been 30 or 40 feet high. It never was part of a threshing floor.

Below is a picture of the rock inside the Dome of the Rock looking down on it from above:

The video below shows the inside of the Dome of the Rock.  I’ve been inside the Dome of the Rock many times, but I have never been allowed to take a still shot much less a video.  Every time I go to the Temple Mount, different rules apply. In the early-2000s, each time I went to the Temple Mount, Muslims on the Temple Mount tried to talk me into entering the Dome of the Rock. Today, I would need special permission to enter it.

This much is certain: If I wear shorts to the Temple Mount as I almost always do, I must take something with me to cover my legs, or I will have to buy a shawl from Muslims on the Temple Mount to wrap around my waste and cover my legs.  Women must cover their shoulders, arms, and legs.  It’s best to dress correctly before you visit the Temple Mount, but keep in mind that the dress code changes constantly. Muslims like to play con games with tourists, particularly Christian tourists, on the Temple Mount.

Even so, the Dome of the Rock is not the location of Yahweh’s Temple. Threshing floors don’t have huge rock outcroppings.  Below is a picture of a real threshing floor in Bethlehem.  It’s a hard, flat surface with no large rocks that would complicate the threshing process.

The Site of the Dome of the Rock was Not “in Jerusalem”

The topography of Mount Moriah and a huge rock obstacle are enough justification to rule out the Dome of the Rock as the site of Yahweh’s Temple, but there is more.  Threshing floors are found on high places to take advantage of the wind, but they are not found on the highest places where the wind can be too strong.  Threshing floors were built beside higher spots.  The higher spots served as wind-blocks.  They reduced the wind speed at the threshing floor to a gentle breeze.

The picture below shows the City of David during David’s and Solomon’s day.  The walls of the city did not include the area where the Temple Mount is located.  The approximate location of Yahweh’s Temple is circled in red.  It is in the area that’s called “the Ophel”.  It’s higher and flatter than the City of David, but it’s lower than the Temple Mount.  The location of the Dome of the Rock is circled in yellow.  It is significantly higher than the Ophel.  The Ophel was a perfect spot for a threshing floor.

Below is an aerial photo of the City of David and the Temple Mount today. The boundary of the ancient City of David is outlined in red. The walls around ancient Jerusalem were built along the red line. In the picture, you can see the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount. It is about 500 yards north of Gihon Spring in the northern part of the City of David.

The City of David sits at the southern tip of Mount Moriah where 3 valleys converge: The Hinnom Valley to the west, the Kidron Valley (a.k.a., the Valley of Jehoshaphat) to the east, and the Tyropoeon Valley (a.k.a., the Central Valley) between them.  The Kidron Valley and the Hinnom Valley are visible today, but the much smaller Tyropoeon Valley was filled in millennia ago to enlarge Jerusalem.  It can’t be seen today.

The Jerusalem of David’s day didn’t occupy any part of the Tyropoeon Valley.  During David’s and Solomon’s days, it was a steep, rugged ravine separating Mount Moriah from what people call “Mount Zion” today.  That’s a misnomer.  The City of David is Mount Zion.

Ma’alot Ir David Street is the approximate western boundary of the ancient City of David. In the picture above, you can see the Kidron Valley on the eastern side of the City of David and Ma’alot Ir David Street on the western side of the City of David. It runs along the top of what used to be the wall around the City of David on the western side of the city.  It’s the precipice of the Tyropoeon Valley on the eastern side of the valley. Everything to the west of Ma’alot Ir David Street was the Tyropoeon Valley.

Ornan’s threshing floor was located “in Jerusalem” to the north, but it was not inside the city wall because of the nature of threshing.  People didn’t want too much chaff blowing all over town.

I took the picture below in 2019 from inside the City of David.  I was facing north toward the Temple Mount.  As you can tell, I was looking up.  You can see the dome of Al-Aqsa Mosque in the picture.  The spot where I was standing when I took the picture is a few yards south of the Ophel.  The base of the wall around the Temple Mount on the southern side is about 600 feet north of where I was standing.  It’s at a higher elevation.  Archaeological excavations can identify the exact location of the Ophel, and thus, the site of Yahweh’s Temple.

Below is another picture that I took in 2019.  I was standing on the north side of the Ophel and facing north.  The Temple Mount is in front of me.  You can see the dome of Al-Aqsa Mosque in the picture.  Yahweh’s Temple was a few yards south of this spot and a little to the west.  Notice the difference in elevation between the Ophel and the Temple Mount.  The Ophel was a great place for a threshing floor.

No part of the Temple Mount was “in Jerusalem” in David’s day or in Solomon’s day.  Therefore, Yahweh’s Temple could not have been built anywhere on the Temple Mount.  That fact eliminates from consideration most of the theories about the location of Yahweh’s Temple.

Below is a video that presents convincing evidence that Yahweh’s Temple was not on the Temple Mount. Instead it was in the City of David south of the Temple Mount:

The Ophel

The name “Ophel” probably means “fortified place” or “watchtower”.  The best use for that piece of real estate was not as a threshing floor.  Eventually it became the site of Yahweh’s Temple.

The Ophel is mentioned in the Bible several times:

• Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok. He did right in the sight of Yahweh, according to all that his father Uzziah had done; however, he did not enter the Temple of Yahweh. But the people continued acting corruptly.  He built the upper gate of the house of Yahweh, and he built extensively the wall of Ophel. (2 Chronicles 27: 1-3)
• Yahweh spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention.  Therefore Yahweh brought the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria against them, and they captured Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze chains and took him to Babylon.  When he was in distress, he entreated Yahweh his Elohim and humbled himself greatly before the Elohim of his fathers.  When he prayed to Him, He was moved by his entreaty and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that Yahweh was Elohim.  Now after this he built the outer wall of the City of David on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entrance of the Fish Gate; and he encircled the Ophel with it and made it very high. (2 Chronicles 33: 10-14)
• The temple servants living in Ophel made repairs as far as the front of the Water Gate toward the east and the projecting tower.  After them the Tekoites repaired another section in front of the great projecting tower and as far as the wall of Ophel.  (Nehemiah 3: 26-27)
• The rest of Israel, of the priests and of the Levites, were in all the cities of Judah, each on his own inheritance.  But the temple servants were living in Ophel, and Ziha and Gishpa were in charge of the temple servants. (Nehemiah 11: 20-21)

The Temple Mount was built about 600 feet north of the Ophel on Mount Moriah as a Roman fort.  It provided great protection from invaders approaching the city from the north.

The Temple Mount was Never Destroyed

In the mid-700s BC, the prophet Micah talked about the destruction of Jerusalem and Yahweh’s Temple.  He said,

“Zion will be plowed as a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the temple will become high places of a forest.” (Micah 3: 12)

Jerusalem and Yahweh’s Temple have been destroyed twice since Micah’s prophecy. First, they were destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC, and then they were destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.  The Babylonian destruction took place more than 500 years before Herod built the Temple Mount, but the Babylonians did not raze Jerusalem or Yahweh’s Temple to the ground.

The Roman destruction was more complete.  They razed Yahweh’s Temple to the ground.  By that time, the Temple Mount had been in use as a Roman fort for almost a century.  When the Romans were through, the site where Yahweh’s Temple stood was “plowed as a field”, and Jerusalem was “a heap of ruins” just like Micah said.

The Temple Mount has never been destroyed.  It has been standing for more than 2,000 years.  It has never been “plowed as a field”, and it has never been reduced to “a heap of ruins”.

Below is a picture of the Temple Mount and the City of David.  It was taken in the 1930s.  The Temple Mount is easy to identify, but the City of David can’t be seen.  It’s covered over with dirt.  On top of the Temple Mount, you can see Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.  This is not a color picture, but you can tell that the dome of the Dome of the Rock is not gold-plated because it’s not glistening.  The gold was applied in 1959-61 and again in 1993.

The picture above is proof that as recently as 90 years ago, the place where Yahweh’s Temple stood was still being “plowed as a field”, and the ruins of the City of David were buried completely.  In the picture, the Temple Mount is the only thing that is recognizable.  The retaining wall around the Temple Mount is the same now as it was in the 1930s and as it was in 70 AD.

Below, is the same picture.  It shows the approximate locations of Yahweh’s Temple and the City of David.  Yahweh’s Temple was located in the area circled in yellow.  The City of David is located in the area circled in red.  Notice the difference in elevation between the Temple Mount, Yahweh’s Temple/the Ophel, and the City of David.

Jacob was sleeping in the area circled in yellow in the picture above when he had a dream about Yahweh’s house:

Then Jacob departed from Be’er Sheva [Beersheba] and went toward Haran.  He came to a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head, and lay down in that place.  He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of Elohim were ascending and descending on it.  And behold, Yahweh stood above it and said, “I am Yahweh, the Elohim of your father Abraham and the Elohim of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants.  Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed.  Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”  Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely Yahweh is in this place, and I did not know it.”  He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of Elohim, and this is the gate of heaven.” (Genesis 28: 10-17)

The Bible says Jacob gave that place a name.  He called it “Bethel”:

He [Jacob] called the name of that place Bethel; however, previously the name of the city had been Luz. (Genesis 28: 19)

In Hebrew, Bethel is Beit El.  It means House (Beit) of El.  It had been called “Luz” previously.  Luz was the city’s name during the Canaanite period.  It was a Jebusite city. When Israel was taking possession of the Promised Land, it’s name was Beit El. (See Judges 1: 22-26)  About 500 years later, David conquered the town and called it “Jerusalem”.  In Hebrew, Jerusalem is Yerushalayim.  It means “City of Peace” or “Abode of Peace”.  For details, see His Name is Yahweh.

There is another Bethel in Israel. It’s about 12 miles north of Jerusalem. Jeroboam established that city and set up a temple there following his revolt against Rehoboam and the division of Israel into the Northern Kingdom, Israel, and the Southern Kingdom, Judah, following King Solomon’s death in 930 BC. Jeroboam’s goal was to prevent people in the Northern Kingdom from returning to Jerusalem for the Three Pilgrimage Festivals: Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (Weeks or Pentecost), and Sukkot (Tabernacles, Tents, or Booths). He feared that if they returned to Jerusalem as Yahweh commanded, they would associate more with Judah than Israel.

Below is an artist’s rendition of Jacob’s dream.  It was on display in Mamilla Mall near the Old City of Jerusalem in August 2019.  Artwork is on display in Mamilla Mall all the time.  Most of it, maybe all of it, is for sale, and it rotates constantly, so you get to see a lot of excellent art while you walk around Jerusalem.

Jacob had that dream on the spot where Solomon built Yahweh’s Temple about 1000 years later.  It’s the same spot where Yahweh told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.

Many years later, Jacob returned to that same spot with his wives and children, and he set up a pillar where Solomon would build Yahweh’s Temple:

Then Elohim appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-aram, and He blessed him.  Elohim said to him, “Your name is Jacob; you shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.”  Thus, He called him Israel.

Elohim also said to him, “I am El Shaddai; be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come forth from you.  The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, and I will give the land to your descendants after you.”

Then Elohim went up from him in the place where He had spoken with him. Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He had spoken with him, a pillar of stone, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it.  So, Jacob named the place where Elohim had spoken with him, Bethel [Beit El]. (Genesis 35: 9-15)

The picture below shows the same location in 2015.  I took the picture from the Hill of Evil Counsel about a mile away as the crow flies.  The City of David is south of Al-Aqsa Mosque.  It’s being excavated now.  Excavation is a long, slow process and it’s expensive, but the work is being done.  You can go there and see it.  Katie and I go to the City of David at least every other year to marvel at the new things that have been unearthed.  Lately, we have been going to the City of David every year, sometimes more than once a year.  I have a lot of work to do there.

Below is the same picture with the approximate location of Yahweh’s Temple circled in yellow.  The City of David is circled in red.  Because of line-of-sight obstacles from so far away, the view of the lower portion of the City of David is cut off.

Below is a picture that I took from the top of the Mount of Olives.  The yellow circle is around the entrance area of today’s City of David. The red circle is around the area where Yahweh’s Temple was located. Notice the slope of Mount Moriah.

The City of David

When I started exploring Jerusalem more than 20 years ago, there was a parking lot across the street from the entrance to the City of David.  As the City of David project grew, so did the need for administrative space.  A few years ago, administrators at the City of David decided to build offices across the street in that parking lot.  When construction began, they discovered another major archaeological site.  It’s part of ancient Jerusalem, too, but it was built after David.

Below is a picture that I took in 2003.  The parking lot across the street from the City of David is circled in yellow.

Below is the same picture showing the location of Yahweh’s Temple circled in red.  Few tourists visiting the City of David realize that to get to the entrance, they must walk right beside the place where Yahweh’s Temple stood.  Hopefully, that will change very soon.  We’ll see.  I think that is part of my job.

I took the picture below in 2016.  It shows the new excavation site where the parking lot used to be.  You can see the entrance to the City of David across the street from the excavation site.  There are flowers along the top of the entrance.

Below is another picture of the excavation site across the street from the City of David.  I took it in 2019:

Inside the City of David underneath the surface, excavations are revealing the ancient Jerusalem of David’s day.  Below is a picture of David’s palace.  I took the picture in 2014.  Every year, new discoveries validate everything Yahweh said in the Bible.  It’s awe-inspiring.

Below are 2 videos. The first video shows two of the artifacts that Katie and I have accumulated during our trips to Israel.  The first artifact is the handle to a pitcher that was unearthed during excavations of David’s palace in 2006.  It was given to us by the archaeologist who was conducting the dig.  He told us that it dates back to roughly 1000 BC.  The second artifact is a Jewish coin that was in circulation in Jerusalem between 40 AD and 70 AD.  Given the way money flows, that coin probably made its way through Yahweh’s Temple several times. The second video is an aerial view of the Old City of Jerusalem.  A flyover of the City of David appears in the second video between 4:41 and 5:30.

Below is a picture that I took in Shiloh (pronounced She-loh) in 2015.  As the crow flies, Shiloh is about 20 miles north of Jerusalem in the West Bank/Samaria.  Yahweh’s Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant were in Shiloh for 369 years before David brought them to Jerusalem and set up the Tabernacle in the City of David.   The bowl in the picture was unearthed during excavations in Shiloh.  It was found in pieces, reassembled, and put on display in Shiloh.

Shiloh is loaded with fragments of broken vessels that were used during worship at the Tabernacle in front of the Ark of the Covenant.  According to Leviticus 6: 28, vessels used in worship had to be broken after use to prevent them from ever being used as common household items, because they were regarded as holy.

Below is a closeup picture of the artifact that Katie and I were given in David’s palace in the City of David.  It’s the same item that I showed in the first video above titled “Mementos from Israel”.  It’s practically identical to the handles on the vessel that was pieced together in Shiloh.  The Tabernacle was in use in Jerusalem for about 40 years before Solomon built Yahweh’s Temple. Someone in the king’s palace may have broken the vessel after worshiping in the Tabernacle when it was set up in Jerusalem.  As I said in the video, it’s just a handle to a broken pot, but it’s special because of where it was found and what it was probably used for.

Below is a video showing a replica of the Tabernacle:

The picture below shows the Millo.  It’s also called the Jebusite stepped structure, because it was originally built by the Jebusites before David conquered the city.  David’s palace was directly above the Millo.  Solomon fortified the Millo when he expanded the palace.

The Millo is mentioned several times in the Bible:

• “So David lived in the stronghold and called it the City of David. And David built all around from the Millo and inward.” (2 Samuel 5: 9)
• “Now this is the account of the forced labor which King Solomon levied to build the house of Yahweh, his own house, the Millo, the wall of Jerusalem, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.” (1 Kings 9: 15)
• “As soon as Pharaoh’s daughter came up from the City of David to her house which Solomon had built for her, then he built the Millo.” (1 Kings 9: 24)
• “Now this was the reason why he rebelled against the king: Solomon built the Millo, and closed up the breach of the city of his father David.” (1 Kings 11: 27)
• “His servants arose and made a conspiracy and struck down Joash at the house of Millo as he was going down to Silla.” (2 Kings 12: 20)
• “He built the city all around, from the Millo even to the surrounding area; and Joab repaired the rest of the city.” (1 Chronicles 11: 8)
• “And he took courage and rebuilt all the wall that had been broken down and erected towers on it, and built another outside wall and strengthened the Millo in the City of David, and made weapons and shields in great number.” (2 Chronicles 32: 5)

There is a lot to see in the City of David, including the Pool of Siloam.  It’s the pool beside which the Messiah gave sight to a man who was born blind.  When the priests asked the man about what happened, all he could say was, “Once I was blind, but now I can see.” (See John chapter 9)

Below is a picture of the Pool of Siloam.  It’s still being excavated.  The land on the other side of the Pool of Siloam is not owned by the City of David.  Excavation in that direction can’t continue until that land is acquired.  Buying land in this area is very difficult.  I’ll explain why in detail when I turn this editorial into a book.  For now, let it suffice to say that the City of David is being excavated as rapidly as is humanly possible.  We need Yahweh’s direct intervention to speed up the digging.  I have a hunch that I have role to play in the process.

Just for fun, take another look at the picture of the Temple Mount and the City of David from the 1930s.  Underneath those plowed fields south of the Temple Mount, the City of David is in ruins waiting to be revealed.  More amazing discoveries are sure to come including the real site of Yahweh’s Temple.  It was in the City of David, too.  That’s what the Bible says.

Things have changed dramatically since the end of World War II.  Jewish people started arriving in Jerusalem in large numbers following the war.  After Israel’s War of Independence in 1948, Jewish migration to Israel picked up a head of steam.  Jews kept coming, and they prospered.  Jewish prosperity attracted an influx of Arabs from all over the Middle East. They wanted to participate in Jewish prosperity.  In 1964, they started calling themselves “Palestinians”, and they stepped up their effort to drive the Jews out.  Before 1964, they called themselves Arabs.

Below are two more pictures of the Temple Mount and the City of David.  They were taken in 1931 from an airplane.  On my next trip to Israel, I will begin searching for more old photos like the ones below.  I am certain that I will be able to find some eye-popping pictures that will help to explain all the points I am making.

See “The Islamic claim to the Temple Mount is very recent”.

The Jewish deed to Jerusalem and the Promised Land predates the invention of Islam by more than 2,500 years, and Jews got their deed from Yahweh.  It’s irrevocable.

Videos of the City of David

Below are 7 videos of the City of David:

1. The first video shows Doron Spielman, Vice President City of David Foundation, walking up to the Temple Mount underground from the excavation project where the old parking lot used to be in front of the City of David.
2. The second video starts at the Pool of Siloam and takes the Pilgrimage Road up to the Temple Mount.
3. The third video was taken by Sergio and Rhoda.  They live in Nazareth.  Their video provides a good view of Hezekiah’s Tunnel.
4. I took the fourth video in 2014.  It shows a walk through the City of David.
5. The fifth video provides a broad overview of the City of David.
6. The sixth video talks about the City of David and the walls of Zion.
7. The sixth video is a much shorter version of the Pilgrimage Road route shown in the second video.

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

Video 4

Video 5

Video 6

Video 7

Don’t underestimate the importance of excavations taking place right now in the City of David.  Eventually, the exact location of the site of Yahweh’s Temple will be identified. That day will be critical. Once we know where Yahweh’s Temple was located, people will have the opportunity to rebuild it. That day may be just around the corner.

See “Rare, 2,000-year-old Jerusalem measuring table reveals Temple Mount market”.  This discovery was made on January 6, 2020. The City of David is a gift that keeps on giving:

After discovering a highly rare, 2,000-year-old measuring table that was once used to assess wine or olive oil containers in Jerusalem, experts believe they’ve pinpointed the location of a crucial ancient market near the Temple Mount.

Archaeologists with the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA) showed off the discovery, which was made in the City of David National Park, on Monday. It is only the third artifact of its kind to be found so far in Jerusalem.

The ancient artifact relating to Yahweh’s Temple was discovered “in the City of David”.  Yahweh’s Temple was in the City of David.  It was not on the Temple Mount as Jewish tradition says.

Tradition is an Obstacle to the Truth

I have a confession to make.  I started hearing about people questioning the location of Yahweh’s Temple about a decade ago.  I was in Jerusalem, and an Israeli friend told me about a new theory and a book that I should read.

The book was written Dr. Ernest L. Martin.  The title of his book is The Temples that Jerusalem Forgot.  I was busy doing other things at the time, so I tucked away that piece of information for use at a later date, maybe.

In Jerusalem, two things are certain:

1. Tradition is king.
2. New theories challenging tradition pop up all the time.

I know how powerful and misguided traditions can be.  I wrote His Name is Yahweh to deal with one of them.  Jewish tradition prohibits the use of Yahweh’s Name.  I have been fighting against that tradition for two decades.  I wasn’t interested in taking on another Jewish tradition, especially one that centers on the Temple Mount, the Dome of the Rock, and because of proximity, the Kotel/Western Wall.

I’ve been to the Temple Mount many times.  I’ve been inside the Dome of the Rock several times.  Muslims control both of them.  They take sadistic pride in using whatever power they have to make life uncomfortable for non-Muslim visitors, particularly Jews.

There are two videos below. The first video shows the Dome of the Rock.  The second video shows what happens when people who can be identified as Jewish arrive on the Temple Mount. Things change instantly when Jewish people show up.

The Kotel is the holiest site in Judaism.  It’s central to the Jewish religion because it’s so close to the Dome of the Rock where most Jews believe Yahweh’s Temple stood.  The Kotel sits at the base of the western side of the retaining wall that King Herod built around the structure we call “the Temple Mount”.

Until a few years ago, women were not allowed to approach the Kotel.  Then, sectarian strife broke out between religious Jewish men and women over women’s access to the Kotel.  The latest “solution” is to divide the Kotel into two parts, one side for men and one side for women.

The picture below shows the women’s side of the Kotel.  In the picture, you can see the barrier separating the men’s side from the women’s side.  The barrier is a temporary solution.  The women involved in this battle show no signs of giving up their fight. They have formed a group called “Women of the Wall”, and they demand equality.

For religious Jews, particularly Hasidic Jews, any issue connected with the Temple Mount and the Kotel is a red-hot potato.  I know that, so while my Israeli friend was telling me about the new theory concerning the Temple’s location, I listened politely, but I was thinking, I don’t want any part of this.

Yahweh works in mysterious ways.  Several years have passed, and here I am doing something that I didn’t want to do.  I have a lot more in common with Jonah than I like to admit.

People who are hamstrung by tradition will have a hard time accepting the truth about the Temple Mount.  People who are steeped in Jewish religious tradition may never accept the truth about the Temple Mount.

Antonia Fortress

Below are excerpts from “Antonia: The Fortress Jerusalem Forgot” by Marilyn Sams.  It provides compelling evidence that the Temple Mount is Antonia Fortress:

The story begins with Josephus, the first century Romano-Jewish scholar and historian, who explains in his writings that Herod the Great expanded the “Baris” (the Greek word for “tower”), built by John Hyrcanus, the famous second century B.C.E. Jewish leader, to replace the citadel which had formerly protected the temple in the City of David (pre-Babylonian Jerusalem).  Josephus effuses about its splendor and how much Herod, a prolific spender, dispensed for its construction.  Herod dubbed the Roman camp “Fort Antonia” after his friend, Mark Antony, and it assured his reputation as a master builder by its unparalleled magnificence. It must have been about 40 acres in size, like other typical Roman camps capable of housing a legion of 5,000-6,000 soldiers. Josephus described it as being “erected upon a rock of fifty cubits in height” on a “great precipice.” It had “all kinds of rooms and other conveniences, such as courts, and places for bathing, and broad spaces for camps, such that it had all the conveniences of cities and seemed like it was composed of several cities.”   With 60-foot walls, four towers (the southeast being 105 feet high), and smooth stones installed on its slopes, it dominated the temple to its south, ready to fend off the most formidable attacks.  When any trouble brewed in the temple, or to keep peace during the festivals, Roman soldiers poured out of Fort Antonia onto two 600-foot aerial bridges, connecting it to the roofs of the temple porticoes, whereupon they dispersed around its four-furlong perimeter. If need be, the soldiers could rain their arrows down upon the people in the outer courts or descend via staircases to perform hand-to-hand combat. 

Yet despite these informative descriptions from Josephus, who personally participated in the siege of Titus, the current models of Fort Antonia approved by the mainstream traditionalist scholars and historians are typified by the one illustrated below:

In most respects, the traditionalist model does not match up with Josephus’s descriptions.  For example, it is not laid out as a camp, but does look like a castle.  Josephus’s account encompassed both descriptions.  It does not have the size of “several cities,” nor does it look like a city.  It does not exhibit the “magnificence” a huge expenditure would suggest.  It does not feature slopes which would accommodate slippery tiles.  It does not “dominate” the temple.  It is not separated from the temple by a distance of 600 feet, and there are no aerial roadways connecting it to the temple.  However, the traditionalist model does show four towers, one higher at the southeast corner.  Archaeologically, the northwest and northeast corners do show signs of towers.  However, Herod’s temple foundations did not have any towers.  But most significantly, the major problem with the current traditionalist models is how they do not resemble a typical Roman camp in size, shape, or function, while the 36-acre walled edifice does.

[…]

The traditionalists can point to the following statement by Josephus about the siege of Titus: “For the Jews, by demolishing the tower of Antonia, had made their temple foursquare, while at the same time they had it written in their sacred oracles, “That then should their city be taken, as well as their holy house, when once their temple should become foursquare” (War VI, 5, 311).  Taken out of context, this statement clearly explains that the Jews had demolished Fort Antonia, as traditionalists believe.  Taken in context, it is clear the demolition of Fort Antonia actually meant only the destruction of the two 600-foot aerial bridges, which connected it to the temple. Josephus’s account of the siege shows the Jews never had the time, means, or opportunity to destroy a castle-like Roman camp of several cities size defended by masses of Roman soldiers in front of and behind 60-foot walls. A part of the Jews desperately defended the temple.  The rest were confined and guarded in walled sections of Jerusalem.  The demolition of Fort Antonia described by Josephus must be associated with his accounts of the temple mount’s measurement, stated in several places to be a four-furlong or four hundred cubit square.  However, in one place, he includes the two 600-foot aerial bridges and the plaza beneath in the measurement of the temple and says it was a six-furlong rectangle. When both the Jews and Romans destroyed the bridges, the square temple stood alone, fulfilling the prophecy:  “When square the walls, the temple falls.”  This literally happened when the battles taking place atop the bridges ended at their destruction, while soldiers constructing siege banks against the temple’s north wall hastened their completion.  When the break-through came, the battles began in the temple outer courts and lasted until Roman soldiers seized the sanctuary.

How did the two 600-foot aerial bridges disappear from the pages of history? They were still there in two 19th century books written by scholars Thomas Lewin, and William Sanday and Paul Waterhouse. These men probably read Josephus in the original Greek, while others succeeding them relied on the eminent 18th century translator, William Whiston.  Whiston probably decided, taking the “Temple Mount” tradition as his guide, that Josephus had erred in War VI, 2, 144 when he described the exact length of the aerial roadways as a furlong, replacing it with “no long space of ground.”  He must have felt obliged to do this, based on Jerusalem topography and the impossibility of placing Fort Antonia six hundred feet north of the alleged “Temple Mount.”  Although there are ten references in Josephus to these bridges, Whiston’s translation obscured their existence and without Dr. Ernest L. Martin’s seminal book, The Temples that Jerusalem Forgot, they would still be forgotten today.

Martin’s model shows the two bridges and the separation between the temple mount and Fort Antonia.  But Balage Balogh more dramatically illustrates the statement by Josephus that Fort Antonia blocked the view of the temple from the north, implying the two structures were on different elevations.  A careful reading of Acts 21:30-40 in the New Testament provides confirmation for this detail.  In this passage, an angry mob seizes the Apostle Paul and throws him out of the Temple.  In response to this uproar, the soldiers and centurions “ran down” to retrieve Paul from the mob and bound him.  When Paul preached to this mob, he was “on the stairs” and the soldiers had to “go down” again to retrieve him from the Pharisees (Acts 23:10).  This scenario can easily be reconstructed when the stairs south of the traditional temple mount uncovered by Benjamin Mazar (and also illustrated in Martin’s model) are identified as those belonging to the castle mentioned in Acts.  In the traditional models, Fort Antonia stands on a scarp slightly elevated above the “Temple Mount,” but do not have the requisite plaza and stairs on the south side, as the models are flush against the “Temple Mount’s” north wall.

Josephus

Now as to the tower of Antonia, it was situated at the corner of two cloisters of the court of the temple; of that on the west, and that on the north; it was erected upon a rock of fifty cubits in height, and was on a great precipice; it was the work of king Herod, wherein he demonstrated his natural magnanimity. In the first place, the rock itself was covered over with smooth pieces of stone, from its foundation, both for ornament, and that any one who would either try to get up or to go down it might not be able to hold his feet upon it. Next to this, and before you come to the edifice of the tower itself, there was a wall three cubits high; but within that wall all the space of the tower of Antonia itself was built upon, to the height of forty cubits. The inward parts had the largeness and form of a palace, it being parted into all kinds of rooms and other conveniences, such as courts, and places for bathing, and broad spaces for camps; insomuch that, by having all conveniences that cities wanted, it might seem to be composed of several cities, but by its magnificence it seemed a palace. And as the entire structure resembled that of a tower, it contained also four other distinct towers at its four corners; whereof the others were but fifty cubits high; whereas that which lay upon the southeast corner was seventy cubits high, that from thence the whole temple might be viewed; but on the corner where it joined to the two cloisters of the temple, it had passages down to them both, through which the guard (for there always lay in this tower a Roman legion) went several ways among the cloisters, with their arms, on the Jewish festivals, in order to watch the people, that they might not there attempt to make any innovations; for the temple was a fortress that guarded the city, as was the tower of Antonia a guard to the temple; and in that tower were the guards of those three. There was also a peculiar fortress belonging to the upper city, which was Herod’s palace; but for the hill Bezetha, it was divided from the tower Antonia, as we have already told you; and as that hill on which the tower of Antonia stood was the highest of these three, so did it adjoin to the new city, and was the only place that hindered the sight of the temple on the north. And this shall suffice at present to have spoken about the city and the walls about it, because I have proposed to myself to make a more accurate description of it elsewhere. (Antiquities 18.4.3, Bellum 1.21.1 and 5.5.8.) Source: “Antonia Fortress According to Josephus“.

Again, see “Antonia: The Fortress Jerusalem Forgot”. Antonia Fortress was not a small appendage to the Temple complex on the northern side of the Temple. It was a virtual city that overlooked the Temple, and according to Josephus, it obscured the view of the Temple from Mount Scopus. That’s important because visitors coming from the north caught sight of the Temple for the first time when they reached the summit of Mount Scopus. What we call the Temple Mount today clearly was not the location of the Temple. It was the location of Antonia Fortress.

Antonia Fortress was connected with the Temple complex on the southern side of the fortress by a 600 feet long colonnade. The Temple was a short distance north of the City of David between the City of David and Antonia Fortress.

The Temple’s Destruction

Below is the same picture as the one above, but it’s cleaned up.  It’s an artist’s rendition of Antonia Fortress along with Yahweh’s Temple.  I have a strong hunch that Yahweh’s Temple was not as high up as it is in the picture below.  At this point, that’s just a guess.

Following the First Jewish Revolt from 66 AD to 70 AD, Roman forces destroyed Yahweh’s Temple and removed all vestiges of it thus fulfilling the Messiah’s prophecy:

“Do you see all these things?” He asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” (Matthew 24: 2)

The Romans looted Yahweh’s Temple.  They took the gold, silver, precious stones, and other things of value to Rome.  They used the building stones in the Temple in construction projects around Jerusalem.

Below is a picture of the Arch of Titus in Rome, Italy.  It shows Romans bringing back objects from Yahweh’s Temple after the First Jewish Revolt.  Notice the menorah in the picture. It was inside Yahweh’s Temple.  Today, it may be in the Vatican, or it might have been melted down and used to help pay for the construction of the Roman Coliseum.

Below is a picture of the new menorah that has been prepared for use in Yahweh’s Third Temple.  Today, it sits in Hurva Plaza in front of Hurva Synagogue in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem.

When the Romans were through destroying and looting, Yahweh’s Temple was completely gone.  It was as though it had never existed.

Questions that Demand Answers

The two pictures below raise serious questions that must be answered. I took both of them at base of the southwest corner of the Temple Mount. Before my work is complete, I must provide answers to those questions.

In the first picture, it’s obvious that heavy stones were thrown off the top of the Temple Mount, because the paving stones at the base of the Temple Mount were crushed. That raises these questions:

• Who threw those stones off the Temple Mount?
• Why were those stones thrown off the Temple Mount?
• When were those stones thrown off the Temple Mount?
• Why were the paving stones never repaired?

The second picture shows a replica of a stone that was found at the base of the southwest corner of the Temple Mount. The original is in the Israel Museum. The engraving on the stone says, “To the place of trumpeting….”

In The Wars of the Jews, Josephus said, “the roof of the priests’ chambers, where one of the priests invariably stood to proclaim by trumpet blast, in the late afternoon the approach of every seventh day, and on the next evening its close….” The stone itself and the things Josephus said about the place of trumpeting suggest that priests did announce the beginning and the ending of each Sabbath Day with a trumpet blast, but that doesn’t mean the stone was originally on the the Temple Mount. These questions must be answered:

• Where were the priests chambers?
• Did this stone actually mark “the place of trumpeting”?
• Was the stone found where it fell, or was it moved to this location?
• If it was moved, by whom, when, and why?

As I said at the beginning of this SnyderTalk editorial, my work is just beginning. I don’t have a vested interest in any outcome. Yahweh’s Temple was where it was. Jewish tradition has been wrong many times before, so relying too heavily on Jewish tradition to identify the correct location of Yahweh’s Temple is a serious mistake. My goal is to explore all the evidence and let the evidence lead me to the correct location of Yahweh’s Temple. Right now, I am waiting for Yahweh to give me the green light to move forward. While I am waiting, others are continuing to delve into this question. Before I respond to them, I am waiting for Yahweh to give me the go-ahead. At this juncture, I’ll simply admit that my work won’t be complete until I can answer lots of questions and deal with lots of issues many of which I don’t even know about yet. The video below presents what I think is the latest and best argument that Yahweh’s Temple was on the Temple Mount:

Never Underestimate the Power of Tradition

In Sam’s article “Antonia: The Fortress Jerusalem Forgot”, she concludes with an interesting and revealing comment:

But most importantly, one of the major archaeologists working in the City of David, Eli Shukron, has made it known (but not publicly) that he believes the temples once stood there [south of the Temple Mount].  Only time will tell if the existing and growing evidence will be sufficient to overturn the prevailing tradition hiding Fort Antonia’s true identity, but non-traditionalists are hopeful. 

What could prevent a renowned Israeli archaeologist from telling people in Israel publicly that he believes Yahweh’s Temple was south of the Temple Mount? There is a simple two-word answer: Jewish tradition.

Any Jew who challenges the Jewish tradition that Yahweh’s Temple was where the Dome of the Rock is today will experience ridicule the likes of which most people have never dreamed.  It’s possible he could lose his livelihood.  In other words, it would be a big deal.

On the positive side, the fact that Yahweh’s Temple was not on the Temple Mount means that its exact location can be determined through archaeological research without interference from Muslim malcontents.

More importantly, it means that the Third Temple can be built without offending the delicate sensibilities of Muslims who control day-to-day activities on the Temple Mount.  That’s a huge deal.

Gihon Spring

Many thousands of live animals were sacrificed each year at Yahweh’s Temple.  Therefore, there had to be a dependable supply of running water nearby to wash away the blood.  Gihon Spring was the source of that water.

See “Yahweh’s Temple was Very Near Gihon Spring in the City of David“.

Gihon Spring is about 1000 feet south of the Dome of the Rock as the crow flies, and it’s inside the City of David.  It would have made no sense to build Yahweh’s Temple so far from a source of running water.  Hauling large quantities of water up a steep hill would have been a difficult and an unnecessary undertaking.  That’s not something Solomon would have done.

Gihon Spring is the only source of running water in the area.  Yahweh’s Temple was built very near Gihon Spring on a hard, flat surface.

The two pictures below are screenshots from Google Maps.  The first one is an aerial view. The second one is a map view.  The map view shows the location of Gihon Spring.  Its source is about 600 feet from the southern end of the Temple Mount.  That’s where Yahweh’s Temple was, and it’s in the City of David.

More Evidence that Yahweh’s Temple was Not on the Temple Mount

The pictures in this section reinforce the points I have been making.  Examine them closely, and you will understand 1) that many Jewish traditions are wrong and 2) that Yahweh’s Temple was not on the Temple Mount.  It was on the real Mount Zion.

Josephus Gave Us Eyewitness Testimony

I took the picture below from the top of Mount Scopus in 2019. In ancient times, visitors to Jerusalem coming from the north caught their first glimpse of Yahweh’s Temple from this spot.  Josephus said that Antonia Fortress obscured the view of the Temple from this site after King Herod finished building the Roman fort.

Josephus was right. From Mount Scopus, the Temple Mount stands out like a sore thumb, and Yahweh’s Temple was practically hidden below it on the south side. It may have been hidden completely.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is on the southern end of the Temple Mount.  You can see it in the picture on the left (southern) side of the Temple Mount.  Yahweh’s Temple was about 600 feet south of the southern end of the Temple Mount. It’s a steep downhill slope.

I took the picture below in 2018 from Abraham’s House on the southeast side of the Temple Mount.  It wasn’t Abraham’s literal house.  It’s just called that today.  The picture shows where Yahweh’s Temple stood.

Yahweh’s Temple was in the City of David/Zion/Jerusalem

The picture below is an aerial view of the Temple Mount and the City of David.  Important locations are identified in the picture.  Today’s City of David is outlined in red.  In David’s day, the City of David included the area circled in yellow in the picture.  Keep in mind that the City of David is synonymous with Zion and ancient Jerusalem.  Yahweh’s Temple was located in Zion inside the yellow circle.

Below is the same picture with one important change.  I have placed a blue circle around the hill that is called “Zion” today.  Inside the blue circle, you can see the Church of the Dormition.  It’s in the upper left quadrant near the center of the circle.  The roof of the church is distinctive.  “David’s Tomb” is very near the Church of the Dormition.  This picture proves an essential point: In Israel, Jewish tradition is extremely powerful even when it is unquestionably wrong.   Thus, talking with religious Jews, particularly Hasidic Jews, can be very frustrating.  Most of them believe that tradition is everything regardless of the facts.  They even believe that tradition supersedes the Torah.  Sometimes I want to ask them, “Why do you think Yahweh gave us brains?”  I’m not picking on Jewish people.  Christian tradition can be just as problematic.  Try telling a typical Christian that the New Testament isn’t Scripture and watch his reaction.  Even though the proof is in the New Testament, his response is likely to be very negative.  For details, see “The Trilogy”.

What do we know?

1. King David isn’t buried in “David’s Tomb”.
2. Today’s “Zion” isn’t the real Zion.
3. Yahweh’s Temple was in Zion, not on the Temple Mount.
4. Yahweh’s Temple was built in the City of David in the area called the Ophel.
5. The Temple Mount was Antonia Fortress.
6. King Herod built Antonia Fortress in the first century BC and named it after his friend Mark Antony.
7. The construction of Antonia Fortress was a huge undertaking that cost a fortune.  King Herod was currying favor with his benefactors in Rome.
8. Herod built Antonia Fortress about 900 years after King Solomon built Yahweh’s Temple on Ornan’s threshing floor in the City of David.
9. Antonia Fortress is about 600 feet north of the site where Solomon built Yahweh’s Temple.
10. The holiest site in Judaism today (the Kotel/Western Wall) is a portion of the retaining wall that King Herod built around Antonia Fortress.
11. The Third Temple can be built whenever people are ready.

Yahweh’s Temple

The dimensions of Yahweh’s Temple are presented in 1 Kings chapter 6:

• Its length from east to west was 60 cubits or about 90 feet.
• It’s width north to south was 20 cubits or about 30 feet.
• It’s height was 30 cubits or about 45 feet.

The Temple and the complex built around it would have fit comfortably inside the area called the Ophel.  It is south of the Temple Mount.

Below is a video showing Yahweh’s Temple and some of the implements used in Temple worship:

In the video, you can see that lots of water was required during normal Temple worship.  Therefore, a nearby water source was key.

During the Three Pilgrimage Festivals (Pesach or Passover, Shavu’ot or Weeks or Pentecost, and Sukkot or Tabernacles or Tents or Booths), thousands of animals were sacrificed, so an abundance of water was required.  As I said earlier, Gihon Spring is the only source of water available, and it is located very near the Ophel.  The water used in Temple worship was drawn from Gihon Spring.

Many have argued that King Solomon built an aqueduct to the Temple Mount to supply water from nearby areas for Temple worship.  That would have been a monumental undertaking.  If it were true, it would have been mentioned in 1 Kings chapter 6.   The fact that it is not mentioned in 1 Kings chapter 6 suggests that the alleged aqueduct is another Jewish tradition that doesn’t pass the fact test.

If an aqueduct to the Temple Mount was built, it was constructed by King Herod or Roman soldiers about 900 years after King Solomon built Yahweh’s Temple.  There was no Temple Mount when Solomon built Yahweh’s Temple.

The Temple Mount is Antonia Fortress

The Temple Mount is Antonia Fortress, a Roman fort.  It was built north of the City of David and Yahweh’s Temple.  It is the iconic structure that people today associate with Jerusalem and Yahweh’s Temple.  I am looking forward to the day when people know and accept the truth: Yahweh’s Temple was not on the Temple Mount.

I took the picture of the Temple Mount below from the top of the Mount of Olives.  It is not the site of Yahweh’s Temple.

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“The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” (John 17: 22-24)

See “His Name is Yahweh”.