THE THIRD TEMPLE (2)
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. The Third Temple
a) The third temple itself sat skewed in the center of the large courtyard so that its entrance might better face due east. A balustrade—a low wall of stone posts and caps—surrounded it, defining the inner boundary of the Court of Gentiles. It was this courtyard, between the balustrade and the outer walls, where Gentiles could go to worship. It was also this court where Jesus drove out the money changers in Matthew 21:12. It was unlawful for any Gentile to go past the balustrade, an offense punishable by death, which the Roman leaders allowed the Jewish authorities to carry out. Paul was attacked by a mob of Asian Jews in Acts 21:27–32 because it was presumed he took a Gentile friend beyond this court and into the temple. The commander of the garrison in Fort Antonia intervened before the crowd could kill him.
b) Like the outer courtyard, the temple was enclosed by a wall on the outside; storage and work rooms as well as gate houses lined the inside. Fourteen steps up the east side of the Court of the Gentiles sat the main entrance, possibly called the Beautiful Gate, which led to the Women’s Court, although women were required to use the gates on the north and south. To the left of the entrance sat thirteen trumpet-shaped containers for voluntary offerings. It was here that Jesus noticed the widow donating her last mite in Mark 12:41–44. Directly west of the Beautiful Gate and up fifteen steps was the Gate of Nicanor, where Mary brought the Baby Jesus at the time of His presentation. Through this gate was the Court of Israel where the ceremonially clean Jewish men could congregate. Four gates, two on the south, two on the north, also led into this court. A low balustrade and another staircase separated it from the Court of the Priests; three gates, one each from the south, west, and north, provided direct access for the priests from the outer courtyard.
c) The center, near edge of the Court of Priests was dedicated to the altar. Forty-five feet on each side and twenty-two feet high, it was made of uncarved stone. In an earlier manifestation, the nearby area where the animals were slaughtered was fitted with a trough of running water, fed by a spring and underground cisterns to wash away the blood. It’s possible this was retained in Herod’s version. Behind the altar sat the large laver resting on twelve bronze bulls, where the priests washed, and then yet another staircase leading to an embroidered curtain which hid away the temple. The temple was situated such that a priest burning a heifer on the top of the Mount of Olives could look over the short eastern wall, down the line past the Beautiful Gate and the Gate of Nicanor, and onto the entrance to the Holy Place.
d) The temple itself was set up similarly to the tabernacle of Moses. Beyond the first veil was the Hall which contained the Golden Altar for the incense offering, the Golden Table for the showbread, and the Golden Lampstand. It was this lampstand, the seven-armed menorah, which was said to have stayed lit during the eight-day rededication of the temple during the Maccabean Revolt in the second century BC, despite having only one day’s worth of oil. Only priests could enter this area, and only the high priest, once a year, could go beyond the final veil to the Holy of Holies. Because the Ark of the Covenant had been lost years before, the room had no furnishings, although it is possible a stone held the place of the ark. It was this veil, into the Holy of Holies, which tore from the top down when Jesus was crucified (Matthew 27:51). Around the Holy of Holies, to the south, west, and north were three stories of interconnected rooms. Openings from the upper story allowed workers to be lowered down and make repairs to the structure of the room without touching the ground.
e) The Romans were generally content to provide services and political stability to those they ruled in return for relative peace. The kings and governors they placed over Israel knew this, but in their greed and cultural unawareness (or apathy), they managed to frequently insult the Jews. Several times the local Roman authorities quelled riots and protests with massacres. After a long, destructive civil war between the Jewish Zealots and the Roman authorities, four legions, led by Titus the Roman general, besieged Jerusalem and burned down the temple in AD 70. As the temple burned, the gold and silver ornamentation melted and seeped between the cracks in the stones. In their zeal for a stipend, the Roman soldiers took the temple apart, stone by stone, fulfilling Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 24:1–3. The Jewish people were scattered in the Diaspora, and did not return en masse to Palestine until after World War II. The Temple Mount, where Herod’s temple stood, is now home to the Islamic mosque the Dome of the Rock. The Wailing Wall stands to the southwest of the mosque and north of an Islamic museum. The temple will not be rebuilt until the end times.
The End ...
1. The Third Temple a) The third temple itself sat skewed in the center of the large courtyard so that its entrance might better face due east. A balustrade—a low wall of stone posts and caps—surrounded it, defining the inner boundary of the Court of Gentiles. It was this courtyard, between the balustrade and the outer walls, where Gentiles could go to worship. It was also this court where Jesus drove out the money changers in Matthew 21:12. It was unlawful for any Gentile to go past the balustrade, an offense punishable by death, which the Roman leaders allowed the Jewish authorities to carry out. Paul was attacked by a mob of Asian Jews in Acts 21:27–32 because it was presumed he took a Gentile friend beyond this court and into the temple. The commander of the garrison in Fort Antonia intervened before the crowd could kill him.
b) Like the outer courtyard, the temple was enclosed by a wall on the outside; storage and work rooms as well as gate houses lined the inside. Fourteen steps up the east side of the Court of the Gentiles sat the main entrance, possibly called the Beautiful Gate, which led to the Women’s Court, although women were required to use the gates on the north and south. To the left of the entrance sat thirteen trumpet-shaped containers for voluntary offerings. It was here that Jesus noticed the widow donating her last mite in Mark 12:41–44. Directly west of the Beautiful Gate and up fifteen steps was the Gate of Nicanor, where Mary brought the Baby Jesus at the time of His presentation. Through this gate was the Court of Israel where the ceremonially clean Jewish men could congregate. Four gates, two on the south, two on the north, also led into this court. A low balustrade and another staircase separated it from the Court of the Priests; three gates, one each from the south, west, and north, provided direct access for the priests from the outer courtyard.
c) The center, near edge of the Court of Priests was dedicated to the altar. Forty-five feet on each side and twenty-two feet high, it was made of uncarved stone. In an earlier manifestation, the nearby area where the animals were slaughtered was fitted with a trough of running water, fed by a spring and underground cisterns to wash away the blood. It’s possible this was retained in Herod’s version. Behind the altar sat the large laver resting on twelve bronze bulls, where the priests washed, and then yet another staircase leading to an embroidered curtain which hid away the temple. The temple was situated such that a priest burning a heifer on the top of the Mount of Olives could look over the short eastern wall, down the line past the Beautiful Gate and the Gate of Nicanor, and onto the entrance to the Holy Place.
d) The temple itself was set up similarly to the tabernacle of Moses. Beyond the first veil was the Hall which contained the Golden Altar for the incense offering, the Golden Table for the showbread, and the Golden Lampstand. It was this lampstand, the seven-armed menorah, which was said to have stayed lit during the eight-day rededication of the temple during the Maccabean Revolt in the second century BC, despite having only one day’s worth of oil. Only priests could enter this area, and only the high priest, once a year, could go beyond the final veil to the Holy of Holies. Because the Ark of the Covenant had been lost years before, the room had no furnishings, although it is possible a stone held the place of the ark. It was this veil, into the Holy of Holies, which tore from the top down when Jesus was crucified (Matthew 27:51). Around the Holy of Holies, to the south, west, and north were three stories of interconnected rooms. Openings from the upper story allowed workers to be lowered down and make repairs to the structure of the room without touching the ground.
e) The Romans were generally content to provide services and political stability to those they ruled in return for relative peace. The kings and governors they placed over Israel knew this, but in their greed and cultural unawareness (or apathy), they managed to frequently insult the Jews. Several times the local Roman authorities quelled riots and protests with massacres. After a long, destructive civil war between the Jewish Zealots and the Roman authorities, four legions, led by Titus the Roman general, besieged Jerusalem and burned down the temple in AD 70. As the temple burned, the gold and silver ornamentation melted and seeped between the cracks in the stones. In their zeal for a stipend, the Roman soldiers took the temple apart, stone by stone, fulfilling Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 24:1–3. The Jewish people were scattered in the Diaspora, and did not return en masse to Palestine until after World War II. The Temple Mount, where Herod’s temple stood, is now home to the Islamic mosque the Dome of the Rock. The Wailing Wall stands to the southwest of the mosque and north of an Islamic museum. The temple will not be rebuilt until the end times.
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