Msg #2312 Visiting Israel HS#02 Journal Excerpt

What The Bible Says

Good Samaritan's Penny Pulpit by Pastor Ed Rice

While Pastor Rice and Bev are touring Israel with Pastor Lee Pickett from March 16^th – March 31^st, here is an entry from their journal of last years trip: (view the whole journal by visiting our website and clicking “Journaling a Preacher's Pilgrimage to Israel”)

From Half Shekle Journal Entry #02: Being careful about who was listening in, (on the very restrictive, Muslim controlled Temple Mount) Pastor Charlie continues. Another page of HisStory was written beneath this Temple Mount we are standing on. Solomon built the first temple on this very spot. Pastor continued to carefully expound God's documentation about Mount Moriah. King David accumulated the resources and designs for his son's miraculous construction of the temple. No chisel or hammer sounded on this site during the whole seven year construction (1Kng.6:7,38). But the Psalmists sure sounded out a lot about Solomon's Temple that stood here. Read here from Psalm.¹

It is hard to envision Solomon's temple as we stand here on a huge platform built by King Herod. The foot print of Solomon's temple is dwarfed by the platform that Herod built. Solomon's temple was glorious just the same. The Bible gives the dimensions for artist to imagine the pictures shown. There are also the models seen at the Israeli Museum.

Solomon's temple was gutted when Nebuchadnezzar ransacked the city in 606 BC (2Chr.36:6, 2Kng.24:14) and then completely destroyed when he came back in 595 BC (2Chr.36:13-21, 2Kng.25:1-17). Israel was thrust into the Babylonian captivity for 70 years as God said (2Chr,36:21, Jer.25,27,29), and, consequently, the Jews returned exactly 70 years after 606, in 536 BC (Ezra 1:1-4), and the rebuilt temple was finished twenty years later in 515 BC (Ezra 6:15)². God runs a pretty exacting calendar.

Standing on Mount Moriah and reviewing events the Bible records 2,600 years ago added a depth to our worship here. Noah Webster defines a "pilgrimage" as “a long journey, particularly a journey to someplace deemed sacred and venerable (worthy of reverence), in order to pay devotion to relics of some deceased saint.” We were not here for deceased saints, but for a living Savior. This was a pilgrimage just the same, and God said that this place where we stood was indeed sacred. The slides shown here are from a Temple History presentation assembled by the author in 2015.

Pastor Charlie pulled us from 600 BC back to the present, Look at this great platform that Herod built, that dome and the mosque are each laden with demonic symbols and represent Satan's presence here, but look back to visualize the temple that stood on this ground. Herod's temple, the temple where Jesus overthrew the tables of the money changers, stood right here. Pastor laid before us the very presence of Jesus in this place; and the authority he always displayed with his presence in this temple. Always? Yes always! It was as if he owned the place.

An Essay for week #12 - Mar 19, 2023

Msg in audio at www.GSBaptistChurch.com/audio/gs230319.mp3

A Holy Land Tour Journaled at www.GSBaptistChurch.com/israel22

1Online Bible Verse List: Ps 5:7, 11:4, 18:6, 27:4, 29:9,48:9,65:4, 68:29, 138:2

2Dates given are according to Ussher's very Biblical dating calculations which often differ from modernist "scholar" dates. James Ussher (1581-1656), Archbishop of Armagh, but genius believer.

Copyright © 2023 Good Samaritan Baptist Church, All Public Domain, Freely Copy and Distribute.
A weekly 300 word essay- The Penny Pulpit
Our mailing address is:

Good Samaritan Baptist Church

54 Main St. Box 99

Dresden, NY 14441