New Jerusalem

Rev 21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.


The temple of the city. Great Jerusalem famed for what? The Temple. Solomon's Temple, the temples built in the Holy City. Jerusalem was God's city, a city for God's chosen.


Wiki -

The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple (Hebrew: ??? ?????, Beit HaMikdash ; "The Holy House"), refers to a series of structures located on the Temple Mount (Har HaBayit) in the old city of Jerusalem. Historically, two temples were built at this location, and a future Temple features in Jewish eschatology. According to classical Jewish belief, the Temple (or the Temple Mount) acts as the figurative "footstool" of God's presence (Heb. "shechina") in the physical world.

According to the Hebrew Bible, the First Temple was built by King Solomon (reigned c 970-c 930).[1] It was the center of ancient Judaism according to Hebrew scripture.[2] As the sole place of Jewish sacrifice, the Temple replaced the local sanctuaries and crude altars in the hills.[3] This First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE when they sacked the city. Construction of a new temple was begun in 537 BCE; after a hiatus, work resumed 520 BCE, with completion occurring in 516 BCE and dedication in 515. According to the Book of Ezra, rebuilding of the Temple was authorized by Cyrus the Great and ratified by Darius the Great. Five centuries later, this Second Temple was renovated by Herod the Great in about 20 BCE, also known as Herod's Temple. It was subsequently destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE (see The Siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE). All of the outer walls still stand today, although the Temple itself has long since been destroyed, and for many years it was believed that the western wall of the complex was the only wall standing.

An Islamic shrine, the Dome of the Rock, has stood on the site of the Temple since the late 7th Century CE, and the al-Aqsa Mosque, from roughly the same period, also stands on the Temple courtyard. Sunni Muslims hold Temple Mount as a significant place. Sunni Islam accepts all Biblical prophets prior to Jesus and thus Temple Mount, having been a sanctuary for many Biblical prophets, has a great amount of significance in Islam. Islamic Tradition says that a Temple was first built on Temple Mount by the prophet Jacob and the Temple was later renovated by Solomon son of David. [4]

Jewish eschatology envisions the construction of the Third Temple in Jerusalem associated with the coming of the Jewish Messiah, and thus, adherents of Orthodox Judaism anticipate a Third Temple.

On August 30, 2007, what appear to be the remains of the Second Temple were discovered during the installation of pipes in the compound.[5][dead link] In October 2007, for the first time, archaeological remains dating to the First Temple period were discovered on the platform of the Temple Mount.[6]
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Jerusalem - Wiki excerpts-

The city has a history that goes back to the 4th millennium BCE, making it one of the oldest cities in the world.[5] Jerusalem is the holiest city in Judaism and the spiritual center of the Jewish people,[6] contains a number of significant ancient Christian sites, and is considered the third-holiest city in Islam.[7]

The Old City was nominated for inclusion on the List of World Heritage Sites in danger by Jordan in 1982.[10] In the course of its history, Jerusalem has been destroyed twice, besieged 23 times, attacked 52 times, and captured and recaptured 44 times.[11]

Ceramic evidence indicates the occupation of Ophel, within present-day Jerusalem, as far back as the Copper Age, c. 4th millennium BCE,[5][25] with evidence of a permanent settlement during the early Bronze Age, c. 3000–2800 BCE.[25][26] The Execration Texts (c. 19th century BCE), which refer to a city called Roshlamem or Rosh-ramen[25] and the Amarna letters (c. 14th century BCE) may be the earliest mention of the city.[27][28] Some archaeologists, including Kathleen Kenyon, believe Jerusalem[29] as a city was founded by West Semitic people with organized settlements from around 2600 BCE. According to Jewish tradition the city was founded by Shem and Eber, ancestors of Abraham. In the biblical account, when first mentioned, Jerusalem (known as "Salem") is ruled by Melchizedek, an ally of Abraham (identified with Shem in legend). Later, in the time of Joshua, Jerusalem was in territory allocated to the tribe of Benjamin (Joshua 18:28) but it continued to be under the independent control of the Jebusites until it was conquered by David and made into the capital of the united Kingdom of Israel (c. 1000s BCE).[30][31][v] Recent excavations of a large stone structure are interpreted by some archaeologists as lending credence to the biblical narrative.[32]

According to Hebrew scripture, King David reigned until 970 BCE. He was succeeded by his son Solomon,[33] who built the Holy Temple on Mount Moriah. Solomon's Temple (later known as the First Temple), went on to play a pivotal role in Jewish history as the repository of the Ark of the Covenant.[34] For over 450 years, until the Babylonian conquest in 587 BCE, Jerusalem was the political capital of firstly the united Kingdom of Israel and then the Kingdom of Judah and the Temple was the religious center of the Israelites.[35] This period is known in history as the First Temple Period.[36] Upon Solomon's death (c. 930 BCE), the ten northern tribes split off to form the Kingdom of Israel. Under the leadership of the House of David and Solomon, Jerusalem remained the capital of the Kingdom of Judah.[37]


Jerusalem

Jerusalem has been sacred to the Jews since King David proclaimed it his capital in the 10th century BCE. Jerusalem was the site of Solomon's Temple and the Second Temple.[6] It is mentioned in the Bible 632 times.


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632 times Jerusalem is mentioned. God's city, God's holy city. There will be a New Jerusalem, a new city of God's that will come down from heaven.

Rev 21:10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God

Rev 21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

Jerusalem is revered as God's Holy City and God Himself spoke with David about building a permanent temple there. The temple which David's son Solomon was allowed to build. The temple where God would dwell. God! The temple where God could no longer dwell as the people became corrupted. The temple was destroyed because God's people refused to truly be His people but rather looked to themselves and to other gods. They continued to break the covenant with God and God would not allow this.

The New Jerusalem- has no temple therein, no temple. Why? Because the Lord God Almight and the Lamb are the temple of it.

God and Jesus are the temple. All that the temple represented on earth is found in God and Jesus. What couldn't be kept on earth as it is now will be in the earth made new with the new city of Jerusalem.

There are lessons to be learned, many lessons that have to do with the temple, but just knowing that God and Jesus will be the temple in the new Jerusalem gives us hope. Salvation is found in Christ, love found in God, mercy and grace can be ours through the love in the God who gave His only Son for us. While some midguided people look for a new temple to be built upon earth it will be void of all that makes it a true temple- God's presence. We look for the New Jerusalem with God and Jesus as it's temple.


By the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ may we be in the New City worshipping and praising our Lord, our Savior forever! Through the righteousness of Christ may we be clothed and made ready for Him.


Amen.