FINAL WARNING: The Shining Star
ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old...”Prior to the construction of the Temple, God made His divine presence
known in a miqdash (‘holy place’), which was a temporary structure
known as the Tabernacle, that was erected in various locations around
Israel, such as Shiloh, Bethel, Dan, Gilgal, Mizpah, and Hebron. This
continued until the Israelites became united, both politically and
spiritually, which took place when David conquered Jerusalem, thus
creating a central location for their civil government and religious
worship. When David realized the big difference between his own
house, and the fact that the Ark was protected only by a tent (2 Sam.
7:12), he knew that he had to build a house of God, which according to
the Davidic Covenant (2 Sam. 7:4-17), seems to indicate that the site
chosen would be a permanent location.In the 24th chapter of 2 Samuel, it is recorded how David counted his
men to see if his army was going to be of sufficient military strength.
Because he didn’t trust God for his victory, so the Lord sent a
destroying angel that brought a plague against the people of
Jerusalem. David built an altar and made peace offerings to the Lord.
This area on Mount Moriah (Mount Zion), was the site where God
tested Abraham’s faith by commanding him to sacrifice his son Isaac,
and was known as the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. David
purchased the land in 990 BC, and in 960 BC, King Solomon began
construction of the sacred Temple, which was to provide a shelter for
the Ark of the Covenant, the most sacred object in Israel. It took a
workforce of 200,000 men seven years to complete this magnificent
edifice, with funds gathered by David in a royal treasury. It was
destroyed in 586 BC by Babylonian invaders.The Persians conquered the Babylonians, and Cyrus, the Persian king,
allowed 50,000 Jews to return to Jerusalem in 538 BC. In 537 BC, under
the direction of King Cyrus, Zerubabbel (a descendant of King David),
supervised a contingent of Phoenician workers who laid the
foundation stones for the second Temple. All the Temple vessels had
been returned, the altar built, and the sacrifices resumed. Opposition
by the Samaritans (descendants of Israelite and Assyrian
intermarriage) in the north, who had a temple at Mount Gerizim, caused
construction to be discontinued until 520 BC, when Darius, the Persian
king, instituted taxes to pay for its construction. The Temple was