Temple Mount

Our trip to Jerusalem a couple of weeks back culminated with an ascent up the Temple Mount. Perhaps for some of you that wouldn’t be a culmination of a few days in Jerusalem, but it was for me. Is it strange? Perhaps. But perhaps not as well. It depends on how you approach it and where you are in your walk of faith.

For me, my soul feels attached to that place. I can exist anywhere in Israel for months at a time and love every moment, as I have for weeks now, but it’s the Temple Mount that holds my heart. It’s a place that I expect to spend a lotof time some day in the future. It’s a place that prophecy speaks a great deal about and much that’s left incomplete, not least of which is Ezekiel’s portrayal of the Temple. My soul longs to see the completion of these things and I can see a daily advance toward that goal in the pages of modern events.

During our trip to Jerusalem we knew that the Temple Mount was on our list. It’s not a place Earlene currently enjoys, but for my sake and my heart, she consented to join me. It’s no surprise she doesn’t like it of course. We made the mistake of side-hugging each other in 2017 while a friend was taking a picture of us. The problem was, we were standing in front of the Dome of the Rock. The Temple Mount is a holy place and not just for the Jewish people. Americans, unfortunately, have a complete lack of understanding about “Holy” and that certainly included us at the time (I think we’ve learned a little since then?) As we were getting our picture taken an Arab man came running at us and scolding us for touching. That was probably one of the scariest moments of our collective lives. We didn’t realize it, but touching one another on the Temple Mount is highly frowned upon. That was our first experience and Earlene has a strong memory of the incident so she wasn’t excited about returning.

We arrived in Jerusalem late on Wednesday and we attempted to ascend the Temple Mount on Thursday as our first stop. As it turned out though, it was Muhammad’s birthday so the normal schedule was interrupted. The site is also closed on Friday and Saturday each week, so we ended up having to wait until Sunday to ascend the mountain. When Sunday came, we had to leave our rental apartment by 11:00 a.m. so we rushed to the Western Wall complex to ascend the mount once it was opened.

When we arrived at the security checkpoint, we had to go through the metal detectors as is the usual protocol. This time was a little different though. I have been twice before and in those instances we went through security and then ascended the long ramp up to the Moors Gate which is the only gate non-Muslims are allowed to enter. (Sidenote: there are TEN gates for Muslim believers to enter.) In this instance, however, another security guard stepped out in front of us and stopped us before we continued. He initially suggested that it was a pretty bad time to visit the Temple Mount and asked if we would come back another day. Not that we weren’t welcome, I think he was just concerned for our security. As it turns out, they just had a riot over the weekend because of all the issues going on in France. We were undeterred so he ran through a security briefing to ensure we knew the expectations – like not touching each other (I wish someone would have suggested *that* in 2017) and covering knees and shoulders and such. Once he finished running through that we were allowed to continue.

We ascended the ramp and got some good pictures of the Western Wall complex taking our time and looking at things in a way we weren’t able to previously. There’s usually a long line going up this ramp, but in this case the ramp was vacant. It was only us and the guards at either end.

Once on the Temple Mount we were on a sparsely-populated complex. There were so few people that it felt like we had the space to ourselves a couple of times. We had plenty of space and time to just stop and enjoy ourselves. For those who haven’t been there, I should explain that this area is not small (it is a 37-acre complex.). Even on our previous visits, when it was “crowded”, it was obvious the mountain could hold tens of thousands more worshippers. In this case however, there really were entire sections of walkway where we were entirely alone.

We were able to walk and pray and just enjoy the space that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has set apart for His Name. One day this complex is going to be so full that it won’t be possible to move about so freely so I was enjoying my time where I could. It’s among the greatest blessings we’ve had since being here in the land and at times it felt like a private audience with the King of the Universe.

Why was it the culmination of our trip though? Aside from being the place that my soul yearns for, it’s because God used a nuisance to bring great blessing. In this year of COVID, more obnoxious than almost anything I’ve experienced in life, HaShem used the masks to provide blessing.

In normal years, prayer on the Temple Mount is highly restricted to only Muslim worshipers. If there is even suspicion of non-Muslims praying it tends to lead to a quick trip off the Temple Mount in shiny silver bracelets. It’s more show than anything as Israeli police are always striving to keep the peace, but an experience with metal bracelets isn’t high on my to-do list regardless.

Ah, but the year of COVID seems to have backfired in the adversary’s face in this regard. The evil powers of this world may be trying to prevent prayer on the Temple Mount, but this year they are spoken freely. Our mouths are covered the entire time so no one has any idea if you’re praying or not. I couldn’t resist the opportunity! I turned my face toward the center of the Mount and uttered my prayers. Quietly, yet audibly.

Why do I consider this important? It’s because Scripture considers it important. At the dedication of the first Temple in 1 Kings 8, Solomon mentions praying toward the Temple several times and in several fashions. Whether it is Jew or Gentile, Solomon beseeches HaShem to hear the prayer “when they pray toward this place.” It’s something I had never considered until a few years ago, but if one pays attention, it’s throughout Scripture. Even Jonah, from the belly of the great fish says “I will once more pray *toward* your Holy Temple.” There’s an importance God has given to praying toward this place and I desire to participate in that wherever possible.

Solomon realized the history and the prophetic future of his people and he included those understandings in his prayer. He said that when his people are outside the city “and they pray to Adonai toward the city” that He would answer their prayers. He even said that in exile if they “pray to you toward their land that you gave to their fathers,” He asked that HaShem would answer.

Several years ago, when we found ourselves among a new congregation it really surprised us and confused us when everyone in the assembly turned east for a portion of the service. It turns out, all these generations later, the Jewish people are still adhering to these words of Solomon. Wherever they are in the world, they turn toward Israel, Jerusalem or the Temple Mount to utter their prayers. So in my view, scripturally, there’s still benefit to turning toward the twice and future Temple and praying to our Father. When we are in the U.S., we turn east. When we are in Israel, we turn toward Jerusalem. When I’m on the Temple Mount, I turn toward the place I understand was the Holy of Holies. To have this opportunity to utter audible prayers toward the place that God dwelled and will dwell again…I couldn’t resist. And that is why the Temple Mount was the culmination of my time in Jerusalem.