COULD THERE BE THREE STACKED CHAMBERS WITH ARCHED
CEILINGS WHICH LED TO THE HOLY PLACE?
There
are three Arched or Curved Ceiling Chambers in the Main Tower Structure.
The
gigantic chambers had arched ceilings. The Hebrew word used here means
that these chambers had a ceiling which was arched (I Ki. 6:8).
This verse of "upper chambers" (II Chronicles 3:9) is located
between the 60 x 20 chamber in verse 3 and the 20 x 20 chamber in verse
10. "and he overlaid the Upper Chambers
(plural, lofty sky
chamber, second story that is accessible by stairs)
with gold".
This verse would not appear to apply to the side chambers they are not
mentioned in this entire chapter 3. The "upper chambers" seem
to indicate that that are at least 3 stories to the main tower structure
of this Temple.
How can a horizontal temple have 2 sets of winding stairs which connect
all three chambers listed in this chapter? If there are only two chambers
why would you need two winding staircases? You need two winding stairs
to connect a tall three story structure.
Upper Chambers (Strong's 5944 is mentioned twice II Chronicles 3:9 &
I Chronicles 28:11
The two chambers (Strong's 6763) mentioned in I Kings 6:33 & 6:5 are
two different places because the doorway which leaves this (lower) story
must enter into the temple.
This particular chamber (Strong's 6763) used in I Kings 6:8 means a curved
or arched ceiling of which a winding staircase enters into the Temple.
This is linked by a very peculiar word for a door.
The small chambers that were built against the wall of the house of the
Temple & the Oracle round about. I Kings 6:5 This could apply to either
a vertical or horizontal type Temple
If the main temple was horizontal why did Josephus state that the main
tower and the porch were both 120 cubits tall?
Inner Courtyard:
The wood and stone terraces around the inner courtyard platforms could
probably hold according to my estimates around 10,000 or so singers on
the parallel walkways around the inner courtyard. II Chron. 9:11
The Six Gates
The height of all 4 corners of each gate is 60 cubits "round about".
Ezk. 40:14. Which means that the interior had to have dips as shown. A
serious problem that Temple scholars come across is which Bible should
they use? Every serious Temple student knows there are about a dozen serious
discrepancies in various Bible versions. This is one of those troubling
locations. Many of the texts when compared side by side in various Bibles
are different. In some cases the measurements differ as much as 90 cubits,
in this case various Bibles vary between 20-40 cubits. Which Bible is
right? The approach to these measurements was not to change the cubits
or find a Bible which would fit the model but to re-arrange my thinking
so that all the cubits might somehow all be used and yet all fit properly.
Because there were discrepancies when a person compared some Bibles against
other Bibles first of all a Bible had to be selected to rely upon from
start to finish. The Hebrew text which was chosen was the Masora or Massoretic
Text. After careful study and comparison of old dusty arguments carried
forth from ages past it is the opinion of this Bible student that the
Masora Hebrew Bible is the only Hebrew text which was faithfully carried
down to the English speaking people without error. Unfortunately there
is only one Bible which uses this as a text to translate from that is
the Authorized or King James Bible. With continuous comparisons this was
the Bible which was used and Solomon's Temple is that of the Masora Text.
Another fine example to compare of Bible discrepancies is the height of
the porch. The Masora Bible and Josephus both verify the same 120 cubit
height twice.
The Spirit
Revealed Temple was not a copy of a Pagan Temple.
The
argument that none of the old world temples had a holy chamber for the
deity in an upper level is not a basis for an argument at all. God's House
was going to be different than the pagan temples as is suggested in a
few verses. It was going to be the first which used gigantic stone arches.
"The House of the LORD must be exceeding magnificent, of fame and
of glory throughout all countries." I Chronicles 22:5
Before
the Temple was built the Temple location was associated with a plague
which was started and stopped by a Heavenly messenger. This messenger
was hovering in the sky for a very long time.
The plague in which Israel suffered resulted because of the personal sin
of King David. His sin was he had with arrogant pride boasted of the numbers
of his army so that he trusted more on its size rather than trusting in
God. The result was an Angel was sent from God to destroy the size of
his army in which he had misplaced his trust. The Angel began slaughtering
and was stopped as he was hovering over a certain spot in downtown Jerusalem.
Which today is known as the Temple Mount where the Dome of the Rock Mosque
sits.
This Angel of the LORD was standing in the sky between earth and heaven
directly over the threshingfloor of Ornan upon which David was instructed
to do sacrifice to stop the plague. When David saw the angel floating
above the Holy Rock (threshingfloor) it later became King David's desire
to build a house for God to dwell in the heavens. When David saw the Mercy
Angel in the sky perhaps this is why he decided to build a Holy dwelling
place for the Hebrew Deity up in the air to stay forever. This heavenly
sight had to have made an impression on David because the Mercy/Death
Angel of the LORD had his sworn drawn for 14 verses. I Chronicles 21:14,16-26
"Then
David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses
thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof,
and of the inner parlors thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat.
And the pattern of all that he had by the spirit." I Chronicles 28:11-12
Would
David have copied a pagan temple? If so there would have been no need
for the spirit of God to reveal to him this special Temple. Because all
he had to do was mimic every other pagan temple with the resting place
of the deity on a horizontal plane. Possibly this Temple was designed
to elevate God and his Ark into the heavens to have him a dwelling place
there. All the other temples of the world were the palaces made for man
to worship himself with their false gods. This was a Temple which united
Heaven with Earth. Its construction might have been an engineering feat.
Which is why the Queen of Sheba marveled at the sight of it upon her grand
entrance from the African-Saudi nation.
This Temple would be a place where man could worship God. Since only one
man a year could enter the place where God dwelt why not build God a special
place to reside up where every passerby could see him in the heavens.
This way every visitor to Jerusalem would know the Jews worship the deity
in the heavens who rests in the clouds. For they would have been able
to have seen the Resting Place of God from 20 miles away.
"For
the palace is not for man, but for the LORD GOD." I Chronicles 29:1
"Said David, the LORD made me understand in writing by his hand upon
me, even all the works of this pattern" I Chronicles 28:19
CRITIA

A Temple
will be built someday on the Temple Mount this is a well known prophecy
of Ezekiel. Which cubits will be used? The first Temple of Solomon's and
Ezekiel's which was 120 cubits tall or the smaller Second Temple which
was 60 cubits or the Third Temple of Herod which was 100 cubits tall?
An important
question that needs to be asked: Is there any historical record of the
Shekinah Presence ever appearing over the Second or Third Temple as it
appeared over the First Temple?
If the Shekinah Presence never appeared over the Second or Third Temple
on a permanent basis what is the motivation to rebuild the Second or Third
Temple?
It is
a well known fact the Shekinah Glory appeared over Solomon's Temple. It
is also obvious from the Mishnah, the Second Temple was moved North of
the First Temple, because of the location of the altar was offset to the
inner courtyard of the Second Temple. This was a result of the Second
Temple being constructed away (to the North) from the foundation of the
First Temple. Which is why the Mishnah states the Temple location is off
centered and to the north of the 500 cubit courtyard. Possibly they were
saving the original foundation spot so they could fulfill Ezekiel's Temple
prophecy.
In the future a Temple will be built in Jerusalem. Which foundation will
be used Solomon's or the Second Temple?
Ezekiel claims that the Shekinah Glory will only appear on the Temple
which he describes. Ezekiel's Temple measurements fit like a glove when
dovetailed with Solomon's Temple measurements. Ezekiel never claimed that
the Shekinah Glory of God would appear over the Second or Herod's Temple.
The Temple that Ezekiel describes had been polluted in previous times.
It was a Temple that had already been built and was going to be built
once again. Did Ezekiel describe the remaining measurements of Solomon's
Temple? Notice the use of the past tense verbs. Ezekiel's Temple is indeed
the remaining long lost measurements of Solomon's Temple.
"Show
the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities:
let them measure the pattern
show them the form of the house."
Ezk. 44:10-12
"In
that ye have brought into my sanctuary strangers, uncircumcised in heart
and flesh, to pollute it, even my house
they have broken my covenant
because of all your abominations." Ezk. 44:7
It seems odd that there is a large momentum by both Jewish and Christian
groups to rebuild the Second Temple (or Herod's) when there are no Biblical
prophecies about rebuilding any Temple but Solomon's by the prophet Ezekiel.
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