What or Where is Har Megiddon – Armageddon?

The end times is a hot topic these days and Armageddon is often involved in such discussions… This post offers some insights and also suggests food for thought, as well as possible answers to some of those most frequently posed questions. As always scripture is the base for all subsequent writing; and every reader is strongly encouraged to research and study God’s Word for themselves and to take everything before the Lord in prayer.

Why?

Because our personal opinions are just that, opinions and

His Word alone is TRUTH.

 הר מגידו ‎ 

 Har Megiddo

 in Hebrew:

Har Magedon.

Meaning in Hebrew: Hill of Megiddo

Revelation 16:16; Judges 4 & 5:19;

2Kings 9:27;23:29; Zech 12:11

 

According to the Book of Revelation,

Armageddon (/ ˌ ɑːr m ə ˈ ɡ ɛ d ən /,

from Ancient Greek: Ἁρμαγεδών

Ἐβραϊστί Ἃρ Μαγεδών 

Harmagedōn,

or

Armageddon.

Late Latin: Armagedōn,

taken from the Hebrew: הר מגידו ‎ Har Megiddo

It is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies for a battle during the end of the age, variously interpreted as either a literal or a symbolic location.

Although Armageddon is a Hebrew word, it does not occur specifically in the Old Testament. Its meaning has raised questions, however it is best understood to mean

Mount Megiddo, since 

Har in Hebrew means mountain

and Mageddon is the place-name of Megiddo.

Armageddon is the symbolic name given to this event, based on scripture references regarding divine obliteration of God’s enemies.

The hermeneutical method supports this position by referencing Judges 4 and 5 where God miraculously destroys the enemy of Israel, at Megiddo.

Another Armageddon definition is – the site or time of a final and conclusive battle between the forces of good and evil.  (Probably so called in reference to the battlefield of Megiddo.)

The actual word for Armageddon only appears once in the Bible (Revelation 16:16). Even though most of the New Testament is written in Greek, this comes from the Hebrew word which as already mentioned means, Mount Megiddo.

in the New Testament, it is a place where the kings of the earth under demonic leadership will wage war on the forces of God at the end of history.

Armageddon,

sometimes rendered Har– Magedon 

(Hebrew: Har Meghiddohn),

here it is translated: Mountain of Megiddo.

Megiddo was once a city in the territory of ancient Israel.

History tells of decisive battles that were fought in its vicinity, including some that are recorded in the Bible.

 The place we know as Armageddon was also the site for two great tragedies:

1) the death of Saul and his sons (1 Samuel 31:8) and

2) the death of King Josiah (2 Kings 23:29-30; 2 Chronicles 35:22).

It is probably because of this history, the valley of Armageddon became a symbol of the final conflict between God and the forces of evil.

It is the name of a real place, 56 miles north of Jerusalem.

it is approximately thirty miles wide by two hundred miles long.

Is it also a war, or is this just a symbolic reference to a future event that will be particularly destructive?

Armageddon is mentioned in the Bible in the Revelation to John, or the Apocalypse of St. John (16:16).

Really it is the:

Revelation of Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach/Yeshua the Messiah, which was given to John.

Hebrew Translation.

הִתגַלוּת.

More Hebrew words for Revelation.

noun הִתגַלוּת. emergence, exposure, advent, epiphany.

Revelation [N] is an uncovering, a bringing to light of that which had been previously wholly hidden or only obscurely seen.

God has been pleased in various ways and at different times Hebrews 1:1 

to make a supernatural revelation of himself and his purposes and plans, which, under the guidance of his Spirit, has been committed to writing.

The Greek name of the Bible book of Revelation,

A·po·kaʹly·psis (apocalypse), means:

Uncovering or Disclosure.

This name indicates the meaning of Revelation —it uncovers matters that had been hidden and discloses events some, that would happen long after it was written.

מגידו‎ 

Megiddo,

The city is located on a pass and commanding a road connecting Egypt and Syria; it was probably chosen as a symbol for such a battle, because it had been the scene of many previous battles.

noun זִרַת מִלחָמָה. Armageddon

The meaning of the word Armageddon is placed in the text, and is actually a compound of two thoughts.

The first part is taken from the Hebrew har. הַר

as this word means mountain or the place of.

The word megiddo is taken from the 

Hebrew root gadad (גדד).

This word means a gathering, to divide or cut.

 

Strong’s Greek: 717. Ἀρμαγεδδών

(Harmagedón) — Har-Magedon 

Every scholar will attest that  

Armageddon is the GREEK rendering of the 2 Hebrew words.

They are Har and Megiddon.

Har is the word for mountain and

Megiddon means

a place of crowds.

Those armies came together in a place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. Then the spirits brought the kings together in the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. So they assembled them at the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.

The spirits gathered the kings to the place that is called Armageddon in Hebrew. Rev 16:16

Taking a look at the ancient Hebrew pictographs:

Is there anything in the pictures that point to Yeshua HaMashiach Jesus the Messiah?

There is a curiosity within most people of wanting to know the future and more specifically what will happen to us as individuals. If we know beforehand whether it’s good or bad, we think we can hopefully prepare for either.

The Bible is filled with prophecies that describe many remaining future events in great detail so it’s the best place to look for future events and our final destination and probable events that will unfold prior to our reaching that destination.

One future event mentioned in scripture is an event often called the Battle of Armageddon.

It is mentioned more these days than ever before.

In the scriptures it’s described as not just a battle but also a place where in the future, a war the likes of which the world has never seen will take place.

We saw that in the Greek Translation of the New Testament The word Armageddon only occurs once and is used by the apostle John in Revelation 16:16:

“And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.”

In verse 14 John tells us who is doing the gathering and who is being gathered:

“For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”

 

John earlier described this war of destruction which is the culmination of God’s wrath in Rev. 6:17:

“For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”

 

Taking a closer look at the Hebrew pictographs about this war and place of destruction;

the first part

Har

which is spelled

Hey Reysh. הַר

HEY   ה

REYSH ר

Hey    is the picture of the man

with outstretched hands to the heavens 

  

and means

behold

or

pay attention to what follows.

Reysh

is the picture of the head      

and means: the leader or

the prince.

 The pictures in Har depict behold the prince.

But what is the connection to mountain or hill, is it of any significance?

Is there a specific prince to whom this is referring?

Here we take a journey back to the time when Moses wrote about the Akedah.

Where in Genesis 22:14 Abraham was to offer his only son Isaac to the LORD, and at the very last moment God provided another sacrifice to take his place:

“And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah jireh as it is said to this day. In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.”  

This mount (HAR) was identified as being in the land of Moriah

and is believed to be the identical location where Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem.

Moses tells how God provided a ram instead of Abrahams son Isaac and because the ram died in his place, Isaac would live.

It all unfolded in this place and was a picture of the Prince who in the future would die a substitutionary death for us.

The Prince is Yeshua/Jesus who was and is the perfect Lamb of God, and more than 2000 years later, at this exact location.

Looking carefully at the Hebrew Scriptures it does not actually say 

in the mount of the LORD it shall be seen,

it is written

one shall be seen.

So here, Moses is referring to the Lord God Himself saying:

On the Har God shall be seen.

(Recall the SHEMA – God is one).

The next part of Armageddon is

Megiddon and means

place of crowds.

this is spelled:

Mem Gimel Dalet Vav Noon.

 מגידו

            ו   י ר ג מ      

Noon Vav Dalet Gimel Mem

(read from right to left.)

Mem מ

Gimel ג

Dalet ר

Vav י  

Noon ו

In the pictographs for this megiddon/place of crowds, it is:

Noon/Nun

   is the picture of

the fish  

or seedling

and means life or activity.

 

Vav  

is the picture of

the wooden hook or iron nail     

and means:

to fasten or secure two things together that are separated from one another.

Dalet   

is the picture of the door;

   and means:

a doorway or

a place of decision

that can lead to life or death.

Gimel 

is the picture of the foot

or later a camel      

and means to lift up, to be lifted up with pride,

or to lift up the name of the Lord.

Mem  

is the picture of waters

that can be waters of destruction like a tsunami or gentle waters that bring life.

We could read into these pictures that for this crowd it will be a place of decision, a doorway that will lead to either life or death.

The doorways connected to one of two possible groups and their future.

Those who are lifted up with pride who will suffer destruction like a tsunami.

Those that will receive the gentle waters of life, who lift up the name of the Lord.

Which doorway they will choose and to which group most in this crowd belong John writes:

“And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.”

Revelation 6:15-16.

 

God will bring His wrath to force the reluctant to choose.

Everyone will go through one door or the other. Those doorways are open to us now just as they will be to those in Revelation. We must choose the dalet/doorway to life now before the unbearable wrath of God is unleashed.

IAM the door

Har Megiddon in the pictographs =

Behold the Prince.

Lift Him up and enter the doorway that is connected to life.

The book of Revelation associates Megiddo in northern Israel with the end of days.

John Martin – The Great Day of His Wrath: A vision of the apocalypse, circa 1851.

We often use the word “Armageddon” to mean the end of the world, and we now know from our study how it became associated with the final catastrophe that will end humanity.

Early Judaism had no tradition of the world ending in a day of divine judgment and no such idea appears in the 1st Temple period material in the Hebrew Bible. But the idea does suddenly appear in prophetic books penned after the late 6th century B.C.E., such as Deut. -Isaiah, Zechariah and Daniel. For example:

“Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you” (Zechariah 2:11).

We saw in

https://www.minimannamoments.com/the-revealing/

that Apocalypse is a Greek noun meaning uncovering, revealing or revelation. As it is the first word of the book in its original Greek, it became used as the name of the book as this was the common practice at the time.

Since the book describes the end of the world, and its Greek title began to be used by English speakers to refer to the end of the world itself, there is little doubt that this is how we got the word apocalypse.

Out of the mouth of dragons

Armageddon appears in In Revelation 16, where John tells us that he heard “a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, ‘Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.’”

He proceeds to describe these bowls of God’s wrath being poured on the earth: The 1st is an outbreak of “festering sores”;

the 2nd the turning of the sea to blood and the death of all that live in it;

the 3rd is the turning of the rivers into blood;

the 4th is the scorching of the people by the burning son;

the 5th is the kingdom of the beast being plunged into darkness;

the 6th is the drying up of the River Euphrates.

Then before he gets to the seventh and final bowl – a mighty thunderstorm accompanied by massive earthquakes and a hailstorm of biblical proportions – he says that “he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon” (16:16).

Who exactly is gathered to Armageddon is not exactly clear from context. It might be “three impure spirits that looked like frogs  and “came out of the mouth of the dragon” or “the kings of the whole world.”

Either way, according to John, just before the world comes to an end, they will convene at “a place which in Hebrew is called Armageddon.”

Whatever John meant by this, it is clear that he believed that just before the end of the world, something momentous would take place there. Later Christian theologians interpreted this as meaning that this would be the site of the showdown between the forces of good and evil, which will obviously end with the victory of God and the good.

The view from Megiddo

The identification of the town of Megiddo with the site of apocalypse has some merit, since it is mentioned several times in the Bible, tellingly, as the site of several epic battles, such as the Israelites vs. the Canaanites (Judges 5:19) and Judah vs. Egypt. In the latter struggle King Josiah who the bible explicitly calls the best of the Judean kings, was killed:

“While Josiah was king, Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt went up to the Euphrates River to help the king of Assyria. King Josiah marched out to meet him in battle, but Necho faced him and killed him at Megiddo”

(2 Kings 23:29).

The main challenge to the interpretation that John was referring to a Hebrew text that talked of har Megiddo, is the fact that Jews never referred to a “Mount Megiddo” – and for good reason. There is no mountain at Megiddo. At most the site could be called a small hill, or more accurately,

a TEL.

In fact, when the Bible actually refers to a geographic feature related to Megiddo, it is not a mountain but a valley:

Below are some pictures of the ongoing archeological digs and some of the items recovered from the area.

Excavating Megiddo Tel:

A neighborhood of small homes and workshops

Credit: Ariel David

Tel Megiddo

Credit: Yaron Kaminsky

“On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be as great as the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo” (Zechariah 12:11).

“In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate” (Ezekiel 38:8).

Other theologians and scholars suggest that the original word was

megiddon, not Megiddo at all –

but a word derived from the root G-D-D (or G-D-ayin),

which would mean this mountain was

the mountain of gathering or being cut off – meaning, destruction.

The Greek translation of Zechariah 12:11 may relate to the plain of Megiddo in this way, but no such high-altitude gathering places appear anywhere in the Hebrew writings that have become available.

GOG the Battle of the ROOF!

Here is another view of what the world calls the Battle of Armageddon:

could it be already in full fury and is the problem that the church is asleep and does not even know about it?

It seems as if the church is too busy anticipating gog and magog trying to figure out how and when Russia and others are going to join with China or other countries to attack Israel, seemingly not aware of the spiritual battles that are in full fury right now.

Is it possible that if the church wins the spiritual battle there will be no ground war?

Certainly if we lose the spiritual war the world will be all but destroyed.

Has the enemy kept the church wrapped up in fund raising and building programs which is another great distraction keeping focus off the spiritual battles?

Has the church ignored the scriptural terminology allowing the half truths of the world to dilute the truth?

The battle recorded in 2 Kings 23:29,30 and 2Chronicles 35:22;

tells the story of the battle in which Josiah king of Judah is mortally wounded.

The Hebrew name is: The valley of Jezreel and it lies at the foot of the mountain,

Har mediggo – meaning Mt Mediggo.

This was also the location of the Midianite army that Gideon chased off with trumpet and lanterns.

In 1Samuel 29:1 the philistine armies gather at Jezreel. but the battle is at Mount Gilboa in the valley of Esdraelon, which is east of the Valley of Jezreel. In the new testament the armies gather at Har Mediggo in Revelation 16:12.

12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. 

Judges 5:19, 2Kings 9:27;23:29, Zech 12:11

Har Mediggo in English translation is taken from the Latin text, which has Armageddon. The Greek text has Harmageddon, where the armies gather but the battle is not at Har Mediggo.

Note:

There is no battle but the bowls of God’s wrath!

It would seem from reading here that later

at the end of the millennium,

the battle of Gog and Magog

is formed at the valley of Jehoshaphat.

The word jehoshaphat (yehoshafat in Hebrew) means ‘God has judged’, and this narrow furrow of land located between Temple Mount/Al Haram Ash Sharif and the Mount of Olives is where it is said the events of Judgment Day will take place (Joel 3:12) and all nations will be judged. At the southern end is a series of tombs dating from the Second Temple period.

 

Joel 4:2

I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Y’hoshafat [ Adonai judges]. I will enter into judgment there for my people, my heritage Isra’el, whom they scattered among the nations; then they divided my land. 

verse 12 “Let the nations rouse themselves and go up to the valley of Jehoshaphat. For there will I sit to judge all the surrounding nations.”

The valley of Jehoshaphat is a few miles south east of Jerusalem also called the valley of Beracha in 2Chronicles 20:26.

King James Version (KJV). 26 And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the Lord: therefore the name of the same place was called, The valley of Berachah, unto this day.

God takes care of the armies when they surround Jerusalem.

and

In Revelation 20:7

 And when the thousand years are completed, the Adversary/hasatan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8 and he shall go forth to lead the nations astray, that are in the four corners of the earth — Gog and Magog –

to gather them together to war, of whom the number [is] as the sand of the sea;

And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

(Ezekiel 7:2 ) Gog and Magog 

and

(Ezekiel 38:2)  Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, King James Version (KJV)

In 2Kings 1:10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.

Ezekiel 39:6  And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the Lord.

 

Maybe we are looking for the wrong war?

Maybe we got the name of the place wrong?

Maybe we thought we knew what the scripture said? and hopefully, maybe we won’t even be here?!

Scripture says this is at the end of the millennium and is often referred to as apocalypse, which is the Greek word for revelation/ revealing.

This is the terrible time when it takes seven months to bury the dead.

In Ezekiel 39:11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog. 12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.

If we look at the current war, it is against humanism and the war, the battle of the roof. What is happening on the ground now is but a mild example of what is going on in the spiritual realm, the invisible dimension of the heavenlies.

Believers in humanism align themselves with compromise and tolerance of pagan beliefs and is a spiritual battle which offers the choice of loyalty to God’s teachings vs. those who tolerate all manner of evil and accepting other lifestyles in preference to that which God lays out for us in the Scriptures.

The need to be politically correct and extending people’s rights beyond what the Scriptures tell us has only succeeded in accelerating the changes we see in the world today. Materialism is another powerful spirit at this time; warfare against principalities and powers need to be corporate as it is becoming increasingly too dangerous for individual prayer, in the same way that one soldier does not go into battle against an army!

These alternatives encourage teaching of occult and false religions in public schools yet forbid teaching and practice of Christianity and godly values; all in the name of multiculturalism. The battle will not be won with the weapons of war however it will be won in the hearts of those individuals where repentance and/or revival takes root.

There is an inner connection between the names gog and magog and the fall/autumn feast of sukkot/tabernacles/Booths.

The Hebrew word gog means roof and there is a major difference between a real roof and the flimsy sukkah, the singular of sukkot.

The sukkah is a weak unstable shelter made with branches. A driving rain will soak right through it. And a driving wind will blow it away.

People have the power to make themselves safe and secure against their earthly contemporaries by buildings sturdy walls; so they delude themselves into thinking that they can make themselves safe and secure up against that which comes from above, against God and his power to direct matters.

They think that they can find security in the protection of their own might, they take their fate in their own hands, and crown the building of human greatness with sturdy roofs, with no need to depend on God.

The war of gog and magog is also the battle of gog; (the Hebrew word for roof,) against sukkah,

it’s the fight of the roof illusion, of human greatness which never allows the rest,

against

the sukkah-truth of cheerful confidence and serenity which comes from placing trust in God’s protection.

Magog is gog with the prefix M; this prefix expresses the idea of projecting something, representing the philosophy that man can insulate himself against the heavenly power of God –

Magog is possibly the attempt to affect this philosophy on earth.

for more on Apocalypse click link

https://www.minimannamoments.com/the-revealing/

Time to get our house /sanctuary spiritual house in order. Working out our salvation with fear – reverent respect -and trembling

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, Phil 2:12-13

work out your salvation with fear and trembling;

Very serious and sober, being vigilant, with a godly clean heart and motives, observing the times, for the days are evil, short and few and the night comes when no man can work.

Our salvation/ Full redemption will be manifested as we are birthed into our sanctified supernatural bodies in which we can enter His presence.

No unclean thing can enter in. No flesh will survive the transition for we shall be changed into a new creature like unto Himself and we shall see Him as He is. Our feeble attempts to visualize what is ahead, pales in comparison to what glories will be revealed and no doubt will bear little if any resemblance to our earthly images.

We make the mistake of bringing God down to our level and to our likeness. The image and likeness of our Father that is within us is purely spiritual in nature. He has no form like we do or like Jesus/Yeshua did in His incarnate form while present on the earth. And yet He said if you have seen Me you have seen the Father!

Our limited concepts belie reality and do His incomparable being an enormous disservice. It is most certain that all of us will gasp in true awe and amazement at the inevitable realities that await the eyes of our understanding when they are finally enlightened.

It is on a serious note that we must be ready for encounters in the spiritual realm as the veil between the realms continues to thin prior to His return. It is not that these entities both good and evil, are suddenly there, merely that we can now see them just as Elisha prayed for with his servant.

The fight is in the spiritual realm. The war is in the heavenlies and we merely observe the outworking below in this earthly realm we inhabit.

Angelic Messengers are at work always and around us continually; and so to are the spirits of darkness. They have been crouching at the door since Cain’s day waiting an opportunity to work their mischief and evil. (evil=out of harmony with God) 

Don’t give him a foot hold – not even a toehold!

Keep our sanctuaries pure and holy

keep out the unclean and ungodly.

Immerse ourselves in His Word  and His presence, praying in the Holy Spirit Ruach HaKodesh, and building ourselves up in our most holy faith.

But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy

Jude 20-25

For the days are evil and waxing worse. This is a time to draw closer to him then ever before and Have no fellowship with the fruitful works of darkness

Romans 13:12. The night is nearly over/far spent; the day has drawn near. So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” Romans 13:12, KJV:

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather {e} reprove them. (e) Make them open to all the world, by your good life. Ephesians 5:11

We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.” John 9:4

We are to shun the man made festival days that are rooted in idol worship and rather spend the 31st of October in prayer and fasting not in celebrating sin and death.

A quote below concerning this date, should send shivers down our spine and shake us to the core; from the now deceased leader.

What are we thinking?????

Forgive us Father in Yeshua/Jesus name.

Almost every festival and observance on the Gregorian calendar has its roots in pagan worship of idols, false gods/ demonic entities and evil spirits.

What are we doing? Thinking it is acceptable to a Holy God. Would we take Jesus/Yeshua with us when we go trick or treating???

If not – why are we even going?

The WAY – HIS WAY is narrow

and in His words..

few there are that find it…

We need to and must follow Him and Him alone

and enter in through Yeshua/Jesus, the gate the Door the Dalet.

A serious message for serious days.

our times are in His hands and

today is the day of salvation/ deliverance.

Don’t put off until tomorrow what we know we should do,

or not do, today.

IT”S LATER THAN WE THINK!

Trust Him and obey.

There is no disappointment in Him.

He is the way, the truth and the life …

let’s not miss our day of visitation.

Shalom shalom

‘Mishpachah’

‘Family/Tribe’

משפחה

Mish-pa-KHa,

Please don’t leave this page before making certain Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

He is coming back very soon – so let’s keep looking up!

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

Its all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.

NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

 

WHAT LIES BENEATH … Ancient Urusalima?

Ever wondered what exactly is under that golden Dome on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Israel?

MMM takes A DEEPER DIG Under The Dome of the Rock; (“Kippat ha-Sela” in Hebrew; (“Qubbat al-Sakhrah” in Arabic).It is front and center almost every time we look at a panoramic view of Jerusalem. Often dismissed as something, not of much importance to believers in Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach, yet there remains a measure of curiosity and there is great significance to the location we may have overlooked or forgotten…..

…And what is the mysterious “Well of Souls”?

The Dome of the Rock is an Islamic shrine and the Temple Mount is referred to as Haram al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary).

Situated in the Old City of Jerusalem, it was built by the Umayyad caliph ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Marwān.

The construction was initially completed in the late 7th-century, approx. 691 CE; (only 1300 years ago). According to the Islamic tradition, here Prophet Muhammad flew with the archangel Jabrail and met prophets Ibrahim, Musa and Isa (Abraham, Moses and Jesus respectively).

A rock rises towards the roof of the Dome. From this rock, according to legend, Muhammad ascended to Allah. Today, the Temple Mount is a home for the Al-Aqsa Mosque with the Dome of the Rock architectural complex. The mountain is open to tourists at certain times which are not related to the time of Muslim worship.

So why is it of any importance to us?

This mystery connects to events that have taken place over the last 5,000 years, thousands of years prior to the construction of the ‘Dome’.Then it was called Mount Moriah, on which was also located the mysterious city Urusalima, the forerunner of Jerusalem, (Salem).

For more on the picture above click links https://www.minimannamoments.com/more-than-one-palm/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/i-will-put-my-name-part-2/

Salim/Salem/Jerusalem is inscribed in the Tell el-Amarna Letters, an archaeological find dated to the 1400s BC.

The original name of Jerusalem was Babylonian, Uru-Salim, “the city of Salim,”or the city of Salem.

” Jebus” makes its appearance for the first time in the Old Testament (Judges 19: 10,11).In Hebrew, Yerushalayim

Mount Moriah is the name of the elongated north-south ridge of rock that rises from the junction point of the Hinnom (Hagai) and Kidron valleys between Mount Zion to the west and the Mount of Olives to the east.It rises through the City of Davidand reaches its highest elevation just northeast of the Damascus Gatein the Old City.

The Temple Mount today covers about 45 acres and is built around the outcropping of the bedrock under the Dome of the Rock.

It is about 118 feet lower than the highest point of Mount Moriah.

Hinnom valleyKidron Valley

Jewish tradition holds that it is the very same site where God gathered the dust to create Adam before placing him in the garden.and in Genesis 22. where the Binding of Isaac for sacrifice by Abraham took place believed by many biblical scholars to be the same mountain in the region of Moriah mentioned in the Book of Genesis.There is a grotto inside the Dome of the Rock where limestone forms into a cave.In 1 Chronicles 21 it is identified as The Jebusite “Zion” was situated on the southern slope of Mount Moriah, above the Gihon Spring.

After King David captured the city he made it his capital and named it for himself: the ‘City of David’. The northern area of the mountain’s summit lay desolate for long after Zion’s capture by David. It was in fact still the private property of Araunah, the city’s former Jebusite king.For various reasons David did not confiscate the site of the Jebusite threshing floor but preferred to buy it from Auranah for full value: “So David paid Ornan ) the Jebusite [Auranah] for the site 600 shekels’ worth of gold.And David built there an altar to the Lord and sacrificed burn offerings and offerings of well-being” 1 Chron. 21:25, and a slightly different version at 2 Sam. 24:18-25.

The very same threshing floor where Ruth and Boaz were.

This purchase is an important fact since it demonstrates that the Jews received this area through a legal transaction. They have never sold the rights to Mount Moriah.King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will buy them for the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David paid Ornan 600 shekels of gold by weight for the site; and David built there an altar to the Lord and presented burnt offerings. – 1 Chronicles 21:24, 25 

The Old Testament describes how an army led by David, the second king of ancient Israel, breached the walls of Jebus around 1000 B.C. David then built a palace nearby and created his capital, Jerusalem. At the site of a threshing floor atop the mountain, where farmers had separated grains from chaff, David constructed a sacrificial altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt and peace offerings.It was here that King David brought the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the tablets with the Ten Commandments.

In the course of time the mountain had acquired an aura of sanctity and was the subject of many traditions. Indeed, its sacred status may date back to the early Canaanite period, when it perhaps was the cultic center of “El Elyon,” god of Melchizedek, king of Salem:‘And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine; he was a priest of God Most High [=El Elyon].’ Hebrew 7:1-3(Salem ancient name of Jerusalem). Gen.14:18.He blessed him, saying, Blessed be Abram of God Most High, creator of heaven and earth” Gen 14:18.

The Bible calls Yeshua, Jesus, the Great High Priest.

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

 Hebrews 7:17

For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

Isaiah 9:6

The tradition of “Jacob’s Dream” is also identified with Mount Moriah: “He came upon a certain place and stopped there for the night, for the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of that place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. He had a dream; a stairway was set on the ground and its top reached to the sky, and angels of God were going up and down on it. And the Lord was standing beside him… Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, … “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the abode of God and that is the gateway to heaven” Gen 28:10-18.

This is perhaps the most colorful representation of the essential nature of the site which some would later claim was the “navel of the world”.At the summit of Mount Moriah, traditionally, is the “Foundation Stone,” the symbolic fundament of the world’s creation, and reputedly the site of the Temple’s Holy of Holies, the supreme embodiment of the relationship between God and the people of Israel.According to the Second Book of Kings and the First Book of Chronicles, David’s son, Solomon, built the First Temple (later known as the Beit Hamikdash) on that site.Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to David his father, at the place that David had appointed on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. – 2 Chronicles 3:1Solomon dedicates the Temple.

Upon the completion of King Solomon’s Temple, famed for its sumptuous splendor, the Ark of the Covenant was placed within its confines.

The sanctity of the site is reflected in the graphic description provided by the Book of Kings: “the priests came out of the sanctuary for the cloud had filled the House of the Lord and the priests were not able to remain and perform the service because of the cloud, for the Presence of the Lord filled the House of the Lord…” 1 Kings 8:11.Solomon built his palace in the “miloh” (infill), area which separated the summit of the mountain and the Temple from the city below. This was also a concrete expression of the divine inspiration that was attributed to his kingship. Other palaces were also built nearby, such as the “House of the Forest of Lebanon” and the House of Pharaoh’s Daughter. 

Solomon used dirt to fill in this east-west lateral rift, hence the area’s name: “miloh” (infill), or Ophel , from a Hebrew word referring to the road that ascended to the Temple from the city which at that time was topographically lower and seen as a name on some maps.

King Solomon, according to the Bible, built the First Temple of the Jews on this mountaintop circa 1000 B.C., only to have it torn down 400 years later by troops commanded by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who sent many Jews into exile. In the first century B.C., the Babylonian Army destroyed the First Temple in 586 B.C. The ark of the covenant disappeared, possibly hidden from the conquerors. Following the conquest of Jerusalem by the Persians in 539 B.C., the Jews returned from exile and, according to the Book of Ezra, constructed a Second Temple on the site.

At the summit of Mount Moriah, the supreme embodiment of the relationship between God and the people of Israel was realized. Upon the completion of King Solomons Temple, the Ark of the Covenant was placed inside, it contained the tablets with the Ten Commandments, the Jar of Manna and Aarons Rod that budded.

In the first century B.C., King Herod undertook a massive reshaping of the Temple Mount. Herod expanded and refurbished a Second Temple built by Jews who had returned after their banishment. He filled up the slopes surrounding the mount’s summit and expanded it to its present size. He enclosed the holy site within a 100-foot-high retaining wall constructed of limestone blocks quarried from the Jerusalem Hills and constructed a far more expansive version of the Second Temple.

It is here that, according to the Gospel of John, Jesus Christ lashed out against the money changers (and was later crucified a few hundred yards away). The Roman general Titus exacted revenge against Jewish rebels, sacking and burning the Temple in A.D. 70.

We are familiar with the much photographed Western Wall, it’s one that’s easily recognizable together with the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.The Western Wall is the holiest site for Jews. Thousands of people — Jews and non-Jews alike — come to this wall every day to pray.

But the commonly known religious site and tourist destination represents only the tip of the Western Wall complex. Its main treasures are found inside a tunnel excavated by Charles Warren from 1864 to 1870.

The tunnel follows the street level of the first century, which lies about 30 feet (9 meters) below the current level of the Western Wall plaza where the tourists and worshipers usually gather. It exposes magnificent stones measuring 45 by 9.8 by 11 feet (13.7 by 3 by 3.3 meters) and weighing 520 metric tons. The stones comprised the foundation of a retaining wall that King Herod ordered so he could create a level platform for the temple complex. 

A significant site is found 150 feet (46 meters) inside the tunnel. Above picture is the sealed-off gate, close to the place where the temple’s most Holy place, KOTEL – the Holy of Holies, is believed to have been located. The site of the Western Wall and its tunnel are managed by the Western Wall Heritage Foundation.

The upper part of the Temple Mount where both temples once stood is controlled by the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf foundation, financed by the Kingdom of Jordan. Arabs refer to the place as Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary. The complex includes the golden Dome of the Rock, which stands on the supposed spot on Mount Moriah where Abraham prepared to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice.

The area controlled by the foundation also includes the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site for Muslims who believe it was here that the Prophet Muhammad ascended to the “Divine Presence” on the back of a winged horse—the Miraculous Night Journey, commemorated by one of Islam’s architectural triumphs, the Dome of the Rock shrine. A territorial prize occupied or conquered by a long succession of peoples—including Jebusites, Israelites, Babylonians, Greeks, Persians, Romans, Byzantines, early Muslims, Crusaders, Mamluks, Ottomans and the British—the Temple Mount has seen more momentous historical events than perhaps any other 35 acres in the world.

The Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls are classified as a World Heritage Site.

 During the time of Solomon and of Nehemiah, the walls also encompassed the City of David, an area south of theTemple Mount.

So what exactly is under the golden dome?

The bedrock, or the actual stone, of the top of Mount Moriah. known as the Foundation Stone where all the aforementioned events took place.

(According to a medieval Islamic tradition, the Stone tried to follow Muhammad as he ascended, leaving his footprint here while pulling up and hollowing out the cave below. The impression of the hand of the Archangel Gabriel made as he restrained the Stone from rising, is nearby.) The Stone — known as Even haShetiya in Hebrew and es-Sakhrah in Arabic — is considered the holiest site in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam.)It can be seen covered by the Muslim’s Dome of the Spirits.

This is about 285 feet north of where the Ark of the Covenant would have sat on similar bedrock in the Jewish Temple. Today the Muslim’s Dome of the Rock covers that location.

The Well of Souls, also known in Christianity and Judaism as the Holy of Holies, is a partly natural, partly man-made cave located inside the Foundation Stone under the Dome of the Rock.

Below The Sakhra (rock) in the Dome and shows the possible location of the ark lower left part of exposed rock surface.

This is a closer view of the actual bedrock, or the original rock, from the top of Mount Moriah. It is located under the Muslim’s Dome of the Spirits and is located just outside the Dome of the Rock. Abraham would have walked across parts of this rock when he came up here to sacrifice Isaac.

This would be close to where the Jebusite threshing floor would have actually been located when David purchased Mount Moriah.

Looking across the pavement that has been built over Mount Moriah to create a level surface. This is the site of the ancient Jewish Temple Mount. The golden Dome of the Rock stands where the Jewish Temple formerly stood.Notice the location of Mount Moriah on this map showing Jerusalem’ topography.

In a cave under the sacred rock, there supposedly is a mysterious Well of Souls from which the spirits of the dead can be heard.

Whether it is true or not, the Temple Mount is a place of veneration of believers of the three world religions and has a unique energy that can be really perceived.  The Well of Souls is a supernatural dimension that is guarded by the Archangel Azrael. It is said to hold power over life and death, and it acts as a receptacle for the souls of the departed. From a purely biblical standpoint, the Well of Souls is referenced as Sheol, the pit where un-regenerated souls are held until judgment.

The Foundation Stone in the floor of the 

Dome of the Rock shrine in Jerusalem. 

Photo above showing:

1 The cage-like structure just beyond the hole covers the stairway entrance to the cave beneath the rock

The round hole at upper left penetrates to a small cave, known as the ‘Well of Souls’, below.

3 Rock (Al Sakhra) where Muslims believe Muhammad ascended to the heavens.

The Well of Souls (Arabic: بئر الأرواح ‎ Bir al-Arwah; sometimes translated Pit of Souls, Cave of Spirits, or Well of Spirits in Islam), also known in Christianity and Judaism as the Holy of Holies, is a partly natural, partly man-made cave located inside the Foundation Stone under the Dome of the Rock shrine in Jerusalem.

The name Well of Souls derives from a medieval Islamic legend that at this place the spirits of the dead can be heard awaiting Judgment Day.  The name “Well of Souls” has also been applied more narrowly to a depression in the floor of this cave and to a hypothetical chamber that may exist beneath the floor. The famed 19th-century British explorer Sir Charles Warren could neither prove nor disprove the existence of a hollow chamber below the cave. They believed the sound reportedly heard by visitors was simply an echo in a small fissure beneath the floor.For Believers, the site is known as the Holy of Holies (alluding to the former inner sanctuary within the Temple in Jerusalem) .

Both Jewish and Muslim traditions relate to what may lie beneath the Foundation Stone, the earliest of them found in the Talmud in the former and understood to date to the 12th and 13th centuries in the latter.

The Talmud indicates that the Stone marks the center of the world and serves as a cover for the Abyss (Abzu) containing the raging waters of the Flood.Muslim tradition likewise places it at the center of the world and over a bottomless pit with the flowing waters of Paradise underneath. A palm tree is said to grow out of the River of Paradise here to support the Stone.Noah is said to have landed here after the Flood. The Mosaic floor covers the opening to the well of souls.

The souls of the dead are said to be audible here as they await the Last Judgment, although this is not a mainstream view in Sunni Islam.

The Foundation Stone and its cave entered fully into the European Christian tradition after the Crusaders recaptured Jerusalem in 1099 and converted the Dome of the Rock into a church, calling it the Templum Domini, (Latin for the Temple of the Lord).They made many radical physical changes to the site at this time, including cutting away much of the rock to make staircases with 16 marble steps and paving the Stone over with marble slabs.

They certainly enlarged the main entrance of the cave and probably are also responsible for creating the shaft ascending from the center of the chamber. The Crusaders called the cave the “Holy of Holies” and venerated it as the possible site of the announcement of John the Baptist’s birth, since Luke says it happened in the Temple.

  (Modern scholarship indicates that the Temple Holy of Holies was probably on top of the Foundation Stone, not inside it.)Here the original granary, (similar to picture above), where the corn was threshed or rather trodden out, upon the plain on either side, and winnowed from the Rock.The entrance to the cave is at the southeast angle of the Foundation Stone, beside the southeast pier of the Dome of the Rock (Sakhrah) shrine. On the way down, bedrock masses project in towards the stair; the one to the right is called “the tongue”. (because, according to legend, when Caliph Umar thought he had discovered the stone which was Jacob’s Pillar in his vision at Bethel, he exclaimed, “Es Salámo Alaykúm” (“Peace be unto thee”), and the stone answered Caliph Umar, “Alaykúm us Salám, wa Rahmat-Ullahi” (“Peace be to thee, and the mercy of God”).To the left (south) as one descends is a prayer niche where David prayed. 

To the right is a shallower, but ornately decorated, prayer niche dedicated to where Solomon traditionally prayed; and where Abraham and Elijah and Mohammed met on the occasion of his night flight upon El Borak.

This mihrab is certainly one of the oldest in the world, considered to date at least back to the late 9th century. (Some even suggest that it dates back to the 7th century and to the time of Abd al-Malik, builder of the Dome of the Rock — making it the oldest in the world — but this is disputed.

The cave chamber is roughly square, about 6 meters on a side, and ranges from 1.5 to 2.5 meters (about 4.9 to ~8.2 feet) high.

At the center of the ceiling is a shaft, 0.46 meter in diameter, which penetrates 1.7 meters up to the surface of the Stone above. It has been proposed that this is the 4,000-year-old remnant of a shaft tomb. Another theory is that it represents a Crusader “chimney” cut for ventilation to accommodate lighted shrine candles.Still others have tried to make a case that it was part of a drainage system for the Temple altar of Sacrifice; that the cave was the cistern for the blood, which ran off by the Bir el Arwáh, (Well of Souls) into the Valley of Hinnom.

There are no rope marks within the shaft, so it has been concluded that it was never used as a well, with the cave as cistern. The ceiling of the cave appears natural, while the floor has been long ago paved with marble and carpeted over.So now we know what is under that golden dome and next time we see a photograph it will serve as a reminder of its place in our history and that it reveals another of the reasons for its ownership and possession being such hotly disputed territory. 

Shalom..

Please don’t leave this page before making certain Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

It’s all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.

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You can have His love – His Forgiveness – His Grace and His Compassion and live like Royalty in the Womb of His Mercy..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…Don’t put it off one more day…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.You are now Born Again by the Holy Spirit of the Living God and you are part of the ever growing family of believers. You will never be the same again!