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​Temples (Mt. Zion)

בית המקדש – "House" or "Dwelling Place"

 

House of the Lord​

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Built in ancient times as well as today / After Romans destroyed the Second Temple in 70 AD, Jewish worship changed / Jews today worship at the Western Wall (their holiest site) which is the closest wall to where the temple stood / see also Temple Mount

 

PRE-TEMPLE​​

• Jews believe the Foundation Stone is where the creation of the world began (Gen. 1)

• Abraham climbed Mt. Moriah to sacrifice his son Isaac (Gen. 22:1-18)

• The Tabernacle was a portable temple

• David brought the Ark of Covenant to his city (see City of David)

 

FIRST TEMPLE (Temple of Solomon):

• Solomon built and dedicated the first temple on Mt. Moriah/Mt. Zion (1 Kgs. 6–9; 2 Chr. 3–7)

• Hezekiah cleansed the temple (2 Chr. 29:16)

• Josiah repaired and found the book of the law (2 Chr. 34)

• Micah prophesied it would be destroyed (Jer. 26:18)

• Babylonians destroyed it after the fall of Jerusalem (2 Kgs. 25:8–17)

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SECOND TEMPLE (Temple of Zerubbabel or Herod's Temple):

• Zerubbabel and others built Second Temple; vessels were restored (Ezra 1–6)

• Rebuilt and enlarged by Herod the Great

• Zacharias was struck dumb for not believing Elisabeth would conceive (Luke 1:5–23)

• Joseph III and Mary presented infant Jesus; Simeon II and Anna prophesied (Luke 2:22–38)

• Young Jesus taught doctors of the law (Luke 2:41–50)

• Satan tempted Jesus at the pinnacle (see Temple Mount)

• Jesus cleansed the temple (see Temple Mount​)

• Jesus taught often at the temple, including daily during His last mortal week (John 7–8; 10:22–39; Luke 19:47–21:4; 21:37–38); prophesied of the destruction of the temple (Mark 13:1–2)

• Judas Iscariot cast down betrayal pieces of silver (Matt. 27:5)

• Veil of the temple was rent after Christ’s death (Matt. 27:51)

• Peter and John healed a cripple and taught; arrested (see Temple Mount​)

• People accused Paul of bringing Greeks into the inner courts; Paul was arrested and addressed the crowd (Acts 21:26–22:22)

• Romans destroyed it in 70 AD

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OTHER TEMPLE:

• Jews in exile built temples elsewhere, including in Tel Arad, Elephantine, Egypt (see list)

• Nephites built a temple in the Promised Land (2 Ne. 5:16)

• After being refused worship in the Second Temple, Samaritans built a temple on Mt. Gerizim that was later destroyed by John Hyrcanus (2 Macc.)

• First latter-day temple built and dedicated in 1836 in Kirtland, OH (D&C 109); others have followed (D&C 124)

• A future temple will be built in Jerusalem (Ezek. 40–48; Zech. 8:7–9)​​

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