Based on excerpts from THE SITE OF SOLOMON'S TEMPLE by Nathan L. Kaplan, 1998
Also see a list of accompanying Temple Study: Maps And Charts (The web site this informaiton wa son is no longer working, but I decided to leave this information on my page anyways).
To begin, I would greatly encourage you to go to this site and read Kaplan's quite lengthy description of Solmon's Temple and his charts and maps. What I have quoted here is a drop in the bucket. I only present some excerpts here. With this report are an assortment of drawings, diagrams and maps showing what he speaks about in his research. The research material used in his paper is listed as: "The JPS Tanach and the KJV have been used and compared as Scriptural sources. Other sources used are Josephus, Mishnah, Talmud, Renewed Covenant, archaeological, geological and other religious and historical references."
What stood out like a sore thumb as I read his research was this scripture:
2 Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2 Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
Though I, and others I've read, have assumed that the Man of Sin would sit in the Holy of Holies when he is revealed, that may not be true, and you will understand that more clearly as I comment on some excerpts from Kaplan's work. In his opening remarks, Kaplan states,
The Court of the Column, The King's Pillar, and the "Middle of the Way"The place to begin in the description of the site of Solomon's Temple is the "center" point at the inner gate of Nicanor. It will, however, be necessary to digress from this site at times to other locations within the temple area. It was in the center at Nicanor's Gate that Solomon placed a "brazen scaffold" (kiyor - platform) which opened onto the Court of the Priests and the area of the Altar. It was seven and a half feet long, seven and a half feet wide and four and a half feet high. Scripture states he placed it in the "midst" of the court, upon which he stood and kneeled down before the congregation, humbly praying to YHVH to accept the "house" of His Name (Beth Shem) and for dedication of the temple.
"Solomon had made a bronze PLATFORM and placed it in the midst of the Great Court; it was 5 cubits long and 5 cubits wide and 3 cubits high" [2 Chronicles 6:13, JPS].
"For Solomon had made a brasen SCAFFOLD [kiyor - platform, pillar], of five cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high, and had set it in the MIDST [tavek - center] OF THE COURT" [2 Chronicles 6:13; KJV; see also vs. 14-42].
When he had completed his prayer:
"the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house. And THE PRIESTS COULD NOT ENTER INTO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, BECAUSE THE GLORY OF THE LORD HAD FILLED THE LORD'S HOUSE" [2 Chronicles 7:1-2; KJV].
Because of the miracle done at this gate:
"Solomon consecrated the CENTER OF THE COURT in front of the House of the LORD" [2 Chronicles 7:7; JPS].
"Solomon hallowed the MIDDLE OF THE COURT that was BEFORE THE HOUSE OF THE LORD" [2 Chronicles 7:7; KJV].
You will see that this place "before the House of the Lord" is quite possibly where the Man of Sin SITS when he is revealed at the midpoint of Daniel's 70th week,
2 Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 2 Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
These signs and wonders mentioned in these verses from 2 Thessalonians to issue in the Man of Sin will be performed by the false prophet,
Rev 13:12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. Rev 13:13 And he doeth great wonders, SO THAT HE MAKETH FIRE COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN ON THE EARTH IN THE SIGHT OF MEN, Rev 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
Scripture says that this seating himself by Antichrist where he declares himself to be God will also be accompanied by the work of the false prophet, such as "that he maketh fire come down from heaven on earth in the sight of men." Fire coming down from heaven is the very thing that occurred at this gate in the Temple which caused this platform to be built in the center of the Court before the Holy of Holies. Let's read on and see what Kaplan says about this particular spot in the Temple, because it is very important when the King is present:
The brazen platform (kiyor, and not the brazen altar) became known as the "pillar" or "column" of the King (or "Rosh" - chief prince, nasi, etc.). It was the "head" (or Rosh) stone of the temple. This also set the precedent for the king or ROSH to stand in this spot, in the Face of YHVH (or "Before the LORD") when worshipping or speaking to the congregation. Apparently, this brazen pillar was replaced at a later date with a "slab", or some other stone. . . .
We are familiar with the word "Rosh" or "Chief Prince" as it refers to Gog, who comes from the North upon Israel in the lat days:
Ezek 38:2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the CHIEF PRINCE (Rosh) of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, Ezek 38:3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
This is the Man of Sin - Gog, Chief Prince of Meshech and Tubal - who walks into the temple and declares himself to be God. He is the Anti-christ, meaning the replacement of Christ in order to deceive to take the place of the true "Chief Prince" of Israel, the head, the King chosen by God to rule the world with a rod of iron at His return: the Lord Jesus Christ.
But there is much more that is anticipatory of the events of the middle of Daniel's 70th week in the research of Kaplan's and the Temple. He goes on to say,
It was upon Solomon's "pillar" (ammud) or platform that Joash and Josiah were placed when they were anointed as Kings of Judah "as the mishpat (divine law) was", a "fixed spot" (omed) where the king was to speak to the congregation, reading aloud from the book of Torah. This is what Josiah did after Hilkiah the priest had found the book of the Torah in the "House of the Lord":"The king went up to the House of the LORD with all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the Levites -- all the people, young and old -- and HE READ TO THEM THE ENTIRE TEXT OF THE COVENANT SCROLL that was found in the House of the LORD. The king STOOD IN HIS PLACE and solemnized the covenant BEFORE THE LORD: to follow the LORD and observe His commandments, His injunctions, and His laws with all his heart and soul, to fulfill all the terms of the covenant written in this scroll" [2 Chronicles 34:30-31; JPS].
"And the king went up INTO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, and all the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites (Jacob Neusner's translation of the Mishnah states that this platform was later used for the Levites), and all the people [the Israelites in the outer courts], great and small: AND HE READ IN THEIR EARS ALL THE WORDS OF THE BOOK OF THE COVENANT THAT WAS FOUND IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD. And THE KING STOOD IN HIS PLACE [omed - the fixed spot], and made a covenant before the LORD [i.e. facing the Holy of Holies, in the "face" of YHVH] to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book" [2 Chronicles 34:30-31 KJV].
That the "fixed spot" (or omed) is also the platform or column in the center of the courts is made clear:
"She [Athaliah] looked about and saw THE KING STANDING BY THE PILLAR, as was the custom, the chiefs with their trumpets beside the king, and all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets" [2 Kings 11:14; JPS].
"And when she [Athaliah] looked, behold, THE KING STOOD BY A PILLAR [ammud - pillar, column, platform] as the mishpat [divine law] was, and the princes and the trumpeters by the king and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew with trumpets" [2 Kings 11:14 KJV].
Again:
"THE KING STOOD - BY THE PILLAR - [JPS notes: "on a platform", cf. Targum] and solemnized the covenant BEFORE THE LORD: that they would follow the LORD and observe His commandments, His injunctions, and His laws with all their heart and soul; that they would fulfill all the terms of this covenant as inscribed upon the scroll. And all the people - entered into - [JPS notes: Cf. Targum] the covenant" [2 Kings 23:3; JPS].
"And the KING STOOD BY A PILLAR [ammud], and made a covenant BEFORE THE LORD [i.e. in the center, in the face of God], to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were WRITTEN IN THIS BOOK. And all the people stood to the covenant" [2 Kings 23:3; KJV].
Once again:
"She looked about and SAW THE KING STANDING BY HIS PILLAR AT THE ENTRANCE [Inner Nicanor, the entering in of the Sanctuary], the chiefs with their trumpets beside the king, and all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and the singers with musical instruments leading the hymns" [2 Chronicles 23:13; JPS].
"And she looked, and, behold, the KING STOOD AT HIS PILLAR [ammud] AT THE ENTERING IN [at the Inner gate Nicanor], and the princes and the trumpets by the king: and all the people of the land rejoiced, and sounded with trumpets, also the singers with instruments of music, and such as taught to sing praise" [2 Chronicles 23:13; KJV].
And lastly it is important to note this:
"Hilkiah spoke up and said to the scribe Shaphan, 'I have found a SCROLL OF THE TEACHING in the House of the LORD" [2 Chronicles 34:15; JPS].
"And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I HAVE FOUND THE BOOK OF THE LAW IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD" [2 Chronicles 34:15; KJV].
Associated with the Nicanor Gate were both the King's Pillar (or "Column") and the Book of Torah. This area was, in fact, the "Court of the Column" mentioned in the Copper Scroll (on which more later).
This brings us to what we have been leading up to as insight into Daniel's 70th week:
Even King Agrippa followed the pattern of standing on a platform to speak to the people. He had, in fact, stood on a "wooden dais" at this spot and read Torah to the people: "At the conclusion of the first day of the Festival of Tabernacles, in the eighth year, at the outgoing of the sabbatical year in a septennate, a WOODEN DAIS IS ERECTED FOR THE KING IN THE TEMPLE COURT, AND HE SITS ON IT. The sexton of the synagogue takes THE TORAH SCROLL and gives it to the head of the synagogue, the head of the synagogue gives it to the deputy high priest, the deputy high priest gives it to the high priest, and the HIGH PRIEST GIVES IT TO THE KING. The king stands up to receive it, but sits down WHEN HE IS TO READ IT. King Agrippa, however, stood up to receive it and read it standing, for which the sages commended him" [B. Sotah 41b]. The King takes the scroll of the Law, but SITS DOWN to read it to all of Israel that is present. Is this the place where this scripture is fulfilled:
2 Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 2 Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; SO THAT HE AS GOD SITTETH IN THE TEMPLE OF GOD, SHOWING HIMSELF THAT HE IS GOD. 2 Th 2:5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 2 Th 2:6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 2 Th 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 2 Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:One would wonder also if this not also type of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, but I will let you look into that as you read what Kaplan writes later in his paper:
Ezekiel calls the Nicanor Gate the "gate of the Prince" [nasi - king, prince, exalted one, commonly known as the King Messiah], who is the King (or Rosh) and High Priest of Israel. The "column" might be called by Ezekiel the "post" of the threshold (mezuzah - the "conspicuous", "prominent" post) [Ezekiel 46:2; KJV] "of the gate" [Inner Nicanor], which is the "gate of the Prince" [Ezekiel 46:2; KJV]. A specific point is thus determined by this "column": the "middle of the way", which is in the center of the GREAT THRESHOLD of the Sanctuary. . . .To discuss the Great Threshold, it is necessary also to discuss the Tadi Gate, which is the Gate of the Altar, where Scripture places the "image of jealousy" [this will be explained later; Ezekiel 9:3; KJV; the JPS calls the inner gate the Penimith Gate]. The word peniymiy is derived from paniymn/paneh and means "facing", and from paneh meaning "angle", "pinnacle", or "corner". It was this Penimith Gate that, in fact, stood by the "cornerstone" of the Temple. The Nicanor Gate stood in the center of this threshold. As mentioned earlier, it was the "Gate of the Prince": "Then he brought me back the WAY of the gate of [toward] the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it was shut. Thus saith the LORD unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the LORD, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut. IT IS FOR THE PRINCE [nasi - king, ruler, Messiah]; the prince he shall sit in it to eat bread before the LORD [at the southern door where the menchah of the High Priest was prepared]; he shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go out by the way of the same" [Ezekiel 44:1-3; KJV]. It is at that Inner Nicanor Gate that the Prince (King Messiah) shall worship God just as Solomon did when he dedicated the Temple.
Though the Man of Sin must come, one will come after him in victory to lead God's people into His kingdom, one who has the right to stand before the Face of the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ.