Where God Lived, The temples of the Israelites.

Where God Lived,

The Temples of the Israelites.

The Tabernacle or "dwelling place", according to the Old Testament, was the portable tent-like structure for the divine presence of God from the time of the Exodus from Egypt through the conquering of the land of Canaan. This was the structure that contained the Arc of the Covenant. The Tabernacle was built to specifications revealed by God to Moses at Mount Sinai, and described in Exodus 25-31 and 35-40. This structure accompanied the Israelites on their wanderings in the wilderness and their conquest of the Promised Land.

The First permanent structure, built in Jerusalem, superseded the Tabernacle as the dwelling-place of God among the Israelites. This building, known as the First Temple or Solomon's Temple, was build approximately 1000 BC. 1 Kings 6:1-38, 1 Kings Chapter 7, and Chapter 8 describe the construction and dedication of the Temple under King Solomon. This Temple stood in the same area as the current Muslim shrine, the Dome of the Rock. In 587 BC Jerusalem and the Solomon's Temple were destroyed by the Babylonians who carried the Israelites away into captivity.  

Remains of the 2nd Temple

Exiles returning form Babylon rebuilt a modest replacement temple at the same location from 535 to 516 BC. This structure became know as the Second Temple. This structure was repaired and enlarged by Herod the Great beginning in 20 BC. It was during this rebuilding that the current footprint of the Temple Mount area was established. In 70 AD the Second Temple was destroyed by Roman troops under Titus during the Siege of Jerusalem. Remnants of the destruction can still be seen at the base of the Temple mount walls where massive building stones lie in a jumble after Roman troops pushed everything over the edge.