Two Christian tourists toured Israel in the Summer of 2020 and produced an absolutely amazing short film on the Temple Mount. Some Christian beliefs are included in the film, but this is not a film about religion as much as it is about the amazing history of this fascinating location that is at the nexus of so much that happens in the Land of Israel.

The Temple Mount is the Holiest Site of the Jewish people – for at least 3,000 years. Beforehand, it was also the site where Abraham purportedly went up to sacrific his own son, Isaac, but was prevented at the very last moment by an Angel of God. It is the location that King David, around 1,000 years later, would purchase in order to build the 1st Temple. But God told him that his son, Solomon, would build the Temple. Indeed, King Solomon built the Temple there and it stood for more than 400 years until the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar destroyed it.

The 2nd Temple stood there for 400+ years, in the very same place. It was rebuilt in several stages. First, Ezra and Nehemiah built it there. Later on, it was enhance by King Herod. But the Roman Empire, around 2,000 years ago, destroyed the Temple, killed hundreds of thousands of Jews, and dispersed the Jewish people. Some stayed in the Land of Israel, but the center of the Jewish people shifted out of Israel.

For nearly 2,000 years, the Jewish people dreamed and prayed about the Temple. It was recalled at all wedding ceremonies, daily prayers, Passover Seders and all meals with bread. The Temple was always the heart of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was always the heart of the Jewish people’s yearning throughout the exiles. Today, the entire history is unfolding via these fascinating archaeological finds.