Ian Heard's Blog - Until we see

Locating Jerusalem's temples using only the Bible

27/4/2022

‘THE TEMPLE QUEST
Biblical Evidence for the true location’

This is Ian's latest book, an E-Book, in which he shows, using only the Biblical text, where the temples of Jerusalem stood.

And here’s an excerpt from Marilyn Sams’s Foreword and below, the Chapter Headings

‘Through enlightening discussions of extensive biblical passages, Ian illustrates how the Jews thoroughly understood what "the place" meant to the Jewish psyche or soul, but which most often escapes the modern reader. He clearly proves the location of the temple to be above the Gihon Spring in Jerusalem, and this by using only biblical passages. His ability to tease out new information from familiar scriptures and provide new insights is remarkable and rewarding.’

FOREWORD: Marilyn Sams
INTRODUCTION
1. The Grand Scheme
2. The Patriarchs and Hamakom
3. Competing Bethels: The Bethel of Yaakov—and the ‘Bethel’ of Jeroboam
4. Moses and Hamakom
5. Joshua, Jericho, Ai, and Bethel
6. The Overlooked Importance of Gihon
7. Jebus Becomes Zion and the City of David
8. David, Zion and Hamakom in the Psalms
9. ‘X’ Marks the Spot, and a Threshing Floor Is Declared ‘Bethel’
10. Jeremiah, Hamakom, King Josiah and Bethel
11. The Temple in the Middle of the City!
12. Nehemiah’s Reconnaissance, the Walls, and the Dedication
13. John’s Gospel and Ho Topos (Ha Makom)
EPILOGUE

THE TEMPLE QUEST can be purchased and downloaded for immediate reading by clicking HERE
Get your copy today

THE TEMPLE QUEST

16/4/2022

In my latest book, 'THE TEMPLE QUEST' I uncover the meaning and mystery of the ancient Biblical site which became known as 'The Place' (HaMakom). Through the Patriarchal period and on, right through to King David and the Prophets, this name and site had become embedded in the life and soul of the nation, Israel, in a way that the modern reader may easily miss.
Using only Biblical references to uncover the mystery, THE TEMPLE QUEST will astound you and provide clear evidence and fresh understanding about the location of Jerusalem's temples.

The Foreword has been written by Marilyn Sams, author of, among others, 'The Jerusalem Temple Mount Myth'.

'THE TEMPLE QUEST' by Ian Heard is available now, only as an e-book at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1142592

NEHEMIAH'S RECONNAISSANCE OF THE CITY OF DAVID & THE DEDICATION MARCH ON THE WALL

25/3/2022

AN EXCERPT FROM UPCOMING BOOK, ‘The Temple Quest and Gihon Spring’

Copyright: Ian Heard March 25, 2022
The map at left is used with the kind permission of Marilyn Sams, author of 'The Jerusalem Temple Mount Myth'
I have added a red spot indicating an approximate position of Ein Rogel, the Serpent Well.

'Nehemiah exits the City of David (note, City of David is the name used by Nehemiah in 3:15 & 12:37), via the Valley Gate (the ‘valley’ being the Tyropeon Valley) on the west and proceeds (anti-clockwise) in the direction of, or towards, a) the Serpent Well, the approximate location of which I have added to the map with a red spot; and b) the Refuse Gate. Note that the Hebrew word used here by Nehemiah and translated towards or in the direction of, is PANEH meaning to face, or facing. He is giving us the direction he was facing and in which he went and he provides two landmarks. The first is the somewhat distant Serpent Well, so called because it was beside a stone known as Koheleth (serpent) in 1 Kings 1:9. That well is Ein Rogel in the valley south-east of the City of David and it could be accessed by a gate known as the Gate of the Fountain on our map. (Note that it was also known in ancient times as the ‘Well of Nehemiah’[1]). From that gate it was a walk of about 300 metres, perhaps more, to the Serpent Well. The well is within earshot of Gihon—at least for loud trumpet blasts and shouting—although about 600-700 metres from it as Adonijah discovered in his nefarious attempt to gazump Solomon for the throne of David (see the story in 1 Kings 1 and note verses 40 & 41). The Serpent Well was a landmark on the boundary between Judah and Benjamin[2] that was still intact and well-known to Nehemiah and the people of the City of David. He also mentions the Refuse or Dung Gate which you see on the map. He was headed in a south to south-east direction to go around the bottom of the City of David and he then turned northward into the Kidron Valley as verse 15 indicates. He calls it NACHAL in Hebrew, the Valley of the Torrent—another name for Kidron, where the overflow from Gihon ran southward. As he proceeds up the Kidron Valley, he examines the derelict wall (v.15) and then turns back, retraces his steps and re-enters the city by the Valley Gate.

Nehemiah does not tell us how far northward up Kidron he examined, but since he makes no mention of of Gihon but only of the stream bed or wadi into which it flowed—and since he is naming recognised landmarks, we can safely assume he did not need to go past Gihon as explained below.

Since we can be pretty certain of the extent of his reconnaissance—and since his concern, as he stated, was the citadel[3] which pertains to the temple, and the reconnaissance included only the lower half of the City of David and its derelict walls and gates, our conclusion must be that the temple was within that defined area.
Certainly when it came to the repairing and building of the walls and gates the builders encompassed more than that lower section of the City of David and it may be that on his way into Jerusalem from the north, he had already seen in daylight much of the upper section. But it remains clear that Nehemiah’s special interest was that southern area defined as from Gihon on the east to the western valley (near the Valley Gate) and southward which we can therefore reasonably assume ‘pertained’ to the citadel of the temple in which his zeal was invested.

So we come to the reading of the Law in Chapter 8 followed by the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles and then in Chapters 9 through 11, confession of sins and renewal of the covenant and the dedication procession on the repaired wall. But we should take note that it is Ezra the Scribe who is commissioned to read from the Book of the Law. It is a momentous and inspiring event. Ezra would have brought the scroll out of the temple precinct—and where would that reading of the Law to the people of God most appropriately take place? Of course, in the open square right in front of the temple that housed it as we see in Chapter 8. That open square, coincidentally is noted by the writer as being ‘in front of the Water Gate’ (verses 1 and 3), that is, the gate that provided access to Gihon Spring which gurgled and bubbled away beneath the great structure that had been built out and over it enclosing it as part of the City of David; the tower that is described in Nehemiah 3:25, 26 and 27 as the projecting tower (or the tower that juts out).

Something even more noteworthy however, is to be seen in Nehemiah’s account of all these events. It is this: first in Chapter 8, Ezra reads as the people stand in the square and we note in verse 7 that the people stood in ‘their place.’ Again in Chapter 9 where we see the confession of sins and in verses 2 and 3, those of Israelite lineage separate themselves and—note—‘stood up in their place.’ This was a very solemn occasion and this surely can only mean that the people were arranged to take their place within their designated area such as the Court of the Gentiles, the court of the Israelites, the Court of the Women etc. And then we read that Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood ‘on the ascent (stairs) of the Levites.’ The location of the Temple is crystallising.

So, we move forward to the extraordinary event of the dedication of the completed wall in Nehemiah chapter 12 and once again the compass of the City of David is seen. One group of choristers and musicians go as Nehemiah had on his reconnaissance tour, to the south and around the bottom of the City of David and the other group, with Nehemiah behind, proceed north and around the top of the City. But, of utmost importance is the location at which the two groups meet. It was at ‘the Beyt-El’ (House of God) as Nehemiah 12:40 tells us—quite certainly where Ezra had read the Law. The group walking around the south, led by Ezra came around the southern tip, past the house of David and proceeded north, halting at the Water Gate on the east, that is, at the tower that juts out—at Gihon. The northbound group marched… ‘past the Tower of the Ovens as far as the Broad Wall, and above the Gate of Ephraim, above the Old Gate, above the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate; and they stopped by the Gate of the Prison.’
‘So’ writes Nehemiah, ‘the two thanksgiving choirs stood in the Beyt-El.’ The Beyt-El was right there! (It is noteworthy that again in Nehemiah 8:16 the Beyt-El is mentioned in proximity to the open square at the Water Gate during the Feast of Tabernacles).
The tower that juts out is unmistakeably the structure built out and around the Gihon Spring as shown in Marilyn Sams’s map above, the presence of which has been confirmed archaeologically. Clearly the city’s Water Gate was at the Gihon location and from that we are able without contradiction, to pinpoint the Beyt-El.'

[1] See ‘The Bir Ayyub Well (En Rogel) at Jerusalem: a New Plan and Discussion Based on Maps and Historic Photographs’ Shimon Gibson 2012.
[2] Ibid
[3] Of interest here is Psalm 48 where the Psalmist sings of the glory of Zion’s citadels or palaces (plural). Zion contained the palaces of both the heavenly King and the earthly king.

‘In SALEM is His tabernacle... And His dwelling place in ZION’ (Psalm 76)

10/10/2021

Note: The words above from Psalm 76 are typical Hebrew poetic parallelism and means therefore, that Salem and Zion are the same place.

Asaph who penned these words, was a prominent Levite singer and seer in David’s court and was the son of Berachiah of the tribe of Levi.
His song mentions the tabernacle or tent which has to be the tent David pitched at Gihon to house the ark and the sacred items, including the anointing oil.
We notice that Asaph uses the very ancient name for this special site where the ‘priest of God most high’ dwelt—yes Melchizedek—who came out to meet Abraham and to bless him.

Asaph sees the site, with the tent and the presence of God dwelling there as the centre from which the enemies of Israel met their destruction. It was the earthly throne of Yahweh.

Asaph identifies the ancient Salem of Melchizedek with Zion and both are associated with the ‘tabernacle.’ This can only be the tent erected by David after he took Zion which he then called the City of David.
We know that this tent (or tabernacle) was at Gihon.
As the sacred site, recognised by David--the site that had been occupied by Melchizedek, the precursor and 'type' of Messiah, it was where the permanent temple must have been erected.

‘This MOUNT ZION where you have dwelt’ (Psalm 74:2b)

2/9/2021

Asaph’s contemplation in Psalm 74 is about the desolations of the temple of Solomon after its destruction and is a plea for relief from the oppressors. He says ‘the enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary’ (v.3b) and says in verses 6 & 7, ‘they break down its carved work, all at once with axes and hammers. They have set fire

to your sanctuary; they have defiled the dwelling place of your name to the ground.’

Where was this ‘sanctuary’—the temple?

Note how Asaph described the location of the sanctuary, the temple in verse 2b…’this MOUNT ZION where you have dwelt’ (v.2b).
David had also said, ‘For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place “This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it.”’ (Psalm 132:13-14)

God had chosen MOUNT ZION! David knew God’s plan and that is why he knew he had to wrest the ancient site from the Jebusites who had long held it.
‘Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David)’ 1 Chronicles 11:5.
‘…the City of David, which is Zion’ 1 Kings 8:1.

There are quite a few other references which equate Zion with the City of David, that somewhat crescent-shaped neck or ridge of land running north/south above the Kidron Valley and the Spring, Gihon (see the City of David area outlined in yellow in the 1930 aerial view above).

David’s conquest of the stronghold called Zion—re-named by him as the City of David—was via the ‘tsinnor’ or water shaft above the Gihon Spring.
There can be no association of that site with the site some 200 -300 metres north which has erroneously become known as Temple Mount.

This site near the Gihon Spring was deeply impressed in the psyche of Israel because it was the site which had become special to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who all had significant events there and all called the site HaMakom—The Place.

Zion has not moved. The City of David was Zion—and therefore the site of Solomon’s temple, somewhere above Gihon Spring which provided the ‘living water’ that typified the life-giving presence of God among His people.

Get the full story by reading 'THE PLACE, HaMakom: where Jerusalem's temples stood' (Amazon worldwide, Koorong Books, Booktopia etc)

THE 'HOUSE' AT THE RIVER... (Psalm 36:8-9)

5/8/2021

Psalm 36 comes from David, so God’s ‘house’ that he speaks of in verse 8 would have been the temporary tent that he had erected at Gihon for the Ark and the sacred furnishings from the old Tabernacle.

We know that the anointing oil was
there because he instructed the priest and prophet to take Solomon down to Gihon and anoint him there (1 Kings 1:33-35).

So…when David says in Psalm 36:8-9 ‘they are abundantly satisfied with the fulness of your house, and, you give them to drink from the river of your pleasures, for with you is the fountain of life’, the picture is of the site he had created with the tent or tabernacle at the Gihon Spring. Gihon is 'the river' and 'the fountain' at the 'house.'

That site, known as HaMakom throughout the Old Testament was recognised by David as the ‘X’ spot of history which God had marked to the Patriachs with His presence. When he gave his son Solomon the plans God had put in his heart (1 Chronicles 28) it would have been for near the Gihon/HaMakom site where the ‘river of God’ flowed. In my view Gihon’s gushing waters were piped up to service the temple requirements for copious washings. It provided the type of the ‘living water’ that flows at the throne of God.

See details by clicking on 'THE PLACE HaMakom; where Jerusalem's temples stood'

‘SPRINGING UP into eternal life’

8/6/2021

The Temple and the Spring...

In the quote above, Jesus was talking to the Samaritan woman about the kind of water He could give her to drink...‘living water’ that would not only totally quench her deepest thirst, but ‘spring up’ from within her also!

When Jesus demonstrated to her that this amazing living water was springing up from within Him as He disclosed secrets about her life, she started in with a discussion (or argument) that raged between Jews and Samaritans at that time about where they should worship.

She said, “you Jews say that IN Jerusalem is The Place where we should worship” (note: not “Jerusalem is the place”) indicating that she was aware of the nickname for the site which had become known since patriarchal times as, The Place. In the Old Testament Hebrew of the patriarchal narratives, this was HaMakom—The Place. It was where Abraham surrendered Isaac and where Jacob had had his dream ‘and called the place (HaMakom), Bethel’ (Beit-El—House of God).

Because the temple was in the City of David somewhere above Gihon Spring (and not on what falsely became called Temple Mount), it had ‘living water’ springing up within it, just as He promised believers (as His new temple or dwelling place in the earth) would have.

For more on this fascinating subject read 'THE PLACE HaMakom; where Jerusalem's temple stood'
Details HERE

WHY A THRESHING FLOOR and WHY A SPRING?

2/4/2021

In the Old Testament, the Jewish Temple was where God presenced Himself among His people as the God who was among--and near and accessible to His own.

The Temple practices and rituals enabled God’s people to draw near to Him--

1. To find mercy and forgiveness and to be cleansed and refined

2. To receive life from Him

The mercy and forgiveness was found as the blood of a substitute animal was taken into the Holy of Holies by the high priest and sprinkled on the ‘mercy seat’ where the ‘Presence’ resided.

That this occurred on a place chosen by God which was once a threshing floor where grain was separated and purified or refined typifies the purifying and refining work of God in lives. John the Baptist said (of Jesus) to the Pharisees and Sadducees, “His winnowing fan is in His hand and He will thoroughly clean His threshing floor and gather His wheat” (Matthew 3:12)

The receiving of life from Him was typified by the presence of living (and life-giving) water at the Temple site, flowing from the Gihon Spring.

Yes, on a threshing floor and at a spring...two essential elements typifying the life of Jesus who takes away the sin of the world, refines those who come to Him--and, gives them (as He said) living water to drink!

'...but the name of that city had been Luz previously’

23/2/2021

‘…and he (Jacob) called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously’ (Genesis 28:19)
On the left above is a fairly accurate depiction of the Mount Moriah complex as it would have appeared from the south and south-east before any structures or settlements there.
The blue line represents the stream of water flowing southward from the Gihon Spring in the Kidron Valley.
To the immediate left (west) of the spring and parallel to the stream is the ridge on which the City of David eventually stood. To the north the ridge tapers and then widens again to a bump on which today stands both the Mosque of Omar and the Shrine, the Dome of the Rock. In the view of many including this author, that bump is erroneously thought to be the site of Jerusalem's ancient temples.

The picture at left also reveals that the Mount Moriah complex as viewed from the high ground to the south would have appeared somewhat like a torso with shoulders, a neck and a head.
The name Luz means either almond or a bone of the neck (or even just neck).
In my view, as the site was developed with a settlement next to and around the Spring, the location became known as The Neck (Luz) and later as The Place (HaMakom) which I also believe is where Jacob had his dream and called the site Beit-El (Bethel or House of God).

Today the City of David area is completely covered with dwellings and buildings as shown in the picture at right which superimposes the area today over the ancient wall and the fortification which once protected the Gihon Spring.

In summary, the area around ancient Gihon became recognised and recognisable (depending on who was speaking and their background) by a number of different names; Salem, Luz, later Bethel then Jebus, Zion, the City of David and Jerusalem. (A modern Australian and simple example of a place with differing names would be the Aboriginal name Uluru which for many years was generally recognised by its European name, Ayers Rock. All over the world there are places known by differing names).

We are informed here in Genesis 28:19 that this site which Jacob named Beit-El (House of God), because of his dramatic encounter, was formerly known as Luz.
It is entirely possible that this piece of land around the Gihon Spring and just to its north where this apparent Neck stood had become known by some as Luz for the reason stated above.

Read the story of 'THE PLACE HaMakom; where Jerusalem's temples stood' available here

THE SPECIAL PLACE on THE SPECIAL PLANET

16/2/2021

That God’s plan for the specially created Planet that he made for a special people should also have a special place should not come as a surprise.

It is where the story of mankind began, where it culminated in the one called Yeshua and where it will be finalised.

This special site became known in the Patriarchal narratives as HaMakom THE PLACE.
The unecessary repetition of the term HaMakom in these narratives is clearly there to emphasise its uniqueness and 'special-ness.'

Here is an excerpt from Professor Yoel Elitzur...

'Ha-makom in Genesis

Once we understand the significance of “the place,” we can see that this keyword – ha-makom – is a keyword that is emphasized in the stories of the patriarchs in the book of Genesis as well. It appears in the story of the binding of Isaac and in Jacob’s Bethel narrative. The proof that the prominent role of the word ha-makom in these passages is no coincidence lies in the fact that often, the word is stressed in the Biblical text much more than what would be linguistically reasonable. That is to say, there are several instances in Genesis where the word ha-makom makes it difficult to understand the simple meaning of the verse. The Torah says:
Jacob left Beer-sheba, and set out for Haran. He came upon that place (ba-makom) and stopped there for the night, for the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of that place (ha-makom), he put it under his head and lay down in that place (ba-makom). (Genesis 28:10-11)

The word appears again shortly thereafter: “Surely the Lord is present in this place (ba-makom)… How awesome is this place (ha-makom)! This is none other than the abode of God, and that is the gateway to heaven” (28:16-17).'

In my view this HaMakom is, THE PLACE--the Special Place is none other than Gihon Spring and the settlemet that grew around it.

Read 'THE PLACE HaMakom; where Jerusalem'e temples stood' to get the full story of the vital importance of this site to the history of the people of God.

Location

Beautiful Newport Beach,
Sydney, AUSTRALIA

What people who've read THE PLACE are saying...

Marilyn Sams - author of The Jerusalem Temple Mount Myth: Ian Heard’s book adds a unique ....aspect to the growing movement of people accepting the City of David location for the temples in Jerusalem. His perspective .....brings many insightful possibilities to the table. Especially moving are his heartfelt expressions of faith in and love for the prophets and the Savior of the world'.
Pastor, Luke Yeghnazar of the Iranian Church of Los Angeles: Wonderful book. I trust it will be distributed widely. I read it with excitement. The reader will want to know what happens next. An exciting book to be read by Christians, Jews and others.

What readers of THE PEOPLE are saying...
The People is an enthralling and innovative approach, not only to telling old familiar stories but using narrative to portray, in a subtle but powerful way, the truth of good and evil in our world . . . There is good and evil, God and Satan, and in every human relationship/interaction and behavior a choice is to be made. The consequences, for those with the spiritual eyes to see, are clear. It is an exceptional and well written piece of work.” Allan Bull, Macquarie University, Sydney.