“Not the Mama!”

Remember the animatronics television series of a while back called “Dinosaurs”? It only ran a few years in the early 1990s. (I guess that certainly dates me!) Well, one of the memorable lines was from the baby, who when the mama had to be away, would tell the papa, “Not the Mama!”

 

The papa was trying to fill the mama’s role, but the baby was not going to have anything to do with it. Baby dinosaur knew the difference and wanted the real thing, no substitutes.

 

It is easy to settle for what is disguising itself, attempting to be a substitute for something else. Modern-day Jews and Christians alike have been caught up in such a deception but should be echoing the baby dinosaur, “Not the Mama!”

 

I’ve always felt there’s something suspicious about the Temple Mount. This summer, God’s Word and several archaeologists have made it clear why. The Temple Mount is, so to speak, “Not the Mama!”

 

The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the “I am,” told the disciples as they stood outside the Temple that “not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.” (Matthew 24:2 NASB) Not one! When God speaks, His word is always true to the detail. No exception.

 

The prophet, Micah, foretold that the Holy City would be plowed under (3:12). And, so it happened. Many years after the Temple was destroyed, in 135 A.D., the Romans under Hadrian destroyed Jerusalem to the extent they ran a plow over much of it, including the ground where the Temple once stood. It happened just as our God said it would.

 

But there’s more. Various Old Testament scriptures liken the City of David to Mount Zion and Mount Zion to the Temple location, which means the location of the three share an identity. The Temple was in the City of David, just south of the current Temple Mount.

 

And there’s even more. Historians, including Josephus, identify the so-called Temple Mount as the Fortress Antonia, built and named by Herod. Josephus adds that the Temple and the Fortress were separated by 600 feet. If this is true, those praying at the Western Wall are praying at the foundation wall of an enemy’s fortress. It's definitely not a Temple wall of any sort as Jesus said, "not one stone here will be left upon another."

 

Yet, will this eye witness truth in today's time of information availability make a difference to modern-day Israel? I’m not sure. Somehow, I doubt it. Tradition is hard to overcome. Most are so set on this “Not the Mama” they even argue against the plain word of Scripture, rebuking those who claim otherwise. As Jesus once said, man’s tradition has a way of nullifying the word of God.

Do some research yourself. This is the age of information. For example, here is one link (among many available) to an article by Robert Cornuke that makes the facts plain and simple: http://www.khouse.org/articles/2015/1223/.

 

You decide. Is the current Temple Mount “Not the Mama”?