The Everlasting Foundation of the Heavenly Temple

The first part of the discourse appeared in the Nov/Dec 2002 issue and it is completed below. It begins with further references to archaeological studies of the Temples at Jerusalem.

Yet another fascinating discovery was also made. Next to the Chief Foundation stone a hole was found cut out of the native rock, one foot across and one foot deep. It was filled with earth, which on being cleared away, one of the excavating engineers discovered a small earthenware jar standing in an upright position that had been placed there for some purpose. It is known that the Hebrews bestowed great care on the Chief Foundation stone, and its laying is mentioned a number of times in Kings and Chronicles (2 Ch. 8:16). A ceremony for the laying of this stone for Solomon's Temple is not given in scripture (one is given for the second Temple) but it is thought that the laying of the foundation stone of Solomon's Temple would be laid in the presence of the king and his court with ceremonies befitting the occasion, as the laying of foundation stones was the occasion for celebration (See Job 38.6,7; Isa. 48.13; 51.13).

The discovery of the jar and the character of relics found close by led archaeologists to suspect it had something to do with the ceremony of laying the foundation stone. (See Zech. 3:9, and the Jewish Encyclopaedia). The ritual laying of foundation stones is dealt with in the Encyclopaedia Britannica under "cornerstone", where it is noted that, even in the West, receptacles containing various objects are placed within or nearby such a stone. In the Middle Ages foundation stones of church buildings were anointed with chrism (oil used for baptism, confirmation & ordination).

Under the Mosaic Law prophets, priests and kings were set apart for God's service by being anointed with holy oil. The Tabernacle also, and all its furniture, was dedicated to God by being anointed with the holy oil (Ex. 30:26‑30; see Genesis 18:19; 31:13; 35:14,15 where Jacob anoints a stone, and renames the place 'House of God'). The foundation stone of the Temple would also be anointed with holy oil, to indicate that the sacred edifice was set apart for the service of the Living God. This ancient jar, an oil jar, is thought to have contained the holy oil for the consecration of the foundations, and was subsequently placed by the anointed stone. Of note also are fragments of pottery, one of which bears the stamp of a dove with outspread wings, and although it was used as a symbol of the Phoenician empire, it is also a symbol of the holy spirit that came upon Jesus.

The laying of the foundation stone would undoubtedly be a time of great joy. The laying of the foundation stone for the Second Temple was a time of rejoicing. Ezra writes in chapter 3:10,11: "When the builders laid the foundation of the Temple of the LORD, the priests in vestments were stationed to praise the LORD with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph, with cymbals according to the directions of KingDavid of Israel; and they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD, 'for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel'. And all the people responded with a great shout when they praised that LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid." (NRSV)

When this second, Zerubbabel's Temple was built it was not erected on the original foundation stones that formed a base for the actual Temple building. A new foundation base was laid. They did not have the resources, or the manpower to build as Solomon had. Because the Second Temple was not built on the original foundation base, uneven spaces and levels came about in the outer courtyard. Historians have noted this fact.

The prophet Zechariah was used to encourage the returned exiles and when speaking of their rebuilding in chapter 4 verses 7‑9 he alludes to the joy of seeing another stone brought in and laid, this time as part of the Temple superstructure, above ground: "What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain; and he shall bring out the top stone amid shouts of 'Grace, grace to it!'. Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall complete it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you" (NRSV).

In this text the spirit of prophecy was also pointing towards the Son of God. It was God's Holy Spirit that guided and brought Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, just before He was to be placed not only as the everlasting Foundation Rock and Chief Cornerstone, but also the Headstone or Capstone of all of God's promises and prophecies. When he came into Jerusalem for the last time, a great crowd of people welcomed him and cried out as prophesied: "Hosanna to the son of David. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD! Hosanna in the highest heaven" (Matt. 21.9 NRSV; Luke 19:36‑38).

If events went according to the great law of Moses, the High Priest, one of the Aaronic high-priestly line, would also welcome this King and anoint Him with holy oil as King of Israel, with ceremony and occasion that would outshine other. In fact the High Priest at that time should have been John the Baptiser; he any qualified to be High Priest as he was the genuine descendant of the high-priestly line. But it was not to be this way and Jesus knowing John's High Priestly position in the eyes of God, had approached him for baptism, but it was God Himself who anointed Jesus.

It is interesting to note here that Zechariah uses the expression "Headstone" which is another type of cornerstone, the topmost and crowning stone of a structure. The psalmist testifies to this when writing of the Messiah in Psalm 118:19‑23 (NRSV):

"Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter them and give thanks to the LORD. This is the gate of the LORD. The righteous shall enter through it. I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone. This is the LORD's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes."

It is also interesting to note the time of the bringing in of Jesus into Jerusalem for the last time. Our Lord's public ministry lasted for about three and a half years, this was now His fourth year, when he would lay down His life and become the everlasting foundation of a heavenly Temple and also of a heavenly Jerusalem. New Jerusalem is itself a temple. The city is cubiform like the Holy of Holies in the temple (1 Kings 6:20). New Jerusalem and the new temple is one and the same thing. Revelation 3:12 tell us that faithful ones will become pillars in the temple and bear the name of the New Jerusalem. The picture in Revelation is of God as a temple to the faithful, and the faithful as a temple to God, the New Jerusalem being the new temple in its perfected existence.

It was in the fourth year after over 3 years of preparation that the Chief Foundation stone of Solomon's Temple was laid. In fact, even more astounding, is that in 1 Kings 6:1,37 and in 2 Chron. 3.2,3 we are given the exact date when the foundation stone was laid, in the second month, the month of Ziv. Nisan was the first month and began the year; Ziv was the second month of the year.

When was the foundation of the Second Temple laid? Rebuilding of the Second Temple began under Governor Zerubbabel, High Priest Joshua, and prophets Haggai and Zechariah. The faithful scribe Ezra gives a history of rebuilding, and writes of the laying of the foundation stone in the month of Ziv in the second year of their coming out of Babylon, see Ezra 3:7‑13, and referring to a letter sent to Darius in 5:16 stating that Sheshbazzar (Babylonian name for Zerubbabel) laid the Temple's foundation. 1 Esdras 5.57 also records 'they began, and laid the foundation of God in the new moon of the second month of the second year of their coming to Judah and Jerusalem.' (6) Eventually the work stopped, see Ezra 4.24, and then resumed, see Ezra 5.1,2, and it is then that the rest of the foundation groundwork was completed (see Hag. 2.18; Zech. 7.1; 8.9; Ezra 6.1‑3), sixteen years after the original foundation stone was laid. The foundation stone for the Second Temple was laid in the month of Ziv, the groundwork being completed only 16 years later due to delay and opposition. This is no coincidence. When did Jesus Christ ascend into heaven becoming the unshakeable foundation? He ascended, we know, forty days after His resurrection, not 40 days after His death but His resurrection (Acts 1.3). Counting 40 days from His resurrection in the month of Nisan we arrive at the date of the month of Ziv for the time. Jesus ascended into heaven, the time when 'a tried and precious and a sure foundation stone was laid in heavenly Zion' as Isaiah wrote, placed exactly when the foundation stones of the first and second Temple were laid. It was no coincidence. And Jesus applied Psalm 118, concerning the rejected stone, to His hearers and Himself (Matt. 21:42; Mk. 12:10,11; Lk. 20:17;) right after giving the parable of the Wicked Husbandmen, forming two parables. Those likened to vinedressers who cast the heir out of the vineyard and murdered Him, are now builders throwing the stone aside as useless. But Jesus uses the psalm to give a glimpse of what is to happen to Him after He is killed. He is to become the head of the corner, (Psa. 118.22 ASV) raised to a place of power, that God's purpose would not be defeated (see Acts 4.8‑12; 1 Pet. 2.4‑7; Rom. 9.32,33). He is the ultimate precious stone, the cornerstone of all things.

Once placed in position all else was and is certain. Others knew this also. It seems that fallen elements among God's heavenly sons, demons, united all their efforts to mount an insurrection at that time. They could not crack Jesus' integrity while on Earth; they failed in turning Him aside from faithfulness to His Father. Now they would attempt a direct assault. It appears from the reading of a text in one of Paul's letters (alhough it is not Paul's main point) that Almighty God Himself had to wield almighty power in raising Jesus from the dead and installing him above every other thing. (Eph. 1:15‑23 Williams) "This is why I myself since I have heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus and in all His people, never cease to thank God for you when I mention you in my prayers that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may grant you the Spirit to give wisdom and revelation which comes through a growing knowledge of Him; by having the eyes of your heart enlightened, so that you may know what the hope is to which He calls you, how gloriously rich God's portion in His people is and how surpassingly great is His power for us who believe measured by His tremendously mighty power when He raised Christ from the dead, and seated him at His right hand in heaven, far above every other government, authority, power and dominion, yea far above every other title that can be conferred not only in this world but in the world to come."

It was as though all the demons were struggling to prevent Christ's resurrection and ascension, being necessary for God to wield Almighty power, verse 19, "infinite might" according to Weymouth; "surpassing greatness of his power", (Moffatt; Wilson); "the supremacy of his strength", Lattimore. It suggests great effort. Once risen and ascended Jesus' trials were over, he became the unshakeable foundation of a Temple of worship that can never be overturned because its foundation is immovable.

One of the qualities a foundation stone must possess is this unshakeability. All structural materials have to undergo what is called stress testing to ensure they can withstand loads and strain greater than those they will be subject to, even when the calculations show they can and especially in order to give the materials a margin of safety.

The testing of Jesus down here was in no way a lack of confidence on God's part, for He had already, even thousands of years previously, expressed the utmost confidence in Him. Jesus, even before coming to Earth was no novice likely to fail. The writer of Hebrews also informs us in chapter 2:17 that in order to meet the requirements as the Chief Agent of salvation he was "obliged to become like his brothers in all respects, that he become a merciful and faithful high priest"; because the writer says he is assisting humans not angels. He must endure hardship and sufferings as a human, that "he is able to help those who are being tested" (2.18 NRSV), able to sympathise with others as "one who in every respect has been tested" (4.15 NRSV). Like the foundation stone, there must be no hairline fractures, no imperfections.

These tested qualities of Jesus make him a precious stone. When we think of precious stones, precious rock, we think of jewels, very valuable and expensive stones, qualities forged in time and experience, and this is also why the prophet Isaiah says (54.11 NRSV) "I… will lay your foundation with sapphires." The throne in Ezekiel (1.26; 10.1), from which God's Word proceeded is made 'as if of sapphire'. It has a blue colour like the sky depicting a heavenly scene. Sapphire also has a high refractive index, so that when we look at it, it scatters and bends light in every direction giving the impression we are looking at something wonderful, a heavenly being (Is. 9.7).

Another quality that qualifies Jesus Christ to be the everlasting foundation is that he is "the origin of God's creation" (Rev. 3.14 NRSV). Deuteronomy 32:18 speaks of "The Rock who fathered you" (NIV see also NKJ) and using an eloquent metaphor, God by the prophet Isaiah calls to mind the quarry and its operation, reminding Israel from where they had come (Rom. 4.11; Isa. 51.1 NRSV) "Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness, you that seek the LORD. Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, but I blessed him and made him many."

The "rock" pictured Abraham, and the quarry or 'hollow of the pit' Sarah who bore Isaac. However, since the birth of Isaac was by divine power and a miraculous act, the quarrying out of the Firstborn has its greatest application in that the Son of God was hewn out of God Himself. He was moulded by the Greatest Artisan and Stone Mason. Nothing ever has or ever will displace Him from God's side; nothing will ever be His equal. "Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4 Wilson). Paul, imprisoned in a Roman jail, near the end of his life (2 Tim. 4.8) writes a final letter to his beloved friend Timothy. It was the time of great tribulation, the Neronian persecution that would see Paul and probably also Timothy martyred (2.3). Encouraging Timothy, Paul wrote: "God's firm foundation stands" (2.19 NRSV), in other words, 'you've no need to be anxious, nothing can overturn God's work', "bearing this inscription: 'The Lord knows those who are his."

Jesus is not alone in worshipping God; there are many other spiritual stones that are both individually and collectively a Temple that offers praise and sacrifice to the Living God. They both form the Temple, and are individually each a temple. They are all constructed upon Jesus Christ, because the great apostle stated forcefully that "no man can lay any other foundation than what has been laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1 Cor 3.11 NRSV). All of Paul's teaching was based upon Christ Jesus. Paul speaks of the body of Christ as a vast Temple, wherein every Christian is a living stone in the spiritual edifice, and Christians are further reminded, "You are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the corner-stone. In him the whole building is bonded together and grows into a holy temple in the LORD. In him you also are being built with all the others into a spiritual dwelling for God." (Eph. 2.20‑22 REB; see 1 Pet. 2.4‑8).

We are the superstructure, and just as the foundations were tested before being laid (Luke 22.31; Matt. 20.22,23), it appears that we also will be 'tested' as Paul writes in 1 Cor. 3.12‑15. God is preparing us in His quarry down here, amid the noise and tumult of earth. Rugged and shapeless are the stones to begin with, no wonder that the blows of the hammer fall heavily, that the chisel is sharp, and the polishing severe before the stones are ready. As 1 Kings 6.7 states: "And the house, when it was in the building, was built of stone made ready at the quarry." (ASV. See REB)

It is interesting to note that ancient stonemasons in laying a row of stones begin with the cornerstone, and for every 12 feet another stone, a foundation stone, of the same height is also laid. Then the mason's measuring line is stretched tightly over the outer top corner of each. This gives the line of frontage and elevation to all the stones that fill in the space between them. When laying further courses of stone, the foundation cornerstone is used as a guide, a plummet being dropped to it to align them. And for every seventh course another cornerstone had to be placed in position. A foundation stone every 12 feet, a cornerstone every 7^thcourse, interesting numbers! And not only this, but some of the limestone in building the Temple Mount Platform, and it is thought also the Temple, contained iron within it and is called lodestone or magnetite. When stones of this sort are laid they attract each other and bind together like a magnetic grapple (see Deut. 8.9).

The ancient method still used today, of alternating stones laid across the width of a wall, called headers, with stones laid lengthwise, called stretchers, is another combination, which gives great additional strength. So strong were the foundations of Solomon's Temple that anything, no matter how heavy or how large could stand firm. In fact at the time of Jesus, the outer walls raised on top of the foundation stones by Herod were of colossal dimensions. Josephus informs us that the lowest point of the wall was erected to the height of more than 300 cubits, over 500 feet! And that does not include the foundation.

There are still many stones in the Hands of the Builder and though the stones are cut from earthly rock, and squared that they may enter into an everlasting structure, really the hand of God, or the finger of God that the scriptures tell us represents His spirit (Lk. 11.20; see also Ex. 8.19; 31.18; Deut. 9.10), does not now write on stone, it touches human hearts. We must be of the soft white limestone, of that which was used to build the Temple and its foundations, the 'royal Jerusalem limestone', for then we may be moulded, chiselled, & shaped. The harder limestone variety in Jerusalem was too hard for cutting, and could not be used, it was too brittle.

(6) Esdras is the name of two apocryphal books attributed to Ezra, one preserved in Greek called either 1 Esdras or 3 Esdras; one preserved in Latin and called either 2 Esdras or 4 Esdras. Both were written originally in Hebrew, in Israel; the first probably dates from the fourth century BC, the second from the first century AD.
Rawlinson, History of Phoenicia The Biblical Archaeologist May 1941; Feb. 1951