High on the Mountain: Israel’S Prophetic History

Copyright © 2014 Bobby V Johnson.

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Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-4376-6 (sc)

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WestBow Press rev. date: 8/19/2014

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

INTRODUCTION TO PROPHECY

CHAPTER ONE

The Land Of Moriah

CHAPTER TWO

The Nation of Israel

CHAPTER THREE

The First Dispersal

CHAPTER FOUR

The Second Dispersal

CHAPTER FIVE

The Third Dispersal

CHAPTER SIX

The First World War Prepared the Land for the People

CHAPTER SEVEN

World War II Prepared the People for the Land

CHAPTER EIGHT

World War III will Prepare the People for the Messiah

CHAPTER NINE

Dream of the Weeping Prophet Jeremiah

CHAPTER TEN

The Miracle Of Restoration

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The Music of their Restoration

CHAPTER TWELVE

The Capital City

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

God Will Bless Israel

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The Revived Land

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Who Owns the Land of Israel

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Preparing for the Second Coming

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Looking Into Israel’s Future

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Prophecies Fulfilled

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Trees Of Israel

CHAPTER TWENTY

Temples in the Past and Future

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

The Third Jewish Temple

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

Recent Discoveries

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

The Fourth Temple

LIFE SURE HAS BEEN WONDERFUL TO ME

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

BIBLE TIMELINE

DEDICATED TO

To my wonderful wife, to whom I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude. She has been the source of my desire to turn a series of Prophecy lessons that I have taught for over fifteen years, into a book which includes far more information than could be addressed in the teaching series.

She has been, not only my inspiration but my guide through my less than knowledgeable word processing expertise. Through her professional knowledge and many years of experience, she has saved me countless hours of unnecessary challenges in the world of Word Processing. Her Christian dedication will always be my source of strength and inspiration and continues to teach me the benefits of being a humble servant of God.

For a Prophecy Conference at your Church or Organization contact;

B.V. Johnson

10409 Wommack Rd.

Austin, Texas 78748

bvjoh1@live.com

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

O ften, in the pace of teaching, I may fail to give credit where credit is due. Thanks to those whose works I have read and admired. In this study I have gleaned and compiled information from many other sources that have been obtained over the years,- especially The Bible and the Internet, Wikipedia, Google and all the other numerous sources available on the internet. Then there are the numerous historical books and documents that have been written which contain an immeasurable amount of information.

I have used the John Macarthur Study Bible for study and for reference only. I have especially, extensively used the two Bibles, mentioned below as my main scripture reference for this publication.

Most scripture verses used are taken from The King James Bible unless otherwise indicated. There are some Scripture quotations taken from:

The New King James Version,

Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.,

Used by permission, All rights reserved

I have also gained a better understanding and knowledge in many areas from the following writers who are very knowledgeable on the subject of prophecy and have published some excellent material on the subject. There are also the other writings of various view points, concerning Israel. I sincerely thank all of these writers for an abundance of excellent sources and information.

John Hagee

Grant R. Jeffrey

Tim Lehay

Hal Lindsey

Pete McGuire

Randal Price

Rich Valkanet

John Wolvoord

Pray 4 Zion

Thank you and may God continue to bless you.

INTRODUCTION TO PROPHECY

O ver the course of this study we will be talking about prophecy concerning the Nation of Israel past-present-future.

What Is Prophecy Or Eschatology? Prophecy is an accurate historical revelation of future events being described before they actually happen.

The Dictionary defines prophecy as —"To declare or predict a future event by Divine Guidance."

Many individuals, and especially new Christians, seem to think that Prophecy is just too far out or difficult for us to understand. Many times we allow self doubt to destroy our Christian ability to understand the Word of God.

True, we often need the input of Theologians and Scholars to guide us. For the non-Christian, this ability to comprehend the word of God is perhaps, clouded by a life that is void or absent the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In reality, prophecy may at times be confusing, but the more we study God’s Word and what He is telling us about the future, the better the pieces begin to fall into place. I say that because I was at one time of the opinion that prophecy was just too complicated.

I was raised in a Christian home by some of the most Godly parents and best Christians I have ever known. If you know anything about the Pentecostal Denomination, you know that they believe in prophecy and teach prophecy. Yet, having been raised in a church environment where prophecy was taught, it wasn’t until after I was saved, that I became interested in prophecy. I had taught about the Nation of Israel in a course entitled The Rise and Fall of a Nation. I had taught Revelation, Daniel, Jeremiah and Isaiah, so I was very familiar with prophecy. Yet with this background, it was not until I had the privilege of going to a three-day conference at my home church, that prophecy really came alive and became meaningful to me.

A Baptist evangelist and teacher of prophesies came to our church and had the three day Prophecy Seminar. I must tell you that I was mesmerized as the Word of God became alive in his teachings of prophecy and the Nation of Israel.

I hope that this writing will first of all, inspire you to study the Word of God diligently, with much prayer and guidance, and that the end result will be a greater understanding of what God’s word tells us about the past, the present, and the future.

The study of prophecy can be very enlightening, spiritually. It is also exciting as we see God’s word for the future, fulfilled in our lifetime. As prophecy is fulfilled we are able to understand in an even more meaningful way, that God’s word is really true, and He is true to His word. Many times it is necessary to take an in depth look at other resources, to grasp and understand prophecy. Do not hesitate to use as many of these resources as needed to get a complete and clear understanding of what God has said, and is saying about future events that will come to pass according to His time table.

Permit me to make the following statements here at the very beginning of our study into this amazing and fascinating subject concerning God’s word.

This book or accumulation of lessons is on Prophecy: Prophecy will always involve and center around the Nation of Israel. So we will study prophecy as it involves God’s word concerning Israel and the Past, Present and Future as mentioned in the Bible. Perhaps through this study, then in a realistic and meaningful way we can begin to relate and connect the things that are happening through-out the world, the Middle East and especially in Israel and make that ever important connection to God’s Word with this always in mind. God’s Word has already given us this prophetic information, many years before it came to pass.

From the beginning of this study we must understand that prophecy will always involve three things:

1. The Land Of Israel

2. The People Of Israel

3. The Messiah Of Israel

This has been stated by John Hagee in the past and I will use this statement which fits in well with this study: The Old Testament is God’s Word Concealed and the New Testament is God’s Word Revealed.

God’s plans into and for the future are complete. Is the returning of the Jewish people to the Land of Their Fathers indicated in the Word of God? Whose Land is this, anyway? Is this the final re-gathering? We will study several aspects of these questions to determine the answer.

There Have Been Many Attempts To Disclaim Prophecy.

We are all fully aware that there are continuous attempts to disclaim the Word of God from various entities of non-believers throughout the world. There are also many attempts to reject the Word of God as it applies to the unbelievable advances of all areas of the nation of Israel in the past sixty plus years.

The fact is and will always remain, that the Bible tells us that these accomplishments were going to happen and once we grasp this truth, then we can fully comprehend that even greater things are in store for God’s Beloved People. We can then fully appreciate the awesomeness of God’s Word and His predictions that the Nation of Israel plays a full partnership in the arena of God’s future plans. This includes all things that are going to transpire, not only in the past, but the present and certainly in the future of this world, and in the Last Days leading up to Christ’s Second Coming.

There Have Been Attempts To Disclaim Jesus As The Messiah.

There have been and there will always be many attempts to disclaim prophecy and its complete and total accuracy, just as there have been attempts to disclaim Jesus as the Messiah. Many of the Jewish non believers will not even mention the name of Jesus. There are some factions of the Jewish religion, who will try to avoid mentioning the name of Jesus. The Muslims and believers in Mohamed like to say he was just a great prophet. Many would like you to believe that Jesus was not the (The Messiah) Divine Son of God but would like to place him in the same category as prophets and great men. This then would somehow eliminate their guilt and or their unbelief, concerning the Word of God. We discover this to be true, especially to most non-believers. When one allows the Word of God to take precedence in one’s life, which comes from seeking forgiveness and then realizing fullness of John 3:16, we then have the power of the Holy Spirit at our disposal, and in our lives, to discern truth and understand in a spiritual context, these truths of Prophesies spoken of throughout the Word of God, which will transform our lives and beliefs. When we become believers, this avoidance of the truth due to our inability to comprehend, is replaced with the Holy Spirit who will Guide you in all truth:

John 15: But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you".

John 16: Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.

Some Will Say That He Was Not Born As The Christ Or The Messiah.

The God we serve is an omnipotent God and has, from the beginning of time, known in its entirety all the varying occurrences, which would take place in the future. He has not had to debate on a daily basis or make decisions based on current events, what His course of actions or plans need to be. He is already aware of all things present and future. He knew that John the Baptist would be the forerunner of Jesus, and made plans that were given in prophecy, concerning their births and lives. Jesus was the Messiah and the Son of God, as foretold by Isaiah. He was sent to this world with a specific purpose in mind and He would fulfill prophecy in its entirety.

Christ is the beloved Son of God, sent to this earth in the form of man for the express purpose of giving His life at Calvary at which time, initiated the beginning of another chapter in the overall plan of God. That plan is to usher in the New Covenant that would include all mankind.

I must tell you, that we are serving a Holy God, who is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. He is all powerful, everywhere present and all knowing. His plans were complete from the beginning of time and for all eternity. His word is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Acts 17:26-28 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead."

The New Covenant

Let’s briefly take a look at the New Covenant before continuing into the study of Prophecy.

Hebrews 9: 13-15 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

Hebrews 9: 24-28 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another—He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

Chapter 10:9 we are told, Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God. He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.

There are critics who may use Hebrews 9 and 10 to argue that God was in error when He put the Old Covenant in place and then had to usher in the New Covenant because the Old Covenant was no longer appropriate for the times. True, He made plans for the New Covenant to replace the Old, but not due to a flaw in His plans. So let’s look at the whole truth.

We only need to go to Hebrews 9 and 10 for the complete understanding of the purpose of the New Covenant, although God had said two thousand years earlier, that this time would come. The critics use as a basis for this argument the explanation in Hebrews, the contrasting of the Old Covenant with the New Covenant.

Our God knew from the very moment that man was created and placed in the Garden of Eden that He would allow man to have the free will to choose and make decisions for himself and he would many times choose and make a choice against God. So God put a plan in place for all time and eternity.

God knew what he was doing when he first put the Old Covenant in place. He knew there would be a day coming when the Jew and Gentile alike would have His grace bestowed upon them and there would be the need for a New Covenant. This New Covenant would be in place after Christ fulfilled prophecy and went to the cross for the sins of both the Jew and the Gentile.

CHAPTER ONE

The Land Of Moriah

F our thousand years ago , God began to reveal His plans for a certain piece of land and used His friend, Abraham, to begin the process. I am sure that you will conclude as I have that this was a part of His divine plans at the very creation of this world. Let us now begin our study with the land of Moriah.

Abraham was born around 2160 BC (before the common era). It is believed that Isaac was born around 2066 BC so Abraham would have been in his 90s at this time. The time period for the beginning of our study would have been before the birth of Isaac or about 2070 BC. Most sources agree that Abraham lived from around 2160 until 1990-1991 BC. We agree that he was 175 years old when he died. This is noted in Genesis 25:7.

Early dates concerning the specific dates seem to vary slightly. These are the dates that appear to be close to accuracy and that many agree on. This is where we begin our study into: prophecy, past, present and future.

Prophecy: Past, Present and Future

At the time of Abraham, the God we serve, began to set aside a certain area of land. He anointed and sanctified that area of land for all time and eternity. God knew that one day he would replace the old covenant with the new (and perfect) covenant. So God, from the beginning of time, put plans in place for all time and eternity.

We begin our study in the book of Genesis.

Genesis 15: After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward. But Abram said, Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus? Then Abram said, Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir! And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir. Then He brought him outside and said, Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them. And He said to him, So shall your descendants be." And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

God had made a Blood Covenant with Abraham and made three promises to Abraham in this 15th chapter.

There are several things discussed here in Genesis chapter fifteen but three in particular that are very important.

1. There will be an heir from your own body.

2. All this land is yours.

3. Your descendants will go into captivity for 400 years.

We are also told that God made a covenant with Abraham.

Three Covenants

There were three kinds of covenants used in the Old Testament that we need to understand.

1. The Shoe Covenant

2. The Salt Covenant

3. The Blood Covenant

Understanding the meaning of the biblical word covenant.

In everyday life—it means an agreement between people or groups. This is a verifiable custom of the Middle Eastern Cultures found in Biblical references.

In Biblical Terms—it means a declaration by God to bring individuals, nations or all mankind in every part of the world into a specific relationship with Him. In granting this covenant God brings to pass certain works or blessings upon those with whom He covenants.

Each of the Covenants becomes more binding, with the Blood Covenant being the most binding and one that could not be broken. It was permanent for all time. We will discuss the covenants beginning in progression from the least binding to the most binding.

Shoe Covenant

Ruth 4:1-8 Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging, to confirm anything: one man took off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was a confirmation in Israel. Therefore the close relative said to Boaz, Buy it for yourself. So he took off his sandal. And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, "You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, from the hand of Naomi.

A good example of this type of covenant, is two individuals making an agreement and using a contract, describing the terms and conditions, then signing and shaking hands to acknowledge the acceptance. It can be broken with the mutual agreement by the individuals.

Salt Covenant

It was a common custom in the Middle East for individuals to carry a small pouch of salt. We know through history, that the salt covenant is two individuals exchanging salt from each person’s pouches or containers. This was considered more binding than the shoe covenant, because the salt between the two was mixed making the agreement binding between the two. Therefore having the salt mixed it would be difficult to separate the two, making the agreement almost impossible or more difficult to break.

This type of Covenant or contract becomes more binding and very difficult to break.

Blood Covenant

Then there is the most binding of all, the blood covenant. It is forever binding. It cannot be broken or changed for the benefit of any of the parties. It is permanent; it is binding for all involved for all time and eternity.

The first example of this covenant, in the Bible, occurs around the time period 2070 BC. Abraham questioned God about God’s statement, that all the land in this particular area was for Abraham and his descendants.

Genesis 15: 8-12,18 And he said, Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it? So He said to him, Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon. Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him

On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying:

"To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates—

An Eternal Principle of God is that His word is true and He is true to His word.

Now that we have established the context of our study, lets look at the reason Abraham was discussing this with God. God said in Genesis fifteen After these things. What did He mean? To which things was God referring? We need to go back to chapter thirteen for the answer to this question.

Genesis 13: 8-16

Abraham and his brother Lot had a dispute that began between their herdsmen. So Abram said to Lot,

"Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left. And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord. Lot went east which would have identified this area east of the dead sea and the river Jordan. We know the history of Sodom and Gomorra. They were destroyed because of their wickedness. ¹⁴And the

LORD

said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: "Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; ¹⁵for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. ¹⁶And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered.

After these things, God then said to Abraham, what Abram and his descendants could expect for the future of his descendants as mentioned in chapter fifteen.

But God knew that first, His people would bring much suffering and shame upon themselves, and the land which God desired them to have for all time.

A Friend Of God

The New Testament tells us That Abraham was a friend of God. Hebrews 11: 8-10 tells us why.

Hebrews 11:8-10 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Why was Abraham considered a friend of God? In the study of Genesis, it becomes obvious that Abraham had tremendous faith in God and trusted God. It is also obvious that God trusted Abraham. Perhaps Abraham didn’t always know what God’s reasons were but he didn’t question God’s sovereignty.

Genesis 22:1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, Abraham! And he said, Here am I.

What A Statement! Here Am I Lord. Lord I’m Listening. That is exactly what God desires of us, that we listen to Him and that we are always ready to say here am I Lord. Many of us say I just wish God was listening to me, however what God is desiring is that we would be obedient to Him and listen to Him.

Mount Moriah

There are only two times that Mount Moriah or Moriah are mentioned in the Bible. Yet this land that is called Moriah will have a profound and eternal place in the heart and mind of God. This area called Moriah will involve events, that would be felt and realized, world wide, not only in the past, but the present and the future.

The first time Moriah is mentioned in the Bible is here in Genesis 22:2, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

Please notice two words in chapter 22, verse 1 that we most often fail to notice. Most of us have heard the story of Abraham and Isaac since we were young. Yet here we see that God Tested Abraham. This verse does not state that God sent Abraham on a journey to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice and then changed His mind but only that He tested Abraham. God knew what His plan was and He wanted to test Abraham to see if Abraham was going to be an obedient servant. He (God) needed a special individual to carry out the mission at hand. God had some special plans in store and He wanted to use Abraham to implement them.

The main point here is that God sent His trusted friend Abraham to a specific place, three days journey in distance and probably to a place to which Abraham had never journeyed before.

Hebrews 11:8 stated, And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

This land to which Abraham was being sent was unfamiliar. God had a specific purpose and that was for Abraham to build an altar there and to offer a sacrifice for the purpose of anointing this particular area of land High on the Mountain at Mount Moriah.

From the next verse it becomes obvious that Abraham was one who fully trusted God. His response to Gods directions were immediate and his preparation complete. This becomes obvious as we read the next verses.

Genesis 22:3-8 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

Now we have even more evidence of the earlier statement that God Was Testing Abraham. As confirmation that Isaac would not lose his life, Abraham said to his servants, the Lad and I will Return. The NKJV states it this way, And Abraham said to his young men, Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you." How did Abraham know that this was the specific place that God desired him to journey to? I believe that there was a divine aura about that place that made it stand out as God led Abraham to Mount Moriah and then directed him to that specific area of Mount Moriah. There was no doubt in the mind of Abraham that this was the place to which God was directing him and where he was to construct the altar.

God Will Provide A Lamb

Genesis 22: And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.’

I would like for you to look at one of the maps that you have in the back of your bible. One of the Maps of old area of the Jewish land. If you look at the earlier maps of the area you will see where Mount Moriah is located.

If your Bible does not show Moriah or Mount Moriah then look at the area around Jerusalem because that is where the biblical mention of Moriah is located.

If you have a topographical map then you will see more clearly the point that I am about to make. You will see that the area is a shaded color of brown. The reason for this is because it is typically an arid area. The darker the shade of brown the more arid the land is considered to be. The greener the area, then we know that it has more vegetation, or is more fertile.

This area to which God was sending Abraham and his son Isaac is a rock strewn and desolate area, yet God wanted Abraham to go to a place that I will show you. Probably anyone who knew Abraham and inquired of him, where are you going Abraham would have said to Moriah. The question would then have likely been, Why are you going there, don’t you know that that area is a desolate area and seemingly God Forsaken. Abraham’s response would have been, that God has told me to go there. That answer would have sufficed, because they knew that Abraham was a devout believer in Jehovah God, and trusted in God.

Genesis 22:11-12 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

This piece of ground High on The Mountain of Mount Moriah was an important place to God and so important that he wanted Abraham to build an altar and offer a sacrifice to anoint this rock strewn, desolate area as a Holy and Sanctified place.

Why was this little area of land, High On The Mountain Of Moriah so important to God? Over the course of this study you are going to discover why.

Abraham had prepared to offer Isaac as a sacrifice near 2050 BC at the place God had showed him at Mt. Moriah, so this is the time when this parcel of land was dedicated to God.

THE CAPITAL CITY WAS IN HEBRON

Now fast forward for about one thousand years. The time is now 1004 BC. When David became king of Israel after Saul’s death in 1010 BC, he set about to unite the twelve tribes of Israel. As King of Israel, David desired that all the tribes be united with a singular capital city that they all could identify with.

Hebron was in the Southern area of Judah. This area was typically occupied by the Southern Tribes of Judah and Benjamin, so David immediately realized that if he were to accomplish his desire to unify the people, they would need a capital city which would be easily accepted by all the Jewish tribes and a city in which all could identify.

Turn to chapter twenty one of I Chronicles for this area of our study. David had gone to battle with the Jebusites whose stronghold was an area known as Usalem or Salem. David defeated them and because the city was high it was easily defended because it was surrounded by constructed walls that protected the city from any aggressors. David decided to move the capital to Jerusalem to unite the tribes of Israel.

David knew that the Northern tribes would always resent the capital city being in the southern territory and Hebron, as being their capital city. So David made the captured area of the Jebusites the capital and called it Mount Zion or Jerusalem. Now both the Northern and Southern tribes could equally claim the capitol city with pride.

We can now fast forward a few years as