In the city of Jerusalem, upon Mount Moriah resides a large rock inside an Islamic temple. This rock is said to be the holiest place on earth. It’s enshrined within the temple's large golden dome, for which it gets its name, “The Dome of the Rock.” It’s the third most holy place to the Islamic religion, but it’s the single most holy place to the Jewish religion. Those Jewish people who pray at the Western Wall, do so because it’s the closest they can get to this holy rock.

 

So why is this rock so holy? and what is its great significance? To find the significance of this rock we must journey back in time approximately 4,000 years to two men, Melchizedek and Abraham. Melchizedek was the “Priest of God Most High” and King of Salem (Peace,) which is ancient Jerusalem sitting upon Mount Moriah. The Bible doesn’t say much about Melchizedek, though he is a type (illustration) of Christ. Since he was the priest of God, it’s probable that Melchizedek offered sacrifices to God upon Mount Moriah.

 

Abraham, who lived during the time of Melchizedek, is father to both the Jewish and Arabic nations. The most ancient historical record, the Holy Bible, says Abraham was chosen by God to be the father of many nations, especially one nation, to whom God vowed a son of promise and an everlasting covenant. Though God counted Abraham righteous for believing Him, when the promised son hadn’t come in many years, in his impatience and doubt Abraham fathered an illegitimate son by his wife’s servant Hagar. The illegitimate son’s name was Ishmael, and God promised Abraham that Ishmael’s descendants (Arabs) would become a great nation, but that he was not the promised son. After that, the promised son was born to Abraham and his wife Sarah, and his name was Isaac, and he too, like Melchizedek was a type (illustration) of Christ.

 

Several years after Isaac was born, God tested Abraham’s faith and obedience again, when He told Abraham to offer his “only son,” Isaac as a sacrifice on the mountains of Moriah. The Bible goes on to say that God stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac at the last second; the New Testament telling us that Abraham believed God would raise Isaac from the dead, had he sacrificed him. Once again, because Abraham believed God and didn’t withhold from Him the dearest thing in his life, God blessed and reaffirmed His covenant with Abraham and his descendants through Isaac. This promise continued with Isaac's son Jacob, whose name was later changed to Israel. Thus, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel became the nation of Israel. This promise continued throughout the history of Israel until ultimately the true Son of promised (Jesus Christ) came to fulfill God’s promise to Abraham in bringing salvation to all peoples and nations forever, based upon the same faith of Abraham in believing God.

 

Upon Mount Moriah, in ancient Jerusalem, on this holy rock, now enshrined within the golden dome, is believed to be the very place where Melchizedek offered sacrifices to God and where Abraham offered Isaac almost 4,000 years ago.

 

This is only the beginning of the rock's history and significance. In order to stop a plague that God brought upon Israel because of King David’s disobedience, the prophet of God told King David to buy the Threshing Floor of Araunah or Ornan, to build an alter on it and offer a sacrifice to God. King David did this, and the nation of Israel was spared from annihilation. This rock Threshing Floor, where grain was threshed in ancient times, is the same rock that resides under the Dome of the Rock. It is also the same place where King David's son King Solomon built the first Temple of God approximately 3,000 years ago. It is believed that the Holy of Holies, and the Arc of the Covenant once sat upon this rock. This is also the same place where the Temple of God was rebuilt approximately 2,500 years ago, and the same place where King Herod's Temple was built during the time of Christ, approximately 2,000 years ago. As Jesus Christ prophesied, King Herod’s Temple was destroyed approximately 70 years after Christ.

 

More than 2,600 years after Abraham, and 600 years after Jesus Christ, which is approximately 1,400 years ago, an Arab named Mohammad founded the Islamic religion, whereupon he attempted to rewrite history by claiming Abraham's illegitimate son Ishmael was the child of promise instead of Isaac. No doubt he exploited the Bible and Christianity, as many others have, to advance his own ambitions. History endured 2,600 years without dispute, until this one man, claimed an angel gave him the Quran. Approximately 550 years before Mohammad, the Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 1:8, “If we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel than what we’ve preached, let him be accursed.” This meaning, beware of anyone who says an angel gave them a different message from God than that recorded in the Holy Bible. Unlike the Bible, which was written by 40 persons over a 2,000-year period, the Quran was written by one person, and unlike Jesus Christ, who was prophesied or referenced to come approximately 400 times in the Old Testament, for 2,600 years there was nothing written nor any mention of Mohammad. Plain and simple, Mohammad fabricated the Quran and Islam to further his own agenda.

 

Approximately 60 years after Mohammad’s death, the Dome of the Rock was built upon the rock threshing floor where King David offered a sacrifice to save Israel, it was built where King Solomon’s Temple once stood, it was built where King Herod’s Temple once stood, it was built presumably where Melchizedek offered sacrifices to God in Ancient Jerusalem, and where Abraham offered up his only son Isaac.

 

It is ironic that the third most holy place of the rejected son's descendants sits upon the most holy place of the promised son's descendants. This is indeed one of the starkest reminders of the judgment of God against Israel because they rejected their Messiah (Jesus Christ) 2,000 years ago.

 

Not only does this rock have great significance in history, it also has great significance in the future. The Bible tells us that God is not finished with the Nation of Israel. One day the Dome of the Rock will be destroyed, the Temple of God will be rebuilt in its place upon the holy rock, Israel will resume their sacrifices, and then the antichrist will desecrate it. He will erect the image of the Beast in the Temple, upon this holy rock, and proclaim to be god, just before his annihilation at the 2 coming of Jesus Christ. (Genesis 17:18-19; 22:1-18)(Hebrews 7)(2 Samuel 24:15-25)(2 Chronicles 3:1)(Matthew 24:15)(Mark 13:14)(2 Thessalonians 2:1-8)

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