Unleavened Bread - Sabbath

“Where Was Christ Crucified?”

Fred Coulter - April 19, 2003

And greetings brethren, this is the regular Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. We want to ask the question: where was Jesus crucified? Now why would that be an important question? Well because there are some people claiming that Jesus was crucified, and it comes out of the Wyatt Archeological Research. And it claims, this man Ron Wyatt in 1978, claims that he was sight-seeing near the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem, that he found a quarry called the Calvary Escarpment. And then this account goes that he was digging there and he dug in and found a little tunnel where he had to scoot underneath to get into it and lo and behold, he came into one of the chambers below the temple area where he allegedly saw the Ark of the Covenant. And then he came back and the room was all filled with clutter and junk, and when he came back there were supposedly four angels there who had moved everything out of the way. They took him over and showed him the Ark of the Covenant, and the blood on the mercy seat, and said that this was Jesus blood. Because where Jesus was crucified was over the area where that tunnel was under the Temple Mount. So it becomes a very important question: is that true? Because some people get all excited, “Well if Jesus’ blood was really put on the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies then that proves that Jesus was the Messiah.” Well, we’ll find out. Is that true? Could that possibly have been so?

And then another report says that they analyzed the blood and they found that lo and behold, there were twenty-four chromosomes. Now we have never seen the report, and the account goes on saying this, that the only thing that God the Father contributed to the virgin Mary, so that Jesus would be born, was the “y” chromosome so He would be a male. Of course that then, we’ll just answer that question here, that then would be a ridiculous thing. Because if that were so, then who would Jesus look like? He would have to look like Mary, wouldn’t He? Except only being a male, according to that. And I give this account, kind of like a double F minus. Simply because if that were really the blood of Jesus, which we will show that it’s an impossibility that it could have been, there would be enough genetic deterioration because of just being left in the condition as it was, that you could never tell really what it was.

So let’s answer the first question that what Jesus had to receive from the Father was the full-fledged twenty-three chromosomes from the Father. Ok, when He divested Himself to become a human being, that’s what He had to bring with Him into the impregnation of the conception in the virgin Mary. And so He had to have all forty-six chromosomes, twenty-three from His mother, twenty-three from the Father, for several different reasons.

Let’s come to John 14 and let’s begin here in verse 7, and we’ll answer the question. Because if He only had twenty-three He could not have looked like His Father. John 14:7, “If ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also: and from henceforth ye know Him, and have seen Him. Philip saith unto Him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father;…” (John 14:7-9). So Jesus bore the image of His Father, not the image of His mother, though He was born of the seed of woman. So we can answer that question.

Now then, where was Jesus crucified? Now I’ve got several books here. Someone gave me this book in Houston, The Coming Last Days’ Temple, and so I surveyed this on my four-hour plane trip coming home from Houston. And it has some very interesting things in it but they have it all wrong - where the temple is going to be. I also have another book here that was written by Dr. Ernest Martin, who actually did archeological excavations under the Hebrew University auspices with Dr. Professor Benjamin Mazar during the 70’s, and late 60’s and 70’s, all around the area that this Ron Wyatt is talking about. And he shows from history the true account as to where the temple really was. That means that that would tell us also where the underground caverns would be, and if Ron Wyatt dug in those areas, or whether he didn’t.

So this is going to be a very interesting Sabbath. This is going to be an interesting study. And I’ve sent along with it this print-out, which is The Temple Mount at Jerusalem. Now this was originally done by Dr. Robert Martin. No relative of Earnest Martin. And he gives a summary of the Temple Mount. So I’m going to read parts of this and you can follow along with it, and we’ll read from that. But what I want to do first, is I want to show you a geographical sketch of the temple area during Jesus day. And we’re going to see something that’s very important, and then I will show you the topographical outline as to the geographical area there. So we’ll go ahead and we will look at this particular one, which is called “Jerusalem of the Old Testament”, showing the Temple site.

Now, let’s look at the first one. This is a topographical map. And let’s start up here where the Dome of the Rock is located, because everyone claims that the Dome of the Rock is the place where the Temple stood. And we are going to show from history, and what we present here and from the scriptures, that it was not located here. So we can also say that number one, the Arabs never had it right. And the Jews have lost the knowledge of where the Temple was. And we will see, because the geographical area was changed.

Now let’s come, and we’re going from north to south, and this is called the southeast ridge. We come south, we will see that on either side here is the Valley of Kidron. Right here, and it goes all the way down. Over here to the left of that is the Mount of Olives, which will actually be on your right. To the right of that as you look at the picture, to the right of it, to the east, is the Mount of Olives. Now as we come down here I want you to note this location where the Gihon Springs are. Right here. That’s important, and that will have a great deal to do as to where the location of the Temple actually was.

Then we come down a little further and then we have what would be in here, the City of David. They say the City of David was here. See, everything has been shifted north. Now, when we come down to the bottom of this ridge, here’s what we find. We find three valleys come together. The Tyropean Valley comes down here. Kidron Valley here, and the Valley of Hinnom. And this is where Armageddon is going to be, in the Valley of Hinnom, going out this way from Jerusalem.

Now I want you to notice… Let’s come back up here, and I want you to notice as you look at the map, how steep that the sides of this ridge are. They are nearly a cliff. And that becomes very important. Now as we come down around and come over here… Let’s just come over to this side of the Tyropean Valley. You will notice that the sides go down much more gently. They are not so steep. Now what happened between the time of the building of the temple down to modern time, they gradually filled this area in and built the area, and it became known as upper Jerusalem.

Now let’s come clear across over here and let’s come up to what is known as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This is the alleged place where Jesus was buried. Now you will notice that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is west of the Temple. And this becomes a very important thing. Now, if this is the location where Jesus was buried, then He had to have been crucified over here in this area. You can see, number one, that’s an awful long way away from any position over here where you may say the Temple would be. So let’s go ahead and let’s look at some scriptures concerning where Jesus was crucified, and where He was buried, and let’s look at some important scriptures for us to understand.

Now first of all let’s come to Luke 22 and let’s see where they went after they completed Jesus’ last Passover. And let’s ask the question: did they go west to where the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was, or where did they go? Now let’s come to Luke 22:39. “And He came out, and went, as He was wont [or that is, known to], to the mount of Olives;…” Now where is the Mount of Olives? It is to the east. You look at your map again and you go to the east where the Mount of Olives is and it’s in the exact opposite direction, isn’t it? Yes. “…And His disciples also followed Him.” Now where did He go on the Mount of Olives? We know that He went to a garden called Gethsemane, didn’t He? And that’s where He was arrested. So after the Passover He went out to the Mount of Olives. Now why is that an important thing? Well, Jesus frequented the Mount of Olives quite a bit with His disciples. And He taught them there. And Eusebius records that on the Mount of Olives was a big cave. And it was facing…on the eastern side of the Mount of Olives. Not the western side. You remember the western side of the Mount of Olives faces toward the eastern part of the temple. And we will see that becomes a very important thing.

Now let’s look at some scriptures concerning the Mount of Olives and why it is important. Let’s come, since we’re in the book of Luke, let’s come to Luke 19:29. And we’re going to see something else as we look at the geographical area as explained to us here in the New Testament. Ok, Luke 19:29, “And it came to pass, when He was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives,…” So He came up from Jericho, made His way up. Descended up to Jerusalem and right near the summit of the Mount of Olives you have on the eastern side, you have Bethphage and Bethany. “…Saying, Go ye into the village over against you;…” (Luke 19:29-30). And then He went and got the colt.

Now let’s see what happens here. They got the colt. They brought it to Him. Let’s come here to verse 37. “And when He was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives,…” So the road came up to Bethany and Bethphage, and then the road went around the top of the Mount of Olives and then down toward the Temple area. Down toward the KidronValley. And as we will see in a minute, the Kidron Valley had a double-decked bridge that went across and went into the eastern gate of the Temple. And this is where Jesus came with His triumphal entry. On “…the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto Him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. And He answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. And when He was come near, He beheld the city,…” So from that point of view looking down, we will see that He could see the Temple area and the city. “…and [He] wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes” (vs. 37-42). And then He prophesied that it was going to be encircled and destroyed.

Ok, let’s look at a couple of other scriptures here. Let’s come to chapter 21. Luke 21:37. “And in the day time He was teaching in the temple; and at night He went out, and abode [or that is, lodged] in the mount that is called the mount of Olives.” So during the last days of Jesus’ life, when He would go down from the Mount of Olives, He would cross over the bridge, come up the eastern gate, as we will see when we see the diagram there. He would go into the Temple and teach the people, and then He would come out and lodge at night.

Now, it’s very possible that at night He went ahead and stayed in that cave near the garden of Gethsemane. So this shows us a lot concerning the Mount of Olives, and we’ll see that will become a very key and important thing in identifying where Jesus was crucified. He could not have been crucified west of the Temple where the alleged Church of the Holy Sepulchre is. He had to be crucified east of the Temple. And there is a very important reason why it had to be there.

Now at this time, here we’ll look at some other scriptures. Here, let’s go to John 18. And so you see, when Jesus was there in Jerusalem, He was at the Mount of Olives and then He would go down and go into Jerusalem. Now John 18, and this is where He was arrested, and this becomes an important thing. One of the things that the Romans liked to do when they executed a criminal was crucify him, or execute him close to the place where he was arrested. And where was He arrested? We are going to see He was in the Garden of Gethsemane, and He was on the Mount of Olives.

Now John 18:1, “When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which He entered, and His disciples. And Judas also, which betrayed Him, knew the place [because he’d been there with Him]: for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with His disciples” (John 18:1-2). So He was arrested right there.

Now let’s look at something which becomes really a very profound and important thing, which is this: we will see from the evidence, and we will show you that here in just a minute, but let’s read this, for this becomes a very important thing for us to understand. Let’s come to the book of Luke. No, we have to go to the… Well, we’ll come to the book of Luke. This is fine. We’ll come to Luke 23:44, then we’ll go to the book of Matthew and see exactly what happened here. This adds to it.

Luke 23:44, “And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.” Now this becomes a very key geographical thing in identifying where Jesus was crucified. “And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, He said. Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit: and having said thus, He gave up the ghost. Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man” (Luke 23:44-47).

Now let’s look at Matthew’s account of this. Let’s come to the book of Matthew. Matthew 27, and let’s see what else occurred and why this becomes a very important thing in identifying where Jesus was crucified. Now let’s pick it up here beginning in verse 50. Matthew 27:50, “Jesus, when He had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain [two] from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent [that is they split open]; and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept [that is they were dead and buried] arose, and came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake…” (Matt. 27:50-54).

Now have you ever seen an earthquake? I have seen an earthquake. Not only felt it, but I’ve seen it. And you hear it, too. I remember one day I was driving down the street and all of a sudden my car is like this, and I thought, “Boy, I’ve got a flat tire.” So I pulled over and slowed down and the car was still doing this and every…the telephone poles were going like this, and my car was going like this. You can see the earthquake. And this was so great, they saw it. And what did they see? Alright, let’s see it.

They “…saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God” (vs. 54). So what did they see? The veil was rent in two. Now let’s look at the diagram which shows the diagram of the face of the Temple. And we will see where that veil actually was. And then I’ll read to you out of another book, by Earnest Martin, called The Secrets of Golgotha.

Now looking at this picture, this hand drawing of the Temple, what you have, you have the Temple and it faces east. Now if you look at the other map that you have you will find that facing east it faces what? It faces the Mount of Olives, does it not? Now also if you look carefully at the drawing, right up here at the top, you have what is called the stone lintel. Now you can read a little bit more of this in the last chapter of the Christian Passover book. This stone lintel weighed many, many tons because it held the veil. Now here’s the veil, which is a great hanging curtain. And here’s the description of it. I’ll just read what it says here.

“This is a general view of the Temple looking directly westward [from your eastern point looking west] into the Court of Israel, showing the circular steps leading up to the Nicanor Gate and then beyond into the grand area of the Holy Place itself. Between the two Corinthian pilasters [that is, these right here that rose up on each side] …was the enormous curtain that was suspended from a stone lintel [which is this right here] which was at least thirty feet wide [that is, the stone lintel] and weighing about thirty tons. This curtain was the one which tore from top to bottom at the time of Christ’s death on the Mount of Olives. It was perfectly feasible to view the whole of this gigantic curtain from the top of [Mount Olives] Olivet.”

Now this is a picture taken from the book, Secrets of Golgotha.

Now let’s come back to the drawing, the map of Jerusalem, Old Testament times, and I want you to look at where the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was. Clear west. Clear west. And even if the Temple were here, which it wasn’t, the Temple faced east. And if He was crucified here, there is no way that they could have seen the veil tore in two from top to bottom. The only place you could see it would be from the Mount of Olives looking west. Because the Temple…now let’s look at that again. The Temple faced east, and all the worship service and everything that took place at the Temple was facing west. And this is the front of the temple so in the back of the Temple, as we will see a little bit later on, is where the Holy of Holies was located. So in order for them to see this huge great veil torn… now it was about the thickness of the palm of a hand of a man, being about four to six inches thick. So this was no small little feat that took place. And so great was the earthquake that the judgment chamber called, “the chamber of hewn stones” where Jesus was judged, was so damaged that the Sanhedrin could no longer meet in that location. And they never met there again. The very last judgment that they had was the judgment against Jesus Christ.

Now let’s look at some other scriptures here. Now let’s look at some scriptures concerning where Jesus was buried. He was buried, as we will see, right close to where He was crucified. Now let’s pick it up here, John 19:38. “And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where He was crucified [right along side of it]…” So if it were at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, there would have to be a place right there where the tomb should have been, see. “Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand” (John 19:38-42).

Let’s come to the book of Luke, Luke 23, and let’s see the parallel account here beginning in verse 50 where Jesus was buried. He was buried right close to where He was crucified. “And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just: (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God. This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid in it a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid” (Luke 23:50-53).

Ok, now let’s look at Matthews’ account, and that will tell us a little bit more. Let’s come to Matthew 27 and see the same thing, and see where He was buried. Matthew 27:57, “When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple: he went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb,…” So this tells us that Joseph of Arimathaea owned the tomb. “…Which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed” (Matt. 27:57-60). So right near where Jesus was crucified there had to be a place where there was a tomb that was hewn out of the stone, and also there had to be a place where there was a cave where Jesus taught His disciples.

Now I’m going to read to you some excerpts from the book called Secrets Of Golgotha by Earnest Martin, which explains where Jesus was crucified. Now I’m going to begin on page 17. He says:

“It must be realized that there was no difficulty in witnessing the tearing of the Temple curtain from the Mount of Olives.”

Whereas if you were west of the Temple, you would never see it. You would never know that it was ripped. Yes, you would have felt the earthquake, you would have seen the effects of that, but you would never see the veil being rent.

“Now the Mount of Olives is a Sabbath day’s journey, or about a half-mile away from the temple.”

Now let’s also understand where was it that Jesus gave the prophecy of Matthew 24? It was on the Mount of Olives and called the Olivet prophecy. Where was it that Jesus ascended from when He left to go to heaven for the final and last time? From the Mount of Olives. Where is it that He is coming to when He returns? To the Mount of Olives. So the Mount of Olives becomes a very important thing. And as we will see if we have enough time, perhaps some of the other historical references showing that that was an important site for true Christians.

Now he describes the veil:

“This outer curtain was fifty-five cubits high, sixteen cubits wide [that is over eighty feet tall and twenty-four feet in breadth - and that’s from Josephus]. This curtain was a magnificent creation of art. Josephus was also an eyewitness and described it as a wonderfully made tapestry, woven with the finest materials. And how majestic it was. Imagine a curtain about twenty-four feet wide and as high as an eight story modern building. It’s important to realize how enormous the size of this curtain was, because one might wonder how people standing a half mile distance from it could see it tear from the top to the bottom.”

Now, we’re going to see that’s going to be a very important feature. Now then, let me read from page 35 and 36. There is a very important altar that is in connection with the Temple worship, which was on the Mount of Olives. And that had to do with this - all sin offerings including the Day of Atonement sin offerings, as well as the red heifer, had to be burned wholly outside the camp. They weren’t burnt at the altar. They were slaughtered at the altar, the blood was sprinkled at the altar, and then the sacrifice had to be carried out to what is called the Miphkad Altar. And the Miphkad Altar was located near the summit on the western side of the Mount of Olives. And that was important, because when they had the sacrifice of the red heifer, the High Priest had to be able to look directly down into the Temple area. Also, for the Day of Atonement it was very important.

Now let me read, beginning in page 34:

“This was the holiest roadway into the Temple [that is, off the Mount of Olives and up the east gate]. Indeed the whole area of the Mount of Olives in front of the eastern part of the Temple was considered the most sacred region outside the walls of Jerusalem because it faced the Holy of Holies. The Holiest was further enhanced because at the top of the Mount of Olives was a clean place where the red heifer was burnt into ashes, where the bodies of the sin offerings mentioned by the author of the book of Hebrews were burnt to ashes. From this summit area of the Mount of Olives one could look westward over the east wall of the temple, directly into the sanctuary [or that is, into the Temple area itself].”

“The eastern wall of the Temple’s enclosure was made a little lower than the other walls surrounding the Temple in order to allow a full view of the sanctuary interior, including the curtain that was hanging in front of the holy place. All the Temple walls were high [now he’s quoting from a Jewish source here, the Migdalh] save the eastern wall. Because the High Priest that burns the red heifer stands on the top of the Mount of Olives, should be able to look directly into the entrance of the sanctuary when the blood is sprinkled.”

Now this altar was considered “outside the camp”. I mean just on the edge of the outside of the camp. What you had was this - the first part of the camp of Israel was the Holy of Holies. The second part was the holy place with the altar outside there and then the court of the men to the edge of the Temple. The third camp was from the edge of the temple up to the Miphkad Altar on the Mount of Olives, and that was considered the whole Temple area. So Jesus was crucified “without the camp”, as we will see, probably very close to the Miphkad Altar, which is very significant because Jesus was a sin offering, wasn’t He?

Now it talks a little bit more about the Miphkad Altar. It says referring to it:

“It is said here in Leviticus, “without the camp”, and it is said here in Numbers 19:3, “without the camp”. Just as here in Leviticus it means outside the three camps of the priests, the Levites, and of the Israelites. And so does it mean there in Numbers, outside the three camps, just as it is there in Numbers 19:3. It means to the east of Jerusalem. So does it here mean in Leviticus 4:12, to the east of Jerusalem.”

And so this is where they were burnt. Now let’s look at a prophecy of where the altar we go to, is located. Let’s come to Hebrew 13, referring to the difference between the altar in the Temple area, and the altar to which we come to. Hebrews 13, let’s turn there. Hebrews 13:10. “We have an altar, whereof they [that is, those who worked at the temple] have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp [outside the camp at the Miphkad Altar]. Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate.” Now where the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is located was within the gates of Jerusalem. This is outside the gate. Now notice verse 13, “Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach” (Heb. 13:10-13). Ok, so that’s quite a thing.

Now let’s look at some more things concerning what Dr. Martin wrote concerning the altar. Let me read from page 41.

“In concluding this chapter it should be mentioned that the Miphkad Altar and the sin offerings which were sacrificed on it was really a cardinal part of the temple complex that existed in the time of Jesus. This altar was not one with a ramp leading up to it [like the altar of burnt offerings], but it was described in the Mishna as a pit in which animals could be burnt to ashes. The Miphkad Altar was located outside the walls of the temple, but the roadway leading up to the altar and including the altar itself were part of the ritualistic furniture associated with the temple services. It’s important to realize because the Apostle John said that Christ was crucified near the topos [the place]. Near this place. That is, Christ indeed was crucified near the Miphkad Altar, which was part of the temple furnishing, and so forth. Thus we find that Jesus Christ was crucified in the holiest area surrounding the city of Jerusalem - it happened to be on the east side of the city near the summit of the Mount of Olives.”