Tabernacle and Temple Timeline

THE TABERNACLE

The Tabernacle, Hebrew Mishkan, (“dwelling”), was the portable sanctuary constructed by Moses as a place of worship for the Hebrew tribes during the period of wandering that preceded their arrival in the Promised Land (Exodus 25-26). The Tabernacle no longer served a purpose after the erection of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem in 960 BC.

SOLOMON’S TEMPLE (Old Testament)

Originally, Israel did not have a temple. Instead, they had a tent (called the tabernacle) which was the center of their worship and the place where God was said to dwell (Exodus 25:8-9). King David wanted to build a temple but God said that his son Solomon would build it instead (1 Chronicles 17:4,11-12).

Solomon’s temple was begun in 960 BC (1 Kings 6:1) and was used for nearly 400 years until it was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar’s army in 586 BC (2 Kings 25:1-12).

ZERUBBABEL’S TEMPLE (Old Testament)

When the Jews returned from captivity, they built a new temple under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Jeshua (Ezra 3:8-11) starting in 536 BC and finishing in 520 BC (Ezra 6:15). This temple was on the same site as Solomon’s temple and was in use for +/-500 years, until about 20 BC.

HEROD’S TEMPLE (in the time of the New Testament)

After he came to power, King Herod wanted to build a magnificent temple in Jerusalem, partly to win the favor of his Jewish subjects. He initiated the building in about 20BC. This was built on the same site as the previous two temples, but was much larger, with enormous open paved areas known as the temple courts. The temple is mentioned in the gospels and Acts (e.g. John 2:14-17; Mark 15:38; Acts 2:46). It was destroyed in AD 70 by the Romans. This is a picture of a small-scale model of Herod’s temple from the Jewish History museum in Jerusalem

Zerubbabel’s Temple is Smaller