Dear Associates, Students and Friends:
This month’s article is special. It is nearly double the normal size, but I did not want to split the article over two months. The information contained in this article is so important that I wanted you to receive it in a single dose without interruption. The title of this month’s article is “The Location and Future Discovery of King David’s Tomb.” It is written by me, and it represents my understanding and analysis of the evidence relating to the site of the Tombs, based on research presented to several groups over several years. During that period the information has been private but not secret.
Some of the research presented here is unique to me such as “house” = tomb information confirmed by Professor Lyle Eslinger’s work, the pattern of the Temple information, the relevance of Ezekiel 43 to the subject of the graves of the kings, and the Zechariah, “house of David” material. As you will see, the information comes from established biblical, Jewish, and historical sources.
In this article I rely heavily on previous articles that I wrote surrounding the subjects of David’s tomb, and most importantly, the information that incorporates Dr. Martin’s Temple evidence. 1 Unless the correct location of the Temples in Jerusalem is understood, it is not possible to find the site of David’s Tomb.
In 1995 Dr. Ernest L. Martin began his groundbreaking research into the location of the Jerusalem Temples. The evidence he developed resulted in the book The Temples That Jerusalem Forgot (Portland, OR: ASK Publications, 2000). In the same year Professor George Wesley Buchanan began his research into the same topic and came to most all of the same conclusions. Dr. Martin and Professor Buchanan did not discuss their findings with each other until some time in 2000 or 2001. Some of Professor Buchanan’s research is available on the ASK website and he is writing his own book on the subject. 2 He is most gracious with his acknowledgement of Dr. Martin’s contribution. Also in 1995 Gary Arvidson began serious research into the Tomb of David. His first book on the subject appeared in 2001. 3 It also incorporates Dr. Martin’s Temple research into his findings. Mr. Arvidson is writing his own book regarding the location of the Tomb of David. My purpose in mentioning this is to focus not on the coincidence but on the work that has been done.
I believe that Dr. Martin’s Temple research will eventually have a tremendous impact on the world. His proper understanding of the correct location of the Jerusalem Temples should lead directly to a tremendous discovery. It can now be determined, simply and accurately, where the Tombs of King David and Solomon are located. God willing, the Tombs will become available to the world, as the prophecies seem to indicate.
I have spoken with archaeologists, scholars, and rabbis in Europe and in Israel regarding the Temple and Tomb information. Some have rejected the research, of course, but some have been in awe of finally understanding what were previously obscure biblical texts. One Ph.D. archaeologist is writing a novel incorporating Dr. Martin’s evidence as a major “explanatory” portion of the story. Another archaeologist, an analyst and critic of Kathleen Kenyon’s archaeological work, said, when I gave her a combined “Temple/Tomb” presentation: “Why hasn’t anyone put this information together before?” To her the chain of evidence seemed obvious once it is set out. That is what I have tried to do in this article. Oh, there are loose ends that will require further work, analysis, and understanding, but that is research is all about. It is hard work.
I want to thank every one of you (and it is a diminishing number as we all get older) who contribute to sustain the labor that we do every day. Your hard work allows us to do our hard work. This month’s mailer required extra work and extra expense and extra time to produce, but it was necessary to do so. It is what we do, as God gives us resources to continue to do that work.
As good stewards of valued resources, periodically we purge our snail mail list of those who have not communicated with us. We need to know if you have special circumstances so we can continue to send you the material that so many of you appreciate. If you cannot contribute for whatever reason, it is important that you keep in touch with us regularly. The best way to do so is by returning your coupons. As always your notes are greatly appreciated. We would not be good stewards of the funds provided to us if we sent out valuable material to people who discard it or ignore it. That is not fair to those of you who fund us faithfully in our endeavors. Therefore, periodically we remove those names from the snail mail list who do not communicate with us.
Also, if you have internet access, and if it is not a problem for you, please print the Newsletter and Article that we publish each month, along with the Commentaries, and let us know that we can remove you from the snail mail list. It saves us print costs, mail costs, processing costs, and time costs for each fewer piece of printing, mailing, and processing we need not do. Below is a somewhat lengthy but appropriate statement by Dr. Martin from his June 2001 Newsletter (http://www.askelm.com/newsletter/l200106.htm), the emphasis and parentheses are Dr. Martin’s. The thoughts are his, but ours as well:
“We take no active interest in converting anyone to anything (that is God’s job, not ours), but we do hope that from our publications and lectures all who study our works will come to respect the biblical revelation. This is our goal. People who support the activities of ASK are some of the finest friends and Christians that anyone would want to know. Our central desire is simply to exalt the Holy Scriptures and the doctrines that they teach. That is what we donate our time and money to accomplish. In short, we think that all who love the Bible will enjoy the work of ASK.
In closing this Newsletter for June, we should all remember one important point. Nothing is truly free in this world. Even the grace of God which He bestows on us freely and without cost, has been paid for by the ardent actions and sacrificial work of Christ Jesus when He lived and died for you (and the whole world) on the tree of crucifixion. It cost Christ His life. But for us at ASK, we can only give what has been paid for by other generous brethren who have their hearts in promoting the Word of God. It also costs us even to provide a single sheet of paper with scriptural teaching written on it. We need each of you to help support our activities of teaching the Gospel with your contributions. We would hope your contributions would be cheerfully given as a token of your love and respect to the Father and Christ for the great things they have done for you personally.
We need to share our faith with others (God even commands it). That is why we expect you to help support our work of teaching the Gospel in a thankful and a generous way. Don’t say “I paid my dues in my former denomination, and now we need ASK to shower on me and my family everything fancy free.” Listen, I (Ernest L. Martin) paid my dues in the past too, but I do not live in the past. I live now to do the work of God now. We at ASK do our part (even frugally), but I expect you to do your part and to support ASK generously. On reflection, I wish to personally thank all of you who are faithful contributors (to whom my last comments do not apply because of your faithfulness in supporting ASK). I truly appreciate your continued contributions to the work. We trust that you will continue to be behind our efforts to teach the Gospel of Christ to the world. I want to commend all of you who are a real cadre of giving people out there (and not a bunch of free-loaders) who truly want to help us in what we consider to be a worthy cause for mankind. Thank you again, and God bless you.” [ELM]
David W. Sielaff
David@askelm.com
1 Those articles are all listed on the ASK “Temple Update Index” webpage at http://www.askelm.com/temple/index.asp.
2 Articles by Professor Buchanan are also on the “Temple Update Index” webpage.
3
In Search of King David’s Lost Tomb and Treasure, Second edition
(Federal Way, WA: Great Kings Discovery Project, 2002). I recommend this
book for excellent background on the subject of King David’s Tomb.
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