There has been a number of these Videos that have mentioned these verses. But I want to make sure that everyone has seen these verses that PROVE that Ft. Antonia was on a Higher HILL than THE JEWISH TEMPLE, in PAUL's Day. The so-called TEMPLE MOUNT is the Highest Hill in the Old City of Jerusalem. Yes that means the The Western Wall is actually Part of Fort Antonia.
Luke 21:6 (NASB)
6
"As for these things which you are looking at, the days will come in which there will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down."
Jeremiah 26:18 (CSBBible)
18 "Micah the Moreshite prophesied in the days of King Hezekiah of Judah and said to all the people of Judah, 'This is what the LORD of Armies says:
Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become ruins,
and
the temple's mountain will be a high thicket.'
Micah 3:12 (HCSB)
12 Therefore, because of you,
Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become ruins, and the hill of the temple mount will be a thicket.
Acts 21:27-33 (NASB)
27 When the seven days were almost over, the Jews from Asia, upon seeing him in the temple,
began to stir up all the crowd and laid hands on him,
28 crying out, "Men of Israel, come to our aid!
This is the man who preaches to all men everywhere against our people and the Law and this place;
and besides he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place."
29 For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, and
they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.
30 Then all the city was provoked, and the people rushed together, and
taking hold of Paul they dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut.
31
While they were seeking to kill him,
a report came up to the commander of the Roman cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion.
32
At once he took along some soldiers and centurions and ran down to them; and when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
33 Then the commander came up and took hold of him, and ordered him to be bound with two chains; and he
began asking who he was and what he had done.
I want to point out
A is fictitious drawing of Fort Antonia, because in Josephus History, he writes that the distance between Ft. Antonia and the Temple complex outer wall was 600 ft. of double Colonnades. Other defects in this drawing is their is NO EASTERN GATE in the exterior WALL. On Holy Days the Doors to the Temple were all open except the Curtain in front of the Holy of Holies. Josephus said as he came though the Eastern Gate, he could see the Curtain of the Holy of Holies. A DIRECT LINE OF SITE. I know there are errors in this drawing but I chose use it, BECAUSE the Doors to the Temple are clearly visible, and letter
E is the Court of the GENTILES, is clearly visible.
Now they said they saw Paul with his GENTILE GREEK friend Trophimus the Ephesian earlier in the day. Probably in the Court of the Gentiles. NO GENTILE is supposed to go beyond the Court of the Gentiles. Later on Paul decided to go to Court of the Jewish Men. Which is right in front of the Temple and along either side. The Court of the Jewish Women is the open space just to the right of the Court of the Jewish Men. See that third set of double Doors from the left, one of those two doors, is probably where Paul entered the Court of the Jewish Men. I do not think he even saw Trophimus the Ephesian, following him. So that is what the whole uproar was about, Trophimus the Ephesian must have ran out the door, and they were about to KILL PAUL; then here comes the ROMAN SOLDIERS to rescue Paul.
2.
This drawing has NO Corner Towers, and the Southeast Tower twice as high as the others, which is in Josephus's History records. This artist has Roman Fort too small for the 6000 Troops and 4000 Support personal made up a Roman 10th Legion. Ten Thousand is the Roman Legion, and he pictures about 1000 or LESS, in the buildings.
3.
There is about the right size for the 10,000 man Roman 10th Legion, BUT THE COURT OF THE GENTILES is Way Too Small, and Eastern Gate is slightly left of CENTER. BUT see the Southeast TOWER is NOT as large as Josephus said it was, it was twice as tall as the other three towers. The reason was SO THEY COULD LOOK DOWN INTO THE COURTYARDS OF THE TEMPLE, in case there was TROUBLE BREWING.
4.
5.
Now there is the approximate view from that top of that ROMAN Southeast Tower. Don't you wish ARTIST would read HISTORY BOOKS, Before drawing Historical Pictures.
Back to the story. I imagine as soon as they drug Paul out of the TEMPLE into the Court of the Gentiles (which was outside the Temple), and started BEATING HIM; the ROMAN GUARD on top of that TOWER, REPORTED IT TO THE COHORT that a bunch of people were Beating ONE MAN. HE GATHERED A SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF TROOPS, TO QUELL THE UPRISING,
RAN DOWN THE 600 Ft. DOUBLE COLONNADES TO THE TEMPLE (pic 3. and 4.), around backside of the Temple, to Rescue PAUL. The Cohort then Arrested Paul for HIS OWN PROTECTION.