Why is Solomon's temple facing east?

Answer 1

Often times houses and buildings faced east in ancient times to let in the morning sun and to keep people cool and shaded from the hot afternoon sun. Such may have been involved in orienting Solomon's Temple, though other more significant reasons are likely at play.

Solomon's Temple faced the same direction as the Tabernacle and, as seems implied in Genesis, Paradise faced back in the days of Adam and Eve. Given that the cherub angel guarded the Garden with a flashing sword at the east end implies that eastward was out the front gate and that westward was to the Tree of Life. God likely instructed Solomon to reenact the Garden of Paradise by the Temple design, i.e. the entrance at the east and the Tree of Life reenacted by the Dwelling of God's Spirit to the far west end. In symbolism, east has often been representative of past and west of future, into which everything progressed (just like the sun's sky position, east-to-west). The tearing of the veil allowed access from east to west (past to future, as expected). West has always been the direction representing the Holy Spirit and eternal life (despite modern-day popular theory). Several churches today face east, placing stage and baptistry to the west, supposedly modeling after the Temple. Other churches face west, the stage placed far east, either for the sake of worshiping eastward toward Jerusalem or as a result of Catholic and Orthodox influences -- worshiping toward the rising sun (which is not Biblical).

Answer 2

rising sun focusses energy