Jesus - as Prophet

Preface

Jesus possessed all of the gifts of what Christianity refers to as "the five fold ministry", which is based on the five gifts or offices listed in Ephesians 4:11-13: apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher.

I have not ever looked at nor do I recall ever hearing any in depth teachings on Jesus's role regarding any of these gifts before, but while studying and writing an article on Luke 21, I realized that these events all pertained to Jesus's role as "Prophet."

In the following article, I try to describe the way that I understand the events that Jesus prophesied to Israel during the final week of His life, which led to His murder and God's "taking the kingdom" from Israel. Though this view varies from the typical modern day teaching by the church on this subject, and from what I was taught and always believed since becoming a Christian, it is the position that I currently hold based on what I have come to learn regarding the history of Israel and their story as it is recorded in the Bible. 

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Prologue

Other than your own salvation, have you ever considered other reasons that Jesus may have been sent by God or why He was sent when He was? This thought has been brewing in me, on and off, for the past couple years. 

According to the Bible, God was very active and involved with His people Israel and then all of a sudden, Poof! He vanished, without being heard from for over 400 years! Why?

Leading up to that point, He had led them out of Egypt and established a covenant and a kingdom with them. This kingdom continued to commit idolatry, which God called "harlotry", against Him, so He continued to send prophets to them to try to get them to turn away from their false gods and turn back to Him. 

They refused, and instead they persecuted and killed the prophets that He sent. After that time, there is no record in the Bible of Israel hearing from God again, until He sent Jesus over 400 years later. 

Though we are not told why it was 400 years, my assumption, based on the fact that He went silent after they continuously rejected Him and killed His messengers, as well as by the Biblical record of confrontations that Jesus had with the leaders of Israel when He was in Israel, is that the time had come to let Israel go. 

Not only did Israel reject Him and kill His messengers, but during the 400 years of His absence, God had been witnessing their establishment and practice of a religion that in many ways was contrary to His character and to who He is. They continued to worship false gods rather than turn to Him. Furthermore, they oppressed non Jewish people and did not produce the fruits that He required from His people.

God did not want a religion, He wanted a people who loved and served Him as their God. He grew tired of their religion, and the time had finally come for Him to bring about the necessary changes. So, God sent His final Prophet to them so that they would repent - that is, turn back to Him.  

We evangelicals often think of repentance as individually turning away from our sins, but the Bible frequently speaks about repentance as being a corporate turning away from false gods, false religions, & idols, and turning to the one true God. Turning away from their false religion and turning back to Him was God's hope for Israel. 

Just prior to Jesus being sent, God sent His prophet, John the Baptist, as the forerunner of Jesus. His role was to prepare the way for Jesus. Like Jesus, he also preached a message to Israel of turning back to God, and many did. 

John and Jesus had overlapping ministries. John began his ministry just slightly before Jesus did, probably within a year. However, they both worked together to try to lead the Israelites back to God by preaching a consistent message of repentance and the coming kingdom of God. 

John was imprisoned by King Herod for warning him about the adulterous affair he was having with his brother's wife (Matthew 14:1-12). Up until that time, Jesus had not yet gone public (Matthew 4:12), but now that John's ministry was essentially over because he would spend the rest of his life in prison and then be beheaded by King Herod, Jesus's time had come. 

We typically view Jesus as being of Hebrew ethnicity, aka, Jewish, because that is in fact what He was. God sent Him to Israel as a Jew.

When Mary and Joseph were each visited by an angel, he instructed them to name God's Son who would also be the son of Mary, "Jesus", because "He will save His people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:31). "Jesus" means, "God saves".

Jesus's mother Mary and earthly father Joseph, raised Jesus in the town of Nazareth of Galilee in the land of Israel (Matthew 2:23). Nazareth was a predominantly Jewish town about sixty miles from Jerusalem. Mary and Joseph raised Jesus in the religion of Judaism and as we see in the Bible, they were both highly devoted to God, and highly favored by God (Matthew 1:19; Luke 1:30). They were of the remnant of Israel, of those who have faith like Abraham (Romans 4:16), true Israelites (John 1:47).

When John the Baptist was imprisoned, Jesus left Nazareth and went and resided in Capernaum (Matthew 4:12-13) which was a Jewish city, anywhere from eighty to 125 miles from Jerusalem, depending on internet sources. Capernaum was among the cities that Jesus did most of His mighty works in. It was also one of the cities that He rebuked and proclaimed God's judgement upon, for not repenting or believing in Him (Matthew 11:23-24).

When Jesus went public, He was often referred to as "Rabbi", therefore He was viewed by many as a Jewish teacher. However, we know that He was not technically an official Rabbi by Jewish definition, because He did not have any formal training such as the Jewish Rabbis would have had. He knew the Scriptures and understood their meanings much better than they did, but He was not an official, traditional Jewish Rabbi by trade or by their standards. He was actually a carpenter by trade up until the time of His ministry. 

Jesus's methods were also different from the traditional Jewish Rabbis. He invited His disciples to follow Him, rather than His disciples asking Him if He would teach them. He hand picked His disciples based on their faithfulness to God, rather than on their aspirations to become a Rabbi of Judaism. The men Jesus chose to disciple were untrained, ordinary men who worked vocational jobs for a living. They were not training to become Jewish Rabbis or leaders.

Those followers who thought they would be faithful to Him but were not, Jesus did not invest time into, and let most of them leave and go back to their former lives when they no longer wanted to follow Him, or could no longer endure His teachings or the cost which came with following Him. 

The Jewish Rabbis took on disciples who had aspirations to become a Rabbi, or other leader of Judaism. They were faithful to Judaism and its religious traditions, as well as the Scriptures, but not necessarily faithful to God. As we'll look at later, Jesus said that the disciples of Judaism were "twice a son of hell than they were" (Matthew 23:15).

The Bible teaches that Jesus was born and raised as a Jew within a Jewish culture. However, the Word who became flesh, the second person of the trinity, was not of any human ethnicity prior to coming to earth. He was and is God. He created the heavens and the earth and everything in them. He created all persons, peoples, and places. He does not value or esteem any particular race or people group above any other.

The reason why God sent Jesus to Israel as a Jew, was because they were the people whom He had promised to be His own special treasure, who would comprise His holy kingdom, if they obeyed His commands. But once again, they had turned away from God, so He sent Jesus to them to preach repentance and the coming kingdom of God. Jesus was God's last prophet sent to Israel.

Jesus described the generation He had come to as evil, as perverse, and as adulterous. When He said those things, He was not speaking of the Gentiles, but He was speaking to the Jews.

He was sent by God to the "lost sheep of Israel" as an Israelite, probably so that He would be more effective at reaching them. Who better to reach an Israelite than an Israelite? All of God's prophets, whom most were sent to Israel, were Israelites themselves. 

In a parable given to some of the leaders of Israel, Jesus tells them the reason why He came to Israel:

In the parable He said that God had sent prophets to them to render the fruits they had harvested in the land that He had leased to them, but when they came, they persecuted and killed them:

Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ - Matthew 21:37 

But when He came, they killed Him too. Therefore, Jesus said that God was going to take the kingdom away from them and give it to another nation who will bear its fruits. 

Jesus did not keep this a secret, and in fact He was quite vocal about it, especially when Jesus came to Jerusalem during the final week of His life. We can sense the tension increasing between Him and the leaders of Israel when we read these passages in the Bible.

He said some very harsh things to the Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes, chief priests and elders of Israel. These were the leaders of Judaism and the representatives of Israel whom God had called to be His kingdom of people who He made a covenant with 1,600 years earlier.

Jesus was in deep sorrow for them and for what was about to take place regarding their future as God's people...

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1

One day while Jesus was teaching in the temple, the leaders of Judaism came to Jesus and said, "Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority" - Luke 20:1-2.

He refused to answer their question directly because they refused to answer the question that He responded with. However, He did eventually answer their question, but it was in a parable.

Jesus said things in parables that only those with "ears to hear" would understand. Many of the Jews did not have ears to hear because they were not given the knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God, therefore He often spoke to them in parables (Matthew 13:10-11). 

In the parable, He said that a man planted a vineyard and leased it to some vinedressers. At harvest time, he sent his servants to render some of the fruits which it produced, but the vinedressers beat and killed His servants.

So, thinking that they would respect His Son, He sent Him last of all. His Son was His last hope at rendering the fruit of the harvest, and therefore His final attempt. 

When the vinedressers saw His Son coming, they said, "This is the heir. Let's kill Him so that the inheritance will be ours." So they cast Him out of the vineyard and killed Him.

Then Jesus asked the Pharisees He was speaking to,

“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?” 

Not knowing at that time that the story was about them, they were angry towards the vinedressers and responded, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."

Jesus looked at them and said,

"the stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”

He was the stone that the builders rejected, and they were the builders who rejected Him. Jesus, the stone, became the chief cornerstone - the primary member of the structure which every other stone is supported by - the One who has been given all authority in heaven and on earth.

Because they rejected Him, He was going to use His authority to take the kingdom of God from them and give it to another nation (a nation who has God's law written on their hearts) who will bear its fruits (justice and righteousness), because rather than rendering (giving back) to the owner of the vineyard (God) the fruits they produced, they killed His servants (the prophets) and the Son (Jesus) when they came to collect them.

Then they realized that the parable was about them, and they were furious and wanted to kill Him, but they didn't because they feared the people who believed He was a prophet (Luke 20:1-19; Matthew 21:33-46).

Some important things to note about this parable are as follows:

Jesus's use of this parable here is similar to when God sent Nathan the prophet to King David after he committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband killed. Nathan told him a parable which got King David angry towards the man in the story. Nathan then informed the king that he was the man!

So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.”

Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. - II Samuel 12:5‭-‬7 

Jesus essentially said to Israel, "you are the man!"

Many Christians refute the idea that Jesus was speaking of the entire nation of Israel. They believe that He was only speaking to the Pharisees and the Jewish leaders of that time. However, the Pharisees and the Jewish leaders were the representatives of all of Israel. They were the leaders of Israel which is why Jesus dealt with them.

To use a couple of examples that are somewhat related, the President of the United States deals directly with the leaders of the nations, he does not deal with the individual people. The leaders are the representatives of the nation and the people, therefore they deal with one another and whatever policies develop between them trickles down to the rest of the people. 

The same thing goes in the business world. If there is an issue with a product that is being produced, the one with the issue takes their complaint up with the leaders of the company, not the employees who made the product. The company is responsible for their product, and the leaders are the representatives of the company, therefore they are held responsible.

God took issue with Israel for their turning away from Him and their false religion, so He took it up with the leaders and held them responsible for the entire nation. God was not pleased with them because He wanted a people who loved and worshiped Him alone, not a religion. 

Furthermore, Jesus said that the disciples they produced were "more a child of hell than they were." If bad disciples make bad disciples, then the whole system gets corrupted. Cancer reproduces cancer. This is what sounds like happened with Judaism. It became something that was not at all in line with God's intended purpose for His people. 

Another reason why it is clear that this parable is about the entire nation and not only the leaders, is because Jesus said that the kingdom was going to be taken from them and given to "another nation." It doesn't make any sense if Jesus was saying that He is going to take the kingdom away from the Pharisees only, and give it to another nation.

Israel was the nation that had possession of God's kingdom. In other words, they were the nation of people who comprised the kingdom of God. Possession of the kingdom was not limited to the leaders of Israel only, but to the nation in its entirety. 

Moving on, in the parable Jesus used the imagery of a vineyard that was leased to some vinedressers to produce fruit. The vineyard that He was talking about was the land that God had "leased" to Israel to produce fruit in, as long as they kept their covenant with Him. In other words, it was the land that He allowed them to reside in as His people, but it did not belong to them. He allowed them to use it as long as they remained faithful to Him and produced the fruits of justice and righteousness. We are told this in Leviticus 25:23-24:

The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with Me. And in all the land of your possession you shall grant redemption of the land. - Leviticus 25:23‭-‬24 

The land belonged to God, and therefore He required them to grant redemption of the land. That means if someone lost or sold their land because they became poor, the new owner was required to give it back if a family member came to redeem it or if the original owner was able to buy it back. If not, the new owner was required to give it back in the year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25:25-28).

Based on that law, which God Himself put into effect, it seems that God, who was the original owner, had the right to redeem the land from Israel. It was His land after all. This is exactly what He did because they managed it poorly, and did not meet the conditions of the lease. God allowed them to have possession of the land for much longer than the Jubilee which was fifty years, but God is patient and slow to anger. 

God sent Jesus, His Son, or "relative" we could say, to redeem the land or earth, because it all belongs to Him (Psalm 24:1) and "the meek" will inherit it (Matthew 5:5).

God is not at all concerned with a small plot of land or the geographical location of where His people live, because they reside all over the earth, and the earth belongs to Him. His people will inherit the earth and reign throughout it with Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:29; 8:16-17; 2 Timothy 2:12).

The land was only a type and a shadow of a better promise (Hebrews 11:16).

Though it's not an apples to apples comparison, I think we can draw the conclusion from this passage that the modern day, geopolitical nation of Israel's seige of Palestine is in direct contrast to God's law here. Not to mention what God's character is and what Jesus said to Israel regarding God's judgement of them. 

The purpose of this law was so that prominent individuals could not own large portions of land because otherwise they might attempt to overpower and take control of the entire region or nation. 

Yet, modern day Israel is trying to do just that."Settlers" who are funded in some degree by Christian churches, are coming in and taking and stealing occupied land that is owned by others to make it their own. In the process they continue to kill and persecute the owners of this land and have legislated laws to rule over and oppress them. They have conquered the land in order to control it, which is exactly what God did not want to happen.

They believe that the land is their God given possession, and therefore in their minds, their actions are justified. Their belief and actions are supported by many Christians, mostly from America. Many Christians in other parts of the world do not support their actions but consider them apartheid, which is exactly what it is by definition. 

Human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, The Presbyterian Church USA, The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), as well as many Christians, Jews, Muslims, churches and organizations who reside in the area or have boots on the ground, all label modern Israel's crimes against Palestinians as apartheid.

Even so, the facts are refuted, the issue is ignored and Israel is supported by many American Christians, who will viciously attack anyone who speaks against Israel or support Palestinians on this matter.

Like many words today, the definition of "antisemitism" has been changed to label anyone who does not support modern day Israel, as being "antisemitic." This is a bullying tactic used by the political left to silence the truth. But ironically, many of the same Christians who criticize the political left for using this tactic, will use it themselves when it comes to this issue. They will call you antisemitic in order to silence the truth of Israel's apartheid, which in all fairness, they are likely ignorant of. 

Note: Visit https://ifamericansknew.org for more information on Israeli apartheid.

Another thing about this parable that I briefly mentioned earlier, are the conditions of the covenant that God made with Israel. Most American Christians refute the idea that God gave any conditions, therefore Jesus could not have meant that He was going to take the land away from them.

However, God made the conditions very clear. In general He said, "If you obey me, you will remain in the land. If you don't, I will curse you and take it away from you." 

When Israel came to Mount Sanai, God made the covenant with Israel and He made the conditions crystal clear:

"Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.” - Exodus 19:5‭-‬6 

Sidenote: You will notice in this passage that God said that all the earth was His, as discussed earlier. Because the earth was His, Israel would be His special treasure above all people, His kingdom of priests and nation set apart for Him (holy), if they obeyed His voice and kept His covenant.

Though the conditions of the covenant are mentioned several times throughout the Bible, another primary place where they are mentioned is in Deuteronomy 28. Here are a few of the key verses:

“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God: - Deuteronomy 28:1‭-‬2 

“But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: - Deuteronomy 28:15 

“The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways. Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you. - Deuteronomy 28:9‭-‬10 

And it shall be, that just as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good and multiply you, so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you and bring you to nothing; and you shall be plucked from off the land which you go to possess. “Then the Lord will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have known—wood and stone. - Deuteronomy 28:63‭-‬64 

“If you do not carefully observe all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, THE Lord YOUR GOD, then the Lord will bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary plagues—great and prolonged plagues—and serious and prolonged sicknesses. - Deuteronomy 28:58‭-‬59 

God reiterated the conditions to King Solomon when he was dedicating the temple to the Lord:

“But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods, and worship them, then I will uproot them from My land which I have given them; and this house which I have sanctified for My name I will cast out of My sight, and will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples. - II Chronicles 7:19‭-‬20 

In the above passages, God lays out the terms of the covenant. If they will keep their promises, then He will keep His.

A covenant is an agreement between two parties. The passage below describes what took place at the covenental ceremony. God instructed Moses to bring the leaders of Israel up the mountain with him, and Moses relayed to them, God's terms of the covenant which they agreed to. Moses built an altar where they offered sacrifices to God, and Moses sprinkled the blood of the covenant on the altar.

Moses then read the book of the covenant so that all of Israel could hear, and they all agreed (promised) that they would do everything God had said and that they would obey Him.

Then Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words."

Israel had promised God to remain faithful to Him, and the blood of the sacrifices sealed their covenant with Him:

Now He said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. And Moses alone shall come near the Lord, but they shall not come near; nor shall the people go up with him.”

 So Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the Lord has said we will do.” 

And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel. Then he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. And Moses took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient.” 

And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words.” - Exodus 24:1‭-‬8

A covenant is a matter of faithfulness on the part of all parties involved. Unfortunately, covenants can be broken if one of the parties does not keep the terms of the covenant. 

This is what happened with Israel. Immediately after they promised God to do everything that He said and to obey Him, they constructed a false god and committed idolatry against Him. God was furious and wanted to kill them all, but Moses interceded on their behalf and only about three thousand men were killed by Moses and the Levites that day. However God promised that He would come and punish them for their sin, and He plagued them (Exodus 32:25-35).

It is evident that Israel's idolatry, which the Bible also calls adultery, was a very serious matter in the sight of God. In today's society, if we believe that God takes our unfaithfulness to Him lightly, then we should look closer at what the Bible teaches about His character and at His response to Israel when they were unfaithful to Him because God views our unfaithfulness to Him the same as He viewed Israel's.

Some of the greatest lessons we can learn from Israel are: 

1. God considers unfaithfulness to Him a very serious matter.

2. Unfaithfulness to God is breaking the terms of the covenant that we are in with Him.

3. God did not allow Israel to remain as His people after being unfaithful to Him and breaking the covenant they made with Him. He judged them for it and took the kingdom from them. 

4. In the same way, God does not allow a Christian to remain a part of His people or have an inheritance in His kingdom after being unfaithful to Him and breaking the covenant with Him unless they repent.

God is a jealous God and therefore He did not allow Israel, and He does not allow Christians, to have any other gods besides Him (Deuteronomy 5:6-10). These "other gods" come in various forms. We may not literally bow down and worship carved images, but we can make something "a god" by putting it before God in our life. 

In Israel's case, they left Egypt, but Egypt did not leave them. They continued throughout their history to turn away from God and to worship false gods. That is why God commanded them to destroy the Canaanites when they entered the promised land. However, they did not, and they continued to "play the harlot" (Exodus 34:10-16).

To have other gods is committing adultery against God because idolatry is unfaithfulness to God. Adultery and unfaithfulness are not allowable in any marriage covenant. 

God essentially said to Israel, "If you remain faithful to me, then I will remain faithful to you." But Israel did not keep the covenant and so they were not faithful to Him, therefore God kept His promises to curse and destroy them. 

God will always remain faithful to His people and to His promises, however people do not always remain faithful to God or keep their promises. 

God made promises to Israel for blessing if they remained faithful to Him, and for curses if they did not. We only like to accept God's promises of blessings because they benefit us personally. But if we truly trust and believe in God and that He always keeps His promises, then we must also believe that He keeps the promises He made that do not benefit us in the ways that we might expect, such as His promise to curse and destroy Israel as He did in Deuteronomy 28.

One last thing to look at regarding this parable is the "fruit" that Jesus mentioned of which God sent His servants to render. 

First, to "render" means to give back. So, in context, the vinedressers were to give back the fruits as payment for the land that they were leasing from the landowner. 

Next, what is "the fruit" that the vinedressers were supposed to give back and that Jesus said the nation that the kingdom was given to would produce?

Isaiah 5 gives us the answer in a very similar passage about Israel of which Jesus was likely basing His parable on.

In Isaiah's passage, he said,

What more could have been done to My vineyard That I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, Did it bring forth wild grapes? And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned; And break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. I will lay it waste; It shall not be pruned or dug, But there shall come up briers and thorns. I will also command the clouds That they rain no rain on it.

For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help. - Isaiah 5:4-7

God expected Israel to bring forth good fruit, but it produced bad fruit instead, therefore He was going to destroy it and lay it waste. The fruit that God looked for from Israel was justice and righteousness, but instead He found "oppression and a cry for help." 

Isaiah's prophecy was to warn Judah, the southern kingdom of Israel, of God's judgment against them for the fruits which it produced. In 586 BC, Isaiah's prophecy was fulfilled when they were conquered by Babylon. Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed during the seige, and the kingdom ceased to exist from that point on.

By this time, Israel, the northern kingdom no longer existed. It was besieged and destroyed by Assyria in 722 BC for their harlotry against God. Because of such, He had given her a certificate of divorce and even though Judah observed it, she also continued to play the harlot which led to her demise:

The Lord said also to me in the days of Josiah the king: “Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there played the harlot. And I said, after she had done all these things, ‘Return to Me.’ But she did not return. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also. - Jeremiah 3:6‭-‬8 

For God to give Israel a "certificate of divorce" goes against everything we have been taught about God, because we are taught that "God hates divorce", and on top of that, that "God will never leave you or forsake you, no matter what you do", and "God's covenant with Israel is unconditional." Yet the prophet Jeremiah recorded God as saying that He issued Israel a certificate of divorce because she had been unfaithful to Him; she had "backslidden" , and would not turn back to Him.

God basically said the same thing again, as recorded in 2 Kings, where He said that He had "removed her from His sight" due to her idolatry. "Removing her from His sight" meant that the northern kingdom of Israel would no longer exist:

For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and they had feared other gods, and had walked in the statutes of the nations whom the Lord had cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.

Also the children of Israel secretly did against the Lord their God things that were not right, and they built for themselves high places in all their cities, from watchtower to fortified city.

They set up for themselves sacred pillars and wooden images on every high hill and under every green tree. There they burned incense on all the high places, like the nations whom the Lord had carried away before them; and they did wicked things to provoke the Lord to anger, for they served idols, of which the Lord had said to them, “You shall not do this thing.” 

Yet the Lord testified against Israel and against Judah, by all of His prophets, every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways, and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets.”

 Nevertheless they would not hear, but stiffened their necks, like the necks of their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God. And they rejected His statutes and His covenant that He had made with their fathers, and His testimonies which He had testified against them; they followed idols, became idolaters, and went after the nations who were all around them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them that they should not do like them. 

So they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, made for themselves a molded image and two calves, made a wooden image and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger. 

Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them from His sight; there was none left but the tribe of Judah alone. 

Also Judah did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. 

And the Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel, afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them from His sight. For He tore Israel from the house of David, and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king.

 Then Jeroboam drove Israel from following the Lord, and made them commit a great sin. For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them, until the Lord removed Israel out of His sight, as He had said by all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away from their own land to Assyria, as it is to this day. - II Kings 17:7‭-‬23 

 

Jesus's prophecy to the leaders of Israel in this parable was not that God's judgement was going to destroy their city and their temple, like He did with the northern and southern kingdoms, but that in His judgement, the kingdom was going to be taken from them.

Jesus did however prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple as well, as we'll see in the next section. 

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2

Another parable that Matthew recorded Jesus telling about Israel during His last week, was about a King who invited His servants to His Son's wedding feast, but they refused to come. Because they were not willing to come, the King was angry at them and sent His armies to destroy them and burn up their city. He said that those who were invited were not worthy.

So, the King sent His servants out to invite others to come, and the hall was filled (Matthew 22:1-10).

This parable is about the marriage supper of the Lamb that the apostle John was told about by the angel in his vision on Patmos (Revelation 19:9). This marriage is going to be between Christ and those who have faith like Abraham's - the ekklessia. 

God invited His servants, Israel, to come to the wedding feast, but they were not willing to come. Therefore God was angry and sent His armies to destroy them and burn up Jerusalem. 

Matthew, Mark, and Luke each recorded Jesus saying that Jerusalem would experience great tribulation that was due to God's vengeance, and that it would be destroyed in that generation. These events actually did occur in AD 70 just as Jesus prophesied in His parable and shortly afterwards.

Because Israel rejected God's invitation to the wedding feast, He sent His servants out to invite everyone to come, and the hall was filled. However, many are called, but few are chosen. 

The Jews believed that only they were God's people. But when they refused to come to the wedding, God sent His servants to invite the Gentiles to come, and they did. Hearing this infuriated the Jews and increased their hatred of Jesus all the more. 

Though many are called to God's kingdom, very few will enter because very few will remain faithful to the end. 

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3

Another parable that Matthew recorded from Jesus regarding Israel that final week, was about a man who invited his two sons to go to work in his vineyard. The first son he invited said he would not go, but afterwards he regretted it and went. 

The second son said he would go, but didn't. 

Jesus asked the Pharisees which son did the will of his father, and they responded, "the first."

Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him" (Matthew 21:28-‬32).

Jesus affirmed their response and then made it clear to them that sinners were going to enter the kingdom of God before them, because the sinners believed John's message but they did not, even though they saw the way of righteousness. 

Like Judah did when they heard the prophets and saw God's judgement of Israel, the Jews heard John the Baptist preach their repentance because the kingdom of God was near, but they did not believe it or listen to him. Therefore they were not going to enter the kingdom of God. 

Jesus was clearly relating Israel to the second son, who said he would go to work in his father’s vineyard, but then did not go.

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4 

Luke 20:41-47; Matthew 22:41- 23:39

After Jesus said these parables, the leaders of Israel sent spies in an attempt to test Him so they could arrest Him and take Him to the Roman government to be put to death. When they realized that they could not trap Him, they stopped asking Him questions. 

A few years earlier when Jesus was led to the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tested by the devil, Jesus said to him, "Do not test the Lord your God." Israel's testing of Jesus proved that they did not consider Him to be their God. 

Furthermore, it proved that they were not children of God, but children of the devil just as Jesus had said, because they did not do what God the Father told them to do, but what their father the devil told them to do. Jesus said to the devil not to test the Lord your God, but the Jews tested Him just as their father the devil did (John 8).

Jesus then started warning the multitudes and His disciples of the teachings and hypocrisy of the Pharisees and the scribes, condemning their teachings.

He said that the Sadducees were mistaken regarding their view of the resurrection and that they did not know the Scriptures or the power of God. He also said that the Pharisees were wrong about who they believed the Christ was. 

Jesus went on to condemn the scribes and Pharisees for their desire to be in high positions and to have lofty titles. He pronounced judgment upon them for their hypocrisy by:

• not entering the kingdom of God or allowing others to enter it either 

• for devouring widows houses and using long prayers as a pretense, therefore they will receive even greater condemnation 

• for traveling land and sea to make one disciple, and when they do, they make him twice a son of hell as they are 

• for making the gold of the temple more important than the temple 

• for neglecting the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith 

• for extortion and self indulgence 

• for their uncleanness, their hypocrisy, and their lawlessness 

• for being the sons of those who murdered the prophets and for persecuting and killing the prophets who Jesus will send to them; they are being held responsible for all of the blood of the righteous on the earth 

Jesus was angry and said to them,

 "Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?"

It was no coincidence that Jesus called them serpents and vipers, and used the word, "brood" in his description of them. The devil was a serpent in the Garden of Eden and He earlier said that their father was the devil, making them children of the devil. The definition of "brood" is:

1. the young of an animal or a family of young

2. a group having a common nature or origin

3. the children of a family

By calling them "brood of vipers ", Jesus again called them "children of the devil" and then said that they were condemned to hell.

He was very intentional and consistent in what He said and He did not mince His words. In fact, He only spoke what God told Him to speak, and did only what God taught Him to do (John 5:19, 8:28).

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5

It was after all this happened, when Jesus left the temple, that His disciples began talking about how beautifully adorned the temple was. 

He said, “These things which you see—the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down.” - Luke 21:5‭-‬6 

Jesus said that the temple was going to be destroyed. But why? Why was the temple going to be destroyed, how did He know that it was going to be destroyed, why did He tell His disciples that it was going to be destroyed, and why did Matthew, Mark, and Luke all write it down and record it in Scripture for us to know about it?

In answer to the last two questions, God must have considered it important for His people to know, therefore He made it known to Jesus and instructed Him to tell His disciples. He also inspired Matthew, Mark and Luke to write it down so that it would be recorded for all followers of Jesus, past and present, to know. 

We will encounter some of the answers to these other questions as we continue.

Later, privately, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Jesus (Mark 13:3),

"When will these things be, and what is the sign whenever these things are about to happen?" - Luke 22:7

Their questions were regarding the destruction of the temple which Jesus previously mentioned. 

Jesus answered, "When you see Jerusalem surrounded by encamped armies, then know that her desolation has drawn near." - Luke 22:20

The sign of the temple's destruction was going be when Jerusalem was surrounded by armies.

Jesus goes on to say that these things will happen during their generation:

Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. - Matthew 24:34 

He was right. History records that Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed by Rome in AD 70, which was within that generation. These events took place within the precise time period and exactly as Jesus prophesied. This is one of the best recorded prophecies of Jesus in the Bible and it fits into everything that we've looked at this far regarding Jesus's prophecy against Israel. 

The destruction of the temple meant the end to sacrifices. No longer would practitioners of Judaism be able to make sacrifices for the forgiveness of their sins.

More than 500 years beforehand, the prophet Daniel was informed by a messenger of God during a vision that this would happen:

“And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined. Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.” - Daniel 9:26‭-‬27 

Sacrifices were no longer needed because God sacrificed His Son as the "once for all" sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10). However, most of the leaders of Judaism who represented God's nation of Israel did not receive Jesus (1) as their King (2), as the Son of God (3), or as God's once for all sacrifice (4), and continued to make sacrifices and practice Judaism which Jesus strongly opposed (5).

By continuing to offer sacrifices to God after He had personally provided the sacrifice for them, they further demonstrated their rejection of Jesus. Jesus had prophesied, just as Daniel had, that the temple was going to be destroyed. Without the temple, practitioners of Judaism would no longer be able to offer sacrifices. God wanted to put an end to their animal sacrifices because He had sacrificed His Son to atone for their sins, therefore He destroyed their temple. 

The destruction of the temple and the destruction of Jerusalem were God's judgement against them for their rejection of His Son. And because they rejected Jesus the Son, they also rejected God the Father (Luke 10:16). 

References Noted Above 

(1) They did not receive Jesus - John 1:11

(2) As their King - John 19:15, Matthew 27:41-42

(3) As the Son of God - John 8:19, John 8:54-59, Matthew 27:43, Luke 22:70-71

(4) As God's once for all sacrifice - Acts 7:51-59, Acts 4:1-21, Acts 8:1-3, Acts 9:23

(5) Jesus strongly opposed Judaism - Mark 12:35-40, Matthew 23, John 8:31-59, Matthew 15:1-9, John 5:18

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6

As we previously looked at, Jesus had said to the leaders who represented Israel that judgement was going to come against them because they were hypocrites. (Matthew 23).

Jesus had also informed them that they were not going to enter the kingdom of God and that the kingdom was going to be taken from them and given to a nation who will bear its fruits (Matthew 21:28-46).

They were invited to come to the wedding of the Son, but they were not willing and refused because they had other things to do. They beat and killed the servants and the Son (Matthew 21:37-39) who were sent to invite them.

Because of this, God was furious so He sent out His armies to destroy them and to burn their city. He said to His servants, "The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy" (Matthew 22:1-10). Israel was not worthy to come to the wedding feast. 

In Luke's account of Jesus's prophecy of the destruction of the temple and of Jerusalem, he records Jesus as saying that the sign of the time of the destruction will be when they see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, and when that happens, let those who are in Judea leave and flee to the mountains, and do not let anyone enter the country because these are the days of God's vengeance. 

“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled." - Luke 21:20-22

Matthew wrote in his account that the sign of the destruction would be when they see the "abomination of desolation" as spoken of by the prophet Daniel. He said when they see that, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains because they are going to experience great tribulation. The tribulation is due to God's judgement - "the days of vengeance."

“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains." - Matthew 24:15‭-‬16 

Matthew, Mark and Luke recorded the same event, but with slightly different language, probably because Matthew and Mark were writing to Jews who would have been familiar with Daniel's prophecy and Hebrewisms such as, "the abomination of desolation", and Luke was writing to a Roman who may not have known or understood those things. Luke clearly stated in his record what "the abomination of desolation" was. 

According to Luke, "the abomination of desolation" was the armies which God sent and surrounded Jerusalem, and these would be "the days of vengeance." Again, as history records, this occurred in AD 70 during the Jewish War. This event was a fulfillment of Jesus's prophecy. 

Jesus was distraught over this. He tried to prevent it from happening by trying to gather His people, but they were not willing, and because they were not willing, their house was going to be left desolate:

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ” - Matthew 23:37‭-39

Jerusalem was the city of God and the temple was where He resided. But because of their unwillingness to believe in Jesus their Messiah, God was going to leave the city and the temple, leaving their house desolate. 

At possibly the same event as Matthew recorded in 23:37-39, Luke recorded Jesus weeping over Jerusalem as He approached it because it was going to be destroyed by its enemies because they "did not know the time of their visitation." Again he explained that Jerusalem was going to be surrounded by her enemies and be destroyed:

Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” - Luke 19:41‭-‬44 

Desolation means:

1) the state of being desolate, and 

2) devastation; ruin. 

Desolate means:

devoid of inhabitants; deserted.

According to Jesus's prophecy, both Jerusalem and the temple were going to experience desolation by the armies that surrounded her and by God's presence leaving. The abomination of the Roman armies that surrounded Jerusalem for attack caused the temple's, as well as Jerusalem's desolation. 

Luke's "days of vengeance" and Matthew's "great tribulation" warned Jews of how bad it was going to be for them during that time. Jesus warned them to [leave the city and] flee to the mountains because the city was going to be utterly destroyed and they were going to experience great distress and difficulties - great tribulation. 

Historians record that many Jews did flee to the mountains to escape the devastation as Jesus warned. They also record that things were so bad in Jerusalem that starving people ate anything they could, including their own children. Up to a million people including both Jews and Romans died by the war. With the exception of Jerusalem's destruction by Babylon around 587 BC, which was also due to God's judgement of His people, this was the most devastating event that Israel had faced up to that time. 

When Jesus cleared the temple because they had made it a "den of thieves", He called the temple, "My house". But when He wept over Jerusalem, He said, "Your house is left to you desolate," indicating that the house no longer belonged to Him and therefore He was leaving:

And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ - Matthew 21:13 

See, your house is left to you desolate. - Matthew 23:38 

Because many Christians believe that God's plan is for a third temple to be built so that Jews can continue to offer animal sacrifices and the "Antichrist" can defile it, it's important to understand what the temple was under the old covenant and what it now is under the new. We'll look at that in the next section. 

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7

The Temple

The temple is what is referred to in the Bible as God's "house". It is His dwelling place. In the kingdom of Israel, it was the place where the priests would meet with God and offer sacrifices to Him on behalf of the people.

Prior to Solomon building the temple, the tabernacle was used, which was portable because the Israelites moved from place to place after being brought out of Egypt and entering the promised land. 

Below are just a few of the many examples of passages that refer to God's house:

these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” - Isaiah 56:7 

Let the work on this house of God alone. Let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its site. - Ezra 6:7

And their brothers the Levites were appointed for all the service of the tabernacle of the house of God. - 1 Chronicles 6:48 

so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God. - 2 Chronicles 5:14 

So the two thanksgiving choirs stood in the house of God, likewise I and the half of the rulers with me; - Nehemiah 12:40 

And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god. - Daniel 1:2

In the kingdom of Israel, the people would bring their offerings to the temple, and there they would give them to Levitical priests who would slaughter the animal and offer it up to God. 

Sidenote: This is a very generalized description of the sacricial system because in reality there were several different offerings that were required to be made, not all of which were animals, and their were very specific requirements of how the animal was to be slaughtered or the sacrifice prepared, and how the blood of the animal was to be sprinkled and placed on the altar. 

The priests were the mediators between God and man. By God's law, only they were allowed to enter into the Holy of Holies to meet with God, and only they were allowed to offer sacrifices to God. 

In Jesus's day, the religion of Judaism re-instituted a sacrificial system that was similar to what God had instituted with the kingdom of Israel, so sacrifices were offered at the temple, but it was also the place where the Jews would gather for teaching. Jesus often took His disciples to the temple where He took advantage of the opportunity to teach. There, many Jews recognized that He taught with authority as He countered many of the teachings and religious practices of Judaism.

Later, the apostles frequented the temple as their place of ministry, because it was where the Jews gathered. Luke recorded that the church went to the temple daily to reach the lost sheep of Israel:

So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. - Acts 2:46-47

Many Jews who attended the temple and heard Jesus and the apostles teach became Christians and were saved. These Jewish believers were the origin of the church.

What we call churches today are structured similarly to the Jewish temple and Christians often describe church buildings as God's house. They have pastors or priests of these buildings in positions of mediator between them and God. The pastor or priest speaks to God and takes offerings on behalf of the people and reveals messages from God to them.

Today's churches are set up like the kingdom of Israel's temple system which expired and became obsolete with God's sacrifice of Jesus and the new covenant that God made with His people. 

Even in the New Testament which lays out the new covenant requirements, church buildings are not described as "God's house". In fact, church buildings are not even in the Bible. However, the temple is and it is called God's house. Let's take a look at what the New Testament says about the temple. 

First and most importantly, the apostle John saw in his vision that there was no temple [building] in the New Jerusalem which is "the Bride, the wife of the Lamb" (Revelation 21:2,9), also known as the church/ekklesia/God's people. He said that there is no temple because God and Jesus are the temple. He is saying that His people have no need for a temple because God and Jesus are the temple.

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. - Revelation 21:22 

Second, Jesus identified Himself as the Temple and said that He is greater than the old covenant temple, as we'll see in the account below:

One time on the Sabbath, Jesus and His disciples were hungry, so they were plucking heads of grain to eat. When the Pharisees saw them, they confronted Jesus and rebuked Him for breaking the Sabbath.

In His response, Jesus said that the law reads that the priests profane the Sabbath and are blameless, yet He is greater than the temple. He then responded that He desires mercy and not sacrifice.

Sacrifices were made in the temple to atone for their sins. He is greater than the temple where they offered sacrifices because He is the temple and the sacrifice. He has made the old covenant including the temple obsolete. 

But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. - Matthew 12:3‭-‬7 

Another time, when Jesus was being challenged by the Jews, He said that He was the temple:

Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” - John 2:19 

Jesus was obviously talking about His body being resurrected, not the temple building.

Because He made that comment, some of the Jews bore false testimony against Him at His trial and they mocked Him as He was dying on the cross:

And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying, “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’” Yet even about this their testimony did not agree. - Mark 14:57‭-‬59 

And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!”

So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him. - Mark 15:29-‬32 

Next, we are told by Paul the apostle that the Christian's body is the temple, the dwelling place of God:

Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. - I Corinthians 3:16‭-‬17 

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? - I Corinthians 6:19 

And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.” - II Corinthians 6:16 

And finally, the apostles Peter and Paul said that God's people are being built up into the household of God, a spiritual house for the dwelling place of God.

In other words, the ekklessia, or the people of God in its entirety is God's temple that is continually being built as people become Christians and enter the kingdom of God, and the church grows:

you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. - 1 Peter 2:5 

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. - Ephesians 2:19‭-‬22 

So, what the New Testament teaches is that the temple and its sacrificial system that God implemented for His people under the old covenant with Israel is no longer in effect because of Jesus, and God, Jesus, the individual Christian, and the entire people of God - which all comprise the body of Christ - are the temple of the new covenant.

What the New Testament does not teach, but modern Christianity does, is that church buildings or the institutional church are the temple of God and that they took the place of the old covenant temple. It may not always be verbalized, but its structure implies it.

However, there are no indications that Christians are required to worship God or offer sacrifices in a temple. God does not require churches to be modeled after old covenant temples. In fact I would argue that He prefer they were not because of cost alone. I'll suffice to say here that God wants His people to make disciples of all nations, help the poor, support widows and orphans, and uphold righteousness and justice. Church buildings can oftentimes barely manage to pay their mortgage let alone pay for the things that God requires from His people. Add to the mortgage staff salaries, building projects, program costs, marketing and advertising costs, etc, and churches have no money left to do God 's work.

Sermons and songs that teach that church buildings are God's "house" and that tithes and offerings are required to be brought to the "storehouse" are Biblically inaccurate.

The institutional church structure which has mediators like the priests of Israel had, who hear and speak on behalf of God for the people, is also Biblically inaccurate. The priesthood which acted as mediator, was abolished with the old covenant. Now, Jesus is the Mediator between man and God making it possible for all people who believe in Christ to have access to God. 

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Epilogue 

An interesting thing that I have not considered until recently, is that many Christians apply Jesus's prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem to the future "end times" rather than within the time frame of "this generation", when He said it would happen. If it was in the future, Jesus would have missed the mark about when the prophecy would be fulfilled. This is problematic because Jesus would have been wrong, and therefore He would not be perfect or trustworthy in anything that He said.

Many skeptics of Christianity use this passage as one of their excuses for refuting the inerrancy of the Bible, Jesus being the Messiah, and/or the existence of God, because they have in their minds that Jesus is saying that the end of world is going to take place in "this generation", and since the world still exists some two thousand years later, Jesus was a false prophet, the Bible is not true, God does not exist, etc, etc. This is one of the main arguing points from atheists against Christianity, so it is a common belief within their camp. They get this idea from Christians who they have seen on TV, heard on the radio, or personally know. 

I assume that one of the primary reasons that it is applied to the end times is because many Christians are not aware of the war between Rome and Jerusalem from AD 66 to AD 70, in which Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed. The timing of the temple's destruction fits perfectly within Jesus's prophecy of "this generation". Because the events that Jesus prophesied were fulfilled, it proves that He was a true prophet and is trustworthy in everything that He said and did. That's way more than I can say for the so called "prophets" of today, who are consistently wrong, and whose prophecies revolve around the United States rather than the kingdom of God. Yet Christians believe them despite them being wrong, but do not believe Jesus's prophecy. 

Jesus spoke a lot about the generation that He came to. And not good things. They were an " adulterous and sinful generation." It's no wonder that God sent Him at the time that He did. But the statements that He made about "this generation" were always referring to the generation of that time. So, why some Christians feel the need to make His reference to the destruction of the temple about the end times instead of within "this generation", I do not know, other than it doesn't fit within their eschatological framework. 

Below are several quotes from Jesus regarding "this generation", which all refer to the generation of that time:

“Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. - Luke 21:32 

But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.” - Mark 8:12

But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. - Luke 17:25

And the Lord said, “To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like? - Luke 7:31 

For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. - Luke 11:30 

that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, - Luke 11:50 

Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” - Luke 9:41

But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. - Matthew 12:39 

The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. - Matthew 12:41 

For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” - Mark 8:38 

The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. - Matthew 12:42 

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Appendix 

A

Some of the Scriptures Regarding Jesus as Prophet:

So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.” - Matthew 21:11 

For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. - John 4:44 

Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” - John 6:14 

And He said to them, “What things?” So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, - Luke 24:19 

The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. - John 4:19 l

For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. - Acts 3:22‭-‬24 

And He said to them, “Go, tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.’ Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem. - Luke 13:32‭-‬33 

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; - Hebrews 1:1‭-‬2 

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” - Matthew 4:17

And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. - John 3:32‭-‬34 

Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. - John 7:16‭-‬17 

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” - Luke 4:18‭-‬21 

And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ - Matthew 21:35-37 

Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. - John 5:19 

I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. - John 5:30 

Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. - John 14:10

He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me. - John 14:24 

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B

Jesus's Prophecy of the The Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple 

Mark 

Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!” 

And Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” 

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?” 

And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many. But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows. 

But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 

So when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not” (let the reader understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter. For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be. And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.

Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, He is there!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand. 

But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven.

Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near—at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 

- Mark 13:1‭-‬30 

Matthew 

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ” 

- Matthew 23:37‭-‬39 

Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” 

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” 

And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. 

Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. 

Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.

Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. 

Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together. 

Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

 Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 

- Matthew 24:1‭-‬34 

Luke

As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

- Luke 19:41‭-‬44 

Then, as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and donations, He said, “These things which you see—the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down.” 

So they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?” 

And He said: “Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time has drawn near.’ Therefore do not go after them. But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately.” 

Then He said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But not a hair of your head shall be lost. By your patience possess your souls. 

But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. 

And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”

Then He spoke to them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place. 

- Luke 21:5‭-‬32 

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C

Daniel's Prophecy of the Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in AD 70

In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, 

“O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land. O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You. 

“O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets. Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him. And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has been done to Jerusalem. 

"As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth. Therefore the Lord has kept the disaster in mind, and brought it upon us; for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice. And now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and made Yourself a name, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have done wickedly! 

“O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all those around us. Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord’s sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies. O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.” 

Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, 

“O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision:

“Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy.

"Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times. 

“And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined. Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.”

- Daniel 9:1‭-‬27 

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D

First Jewish Revolt - Autumn of AD 66 to AD 70

Rome captured Jerusalem in AD 63. Tensions between Romans and Jews mounted and in AD 66 the Jews revolted against Rome and quickly expelled them from the land. The Jews quickly formed a government that influenced the surrounding area.

However, the Roman emperor Nero pushed the majority of the Jews back into Jerusalem by AD 69, and in AD 70, the Roman general Titus besieged Jerusalem. 

During the war, Jewish historian and General, Flavius Josephus recorded that there were "signs in the heavens" that were not coincidentally similar to those recorded in Jesus's prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem and the apostle John's vision that is recorded in Revelation. 

The Roman's allowed Jews to enter the city for Passover, but did not allow them to leave. This depleted food and water supplies, causing Jews to starve to death and eat anything that they could find, even their own children. 

On August 29th of AD 70, "Jerusalem fell, the temple was burned, and the Jewish state collapsed" - Britannica. 

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E

Additional Resources 

The Wars of the Jews by Flavius Josephus 

Peacemaker Trust

https://peacemakers.ngo

If Americans Knew 

https://ifamericansknew.org

Dena Takruri

https://www.facebook.com/denatakruri?mibextid=b06tZ0

The IHRA Definition of Antisemitism: Defining Antisemitism by Erasing Palestinians by Rebecca Ruth Gould

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1467-923X.12883

Christian Zionism: Road Map to Armageddon? by Stephen Sizer

https://www.stephensizer.com/books/christian-zionism/

Zion's Christians Soldiers? The Bible, Israel and the Church by Stephen Sizer

https://www.stephensizer.com/books/zions-christian-soldiers/

What Are We to Make of Israel by Steve Gregg

https://www.thenarrowpath.com>Topical Lectures>What are we to make of Israel