Subject: why don't people study the old testmant |
Bible Note: Hey Colin, Excellent questions! 1) Was the destruction of the Temple part of God's ridding "the 'Kingdom of God' of the wicked"? Yes. The faithful living in Jerusalem were told to flee the city before it's destruction, the Olivet Discourse and Revelation cover these warnings. You probably aren't aware of this, but the Harlot of Revelation is Jerusalem. John the Baptist, Jesus and the Disciples explictly warned the wicked Jews (namely the Pharisees) that the wrath of God was coming for them. Matt. 3:7 John and the pharisees; Matt. 21-vineyard parable; Matt. 26:64-warning to Caiaphas, the chief priests, the scribes, the elders, the whole Sanhedrin; Lk. 23:28-30 Jesus warns the women of Jerusalem compare with Rev. 6:14-17; Acts 2:17 Peter warns a crowd that the Last Days were upon them just like Joel prophesized; and those are just a few. 2) Was the Holocaust a 20th Century analog of this? You know, a lot of people say that the Jews still suffer today for killing Jesus. I personally believe that hardships are more apt to fall on non believers then believers (though the sun shines on both) and do not feel that this has anything to do with the Holocaust. Most people believe that Matthew 27:25 means that ALL the Jews forever will be under a 'blood curse' for killing Jesus. I do not. I believe that when "And all the people said, 'His blood shall be on us and on our children!" they were signing off on a punishment that would be realized in full in 70 AD. 3) How does the destruction of the Temple Harmonize the Bible as a whole? Well, that has to do with the New Covenant coming in, which of course the Jews had known about for quite some time due to the prophets. If you'll notice, espeically in the NT, there's usually a earthly event that symbolizes a divine reality. Look at the Temple veil on earth that was torn when Christ was killed. (Mt 27:51) Why? That symbolized that Jesus was the link between God and man, that was a earthly symbol of a divine reality, Heb 9:24 "For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;" The temple being destroyed was God's way of letting us know that he was here with us, that our bodies were his temple. See the tabernacle, the temple, the veil; God did away with all those things, those shadows of the divine reality which is Jesus the Christ. This harminizes the Bible by allowing us to see that God dwells among men once more like he did in Genesis. No longer do we need Temples and Tabernacles and altars; God made good on his promise! Take care, SUEDE |