The Second Desolate Temple

VIEW:414 DATA:2020-03-20

The Second Desolate Temple

After their release from Babylonian captivity and rebuilding the city and the temple, Jewish leaders built a lot of rules and regulations designed to protect them from repeating the sins that led to their slavery. The seventh-day Sabbath, the fourth commandment, became a special object of reform. The Jews reasoned that since it was the transgression of the Sabbath that led them into captivity, it would be necessary to define in detail how the Sabbath should be observed.
More than 500 Sabbath-keeping rules eventually emerged. Some of these sabbatical laws were as ridiculous as this: You cannot leave an egg in the sun on the Sabbath, because the sun can cook the egg, and cooking on the Sabbath is a violation of the fourth commandment. Of course, this only resulted in a system of pure legalism. In the past, people began to believe that grace before God depended on how well they obeyed the traditions of their ancestors.
Finally, the people were again driven to disobedience. Jesus said that, despite their apparent religiosity, they were still breaking God's law, just like their ancestors during the days of Isaiah and Daniel."Isaiah prophesied well about you hypocrites, as it is written: These people honor me with their lips; but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching doctrines that are the precepts of men. Because, leaving the commandment of God, you retain the tradition of men. You know how to reject the commandment of God, to keep your tradition, thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition that you have transmitted " (Mark 7: 6-13) . Once again, people found themselves immersed in vain and rebellious worship.
Although his apostasy manifested itself in legalism, instead of relaxation, it was still based on the same principle on which all pagan religions are based "that man can be saved by his own works. Jesus, like Jeremiah, rebuked the current religious system and called it an abomination. "You are the ones who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts; because what is high among men is an abomination before God " (Luke 16:15).
Jesus expressed his discontent with these abominations on numerous occasions. The most notable were the two times He purified the temple. At these times He expressed his anger at the desecration of his holy place. The controversy between Jesus and the Jews revolved around religion. Religious leaders hated Jesus, because He did not look like the Messiah, He did not respect his traditions and mainly He did not keep the Sabbath, the way they thought it should be kept. This last question infuriated the Jews and led them to seek the death of Jesus (cf. John 5: 10-16, Matthew 12: 1-4, Mark 3: 1-6).
Despite the resistance of religious leaders, Jesus again sought to bring them to repentance and reform. He often rebuked them for their wrong ways, pointing the way to the true immaculate religion that is of great value in the eyes of God. However, they hardened their hearts and did not accept the waves of God's mercy.
So Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time, his prophetic look saw the consequences of the people's constant rebellion. With a grieving heart and tears streaming down his face, he prophesied the punishment that would come to the city:"days will come upon you when your enemies will surround you with trenches, and besiege you, and will press you on all sides, and will tear you down, you and your children within you; and they will not leave a stone on you. stone, because you did not know the time of your visitation " (Luke 19: 41-44).
After teaching in the temple for several days, Jesus left the room for the last time. Again he was strangled with anguish at seeing the end result of His people's apostasy. He exclaimed: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that you kill the prophets and stones that are sent to you !, How many times did I want to gather your children, as the hen gathers her chicks under the wings, and you did not want it! your house will be deserted " (Matthew 23: 37,38).
On both occasions, Jesus placed the blame on the people, in saying, "they did not know the time of their visitation" and "you did not want it". As a result of not responding to God's call to abandon their abominations, the temple would be desolate. This prophecy was fulfilled in 70 AD, when Titus' Roman armies burned the temple and placed it on the ground. This second desolation of the temple is perfectly parallel to its first destruction. On both occasions the abominations were caused by the apostate people of God and desolation were acts of judgment performed by a pagan army.
This desolation of Jerusalem was prophesied by Daniel, as a result of people rejecting the Messiah, the prince. A careful study of Daniel 9: 25-27shows that this is the case. In verse 25 the Messiah is promised to Israel and the restoration of the city is also foreseen. But then, threateningly, the condemnation is prophesied again. The verse 26 speaks of the Messiah being killed by his own people and how this act would cause the devastation of their city and the sanctuary again.
As Daniel heard Gabriel relay this prophecy, it was a repeat of what he had seen happening in Jerusalem at the time. Prophecy indicates that history would repeat itself, and that is exactly what happened. The abominations that the people of God committed resulted, in 586 BC and 70 AD, in the destruction of their sanctuary and the city "first by Nebuchadnezzar, then by Titus.
Because Israel rejected the Messiah, it lost its place as God's favored people. Jesus predicted that this would happen, saying, "The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will bear the fruits of it" (Matthew 21:43) . Israel lost its gospel franchise because of its own stubborn sin.
Who would be the new nation to receive the kingdom of God and produce its fruits? The Bible gives a clear and concise answer in the apostle Peter's letter to the Gentile converts, who "were not a people before, but now you are a people of God" . Of converts to Christianity, the new people of God, he still says:"You, however, are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people who are the exclusive property of God, in order to proclaim the virtues of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" (1 Peter 2: 9-10).
In the new dispensation, God grants converted Christians all the privileges and promises that were made for Abraham's literal seed (cf. Galatians 3: 26-29) . Now converted Christians take on the role of Israel and the Christian church absorbs the status of God's temple or sanctuary. The Scriptures make this very clear in texts such as Romans 2, 28,29 2:05, Ephesians 2: 11-13, 19-22 and 1 Peter.