Days of Vengeance
WHY DID GOD TAKE VENGEFUL JUDGMENT ON OLD COVENANT ISRAEL IN 70 AD (Luke 21:22)?―
- They were exceeding sinful (Matthew 12:38-39; 16:4; 23:13-38; Luke 9:41).
- They persecuted and killed Jesus’ followers (Matthew 21:34-36; 22:5-6; 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16; Revelation 18:20-24). Indeed, the first century Jews would suffer the penalty for all the righteous blood ever shed (Matthew 23:35-36).
- They refused to accept Jesus as Messiah (Matthew 23:37).
- They participated with Rome in Jesus’ crucifixion (Matthew 21:37-39; 27:24-26; John 19:15.)
DID JESUS HAVE A HAND IN THIS JUDGMENT AGAINST THE JEWS? YES.―
- John the Baptist introduced Jesus to the Jews as the one who would bring them the soon coming wrath (Matthew 3:7-12). All judgment was given to Jesus (John 5:22).
- Jesus told the Jewish leadership that THEY would see Him coming with power on “clouds of heaven” (Matthew 26:64) “Coming on clouds” is a Jewish expression from the Old Testament about God’s judgment (examples: Psalm 18, Isaiah 19).
- Jesus said that his “coming on clouds” of judgment would happen in his generation and be associated with the end of the Old Covenant age and the destruction of the temple (Matthew 24:1-3; 29-34).
- The “wrath of the lamb” (Revelation 6:16-17) was against the Great City “Babylon” (Revelation 18:9-10) which is clearly identified as the “city where the Lord was crucified,” i.e. Jerusalem (Revelation 11:8).
WAS THIS THE FINAL JUDGMENT ON OLD COVENANT ISRAEL? YES―
- There were 3 judgments against Israel in history. In 722 BC God judged the northern kingdom of Israel by sending the Assyrian army against them as his instrument of judgment.
- In 586 BC God judged the southern kingdom of Judah by sending the Babylonian army against them as his instrument of judgment.
- In AD 70 God judged Israel in finality by sending the Roman army against them as his instrument of judgment.
- When Jesus cursed the fig tree He said that Israel would never again produce fruit (Matthew 21:18-19). In the Parable of the Tenants, Jesus makes it clear that He was taking the kingdom from the Jews and giving it to another group―the church (Matthew 21:33-45), leaving a remnant of faithful Jews to be saved (Romans 11).
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