Jerusalem AD 70

WHAT HAPPPENED?

ANSWER:

1. Old covenant Israel faced divine judgment: “You [Jewish leadership in the first century] will be held responsible for the murder of all godly people of all time―from the murder of righteous Abel to the murder of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you killed in the Temple between the sanctuary and the altar. I tell you the truth, this judgment will fall on this very generation.” (Matthew 23:35-36 NLT; cf. Hebrews 10:30; Revelation 18:24)
   
2. Prophecy was fulfilled: “For these are the days of vengeance to fulfill all that is written.” (Luke 21:22 ESV; c.f. Matthew 3:7-12; Acts 3:24)
   
3. Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed: “Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down. . . .Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” (Matthew 24:2, 34 ESV)
   
4. The kingdom was taken from the Jews and given to another group, obviously Christ’s church: “The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people [to a nation per NKJV] producing its fruits. . . . When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that He was speaking about them.” (Matthew 21:43, 45 ESV)
   
5. The old covenant (Mosaic) age ended forever: “In speaking of a new covenant, He makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” (Hebrews 8:13 ESV; cf. Hebrews 10:8-10)

WHY WAS ISRAEL JUDGED?

ANSWER:

1. For their extreme sinfulness: “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy―full of greed and self-indulgence. . . . Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matthew 23:25, 28 NLT; cf. Matthew 16:4; Luke 9:41)
   
2. For refusing to accept Jesus as Messiah: “How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.” (Matthew 23:37b NLT)
   
3. For persecuting Jesus’ followers: “And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.” (Matthew 21:35 ESV; cf. Matthew 22:5-8; 23:37a; 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16)
   
4. For pushing the Romans to Crucify Jesus: “They cried out, ‘Away with Him, crucify Him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered ‘We have no king but Caesar.’” (John 19:15 ESV) “Pilate washed his hands before the crowd, saying, ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.’ And all the people answered, ‘His blood be on us and on our children.’” (Matthew 27:25 ESV; cf. Matthew 21:37-39)
   
5. For disobeying the terms of the old covenant: “They did not remain faithful to my covenant, so I turned my back on them, says the Lord.” (Hebrews 8:9 NLT)

WHO JUDGED ISRAEL?

ANSWER: Jesus

1. “The Father judges no one. Instead, He has given the Son absolute authority to judge.” (John 5:22 NLT)
   
2. “For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.” (Matthew 16:27-28 NLT; cf. Acts 17:31; James 5:8-9)
   
3. “Then the high priest said to Him, ‘I demand in the name of the living God―tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.’ Jesus replied, ‘You have said it. And in the future, you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Matthew 26:63-64 NLT; Exodus 34:5-7; Psalm 18:4-15; Isaiah 19:1-15; Nahum 1:3-5)
   
4. “We have heard him [Stephen] say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy the Temple and change the customs Moses handed down to us.” (Acts 6:14 NLT)
   
5. “And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?’ . . . Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds.” (Revelation 6:16-17; 22:12 NLT; cf. Luke 3:7-17; 23:28-30)

SUMMARY: God judged Israel three times in history: (1) In 722 BC He judged the 10 northern tribes by sending the Assyrian army as his instrument of judgment. (2) In 586 BC He judged the nation of Judah by sending the Babylonian army as his instrument of judgment. (3) In AD 70 He judged Israel in finality by sending the Roman army as his instrument of judgment. Jesus, at his Second Coming, had a hand in this judgment. Eye witness Josephus wrote that 1.1 million Jews were killed in Jerusalem. Another 200,000 were killed outside of Jerusalem. And 97,000 were taken captive into slavery. The Jewish nation ceased to exist and along with it the temple was demolished. Temple sacrifices for sin ended forever as did the Jewish priesthood, ending the old covenant dispensation.