The article "Jerusalem Destroyed" by Don Fortner addresses the theological implications of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, highlighting it as a significant act of divine judgment that validates Christian belief in Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of the Old Covenant. Fortner argues that this event, foretold by Jesus in Matthew 24, serves as a demonstration of God's sovereignty and judgment against Israel for rejecting their Messiah. The author references Hebrews 8:13, which states that the old covenant is made obsolete, illustrating how the destruction of Jerusalem marks the transition from the types and shadows of the Old Testament to the reality of Christ as the ultimate High Priest and Sacrifice. This event underscores the practical significance of the new covenant, emphasizing that through Christ's atoning work, believers have a personal relationship with God and are empowered to worship freely, as outlined in Jeremiah 31:31-34 and supported by the New Testament.
Key Quotes
“The destruction of Jerusalem was not an act of anti-Semitism; rather, it was an act of divine judgment.”
“The shadows of the old covenant have been replaced with the substance, the reality of the new.”
“God stamps his revelation upon our hearts and thus makes us willing and eager to trust his darling Son and follow him.”
“Christianity is woven into history. It is about a person, the Lord Jesus Christ, who came into history, died, and rose again.”
What does the Bible say about the destruction of Jerusalem?
The Bible teaches that the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD was a fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy and a divine judgment upon Israel for rejecting Him.
This event was significant in that it marked the end of the sacrificial system that had been in effect for centuries and demonstrated the transition from shadows to reality, as the book of Hebrews elaborates. The destruction also showcased God's sovereignty in history, affirming that the culmination of His redemptive plan was realized in Christ. This serves as a powerful confirmation of the message of the Gospel and the new covenant established by Christ's atoning sacrifice.
How do we know the new covenant is true?
The new covenant is validated by the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, the transformative work of the Holy Spirit, and the blood of Christ as the everlasting covenant.
Moreover, the internal transformation of believers is a testimony to the truth of the new covenant. As God's Spirit is given to the elect, they experience a dramatic change in heart and life, leading them to freely serve and worship Him. The effectiveness of the new covenant is evidenced in the lives of those who are regenerated, illustrating how God’s grace operates from the inside out, making them willing to follow Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4-6). Thus, the new covenant not only stands on biblical promises but is also experienced dynamically in the lives of believers.
Why is God's mercy important for Christians?
God's mercy is vital for Christians as it underpins the new covenant, providing forgiveness and a personal relationship with Him through Christ.
The significance of mercy is not just transactional; it reflects the very character of God as a loving and just being. It assures believers that despite their sinfulness, they can approach the throne of grace with confidence (Hebrews 4:16). Furthermore, understanding God's mercy compels Christians to extend grace and forgiveness to others, reflecting the nature of Christ in their interactions. Ultimately, God's mercy reveals His desire to save His people, offering them a new covenant that brings life, hope, and purpose.
In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. - Hebrews 8:13Jerusalem Destroyed --
The destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD stands as a witness to the truth of Christianity. The Lord Jesus had declared that it would take place (Matt. 24:1-2); and it did. God’s people did not fight against Israel in this revolt. In fact, believers suffered in Jerusalem with the unbelieving nation of Israel. As far as Rome was concerned Christianity was just one of Judaism’s many sects which they were determined to eliminate. That is why Christians and Jews suffered the horrors of Titus together in the slaughter of 70 AD.
Divine Judgment
The destruction of Jerusalem was not an act of anti-Semitism. Rather it was an act of divine judgment (Mark 12:1-11). The Son of God came in judgment upon that nation (Matt. 24:34; Luke 19:43-44). These things came to pass because the nation of Israel knew not the time of their visitation. They did not recognize the coming of the Messiah. The destruction of Jerusalem was God’s testimony that the coming of Christ was in fact what the book of Hebrews says it was -- The replacement of shadows with the Substance -- Christ himself.
One of the early church fathers, (Athenasius -- born 373 AD), wrote, “It is a sign, and an important proof, of the coming of the Word of God, that Jerusalem no longer stands…For … when the truth was there, what need was there any more of the shadow? And this was why Jerusalem stood till then -- namely, that the Jews might be exercised in the types as a preparation for the reality.”
The destruction of Jerusalem and of Judaism was visibly a declaration of that which is verbally declared in the Book of Hebrews. -- God has made the first old. He has taken away the first, that he might establish the second. But what does this mean to us? Basically, it means three things.
Shadows Replaced
It means that the shadows of the old covenant have been replaced with the substance, the reality of the new. The temple and tabernacle, the sacrifices and priesthood, the feasts and laws of the Old Testament were all shadows, types, and pictures of the reality in heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ and his work as our High Priest and our Sacrifice. Our focus of worship is heaven. Our object of worship is Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled and replaced all the types and shadows of the Old Testament.
Heart Worship
The second thing is this. -- God makes Christ and his work real to his elect personally by the work of the new covenant when he writes his will in our hearts (v. 10). The fact that Christ has come means shadows are replaced with Reality. Old Testament types have given way to the Original, Christ our Savior. And it means that God almighty invades and moves into the hearts and minds of chosen, redeemed sinners by almighty, irresistible, effectual grace. He overcomes our resistance to the claims of Christ and makes us willing in the day of his power, by writing his will upon our hearts, revealing Christ to us and in us by his Spirit (2 Cor. 4:4-6). God stamps his revelation upon our hearts and thus makes us willing and eager to trust his darling Son and follow him. He works his grace from the inside out, so that we serve Christ freely, without the constraint and rule of law (2 Cor. 5:14).
God Merciful
Here’s the third meaning of this passage. -- God is merciful! He “delighteth in mercy!” He declares, “I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (v. 12). The foundation and basis for all the promises of the new covenant (in verses 10-11) is the finished work of Christ: -- "The blood of the everlasting covenant" (Heb. 13:20). If Christ had not died for our sins, God could not be our God or write the law on our hearts or cause us to know him personally. All this covenant mercy flows freely and unconditionally to chosen sinners through the sin-atoning blood of Christ. This is why our Lord called the wine of the Lord’s Supper, “the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20).
This is what the Holy Spirit means for us to understand. In Jeremiah 31 (five hundred years before Christ came into the world) the Lord God promised that he would do something new. He declared that he would replace shadows with the Substance, that he would powerfully, effectually move into the lives of chosen, redeemed sinners and write his will on our hearts so that we would serve him willingly, love him, trust him and follow him because we want to.
A Problem
But there was a huge obstacle. -- Our sin. -- Our separation from God because of our unrighteousness. How can a holy and just God deal with sinners in mercy? How can God be just, and, yet, forgive sin? The answer is that which was promised in the covenant, portrayed in the law, accomplished at Calvary, and explained in the Book of Hebrews – Substitution (2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 3:24-26). Christ bore our sins in his own body when he died. He took our judgment. He canceled our debt. That means that our sins are gone. They do not remain in God’s mind. He has forgotten them! They were consumed in the death of Christ (v. 12).
God is now free, in his justice, to lavish us with all blessings of grace in the new covenant. He gives us Christ, and all things in him and with him, for our everlasting salvation and enjoyment. He writes his own will -- his own heart -- on our hearts so that believers are made to love, trust, and follow Christ from the inside out, with freedom and joy.
Christ is the Goal, the Reality, the Substance. When Jerusalem fell to the Romans in 70 AD, and the temple was burned, the sacrifices ceased, the priesthood came to an end, and the law was brought to its conclusion. When the scepter departed from Judah (Gen. 49:10), God said to the world, "Shiloh has come!"
Christianity is woven into history. It is not a mere set of ideas. It is about a person, the Lord Jesus Christ, who came into history, died and rose again. It is about God who both rules and intervenes in history to bear witness to his Son, Jesus Christ. The destruction of the old, Jewish way of life and worship tells the world that the Messiah, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, has come. That he has forever put and end to the old covenant and has brought in a new covenant.
Comments
Your comment has been submitted and is awaiting moderation. Once approved, it will appear on this page.
Be the first to comment!