Pastor Bruce has spent the last few weeks focusing on the events and the teachings of Jesus during the last week of His earthly ministry. It was a week marked by confrontation with and testing by the Pharisees and the other religious elect. As Pastor Bruce noted, the overriding theme of that final week was the Jews final rejection of Jesus, and the final rejection of the Jewish people (God’s own chosen) by Jesus.
Jesus final rejection is emphasized in Matthew 23: 37, 38. As Jesus was looking over Jerusalem that time Jesus sadly lamented, “.. how often have I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers here chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.” Also as Jesus is leaving the temple He places a final stamp of rejection as He adds the following words (verse 38) – “ Look, your house is left to you desolate.”
The temple, the glorious temple, built specifically to house the glorious presence of God was now being vacated. The temple where the people once fell on their knees in reverence to the “Shekinah Glory” of God. Now these same Jewish people had turned “..the Father’s House of prayer into a den of thieves.” The temple which Jesus one called “My Father’s house” was now being left to the Jewish people as “your” house. Jesus was now leaving the temple desolate, completely void of the Spirit and the presence of God.
I really appreciated Pastor Bruce’s message this past Sunday (April 19), as he drew parallels between the events of 30 AD with events that occurred 600 years earlier. God, in approximately 600 AD, also withdraw His presence and Spirit from the temple just prior to its destruction by the Babylonians. Pastor Bruce reviewed several verses from the Old Testament book of Ezekiel chapters 8-11. In those 3 chapters Ezekiel describes how God takes him from his captivity in Babylon back to Jerusalem; God took Ezekiel back to Jerusalem so that he could be a witness as God withdraws His Spirit and presence from the temple.
I stand amazed at the parallels between the events that occurred separated by 600 years. The people reject God, God withdraws His presence from the temple and the temple is destroyed.
God’s Word had been preserved for the Jews of the 1st century – so that they could read that Word and learn from the mistakes of the past. They failed to heed the lessons and once again the temple was destroyed in AD 70.
The Jews failed to heed Gods warning at the time of Jesus, are we any different today? We have the complete Bible, all of God’s Word, all of God’s blessing and all of God’s warnings. We have God’s warnings of imminent judgment that will be coming soon! Are we listening? Are we heeding those warnings”
Are we ready?
The past few weeks Pastor Bruce has prepared us, as He prepares to teach from the Olivet Discourse – Matthew 24 & 25, and then The Revelation. Each contain the lessons, the warnings which we need to understand, we need to be heeding. As Pastor Bruce continues to open the Word each week, may we open our ears, and open our hearts to both hear and heed all that God has to speak to us through Pastor Bruce.
Amen!
Thank you Pastor Bruce, for opening God’s Word to us!
Another great recap and response, so thankful for your efforts.