Jerusalem is a Desolate House

JERUSALEM IS A DESOLATE HOUSE

                                                                                                            

The King, the Wedding Feast and the Citizens

Matthew 22:1-14 records a Kingdom of Heaven (God) parable told by Jesus.  A king (God the Father) was giving a wedding feast for His Son (Jesus).  Those initially invited to attend (the Judeans) refused.  In addition they mistreated and killed the messengers (prophets).  The reaction of the King as found in Matthew 22:7 is one of fury and destruction.

Matthew 22:7 NET  The king was furious! He sent his soldiers, and they put those murderers to death and set their city on fire.

The King sent His soldiers (Roman Military) and they set the city on fire (Jerusalem) and killed many of the murderers (Pharisees, Sadducees, experts of the law, and others).

Other messengers were sent into the streets (the nations) to invite others to the wedding feast.  Some attending were not properly dressed in garments of salvation and they were cast out.  The moral of the story can be found in Matthew 22:14:  “For many are called but few are chosen.”  This involves the first resurrection and the harpazo (catching away / rapture).  They will be the judges ruling with Christ during the Millennium. The remainder will await the 2^nd resurrection called the great White Throne Judgment.

Matthew 23 contains a series of “woes” given by Jesus to the Pharisees and the experts in the law residing in Jerusalem.  Jesus indicates, due to their knowledge concerning the death of prophets, they have the distinction of being the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.  Knowing He would soon be crucified by this group of legal experts and Pharisees, Jesus states, “Fill up then the measure of your ancestors”. 

All of Jerusalem at that time and today's current generation would be held liable for “all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah – Matthew 23:35”.  Jesus ends his discourse against the Pharisees and legal experts with the words recorded in verses 39 and 39, “Behold, your house is being left to you desolate”

Matthew 23:38-39 NET  Look, your house is left to you desolate!  (39)  For I tell you, you will not see me from now until you say, 'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!' "

Verse 39, “For I tell you, you will not see me from now until you say, 'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!' " may be saying they will not be included in the first resurrection but will have to wait for the second resurrection at the White Throne judgment occurring at the end of the Millennium.

Jeremiah’s Prophecy of the Destruction of Jerusalem

The desolation of Jerusalem first occurred when the city was destroyed by Babylon in 586 B.C.  It was again desolated in 70 AD by the Roman military. The third major desolation has yet to take place but it may be occurring soon.  This third desolation has been made known by Jeremiah who prophesied that the city would be destroyed so completely that it would not be repaired or rebuilt again.

The 18^th and 19^th chapters of Jeremiah contain a prophecy concerning the nation of Israel which was conquered and the inhabitants dispersed by Assyria around 640 BC.  The next section of the prophecy concerns the nation of Judah and the city of Jerusalem. 

For the nation of Israel, in chapter 18, Jeremiah is told to go to the potter’s house and watch the potter shape wet clay into any form he desired.  Because Israel is still malleable as wet clay (and open to the Gospel) God would shape Israel in their dispersion among the nations as a potter shapes wet clay.

Jeremiah 18:6 NET  "I, the LORD, say: 'O nation of Israel, can I not deal with you as this potter deals with the clay? In my hands, you, O nation of Israel, are just like the clay in this potter's hand.'

However, for the nation of Judah, Jeremiah was told to buy a previously made clay jar from the potter.  With several of the leaders of Jerusalem present to watch, Jeremiah was to take the jar and smash it to pieces in the valley of Ben-hinnom (Gehenna).  This clay jar would represent the nation of Judah and Jerusalem.  The pieces would not be put back together.

Jeremiah 19:11 NET  Tell them the LORD who rules over all says, 'I will do just as Jeremiah has done. I will smash this nation and this city as though it were a potter's vessel which is broken beyond repair. The dead will be buried here in Topheth until there is no more room to bury them.'

Hagar and Sarai

The current city of Jerusalem will not be spared at the last minute, as so many exegetes and Bible teachers have claimed.  Its destruction has been prophesied and proclaimed by God, even prior to the rebuilt city and temple by the Babylonian returnees.  Paul states in Galatians chapter 4 that Jerusalem is the slave woman named Hagar and she represents Mt. Sinai and the Old Covenant.  Only the New Jerusalem from God represents Sarai and the New Covenant.

Galatians 4:24-25 NET  These things may be treated as an allegory, for these women represent two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai bearing children for slavery; this is Hagar.  (25)  Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.

Verse 30 further proclaims that Hagar (Jerusalem) and her children (Jews / and currently self-proclaimed Jews) will be thrown out and will not share the inheritance with the Son (Jesus Christ) and the New Covenant which will be the New Jerusalem.

Galatians 4:26 NET  But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.

It has been said the return of Christ (2^nd Coming) will occur somewhere around the time of the destruction of Jerusalem.  When He returns, everyone will see Him.

Revelation 1:7 LITV-TSP  (7)  "Behold, He comes with the clouds," and "every eye will see Him, and the ones who pierced" Him, and all the tribes of the earth "will wail on account of Him." Yes, Amen. Dan. 7:13; Zech. 12:10

Everyone on the planet will mourn (wail / be sad / beat their breasts / be grieving / have bitter sorrow) at various levels of intensity.  The Jews may be the biggest mourners because:  they will finally realize at being duped and lied to by their religious leaders and historians; they will understand the Kingdom of God has been lost to them and that it was never in their power to gain; their desire to rule the world will be forever gone.  The ones reigning with Christ will be the first fruits (also called the overcomers, and the remnant of grace).  They will be reigning over the survivors of the wrath of God.

Repentance at the return of Christ will not change the previous verdicts that Jesus rendered just before He was crucified. It will not change Jeremiah’s prophecy of the utter destruction of Jerusalem. Instead, repentance will give Jews (and all other people) the opportunity to become citizens of the New Jerusalem, whereby they may be blessed along with all of its citizens.

The Antichrist, the Little Horn, & the Beast

THE ANTICHRIST, THE LITTLE HORN, AND THE BEAST

Many are aware that the word “antichrist” only appears in 1 John and 2 John and it would seem that the apostle John actually invented the word.  As a matter of reference the word “antichrist” does not appear in the Revelation although it is a popular and well known title for the “beast” which first appears in Revelation as a word in chapter 13.  As a side note there is an indication in the Revelation that the beast is a nation or empire and not actually a person although an empire is ruled by a person.

A Different Interpretation

According to the writings of Dr. Stephen Jones, who does not follow the popular faddish prophetic thinking, the Revelation beast is an extension of the little horn of Daniel and of course, horns are an extension of the animal or beast on which they appear.  If the fourth beast of Daniel is the last world empire affecting the Canaan-Israel area then the Roman Empire would be the last, although extended, empire referred to in scripture.  The fourth beast of Daniel 7 had (or has) ten horns with a “little horn” appearing and usurping (subduing) three of the ten original horns.  The three subdued horns represent three of ten regions of the original Roman Empire that were conquered or subdued by the Vatican with a hired military.  The Vatican/Church then were called the Holy Roman Empire until they were militarily subdued by Napoleon.

Dr. Jones considers the fourth beast as the Roman Empire with the little horn being an extension of the Roman Empire identified as the Church of Rome (Holy Roman Empire) or the Roman Catholic Church (as it later became known).  The Roman Church or Vatican would also be the beast.  If the beast is also a man then the man could or would be the Pope.

Daniel 7:24-25 KJV  And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.  (25)  And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

Daniel 7: The Vision of the Four Beasts # 5: by Dr. Stephen Jones - Excerpt

This little horn is not a single individual, but an extension of the beast with iron teeth. The only entity in history that fits the description of a power coming out of Rome (after its collapse) is the Roman Church, which has dominated Europe to this day. Though it started with the Emperor Justinian, who reigned in “New Rome” (i.e., Constantinople), the actual power was given to the Bishop of old Rome just a year after Justinian adopted “Church law” as the law of the empire.

As for the boasting of the little horn, it is sufficient to say for now that the foundational boast was that Rome was The Eternal City, as if it would never fall. The Roman Church believes that it is the seat of the Kingdom of God. It does not see that it is the little horn preceding the Kingdom of God. Hence, it claims, based on their misinterpretation of Matthew 16:18, that it will never be overthrown:

The French Revolution, for all symbolic practical purposes, destroyed the Roman Church (Holy Roman Empire). This event overthrew the Christian monarch and replaced it with a Republican form of government. It also secularized the nation, forcing it out of the pope’s spiritual dominion.  It can be said that Napoleon delivered the head wound to the beast when he overthrew Rome and took the pope captive in 1798, imprisoning him until his death.  However, the fatal head wound was healed when Napoleon reinstated the pope in 1804 for the express purpose of crowning him as emperor.

In a symbolic, almost literal, manner the head of the beast-horn or head of the Roman Church appeared to have a fatal wound or head wound.  Then the beast-horn was resurrected or brought back to life by the same individual who seemed to destroy it.

Revelation 13:3 KJV  And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

The second beast (false prophet) then arose as the custodian of the beast-horn’s finances and wealth.  This second beast could be described as a financial or banking beast.  The Rothschild family, the creators of the modern banking system arose in financial power at the same time the pope was taken captive by Napoleon and were later named as guardian of the Vatican’s finances, appointed by the so-called Holy Alliance.

Summary by the Author:  The Revelation as a prophetic history of the early Church in mostly symbolic language and events, explains the writings quite well as opposed to the literal interpretation of Tim LaHaye, Hal Lindsey, and others of their persuasion. The literal understanding presents a series of supernatural events with supernatural entities roaming the planet which does not correspond or match the rest of the Bible.  Throughout scripture, certain acts of God are recorded that can be explained through unusual natural phenomena but were placed in motion by the creation of God. 

Dr. Jones interpretation covers all the events concerning God’s people up to the Great White Throne Judgment.  He does not maintain that all prophecies were fulfilled in 70-73 AD when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, as in preterism.   He maintains the book of Daniel contains historical prophecy up to 33 AD.  The Revelation, recorded by John adds historical details (in symbolic form) to Daniel and extends the prophecies to the Great White Throne judgment.

If the Roman Church is an extension of the Roman Empire and the pope is the “little horn” then the boasting of the horn should become more extensive and blasphemous in the near future.  It will be something to watch for.

It is not necessary to accept what has been written, but a prophecy student should always be aware of different possibilities.

The Antichrist of John

Getting back to John and the antichrist – John states in 1 John 2:18 that as of his writing this statement, “many antichrists have appeared”.

1 John 2:18 NET  Children, it is the last hour, and just as you heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. We know from this that it is the last hour.

John then gives a definition of an antichrist.  It is a person who denies that Jesus is the Christ (or Messiah).  Does the Pope proclaim that Jesus is the head of the Kingdom of God or does he (the pope) consider himself to be the head of the kingdom?  Does the belief of Mary as a co-redemptive agent take away from or exempt Jesus as the redeemer?

1 John 2:22-23 NET  Who is the liar but the person who denies that Jesus is the Christ ? This one is the antichrist: the person who denies the Father and the Son.  (23)  Everyone who denies the Son does not have the Father either. The person who confesses the Son has the Father also.

Atheists, agnostics, and other similar minded people could also be considered as an antichrist.  John further states that any spirit (or person) that does not confess Jesus – that spirit is not from God but rather has the spirit of the antichrist.

1 John 4:3 NET  but every spirit that does not confess Jesus, is not from God, and this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now is already in the world.

Last, but certainly not least, we have Judaism and its insistence that Jesus was not the Messiah.  John states that “people who do not confess Jesus as Christ or the Messiah who appeared in the flesh as a real person during the first century is “the deceiver and the antichrist”.  They may claim to believe in God but do not “confess Jesus is from God” 1 John 4:3, but those “who deny the Son do not have the Father either” 1 John 2:23.

2 John 1:7 NET  For many deceivers have gone out into the world, people who do not confess Jesus as Christ coming in the flesh. This person is the deceiver and the antichrist!

So, there it is from John the apostle.  Judaism has no standing with God without Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  Islam, Buddhism, Taoism or any other “ism” has no standing with God without Jesus Christ, the Son of God.