The Final Destruction of Jerusalem

THE FINAL DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM

10-29-2019

Facts, Data, and Information have been borrowed from several papers written by Dr. Stephen Jones of “The New Kingdom Order” website.

An Alert to Christians

Most Bible teachers and commentators within the USA (and perhaps elsewhere) have allowed themselves to be painted into a corner concerning end-times Bible prophecy.  Over the past two hundred years the theory of Dispensationalism was born and grew into an undisciplined adult with mental problems and many errors of judgment.

The dispensation theory (doctrine) claims that Biblical history is divided into various eras or dispensations.  None of the eras are important to end-times prophecy other than the last two:  the Church era and the tribulational Jewish era.  The problem is the division of the Church age with the Jewish age which is sometimes called, the “Time of Jacob’s trouble”.  Whether they are aware of the theory or not, this division creates an end to the activities of the Church and begins to focus on the Jews and Israel.

Since the Church dispensation comes to an earthly end, then the Church must exit their earthly domain and this leads to the idea that the Church obviously must be raptured to heaven and out of the prophetic program.  Therefore, the modern Bible teachers and commentators have created the pre-tribulational rapture, resulting in all true Christians, somewhat Christians, and want-to-be Christians leaving behind a pile of clothes, running automobiles, and other miss-happenings as they are whisked off to heaven.

At the return of Jesus, they claim, all the Jews will accept Him as the rightful Messiah, inhabit Israel and Jerusalem as the capitol of the world and will rule the Kingdom or the world with Jesus.  Most Christian Zionists (and most other so-called church people) believe all Christians will be in heaven for evermore playing on harps and singing songs in their great mansions.  This, of course, is completely untrue and will never happen, although anyone, including a Jew, can accept Jesus as the Messiah and begin living as a citizen of the Kingdom of God (or Kingdom of Heaven, per Matthew).

Never mind that the pre-trib rapture concept is unbiblical, requires two second comings of Jesus, and contradicts 1 Thessalonians 4:17 but it also portrays the Church as an alternate temporary plan so that the Jews can again be dwelt with after the temple was destroyed in 70 AD.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 NET  (16)  For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  (17)  Then we who are alive, who are left, will be suddenly caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.

The 70 Weeks Prophecy

The second flaw in the pre-tribulational rapture plan is the incorrect starting date for the 70 weeks of Daniel.  The current theory starts with a Cyrus date that ends with the crucifixion of Christ at the end of 69 weeks with one week (seven years) left over.  This extra week is then applied to the future date which features the events of the Revelation which are misinterpreted to be enormous tribulation.  Dr. Stephen Jones confirms the correct starting date as 458 BC from the Edict of Artaxerxes which ends 490 years later at 33 AD which is the date of the crucifixion of Jesus.  Thus there is no extra week.  This incorrect dating also places the birth and crucifixion of Christ at odd years.  The convoluted interpretation also places the so-called “antichrist” within the prophecy of the weeks when it does not exist.

There is NO Biblical evidence the 70^th week should be transferred to the future and other than certain misinterpreted time periods given in the Revelation that the Revelation should be seven years in length.  At one time, I convinced myself that all this dispensation material was supposedly true.  However, a wake-up call and a steering in a different direction convinced me the Revelation is a historical narrative of essentially the Church and the European/Mid-Eastern area written in a symbolic manner until it gets to the overthrow of Mystery, Babylon which is occurring in today’s world and is not historical.

The time of Jacob’s trouble has nothing to do with the Jews and the current nation of Israel.  Jacob had 12 sons and each son supported a tribe of ancient Israel.  Ten of those tribes broke off and became the nation of Israel.  Judah, Benjamin, and most of the Levites remained around Jerusalem in the south and named their nation, Judah.

The ten tribes of Israel were conquered by Assyria around 640 BC.  They were taken to an area between the Caspian and Black Seas where they are said to have migrated to western and northern Europe.  The Babylonians conquered Judah around 600-580 BC.  Many were taken to Babylon and were later allowed to return to Judah which was necessary for the Messiah to be born in the land as the Lion of Judah.

The 12 Tribes of Israel Misunderstanding

The third flaw in the modern Bible teacher’s brain is the concept the modern nation of Israel consists of Israelites from all the original twelve tribes, when it is highly probable there are very few from any tribe.  In actuality, the Jews are mostly Khazarians from the line of Japheth called Ashkenazi Jews, mixed with Edomites and mixed bred Edomite Jews, with maybe a few actual Judahites.  Israel was the name given to Jacob by God, who received both the birthright covenant and the dominion covenant.  Jacob gave the birthright promise to Joseph which was then given to his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.  The northern kingdom of Israel, which included Ephraim and Manasseh retained their name of Israel.  The nation of Israel has no legal right to their name.

The Dominion promise was given to Judah, by Jacob, which ended with Jesus Christ.  Due to both promises being supposedly taken from Isaac by the trickery of Jacob and Rebecca and thus bypassing Esau, Isaac gave a prophecy to Esau asserting that he would obtain the dominion for a time.  The Edomites (or partial Edomites) in Israel (or elsewhere calling themselves Jews) of today are a fulfillment of that prophecy.

Again, the modern nation of Israel has no legal right to the name of Israel.  It was probably chosen to confuse the American Bible teachers and cause them to believe that certain misunderstood and misinterpreted prophecies were being fulfilled starting in 1948.  This ruse apparently was successful, since there are a number of Bible teachers, pastors, commentators, and others who are generally known as Christian Zionists.

The Destruction of Jerusalem

There are several Biblical prophecies concerning the destruction of Jerusalem.  It has been destroyed at least two times, but in each instance, it has been rebuilt.  Does this mean the prophets are liars or false prophets?  No, it merely means the final destruction has not yet occurred.  When it does, it will overtake the Christian Zionists (and others thinking along similar lines) by complete surprise and astonishment.  This destruction will force them to completely reconsider their end-times doctrine and totally dismiss their dispensational Christian Zionist beliefs.  Shortly after the destruction of Jerusalem they will also dismiss their pre-tribulation rapture ideas due to the appearance of the glorified elect overcomers who will rule the earth under the authority of Jesus Christ for the next 1,000 years.

Jeremiah and the Clay Pots

In Jeremiah 18 and 19, God tells the prophet, on two different occasions, to go to the potter’s shop. 

Wet Clay

In the first instance, Jeremiah is to watch the potter at work preparing a vessel with fresh wet clay.  If the shape does not suit the potter then he can remold it with his hands in just a few minutes.

Jeremiah 18:3-6 NET  So I went down to the potter's house and found him working at his wheel.  (4)  Now and then there would be something wrong with the pot he was molding from the clay with his hands. So he would rework the clay into another kind of pot as he saw fit.  (5)  Then the LORD said to me,  (6)  "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.'

God states to the prophet that Israel, i.e. the deported ten northern tribes, can be reshaped and reformed as the wet clay in the hands of the potter.  Modern Bible teachers appear to be unaware of the difference between the Old Testament nations of Israel and Judah.  The prophets, however, completely understood the difference and gave their prophecies in agreement with the nature of the two nations.  The modern nation of Israel is not the original nation of Israel consisting of ten tribes of Jacob and is not much related to the ancient nation of Judah composed people from the tribes of Benjamin, Judah, and Levi.  That does not mean every single person from ancient Israel were deported, some hid themselves around Israel and some were actually living within Judah.  There are two instances in the story of Jesus about individuals from one or another of the ten deported tribes, which doesn’t mean they were all there, but only a few at the most.

Hardened Clay

In the second instance, Jeremiah is instructed to get a finished dry clay pot, i.e. an earthen bottle or a finished work of hard dried clay.  Then he is to escort the older citizens and the older priests of the city of Jerusalem and go to the valley of the son of Hinnom or Gehenna.  Upon arriving he is to give a discourse on the nation’s collective sins of idolatry, murders, and heathenism to the listeners.  Jeremiah is to smash the pot into many pieces and shards.  The end of the discourse states that the valley of Hinnom will one day be called the valley of slaughter.  The smashed pot cannot be repaired and its pieces will remain in the valley of Gehenna.

Gehenna is an actual valley between Old Jerusalem and Mount Zion.  It was a place for the sacrifice of children burned alive for Moloch.  During the days of Jesus it was a dumping area for refuse, the remains of temple animals, dead criminals, and filth.  A constant fire burned there and it was known as the place where the “worm never dies”.

Jeremiah 19:10-11 NET  The LORD continued, "Now break the jar in front of those who have come here with you.  (11)  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.'

The entirety of chapter 19 focuses on the unlawfulness of the Judean people and the destruction that will be brought upon them.  The prophecy was partially fulfilled by the Babylonian army and several hundred years later by the Roman army.  The city of Jerusalem and the area of Judea/Samaria has been re-inhabited by so-called Jews since the 1930’s and the prophecy awaits its final fulfillment. 

Prophecies of Jesus

As the disciples were admiring the temple, Jesus exclaimed that it would be completely torn down with no stone on top of another.  This occurred on 70 AD, along with the majority of the city of Jerusalem.  Jesus only spoke of the temple and not the city.  The city was rebuilt but the temple remains in contention.  It is my opinion the temple will never be rebuilt, but time will tell.

Luke 21:5-6 NET  Now while some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and offerings, Jesus said,  (6)  "As for these things that you are gazing at, the days will come when not one stone will be left on another. All will be torn down!"

Matthew 21 contains a parable based on historical facts which is somewhat long and the explanation is ever longer.  For a more complete understanding, go to the following link:  The Vineyard.  The bottom line is the tenants of the vineyard killed the messengers (prophets) and then killed the son (Jesus Christ).  After a reply by the crowd, Jesus issued the following ultimatum:  “the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit”.  The Church which began in Acts and continues to this day has produced a small amount of fruit but not enough to qualify as the kingdom of God.  The Kingdom will actually begin during the Millennium and the elect overcomers along with many others cleansed through extreme repentance during an atonement period will produce the fruits as prophesied.  

Matthew 21:43 NET  For this reason I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.

Isaiah and Ariel

The earliest prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem is given by Isaiah.  The Hebrew name Ariel refers poetically to the city of Jerusalem. The name has a double meaning: (1) lion of God; and (2) hearth of God—that is a place of burning, as a type of “play on words”.  This particular Isaiah prophecy is the most destructive of all and would definitely qualify it as the last to forecast the utter annihilation of Jerusalem in which it would never be rebuilt or again inhabited.  Jerusalem and its inhabitants are to be destroyed in such a way that it will never again be repaired (rebuilt).  The world must wait for the New Jerusalem.

Jerusalem was supposed to be the “lion of God,” but because of its rebellion against God, it was to be turned into a hearth, a place of burning. Hence, we should understand the end of verse 2 to read, “she shall be like a hearth to me” i.e. the city itself was to become the sacrifice, a place of burning, even as a burnt offering was completely consumed.

Isaiah 29:2-3 NET  I will threaten Ariel, and she will mourn intensely and become like an (Ariel) altar hearth before me.  (3)  I will lay siege to you on all sides; I will besiege you with troops; I will raise siege works (battle towers) against you.

God takes full credit and says that HE is the One directing the siege against Jerusalem. Of course, the siege imagery may be symbolic if a nuclear weapon is used and also considering Israel’s armaments.  In other words, God has raised up foreign armies against Jerusalem and has taken their side in this battle. So who will win the battle?  Some commentators have misinterpreted the passage to indicate that God will bring the invaders and then destroy them, which makes no sense at all.

4 Then you shall be brought low; from the earth you shall speak, and from the dust where you are prostrate, your words shall come. Your voice shall also be like that of a spirit from the ground, and your speech shall whisper from the dust.

The prophet was quoting the words of God speaking to the city of Jerusalem. He continues,

5 But the multitude of your [Jerusalem’s] enemies shall become like fine dust, and the multitude of the ruthless ones like the chaff which blows away; and it shall happen instantly, suddenly.

Jerusalem’s enemies are seen occupying the city where David once lived. God defines enemies as those who hate Him (Lev. 26:40-42; Isaiah 63:10) which would be the current residents.  The enemies of the city are not the attackers, but those who occupy the city at the time of the siege.  Verse 4 negates the idea of the attackers being destroyed but rather the inhabitants of Jerusalem i.e. “Your voice shall also be like that of a spirit from the ground, and your speech shall whisper from the dust.”

A Nuclear Attack?

Verse 6 appears to describe a nuclear attack with “thunder, an earthquake, a loud noise with a whirlwind and a tempest and the flame of a consuming fire”.  Verse 5 also states this will happen instantly and suddenly.  Someone will certainly get highly annoyed with the Khazarian mafia.

6 From the Lord of hosts you will be punished with thunder and earthquake and loud noise, with whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a consuming fire.

Like a Dream

What happens to the attacking army raised up by God?  They are not destroyed and neither are they rewarded.  The army of attackers has been motivated by “hunger” and “thirst” in some manner.  It could be they are hungry for the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem is they happen to be Muslim attackers.  However, their dream of pushing Israel into the sea will not be fulfilled.  When the desolation is finished, they will continue to be hungry and thirsty.  No one will get the land, because there will be nothing to get after a nuclear strike.

This will finally fulfill Jeremiah’s prophecy when the land becomes like Gehenna or Tophet with a constant nuclear fire that doesn’t go out. 

(7)  It will be like a dream, a night vision. There will be a horde from all the nations that fight against Ariel, those who attack her and her stronghold and besiege her.  (8)  It will be like a hungry man dreaming that he is eating, only to awaken and find that his stomach is empty. It will be like a thirsty man dreaming that he is drinking, only to awaken and find that he is still weak and his thirst unquenched. So it will be for the horde from all the nations that fight against Mount Zion.

If the invaders desired to own and inhabit the land they will be disappointed.  Their purpose will be as a dream.  The fate of Jerusalem is bound up in the fate of Mystery, Babylon.  It is highly probable the destruction of Jerusalem will also be the final downfall of Mystery, Babylon.