Watch carefully how this works, as Jesus uses a common technique from the Hebrew prophets. In Matthew 23:37-39, Jesus speaks the following to Jerusalem:
37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! She who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, yet you were not willing!
38 See, your house is left to you desolate.
39 For I tell you, you will never see Me again until you say, ‘He who comes in the name of the Lord is the blessed One’!”
In verse 37, Jesus recognizes (better than anyone!) Jerusalem's rebellious past. But despite their rebellion, He still expresses a love for them. He desires their salvation, even amidst the religious leadership's rejection of Him. Jesus uses a loving metaphor toward Jerusalem of a tender hen, gathering her chicks under her wings for nurturing and protecting.
Jesus clearly combined a realistic picture of Jerusalem's spiritual need with love and compassion for them. Why would Christians take a different attitude?
2) In verse 38, Jesus predicts divine disciple for Jerusalem. He loves Jerusalem. But He is also just and disciplines those He loves. The religious leaderships rejection of His Messianic claims had to be answered. Jesus' prediction of destruction came to fruition literally in 70 AD.
What do you mean it happened literally?
It actually happened. It was not a figurative or allegorical destruction. Jerusalem's "house", the Temple, was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. This was a short-term prophecy, occurring less than 40 years after Jesus predicted it. A literal destruction actually occurred, not a figurative one. And not some other temple somewhere else. It happened in Jerusalem, to their temple.
3) Having made a short-term prediction in verse 38, Jesus then makes a long-term prediction in verse 39. Jesus predicts that Jerusalem will not see Him again until they welcome Him. This is a common occurrence in the Hebrew prophets and is known as prophetic telescoping: a short-term prophecy is provided and then followed by a long-term prophecy. There is a gap in-between the events. The short-term fulfillment provides proof, a guarantee, that the long-term prophecy will also be fulfilled.
Can you explain that further, please?
For example: I predict that you are going to win one million dollars 5 years from today. You think I am nuts (rightly so!) But to back up the long -term prediction, I give you a short-term prediction. I tell you that a car will drop out of the sky in 5 minutes. Now, if that car drops out of the sky in 5 minutes (a short-term prediction) then you will likely believe the long-term prediction of one million dollars in 5 years.
Ah, I see. Kind of like how the birth of Messiah and His earthly reign are predicted right next to each other in Isaiah 9:6-7!
Exactly! We read about a Son given to us and then the very next line it says His dominion will be vast and He will reign on the throne of David. Although part of God's plan, humans were unaware of the gap between the 2 events until God revealed it. We are in that gap, a time in-between the Son's arrival and His taking His rightful place on the Davidic throne. Now, back to Matthew 23.
Jesus predicts that Jerusalem will see Him again. Jesus will return to Jerusalem when He is welcomed by Jerusalem. Isaiah 53, Zechariah 12 and 14 refer to the same event. As does Romans 11:25-27.
So, just as Jesus' short-term prophecy of the temple's destruction was fulfilled literally, so His long-term prediction of Jerusalem's welcoming Him will be fulfilled literally?
That's right. Take it to the bank. It's gonna happen.
The ramifications of this are far-reaching, both for the Jewish people and my understanding of the Bible.