{"id":93,"date":"2020-05-04T10:52:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-04T07:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jerusalemseminary.org\/blogs\/?p=93"},"modified":"2020-09-06T08:03:25","modified_gmt":"2020-09-06T05:03:25","slug":"was-gods-judgement-final","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jerusalemseminary.org\/blogs\/2020\/05\/04\/was-gods-judgement-final\/","title":{"rendered":"Was God’s Judgement Final?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Was God's Judgement Final?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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At the trial of Jesus, provoked by their leaders to do so, an angry mob called for Jesus\u2019 death and cried out, \u201cLet his blood be on us and on our children!\u201d (Matt 27:25<\/span>). These terrible words have fueled the belief that God rejected Israel and abandoned the Jewish people in judgment. Thankfully, this is not the case<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus\u2019 remarks concerning the shedding of Zechariah\u2019s innocent blood in Matthew 23<\/a>, foreshadow the shedding of his own innocent blood which would pollute the Temple and bring about its ultimate destruction, as well as the Holy City of Jerusalem\u2019s destruction. The rabbis also believed that the Temple and Jerusalem would be destroyed for the shedding of innocent blood. Because of the sin of bloodshed, the Tosefta reveals, \u201cthe Shekinah has departed and the Sanctuary is defiled\u201d (t. Yoma 1:12b).<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But did Jesus\u2019 death signify that God abandoned Israel as so many insist? Absolutely not! While the Prophets did proclaim that God would punish Israel for its unbelief they also insisted that He would redeem, purify and restore Israel because of his covenant faithfulness. Matthew juxtaposes the people\u2019s cry for Jesus\u2019 death before his execution with the miraculous events that took place at the moment of his death. Evoking Ezekiel\u2019s prophecy of the dry bones (ch. 37<\/a>) that would come to life (symbolizing Israel\u2019s spiritual renewal and physical restoration), Matthew reports that the tombs opened and many \u201choly ones\u201d were raised and entered the still \u201cHoly City\u201d (Matt 27:50-53<\/span>).<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This miraculous event anticipates Israel\u2019s future purification and restoration under the LORD\u2019s Davidic Shepherd-King (Ezekiel 34: 23-31<\/span>).<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

God, refused to grant the request of the angry mob. And He did not curse the Jewish people because of the death of Jesus. Jerusalem was destroyed in 70CE but that is not where the story ends!<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t