Topical Bible: Jerusalem: Prophecies Respecting: To be Destroyed by the Romans

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Jerusalem, the city central to biblical history and prophecy, holds a significant place in the prophetic literature of the Bible. Among the prophecies concerning Jerusalem, one of the most poignant is its foretold destruction by the Romans, an event that would mark a pivotal moment in Jewish history and the early Christian era.

Prophetic Warnings in the Old Testament

The Old Testament contains several prophecies that foreshadow the destruction of Jerusalem, often as a consequence of the people's disobedience and turning away from God. While these prophecies primarily address earlier destructions, such as those by the Babylonians, they set a precedent for the divine judgment that would later befall the city.

Jesus' Prophecies in the New Testament

The New Testament provides explicit prophecies regarding the destruction of Jerusalem, particularly through the words of Jesus Christ. In the Gospels, Jesus foretells the city's downfall as a direct consequence of its rejection of Him as the Messiah.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus laments over Jerusalem, saying, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling" (Matthew 23:37). This lamentation is followed by a dire prediction: "Look, your house is left to you desolate" (Matthew 23:38).

Further, in the Olivet Discourse, Jesus provides a detailed prophecy of the coming destruction. He warns His disciples, "So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination of desolation,’ described by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains" (Matthew 24:15-16). This passage alludes to the desecration and devastation that would occur.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus weeps over the city and predicts its siege: "For the days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will level you to the ground—you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God" (Luke 19:43-44).

Fulfillment of the Prophecy

The prophecies concerning the destruction of Jerusalem were fulfilled in A.D. 70 when the Roman legions, under the command of General Titus, besieged and ultimately destroyed the city. The siege resulted in significant loss of life and the complete destruction of the Second Temple, a catastrophic event for the Jewish people.

The historical accounts of this event, such as those by the Jewish historian Josephus, corroborate the biblical prophecies, detailing the horrors of the siege and the subsequent fall of Jerusalem. The destruction served as a profound moment of judgment and transformation, deeply impacting both Jewish and Christian communities.

Theological Implications

The destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans is seen as a fulfillment of divine prophecy, underscoring themes of judgment, repentance, and the consequences of rejecting God's messengers. It serves as a somber reminder of the importance of faithfulness and the recognition of God's redemptive plan through Jesus Christ.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Luke 19:42-44
Saying, If you had known, even you, at least in this your day, the things which belong to your peace! but now they are hid from your eyes.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

It is a Ground for Thanksgiving that During the Last Three or Four ...
... Doubtless, there are many particulars respecting this and all ... so frequently the case
in the prophecies of Isaiah ... as also his final attack upon Jerusalem and his ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the antichrist/it is a ground for.htm

Translated from the Greek.
... the spirit, and not in the letter." [2932] For if the judgment respecting the "Jew ...
If, therefore, the prophecies relating to Judea, and Jerusalem, and Israel ...
/.../origen/origen de principiis/translated from the greek.htm

This Jew of Celsus Continues, after the Above, in the Following ...
... others which He may have delivered respecting the future ... believe that he utters these
prophecies as one ... there were no armies around Jerusalem, encompassing and ...
/.../origen/origen against celsus/chapter xiii this jew of.htm

The City of God. Index of Subjects.
... Earth, holy, from Jerusalem, the efficacy of, [537 ... Hosea, his prophecies respecting
the things of the gospel ... Ilium, modern, destroyed by Fimbria, [865]45, [866]46 ...
/.../augustine/on christian doctrine in four books /the city of god index.htm

Of the Three Woe Trumpets.
... means prejudicial to the interpretation respecting the Saracens ... well-known expedition
from Jerusalem, he was ... expression as possible,) both prophecies, as well ...
/.../mede/a key to the apocalypse/of the three woe trumpets.htm

Jews.
... believe, with a perfect faith, the prophecies of Moses ... potentates, from the destruction
of Jerusalem by the ... and agreed to various articles respecting the Mosaic ...
//christianbookshelf.org/hayward/the book of religions/jews.htm

The Greater Prophets.
... no expedition of Nebuchadnezzar against Jerusalem in the ... countrymen put together
his prophecies, prefixing to them introductory notices respecting the author ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxii the greater prophets.htm

The Shaking of the Heavens and the Earth
... founded on the promises of God respecting the seed ... The sense of many prophecies
concerning MESSIAH, though ... The temple in Jerusalem has been long since destroyed ...
//christianbookshelf.org/newton/messiah vol 1/sermon iii the shaking of.htm

The Sins of Communities Noted and Punished.
... they take place in this world; respecting the latter ... that he shed, for he filled
Jerusalem with innocent ... in some measure illustrated by other prophecies; but as ...
/.../lee/sermons on various important subjects/sermon xxix the sins of.htm

That the Scriptures are Divinely Inspired.
... again, makes a similar revelation respecting Jerusalem, saying, "The ... If, then, the
prophecies delivered concerning Judea, and Jerusalem, and Judah ...
/.../origen/origen de principiis/chapter i that the scriptures are.htm