I subscribe to BritBox by the BBC. I've been watching their series "Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire." Last night I watched the Episode, "Rebellion" which covered the battles leading up to 70 AD and the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple. The first thing that caught my eye was the scene of Jews continuing animal sacrifices after the Christ had already been the one final sacrifice for sin, the Antitype who was represented by the Old Covenant sacrifices. Made me think of those pushing a heresy, wishing to bring back sacrifices in some renewed temple in a future physical Israel in Palestine. Ignorant literalism in a highly symbolic book like Ezekiel, produces crazy results.
Watching last night's episode caused me to see just how closely Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 were played out in that horrible period. Physical Israel was dramatically ended there, as the Old Covenant had been ended at the cross. There can be no more animal sacrifices in a temple there. Many good men of God in the past saw a great influx of physical Jews coming into the church before the last day. But looking at Romans 11, if holding to that view, there still is no mention of any temple, throne or sacrifices in that passage. I take the Scriptures to indicate the physical nation Israel ended in 70 AD, never to be reinstituted, the body of Christ being Israel continued, God's people in the New Covenant ruled by King Jesus from the throne in heaven, and this includes the saved of Gentiles and Judeans alike. King David ruled over God's people in under the Old Covenant. Now it is King Jesus ruling in the New Covenant.
"Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." (Matt 21:43, KJV)
"That, I tell you, is the reason why the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and given to a nation that will exhibit the power of it." (Matt 21:43, Weymouth)
"But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them? He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid. And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder." (Luke 20:14-18, KJV)
"Jesus said to her, 'Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem...But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him.'" (John 4:21, 23, NRSV)
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