(From the previous post)
Not I, but the Lord said:
Matthew 22:2-14
- "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
- And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.
- Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.
- But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
- And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
- But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
- Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
- Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
- So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
- And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
- And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
- Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
- For many are called, but few are chosen."
Are we going to go by what "seems" right in our own eyes
by reading Josephus? Or
by the authoritative word of God explaining it by comparing scripture with Scripture? This parable actually supports the understanding of this being the Old Testament congregation that was destroyed (fallen) at the cross and being rebuilt in the New Testament congregation in three days by the Lord, rather than a physical city that was destroyed over 30 years after the cross. Selah! It is talking about what the Kingdom of heaven is,
likened unto. In other words, the congregation of Israel on earth, first Israel, then the Church. Not a physical city.
Moreover, if the wedding, the bidding to it, the slain oxen, the farm, the merchandise, the fatlings, and the guests on the highways are
not literal things at a very literal wedding, what would make
anyone think the armies of the king would
magically, and out of context, be a absolute literal/physical army of Romans in the midst of all this? Huh?! Think about it? That makes no sense. It's only accepted because Christians follow the leaders rather than sound study practices or hermeneutics. That is why we have a thousand different versions of every doctrine known to the church. Not because truth is so unattainable, but because of the
stubborn will of man as I see many here.
Third, after the city was destroyed,
then God sent out
His servants to secure wedding guests (Gentiles). Are we to then suppose that the church waited over 30 years until 70 A.D. when a physical destruction of Jerusalem finally took place before God (this King) sent His servants out to find guests? The whole idea is inconsistent
because when something is
not true it generally is always inconsistent. For example, it won't fit because there is no real harmony as with God-inspired truth. The
biblical fact is, God sent his servants out to secure guests to the wedding when he poured out His holy Spirit at Pentecost, not over 30 years after Pentecost after a destruction in 70AD.
Fourth, there is not one jot or tittle in God's inerrant word about all stones falling being an exaggeration or a physical army knocking down physical bricks in 70 A.D., because it's
speculation. That's not even taking into account that the physical city Jerusalem "in 70 A.D." was no longer the Lord's Holy City that it would even qualify! It hadn't been God's Holy City since the time of the cross when the kingdom representation was taken from her! There was a "New Jerusalem," and it certainly was not represented by the physical Jerusalem in 70 A.D., The only holy city Jerusalem that qualifies for being destroyed before the rebuilding was the congregation of God that was destroyed when Christ was crucified by his own people, the people of the Prince of Daniel 9:26! So the use of these passages of Matthew 22 in an attempt to justify a carnal world view of a city's destruction by the people of a Prince in 70 A.D., is
without Rock solid foundation. Foundation upon the WORD of God rather than history books.
The armies that destroyed the holy city were the people themselves who scripture says compassed Christ about, and who pierced his hands and feet. They stumbled over the stone and destroyed both city and sanctuary. They are those who came against Jerusalem by being against Christ. They were the children of their father, the messengers who were ruled by their King Satan. The kingdom of God at that time suffered violence and was taken by force, until Satan was cast out of the kingdom, and his messengers with him, and their kingdom given to another. Christ spoiled the Kingdom by conquest and set its captives free. It's not a physical Kingdom in physical heaven with an army of supernatural angels around a pregnant women floating in space with physical stars on her head. It's the representation of the Holy city, the kingdom of heaven
represented on earth, and symbolized with cryptic imagery you see in books like Revelation. The city was destroyed by an army alright, but not a Roman one in 70 A.D., but by Satan's messengers,
the people of the Prince who had turned against Him and had taken it by force. This is the battle where Israel fell, and it was realized at the cross, not after 70 A.D.
Revelation 12:7-10
- "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
- And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
- And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
- And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night."
Christ defeated the accuser Satan and his messengers and the Lord's messengers defeated them
by His blood, not the swords, staves and armies of 70 A.D. When we find what armies these verses of Revelation 12 represent, what battle of messengers this was, what accuser was cast down and how the Lord's servants, His army, overcame Satan's army by the blood of Christ, then
maybe it will start to dawn upon us that it be revealed just how the enemies encamped against the Holy city and in the end were defeated by Christ and cast out. The result being that the New Testament Church was established. Not in 70 AD, but by and through the army who triumphts through the blood of Christ.