The Day God Held Israel Accountable
Through Moses, God told the old covenant people of Israel that he would raise up a prophet like Moses from among them.
Deuteronomy 18:15
The Lord your God will raise up for you [old covenant Israel] a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. YOU [old covenant Israel] MUST LISTEN TO HIM.
Deuteronomy 18:18-19
I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. I myself will call to ACCOUNT anyone [from Israel] who DOES NOT LISTEN to my words that the prophet speaks in my name.
If the people of Israel did not listen to the prophet, they would be held to ACCOUNT under the law of Moses.
The prophet God raised up was Jesus.
Jesus spoke in the name of God (see the Book of John).
Following the ascension of Jesus, Peter quoted from Deuteronomy 18:15-19 when talking to the people of Israel to prove Jesus was the prophet who was to be raised up (Acts 3:22-23).
Peter said,
"For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people [held accountable through judgment].’ "
Immediately after speaking these words (Acts 3:22-23), Peter and John were arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin - the assembly of leaders over Israel (Acts 4).
Peter and John accused the leaders of handing Jesus over to be killed.
The leaders told Peter and John to not speak in the name of Jesus.
They were then released from jail.
In Acts 5:17, the apostles were arrested again.
The apostles once again accused the leaders of Israel of killing Jesus.
The apostles were flogged.
Once again they were told to not speak in the name of Jesus.
They were released from jail a second time.
In Acts 6-7, Stephen was arrested and brought before the same Sanhedrin...the same leaders of Israel.
Stephen also quoted Deuteronomy 18:15 about a prophet being raised up like Moses from the people of Israel.
Stephen said (Acts 7:37),
“This is the Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own people.’”
Stephen accused the Sanhedrin of NOT LISTENING TO JESUS, just as the people of Israel did not listen to Moses
Stephen was inferring that Jesus was the prophet to be raised up, and the people and leaders of Israel did not listen to him.
Remember, those in Israel who did not listen to the prophet God would raise up would be held accountable under the law of Moses.
According to Peter, they (unbelieving Israel who did not listen to Jesus but had him killed) would be cut off in judgment from believing Israel (Acts 3:22-23).
Stephen (a part of believing Israel) then accused the leaders of Israel of having uncircumcised ears (not listening to Jesus) and of murdering and betraying Jesus.
The Sanhedrin then stoned Stephen to death.
The Sanhedrin that Peter, John, and Stephen were brought before was the same assembly of leaders in Israel Jesus was brought before in Matthew 26:57-67.
This same Sanhedrin accused Jesus of being a false Messiah.
They abused Jesus.
Jesus told them (Matthew 26:64),
“But I say to all of you [the Sanhedrin]: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Coming on the clouds of heaven in the Hebrew Bible meant God's judgment on a nation by sending armies of one nation to destroy another nation.
The Hebrew Bible describes God coming on the clouds in judgment in this way (Isaiah 19:1; Psalm 18:12; Jeremiah 4:13; Joel 2:2; Nahum 1:3).
When Jesus said the members of the Sanhedrin would see him coming on the clouds, they knew he meant that Jesus would send armies to judge and destroy Israel.
This is exactly what happened.
Jesus spoke about armies coming against Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44; Luke 21:20; and Luke 23:26-30).
They would destroy Jerusalem and the temple (Matthew 23:37-38; 24:1-2; Mark 13:2).
This destruction was the wrath of the Lamb in Revelation 6:15-17 when Jesus brought the armies of the Roman Empire against Jerusalem (Revelation 19:11-16).
This occurred in AD 70.
This was the day when old covenant Israel was held accountable under the law of Moses for not listening to the prophet whom God raised up.
The prophet was Jesus.
Those who were held accountable were first-century, Christ rejecting Israel.
CLICK HERE to learn more about AD 70.
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