Why Are American Leaders And Christians Fascinated With Kissing The Temple Wall In Jerusalem?

Why are American leaders and Christians fascinated with kissing the temple wall in Jerusalem when Jesus said the temple would be left desolate (Matthew 23:37-38)?

Jesus told his disciples that no stone of the temple in Jerusalem would be left upon another.

Why did Jesus say this?

The people of Israel had violated the covenant of law.

The consequences for their violations were the destruction of the land, cities, people, and holy places by the sword of armies.

Jesus told the leaders in Jerusalem the city and temple would be left desolate.

After hearing these words from Jesus, the disciples were very concerned about the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.

So they called Jesus’ attention to the magnificent buildings around the temple and the precious stones adorning it.

They were hoping to persuade Jesus to reconsider his words about Jerusalem’s and the temple’s desolation.

But Jesus did not.

Jesus told the leaders of Israel who abused and accused him that they would see him coming on the clouds against them (Matthew 26:64).

Coming on the clouds is was common language in the Hebrew Bible and under the old covenant of law referring to God’s judgment on a nation.

In Jeremiah 4:13, Jeremiah says that God advances like the clouds when he would come in judgment on Jerusalem and Judah.

Advancing like the clouds in judgment was God bringing the Babylonian armies against Jerusalem and Judah.

Jesus used the same imagery when stating that he was coming on the clouds, and the first-century leaders of Israel would see him.

This was a reference of judgement on Jerusalem and the temple, when no stone would be left upon another.

About 40 years after Jesus spoke these words, he came on the clouds of judgment against Israel as he brought the Roman armies to bring the final old covenant judgment against old covenant Israel.

This was the same as God advancing on the clouds of judgment against Judah and Jerusalem when he sent the Babylonian armies to destroy Jerusalem and the temple.

The wall in Jerusalem today is a reminder of the final judgment against old covenant Israel in the first century.

There is nothing holy about the temple wall.

The temple wall is not to be worshiped.

Today, there is a new temple.

It is the spiritual temple of grace.

It is a holy temple.

The stones of the temple are believers in Jesus.

They are holy, blameless, forgiven, and living stones that adorn the temple (Ephesians 1-2; 1 Peter 2:4-10).

Jesus is the cornerstone of the temple.

As the cornerstone, Jesus brings Jews and Gentiles together from all over the world to form the spiritual temple, the dwelling place of God.

As more and more people place their faith in Jesus, the spiritual temple of grace grows throughout the world.

The old physical temple of law has now been replaced with the new spiritual temple of grace.

If only America’s leaders and Christians could understand this.

Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28-32; Jeremiah 4:13; 2 Chronicles 36; Jeremiah 52; Matthew 23-24; Luke 21; Mark 13; Matthew 26:64; Ephesians 2:11-22; 1 Peter 2:4-10

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