A Day of Prophecy Fulfilled and Prophecy Given

Luke 19.28-46

Prayer in the temple, or in this case the lack thereof, showed their hearts. Jesus pronounced judgment.
What goes on in the physical buildings set apart for the LORD is telling.
Prayer, giving, the ministry of the Word.

So many places dedicated to these things get off track. Almost all of the Ivy League Universities began as Bible Schools to train ministers to evangelize the east coast.

Churches where souls once found Christ are now way out of line.

This building we are in was built for prayer,the instruction of God's Word, giving to others and fellowship. As Pastor I have sought to be faithful to this.

The temple was making more money than ever. The main problem was it was never intended to do so. Jesus was coming in judgement upon its leaders for making it into a den of thieves.

What did he mean?
1. Temple currency and the rate of exchange
2. Selling sacrifices

Thomas Aquinas

1. The Crowd in Jerusalem Were Pilgrims For The Passover Feast v.37

Pilgrims from all over the world.

Pilgrims from Galilee.
The praising was for the miracles they had seen.
And they had seen some incredible displays of the power of God!

Luke 7:20-22 When the men came to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, to ask, ‘Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?’” At that very time He cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits; and He gave sight to many who were blind. And He answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have the gospel preached to them.
Feeding of the 5,000
Storm stilled
Matthew 8:27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

The raising of Lazarus from the dead took place in Bethany. The Palm Sunday Procession came right through there. No doubt people joined in on it who had seen Lazarus raised by Jesus. I am sure Mary, Martha and Lazarus were a part of it. We know Bartimaeus from Jericho was. The blind see, the dead are raised.

John 11:45, 55-57 Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him. Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the Passover to purify themselves. So they were seeking for Jesus, and were saying to one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think; that He will not come to the feast at all?” Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he was to report it, so that they might seize Him.

The crowd was at a fever pitch emotionally. Jesus fit all the requirements of the Messiah.

And it was Passover. It was a celebration of freedom, of God' deliverance. Now they are not free. As the pilgrims make their way to Jerusalem they are reminded of this by the large amount of Roman Soldiers they see along the way. Herod and Pilate sit in seats of government. Israel has no king. This is very apparent. The level of resentment of paying taxes to Caesar is probably only second to the times of census decrees.

It was time for the Messiah to come, time or him to push the Romans out and return the throne to Israel.


2. The Crowd and Disciples were Delirious With Joy While Jesus' Heart was Breaking Over Jerusalem. vs.41-44

The disciples thought the kingdom was being set up that day.
Luke 19:11 he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once.

There was an expectation upon the popular mind of the Jewish people, that Messiah was about to come. They expected him to be a temporal prince, one who would make war with the Romans and restore to the Jews their lost nationality. There were many who, though they did not believe in Christ with a spiritual faith, nevertheless hoped that perhaps He might be to them a great temporal deliverer, and we read that on one occasion they would have taken Him and made Him a king, but that He hid himself.

Jesus was pronouncing judgement on Jerusalem that day, on Israel.
The fig tree
The cleansing of the temple
His words on His way to the cross later that week:
Luke 23:27-31 And following Him was a large crowd of the people, and of women who were mourning and lamenting Him. But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

Judgement is pronounced, then a waiting period:
Noah
Many years to build the ark as he preached.
Jonah
Jonah 3:3-4 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three days’ walk. Then Jonah began to go through the city one day’s walk; and he cried out and said, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”
Jesus and Jerusalem
Matthew 24:34 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

Only three days recorded in all 4 gospels, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Palm Sunday
On His way to the city, as He approached it, He gave out this lament:
Luke 19:42-44 saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

Jerusalem was destroyed in 70AD.
It has been conquered 40 times, the last being in 1967.

3. What does this scripture say to us? To the USA?

The words of Jesus of Israel's sin "you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you."
investigation, inspection, visitation
that act by which God looks into and searches out the ways, deeds character, of men, in order to judge them accordingly, whether joyous or sad

There will be the final judgement.

There are judgements of nations along the way.
Matthew 27:24-26 When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.” And all the people said, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!” Then he released Barabbas for them; but after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.

Luke 12:48 .... From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

September 13, 2001

Jane Clayson: I've heard people say, those who are religious, those who are not, if God is good, how could God let this happen? To that, you say?

Anne Graham Lotz: I say God is also angry when he sees something like this. I would say also for several years now Americans in a sense have shaken their fist at God and said, God, we want you out of our schools, our government, our business, we want you out of our marketplace. And God, who is a gentleman, has just quietly backed out of our national and political life, our public life. Removing his hand of blessing and protection. We need to turn to God first of all and say, God, we're sorry we have treated you this way and we invite you now to come into our national life. We put our trust in you. We have our trust in God on our coins, we need to practice it.


The scripture Senator Majority Leader Tom Daschle read in response to 9-11 the day after in the Capitol building before a joint session of congress was
Isaiah 9:10 “The bricks have fallen down, But we will rebuild with smooth stones; The sycamores have been cut down, But we will replace them with cedars.”

The scripture Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards read at a memorial ceremony on 9-11-04, was Isaiah 9.10

This scripture in part was quoted by our US Senator, Governor and President following 9-11. "We will rebuild.,," What they meant to be a rallying cry came out of a context of judgement, of Israel's response to an attack on them. It was a defiant statement.

We all remember where we were on 9-11. I remember that morning. I remember trying to check my e-mail and not being able to, praying with people who family in the city that morning. I remember one of our senators standing there that afternoon, being interviewed, stating, as the rescuers worked, stating, "We will rebuild." It seemed so inappropriate, so out of line of where our hearts should be. It was not right. God was speaking. It was meant to be a time we looked within our soul, the nation's soul.

That is what Jesus was weeping over. In His own words, Matthew 15:24, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” They rejected Him.

Peter proclaimed in Jerusalem, 2 months later, "Acts 2:22-24 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.

God has richly blessed America. America has been a great blessing.

Israel turned from God and God judged them. We are turning from God also, and He has and will continue to judge us.

Habakkuk 1:1-4 The oracle which Habakkuk the prophet saw. How long, O Lord, will I call for help, And You will not hear? I cry out to You, “Violence! ”Yet You do not save. Why do You make me see iniquity, And cause me to look on wickedness? Yes, destruction and violence are before me; Strife exists and contention arises. Therefore the law is ignored And justice is never upheld.For the wicked surround the righteous;Therefore justice comes out perverted.
The law is paralyzed.

Jesus prophesied over Jerusalem. They rejected Him. There was nothing left for God to do but to judge.
Not one stone was left standing on another.
The temple and the city were destroyed.
His blood was on them ad their children.

It did not have to be that way... If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace!

As we think of those events of 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem we cannot help but think of America today.

Habakkuk 3:2 Lord, I have heard the report about You and I fear.O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years,In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy.

The crowd did not understand on Palm Sunday either, but Jesus was setting up His Kingdom.
His Kingdom Come.
Its leaders are servants.
Riches are spiritual, not material.
Jesus did not come with an army, although legions of angels were at His disposal.
No pomp in this kingdom.
No taxes either.

When we look for the LORD, we will always find Him with grace.
Have mercy on us O LORD!