Another Divine Pause

The divinely appointed delay, from 622 BC to 586 BC, between King Josiah learning of Jerusalem’s coming judgment and the actual destruction of the temple was nearly 40 years.

God’s advance warning system was activated in 605 BC when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took some of the temple treasures and carted them off to the temple of his god. Then, after striving with rebellious vassal kings for 20 years, he burned Jerusalem down.

But the temple was rebuilt. Nehemiah got the job done when Cyrus of Persia let the exiles go home and Darius authorized the temple’s rebuilding. But it was a little, shall we say, shabby. So King Herod refurbished it, making it a lavish, white marble masterpiece.

And, once again, the temple was destroyed.

Once again, there was a warning – around 40 years before its destruction.

Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” Matthew 24:1-2

Why?

When Jesus paid the debt for our sin, no further atonement sacrifice was necessary, yet Rome didn’t destroy the temple for almost 40 years.

But there is strong evidence that the high priest never went into the Most Holy Place again. This blog post lays out the argument – the foundation of the temple sustained too much damage in the earthquake that accompanied Jesus’s crucifixion.

Just as Nebuchadnezzar took treasures out of the temple as a harbinger of things to come, the earthquake brought down the stone lintel holding up the veil and destabilized the foundation so the doors would no longer stay shut.

For 40 years, the derelict temple stood as a sign of God’s judgment.

Why wait 40 years to destroy the temple?

In the Bible, 40 signifies a time of testing.

• During the global flood, rain fell for 40 days and 40 nights.
• Moses fled Egypt and returned 40 years later to lead the people out of the wilderness.
• Moses was on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights receiving the Law.
• Then, because of their lack of faith, the people spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness.
• Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness before Satan tempted him, before He began His public ministry.
• After His resurrection, Jesus spent 40 days on earth before he ascended to heaven.

Who was God testing during the 40-year delay?

• He established His church. The church exploded in the first 40 years after Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection.
• He gave the Jews 40 years to come to faith. Many did, including many pharisees and priests.
• Jesus gave a warning in Luke 21, telling His followers to flee Jerusalem before the destruction.

God is always on time.