faith

The Perils of Half-hearted Obedience: Chaplain Daily Touchpoint #420

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Bottom line up front: The peril of half-hearted obedience

Text: 7 At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you. 8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the Lord, he gave them into your hand. 9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless  toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.” 10 Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in the stocks in prison, for he was in a rage with him because of this. And Asa inflicted cruelties upon some of the people at the same time. 11 The acts of Asa, from first to last, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet, and his disease became severe. Yet even in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but sought help from physicians.  (2 Chr 16:7-12)

Teaching: Until that time, Asa had been a solid leader. He had purged many of the idols from Israel. He had helped turn the people back to Yahweh. But he grew unwise in time. He grew comfortable. He trusted those he shouldn’t have. The king of Syria is just one example of untrustworthy people here. And the prophet Hanani, the truth-teller, rebuked Asa for his shortsightedness, lack of faith in God, and sin. And what’s worse, rather than owning up to his own half-hearted obedience, Asa “inflicted cruelties” upon other people. That’s key, folks. We sinners love to deflect; we love to project our own issues and sins onto others rather than owning our sins and having God rebuke us via truth-tellers like Hanani in this passage or God the Holy Spirit.

Encouragement: Asa began well but ended poorly. We need to learn from his example. Were we half as concerned with our standing before God as we are with comfort, how might that change our spiritual trajectory and witness before God and men?

Understanding the Temple

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There is no paucity of zeal surrounding the understanding of “the temple” from myriad spheres–Christian, Muslim, political, etc. But what is the Bibe’s own testimony regarding the temple? Is it a building that is to be the focus? Is it a place of real estate that is to be the focus? How should Christians understand “the temple”? How do our understandings of the temple affect the person and work of Christ?

Text:

18 “But will God indeed dwell with man on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built! 19 Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O Lord my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you, 20 that your eyes may be open day and night toward this house, the place where you have promised to set your name, that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place. 21 And listen to the pleas of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. And listen from heaven your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive. (2 Chronicles 6:18-21)

Context, Context, Context: In the passage above, King Solomon was dedicating the temple in Jerusalem. Notice the question asked up front: “But will God indeed dwell with man on the earth?” (2 Chr 6:18a). Will God be amongst his people? Will God manifest himself? Will God take on flesh?

The second half of verse 18 answers the question. The answers? No, heaven cannot “contain” God, much less any house or temple. Folks, that’s crucial to understand. Yes, God will be amongst his people. Yes, God will manifest himself. Yes, God took on flesh. That’s the very definition of incarnation.

Christianity is not about a building, a piece of real estate, a political identity, or any such thing. It’s about God. It’s about Christ. Jesus is the temple.

All of the Bible coheres; it all tells one coherent, interconnected, unified story of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. If we misunderstand the temple, we misunderstand the Christian worldview.

Revelation 21:22 reads, “And I [John] saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.” How clear is that? Crystal.

Encouragement: The temple was God tabernacling among his people. It was a picture of what God would do in the Son’s incarnation–dwell among us. What happened in the incarnation of the Christ? John 1:14 reads, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt [tabernacled] among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Chaplain Daily Touchpoint #417: Why the ‘God Question’ Matters

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As part of the church I serve as a teaching elder/pastor, we have begun sending out 60-second reels on social media entitled “Truth Through Theology.” The goals are simple: depth and brevity simultaneously. It’s no use decrying the fact that we live in a culture plagued by short attention spans. Most folks will not suffer through legthy, weighty, deep discussions or lectures or books. I could whine about that. But as the cliche goes, it is what it is. This is simply where most folks are. To gain a hearing, we almost always have to keep it pithy and easily digestible. Hence, our efforts via “Truth Through Theology.”

So what, right? Why should you care? Well, I’m glad you asked. The reason is that theology is unavoidable. Everyone has a worldview. No exceptions. Some folks are atheists. Some are materialists. Some are pantheists. Some are polytheists. Some are monotheists. Some are nihilists. Others, still, claim to be agnostic. The list could continue.

Regardless of the camp, however, everyone has a worldview. And theology is unavoidable. Everyone has a worldview, coherent or not, consciously held or not, regarding basic questions/issues like the following:

  • Where did everything come from?
  • Does God exist?
  • If God doesn’t exist, on what basis should creatures complain about categories regarding ‘justice’? Rocks don’t complain.
  • If God does not exist, are we not by definition just matter in motion, molecules in motion, hairy apes without freedom?
  • Why is there such evil in the world?
  • Where do we get categories of right and wrong, good and evil?
  • Where did mind come from?
  • How do you explain irreducible complexity?
  • Why is there so much suffering in the world?
  • How do we explain language?
  • What happens when we die?
  • What’s wrong with the world and is it fixable?
  • Why is there something rather than nothing?

This list of questions could go on and on. But each worldview has to grapple with these and other foundational questions. Regardless of one’s worldview, you have to grapple with these issues. Hence, “Truth Through Theology.”

In the Christian worldview, we have answers to these profound questions. God does exist. He has spoken. He has revealed himself in creation, in conscience, in the incarnation of Christ the Son, and in Scripture. For example, David wrote in Psalm 19 the following:

19 The heavens declare the glory of God,
    and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours out speech,
    and night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words,
    whose voice is not heard.
4 Their voicemgoes out through all the earth,
    and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
5     which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
    and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
    and its circuit to the end of them,
    and there is nothing hidden from its heat. (Psalm 19:1-6)

This is what’s known as general revelation. God’s creation attests to and manifests his existence.

Illustration: As I sit in my library each night and study, my desk and tables and chairs are littered with books. (My wife lets me know the stacks often grow out of control and that I need to give more of them away. Pray for me!) But here’s where I’m going. As I look at the book on my table beside my chair right now that I’ve put down in order to type this out, I could pose some basic questions about the book: 1) Did it just come into existence on its own? No, of course not. That would mean that it had to exist before it acually existed. Self-creation is utterly illogical. One does not birth oneself; 2) Did not the book have an author? Of course. It had an author. And it had an editor. And it was typed. And it was bound. And it was marketed; 3) And did the book not have a mind behind it, a mind that communicates with my mind through the media of language and culture and ideas?

Takeaway: Theology is unavoidable. Everything that has been created has a creator. Each worldview has to deal with the matter of origins. God is the Author of life (Acts 3:15). That’s enough for this installment, but I hope it encourages you to explore foundational/worldview questions. Thanks for sticking with me. More to follow.

What Sets a Godly Leader Apart?

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Question: What sets a godly leader apart?

Character Study: Many people may have some familiarity with King David from the Old Testament. He was the man after God’s own heart. 1 Samuel 13:14 reads this way: “But now your kingdom [wicked King Saul’s] shall not continue. The LORD has sought out a man [David] after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to prince over his people, because you [wicked King Saul] have not kept what the LORD commanded you.

The New Testament, too, refers to David as a man after God’s own heart: “And when he had removed him [wicked King Saul], he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, “I have found in David the son of Jese a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’” (Acts 13:22)

In sum, then, David was God’s man.

Question: But ask the question again, What sets a godly leader apart? Focus with me upon 1 Chronicles 12. It’s a passage about David’s soldiers, his “mighty men.”

Text: 16 And some of the men of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold to David. 17 David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come to me in friendship to help me, my heart will be joined to you; but if to betray me to my adversaries, although there is no wrong in my hands, then may the God of our fathers see and rebuke you.” 18 Then the Spirit clothed Amasai, chief of the thirty, and he said,

“We are yours, O David,
    and with you, O son of Jesse!
Peace, peace to you,
    and peace to your helpers!
    For your God helps you.”

Then David received them and made them officers of his troops. (1 Chronicles 12:16-18)

Teaching: First, notice how David “went out” to his men. That is, he was a servant-leader. He didn’t expect to be pampered. He was amidst the people, not hanging back. Second, he sought friendship with people of character. He discerned between godly and ungodly soldiers and friends. He didn’t knowingly truck with wicked men. Third, David trusted the Lord’s omniscience and sovereignty to vindicate him. In other words, David trusted God. Again, three things set David apart as a godly leader:

  • David led by serving
  • David distinguished noble from ignoble men
  • David trusted God’s sovereignty

Encouragement: There are countless leadership lessons to be gleaned from studying Saul and David as types of leaders. Saul was self-absorbed, self-centered, narcissistic, and insecure. He trusted no one. And he ended up taking his own life. David, on the other hand, was a servant-leader. He worked hard. He “went out” to his men; that is, he didn’t put himself above them. Rather, he led by example. And David cultivated the right leaders. And David truly was God’s man. He was by no means a perfect man, but his heart was a heart for God. When it comes to leadership, these characteristics set him apart, and redound to God’s work in him, and the lessons are for us, too, whether we’re soldiers, veterans, or civilians.

My Servants the Prophets: Chaplain Daily Touchpoint #413

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Questions: What comes to mind when you hear the word prophet? One who predicts future events? Bravery? Truth-teller? Forth-teller?

In Scripture, all of those attributes are true. Think of Elijah, Elisha, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and John the Baptist, as just some examples. Each man was used by God to tell the truth forthrightly; each man was brave; each man did speak of future events that would and did take place, etc.

Now think of the text below from 2 Kings:

10 They set up for themselves pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, 11 and there they made offerings on all the high places, as the nations did whom the Lord carried away before them. And they did wicked things, provoking the Lord to anger, 12 and they served idols, of which the Lord had said to them, “You shall not do this.” 13 Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.”

14 But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the Lord their God. 15 They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the Lord had commanded them that they should not do like them. 16 And they abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made for themselves metal images of two calves; and they made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal. 17 And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. 18 Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. None was left but the tribe of Judah only. (2 Kings 17:10-18)

Teaching: Israel once again fell into idolatry and apostasy. They failed to believe God and follow his revealed covenantal promises. They sinned, and they grew increasingly callous. They sacrificed their children by burning them atop idols. The list is long of their abominations. And yet, God sent his servants the prophets. And what was their duty? To call the people back to God, to holiness, to restoration.

Encouragement: As I’ve said countless times to our people, “Soft preaching makes hard people; hard preaching makes soft people.” That is undisputable. If you tickle ears and pimp people sentimentally, you’re a hireling and coward. God hates such shenanigans. God calls his servants the prophets to tell the truth, to serve the Lord, to fear God and love the sheep of his pasture. The fear of man is a snare. If we’re God’s shepherds, we’re to fear the Lord and serve the Lord. And that baseline will shape the trajectory of our ministries because that’s the solemn office to which some of us are called. The crux comes in having people with enough discernment to distinguish between hirelings out for their own fame and fortune and the true men of God who are laboring to please the Lord Jesus and to serve his bride, the true church.

An Uncomfortable Topic

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Suicide.

As a chaplain, I have a duty to minister to those affected by it. It’s not an enjoyable part of my vocation as a minister of the gospel. However, it comes with the territory.

I love what I do, however. I think it’s because I’m called irrevocably by God to shepherd. And shepherding can be pretty dark at times. The valley of the shadow of death is just that–a valley.

Regardless of the means, suicide is dark. I would think I’m not that different from any other person. I have known profound sorrow, profound loss, profound isolation, etc. We’ve all had “those days” where all seemed lost.

But to get to a place where ending one’s life by my own hands, well, I just have not crossed that threshold. But others have. I am not here to judge others’ pain. I am here to try, like my fellow Christian ministers, to help–to come alongside others. I aim to do that by showing up in time.

Recently I had a close friend who is also a military chaplain. He is on the front lines with this latest suicide. He is having to try and minister to the family and friends of the fallen. He is ministering to fellow soldiers.

But what does one say? Oftentimes, it’s what we don’t say; it’s simply that we are there–to sit, pray, come alongside, grieve, weep, hold hands, weep some more, and say, perhaps at the right time, “I’m here now. And I’m here tomorrow, too.”

There are so many ‘reasons’ victims often articulate before they end their lives–loss of a relationship, loss of standing, loss of money, loss of a job, loss of a friend, loss of purpose, loss of connection, loss of belief in goodness, etc. Loss, loss, loss. The list could go on.

But labels don’t return the person to us or to their loved ones. The person is still gone. At least, he’s gone from us. For now.

There’s something in us that longs for explanation. We want to know why. The reality is that sometimes people get to places in life where they believe no life is preferable to their current life. That is tragedy in its most profound sense.

I do not purport to have any answers that other much wiser people have not articulated time and time again. But I do aim to just share this: if you’re in that valley, I (and others) are here. We do care and we will come alongside you and labor to show you demonstrably that all is not lost. That is not psychlogical mumbo-jumbo or bubble gum bromide; it is true.

For my fellow chaplains and Christian ministers, I appreciate you. You, too, are carrying a lot of invisible weight in your spiritual ruck, and it gets heavy. Press on, brothers. The Lord has you in these lives to live as salt and light. Let’s work hard in service to the truth, trusting that the Lord knows our labors, that they’re not in vain, and that God can and does use darkness to bring forth light.

Let us live our creed–to nurture the living; care for the wounded; and honor the fallen.

Learning with Elisha

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Text: When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.” 10 And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.” 11 And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more. (2 Kings 2:9-12)

Many folks would be familiar with the film version Chariots of Fire about Eric Liddell, the runner and Scottish Christian missionary, but fewer perhaps are familiar with Scripture’s historical account of Elijah and Elisha, two prophets of God in the Old Testament.

Context, Context, Context: Elisha was the younger of the two prophets. Elisha looked up to Elijah and longed to emulate him vis-à-vis service for the Lord. Elijah had been used by God in the utter humiliation of idolatrous Baal worship at Mount Carmel earlier (1 Kings 18). Elisha longed for moments like that, too, where God would utterly humiliate false religion in all its forms. Elisha asked his mentor Elijah, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me” (2 Kings 2:9b). But what’s so interesting is the lesson God was teaching Elisha. It was the lesson of believing God’s word. Why do I say that? Because the conversation between the two men was still going on when chariots of fire and horses of fire appeared, separated the two prophets, and the senior prophet Elijah was removed to heaven via a whirlwind.

Let that sink in from Elisha’s perspective: the man you’ve been looking to, learning from, emulating, and from whom you’ve gained wisdom has been removed from your sight. What now? And here it is: believing God’s word, God’s covenantal promise, even when the visual has been removed for a time.

Connection: Don’t you remember Acts 1? The resurrection of Christ has occurred. He had appeared to hundreds of people. He had eaten with them. He had spoken with them. Then in v. 8 of Acts 1, when the disciples are peppering Jesus with questions about the timeline and calendar of events, Jesus teaches them: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And in v. 9, “a cloud took him out of their sight.” The same pattern, you see. Just as Elisha was looking to Elijah, the disciples were looking to Jesus. That’s all well and good and wise.

The hard part, however, comes when the visible leader is removed. What do the troops do then? That’s when you find out if you’ve taught them well. Can they function in your absence? If so, how well and/or how poorly?

Encouragement: Elijah’s removal from Elisha’s sight was a foreshadowing of Jesus’ resurrection and his commissioning Christians to press on and go out with the gospel. That’s why the ‘Great Commission,’ as it’s called in church history, has that label. Christians are commissioned as officers to go out and expand the King’s kingdom by proclaiming the good news of what Christ has accomplished via his birth, life, death, crucifixion, and resurrection, and of his bride, the true church. But it entails walking by faith in the covenant promises of God. Elijah knew it. Elisha was learning it. As were the disciples then. As are disciples now. The same pattern, you see. Trust the Lord and his revealed words.

Chaplain Daily Touchpoint #410: Suffering Unjustly

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Text: “For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly” (1 Peter 2:19).

Context, Context, Context: Peter, the apostle of hope, was writing to Christians who were dispersed across what is much of modern-day Turkey and, by extension, to Christians throughout church history.

Peter wrote this letter during the mid 60s A.D., just thirty years or so after Jesus’ bodily resurrection from the Jerusalem tomb.

Question: Why did Peter write this letter? In short, he wrote to encourage them to stand strong amidst some level of persecution because suffering is part of the human condition. To live means, to some degree, the embrace of suffering.

But what about unjust suffering? Good question. Let us think of the Lord Jesus Christ for a moment:

  • Do we have grief and troubles? So did Christ. Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me. (Matthew 26:38).
  • Do our bodies suffer? So did Christ in his bodily form. And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. (Matthew 27:30)
  • Are we mocked and slandered? So was Christ. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him. (Matthew 27:31).

Encouragement: The Lord Jesus suffered all of this and more. But he endured the cross so Christians wouldn’t. He became the curse for us (2 Corinthians 5:21) so that we who repent and believe upon him would be reckoned righteous in the eyes of holy God. That’s the great exchange, you see? Our rags are replaced by his robes. My sins but his saving effectual grace. My disobedience forgiven because of his obedience, even unto death upon the tree. We press on because our savior pressed on, even as the Roman nails pierced the flesh and spikes crushed the bones and the spear opened his side. But three days later, oh yes, three days later, God again demonstrated the schemes of hell are but part of God’s plan to thwart the arrows of hell. Press on, pilgrim. God sees, and God has won the victory through the person and work of Christ. Look to him in your suffering, knowing that he knows it all and he overcame, and so will you if you are in him.

The Serpent of Syncretism

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Solomon was great in some ways. In other ways, however, he failed profoundly. Towards the end of his reign, Solomon’s heart strayed from the Lord. He became idolatrous. He gave in to his flesh. He built altars to idols. He had multiple wives and concubines. Solomon became a syncretist and he sullied much of his legacy.

Text:

11 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 2 from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. 3 He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. 4 For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. 8 And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods. (1 Kings 11:1-8)

Context, Context, Context: Syncretism is the blending and/or combination of opposing worldviews. For example, if I said that as a Christian, one of the core beliefs is that Jesus rose bodily from the tomb in Jerusalem on a Sunday and was seen by hundreds of people afterwards, and even ate with them. That is a truth claim. It’s either true or it isn’t.

But let’s say Joe Snuffy claims he’s a Christian, too, but that he believes that Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu, Sun Myung Moon, and Joseph Smith are just like Jesus, prophets of God and ‘good’ men. Well, Houston, we have a problem. Because both claims cannot be simultaneously true. I could be right or wrong. The second guy could be right or wrong. We could both be wrong. But we cannot both be right. This is where apologetics can be helpful.

Well, think of Solomon. He’d earlier prayed for wisdom and God granted him that. Solomon’s wisdom was world-famous. As was his wealth. But Solomon got too big for his britches, we might say. He grew proud. He grew increasingly prurient. He grew self-absorbed. And syncretism crept in. He tried to blend or combine contradictions, but reality is not a contradiction. Either God is who he says he is and has revealed himself to be, or idolatry is just fine and dandy. But idolatry is not just fine and dandy, of course. God calls his people to genuine holiness and devotion to the truth, not to play around with erecting statues, poles, Asherah, or high places for Chemosh (1 Kings 11:7). God will not share his glory with idols.


God’s Response: “And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the LORD commanded” (1 Kings 11:9-10).

Encouragement/teaching: The chastisement of the Lord among his people is demonstration of God’s love for his sheep. Divine discipline is indicative of the heavenly Father’s love of his people. “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives” (Hebrews 12:6). Trying to blend contradictory allegiances is at the heart of syncretism and it is nothing short of idolatry. Keep short accounts with God, the only living and true God, because all else is wood, hay, and stubble.

It’s Not About Real Estate, but About God

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Introduction: Theology is unavoidable. What a man believes about God shapes his life. It is unavoidable.

Theology, simply defined, is the study of God. Does God exist? Yes or no? If God doesn’t exist, morality is reduced to moral relativism, human assertions, and the will to power. But if God does exist, what is his nature? Has he spoken/revealed himself? Yes or no? If he has spoken/revealed himself in words, in history, in creation, and in conscience, how should we then live?

These are some of the fundamental questions and issues addressed in theology.

Connections to Current Events: If you take some time and think through what is happening currently in the Middle East, a person’s theological beliefs/worldview shape his understanding.

I had the misfortune of viewing Greg Locke’s screed recently (linked below for you) of why I call it a misfortune. This level of theological muddleheadedness is replete with problems. Christians worship Christ, not a temple. This should be so basic. Christians do not worsip real estate, be that a former temple (Solomon’s) or a city (Jerusalem) or a race (Jews, e.g.). Christians worship the Lord who was “born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from there he shall come to judge the living and the dead” (from the Apostles’ Creed).

But there is a push among many influential people who claim to be Christian who are calling for race wars, blowing entire countries to smithereens, and for rebuilding the very temple that was destroyed in A.D. 70.

Will folks even take the time to read Scripture’s own testimony of why the temple was destroyed? It was in direct fulfillment of 1 Kings 9:

4 And as for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes and my rules, 5 then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’ 6 But if you turn aside from following me, you or your children, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes that I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, 7 then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and the house that I have consecrated for my name I will cast out of my sight, and Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 8 And this house will become a heap of ruins. Everyone passing by it will be astonished and will hiss, and they will say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’ 9 Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord their God who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore the Lord has brought all this disaster on them.’” (1 Kings 9:4-9)

In short, the destruction of the temple by the Romans in A.D. 70 was a direct result of unbelievers rejecting Jesus. Unbelievers, Jews and Gentiles, hated Christ, who put an end to repeated ineffectual sacrifices and ritual days of atonement. That’s what the book of Hebrews is all about.

Concluding Thoughts: I write as a Christian. These shallow and immature calls for levelling real estate (a la Greg Locke and other loud Christian Zionists), of rebuilding a temple, of racial wars upon entire demographics, etc. are not biblically, theologically mature worldviews or Christian. They are, in fact, completely opposed to Christ. Christians are to preach the gospel, to plant churches, to shepherd well, and to pray for those who persecute us.