Gary discusses an article and interview by Pastor Greg Laurie where he claims it is ridiculous to blame the Jews for Jesus’ death.
Preterists believe that the events described in Matthew 24:1-34 were fulfilled in the events leading up to and including the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. “The guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom [they] murdered between the temple and the altar” (Matt. 23:35) fell upon the generation of Jews who “did not recognize the time of [their] visitation” (Luke 19:44) and crucified “the Lord of glory” (1 Cor. 2:8). How do we know this? Because Jesus told us: “Truly I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation” (Matthew 23:36 and 24:34). No future generation of Jews is meant here.
Unfortunately, by futurizing this prophecy, Jews through the centuries have been reliving this past (preterist) judgment at the hands of misguided men who have been driven by bad theology. For example, in the Bavarian Alpine village of Oberammergau, controversy has arisen over the re-enactment of Christ’s Passion. “The classic folk drama originated in 1634, after villagers vowed to re-enact Christ’s Passion regularly if they were spared from the Black Death.”[1] The most severe criticism has arisen because of a single verse from Matthew’s gospel: “His blood be on us and on our children!” (27:25). While a number of alterations have been made in the play, the verse from Matthew has not be cut.
The commission voted narrowly to retain the controversial line, prompting criticism from Rabbi A. James Rudin of the American Jewish Committee, who is calling for a completely new play that “should reflect the reality of the ‘cursed’ Jewish people living in a reborn and independent state of Israel.”[2]
The play does not need to be rewritten; it just needs a more biblical interpretation. The curse had its end in A.D. 70 upon the generation that uttered the oath. To continue to futurize the events that are of a certainty fulfilled prophecy can only do more harm. Much of modern-day evangelicalism and fundamentalism unwittingly contributes to wide-spread “anti-semitism” because of their continued futurization of texts that have been fulfilled.
Last Days Madness
In this authoritative book, Gary DeMar clears the haze of ‘end-times’ fever, shedding light on the most difficult and studied prophetic passages in the Bible, including Daniel 7:13-14; 9:24-27; Matt. 16:27-28; 24-25; Thess. 2; 2 Peter 3:3-13, and clearly explaining a host of other controversial topics.
Buy NowGary discusses an article and interview by Pastor Greg Laurie. In the interview with Glenn Beck, Pastor Laurie says it is ridiculous to blame the Jews for Jesus’ death. While this is true to a degree, it ignores the significant role the Jewish people—and especially their religious and political leaders—played in the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus in history. While it is true to say that “sin” in general put Him on the cross, we must not overlook the historical setting and circumstances of the entire Passion Week.
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[1] Michael Walsh, “Oberammergau’s Blood Curse,” Time (June 4, 1990), 89.
[2] Walsh, “Oberammergau’s Blood Curse,” 89.