A Prophet Among You

Paul

The succession of calamities that plagued the Jewish nation, because of their rejection of the prophets and finally of Christ, reached its climax at the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman armies in A.D. 70. It was of importance not only to the Jewish nation as such, but also to the Christian Jews scattered in all places. Even the Christians had never turned their eyes away from the temple as the center of worship. What was to be the effect upon them when the temple should be destroyed? Unless they were prepared, the result could be disastrous. Again the Lord turned to His familiar method for preparing His people for the crisis. Through Paul, called not only to be an apostle but also a prophet, there was sent to the Hebrew Christians a message to direct their attention to Christ as their High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary. In this way alone could they be brought to understand that the temple at Jerusalem was unnecessary to their true worship. The value of the Levitical priesthood had already ended; the presence of God had long since departed from the most holy place. A High Priest in a heavenly sanctuary whose ministration is accessible to all men everywhere at all times, had taken the place of the visible earthly services. Blood had been shed once that this ministry might be carried on for all. A full revelation of these facts would help to revolutionize the thinking of the early Christians and prepare them for the crisis when the temple fell. The gift of prophecy again met a crisis successfully. APAY 160.2