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VBVMI StaffSince the Law of Moses requires Jews to sacrifice in a tabernacle or temple, how do devout Jews satisify requirement today without a temple? Do their hearts condemn them?
Every unbelieving Jew remains under the Old Covenant and the Law it contains, including the requirement to observe the rites and sacrifices in the temple. Obviously, this requirement poses a serious dilemma for any Jew who wishes to remain orthodox and obedient to the Law. WIthout a temple, the Jewish people are prevented from observing the sacrifices as required by the Law. Therefore, they are forced to live in a constant state of disobedience to the Old Covenant.
This situation has persisted since the destruction of the temple in AD 70, and there is no solution for their problem except to have faith in Messiah and come out from under the Law. Therefore they live in a perpetual state of frustration and concern over their plight. Perhaps a pious Jew finds some consolation in knowing their disobedience is involuntary, having been prevented from obeying by circumstances beyond their control.
Still, this situation was exactly what the Lord intended when He called for the destruction of the temple in Matthew 24:
The destruction of the temple and the elimination of any opportunity to participate in the sacrificial system was a situation the Lord Himself instituted to send a message regarding the Old Covenant. As the writer of Hebrews taught:
The Old Covenant earned its name because a new and better covenant was intended to replace it. The OT Law established the existence of the temple, and so for as long as the temple existed, the writer says, it was an indication to saints that the new had not yet come. But once the new covenant had been given, the Old Covenant and the temple it established were eliminated to show that they were no longer needed.
Therefore, the Lord worked through the Romans to destroy the temple after Christ's arrival. He does not want the Jew to continue seeking the Lord in a temple and through a Law that was fulfilled in Christ and no longer needed. Their collective frustration in trying to observe a Law absent a temple is part of God's plan to frustrate the nation of Israel during this time of hardening, as Paul wrote:
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org