Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University

1. He often foretold it, with its time and circumstances and consequences. And that great and extraordinary event, in all its dreadful circumstances and great consequences, exactly answered his predictions. And that it did so abundantly proved that he was a true prophet, and the word in his mouth that he spake in the name of God was the truth, and

indeed the word of God, and consequently that his doctrine concerning himself was the word of God, or was divine doctrine.

And here this is to be observed, that in the other desolations and captivities that had been in Israel, God sent prophets to foretell them and forewarn the people of them, especially the prophets Hosea and Amos. And what abundant predictions and forewarnings were given of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans, and their captivity into Babylon, by many prophets, particularly Isaiah, Micah, Huldah, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, though that destruction was but a little thing in comparison of the second destruction by the Romans, and the captivity that followed but a little thing and of short continuance in comparison with that which has followed the latter. And, therefore, 'tis altogether unlikely that God should send no prophet at all to predict or forewarn the people of this, but that there should be a perfect silence about it for more than 500 years before it happened. But it was not so. The people had a far greater, more remarkable and affecting warning and predictions of this than the others, not by a prophet that spake on earth, but by the Prophet of prophets, the great prophet of God, the only begotten Son of God, that is, the Lord from heaven.

In other respects, God made his hand in this last destruction far more visible—both by an extraordinary interposition in the strange and unusual incidents and circumstances of it, and also in extraordinary signs, forerunners and presages of it—than in former destructions (see No. 972),JE refers to "p. 11. 12. p. 9. e. 10. a" of No. 972, "Christian Religion. That Jesus Truly Had the Spirit of Prophecy," which largely consists of excerpts from Tillotson's Works. JE specifically intends the first and third points of the section containing "Reflections on the foregoing prophecies of Christ, and their exact fulfillment." Work, 20, 265–66, 267–69. which is another thing that makes it the more incredible that God should not interpose and manifest himself in this respect also, viz. in forewarning of and giving the reasons of it by the Spirit of prophecy. It appears it was the mind of God to give previous notice of it in extraordinary presages in abundance. Why then should there be a total silence in God's more usual manner of presignification by prophecy?

2. Christ, who thus exactly foretold this great event, declared at the same time the reason why God [would] bring such a judgment. And he declared it should be for their rejection of him, and the contempt and malignity towards him, his gospel and his church, as the prophets who foretold the destruction of Israel and Jerusalem of old withal declared the reasons of it. And it would be a strange thing if that which has been far above all others the greatest judgment that ever God brought on his

people Israel, which in its duration has continued much longer than the whole time of their dwelling in the land of Canaan, should be brought on them without anyone to tell them the reason of it, and leave 'em all this while in the dark about it.

And 'tis reasonable to suppose that he that was let so particularly and exactly into the secret of the divine will with respect to the event also was able truly to declare for what reason and end it was brought to pass. But as there was no other forewarning of the event since Daniel's time (who intimated that it should be for rejecting the Messiah) but Christ's prediction, so no other reason was given but that which he gave, which therefore should be received as the true reason. But if God brought that destruction for not receiving Christ, how great a testimony of God is this to Christ's divine authority?

3. Christ foretold this great event as that which he himself would bring to pass (Luke 19:27); that it should come by his forsaking them and not protecting them (Matthew 23:34–39, Luke 13:34–35); that it should be his curse, represented by his cursing the barren fig tree [Matthew 21:19; Mark 11:13–14]; that it should be by his coming (Luke 17:30 with context, and Matthew 24:3 ff.). See how the fulfillment of such a prediction with such a circumstance is often spoken of in the Old Testament as an evidence of the divinity of the prediction, and also of the divinity of the prophet, No. 1044.MS: "pp. 4–5," the conclusion of the entry, including points 2 and 3. Works, 20, 387–88.

4. The circumstances and incidents of this great event were such as remarkably showed it to be the mind of God that the Mosaic dispensation should be abolished, and to show that God thenceforward [would] have no more regard to the peculiar institutions or promises of it (see No. 972);MS: "p. 13," i.e. point 6 under the section of No. 972 containing "Reflections on the foregoing prophecies of Christ, and their exact fulfillment." Works, 20, 270–71. besides the consequence in the blotting out the family of Aaron and tribe of Levi by the confusion of their tribes, and their temple and land being so long in desolation, and the people in dispersion, by which means God has now made it impossible for the rites of that dispensation to be upheld for a much longer time than ever they were attended, which is a great testimony from heaven that that dispensation is at an end and, consequently, that the Messiah before that had appeared, and that the doctrine of Christ—in which he taught that the time was come that men should no more worship in that mountain, nor Jerusalem, but should worship God in spirit and in truth—was the word of God, and that he was the Messiah.

5. That the punishment of the Jews had so many shrewd marks and signatures of the displeasure of God for their despising, evil treating, and crucifying Jesus, is another thing that makes this awful event a seal of his divine mission and authority. See No. 972.MS: "p. 13, and p. 8 e," respectively, point 5 of "Reflections," and a paragraph towards the end of the first subpoint under head (3), beginning, "And so obstinate were they, that neither those calamities that they suffered…" Works, 20, 270, 264.

6. That Christ's followers, the Christians that were in the city, were by a wonderful providence generally delivered, being guided by Christ's prophetic directions. See No. 972.MS: "p. 7 d., p. 11 d." Respectively, subpoint 1 under point (3) beginning, "The unparalleled greatness of their calamity and destruction"; and the paragraph under point 3 of "Reflections" beginning, "And indeed all along the hand of God was very visible against them; for when in the beginning of their rebellion, Cestius Gallus, the Roman commander…" Works, 20, 262, 268.