Commentary on the Four Gospel Books
The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
G120 The Lord Jesus Rides a Donkey
Into the City of Jerusalem
Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10;
Luke 19:28-44; John 12:12-19

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All New Testament verses quoted in this article are from the English Majority Text Version, and Old Testament verses are from the King James Version, unless otherwise noted.

Matthew 21:1-11

1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethsphage, towards the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied up, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me.

3 And if anyone asks you anything, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he sends them.”

4 Now all this took place so that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

5 “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, humble, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”

6 So the disciples went, and did just as Jesus ordered them.

7 They brought the donkey and the colt, and they laid their clothes on them, and they set Him on them.

8 And a very large crowd spread their clothes on the road; but others were cutting down branches from the trees and were spreading them on the road.

9 Then the crowds who went before, and those following were crying out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ Hosanna in the highest!”

10 And when He entered into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”

11 And the crowds were saying, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Mark 11:1-10

1 And when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, towards the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples;

2 and He said to them, “Go into the village opposite you; and immediately entering into it you will find a colt tied up on which no one has sat. When you have untied him, bring him.

3 And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of him,’ and immediately he will send it here.”

4 And they departed, and found the colt tied up by the door outside in the street, and they untied him.

5 But some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, loosing the colt?”

6 And they told them just as Jesus had commanded. And they gave them permission.

7 Then they led the colt to Jesus, and placed their clothes on him, and He sat on him.

8 And many strewed their garments on the way, and others were cutting down branches from the trees and were spreading them on the way.

9 And those going before, and those that were following were crying out, saying: “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’

10 Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

Luke 19:28-44

28 And having said these things, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

29 And it came to pass, as He drew near to Bethsphage and Bethany, to the mountain which is called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples,

30 saying, “Go into the village opposite you, in which when you enter you will find a colt tied up, on which no one of men has ever sat. Loose him and bring him here.

31 And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you loosing him?’ thus you shall say to him, ‘Because the Lord has need of him.’ ”

32 So those who were sent departed and found it just as He told them.

33 But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, “Why are you loosing the colt?”

34 And they said, “The Lord has need of him.”

35 Then they brought him to Jesus. And when they threw their own clothes on the colt, they set Jesus on him.

36 And as He went, they were spreading their clothes under Him on the road.

37 And as He was approaching the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen,

38 saying: ” ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!’ Peace in heaven and glory in the highest! ”

39 And some of the Pharisees said to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”

40 But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”

41 And as He drew near, seeing the city, He wept over it,

42 saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things pertaining to your peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.

43 For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and hem you in from every side,

44 and they will level you to the ground, and your children with you; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the season of your visitation.”

John 12:12-19

12 On the next day a large crowd which was coming to the feast, having heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,

13 took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and they were crying out, “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ The King of Israel!”

14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, he sat on it; as it is written:

15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, sitting on the colt of a donkey.”

16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him, and they did these things to Him.

17 Therefore the crowd which was with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, was testifying.

18 On account of this the crowd also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.

19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “You see that you are not doing any good. Look, the world has gone after Him!”

In this lesson, we will learn together about the event of the Lord Jesus entering the city of Jerusalem in the role of the King of the people of Israel and in the role of the Passover Lamb. All four Gospels record this event. Each Gospel has a few details that the others do not include. When the four accounts are combined, we gain a complete and vivid picture of this very important event.

Matthew 21:1-2

1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethsphage, towards the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied up, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me.

Mark 11:1-2

1 And when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, towards the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples;

2 and He said to them, “Go into the village opposite you; and immediately entering into it you will find a colt tied up on which no one has sat. When you have untied him, bring him.

Luke 19:28-30

28 And having said these things, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

29 And it came to pass, as He drew near to Bethsphage and Bethany, to the mountain which is called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples,

30 saying, “Go into the village opposite you, in which when you enter you will find a colt tied up, on which no one of men has ever sat. Loose him and bring him here.

Matthew records the event of the Lord Jesus riding a donkey into the city of Jerusalem right after recording the event of Him healing two blind men outside the city of Jericho, after He had left that city.

Mark records it after the event of Him healing the blind man named Bartimaeus on the street of the city of Jericho.

Luke records it after the event of Him teaching the parable of the ten minas, when He met Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector of the city of Jericho.

John records it after the event of Mary anointing the Lord’s feet with fragrant oil in the village of Bethany.

We can understand that after the Lord Jesus left the village of Bethany and came to the village of Bethphage, He sent two of His disciples ahead into the village to bring the colt for Him to ride into the city of Jerusalem.

The village of Bethphage follows after the village of Bethany and extends all the way to the gate of the city of Jerusalem, toward the east. Both villages lie at the foot of the Mount of Olives. The distance from Jerusalem to Bethany is about 2.7 km. That was likely also the length of the village of Bethphage.

While Matthew records that the Lord Jesus and His disciples came to the village of Bethphage, both Mark and Luke record “Bethsphage and Bethan.” The wording of Mark and Luke implies that the Lord Jesus and His disciples had come to the boundary of the two villages.

The name “Bethany” means: “house of dates.” The name “Bethphage” means: “house of unripe figs.”

“The village opposite you” refers to the village of Bethphage.

While both Mark and Luke record only a colt, Matthew records “a donkey tied up, and a colt with her.” We can understand that in reality there were two donkeys, one being the mother donkey and the other a colt. Matthew, being an apostle walking with the Lord and a direct witness, recorded the detail that there were two donkeys. Mark and Luke, writing from reports of others, focused only on the colt that the Lord rode.

Both Mark and Luke add the detail that the colt had never been ridden by anyone. We understand that God had prepared that colt for the Lord Jesus to fulfill the prophecy about Him.

Matthew 21:3

3 And if anyone asks you anything, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he sends them.”

Mark 11:3

3 And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of him,’ and immediately he will send it here.”

Luke 19:31

31 And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you loosing him?’ thus you shall say to him, ‘Because the Lord has need of him.’ “

It is very possible that the exact words spoken by the Lord Jesus were: “And if anyone asks you anything, “Why are you doing this?” “Why are you loosing him?” you shall say, “The Lord has need of them.””

Matthew records only the first part of the Lord’s words, while Mark records the earlier part, and Luke records the latter part of the hypothetical question that might come from those who saw the two disciples untying the donkey.

Matthew continues to record the event of there being two donkeys. Therefore, he recorded the Lord’s instruction for the two disciples to answer: “The Lord has need of them.”

Mark and Luke continue to record the event of the colt. Therefore, they recorded: “The Lord has need of him.”

The Lord Jesus knew beforehand that the owner of the two donkeys would allow the disciples to take them once he understood that the Lord had need of them.

We can understand that the mother donkey went first and the colt followed. If the two disciples had not led the mother donkey along, the colt would not have been willing to go.

Mark 11:4-6

4 And they departed, and found the colt tied up by the door outside in the street, and they untied him.

5 But some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, loosing the colt?”

6 And they told them just as Jesus had commanded. And they gave them permission.

Luke 19:32-34

32 So those who were sent departed and found it just as He told them.

33 But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, “Why are you loosing the colt?”

34 And they said, “The Lord has need of him.”

Other manuscripts wrote: “tied by the door without in a place where two ways met” means tied outside the house, near the door, at a crossroads. Mark recorded the detail of where the donkey was tied.

Mark records “some of those standing there,” while Luke records “the owners.”

We can understand that just as the two disciples of the Lord began to untie the colt, several of the owners—possibly brothers or father and son—who were standing nearby spoke up to question them. They replied just as the Lord had instructed, and the owners allowed them to take the two donkeys.

The question of the owners is recorded differently by Mark and Luke, but the meaning is the same. We understand that this is because they wrote according to the testimony of witnesses. Each witness may not have repeated the question word-for-word, but they conveyed accurately the meaning of the question, which was to ask the purpose of the two disciples when they were untying the donkey.

Matthew 21:4-7

4 Now all this took place so that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

5 “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, humble, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”

6 So the disciples went, and did just as Jesus ordered them.

7 They brought the donkey and the colt, and they laid their clothes on them, and they set Him on them.

Mark 11:7

7 Then they led the colt to Jesus, and placed their clothes on him, and He sat on him.

Luke 19:35

35 Then they brought him to Jesus. And when they threw their own clothes on the colt, they set Jesus on him.

John 12:14-15

14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, he sat on it; as it is written:

15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, sitting on the colt of a donkey.”

Matthew still records clearly that both the donkey and the colt were brought by the two disciples. They spread their cloaks on the backs of both donkeys, although the Lord Jesus rode only on the colt.

The phrase “and they set Him on them” does not mean that the Lord Jesus sat on both donkeys at the same time. Rather, it means that He sat on the cloaks of the two disciples, which they had spread on the back of the colt.

While Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record that the disciples brought the donkey to the Lord Jesus, John records that the Lord Jesus “had found a young donkey.” Although the wording differs, the idea is the same: the Lord Jesus encountered the colt when the two disciples brought it to Him.

Matthew and Luke record that the two disciples set the Lord Jesus on the colt. This implies that they helped Him climb onto the donkey’s back to sit on the cloaks they had spread upon it. And in this way, He rode it into the city of Jerusalem.

We can picture the scene: one disciple leading the mother donkey beside or in front, and another disciple leading the colt, upon which the Lord Jesus was sitting.

The riding of the donkey by the Lord Jesus shows that when He came to Jerusalem the first time as King, He was the King of Peace. One day not long from now, when He comes to Jerusalem the second time as King, He will be the King of War. At that time, He will destroy the entire global governmental power of the Antichrist and destroy all who do not believe the Gospel. That event was prophesied in Revelation 19:11-21.

The event of the Lord Jesus riding a donkey into the city of Jerusalem also fulfilled the prophecies in the Old Testament concerning His coming as the King of Peace. He is the King of Peace because He brings peace to those who truly repent of their sins and believe in His atoning death. They have peace because they are forgiven by the God, cleansed by the Lord Jesus from their sinful nature, and empowered by the Holy Spirit to live a life free from sin. They have peace because they no longer face eternal punishment in hell for their sins (Romans 8:1). They have peace because they know God’s Word and the good and peaceful will of the God for them (Psalm 119:165; Jeremiah 29:11). They have peace because the Lord Jesus Himself gives them His peace (John 14:27).

From the day the Lord Jesus rode a donkey into the city of Jerusalem until the day He returns on the Mount of Olives, whoever believes in Him has His peace and is ruled by Him. That is the time frame of the Heavenly Kingdom coming into the hearts of people (Luke 17:21).

“Zion” is another name for the city of Jerusalem, because it is the highest of the four hills on which the city stands: Zion to the southwest, Moriah where the Temple was, Ophel to the south, and Bezetha to the north.

“The daughter of Zion,” in the narrow sense, means the inhabitants of Jerusalem; in the broader sense, it means the whole people of Israel. The King of the daughter of Zion means the King of Israel.

The event of the Lord Jesus riding a donkey into the city of Jerusalem fulfilled the prophecy that He would come as the King of Israel. But His entry into the city that day also demonstrated that He is the Passover Lamb, in a spiritual sense.

According to Exodus 12:3-6, the lamb used for the Passover had to be chosen on the 10th of Nisan: a one-year-old male without blemish, prepared to be sacrificed on the 14th of Nisan.

The Lord Jesus rode into the city of Jerusalem on the 10th of Nisan in the year 3787 according to the Hebrew Calendar, which corresponded to Saturday, April 3, 27, on the Julian Calendar. Because He entered Jerusalem as the King of Israel, the Anointed One, He was worthy to be the unblemished Passover Lamb, in a spiritual sense.

He was indeed sacrificed on the day of Passover (14th of Nisan) to redeem the life of anyone who truly repents of sin and believes in His atoning death [1].

Matthew 21:8-9

8 And a very large crowd spread their clothes on the road; but others were cutting down branches from the trees and were spreading them on the road.

9 Then the crowds who went before, and those following were crying out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ Hosanna in the highest!”

Mark 11:8-10

8 And many strewed their garments on the way, and others were cutting down branches from the trees and were spreading them on the way.

9 And those going before, and those that were following were crying out, saying: “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’

10 Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

Luke 19:36-38

36 And as He went, they were spreading their clothes under Him on the road.

37 And as He was approaching the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen,

38 saying: ” ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!’ Peace in heaven and glory in the highest! “

John 12:12-13

12 On the next day a large crowd which was coming to the feast, having heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,

13 took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and they were crying out, “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ The King of Israel!”

“The next day” was the 10th of Nisan, the day on which the lamb for the Passover had to be chosen and examined to confirm that it was pure and ready to be sacrificed on the evening of the 14th, at the beginning of the Passover day. The Lord Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem as the pure Passover Lamb, ready to die as a sacrifice for the redemption of humanity.

The news that the Lord Jesus was coming from Bethany to Jerusalem spread throughout the city. Many crowds of people from all over had come to celebrate the feast and went out to the outskirts of the city, carrying palm branches to welcome the Lord Jesus.

In the ancient culture of many peoples, laying down cloaks on the road was reserved for a king as a sign of honor and submission. The act of the people spreading their cloaks on the road to greet the Lord Jesus demonstrated their acknowledgment of Him as “the King of Israel,” the One who comes in the name of God.

In ancient times, in the Middle East, the palm tree symbolized victory, honor, and glory. Roman emperors and generals, when returning victorious from the battlefield, were often greeted by the people with palm branches. For the Israelites, the palm tree symbolized resilience and prosperity. It recalled the land God promised them—a land flowing with milk and honey, where flourishing palm trees grew. The prophetess Deborah, who once served as a judge for the Israelites, sat under the palm tree of Deborah to judge the people (Judges 4:5).

The crowd of Jews holding palm branches signified that they were openly declaring their recognition of the Lord Jesus as the Christ—a Conqueror, a Hero sent by God.

Although the noun “Hosanna” comes from Hebrew, where its original meaning is “Please save,” it later came to be used as a shout of praise and welcome, meaning “praise” or “glory.” The crowd and the disciples of the Lord Jesus shouting “Hosanna” were welcoming Him as He arrived in Jerusalem as the King of Israel.

Let us imagine the scene: tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of people, walking before and after the Lord along the road from the village of Bethphage toward Jerusalem. They laid down their cloaks on the road, held palm branches in their hands, and shouted “Hosanna” along with other words of blessing. Meanwhile, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, from within Jerusalem streamed out to greet Him.

Their words of praise were:

• “Hosanna to the Son of David” means: Praise the Son of King David, the One who inherits the throne of David.

• “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD” means: The Lord Jesus is worthy of praise because He has come in the name of the Self-Existing and Eternal One to bring salvation to humanity through His atoning death. We should remember that the name “Jesus” means: the Self-Existing and Eternal One is the Savior.

• “Hosanna in the highest” means: The shout of praise for the Christ resounds through the heavens.

• “Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord” means: The Kingdom of Israel is being restored in the name of the Self-Existing and Eternal One, with the royal authority of the house of David, and is worthy of praise.

• “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD” means: The Lord Jesus is worthy of praise because He has come in the name of the Self-Existing and Eternal One to be the King of Israel and also the “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”

• “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest“ means: Heaven is filled with peace because the Christ reconciles humanity to God; and the glory of the Christ on earth is reflected in the heavens.

• “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD! The King of Israel” means: Hosanna! The Lord Jesus is worthy of praise because He has come in the name of the Self-Existing and Eternal One to be the King of Israel.

These seven shouts of praise and honor confirm that the Lord Jesus is the Christ, the King of Israel, and the Savior. He came to bring peace to those who believe in Him. He came not only to inaugurate the new kingdom of Israel but also to open the Heavenly Kingdom, encompassing all nations. The Heavenly Kingdom began with His Church.

Luke 19:39-40

39 And some of the Pharisees said to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”

40 But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”

There were several reasons why some Pharisees were present in the crowd and walked near the Lord Jesus, demanding that He rebuke His disciples.

• Because they feared that the disciples loudly praising the Lord Jesus as the King of Israel would provoke the Roman authorities to intervene with force.

• Because they did not believe He was the Christ, and thus, to them, those shouts were blasphemous.

• Because they were concerned about losing the religious power they held when the people followed the Lord Jesus.

However, the Lord Jesus affirmed to them that if humanity remained silent, the stones themselves would cry out in praise of Him. That was certain to happen, for the Lord Jesus never lies.

Matthew 21:10-11

10 And when He entered into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”

11 And the crowds were saying, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”

The crowd, including the residents of Jerusalem as well as people from all over attending the festival, was stirred by the Lord Jesus’ solemn entry into the city. Perhaps they could only observe the procession from a distance and could not come close enough to recognize Him. That is why they asked, “Who is this?”

Those in the crowd answered, “This is Jesus, the Prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.” This response simultaneously identifies His name, His prophetic office, and the place where He grew up. They confirmed that He is the Prophet, implying that He is the One foretold by Moses:

“I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.” (Deuteronomy 18:18)

Mentioning the place where He grew up shows that those speaking about Him knew Him well. They may have been the crowds who had followed Him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They had heard Him teach many times, witnessed His miracles of healing and casting out demons, and seen the miracle of Him raising the dead. Just a few days earlier, He had called Lazarus, a man who had been dead for four days, back to life.

John 12:16

16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him, and they did these things to Him.

At that time, the disciples of the Lord Jesus did not understand the significance of Him riding the colt into Jerusalem, or of the people laying their cloaks on the road, holding palm branches, and shouting praise to Him.

“When Jesus was glorified” refers to when the Lord Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. It was only then that His disciples remembered the prophecies about His riding into Jerusalem and being greeted with shouts of praise by the people.

John 12:17-18

17 Therefore the crowd which was with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, was testifying.

18 On account of this the crowd also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.

Those who had witnessed the event of the Lord Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead testified about that miracle to the people in Jerusalem. This testimony did not occur at the time the Lord Jesus rode into the city but had taken place many days earlier. Therefore, when the people in the city heard that the Lord Jesus was entering, they went out to meet Him. They wanted to see the One who had performed that unprecedented miracle.

John 12:19

19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “You see that you are not doing any good. Look, the world has gone after Him!”

The Pharisees who wanted to kill the Lord were angered by the way the crowds were shouting praise for Him.

“You see that you are not doing any good” expresses their feeling of complete failure in trying to prevent the people from coming to the Lord Jesus and believing in Him. The use of “you” shows that this group was blaming one another, as their chosen method to oppose the Lord Jesus had not succeeded.

“Look, the world has gone after Him” implies that they recognized they had lost influence over the people, and the people were now following the Lord Jesus.

They felt powerless, unable to control the situation, and unsure of what else to do.

Luke 19:41-42

41 And as He drew near, seeing the city, He wept over it,

42 saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things pertaining to your peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.

Perhaps when the Lord Jesus came near, a few hundred meters from Jerusalem, He wept over it.

Although Jerusalem was bustling with excitement, preparing for the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the people had no knowledge of the things that would bring them true and eternal peace. Even the majority of those shouting praise and calling Him the King of Israel did not realize that on that day, He entered the city as the King of Peace and the Passover Lamb. It was His death that would bring reconciliation between humanity and God.

The Lord Jesus wept over Jerusalem because He knew in advance what the people of Israel there would do to Him four days later. They would reject Him and hand Him over to the Roman authorities, resulting in His crucifixion. And He knew beforehand the destruction that would come upon Jerusalem in the year 70 as punishment for the collective rejection of Him by the people of Israel, due to their hardened hearts.

Hardness of heart stems from a preference for the things of this world rather than seeking the truth of God’s Word. This hardness of heart caused the majority of the people of Israel to be spiritually blind, unable to see the truth in God’s Word, and unable to recognize that the Lord Jesus is the Christ. The truth was hidden from the eyes of most of the people of Israel because they chose not to seek it.

Luke 19:43-44

43 For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and hem you in from every side,

44 and they will level you to the ground, and your children with you; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the season of your visitation.”

These two verses are the words of the Lord Jesus prophesying that Jerusalem would be besieged by its enemies beginning in 67 and completely destroyed in 70.

The God gave the people of Israel forty years to repent for rejecting and killing the Christ (from 27 to 67). But they did not repent, so the God allowed uprisings that led the Roman soldiers to lay siege to Jerusalem. The God then gave the inhabitants of Jerusalem an additional three years to repent, but they still did not, so He allowed the Roman army to destroy Jerusalem and the Temple of God in 70, leaving not one stone upon another. According to historians’ estimates, between 600,000 and 1,100,000 Israelites were killed. About 97,000 were sold into slavery, and approximately 40,000 were exiled from Jerusalem.

“The season of your visitation” refers to the entire period during which the Lord Jesus traveled among Jerusalem, teaching and performing miracles. Sadly, the inhabitants of Jerusalem rejected Him.

Today, for each individual and each nation, there is a time of visitation from God. The time of visitation for each person is the entire period of their life in the physical body during which they hear the Gospel. The time of visitation for each nation is the entire period during which that nation hears the Gospel. Every individual and every nation has the freedom to either accept or reject the Gospel.

We conclude this lesson here.

May the Holy Spirit guide us into all the truths of God’s Word (John 16:13). May the Word of God sanctify us (John 17:17). May the Faithful *God of Peace Himself sanctify our spirit, soul, and body entirely, without blame (1 Thessalonians 5:23), at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Beloved Savior. Amen!

Timothy Christian Huynh
Priscilla Christian Huynh
08/30/2025

Notes:

[1] https://preachingfromthebible.net/the-day-of-the-lords-death-and-the-day-of-the-lords-resurrection/

About Using “*God”, “the God” and “holy spirit”

Wherever the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts of the Bible use a definite article with a noun to denote GOD, we translate it into English as *God or “the God” to refer to God the Father. We understand that “God,” without a definite article, was used as a collective noun for all and any of the three Persons of the Godhead. And “God,” with a definite article, was used to refer to God the Father.

In the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, the term “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) without the definite article “the” (το) is used to denote the power of God, which is given by God the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit” (το πνευματι το αγιω) is God, and “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) is the power that comes from God.