Let’s begin with a time warp short story looking back at the year 70 AD from today’s perspective:
The CBS Evening News opened with a shot of Katie Couric sitting at a desk, checking a laptop computer. As the camera zoomed in for a close-up, Couric turned and looked into the camera. Her face lacked its usual toothy smile, noticeable creases appeared under her blue eyes. She was not her usual bouncy self.
“Hi everyone, I’m Katie Couric,” she said. “Well, it’s over. The siege of Jerusalem has finally ended. For more on this tragic story, we go to our CBS Middle East correspondent, Lara Logan. ” Couric pivots to look at a TV monitor, sitting next to the laptop.
A beautiful blond woman, dressed in combat fatigues, appeared on the TV screen. She stood near a demolished wall, holding a microphone. “This is Lara Logan. I’m standing not far from what was the Jewish Temple, the center of Judaism. Earlier today, Roman soldiers under the command of General Titus, stormed the Temple and burned it to the ground.”
She paused as pictures were shown of grisly scenes. Fires burning out of control. Bodies stacked in heaps. Roman soldiers looting and plundering. Other soldiers toppling walls so that not one stone remained atop another.
“Josephus, the Jewish historian, stated that peaceful, unarmed Jewish citizens raised their arms in surrender to the onrushing Roman soldiers, but were butchered anyway. Pregnant woman had stomachs slashed open and their babies ripped out, and then the babies were smashed against walls. Men, women and children of all ages were slaughtered,” said Logan. “All in all, Josephus estimates that the destruction of Jerusalem resulted in 1.1 million people, mainly Jews, being killed or starved to death during the five-month long siege. Another 95,000 Jews were taken captive, to be used as slaves.”
The CBS Evening News switched back to Couric, sitting at her desk. “International leaders today have voiced their disapproval to the barbarity of this slaughter by the Roman soldiers. And at this moment, the U.N. Security Council is voting on a joint resolution, condemning Rome,” she said, looking down at her notes for a moment.
“But one Evangelical leader, Pat Robertson, is taking heat for his remarks about this tragedy,” she said as her eyes narrowed.
Then, a video appeared on the TV screen showing Pat Robertson talking to a young woman on the 700 Club program. “And you know, Christie,” said Robertson, “something happened a long time ago in Israel and the people may not want to talk about it. They were under the heels of the Romans and made a tough decision. And ever since, they have been cursed by one thing or another. They need to have a great turning to God. And out of this tragedy, I’m optimistic that something good may come. Right now, we are helping the suffering people and the suffering is unimaginable.”
Once again, the camera switched back to Couric. “How insensitive and sad for a so-called religious leader to paint Jerusalem and a whole nation as godless and deserving of destruction in one off-the-cuff statement,” she said, shaking her head. Then she added, “But you know, Robertson has a history of controversial statements like this.”
She collected her notes and looked at the camera. “Thanks for joining us and that’s the news for August 1o, 70 AD. Good night.”
So, in this time warp short story, was Pat Robertson insensitive and over the top with his remarks?
(Continued in Part 2)
Larry Who 
Hi Larry. I read this one out of curiosity. Yes, his remarks were insensitive and untimely. But its not my job to pass judgment on Him. The bible says we will give an account of every idle word that proceeds from our lips and that includes Pat, you and me.
Gladwell
gladwellmusau,
Thanks for your input.
I look forward to your future thoughts. I believe Robertson’s remarks afford us a teaching moment on the prophetic voice.
Why all the paranoia in Christians about judging?
I hear again and again the people saying that we shouldn’t judge and usually half quoting Matt7 in apparent support of it. Yet a full reading gives a different perspective.
Matt 7v 1″Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3″Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
The key verse is the end of v5 “and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
From this, I personally would deduce that just maybe we are expected by God to remove specks from the eye of another, but that we are in danger if we fail to deal with the same problem in our own eye FIRST!
Frank,
Great comment.
Sadly, we American Christians are so numbed by the world system that we no longer depend on spiritual discernment, but rather, we look to the media for our spiritual bearings.
Larry…
Haiti is not comparable to the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome…. the key term being “by Rome”.
Haiti’s destruction was a natural disaster not caused by man or God. God Promised he would not flood the earth again, and perhaps it’s presumptuous of me to broaden that to all natural phenomena. God keeps His promises. period.
If what we’re pointing out is sin here, perhaps it should be ours, as Haiti was so impoverished with substandard infrastructure and we sit in our homes blogging and drinking coffee?
Pat is well meaning, really, but that wasn’t a prophetic voice. I dare you to change my opinion on that!!!
Frank…
That is such a great point. Finding balance of when we need to speak truth, or know when the truth won’t be received through us. I suppose we could speak it all the time, and risk being turned off all together… or we can let it shine when it will be effective and otherwise let God choose His timing.
peace to you all…
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Cindy,
Thanks, I appreciate your comments.
“…God Promised he would not flood the earth again…”
Actually, you are not quite correct in your assessment of the Noahic Covenant. God said in Genesis 9:11 that He would not again destroy all flesh on the earth and the earth by flood again.
Because if your assessment were correct than God would not have destroyed the Egyptian army by flooding them when the waters washed over them in Exodus. As you stated, God keeps His promises. Period.
As for the rest of your assertions, I will slowly give my points of view on Pat Robertson as it evolves through the series. And as with all prophetic insights, mine or any others, they will be open to disagreements which I will probably not be able to defend.
Thus, I am laying a foundation to prepare for my eventual stoning.
Ha! so I like to paraphrase! 🙂 My assumptions extend the true verse of that covenant anyway!
I don’t want to stone you. I want you to convince me… how many days is this going to take anyway???
Cindy,
How long will it continue? Just a little longer or so.
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