<p>5:2 <i>Now there is in Jerusalem</i>- It's worth noting the evidence that the entire New Testament was written before AD70:<br />- If any of the Gospels were written after AD70, their total silence as to that cataclysmic event is strange. The synoptics all record a prophecy of the events of AD70, and yet there is no reference by any of them to its fulfilment; whereas the Gospel writers aren't slow to comment on the way the Lord's words came true. Mt. 24:20 speaks of those events as being in the future- &quot;Pray that it may not be winter when you have to make your escape&quot;. Surely there'd have been some reference to the fulfilment of the Olivet prophecy, if the records were written after AD70? Jn. 5:2 speaks as if Jerusalem and the temple area were still standing when John was written: &quot;Now there <i>is</i> at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool&quot;. The record of the Jews' proud comment in Jn. 2:20 that Herod's temple had taken 46 years to build includes no hint nor even presentiment that it had now been destroyed.<br />- Paul on any chronology died before AD70, so his letters were all before that. We need to marvel at the evident growth in spirituality and understanding which is reflected within Paul's letters, and realize that he grew <i>very</i> quickly. <br />- Hebrews speaks of the temple and sacrifice system in the present tense, as if it were still operating (note Heb. 10:2,11,18). The 40 years of Israel's disobedience in the wilderness are held up as a warning to an Israel approaching 40 years of disobedience after the death of Jesus (Heb. 3:7- 4:11). &quot;You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood&quot; (Heb. 12:4) sounds like Nero's persecution hadn't started. <br />- The letters of Peter warn that a huge calamity is to come upon the Jewish churches, couched in terms of the Olivet prophecy. Thus they were written before AD70. 2 Peter also speaks as if Paul is still alive at the time. <br />- Acts stops at the point where Paul is living in his own house in Rome quite comfortably, and spreading the Gospel (Acts 28:30). And yet we know from 2 Tim. 4 that ultimately he died in Rome, presumably after being released and doing more work for the Lord. The obvious conclusion is that Acts was written before Paul died. Acts also implies that Jews were living at peace with Rome (Acts 24:2; 25:1-5; 15:13- 26:32)- a situation which didn't apply after AD70.</p><p><i>By the sheep gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porches</i>- The five porches could refer to the five books of Moses, the Torah, which failed to provide healing. &quot;Bethesda&quot; is obviously significant in meaning, because attention is called to the Hebrew name. The Hebrew is literally <i>beth</i> house <i>chesed</i>, the Hebrew word usually translated &quot;mercy&quot; and about the nearest the Old Testament comes to speaking of &quot;grace&quot;. But beneath the five porches of the Mosaic law, the Torah, there was no grace or mercy being found by those who sat beneath them. They hoped for it, but Israel did not find that which he looked for. &quot;Bethesda&quot; may well have been a kind of institution providing very basic care for the incurables and handicapped whose families would not care for them. Hence <i>beth</i>, &quot;house&quot;, can mean both a house as well as a family. It really was a picture of stricken humanity, whom legalism couldn't help. Yet before them was the pool or &quot;bath&quot;, as Adam Clarke suggests the Greek should be rendered. Immediately we make the association with baptism. There are Old Testament prophecies of how in the Messianic Kingdom, healing water would come forth from Jerusalem (Joel 3:18 etc.). The Lord was going to demonstrate that in His gift of the water of life, the essence of the future Kingdom was to be experienced right now. The sheep gate was on the east of the temple (Neh. 3:1,32; 12:39), from where Messiah was to enter in the day of His Kingdom (Zech. 14:4).</p>