The temple here is the one built by Nehimiah and gretly enlarged by Herod just a few years earlier. Why, exactly, they were showing Jesus the buildings, I don’t know. He would have been just as familiar with them as they were.
2 And Jesus said unto them, “See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, there shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down.”
In the year AD 70, general Titus of the Roman army brought his soldiers to seige Jerusalem. When the seige finaly ended, the soldiers were so mad that, though Titus tried to stop them, they tore the temple down to the foundation and took all the gold between the stones. Turnus Rufus ploughed up the ground on which it had stood just as Micah 3:12 prophesied; “Zion shall, for your sake, be ploughed as a field.” Later, Julian the Apostate removed all remaining stones to clear the way to rebuild the temple. This was in opposition to the Christian faith. However, there was an eruption of fire out of the ground which destroyed the foundation they had just laid and scared everyone away. There is still no building on this spot. There is no scriptual suport for there to ever be on again.
3 And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying; “Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”
The disciples ask three separate questions, though they may not have thought they were separate. To them, the destruction of the temple would have been the end of the world and it certainly was the end of their world. They were still expecting Christ to set up a natural kingdom at this point, so “the sign of thy coming,” would have referred to the natural kingdom they were expecting. Surely, if He set up a kingdom that lasted forever, as scripture predicted, the temple could not be destroyed. In short, they were confused.
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, “Take heed that no man deceive you.
5 “For many shall come in my name, saying, ‘I am Christ;’ and shall deceive many.
6 “And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
The Jews fought each other and their neighbors everywhere during the AD 60’s. This is why Rome sent Vespasian, and later Titus, to calm things down. the fighting caused famines which caused disease to spread (pestilence). We also know Vesuvius blew in AD 79, proceded by a great many earthquakes, as volcanic explosians always are.
8 “All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9 “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
10 “And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
There were many during this time who pretended Divine inspiration and fooled a great many people. They would even lead multitudes of them into the wilderness to show their followers signs of liberty from God. They upset the city as much as the rampant murderers did.
12 “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13 “But he that shall endure unto the end, (of life) the same shall be saved.
14 “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
15 “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
abomination
1. Extreme hatred; detestation.
2. The object of detestation, a common signification in scripture.
The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord. Prov.15.
desolation
1. The act of desolating destruction or expulsion of inhabitants; destruction; ruin; waste.
The abomination of desolation was the hated destruction and empting of Jerusalem. The disciples had grown up on stories of the Macabees and the Abomination of Desolation set up by Antiochus IV, mentioned in Daniel 11:31. What Jesus is refering to is a different, though similar, event mentioned in Daniel 9:27.
The Jews everywhere in the late 60’s revolted against the Romans. The Romans slaughtered the Jews in towns from Egypt to Syria, making them desolate.
16 “Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains:
17 “Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18 “Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
19 “And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
20 “But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day:
This was “the abomination of desolation” spoken of by Christ. In other words, “When you see the gentile army coming throught he land destroying cities, GET OUT.”
This began a time of terror foretold by Jesus and Daniel in 12:1.
21 “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
At this point the Jews began to prepare to defend Jerusalem against Rome in the enevitable war. This is when Josephus, the famous historisan, was appointed general of the armies in Galilee. He was evedently a very good soldier even though the romans did defeat him.
Vespasian was givent the task by Nero to subdue the Jews. Vespasian, an experienced general, assigned his son Titus to help him. They marched through Judea killing as they went --18,000 at Askelon alone. Galilee was filled with fire and blood. Josephus opposed the Roman invasion the best he could, but he was overwhelmed and overmatched. The Romans killed everyone, not even sparing the nursing mom and her baby. Many Jews killed themselves to avoid the Roman’s wrath. When Josephus was taken as a captive to Veapasian, he prophesied that both Vespasian and Titus would become Caesars. He was not killed, miraculously, but kept a prisoner of war, though he was with Titus during the seige of Jerusalem.
The Romans continued their campaign of killing throughout Palestien. They also took more than 30,000 people to sell into slavery.
It took the Romans more than a year to destroy Gallilee and Judea before they got to Jerusalem. Christ’s first warnings to flee were to those in Judea. We know that the “Abomination of Desolation” (the signal to flee) was the Roman (heathen) army because Judea was destroyed long before the army got to the temple of Jerusalem. If the “Abomination of Desolation” had been the sacraficing of an unclean animal on the alter, it would have been much too late to escape.
By the time Vespasian got to Jerusalem, the city was already in chaos. The inhabitants suffered more from each other than the Romans!
Josephus tells us that the lowest of men had been appointed to the office of high priest and the sanctuary was violated by them.
The Zealots (the most violent faction) hired Idumeans to kill everyone who wanted peace with Rome. They killed so many- at least 8,500- that blood was flowing out of the temple like a river. Humans would be unclean sacrafices.
“Now after these were slain the Zealots and the Idumeans fell upon the people as upon a flock of profane animals, and cut their throats."
More than 12,000 nobles who refused to join the Zealots were tortured and killed and no one dared to bury them.
Quote from Josephus- “Along all the roads also vast numbers of dead bodies lay in heaps; and many who at first were zealous to desert the city chose rather to perish there; for the hopes of burial made death in their own city appear less terrible to them. But those Zealots came at last to that degree of barbarity as not to bestow a burial either on those slain in the city or on those that lay along the roads; as if * * * at the same time that they defiled men with their wicked actions they would pollute the Deity itself also, they left the dead bodies to putrefy under the sun. (IV. 6. 3).
“About this time above 15,000 fugitive Jews were killed by the Romans, and the number of those that were forced to leap into the Jordan was prodigious. * * * The whole country through which they fled was filled with slaughter, and Jordan could not be passed over, by reason of the dead bodies that were in it (IV. 8. 5, 6).”
At this point Nero died and Vespasian was called to Rome. This left the conquering of the Jews to Titus. Vespasian was made emperor.
In adition to the gangs roamng and killng in the city, the granaries and storehouses of food were destroyed. This caused famine. The different factions couldn’t agree on anything but to kill all the peaceable inhabitants.
Josephus: “They, moreover, were still inventing pernicious things against each other; and when they had resolved upon anything, they executed it without mercy, and omitted no method of torment or of barbarity" (V. 2. 5). "Here we see the true occasion of those vast numbers of Jews that were in Jerusalem during this siege by Titus and who perished therein. For the siege began at the feast of Passover, when such prodigious multitudes of the Jews and proselytes were come from all parts of Judea, and from other countries.” Josephus, eyewitness to the seige, assures us there were 1,100,000 killed,besides 97,000 captives.
“For I venture to say that the sedition destroyed the city, and the Romans destroyed the sedition. This was a much harder thing to do than to destroy the walls. So that we may justly ascribe our misfortunes to our own people (V. 6. 2).”
We know of no other seiged city that was more destroyed from their own inhabitants than from the enemy in all of history!
Titus sent Josephus to try to make a treaty. Josephus tried very hard to convince the Jews that they needed to Yeild to Rome because God had obviouly left them. No deal. The famine and fighting got worse. Things got so bad that mothers even ate the last of the food that would have kept their children alive.
The famine got so bad, some began to sneak out of the city at night to try and find food. The Romans found and crucified them in view of the city. There were so many, they had to nail more than one person to each cross.
"Then,” says Josephus, “did the famine widen its progress and devour the people by whole houses and families. The upper rooms were full of women and children dying by famine; and the lanes of the city were full of the dead bodies of the aged. The children also and the young men wandered about the marketplaces like shadows, all swelled with the famine, and fell down dead, wheresoever their misery seized them (V. 12. 3).”
Josephus tells us of one woman of a noble family who killed her own son, roasted him and ate half of him. When the rebels smelt the food, they demanded she tell them where she got it. “She replied that she had saved for them a choice part, and withal uncovered what was left of the little body, saying, Come, eat of this food; for I have eaten of it myself. Do not you pretend to be more tender than a woman, or more compassionate than a mother.” (Matthew Henry) Even those wicked men were horrified and left trembling. We have to remember that all this trouble would have ended immediately, everyone kept alive, and the temple saved if they had just surrendered to Rome. But God had determined to destroy Israel completely. The temple was burned down (as scripture fortold), though Titus tried to save it.
Josephus: “But as for that house, God had for certain long ago doomed it to the fire; and now that fatal day was come, according to the revolution of ages. It was the tenth day of the month Ab, the day upon which it was formerly burnt by the king of Babylon (VI. 4.)”
Hosea had prophesied (8:13, 9:3) that Israel would be resold into slavery in Egypt. The Romans sold more than 1,000,000 to Egypt to work their mines.
This ended the Jewish nation, the greatest tribulation the world has every seen, and the Old Covenant. God’s vengence on Israel for their rebellion, idoletry, and crucification of Christ was complete.
Jesus had said, “then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” If the most common teaching that this “Great Tribulation” is to come at the very end of time is true, why would Jesus have said, “…Nor ever shall be.” His wording emplies there will be time after this “Great Tribulation.” In fact, we can rest asured that the worst has already happened. AD 70 so exactly fits both the prophecies in Daniel and of Jesus, that we can be certain that there will never come another tribulatian as bad as that one.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
25 Behold, I have told you before.
26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
We have many records of false christs in the time just before and just after AD 70. they did, in fact, deceive many.
27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
28 “For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven (Not the Son of Man; His sign): and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
God gave proof of Himself to those who refused to acknowledge Him in the person of Jesus. His proof was the vengeance and judgment so visible, that every people everywhere would be forced to acknowledge Him the avenger.
31 “And He shall send His angels (servants) with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32 “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
33 “So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
34 “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
35 “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
“Everything I say will happen. My words are the only permanent thing in the universe.”
36 “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
37 “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 “For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,
39 “And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 “Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41 “Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42 “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43 “But know this, that if the Goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 “Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 “Verily I say unto you, that he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48 “But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49 “And shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50 “The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 “And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you so much for commenting! I love to talk to my readers.
I do ask that there be no anonymous commenters, though. If I am brave enough to put my name on this blog, you should be too:-)
Please keep it civil. Remember we are all human and make mistakes, and that since we can't see each other's faces or hear each other's tone of voice, it is very hard to get the emotion in what we are saying each other. Use lots of emoticons! :-) And show grace and love to each other.