Bible Prophecy Part 5: Olivet discourse Part 1: Matthew 24

[Starkherz199]

This is an exegesis of the Olivet discourse found in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21.
This is a very, very, very long post that will have to be broken up into smaller parts. Also I numbered the paragraphs for easier reference...I'm not infallible. If I get something historically wrong, let me know and I'll fix it. In this post, I add my opinions. Previous posts where meant to be neutral to all viewpoints. Feel free to disagree.

Here are the other Prophecy Studies
Part 1

Bible Prophecy Part 1: introduction

Soon I'll begin posting threads about End times Bible prophecy. This post lists the loose order and subjects covered. I'm going to slowly roll this out. Hopefully this will reach the right readers, and some will benefit. My purpose? 1… to inform. I will first be posting a survey of the schools...

carolinafirearmsforum.com

Part 2

Bible Prophecy Part 2: schools of Eschatology

This is a small study on the different schools of Eschatology...or end times teaching. The Schools of Eschatology primarily deal with interpretation of the Revelation of Jesus by John. In this post, I'm trying to be as objective as possible and simply add information that helps illuminate...

carolinafirearmsforum.com

Part 3

Bible Prophecy Part 3: Eschatology in history

This is a series of lectures from a former lawyer/school professor on the changes of Eschatology in history. I'll post the whole series, and come back later to add more comments. This fella is a Presbyterian [ I am not ], but his biases are muted. He does an excellent job. T he 1st video...

carolinafirearmsforum.com

Part 4

Bible Prophecy Part 4: The Millennium

The Millennium -This thread deals with the different views of the Millennium. Discussions of the Millennium come from Revelation chapter 20. Many will list 3 views, but here in this study I list 4, as I break Traditional Premillennialism and Dispensational Premillennialism into different...

carolinafirearmsforum.com

Part 6

Bible Prophecy part 6: Daniel's 70 weeks

Bible Prophecy part 6: Daniel's 70 weeks This is a Bible Study on Daniel’s 70 weeks. This is part 6 The other Bible Prophecy studies are at these links. Prophecy CFF links Part 1 https://carolinafirearmsforum.com/index.php?threads/bible-prophecy-part-1-introduction.131283/ Part 2...

carolinafirearmsforum.com

This narrative is an exegesis of Matthew 24, and some parts of Mark 13, and Luke 21. Specifically it deals with the first 35 verses of Matthew 24, and includes historical accounts of events, many of which were seen firsthand. Detailed in this exegesis, is the historical fulfillment of Matthew 24/Mark 13/Luke 21, as written about by Josephus, Tacitus, Suetonius, and Eusebius; historians that document this proven miraculous event. Other sources included are: Phillip Schaff, in his book on The History of the Christian Church, George Peter Holford's book on The Destruction of Jerusalem, The Story of the Last Days of Jerusalem, from Josephus by Alfred J. Church, and more that will be listed at the end.

An incredible addition to this narrative is this video on the Destruction of Jerusalem:



For the vast majority of Church history [1900 years,] all denominations of the Church, including Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant, taught that this prophecy was fulfilled from the 40 years between Christ’s crucifixion, to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. The following is a list of quotations from Christians through the life of the Church concerning Matthew 24’s fulfillment in 70 AD:
“All this occurred in this manner in the second year of the reign of Vespasian [A.D. 70], according to the predictions of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. “—Eusebius

“Thousands and thousands of men of every age who together with women and children perished by the sword, by starvation, and by countless other forms of death…all this anyone who wishes can gather in precise detail from the pages of Josephus’s history. I must draw particular attention to his statement that the people who flocked together from all Judaea at the time of the Passover Feast and—to use his own words—were shut up in Jerusalem as if in a prison, totaled nearly three million.” —Eusebius

“This was most punctually fulfilled: for after the temple was burned, Titus the Roman general ordered the very foundations of it to be dug up; after which the ground on which it stood was ploughed by Turnus Rufus…this generation of men living shall not pass till all these things be done—The expression implies that a great part of that generation would be passed away, but not the whole. Just so it was; for the city and temple were destroyed thirty–nine or forty years after.” —John Wesley

“ You will preach everywhere…. Then he added, “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations; and the end will come.” The sign of this final end time will be the downfall of Jerusalem.” —John Chrysostom

“There was a sufficient interval for the full proclamation of the gospel by the apostles and evangelists of the early Christian Church, and for the gathering of those who recognized the crucified Christ as the true Messiah. Then came the awful end which the Saviour foresaw and foretold, and the prospect of which wrung from His lips and heart the sorrowful lament that followed his prophecy of the doom awaiting his guilty capital. The destruction of Jerusalem was more terrible than anything that the world has ever witnessed, either before or since. Even Titus seemed to see in his cruel work the hand of an avenging God. Truly, the blood of the martyrs slain in Jerusalem was amply avenged when the whole city became a veritable Aceldama, or field of blood.” —Charles Spurgeon

“Hence it appears plain enough that the foregoing verses [Matt. 24:1–34] are not to be understood of the last judgment, but, as we said, of the destruction of Jerusalem. There were some among the disciples (particularly John), who lived to see these things come to pass.” —John Lightfoot

“And Verily I say unto you; and urge you to observe it, as absolutely necessary in order to understand what I have been saying, That this generation of men now living shall not pass away until all these things be fulfilled, for what I have foretold concerning the destruction of the Jewish state is so near at hand, that some of you shall live to see it accomplished with a dreadful exactness.” —Phillip Doddridge’

“ It is to me a wonder how any man can refer part of the foregoing discourse [Matt. 24] to the destruction of Jerusalem, and part to the end of the world, or any other distant event, when it is said so positively here in the conclusion, All these things shall be fulfilled in this generation”. —Thomas Newton

“This chapter contains a prediction of the utter destruction of the city and temple of Jerusalem, and the subversion of the whole political constitution of the Jews; and is one of the most valuable portions of the new covenant Scriptures, with respect to the evidence which it furnishes of the truth of Christianity. Every thing which our Lord foretold should come on the temple, city, and people of the Jews, has been fulfilled in the most correct and astonishing manner….” —Adam Clarke

“ Christ informs them, that before a single generation shall have been completed, they will learn by experience the truth of what he has said. For within fifty years the city was destroyed and the temple was razed, the whole country was reduced to a hideous desert.”—John Calvin

“ If Jesus and the early church used the relevant language in the same way as their contemporaries, it is highly unlikely that they would have been referring to the actual end of the world, and highly likely that they would have been referring to events within space–time history which they interpreted as the coming of the kingdom.” —N.T. Wright

“In this discourse [Matthew 24] Jesus predicts the destruction of the temple, the destruction of Jerusalem, and the dispersion of the Jews, all of which took place in A.D. 70. The uncanny accuracy of these predictions is embarrassing to higher critics…. “—R.C. Sproul


****
Theologians identify 4 schools of Biblical Eschatology (end times teaching): Futurism, Historicism, Idealism, and Preterism. These schools are primarily, but not entirely, bound to end times teaching with regard to the Revelation of Jesus Christ by the Apostle John. Related to this, and intertwined are the 4 views of the Millenium (Revelation chapter 20): Millenium: Amillennialism, Premillennialism, Postmillennialism, and Full-Preterism. The 4 schools of eschatology and the 4 views of the Millennium do not line up neatly with each other; as a result there are many subgroups inside the schools that have distinctive Millennial allegiance.
Starting in the 19th century, a new school of eschatological interpretation was developed. This view, known as Dispensationalism, is a subgroup of Futurist Premillennialism.
Starting with John Nelson Darby, Cyrus Schofield, Clarence Larkin, and a few key others who interpret Revelation as a totally future fulfillment, this passage in Matthew, Mark, and Luke began being interpreted as being yet unfulfilled by Dispensational teachers, being tied to futurist teachings with the book of Revelation. In this regard, they were in error. Regardless of their views of Revelation, this prophecy in Matthew 24 must be examined according to traditional church teaching. This narrative is an attempt to separate this passage from modern teaching, and let it stand alone apart from the book of Revelation.
Here is a great video teaching the 4 different schools of interpretation of Revelation. It is great information to examine with regard to the different views of end times teaching.



To be clear, this exegesis of Matthew 24 can go along with the 4 different schools of eschatology: Futurism, Historicism, Idealism, and Preterism. It can also go along with the 4 different views of the Millenium: Amillennialism, Premillennialism, Postmillennialism, and Preterism. What it will contradict is the subgroup of Dispensationalism which is Premillennial futurism. This exegesis is not promoting any view of Revelation. It is meant to understand Matthew 24 and separate it from the book of Revelation entirely.


Part 1
Introduction

1 The Bible is the historical account of how God brought sinful humanity back to himself. God used a system of covenants and promises throughout the Bible to achieve this. The chief covenant of the Old Testament is the Mosaic covenant. It is a covenant of works; meaning if Israel obeys God's system of ceremonial, moral, civil, and Levitical laws, He will bless them as a nation, and if they disobey, He will curse them. That is the Old Covenant. That means, if Israel obeys, God must bless them, and if Israel disobeys, God must curse them to fulfill his end of the covenant.

2 The New Testament concerns the New Covenant, first prophesied in Jeremiah 31:31, and is a covenant of Grace. This covenant is given to us by grace, and all we need to accept its blessings is faith in Jesus as our Saviour. In Short, Old Covenant = Old Testament, and New Covenant = New Testament. When you think of Israel and Judaism, you're thinking of the Old Covenant, and when you are thinking of the Church, you are thinking about the new covenant. Jesus fulfilled the Old Covenant, and by doing so created the New Covenant. You cannot understand the Bible unless you understand it through the lens of the Old and New Covenants. You are unable to understand the ramifications of this Matthew 24 prophecy, unless you see it through its covenantal framework.

3 The New Covenant is where we get the Church. The word “church” [ ἐκκλησία] [ekklēsia], simply means an assembly of believers. That assembly is both Jewish and Gentiles. The New Covenant erased the racial and geographical boundaries that separated people in the Old Testament (Ephesians 2:14). So, the New Testament, or New Covenant, is the historical account of God using his son, through a New Covenant, to make the way back to the father through the church, for sinful humanity, both Jew and Gentile (Gal 3:29)

4 Matthew 24 is the prophetic announcement that Jesus made, signaling the destruction of Jerusalem, and the end of the Old Covenant forever. It is a prophecy foretelling future events, of the people that lived in 30 AD, and was fulfilled in 70 AD. It is a prophecy that was fulfilled in our past.

5 No new teaching will be introduced in this piece, only the understanding of the traditional interpretations of the Church will be found. Unfortunately, when some modern-day Bible prophecy teachers encounter prophecy, there is an inclination to put these passages into the future fulfillment of prophetic events of the End times. Matthew 24, the portion relating to Jerusalem…the first 35 verses belongs to the past, not the future. It was divinely fulfilled. That fulfillment will be demonstrated in this narrative.

 

[Starkherz199]

Part 2

Background

6 The Bible tells us of Noah, and Abraham, and Moses, and the Kings of Israel; how Israel disobeyed God, and because of the covenant curses laid out by the 2 witness against Israel [The Law (Leviticus 26,), and the prophets (Deuteronomy 28)], God punished Judah with destruction and exile. Before Jerusalem's downfall, the prophet Jeremiah prophesied both the destruction of the Solomon's Temple, the desolation of Jerusalem, the 70 years exile, and the coming of the new Covenant. And then while in Babylon, the prophet Daniel cries out to God concerning that 70 year exile, wanting an answer when it would be over. As recorded in Daniel chapter 9, the angel Gabriel comes to give Daniel the answer that he asked for, with regards to the return to Jerusalem, and the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem and the Temple.

7 He gives Daniel a 490 year prophetic timeline in which the Temple would be rebuilt, and Jerusalem restored. Gabriel interweaves this prophecy with details of the coming Messiah; included is the fact that The new Temple and Jerusalem would be destroyed again. As the prophecy finds Jerusalem a scene of ruins, so it leaves it in ruins. Daniel is foretold that this timeline of “490 years are determined for your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy”. This prophecy gave a detailed timeline when the Messiah would come, that he would confirm the covenant for 7 years, but in the middle of that 7 years, he would be killed. Also the Messiah would cause the temple sacrifices and oblations to cease. Consequently, a Prince of a foreign people would come, his people would utterly destroy Jerusalem and the Temple, and leave it desolate. The Word “desolate” is the keyword in understanding the future of Jerusalem. This prophecy foretells the end of the Jewish dispensation.

8 The rest of the history in the Old Testament tells us that 42,000 Jews returned from Babylon to Jerusalem. Through tribulation, under Zerubbabel the Temple is rebuilt; It takes them 2 years to rebuild the foundation. In time, Nehemiah arrives to rebuild the walls, while the priest Ezra arrives to rebuild the Jewish identity and soul. The Old testament ends with the prophetic book of Malachi, written in 430 BC.

 

[Starkherz199]

Part 3
Between the Testaments

9 The 400+ year period between the Old and New Testament, sees a period where Amos' prophecy, from 750 BC, was fulfilled concerning a famine of the Word of the Lord. God was silent, and did not speak to his people again until the time of Jesus. During this interval The Jews were governed by the Persians, the Greeks [under Alexander the Great], the Egyptians [under Ptolemy], The Syrians [Greek rule], fought a war for independence and gained it for about 70 years, and then came under Roman rule in 63 BC.

10 After defeating the Persians, Alexander the Great introduced Greek culture into the Middle East. Alexander’s desire was to found a worldwide empire united by language, custom, and civilization. Under his influence, the world began to speak and study the Greek language. This process, called Hellenization, included the adoption of Greek culture and religion in all parts of the world. The Jewish internal struggle with Hellenization set the stage for conflict felt for centuries in Jerusalem.

11 While Judea was under Syrian rule, Seleucid ruler Antiochus Epiphanes (Antiochus IV) attacked Jerusalem and captured it. Significant portions of Daniel's prophecy in Daniel 11 concern this evil wicked man that enacted unspeakable abominations in the Temple. He deposed the High Priest, and from that moment until the destruction of Jerusalem, no other high priest from the priestly line of Aaron served as high priest. He forced Hellenization in Judea. He captured the city, killed many, desecrated the Temple, and profaned the altar by sacrificing a pig on it in the name of Zeus. He forbade the practice of Judaism and the Temple sacrifices for 3 and ½ years, including banning the circumcision of baby boys. The Jewish outrage against this Seleucid ruler led to the Maccabean revolt, occurring in 167 BC. This is where the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah comes from. In this period of Jewish history we see the rise of the Jewish liberals who favored Greek culture (later known as the Sadducees), and the religious conservatives (The Pharisee's) who demanded that Israel remove Greek culture and restore Mosaic Law and practice. The revolt prevailed, and the Hasmonean dynasty began to rule Judea.

12 For about 70 years the Jews were independent under the Hasmoneans. But one of the Hasmonean rulers, who was not from the kingly line of David, violated the Davidic covenant when they tried to claim the title king along with the title High priest. God sent judgment, and this led to the eventual downfall of Israel to Rome. Years later because of a Civil war among the Hasmoneans, Roman general Pompey Magnus intervened, and took over Judea; breaking Israel up into smaller, more controllable provinces, to be ruled as Roman client states. Within 30 years, Judea came under the Idumean rule under Herod the Great. During Herod's reign, Rome installed the rule of Procurators alongside the Herodian rulers in Judea.

13 Herod the Great was a true friend to Rome, but the Jews hated him. He was a tyrant, but he was also a prolific builder, building many temples to pagan deities. To stymie Jewish opposition, he planned a major expansion of the Temple in Jerusalem. Herod hired 10,000 workers, and 1000 priests to work day and night on the task until complete, working around the original temple Zarubbebel made. While the building was going on, the daily sacrifices never stopped. This building had the same design as Solomon's temple, but was much bigger. The entire project took 90 years to complete, and was only finished 6 years before it was destroyed.

 

[Starkherz199]

Part 4
The City of Jerusalem

14 Jerusalem was a giant walled city built on 2 major, and 5 minor mountains. It is surrounded on 3 sides by steep ravines; the Gihon Valley to the west, the Kidron valley to the east, and the Hinnom valley to the south. 3 massive walls separated and surrounded it. 1 wall was on a hanging rock fortified with 60 towers. The Middle wall had 14 towers. The 3rd largest wall had 90 towers. The towers stood between 90-130 feet tall, and the face of the towers were made of white marble.

15 Inside the larger outer wall, the city was separated into 5 parts; the Temple Complex, the lower city, the upper city, the 2nd city, and the new city. The Temple mount Complex was an enormous raised area where the Temple and the court around the Temple were located. The oldest part of the city was the City of David. It was located geographically below and to the southwest of the Temple complex, and merged into the lower city, where the poorer people lived. This part of the city was surrounded by part of the outer first external wall.

16 To the north and northwest of the lower city was the upper city. This is where the aristocracy, and the affluent lived, and where the palace of Herod was. The palace itself was a small fortress, abutted to the last section of the 1st external wall. The upper city had gardens, fountains, aqueducts, groves, elegant shops and merchants, and was sectioned off from the lower city. Herod's palace had three giant towers overlooking the city.

17 To the east of the upper city, and north of the Temple Complex was the “2nd city”, which was contained inside the 2nd wall. To the east of the 2nd city, and wrapping around the eastern side of the Temple Complex was the "new city". The 2nd city, and the new city were the commercial center of Jerusalem. The New City contained the Fortress of Antonia on three sides, with the west side backed against the Temple complex. The Fortress of Antonia was a gigantic fort…that resembled a small city; it was a giant raised tower-like structure with four imposing towers on each corner of the Fortress. . The Fort of Antonia was 75 high, and massive beyond description. The Kidron valley lay between the Mount of Olives on one side, and the Temple complex, the Fort of Antonia, and a small section of the new city


The Temple Complex

18 The Temple Complex was built on Mount Moriah, the same mount that Abraham came to sacrifice Isaac. It was the highest point in Jerusalem, and from inside of the towers along the outerwall, one had a clear view of the Mediterranean sea to the west, Samaria to the north, the Dead Sea to the east, and Idumea and Arabia to the south. The complex was 450 acres, or about 25 football fields. The Temple was in the middle of this 450 acres, and an enormous wall surrounded the whole Complex. Surrounding the temple was another wall. The Temple itself was built like a fortress. The Sanctuary itself consisted of three courts, each higher than the former, and beyond them, the Temple with the Holy and Most Holy Places.

19 Construction began in 20 BCE and lasted for 46 years. The area of the Temple Mount was doubled and surrounded by a retaining wall with gates. The Temple was raised, enlarged, and faced with white stone. The new Temple square served as a gathering place, and its porticoes sheltered merchants and money changers. A stone fence and a rampart surrounded the consecrated area forbidden to Gentiles.

20 Entering the entrance to the Temple Plaza, you reached the great plaza. This was the court of the Gentiles. This great plaza was the big open space around the temple that operated like a marketplace for buying animals for sacrifice and exchanging currency. Inside this plaza complex was the raised rampart. No gentile could enter any further in. Signs written in many different languages clearly marked this as an area where only Jews could go. This is the “middle wall of partition” referenced in Ephesians 2:14. Any gentile that tried to enter past these walls would be killed on the spot. Inside was a raised area. The door here is where Jesus whipped the people and ran them out of the temple quoting Jeremiah 7:11.

21 After the door was the royal porch…where the porticos dwelt…a massive structure with 162 stone columns. This was an inner wall separating the outer plaza from the inner plaza. The columns were 27 feet high, made of marble, and took 3 men to reach around 1 column. On the corners of this inner porch were buildings for the Sanhedrin.

22 Next was the court of women, where any Jew, man women or child could enter. Women could go no further inside the Temple complex. You had to go through the court of women to get to the inner wall of the Temple complex. Inside the Court of Women raised up by 15 steps was the Nicanor Gate…made of brass.

23 Past the gate of Nicanor was the heart of the Temple, the court of Israel. No one could pass here unless they were a priest. This is where Jewish priests waited to slaughter their Passover lambs. Raised up from the court of Israel was the court of the priests. This is where the priests would ritually wash themselves. Here also raised up a ramp was the great altar where animals were sacrificed. Past the court of the Priests was the main temple building…also raised up. Every time you went into another area of the temple it would raise you up, symbolizing raising up one in holiness.

24 The last raised up Temple area was the nouse, the main Temple building that contained the Holy of Holies. . The nouse was long and 17 stories tall. The stones were white marble…so white that no one could look directly at the building in the direct sunlight. Gold plates adorned the face of the nouse. Above the door to the nouse was a giant carved grape vines made of Gold. Below one of the giant grape vines made of gold, at the entrance to the holy of holies was a giant Babylonian tapestry made of scarlet, and purple, and blue.

The Temple Foundation was 450 feet deep. The foundation stones were 60 feet long apiece, and 7 feet high. They were faced with white marble.. The temple was ½ mile around, and 150 feet high. It had 160 pillars around it that were 27 feet high. It had cedar wainscoted panels on the inside, and white marble stones on the outside.

25 Josephus describes it as the most beautiful building in the world. The front of the building was wider than the back. It had 4 inch solid gold plates around the top with spikes to keep birds from landing on it. From miles away, it looked like a mountain of snow at a distance. It had superior craftsmanship; Herod hired designers from all over the Roman empire. The Eastern gate of the temple was a giant gate made of pure Corinthian brass. The temple had golden doors, costly stones, spices, perfumes, and was one of the wonders of the ancient world. It was in all probability, in the opinion of some historians, the most beautiful building ever created.

26 The Temple was the undisputed center of Jewish life for 1000 years, so much so that it was customary to swear by the Temple. And, speaking against the temple was considered blasphemy. Part of the reason Stephen was stoned was because he spoke against the temple. It is impossible to impress upon the reader how important the Temple was to 1st century Jewish life. The entire 1st century Jewish economy centered around the Temple sacrificial system.

 

[Starkherz199]

Part 5
Leading up to Matthew 24

27 During the time leading up to Jesus' ministry, 3 opposing traditions converged on Jerusalem leading to the Jewish wars. All of these maintained an uneasy balance at the time of Jesus’s birth. But after Jesus’s crucifixion, all three began to unwind in chaos.

28 The 1st contingent, Rome, loosely governed Judea, and garrisoned troops at Jerusalem. The 2nd contingent, Herod, his royal family, and his supporters the Herodians (people who thought Herod was the Messiah), ruled as a client king under Rome. The aristocracy of Judea, the elite and wealthy, were supporters of Roman rule, and the Greek Hellenization that pervaded Judea and Jerusalem. The 3rd tradition contained the opposing factions of Jews; Sadducees (elites, aristocrats. High Priest, favored Rome), religious conservatives (Pharisee's, opposed Rome,), Zealots, and the Essenes. These 3 groups are represented in the Gospels, and the Acts, but the loose peace amongst them erodes during the 40 years from the crucifixion to the destruction of Jerusalem.

29 At the end of Jesus' ministry, he neared Jerusalem. Riding on a donkey he entered like a Roman triumph. He entered in victorious fashion as a King, although he had not yet fought his battle, had no captives, and came humbly. As he drew near the city Jesus wept for it.

Luke 19:41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, 42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. 43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, 44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.​

He then entered the Temple Complex, examined the temple and cleansed it, for the 2nd time in scripture, and ran the money changers out of the temple complex, in front of a multitude of people. The next day, Jesus renter's the Temple complex, teaches the multitude, and is challenged by the Sadducees and Pharisees. Despite their attempts to trap Jesus and humiliate him, he refutes them utterly in front of the crowd of people watching.

30 In Matthew chapter 23 Jesus launches into the most dreadful of all discourses; his seven fold "woe oracle", condemning as whitewashed tombs the scribes, Pharisee's, and the entire religious establishment that the Jews took so much pride in. He rebukes the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Scribes, and Lawyers in one chapter. Jesus justifies his judgment in chapter 23 before he predicts it in chapter 24.

31 Jesus informs them that the "cup of God's wrath" was filled to the brim, laid up in store for them. All the accumulated guilt of past generations, "all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel through Isaiah (who was sawed in half under King Manasseh), unto Jeremiah (who was stoned to death in Egypt by his own countrymen for delivering up Egyptians from plagues and snake), unto Ezekiel (who was killed in exile for reproving his fellow Jews that were worshiping idols), unto Michah (killed by Joram, the son of King Ahab for rebuking his father), unto Amos (tortured severely, and mortally wounded with a club by Amaziah...priest of Bethel), unto Habakkuk (who was stoned by Jews in Jerusalem), unto John the Baptist, unto, the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Jesus says in verse 36 “Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation."

***With astonishing finality, Jesus concluded in verse "37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate."

 

[Starkherz199]

Part 6
Matthew 24 Versus 1-3

Matthew 24:1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. 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. 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?​

32 Directly after condemning Jewish religious rulers, Jesus leaves the temple, and pronounces judgment upon it. In the mind of the 1st century Jewish mind, this temple will be the place that the Messiah will reign from, once he has overthrown the world. This must have baffled the disciples. So much so, that when they leave the temple complex, go outside the city walls, and stand on the Mount of Olives overlooking the city, where they have a clear view of the Temple, they ask Jesus about it. Jesus answers them, and explains how his prophecy is about divine judgment on Jerusalem and the temple.

33 There are two keys to understanding Matthew 24. The first key is the phrase “end of the world” in verse 3. The second key is found in verse 34 with: “Matthew 24:34 “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” The first key tells us what this passage is about, and the second key tells us when.

34 We must remember who the audience of this passage is for. It is for 1st century Jewish people, living in Judea, under the Old Covenant. It was basic 1st century Jewish thought, since the 70 weeks prophecy of Daniel, that the coming of the Messiah would herald the end of the age, and the beginning of the age of the Messiah. These people were waiting for their Superman Messiah to come along and break the Roman empire and set up a physical kingdom. But Jesus had other plans.

35 The phrase “end of the world” in verse 3 has thrown confusion into 19th, 20th, and 21st century interpretation. When the word “world” was translated into English from the Greek, first by William Tyndale, then by the Geneva Bible translators, and upheld by the King James Authorized Bible, it was understood what this meant. A better 21st century word today is the word “age”.

36 There are three Greek words in this chapter that can be translated as “world”. The word in verse 3 is αἰών [aiōn] meaning age. The second Greek word in this chapter for “world” is οἰκουμένη [oikoumenē], in verse 14, meaning known or inhabited world. And the 3rd and last Greek word for “world” is Gκόσμος [kosmos], found in verse 21, meaning the whole entire world. Misunderstandings from verse 3 in modern times come from a translation misunderstanding on our part.

37 Many assume from the English word “world” in some Bible translations that the disciples are asking about the end of the entire world, and that Jesus answers them on this question. In truth, the correct phrase is “end of the age”; meaning end of the Jewish age, Jewish dispensation, or Jewish world. The Olivet discourse from verse 3 throughout 35 has nothing to do with the End times of the whole world, but it has only to do with the End Times of the Jewish world. More recent Bible translations reflect this truth by using “age” instead of “world” in verse 3, recognizing the slight shifts of modern English hampers our understanding. The word “world” here is fine to use, as long as the reader mentally inserts the modifier “Jewish” before “world”.

38 The mistake in the question from verse 3 lies on the part of the Disciples' expectations of the Messiah. Jesus's discourse is meant to enlighten them. Because of this confusion, many modern Bible commentator's believe this passage speaks to “end of the world” events. If you peruse the writings from the early Ante-Nicene Church fathers, down through the middle ages, through the times of the Reformers, and until present times, you will notice confusion of this passage start to creep in during the 19th century commentaries, and is strongly exacerbated greatly during the latter part of the 20st century. The 21st century has been a glut of information both good and bad, and presents a sea of opinion that is difficult to wade through to reach clear understanding.

39 Let it be known from here forth, that this passage speaks to the end of the Jewish age, and the sign of Jesus' coming, IN JUDGMENT. Here another error presents itself. What exactly do they mean by “sign of thy coming”? Modern commentator's have a tendency to lump every passage that is not 100% clear in with future occurring events. We know that standard Christian doctrine sees the Church awaiting the 2nd advent of Jesus Christ; the bodily return of Jesus, as he left us in Acts chapter 1 so shall he come back, returning in the clouds of heaven, at which the dead in Christ shall rise first, then they that are alive and remain will join him in the sky, to receive our glorified sinless bodies. This is the gathering of the saints, commonly referred to as the rapture of the Church. This passage here is not referring to that, and the disciples are not asking Jesus about that.

40 This passage is speaking to the coming of the Lord in judgment. The judgment is upon Jerusalem, the temple, and the unbelieving Jews. The disciples' understanding of this is cloudy; we must remember that Jesus told them openly and at different times that he would be killed, and they still were caught off guard when it happened. The disciples who walked around with Jesus were very different from the disciples who received the Holy Ghost at Pentecost. Here, before the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, they were still in the dark about how all this would play out.

41 In the days leading up to this passage, Jesus comes into Jerusalem triumphantly, and cleanses the Temple of the money changers. While standing in the Temple he tells them in chapter 21:13: “My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” The next day, while standing in the temple, rebuking the Sadducees and the Pharisees, Jesus tells them in chapter 23:28: “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.” It was no longer Jesus's house; the glory of God had departed the Temple. This is proven days later when Jesus is upon the cross, and the veil separating the Holy of Holies is torn asunder. Again, Jesus condemns the unbelieving Jews, the Temple, and the city of Jerusalem in chapter 23, and prophesies their end in chapter 24. Because the center of Jewish life for 1000 years was the temple, the “end” Jesus is referring to, is effectively the end of the Temple itself. The “coming of the Lord'' in judgment will be dealt with specifically in verse 29-31.

42 Now refer to the parallel passage of this verse found in Mark 13 and Luke21. Mark 13:4 says: “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?” And Luke 21:7 says: “And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?” Notice these 2 passages leave out the “end of the age” component? Mark was written to a general audience, Luke was written to a Gentile audience, but Matthew was specifically written to a Jewish audience. The Jewish audience of the 1st century would understand what Matthew was speaking about, and the nuances found in the Olivet discourse with respect to Old Testament figurative language. When taken all three passages together, there is no way that this can refer to the end of the entire world.

43 The other key to the 1st 35 verses of the Olivet discourse is the timing aspect found in verse 34.: “This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled”. This scripture is an embarrassment to teachers who try to force this passage to speak to a future end times prophetic fulfillment. Many modern atheists such as Bertrand Russell have used this passage to say that Jesus was a liar and false prophet, because he did not come back to rapture his church like he said. But he, and many modern readers, both Christians and non-Christians, are mistaken that this passage speaks to the 2nd advent Christ; the bodily return at the rapture. When you remove the error of understanding on the reader's part, the prophecy opens up and becomes clear. This was a prophetic event for the original audience of this discourse, fulfilled in their near 70 AD future, but in our past.

44 Jesus uses the phrase “this generation” 5 times in Matthew's Gospel, and 15 times in all the Gospels combined. In every case, “this generation” was referring to the 1st century audience that Jesus was directly speaking to, that were currently living. There is not one single instance where Jesus says “this generation” that he is referring to a future generation, or race. The Greek vocabulary doesn't allow for it, and if you study the available dictionaries, you can only come away with the truth that Jesus means this to be the generation to whom he currently speaks to. Add to this fact, that “generation” speaks to a period of 40 years. It is roughly 30 AD when Jesus prophesies this judgment, and it is 70 AD when it finishes; exactly 40 years. This prophecy was fulfilled in its entirety in the late summer of 70 AD, as Daniel, many other prophets, and Jesus said it would.

 

[Starkherz199]

Part 7
Matthew 24 Versus 4-5

Matthew 24:4 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.​

45 Jesus first warns against deception. This was a particularly big problem during this time because the Jews were fervently waiting for their Superman Messiah to appear. Jews in the 1st century displayed a remarkable outburst of Messianic emotionalism. Church historian Phillip Schaff notes that “Israel of that era rose to the most insolent political and religious fanaticism, and was continually inflamed by false prophets and false Messiahs.” These people were devastatingly duped by false Christs.

46 George Peter Holford's narrative of Josephus's account concisely tells us that “Within one year after our Lord’s ascension, Dositheus the Samaritan arose, who had the boldness to assert that he was the Messiah of whom Moses prophesied, while his disciple Simon Magus, spoken of in Acts chapter 8, deluded multitudes into a belief that he, himself, was the “great power of God.”” He is one of the chief early heretics who perverted the Gospels into what would grow to be Gnosticism.

47 “About three years afterward, another Samaritan impostor appeared and declared that he would show the people the sacred utensils, said to have been deposited by Moses, in Mount Gerizim. Induced by an idea that the Messiah, their great deliverer, had now come, an armed multitude assembled under him, but Pilate speedily defeated them and slew their chief.”


48 “While Cuspius Fadus was procurator in Judea, another deceiver arose, whose name was Theudas. This man actually succeeded so far as to persuade a very great multitude to take their belongings and follow him to Jordan, assuring them that the river would divide at his command. Fadus, however, pursued them with a troop of horses and slayed many of them, including the impostor himself, whose head was cut off and carried to Jerusalem.”

49 Under the procurator Felix, deceivers rose up daily in Judea and persuaded the people to follow them into the wilderness, assuring them that they should there behold conspicuous signs and wonders performed by the Almighty. Of these, Felix, from time to time, apprehended many and put them to death. About this period (AD 55), the celebrated Egyptian impostor arose (also named Felix), who collected thirty thousand followers and persuaded them to accompany him to the Mount of Olives, telling them that from thence they should see the walls of Jerusalem fall down at his command—as a prelude to the capture of the Roman garrison and to their obtaining the sovereignty of the city. The Roman governor, however, apprehending this to be the beginning of revolt, immediately attacked them, slew four hundred of them, and dispersed the rest, but the Egyptian escaped.

50 In the time of procurator Porcius Festus (AD 60), another distinguished impostor seduced the people by promising them deliverance from the Roman yoke if they would follow him into the wilderness. But Festus sent out an armed force, which speedily destroyed both the deceiver and his followers. In short, impostors to a divine commission continually and fatally deceived the people, at once both justifying the caution and fulfilling the prediction of our Lord.

This prophecy was fulfilled.

 

[Starkherz199]

Part 8
Matthew 24: 6-8

Mattthew 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours 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. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Luke 21:11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.​

51 Jesus lived during what historians know as the Pax Romana (the peace of Rome). After the Civil Wars that resulted from the assassination of Julius Caesar, Augustus Caesar brought a long lasting age of peace that spanned 180 years, only being briefly interrupted with the death of Nero during the year of four emperors (directly related to this prophecy). Inside the boundaries of the Roman empire, long before the birth of Christ, and long after his crucifixion, peace was the norm. The idea of “wars and rumors of wars” as prophesied by Jesus here, would be very unusual in the 1st century Jewish mind. For nearly a hundred years, a loose and uneasy peace prevailed among the Roman governorship, the Herodians, and the Jewish factions (Sadducees, Pharisee's, Essenes, Zealots), with the occasional small skirmish erupting that was put down with speed. After the crucifixion of Jesus, and ramping up to the Jewish revolt, this uneasy peace began to unravel. A seeming demonically inspired madness permeated all factions in Judea.

52 Holford notes: “Wars and rumors of wars,” “These commotions, like distant thunder, that forebode the approaching storm, were so frequent from the death of our Lord until the destruction of Jerusalem that the whole interval might be appealed to in illustration of this prophecy. One hundred and fifty of the copious pages of Josephus, which contain the history of this period, are everywhere stained with blood. To particularize a few instances: About three years after the death of Christ, a war broke out between Herod and Aretas, king of Arabia Petraea, in which the army of the former was cut off.” This was “kingdom rising against kingdom.”

53 During his reign, Emperor Caligula installed Emperor worship throughout the empire, proclaiming himself to be the living God. He insisted that a statue of himself be placed inside the Jewish Temple, the Temple was to be converted over to an Imperial temple, and nearly sparked a full scale revolt. This rumor of a war so alarmed the Jews that they neglected to till their lands that year. Eventually, Herod Agrippa delayed Caligula, and after he was assassinated, the storm blew over.

54 In the same time period Josephus records a conflagration started in Selucia between the Greeks and the Jews, where Syrians arose and killed more than 50,000. Such a slaughter had not occurred before then, so says Josephus. Again, about five years after this dreadful massacre, there happened a severe contest between the Jews at Perea and the Philadelphians regarding the limits of a city called Mia, and many of the Jews were slain. This was “nation rising up against nation.”

55 Four years afterward, under Procurator Cumanus, a Roman soldier offered an indignity to the Jews within the precincts of the Temple. This they violently resented, but upon the approach of the Romans in great force, their terror was so excessive and their flight so disorderly that not less than ten thousand Jews were trodden to death in the streets. This, again, was “nation rising up against nation.” Four years more had not elapsed before the Jews made war against the Samaritans and ravaged their country. The people of Samaria had murdered a Galilean, who was going up to Jerusalem to keep the Passover, and the Jews thus avenged it.

56 At Caesarea, the Jews had a sharp contention with the Syrians for the government of the city, and an appeal was made to who decreed it to the Syrians. This event laid the foundation of a most cruel contest between the two nations. The Jews, mortified by disappointment and inflamed by jealousy, rose against the Syrians, who successfully repelled them. In the city of Caesarea alone, upwards of twenty thousand Jews were slain. The flame, however, was not now quenched; it spread its destructive rage wherever the Jews and Syrians dwelt together in the same place: throughout every city, town, and village, mutual animosity and slaughter prevailed. At Damascus, Tyre, Ascalon, Gadara, and Scythopolis, the carnage was dreadful. At the first of these cities, ten thousand Jews were slain in one hour, and at Scythopolis, thirteen thousand treacherously in one night.

57 At Alexandria, the Jews, aggrieved by the oppression of the Romans, rose against them. But the Romans, gaining the ascendancy, slew of that nation fifty thousand persons, sparing neither infants nor the aged. And after this, at the siege of Jopata, not less than forty thousand Jews perished.

This part of the prophecy was fulfilled.

 

[Starkherz199]

Part 9

Famines

7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.​

58 In the Act's of the Apostles (Acts 11:28) a prophet Agabus foretells of the coming famine that occurred in the days of Emperor Claudius. It began in the 4th year of his reign. This famine was so extensive, that it was felt through Greece, and Italy as recorded by Josephus, Eusebius, and Orosius. At one point in Rome, there was only 15 days of food left in the storehouses. Josephus records that it was the most severe in Judea, lasting some 3 years, in which a week's wages would be necessary to buy food for one day. Many people died from hunger. Foreign leaders had to ship grain into Judea for their survival. Saint Paul even helped gentile Christians take up food and deliver in Jerusalem, as recorded in 1 Corinthians 16:1–3.

59 Church historian Eusebius relates that another famine impacted Galilee, Judea, and parts of Syria in the 11th year of Claudius. And during the siege of Jerusalem, the worst famine of all kinds was spread in the city of Jerusalem, that would take the lives of well over 100,000 people. Josephus records that the famine during the siege of Jerusalem tipped the scales from misery to outright insanity.

This part of the prophecy was fulfilled.

Pestilences

7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.​

60 Pestilence treads upon the heels of famine; it may, therefore, reasonably be presumed that this terrible scourge accompanied the famines, which have just been recounted above. History, however, particularly distinguishes two instances of this calamity that occurred before the commencement of the Jewish war. The first took place at Babylon about AD 40, and it raged so alarmingly that great multitudes of Jews fled from that city to Seleucia for safety, as has been hinted at already. The city never recovered from this.

61 The other happened at Rome in AD 65, and it carried off prodigious multitudes. Both Tacitus and Suetonius also record that similar calamities prevailed during this period in various parts of the Roman Empire.

62 After Jerusalem was surrounded by the army of Titus, pestilential diseases soon made their appearance there to aggravate the miseries and deepen the horrors of the siege. They were partly occasioned by the immense multitudes that were crowded together in the city, partly by the putrid emanations that arose from the unburied dead, and partly from the spread of famine

This prophecy was fulfilled.

Earthquakes in diverse places.

7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.​

63 Immediately during the crucifixion of Jesus this part of the prophecy began to happen. As recorded in Matthew 27:21 upon his death, the earth quaked so fiercely that graves opened up at Jerusalem. Then again in chapter 28:2 of the same Gospel, another earthquake occurred at the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Earthquakes also happened when the building was shaken in Acts 4:31, and when Paul and Silas were freed from prison in Philippi (see Acts 16:26).

64 During the interval between the crucifixion and the resurrection, Asia minor was blanketed by earthquakes, especially anywhere Jews resided in the Roman Republic. There were earthquakes in Crete, Smyrna, Miletus, Chios, Samos, Laodicea, Hierapolis, Colosse, Campina, Rome, and Judea.

65 The big quakes occurred in Crete in 46AD, in Rome in 51 AD, one at Apamea in Phrygia in 53 AD, one at Laodicea in 60 AD, and a particularly damaging quake in the city of Pompeii on February 5th of 63 AD. The quake at Apamea was so destructive, that the emperor, in order to relieve the distresses of the inhabitants, canceled their requirement to pay tribute for five years. Both these earthquakes are recorded by Tacitus.

66 Earthquakes happened during the reign of Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero. All were attested by Josephus, several different Roman historians, and later Christian historians. Tacitus mentions a giant quake in Laodicea, and Pompeii, just before the destruction of Jerusalem. And a particularly dreadful quake happened in 67 AD, during the civil war in a rainstorm during the middle of the night, that made everyone in Jerusalem believe the world was coming to an end.

67 Seneca, the famed philosopher and mentor of Nero, also wrote of this phenomenon: “How often have cities in Asia, how often in Achaia, been laid low by a single shock of earthquake! How many towns in Syria, how many in Macedonia, have been swallowed up! How often has this kind of devastation laid Cyprus in ruins! How often has Paphos collapsed! Not infrequently are tidings brought to us of utter destruction of entire cities.”

This part of the prophesy was fulfilled.

 

[Starkherz199]

Part 10

Heavenly Signs

Luke 21:11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.​

68 The last part of Luke's Gospel adds this onto Jesus' description; “Great signs shall there be from Heaven". Some of these signs are recorded by Tacitus, and Suetonius, but all of them were recorded by Josephus. Josephus lists them because of their utter strangeness, and says that some are an embarrassment to record, but because they are so well witnessed by so many people, he had to add them to the historical record.

1, “A meteor (Josephus called it a star), resembling a sword, hung over Jerusalem during one whole year.” This could not be a comet, for it was stationary, and was visible for twelve successive months. A sword too, though a fit emblem for destruction. This was not a comet.

2, An actual comet was seen in the sky in 66 AD, on the eve of the campaign. Nero took it as a good omen. We know this comet today as Haley's comet.

3, “On the eighth of the month Zanthicus, (before the feast of unleavened bread) at the ninth hour of the night, there shone round about the altar, and the circumjacent buildings of the temple, a light equal to the brightness of the day, which continued for the space of half an hour.” This could not be the effect of lightning, nor of a vivid aurora borealis, for it was confined to a particular spot, and the light shone uninterrupted for thirty minutes.

4, “As the High Priest was leading a heifer to the altar to be sacrificed, she brought forth a lamb, in the midst of the temple.” Such is the strange account given by Josephus. Some may regard it as a “Grecian fable,” while others may discern in this prodigy a miraculous rebuke of Jewish infidelity and impiety, for rejecting the anti typical Lamb, who had offered Himself as an atonement “once for all” and who, by thus completely fulfilling their design, had virtually abrogated the Levitical sacrifices. However this may be, the circumstances of the prodigy are remarkable. It did not occur in an obscure part of the city, but in the Temple; it did not at an ordinary time, but at the Passover—the season of our Lord’s crucifixion—in the presence, not of the vulgar merely, but of the High Priests and their attendants, and when they were leading the sacrifice to the altar.

5, “About the sixth hour of the night, the eastern gate of the temple was seen to open without human assistance.” When the guards informed the Curator of this event, he sent men to assist them in shutting it, and with great difficulty they succeeded. This gate, as has been observed already, was of solid brass and required twenty men to close it every evening. It could not have been opened by a “strong gust of wind,” or a “slight earthquake” for, as Josephus says, “It was secured by iron bolts and bars that were let down into a large threshold, consisting of one entire stone.”

6, “Soon after the feast of the Passover, in various parts of the country, before the setting of the sun, chariots and armed men were seen in the air, passing round about Jerusalem.” Neither could this portentous spectacle be occasioned by the aurora borealis, for it occurred before the setting of the sun; nor could it have been merely the fancy of a few villagers, gazing at the heavens, for it was seen in various parts of the country.

7, “At the subsequent feast of Pentecost, while the priests were going, by night, into the inner temple to perform their customary ministrations, they first felt, as they said, a shaking, accompanied by an indistinct murmuring, and afterwards voices as of a multitude, saying, in a distinct and earnest manner, ‘let us depart hence’.” First, a shaking was heard; this would naturally induce the priests to listen, An unintelligible murmur succeeds it; this would more powerfully arrest their attention, and while it was thus awakened, they heard, says Josephus, the voices, as of a multitude, distinctly pronouncing the words, “let us depart hence.” And accordingly, before the period for celebrating this feast returned, the Jewish war had commenced, and in the space of three years afterward, Jerusalem was surrounded by the Roman army, the temple converted into a citadel, and its sacred courts streamed with the blood of human victims.

8, As the last and most fearful omen, Josephus relates that one Jesus, the son of Ananus, a rustic of the lower class, during the Feast of Tabernacles, suddenly exclaimed in the temple, “A voice from the east a voice from the west—a voice from the four winds—a voice against Jerusalem and the temple—a voice against bridegrooms and brides—a voice against the whole people!” These words he incessantly proclaimed aloud, both day and night, through all the streets of Jerusalem for seven years and five months together. He began at a time (AD 62) when the city was in a state of peace and was overflowing with prosperity, and he ceased amidst the horrors of the siege. This disturber, having excited the attention of the magistracy, was brought before Albinus the Roman governor, who commanded that he should be scourged. But the severest stripes drew from him neither tears nor supplications. As he never thanked those who relieved him, so neither did he complain of the injustice of those who struck him. And no other answer could the governor obtain to his interrogatories, but his usual denunciation of “Woe, woe to Jerusalem!” which he still continued to proclaim through the city, but especially during the festivals, when his manner became more earnest and the tone of his voice louder. At length, on the commencement of the siege, he ascended the walls and, in a more powerful voice than ever, exclaimed, “Woe, woe to this city, this temple, and this people!” And then, with a presentment of his own death, added, “Woe, woe to myself!” He had scarcely uttered these words when a stone from one of the Roman catapults killed him on the spot.

69 Most of these events occurred in the year preceding the Jewish Wars. As mentioned, some of them are recorded by Tacitus. Jesus spoke of fearful sights, and great signs from heaven, and they appeared.

This part of the prophecy was fulfilled.

 

[Starkherz199]

Part 11

The Beginning of Sorrows.

Matthew 24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.​

70 Jesus informs his disciples that this is only the beginning of sorrow. Some translations refer to this as “birth pangs”. These are the painful contractions that precede a new birth. Here with the coming of the destruction of the Temple, and passing away of the Old Covenant, a new Church Age is about to be birthed. These days are the transition age between the old and the new. And much pain and sorrow must be accomplished first. All the famines, and pestilences, and wars, and murders, and earthquakes, are just the beginning of much greater sorrow yet to come. These are the times of the last days of the Old covenant, and as Peter warned, judgment must begin at the household of God.

Great Persecutions

Matthew 24:9 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. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.​

71 This part of the prophecy is minutely detailed in the Acts of the Apostles. In the parallel accounts of Mark and Luke's Gospel, we read (Luke 21:12) But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake. (Mark 13:9) But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. (Luke 21:16) And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.

72 First they killed John The Baptist, and then they killed Jesus. After Jesus' ascension, Peter and John, together with other Apostles were summoned before the Sanhedrin, and beaten. Stephen was stoned to death. James, the brother of John, was beheaded. Peter barely escaped with his life after being imprisoned. These were merely the start of Christian persecution that was carried out by the Jews upon the Apostles of Christ.

73 Andrew, who got as far as the edge of the “land of the man-eaters" (Russia) was crucified on an X shape cross in Patras (Greece) around 60 AD. James was killed in Jerusalem in 44 AD. Thomas, got as far as India proclaiming the Gospel, and pierced to death with 4 spears by soldiers. Phillip, who preached from Syria down through northern Africa, was put to death for converting the wife of a Roman proconsul. Matthew, the tax collector, ministered in Persia and Ethiopia was stabbed to death in Ethiopia. Bartholomew had widespread missionary travels attributed to him, from Armenia to Ethiopia, thru Arabia, down through India, and was martyred. James, the son of Alpheus, was stoned and clubbed to death after ministering in Syria. Simon the Zealot, was killed after preaching in Persia for not sacrificing to the sun God. Matthias, who was chosen to replace Judas, was burned to death in Syria. The Apostle Paul, who began by persecuting Christians, was called personally to the Faith by Jesus Christ, was beaten, stoned, imprisoned, beaten again, imprisoned a 2nd time, shipwrecked, scourged, and imprisoned a 3rd time.

74 During the reign of Nero, in 64 AD, after the famous fire that burned a great portion of the city, Nero shifted blame away from himself, by beginning the Roman persecution of the Christians. He had Christians put to death by crucifixion, burning, being torn to death by wild beasts in the Gladiatorial arenas. His favorite pastime was dipping Christians into boiling oil, sticking them on lampposts in his garden, lighting them on fire, and illuminating his gardens for parties. He seized the Apostle Peter, and crucified him upside down. He beheaded the Apostle Paul. The last remaining Apostle was the Apostle John. He was dunked twice in boiling oil. When he did not die, he was exiled to Patmos. John was kept alive, by God, so that he would be of that generation that would see the end of the Temple, and Jerusalem.

75 The persecutions in the New Testament are primarily from the Jews. But by the times of 67 AD, thanks to Nero, truly it could be said that Christians were hated by all nations. When the persecutions were extended to the provinces of the empire, many began to betray one another. Tacitus speaks to how during the persecutions of Nero, many Christians were tortured, and forced to expose others that would also be condemned. Because of this, many fell away from the faith. Paul, in the later parts of his life, while he was in jail, laments how many have turned from helping him. John writes in his Epistles,“how many went out from us, but were not with us.” The entire Epistle to the Hebrews is the last ditch effort to warn Jewish Christians from going back from the faith, because they were under intense persecution. Hebrews indicates a sizable apostasy from among Jewish converts. Thus, the words of Jesus: “He that endures to the end, the same shall be saved.”

76 During all this madness, a number of false prophets emerged to lead many astray. Once occurrence is Bar-Jesus as related in Acts 13:6. Josephus records in the Wars of The Jews many such occurrences. False prophets persisted in Jerusalem, right through the siege, until the last days of the Temple and Jerusalem. In fact, the false prophets aggravated the miseries of the people, and hurried the coming destruction.

This prophecy was fulfilled.

 

[Starkherz199]

Part 12

Gospel Preached unto all the world, and then the end.

Matthew 24:14 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.​

77 Verse 14 presents another mistaken interpretation among modern Bible scholars. A notion has arisen from this English verse that the Gospel must be translated in all known languages before Jesus can come back. This opinion comes from the parallel passage in Mark 13:10 that says “And the gospel must first be published among all nations.” Therefore modern-day commentator's say that this verse must belong to the future, because this has not been accomplished yet. They are mistaken.

78 As mentioned previously, the English word “world” here is the Greek word οἰκουμένη [oikoumenē], meaning known or inhabited world. The word for the whole entire world is the Greek Word “Kosmos”. This passage is not referring to the entire world. It is referring to the known, civilized world, to the Jewish people in the 1st century. This is basically the Roman empire. Consequently This is the same Greek word used in Luke 2:1 that Luke used to tell of Caesar Augustus' decree that all the world should be taxed. This was not speaking to the entire world, it was speaking about the known Roman world. Caesar was not expecting taxes to be paid by people living in North and South America at that time, or people in Korea, or Japan, or aborigines from Australia.

79 Paul himself declares this to be accomplished later, when he uses the same Greek word “oikoumenē” In Romans 1:8, 10:18, Colossians 1:5-6, and 1:23. Paul's words in his epistles declare: “

Romans 1:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.

And in Colossians:

Colossians 1:5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;

Colossians​

1:6 Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world;

Colossians 1:23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven;

Unmistakably Paul considered this passage fulfilled. We await no future fulfillment of this passage. Historians also conclude this as fulfilled, both Roman and Christian. Tacitus, the Roman historian, tells us that "the Christian religion, which arose in Judea, spread over many parts of the world, and extended to Rome itself, where the professors of it, as early as the time of Nero, amounted to a vast multitude,” insomuch that their numbers excited the jealousy of the government.”

80 We learn from the writers of the history of the church, that before the destruction of Jerusalem, the gospel was not only preached all over the Roman empire, in the Lesser Asia, and Greece, and Italy, the great theaters of action then in the world, but was likewise propagated as far northward as Scythia and Russia, as far southward as Ethiopia, as far eastward as Parthia and India, as far westward as Spain and Britain.” In these places, in less than thirty years after the death of Christ, which was before the destruction of Jerusalem, the Gospel was preached, and it was published and shared by the Church in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and later John.

81 Thus completely was fulfilled a prediction contrary to every conclusion that could have been grounded on moral probability and to the accomplishment of which every kind of impediment was incessantly opposed. The son of a carpenter instructs a few simple fishermen in a new dispensation destitute of worldly incentives, but full of self–denials, sacrifices, and sufferings, and he tells them that in about forty years it should spread over the entire world. It spreads accordingly, and in defiance of the bigotry of the Jews and the authority, power, and active opposition of the gentiles, it is established, within that period, in all the countries into which it penetrates. Can anyone doubt that the prediction and its fulfillment were equally divine?

This part of the prophecy was fulfilled

 

[Starkherz199]

Part 13
The Abomination of Desolation

Matthew 24:15 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

Mark 13:14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:

Luke 21:20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.​

82 Verse 15 is, as one author says, “the most famous, and most misunderstood” part of the Olivet discourse. In historical context, Jesus is speaking in the 1st century, to Jewish people, who are a part of the Old covenant economy, about Old Testament scriptures. Jesus even tells the audience that it is spoken of by Daniel, and whosoever readeth can understand. The phrase abomination of desolation is seen in Daniel chapter 11:31, and chapter 12:11. Those passages contain a prophecy of a future adversary of the Jews, about an abomination that maketh desolate. The two passages are as follows:

Daniel_11:31 And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.
Daniel_12:11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.

This passage allows the reader to know what this phrase is. In 167 BC Seleucid ruler Antiochus Epiphanes (Antiochus IV), captured Jerusalem and desecrated the Temple by offering the sacrifice of a pig on an altar to Zeus. Antiochus Epiphanes is one of the worst antagonists in the history of Israel. What he did, by capturing Jerusalem (the holy Temple), desecrating the Temple, sacrificing on the altar of God to pagan deities, was unprecedented. He defiled the holy city, and Temple as no one had ever done before. This was the fulfillment of Daniel 11:31. This started the Jewish revolt. In many ways the Jews never recovered from this, and were altered in character for the worse. The desolation refers to capturing and/or destroying the Holy city, and/or the Temple. The abomination was the sacrificing of unclean things to pagan deities in the Temple of God; its defilement and the desecration of the holy city.. The death of an unclean thing in the Temple of God is an absolute abomination, because it was a loathsome defilement of that which must be kept holy. It is this author’s contention that Daniel 12:11 are the fulfillment of this as seen in Daniel 9, and Matthew 24.

83 In Daniel chapter 9, the 70 weeks prophecies of the coming Messiah, and the 2nd destruction of the Temple of God uses this language. Verse 26-27 says:

“Daniel 9:26 ...and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. Daniel 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.​

The 2nd and 3rd clause of verse 26, and the entirety of verse 27, are incorrectly attributed to a future antichrist by futurist Dispensational prophecy advocates. The 2nd and 3rd clause of verse 26 are prophecies of a future adversary (the prince, and the people of the Prince) that would destroy Jerusalem, and desolate the Temple. Also, this adversary would commit abominations. The phrase “he shall make it desolate” in verse 27 is the judgment of God upon the Temple and the city of Jerusalem. The Prince that would come is the tool of judgment that God uses to accomplish this. God determines beforehand that both shall be left desolate.

84 This is the traditional interpretation of the early, middle age, reformed age church of Daniels' 70 weeks. This passage is about the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple, the coming Messiah who will fulfill prophecy and confirm the new covenant, and the 2nd destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple that ceases oblations and sacrificial offerings.

85 With this knowledge in mind, we see that Jesus' prophecy here can be understood through the lens of Daniel's already completed abomination of desolation in Daniel chapter 11, and the awaiting completion from Daniel chapter 9 and 12. Next, add the additional information from Mark and Luke's parallel passage. Mark says of this event in his Gospel (Mark 13:19) “standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,).” The 1st century Jewish believer understood Jerusalem to be the holy city. He understood the Temple to be holy. Every new level of the Temple was elevated, until the Holy of Holies was the highest point in the sanctuary. The was supposed to model to Jews that God is elevated in glory above all things.

86 The Jews were so peculiar about Jerusalem, that some Roman procurators found it necessary to take extended routes around Jerusalem for their soldiers on occasion. For a foreign army to stand in Jerusalem was an unholy abominable defilement. It was even more egregious for them to stand in the continued elevated places of the Temple. Foreign armies or individuals in the upper rooms of the Temple, especially the Holy of Holies, was inconceivable, as it was the highest form of defilement imaginable, save placing an unclean thing on the altar of God.

87 In 63 AD, Roman general Pompey Magnus attacked Jerusalem, and entered the Temple and the Holy of Holies. This was an egregious error. In contrast to Antiochus Epiphanes, Pompey Magnus, according to Josephus, walked into the Holy of Holies expecting it to be filled to the brim with treasure, and left it undisturbed. He was so freaked out that only the room was empty, except for the altar, that he immediately left never to return, left the ceremonial incense, and Temple talents undisturbed, and would let no other Roman enter. He did not sacrifice to any pagan deities, therefore the total unthinkable abomination did not take place. His presence was a defilement, but it was not the highest level of defilement that Antichus Epiphanes had committed. This historical fact was known to the 1st century Jewish person. History tells us that one effect of this intrusion by Pompey was that the Jews sought thereafter to strengthen the walls around the Temple and the City itself.

88 Here in Matthew 24, Jesus is instructing his hearers that the impending abomination of desolation was the key to when Christian Jews were to vacate Jerusalem altogether. Luke's parallel passage gives them the clear signal to get out.

Luke 21:20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.​

The key takeaway from this verse, is that when Jerusalem is surrounded by a foreign army, the Abomination of desolation is nigh at hand, and one would need to leave immediately. Christ prophecies the abomination that makes desolate to occur in this generation. In August of 70 AD, it did.

This prophecy was fulfilled

 

[Starkherz199]

Part 14
The events leading to the Siege of Jerusalem.

89 The Jewish War, as Josephus called it. began in the summer of 66 AD. Judea was governed by Roman placed Procurators for many years; Pontias Pilate was the Procurator during Jesus' crucifixion. The Acts of the Apostles mentions Felix and Festus; Albinus was after Festus, and Gessius Florus was the last Procurator that prompted the Jewish revolt that led to its destruction. Florus was unusually corrupt, and seemed Hellbent on stirring up Jewish anger. He was to the Jews a tyrant, terrorist, robber, murderer, and thug. Beginning in early 66 AD he terrorized the Jewish nation for 5 months, slaughtering 3600 of its people. His actions caused the Zealot faction, and other violent revolutionaries to swell in numbers.

90 In may of 66 AD, word of an act of desecration at a Jewish Synagogue in Caesarea, got back to Eliezer, the son of the High Priest. In response, he ceased daily prayers and sacrifices for Emperor Nero, and led an attack on a Roman garrison. In November the Roman governor of Syria, Cestius Gallus, marched into Judea with a large military force on the way to Jerusalem. On the way he attacked and plundered the countryside of Zabulon, Joppa, and many villages. At Jerusalem, he camped around the perimeter of the city for 4 days, before he attacked for 6 days. He entered its gates, attacked many people, and burned many houses in the city. He could have stopped this rebellion, but in a true historical mystery, he withdrew from the city and retreated.

91 The Zealots thought this was cowardice. The Jews followed him and attacked him as he retreated. The Jews massacred 6000 of Cestius's soldiers during the retreat. This Jewish victory turned a minor skirmish into a major war. Moderate factions within Judea were discredited, and the revolutionaries again gained followers for outright revolution.

92 Nero, enraged at Cestius's defeat, sent General Vespasian to replace Cestius, and deal decisively with the Jews. Vespasian took legionaries from Alexandria, and his Son Titus with him and made their headquarters in Caesarea. In the meantime, the extremists in Jerusalem took power, and fortified the city for what they expected to be the Roman response.

93 Unfortunately for the Jews, the different factions could not unify within Jerusalem, and power struggles broke out in different parts of the city. The richer citizens fled Jerusalem altogether, while the moderates were killed in civil war. Bloody infighting plagued the Jews before Vespasian arrived, and continued throughout the siege and destruction.

94 Vespasian came northward in Galilee from Antioch in the spring of 67 AD, with his son Titus, and 60,000 men. In one of the first encounters of the War, at the siege of Jotapata, The Romans took prisoner the Jewish leader Josephus. Initially a prisoner of war, Josephus earned respect from Vespasian because of his spirited defense of the city. He made him his interpreter, and go between for his, and Titus' encounters during the Jewish wars. After the destruction of Jerusalem, Josephus moved to Rome, where he gained his freedom, and eventually wrote the Antiquities of the Jews, and the Wars of the Jews, which are eye witness accounts, referenced in this narrative.

95 Vespasian proceeded to attack cities and towns methodically in Galilee, plundering and murdering men, women, and children for 15 months. By 68 AD all parts north of Judea were quelled. , After punishing all the cities, and surrounding settlements first, Vespasian planned to end in Jerusalem. His reasoning was to push the rebels into Jerusalem, and deal with them all there. In this endeavor, he killed 150,000 inhabitants of Galilee and Judea. So many men women were killed at the Sea of Galilee, that the blood spilled in the waters polluted the sea, and it seemed that a 3rd of the sea life died. The people of Judea were first alerted to this event when the dead bodies were found floating far down the Jordan river.

96 The coastal town Joppa was attacked by Vespasian with such ferocity, that the Jews tried to escape on ships. In the midst of this, an unusual tempest arose, stopping the Jews from leaving...capsizing most of the boats, and drowning the men. The rest were dashed against the rocks from the tumult of the waves. Many committed suicide instead of letting the enraged Romans lay their hands on them. The sea and coastline were stained with bodies and blood, so much so that it appeared that the ocean itself had turned into blood. Not a single man survived to carry this news to Jerusalem. This was the fulfillment of Jesus prophecy in Luke 21:55 “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;”

This prophecy was fulfilled.

97 The campaign ground to a halt when Nero was forced to commit suicide on June 9th, 68 AD, when. This brought on the year of 4 emperors in Rome and civil war, breaking at long last the Pax Romana. For almost a year, things were so chaotic in Rome, that many Roman citizens were convinced that the greatness of Rome had come to an end. For a while Vespasian waited. When news from Rome kept getting worse Vespasian left for Rome. Vespasian left Titus to finish the invasion in Jerusalem. For the meantime Titus settled in Caesarea, and awaited instructions. By the summer of 69 AD, Vespasian had taken power in Rome, and assumed the position of Emperor, thereby making Titus a Prince; thus fulfilling Daniel 9:26 that the coming conqueror would be a Prince. In time, Titus would become emperor himself.

This prophecy was fulfilled.

98 In the Spring of 70 AD, Titus began the assault on Jerusalem. His forces of 60,000 men split into 3 groups, and approached Jerusalem on 3 different sides, cutting off any escape of the inhabitants, in the Walls of Jerusalem. Before the Passover, Titus let pilgrims go into Jerusalem at will, thinking that their presence would consume food stores, thus ending the siege earlier. Almost overnight however, on the day of the Jewish Passover, the anniversary of the Crucifixion and murder of Jesus, out of nowhere the Romans arrived, taking the Jews completely by surprise.

 

[Starkherz199]

Part 15

Flee to the Mountains

Matthew 24:16 Then let them which be in Judaea 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:​

99 From the initial siege by Cestius in 66 AD, The Christians in Jerusalem took this passage to heart. Jesus informs them to get out of Jerusalem. They did. This passage in Matthew, Mark, and Luke was heeded by the Christians there. Because Jesus warned his followers to flee, they were protected from the wrath to come. In the siege that followed, there is not one recorded instance of a Christian perishing in the destruction. Eusebius tells us that the Christians fled Jerusalem, and settled in a town called Perea in Pella. In God's longsuffering mercies, He gave the Jews their one last chance to repent, and flee. But they did not take it. For 3 and ½ years, from November 66 AD, till the spring of 70 AD, there was one last chance to flee the wrath of God.

101 This passage in Matthew 24: 16-20 cannot be a worldwide future event, because the locality is only spoken of as being local to Judea. Verse 17 says to get off the housetop, and run as fast as possible. 1st century Jewish houses made use of the tops of the houses. The parallel passage in Luke 21:21 tells the reader:

Luke 21:21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. 22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.​

In ancient times, when armies invaded, people fled to the safety of cities behind their protective walls. Here Jesus specifically tells them to do the opposite. As the armies gather around the city, his instructions are to flee to the mountains. This is especially important as Titus approached on the eve of the Passover (a sabbath day as Matt 24:20 spoke of), and the city of Jerusalem swelled with pilgrims seeking to enjoin the feast observances.

Civil War​

102 Unknown to outside pilgrims, inside the city of Jerusalem, during the lull from when Vespasian stopped campaigning in 68 AD, until 70 AD, an awful civil war erupted among the different factions in Jerusalem. Two leaders emerged from the zealots, and fanatical factions: Simon, son of Gioras, who occupied the upper city, and John Levi of Gischala, who occupied the Temple mount. These two groups fought bitterly with one another. Another faction, outside the city during this lull, forced their way inside, and started killing people indiscriminately. A 3 way civil war began, and the Jews descent into madness launched into overdrive.

103 The nobles were imprisoned, and then killed. Houses were plundered, and looting began. No women and children were spared. Thousands were murdered by their own countrymen. 12,000 people of the highest classes died in this manner; this was Jew on Jew violence. Through drunkenness, rage and desperation, savageness and insanity pervaded parts of the city. At one point, many of the Zealots dressed in women's clothing, with makeup and women's adornments, went out throughout the city acting with perverse feminine gesturing, and acted out incredible scenes of the vilest debauchery.

104 People and priests were slain in the Temple courtyard as they brought daily sacrifices. The dead bodies of priests and worshipers, both natives and foreigners, were heaped together, and a lake of blood stagnated in the sacred courts. 8500 bodies were left rotting on the streets of Jerusalem. Unbridled violence, murder, rape, pillage, plunder, death, and destruction...Jew on Jew violence raged uncontrollably. Josephus, writing of these events, saw what happened to Jerusalem as judgment from God. He wrote, and believed, that the murder of Jews, by Jews, and the spilling of unclean blood on the altar of God was the Abomination of Desolation. In his words, these were the wickedest people on the face of the earth.

105 Incredibly, as the Romans neared, John Levi of Gischala, burnt storehouses of needed provisions intended for the siege. His opponent Simon, soon followed suit, and the Jewish factions signed their own death certificate. The Jews were petrified with astonishment and fear; everything everywhere was disorder and chaos. Pure demonic insanity was unleashed upon the city. Many inside the city wanted the Romans to come and deliver them from this madness.

This was the state of the city when the Romans approached for the final assault.

 

[Starkherz199]

Part 16

Great Tribulation

Matthew 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. 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.​

106 Even after all this, the worst was yet to come. In April, a.d. 70, immediately at the Passover, when Jerusalem was filled with strangers, the siege began. The zealots rejected, with sneering defiance, the repeated proposals of Titus and the prayers of Josephus, who accompanied him as interpreter and mediator; and they struck down every one who spoke of surrender. The factions temporarily stopped fighting each other, and focused on the Romans. Simon took the lead of the Jewish army during the defense, while John still held the Temple mount. They made sorties down the valley of the Kedron and inflicted great loss to the Romans. As the difficulties multiplied their courage increased. Micah the Prophet alluded to this Jewish overconfidence in one of his famous prophecies. Even while this Jewish overconfidence was on display, the Romans were crucifying as many as 500 prisoners a day, on the hillsides in full view of the people inside Jerusalem. The Mount of Olives was completely denuded of all trees, to use for crucifixion and Roman siege weapons. At one point during the siege, there was not a tree standing within 12 miles of Jerusalem.

107 At this point in the siege, famine swept Jerusalem. It had been quietly approaching for some time. The peaceful and the poor suffered first. With this new calamity, the madness of the factions again appeared. Impelled by the cravings of hunger, they snatched food out of each other's hands, and many devoured grain unprepared.

108 Tortures were inflicted for the discovery of a handful of meal; women forced food from their husbands and children from their fathers and even mothers from their infants; while sucking children were wasting away in their arms, they scrupled not to take away the vital drops that sustained them! So accurately did our Lord pronounce a woe on “them that should give suck in those days” (Matt. 24:19). This dreadful scourge at length drove multitudes of the Jews out of the city into the enemy’s camp, where the Romans crucified them in such numbers that, as Josephus relates, space was wanted for the crosses, and crosses for the captives. When it was discovered that some of them had swallowed gold, the Arabs and Syrians, who were incorporated into the Roman army, impelled by avarice, with unexampled cruelty, ripped open two thousand of the deserters in one night.

109 Titus, touched by these calamities, in person entreated the Jews to surrender, but they answered him with insults. Exasperated by their obstinacy and insolence, he resolved to surround the city by a circumvallation (a trench of 39 furlongs [4.87 miles] in circuit and strengthened with 13 towers), which with astonishing activity was created by the soldiers in three days. Thus was fulfilled another of our Lord’s predictions, for he had said, while addressing this devoted city, “Thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round about, and keep thee in on every side” (Luke 19:43).

This prophecy was fulfilled.

 

[Starkherz199]

Part 17

110 At this point in the siege, Titus and his men had broken through the 3rd wall completely, and broken part of the 2nd wall away. With the trench of circumvallation, the trap was complete. As no supplies could now enter the walls, the famine rapidly extended itself and, increasing in horror, devoured whole families. The tops of houses and the recesses of the city were covered with the carcasses of women, children, and aged men. The young men appeared like specters in the places of public resort and fell down lifeless in the streets. The dead were too numerous to be interred, and many died while burying others. The public calamity was too great for lamentation. Silence overspread the city.

111 While the city was in this dismal situation, a Jew named Mannæus fled to Titus and informed him that from the beginning of the siege (the 14th of April) to the first of July following, 115,880 dead bodies had been carried through one gate only, which he had guarded. This man had been appointed to pay the public allowance for carrying the bodies out, and was, therefore, obliged to register them. Soon after, several respectable individuals deserted to the Romans and assured Titus that the whole number of the poor who had been cast out at the different gates was not less than 600,000. The report of these calamities excited pity in the Romans and in a particular manner affected Titus, who, while surveying the immense number of dead bodies that were piled raised his hands toward Heaven and, appealing to the Almighty, solemnly protested that he had not been the cause of these deplorable calamities. Indeed, the Jews, by their unexampled wickedness, rebellion, and obstinacy, had brought it down upon their own heads. This reaction on the part of Titus was incredible considering that the Romans were the psychopaths of the ancient world.

112 After this, Josephus, in the name of Titus, earnestly exhorted John Levi and his adherents to surrender, but the insolent rebel returned nothing but reproaches and imprecations, declaring his firm persuasion that Jerusalem, as it was God’s own city, could never be taken. Thus he literally fulfilled the declaration of Micah that the Jews, in their extremity, notwithstanding their crimes, would presumptuously “lean upon the Lord, and say, ‘Is not the Lord among us? None evil can come upon us’” (Micah 3:11).

This prophecy was fulfilled.

113 Meanwhile the horrors of famine grew still more melancholy and afflictive. The Jews, for want of food, were at length compelled to eat their belts, their sandals, the skins of their shields, dried grass, and even the manure of oxen. In the depth of this horrible extremity, a Jewess of a noble family, urged by the intolerable cravings of hunger, slew her infant child and prepared him for a meal. She had actually eaten one half thereof when the soldiers, allured by the smell of food, threatened her with instant death if she refused to reveal it. Intimidated by this menace, she immediately produced the remains of her son, which petrified them with horror. At the recital of this melancholy and affecting occurrence, the whole city stood aghast and poured forth their congratulations on those whom death had hurried away from such heartrending scenes.

114 This horrific story is an exact fulfillment of the curses spoken to Israel by Moses, should they break the covenant with God.

(Deuteronomy 28:53) And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:

This prophecy was fulfilled.

115 This brings us back to Jesus' remarks, after he has been beaten and scourged, and was being led away for crucifixion, as he is being followed by a company of people, a woman cries out bewailing and lamenting him. Jesus says aloud:

Luke 23:28 … Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.​

History does not record a parallel instance of unnatural barbarity ever occurring during the siege of any other place in any other age or nation whatsoever. Indeed, Josephus himself declared that, if there had not been many credible witnesses of the fact, he would not have recorded it, “because,” as he remarks, “such a shocking violation of nature never having been perpetuated by any Greek or barbarian,”


116 History records that the Jews fought bravely and smartly against the Romans. Both Vespasian and Titus had drastically underestimated the fighting will of the Jews. Side by side, men, women, and children fought the Romans and the siege carried on. But as the Romans slowly penetrated the 2nd wall, began to assault the Tower of Antonia, and the famine claimed more and more lives, the Day of vengeance crept closer.

 

[Starkherz199]

Part 18

The Destruction of the Temple.

Matthew 24:27 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.​

117 As a reminder, the coming of the Son of man, as referenced in this passage, is the coming of Jesus in judgment; not the 2nd bodily coming of Christ at the rapture.

118 From the first sight that Titus laid on the Temple, outside the walls of Jerusalem, he had decided to preserve this sight as an ornament to the empire, and as a monument of his success. This fact had been impressed upon his army, while planning the siege, that the Temple was not to be destroyed. But God planned to destroy this Temple so that no stone would be left upon another.

119 As the battle progressed on unto the late summer months the Romans had breached into the Temple complex, and battle ragged in the Temple courtyard. Like clockwork, throughout the siege and famine, the daily sacrifices to God were carried out with precision On August the 5th, the last of the sacrificial lambs ran out.

120 On the Jewish calendar, August 10th, 70 AD is called the 9th of AV. The 9th of AV is the date in 586 BC when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the first Temple of Solomon. The 9th of AV in 70 AD was the 656 anniversary of that destruction. On this day the Temple would be destroyed, and the center of Jewish life would be lost to smoke and fire.

121 On August the 10th during the 4th battle of the Temple in the courtyard, a Roman soldier, on impulse, climbed on the shoulders of another and threw a flaming brand into the golden window of the Temple, which instantly set the building on fire. The summer heat helped the dry timbers ignite easily, and soon black smoke was rising in the sky. As quick as lightning flashes across the sky, the center of Jewish life was in dangerous peril.


This prophecy was fulfilled.

 

[Starkherz199]

Part 19

The Horror

Matthew 24:28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.​

122 To the stunned amazement of both sides, the fire spiraled out of control. As the flames rose, Titus personally rode to the Temple and commanded his soldiers to put the flames out. This was in the midst of a violent battle. So chaotic was the scene, and so mad with battle lust, the Roman soldiers continued fighting, ignoring Titus. The Jews were left paralyzed, and many quit fighting to try and extinguish the flames. Jews were rushing from every quarter to save the Temple. There is no language to describe the scene of fire and smoke and blood that ensued as the Jews fought desperately to save the Temple of God.

123 The Legions seized on the chaos, and plunged forward without orders, battering down the eastern gates, and penetrating into the inner Court of the Temple. In this moment of climax, in light of the months long grueling siege, the Romans gave way to a beserker blood lust, and their bestial nature came forth. Soldiers broke free from their officers, and suppressed rage and frustration burst forth into outright butchery. The young, the old, the helpless, every Jew the Legionaries met were ripped to pieces on contact, stabbed to death, or bashed to pieces against the walls of the Temple. The unarmed were slain without mercy. The altar of God was covered with blood and gore. Greedy soldiers ran into the Temple nouse, intent on taking gold, treasure and valuables. The frenzy was so intense that some Roman troops were trampled to death by their own comrades. When Titus came back to the Temple, not even he could assuage the frenzy of the troops.

124 Finding it impossible to restrain the rashness and cruelty of his soldiers, the commander–in–chief proceeded, with some of his superior officers, to take a survey of those parts of the edifice that were still uninjured by the conflagration. It had not, at that time, reached the inner Temple, which Titus entered and viewed with silent admiration. Struck with the magnificence of its architecture and the beauty of its decorations, which even surpassed the report of fame concerning them, and perceiving that the sanctuary had not yet caught fire, he renewed his efforts to stop the progress of the flames. He condescended even to entreat his soldiers to exert all their strength and activity for this purpose, and he appointed a centurion of the guards to punish them if they again disregarded him. But all was in vain.

125 Here, during the chaos, Josephus mentions that a false prophets who declared to the people in the city that God commanded them to go up into the Temple, and they would receive signs of deliverance. 6000 people went atop one of the outer Temple walls. The gallery underneath them was set on fire by the Romans. In the ensuing panic, many lept from the wall to their death. The rest without exception perished in the flames.

126 At this Juncture, the fire spread from the outer walls into the Temple nouse itself. Titus and his officers were forced to retire from the inner sanctuary, as the flames progressed. At one point, the flames engulfed the entire structure, and could be seen from every point in Jerusalem, and many miles away from outside the city walls. It appeared as if the whole of Mount Moriah was on fire. The smoke of the fire reached high into the sky, and from all vantage points blotted out a 1/3rd of the sky. All of the Jewish Religious leaders could look into the sky and see the smoke of God's judgment rising high as a cloud. Groans and wails of lamentation from the Jews were let loose all over Jerusalem and Judea at the unthinkable sight.

127 Then, Titus commanded his troops to bring their ensigns to the eastern gate of the Temple, and here they sacrificed a sheep, a pig and an ox, while cries of “Imperator” 3 times rang out from the soldiers, as the Romans God's were proclaimed over the Jewish God.

128 The Ground could not be seen for dead bodies scattered everywhere. The Roman troops were walking and running on a carpet made of human beings. Earlier in the siege, some of the Jews that escaped were found to have swallowed gold, when they were torn apart. Now, the rumor spread amongst the Legionaries that every Jew had gold in the stomachs. The soldiers began to rip open the stomachs of the Jews with their swords. The massacre was so indescribable, that in some parts of the city, blood rose to the bridle of a horse.

This part of the prophecy was fulfilled.

End of the Jewish war​

129 As the fire progressed, the Temple became a burning ruin. The final conquest of Jerusalem was not complete. The Romans still had to conquer the lower, and upper city, with the Herodian palace. Five days after the Temple was destroyed, on the outer Temple complex, priests who hid on the tops for protection, pining for hunger, came down and asked for mercy. Titus said, so goes the Temple, so goes the priests, and had them executed on the spot. Although at many times during the siege, Titus had begged the inhabitants to surrender, after the Temple was destroyed, no more mercy was given. After the faction leaders refused his last offer to surrender, Titus made it known that no more mercy would be given hereafter, and every resister should be destroyed. The soldiers now had full license to kill at will.

130 With the final assault on the civil buildings, and the council chambers in the upper city, the soldiers fanned out across the remainder of the city, slaughtering indiscriminately. They sacked every home and building they could of the upper city. Murdering and burning at will.

131 Even at this point, false prophets led Jews into the many underground caverns and subterranean tunnels of Jerusalem, speaking falsely of being saved from the Romans. There the words of Christ were fulfilled in Luke 23:30 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. The Legionaries went into every crack and tunnel, and killed everyone they found; here were found 2000 dead bodies.

This prophecy was fulfilled.

132 The soldiers, however, at length, weary of killing and satiated with the blood that they had spilt, laid down their swords and sought to gratify avarice. For this purpose, they took the Jews, together with their wives and families, and publicly sold them, like cattle in a market. A multitude was exposed to sale, while the purchasers were few in number. And now were fulfilled the words of Moses:

Deuteronomy 28:68 And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.​

When the campaign was over, 97,000 Jews, were loaded onto ships for Egypt to be sold as slaves. Heavy chains were laid around their neck. So many people were sold into slavery, that the slave market collapsed, and no one would buy because they had no worth. Many were put in the mines, many were dispersed over the Roman empire, and many were put to work building the Roman Coliseum. The Roman Coliseum was built by Titus when he was emperor, with the wealth that had been looted from Jerusalem.


This prophecy was fulfilled.

 

[Starkherz199]

Part 20

The Ending​

133 Toward the end of the siege, the two leaders of the Jewish factions that remained, Simon, and John, met with Roman leaders to bargain for their surrender. Titus refused, and the Roman legions were unleashed on the lower city. Swords and torches were used to desolate the last remaining part of Jerusalem. The piles of dead bodies from starvation were stacked in the lower city, and as the fires spread, they were ignited. The stench of the bodies, mingled with the flames of the fire was inexpressible.

134 The Herodian Palace, with its walls and looming Towers were all that remained. All 3 legions met to attack this stronghold. They attacked it from the outer walls with siege engines. With their will sapped, and the reality of the final battle looming, the Jews were soon defeated. Final victory was gained on September the 8th, 70 AD. The 2 faction leaders, Simon and John, along with 700 young men were sent to Rome for the triumph of Titus, where Simon was ritually killed, and John was put in a dungeon for life.

135 In all Josephus records 1.1 million Jews perished. The vial of divine wrath, which had been so long pouring out upon this devoted city, was now empty, and Jerusalem, once “a praise in all the earth” and the subject of a thousand prophecies, which was deprived of the staff of life, wrapped in flames, and bleeding on every side, finally sunk into utter ruin and desolation.

Results​

136 Before the final demolition of Jerusalem, Titus took a survey of the city and its fortifications, and while contemplating their impregnable strength; he could not help ascribing his success to the Almighty himself. Titus exclaimed, “Had not God himself aided our operations, and driven the Jews from their fortresses, it would have been absolutely impossible to have taken them; for what could men, and the force of catapults, have done against such towers as these?” After this he commanded that the city should be razed to its foundations, excepting only the three inner lofty towers Hippocos, Phasael, and Mariamne, which he allowed to remain as evidence of its strength and as trophies of his victory. There was left standing, also, a small part of the western wall, as a rampart for a garrison, to keep the surrounding country in subjection. In executing the command of Titus regarding the demolition of Jerusalem, the Roman soldiers not only threw down the buildings, but even dug up their foundations; even those that were 450 ft deep

137 The soldiers so completely leveled the whole circuit of the city that a stranger would scarcely have known that it had ever been inhabited by human beings. Thus was this great city, which only five months before had been crowded with nearly two million people, who gloried in its impregnable strength, entirely depopulated and leveled to the ground. Thus also was our Lord’s prediction that her enemies should “lay her even with the ground,” and “should not leave in her one stone upon another” (Luke 19:44) most strikingly and fully accomplished!

This prophecy was fulfilled

Concerning the Temple, Jesus said:

Matthew 24:2: There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.​

138 Gold from the top of the Temple had melted down below the cracks and crevices of the stones of the temple. The soldiers ripped them up, one by one, to get it. So much gold was recovered from the Temple, that the Gold market in Asia Minor collapsed.

This prophecy was fulfilled

139 A captain of the army of Titus, Terentius Rufus, absolutely plowed up the foundations of the Temple with a ploughshare. 200 years later, there was a barley field growing where the Temple had once sat. Thus the prophecy of Micah:

Mic 3:12 Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.​

This prophecy was fulfilled.

Afterwards​

140 Although Titus had planned to keep the Temple at Jerusalem, God determined to destroy it. Titus was the most unlikely man throughout the Roman armies to become a scourge to Jerusalem. He was eminently distinguished for his great tenderness and humanity, which he displayed in a variety of instances during the siege. He repeatedly made calm offers to the Jews and deeply lamented that they rejected them in their madness. In short, he did everything that a military commander could do to spare them and to preserve their city and Temple, but without effect. Thus was the will of God accomplished by Titus, although contrary to the wish of Titus, and God’s predicted interposition to punish his rebellious and apostate people. Titus was shaken by the horror of the events in Jerusalem. He ascribed this event as miraculous.

141 Later in Rome, during his Triumph, when a ceremonial wreath was to be placed on his head and neck, he refused, declaring that the victory was not his, but that the Jewish God had destroyed his own people.

The Destruction of Jerusalem was divinely decreed, and divinely carried out. God destroyed Jerusalem.

 

[Starkherz199]

Part 21

The Great Power of God

Mat 24:29 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:​

142 Verse 29-31 stands by itself in this passage for its use of Old Testament prophetic hyperbolic and dramatic language. For the next three verses, the western reader has to read this from the understanding of a 1st century Jewish adult, reared under the Old Covenant, being familiar with the history and story of their ancestors and the prophets. What is used in these 3 verses is akin to intentionally figurative apocalyptic language, as that found in the book of Ezekiel, or the language directly quoted in Isaiah. A straight literal reading of these 3 verses shows a great deal of ignorance of the Old Testament prophetic genre, and is a mistake that will lead to vast errors of exegesis.

143 As already established, this prophecy was about the destruction of Jerusalem, the Temple, and the ending of the Old Covenant economy, including the sacrifices and oblations. This prophecy essentially had 3 different types of audience members. First, the disciples were given a time stamped warning from Jesus, that within a generation after his departure, the temple and the city would be destroyed, and that they should not be in Jerusalem when these events happen. During the time interval between Jesus’ ascension and the surrounding of Jerusalem by the armies to come, Jesus was readying them for the persecution they would face from Jewish and gentile factions against them for proclaiming the Gospel. The 2nd audience would be any believer that would be alive during this time period, and served as a notice to get out of Jerusalem before great tribulations happened. All readers after these events transpired would be the third audience.

144 Verse 29 gives the timetable “Immediately after the tribulation of those days”. This cannot be placed 100, 1000, or 10,000 years in the future. This prophecy occurs within 1 generation from when it is uttered. “Immediately” stamps it as in the 1st century Christian generation from Jesus’ crucifixion; that is 40 years. The four phrases “sun shall be darkened”, “moon shall not give her light”, “stars shall not fall from heaven”, and “powers from the heaven shall be shaken” are quotations by Jesus of Old Testament prophetic speakers.

145 Scholar John Forster writes that: “In ancient Hieroglyphic writings the sun, moon, and stars represented empires and states, with their sovereigns and nobility. The eclipse of these luminaries was said to denote temporary national disasters, or an entire overthrow of any state. This is still an Eastern mode of writing, and there are some classical examples of it. The Prophets frequently employ it, so that their style seems to be a speaking hieroglyphic. Thus Isaiah describes the destruction of Babylon, and Ezekiel that of Egypt.” Pictures of the sun, moon, and stars are still to this day represented on the flags of modern day nations, including the 50 stars on the United States flag. This is a relic of the ancient past that sticks with us.

146 The first account of the sun, moon, and stars use of figurative language occurs in Genesis, during the historical account of Joseph’s dream as related in Genesis 37. This figurative language is a feature common in the Old Testament, and especially in prophetic writing. With this figurative use of language in prophecy, in terms of judgment, it is God judging the nations, in picture language, to be weak, in comparison to Him. God’s power stands far above the sun, moon, and stars. Being that prophecy was orally given, long before it was written down, and because ancient audiences were not listening while taking notes on notepads, or recording video of the prophets on their I-phones, this use of picture language was essential to make the most effective emotional impact on the hearers. For the same reasons, Jesus uses this language here in Matthew 24. It cannot be overstated, Jesus' original audience would be very familiar with this style of prophetic speaking. They knew exactly what he was talking about.

147 Jesus quotes from Isaiah 13. This passage, one of the most well known Old Testament passages to have been fulfilled in history, is God’s judgment on Babylon that happened in 536 BC. Isaiah says:

Isaiah 13:9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. 10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. 11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.​

This figurative cosmic destruction picture language would be the best vehicle for which the disciples could remember and carry this prophecy forward and to other people. It evoked the destruction of the nations, as well as the 1st fall of Jerusalem. Jesus' communication style was the perfect mode for his present audience.

148 More proof of this language is found in Isaiah's prophecy against Edom as found in Isaiah 34:

Isaiah 34:4 And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.​

In Ezekiel's prophecy against Egypt, we see the same language. Ezekiel chapter 32:

Ezekiel 32:7 And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. 8 All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD.

Another example is found in chapter 2 of Joel's prophecy

Joel 2:10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:

After Joel, Amos uses this language in a direct prophecy against Israel:

Amos 8:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:

149 This language of cosmic catastrophe is the language of judgment upon a nation. This “end of the world” language was appropriate, because the end of the Jewish world was the subject Jesus was speaking about. Again, to overstate, what cannot be overstated, Jesus's audience knew exactly what he was talking about.

 

[Starkherz199]

Part 22

And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven

Mat 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: 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.​

150 Read the first clause of verse 30 slowly. It is the "sign" that appears, not the "Son of Man". This mistake causes lots of exegetical chaos. Another mistake is to look for the "Son of Man". The sign is the "Son of Man in Heaven". This sign is the fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy, and vindicates his message over the unbelieving Jewish authorities. This sign, of the fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy of the end of the Jewish world was spoken of by Peter in his sermon on the day of Pentecost:

Act 2:16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: 19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:​

151 The very fulfillment of this prophecy for all to see, was proof that Jesus Christ is presently sitting at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. When the smoke of the Temple rises high into the sky for all in Jerusalem, and surrounding Judea to see, there can be no doubt that judgment has come, and Jesus' word was fulfilled.

and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn​

152 In the second clause, the word "earth" is translated from the Greek word γῆ [gē] and is referring to a region of land, not the whole entire earth. Matthew used this same word in Matthew 2:6 to say “the land of Judah”, and in verse 20,21 “the land of Israel”. The region is Judea, and the word “tribes” is referring to the tribes of Israel. This could be translated as either “tribes of the earth”, or “tribes of the land”, but in context it is specifically referring to the remnants of the 12 tribes of Israel.

153 Consider that the first clause in this passage is connected to Peter's sermon at Pentecost. There Peter was connecting that day with Joel's prophecy found in Joel chapter 2 about the “last days”, or the last days of the Jewish age. In Joel 2:32 we read:

Joel 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.​

The remnant of Israel was who God called out to salvation from the Jews starting at Pentecost. The remainder of the remnant of Israel are predominantly unbelieving Jews from the tribe of Judah, Benjamin, Levi, and the mixture of the 10 northern tribes that were assimilated after they were left behind when Assyria conquered them. The Gospels have numerous accounts of Jesus referring to "tribes'' and meaning the tribes of Israel. The remnant of Israel in this passage is the unbelieving Jews who see the smoke of the Temple rising in the sky. They are the ones who mourn. Josephus records that when the Temple was on fire: "The flame was also carried a long way, and made an echo, together with the groans of those that were slain". And again, Josephus records here: "And besides, many of those that were worn away by the famine, and their mouths almost closed, when they saw the fire of the holy house, they exerted their utmost strength, and brake out into groans and outcries again:". When the center of Jewish life goes up in smoke, wailing and lamentation gushes forth from all the Jews who see it.

THIS PROPHECY WAS FULFILLED

 

[Starkherz199]

Part 23

and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.​

154 The phrase "coming in the clouds" is apocalyptic prophetic language, not meant to be taken literally; it is purposely hyperbolic. We see this used frequently in Old Testament prophecy when the Lord comes in judgment on a people. "Coming in the clouds" would have been understood by Jesus' audience as the Lord coming in judgment. This language is straight out of the Old Testament.

Consider the following examples:

Isaiah 19:1 The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.

Joel 2:1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; Joe 2:2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.

Psalm 104:3 Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:

Psalms 18:7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth. Psa 18:8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it. Psa 18:9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet. Psa 18:10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind. Psa 18:11 He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. Psa 18:12 At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.​

We see this and are perplexed by this language. The Jews of that time recognized it for what it was. Consider the reaction of the Sanhedrin when Jesus used this phrase:

Matthew 26:64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. 65 Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. 66 What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.​

This exchange was only days after the exchange between Jesus and his disciples. They knew exactly what he was saying.

The Gathering

Matthew 24:31 And he shall send his angels 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.​

155 The heavy reliance on Old Testament language continues in this verse. This verse has been mistakenly taught to be the 2nd coming, or the rapture of the Church; it is not. Verse 34 ties this verse to a 1st century fulfillment. One author says that this passage refers to an explosion of evangelism after this time period:

"Finally, Jesus announced, the result of Jerusalem’s destruction will be Christ’s sending forth of His “angels” to gather the elect. Isn’t this the rapture? No. The word angels simply means messengers (cf. James 2:25), regardless of whether their origin is heavenly or earthly; it is the context which determines whether these are heavenly creatures being spoken of. The word often means preachers of the Gospel (see Matthew 11:10; Luke 7:24; 9:52; Revelation 1-3). In context, there is every reason to assume that Jesus is speaking of the worldwide evangelism and conversion of the nations, which will follow upon the destruction of Israel."

156 For many years Jewish Christians huddled in Jerusalem, but after Jerusalem was destroyed, Christian Jews were flung out into all parts of the gentile world. The Gospel message is no longer huddled in Judea, but now is sent out with more power and force than ever before. What results is an explosion of evangelism. The destruction of Jerusalem was the big launching point for worldwide evangelism. Up till now, the Apostle's and Paul were doing all the heavy work, but after Jerusalem falls, the hiding and huddle spot is taken away, and Christians are flung out in all parts of the Empire, to the four corners of the world.

157 Remember, the language is 1st century Jewish language. It is easy for the 21st century hearer to mistake this for something else. But verse 34 of this passage ties it into 1st century fulfillment. More on that later. For now, this verse simply speaks to the world wide spread of the Gospel that is launched into overdrive when Jerusalem is removed as a barrier and huddle spot for Jewish Christians. The Christians now go out and "gather" new believers into the family of God, and this verse speaks to the world wide influence it will have. No more will Christianity be just a sect of Judaism. After this event, Christianity stands on its own two feet.

Parable of the fig tree

Matthew 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:Mat 24:33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.​

156 Many Christian writers have made a lot to do with this passage, by suggesting it says, symbolically, something that it doesn't. It is simply an agricultural example that the disciples would understand. In fact, as they're listening to Jesus, they were sitting on the Mount of Olives, a place where healthy fig trees actually grew. It is entirely possible that they could see a fig tree as Jesus was speaking. The fig tree puts its leaves out in late spring, and is an approaching sign that summer is night. This passage tells the disciples that just as leaves on a fig tree announce the coming of summer, the beginnings of the previous passages announce the coming destruction of the Temple. Therefore, events foretold in the previous verses tell the disciple that the approaching destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple will soon follow the "birth pangs".

Matthew 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.​

157 This passage is a time stamp. The Jews of this time period put a generation as 40 years. It is set in stone that these events will occur within 40 years of Jesus' crucifixion. There can be no other way around it. Renowned atheists have stumped Christians cold in their tracks, who say this refers to the 2nd coming of Jesus and the Rapture of the church. All attempts to make this passage refer to anything other than a 40 period for the original audience of Jesus' foretelling, fall flat, and seem ridiculous to all including atheists. The key phrase "this generation" is used 12 times in the Gospels, and in every case it referred to the audience that Jesus was currently talking to. The word in this verse "this" is the Greek word "οὗτος" [houtos]. That is the identifying word that points to who Jesus is speaking to and about. If this phrase would have been intended for another group of people, then the less specific Greek word "ἐκεῖνος" [ekeinos], meaning "that" in English, would be in place of "this". "This" placed here is very specific, and stamps this prophecy. .

Mat 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.​

These words, and this prophecy were utterly fulfilled.

 

[Starkherz199]

Part 24

Lessons​

1. The destruction of Jerusalem confirms the divine origin of the Christian Church. Jesus said that if they tore his Temple (his body) he would raise it up again. He said he would tear down the Temple in Jerusalem and he did. Jesus' body is the new temple of God. Jesus is the head of his church. The Church is the body of Christ. You are part of the Temple of God. YOU are the living proof in the divine origin of the Christian religion​

2. The destruction of Jerusalem proves the supremacy of the New covenant once and for all. The Old covenant is swept away, now and forever. Christ is our King and High Priest.​

3. The destruction of Jerusalem is the divine proof, that God will divinely fulfill all his promises, and you can put your trust in him.​

4. The destruction of the Temple is divine proof of His finished work on the cross of Calvary, and that His sacrifice is the last sacrifice that will be offered for sin, ONCE and For ALL! IT IS FINISHED!​

5. The Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple is the divine proof that Daniel's 70 weeks of prophecy has been fulfilled, that the sacrifice an oblations have ceased functioning, that the dividing lines between Jews and Gentiles are forever removed. The spiritual Israel of God is alive and well.​

6. The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple is a divine warning of all the people of the world that the Wrath of God is real, and it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the THE LIVING GOD! No one can stand against Him; None can defy Him; none will mock Him; the Gates of Hell will not prevail against His Church; He will have the last word; In the end, all will kneel before him; and all will glorify Him!​

7. The Prophecy of the Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple is fulfilled.
   ​

 

[Starkherz199]

Reserved for part 25

Bibliography

Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Antiquities of the Jews
Tacitus,
Suetonius,
Eusebius; Church History
Phillip Schaff, The History of the Christian Church
George Peter Holford's book on The Destruction of Jerusalem
The Story of the Last Days of Jerusalem, from Josephus by Alfred J. Church,


Still under construction

 

[Starkherz199]

Meant to add more to thus thread, but got distracted with 2 funerals the last 2 weeks.

Josephus is one of the greatest ancient historians. Higher critics have tried to pick apart his work for centuries, but scholarship upholds his work.

One point that most scholarship agrees on is that although Josephus is reliable, they believe that his accounting of himself is embellished. All other acounts are trustworthy.

One issue that is of major discussion is if Titus wanted to destroy the Temple before the siege.
Listed below is discussion on this. Its from The Story of the Last Days of Jerusalem by Alfred J. Church
This would be a minority opinion, but it should be included for discussion.
Whatever Titus planned to do to the Temple before the siege is one thing, but it is clear he changed his mind when he saw it up close.

"In one matter, which is of such interest and importance that an account of it may be given here, he seems to have deliberately falsified history. The ingenuity of a German critic, Jacob von Bernays, detected in the Chronicle of Sulpicius Severus (a Christian writer, A.D. 350—420) a very slightly disguised quotation from one of the lost books of the History of Tacitus. The passage may be thus translated. “Titus is said to have called a council of war, and then put to it the question whether he ought to destroy so grand a structure as the Temple. Some thought that a sacred building, more famous than any that stood upon the earth, ought not to be destroyed. If it were preserved, it would be a proof of Roman moderation; if destroyed, it would brand the Empire for ever with the stigma of cruelty. On the other hand there were some, and among these Titus himself, who considered that the destruction of the Temple was an absolute necessity, if there was to be a complete eradication of the Jewish and Christian religions. These superstitions, opposed as they were to each other, had sprung from the same origin; the Christians had come forth from among the Jews; remove the root and the stem would speedily perish.” In the interest, doubtless, of his Imperial patrons, the family of Vespasian, Josephus represents the destruction of the Temple as having been accomplished against the will of Titus. I have to express my obligations to Dean Milman’s History of the Jews, and to the article, “Jerusalem,” by Mr. Ferguson, in the Dictionary of the Bible. A.J.C."

 

[Starkherz199]

Done for tonight. I'm tired

 

[Red Marley]

Done for tonight. I'm tired

I should think so. Are you compiling all this for a book?

 

[Starkherz199]

I should think so. Are you compiling all this for a book?

That was not my intention. But looking at it all, I should have.
It was for 1 sermon, and maybe 8 follow up Bible studies.

 

[Starkherz199]

Added some comments to post #26 above.

 

[xtp308]

The video in post 1 is fantastic; I’m still working my way through the rest.
Thanks for doing this !! I appreciate your effort.

 

[xtp308]

Part 6
Matthew 24 Versus 1-3

Matthew 24:1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. 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. 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?​

32 Directly after condemning Jewish religious rulers, Jesus leaves the temple, and pronounces judgment upon it. In the mind of the 1st century Jewish mind, this temple will be the place that the Messiah will reign from, once he has overthrown the world. This must have baffled the disciples. So much so, that when they leave the temple complex, go outside the city walls, and stand on the Mount of Olives overlooking the city, where they have a clear view of the Temple, they ask Jesus about it. Jesus answers them, and explains how his prophecy is about divine judgment on Jerusalem and the temple.

33 There are two keys to understanding Matthew 24. The first key is the phrase “end of the world” in verse 3. The second key is found in verse 34 with: “Matthew 24:34 “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” The first key tells us what this passage is about, and the second key tells us when.

34 We must remember who the audience of this passage is for. It is for 1st century Jewish people, living in Judea, under the Old Covenant. It was basic 1st century Jewish thought, since the 70 weeks prophecy of Daniel, that the coming of the Messiah would herald the end of the age, and the beginning of the age of the Messiah. These people were waiting for their Superman Messiah to come along and break the Roman empire and set up a physical kingdom. But Jesus had other plans.

35 The phrase “end of the world” in verse 3 has thrown confusion into 19th, 20th, and 21st century interpretation. When the word “world” was translated into English from the Greek, first by William Tyndale, then by the Geneva Bible translators, and upheld by the King James Authorized Bible, it was understood what this meant. A better 21st century word today is the word “age”.

36 There are three Greek words in this chapter that can be translated as “world”. The word in verse 3 is αἰών [aiōn] meaning age. The second Greek word in this chapter for “world” is οἰκουμένη [oikoumenē], in verse 14, meaning known or inhabited world. And the 3rd and last Greek word for “world” is Gκόσμος [kosmos], found in verse 21, meaning the whole entire world. Misunderstandings from verse 3 in modern times come from a translation misunderstanding on our part.

37 Many assume from the English word “world” in some Bible translations that the disciples are asking about the end of the entire world, and that Jesus answers them on this question. In truth, the correct phrase is “end of the age”; meaning end of the Jewish age, Jewish dispensation, or Jewish world. The Olivet discourse from verse 3 throughout 35 has nothing to do with the End times of the whole world, but it has only to do with the End Times of the Jewish world. More recent Bible translations reflect this truth by using “age” instead of “world” in verse 3, recognizing the slight shifts of modern English hampers our understanding. The word “world” here is fine to use, as long as the reader mentally inserts the modifier “Jewish” before “world”.

38 The mistake in the question from verse 3 lies on the part of the Disciples' expectations of the Messiah. Jesus's discourse is meant to enlighten them. Because of this confusion, many modern Bible commentator's believe this passage speaks to “end of the world” events. If you peruse the writings from the early Ante-Nicene Church fathers, down through the middle ages, through the times of the Reformers, and until present times, you will notice confusion of this passage start to creep in during the 19th century commentaries, and is strongly exacerbated greatly during the latter part of the 20st century. The 21st century has been a glut of information both good and bad, and presents a sea of opinion that is difficult to wade through to reach clear understanding.

39 Let it be known from here forth, that this passage speaks to the end of the Jewish age, and the sign of Jesus' coming, IN JUDGMENT. Here another error presents itself. What exactly do they mean by “sign of thy coming”? Modern commentator's have a tendency to lump every passage that is not 100% clear in with future occurring events. We know that standard Christian doctrine sees the Church awaiting the 2nd advent of Jesus Christ; the bodily return of Jesus, as he left us in Acts chapter 1 so shall he come back, returning in the clouds of heaven, at which the dead in Christ shall rise first, then they that are alive and remain will join him in the sky, to receive our glorified sinless bodies. This is the gathering of the saints, commonly referred to as the rapture of the Church. This passage here is not referring to that, and the disciples are not asking Jesus about that.

40 This passage is speaking to the coming of the Lord in judgment. The judgment is upon Jerusalem, the temple, and the unbelieving Jews. The disciples' understanding of this is cloudy; we must remember that Jesus told them openly and at different times that he would be killed, and they still were caught off guard when it happened. The disciples who walked around with Jesus were very different from the disciples who received the Holy Ghost at Pentecost. Here, before the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, they were still in the dark about how all this would play out.

41 In the days leading up to this passage, Jesus comes into Jerusalem triumphantly, and cleanses the Temple of the money changers. While standing in the Temple he tells them in chapter 21:13: “My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” The next day, while standing in the temple, rebuking the Sadducees and the Pharisees, Jesus tells them in chapter 23:28: “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.” It was no longer Jesus's house; the glory of God had departed the Temple. This is proven days later when Jesus is upon the cross, and the veil separating the Holy of Holies is torn asunder. Again, Jesus condemns the unbelieving Jews, the Temple, and the city of Jerusalem in chapter 23, and prophesies their end in chapter 24. Because the center of Jewish life for 1000 years was the temple, the “end” Jesus is referring to, is effectively the end of the Temple itself. The “coming of the Lord'' in judgment will be dealt with specifically in verse 29-31.

42 Now refer to the parallel passage of this verse found in Mark 13 and Luke21. Mark 13:4 says: “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?” And Luke 21:7 says: “And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?” Notice these 2 passages leave out the “end of the age” component? Mark was written to a general audience, Luke was written to a Gentile audience, but Matthew was specifically written to a Jewish audience. The Jewish audience of the 1st century would understand what Matthew was speaking about, and the nuances found in the Olivet discourse with respect to Old Testament figurative language. When taken all three passages together, there is no way that this can refer to the end of the entire world.

43 The other key to the 1st 35 verses of the Olivet discourse is the timing aspect found in verse 34.: “This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled”. This scripture is an embarrassment to teachers who try to force this passage to speak to a future end times prophetic fulfillment. Many modern atheists such as Bertrand Russell have used this passage to say that Jesus was a liar and false prophet, because he did not come back to rapture his church like he said. But he, and many modern readers, both Christians and non-Christians, are mistaken that this passage speaks to the 2nd advent Christ; the bodily return at the rapture. When you remove the error of understanding on the reader's part, the prophecy opens up and becomes clear. This was a prophetic event for the original audience of this discourse, fulfilled in their near 70 AD future, but in our past.

44 Jesus uses the phrase “this generation” 5 times in Matthew's Gospel, and 15 times in all the Gospels combined. In every case, “this generation” was referring to the 1st century audience that Jesus was directly speaking to, that were currently living. There is not one single instance where Jesus says “this generation” that he is referring to a future generation, or race. The Greek vocabulary doesn't allow for it, and if you study the available dictionaries, you can only come away with the truth that Jesus means this to be the generation to whom he currently speaks to. Add to this fact, that “generation” speaks to a period of 40 years. It is roughly 30 AD when Jesus prophesies this judgment, and it is 70 AD when it finishes; exactly 40 years. This prophecy was fulfilled in its entirety in the late summer of 70 AD, as Daniel, many other prophets, and Jesus said it would.

Thanks for explaining this; I misunderstood the context myself. Now it makes sense !

 

[Starkherz199]

Thanks for explaining this; I misunderstood the context myself. Now it makes sense !

This is probably new exegesis for most people in the US, unless you've read commentaries made before 1909. But, it holds. Thanks for reading.

 

[xtp308]

I just finished this thread; it was WELL worth the time ! I can honestly say this has given me a lot of things to ponder. Upon reflection, I now agree almost whole-heartedly with the points the OP made.
We asked him to do this; he has a regular job, a Church job, and a young family. I truly recognize and thank the OP for his commitment and effort this took to prepare and present this to us !

 

[Starkherz199]

I just finished this thread; it was WELL worth the time ! I can honestly say this has given me a lot of things to ponder. Upon reflection, I now agree almost whole-heartedly with the points the OP made.
We asked him to do this; he has a regular job, a Church job, and a young family. I truly recognize and thank the OP for his commitment and effort this took to prepare and present this to us !

Thank you. The next couple of parts may be a while before I post. Need to get more research done before I post anything. I want to do it thoroughly.