Program 262
Matthew 24 & the Destruction of Jerusalem

Matthew 24 prophecies the destruction of Jerusalem, not an end-of-the-world “time of trouble.”

Welcome to WLC Radio, a subsidiary of World’s Last Chance Ministries, an online ministry dedicated to learning how to live in constant readiness for the Savior's return.

For two thousand years, believers of every generation have longed to be the last generation. Contrary to popular belief, though, Christ did not give believers “signs of the times” to watch for. Instead, he repeatedly warned that his coming would take even the faithful by surprise. Yahushua urgently warned believers to be ready because, he said, “The Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” [Matthew 24:44]

WLC Radio: Teaching minds and preparing hearts for Christ's sudden return.

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Part 1: (Miles & Dave)

Miles Robey: Matthew 24 has got to be one of the most misunderstood chapters in Scripture. It forms the basis of a lot of end time speculation. Christians who believe it foretells the end of the world, look to Matthew 24 as a list of signs of the times to watch for, letting them know how near they are to Christ’s second coming.

But what if that’s not what the chapter is talking about? What if it’s actually describing events that have already occurred?

Hello. I’m Miles Robey and you’re listening to World’s Last Chance Radio where we cover a variety of topics related to Scripture, prophecy, practical piety, Biblical beliefs, and living in constant readiness for the Savior’s unexpected return, whenever that might be.

Back before the invention of GPS, even before paper maps became common, a common way to direct travelers at a fork in the road was to post a wooden stake there with arrows pointing in different directions. On the arrows would be carved the name of the town lying down that particular road. A prank mischievous teenagers would sometimes play was to change the arrow around to point in the wrong direction. So instead of, say, traveling to Rome as intended, you might find yourself in Naples instead.

Now, presumably, you might me some farmer or villager or stagecoach driver to correct you before you’d gone too far in the wrong direction, but the point is that changing the arrows on the signposts could potentially get you way off course. That’s what happens when we take a prophecy that has already been fulfilled in the past, and claim it’s fulfillment is yet future.

Now, most of us—and I’m including myself in that—are used to viewing Matthew 24 as a signpost of way markers for the future. If we can just find out where we fit in the flow of prophecy, then we can (we assume) know just how close we are to Yahushua’s return. But the truth is, very little of Matthew 24 is left to be fulfilled. Most of it was fulfilled nearly 2,000 years ago, so putting it off to the future is a good way to lose your way.

I know what you’re probably thinking: if most of Matthew 24 has already been fulfilled, how was it fulfilled and what part is yet future? Well, that’s what we’re going to be looking at today. Dave Wright is going to take us through this prophecy and explain what events fulfilled it as well as what part—and it’s a very small part—is yet future.

Dave? The time’s all yours.

Dave Wright: Thank you, Miles.

Whenever we gain more light and a clearer understanding of prophecy, it’s necessary to re-examine what we used to believe because, if what we believed was in error, what’s the truth? If Matthew 24 is not, as we previously believed, a prophecy detailing last day events, if it has already been fulfilled, then when and how was it fulfilled? That’s what we’re going to look at today and by the time we reach the end, I think it will become clear that the way we’ve been using Matthew 24 as proof that we’re living in the last days has been an abuse of the text.

Miles: Matthew 24 has corresponding accounts in Luke 21 and Mark 13, right?

Dave: Yes. So what we say about Matthew 24 applies to those other chapters as well. We’re going to focus on Matthew 24, though, because it’s the most detailed.

Let’s get it in context. Matthew 23 is Yahushua’s heartbroken appeal to the scribes and the Pharisees. It was the last time he ever set foot in the temple and he tried one last time to break through their hypocrisy. Matthew 24 picks up just as Yahushua is leaving the temple for the last time.

Go ahead and start reading with verses 1 and 2.

Miles: “Yahushua left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. ‘Do you see all these things?’ he asked. ‘Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.’”

Dave: Every country has buildings that have become synonymous with their national identity.

• Egypt has the Great Pyramid.
• India has the Taj Mahal.
• France has the Eiffle Tower.

Miles: China has the Great Wall.

Dave: Peru has Machu Pichu. Just looking at a picture of these edifices, you know which country they’re found in.

Well, for the Israelites, that was their temple. Herod the Great had added a lot to it, and it was truly a beautiful building. Their national pride was bound up in this building in a way it’s difficult for us today to understand fully.

So you can imagine the disciples’ shock when Yahushua said, “You see all this? The time’s coming when everything you see is going to be destroyed. Not even one stone will be left on top of another.”

Go on to verse 3.

Miles: “As Yahushua was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. ‘Tell us,’ they said, ‘when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’”

Dave: To the disciples, knowing the Old Testament promises of a king to reign forever on David’s throne, they were sure Christ’s prediction could only happen at the end of the age.

Yahushua answers their questions in order. He tells them what signs to look for leading up to the destruction of the temple, and he then answers their next question about the end of the age. To believe that Matthew 24 is a prophecy of the end of the world is to believe that Yahushua conflated the two questions, answering them as one. I don’t believe that’s true. Once you know the historical developments leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem, I believe it’s clear that verses 4 through 35 are about that: answering the question of when the temple would be destroyed. Only verse 36 on deals with Yahushua’s return, and most of that is reiterating in different ways how his return will be unexpected and take everyone by surprise.

Well, if it’s an event that will take you by surprise—even if you’re watching for it—then there are no “signs of the times” that will let you know when his return is near. Right?

Miles: That’s true.

Dave: We can know that verse 34 is the transition point between the disciples’ first question about the destruction of Jerusalem, and answering their second question of when Yahushua will return because the Savior makes a very definite statement there.

Let’s read it. Matthew 24 verse 34.

Miles: “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.”

Dave: That’s a very clear statement: “this generation”—the one sitting there listening to him—“will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.”

I have here a quote from the Greek-English Lexicon Of The New Testament. Here, would you read that for us, please?

Miles: Uh, it says a “generation” is: “a begetting, birth, nativity … passively, that which has been begotten, men of the same stock, a family the several ranks in a natural descent, the successive members of a genealogy.”

Metaphorically, it’s “a race of men very like each other in endowments, pursuits, character; and esp. in a bad sense a perverse race.” It can also be defined as “the whole multitude of men living at the same time.” And then it lists Matthew 24:34, Mark 13:30 and Luke 21:32. So, the other chapters that correspond to Matthew 24.

Finally, it says a generation is “an age (i.e. the time ordinarily occupied by each successive generation), the space of from 30 to 33 years.”

Dave: Yahushua was speaking with them just before his death. Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 CE. The last eye-witness account of seeing John the Beloved was … I think it was 96 CE, nearly 30 years after the destruction of Jerusalem. So there were certainly people alive in Christ’s day that were still alive when Jerusalem was destroyed.

Again: this statement marks the transition between answering when the temple would be destroyed and when the end of the age would come.

W. E. Vine in his Expository Dictionary Of Biblical Words, also defines a “generation.” Would you read the next quote on that paper, please?

Miles: Generation is “connected with ginomai, to become, primarily signifies a begetting, or birth; then that which has been begotten, a family; or successive members of a genealogy or of a race of people, possessed of similar characteristics, pursuits, etc., (of a bad character) or the whole multitude of men living at the same time, Matt. 24:34; Mark 13:30; Luke 1:48; [and Luke] 21:32. Transferred from people to the time in which they lived, the word came to mean an age, i.e., a period ordinarily occupied by each successive generations, say, of thirty or forty years.”

Dave: Yahushua was speaking to his disciples, I believe, in 30 CE. Some people place it as late as 33 CE. Forty years after 30 CE . . . was 70 CE: the destruction of Jerusalem.

All right. Let’s go back to the beginning of Christ’s warnings. What’s the first thing he told the disciples?

Miles: Uhhh … “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.”

Dave: If you believe Matthew 24 is a prophecy of Yahushua’s second coming, you’re going to have to have some explanation for this verse. Some Christians believe there will be people claiming to be Yahushua, or Maitreya, or whomever. But when we look at history, we actually see this occurred in the lead up to the destruction of Jerusalem.

Miles: Really?? That’s such an oddly specific prediction. Do you have any specific examples you can share with us?

Dave: Josephus writes about them. In fact, Josephus wrote a lot about the destruction of Jerusalem.

Miles: Before you go on, for those unfamiliar with the name, Flavius Josephus, like Paul the apostle, was both Jewish and a Roman citizen. His father was of the priestly lineage, and his mother was of royal descent.

Now, what’s so interesting about Josephus was that, as a Jew, he actually fought against the Roman Empire. He was a general of the Jewish forces, fighting against a Roman army led by Vespasian. Josephus ended up surrendering to Vespasian. He also claimed that the messianic prophecies that had largely instigated that conflict referred to Vespasian becoming emperor of the Roman empire.

Dave laughs: Great way to keep from being crucified … if your prediction comes true!

Miles: Which it did. Vespasian kept Josephus alive as a slave, but after becoming emperor in 69 CE, he granted Josephus his freedom.

Dave: Josephus, clearly a well-educated man, wrote largely for a Roman audience. This is why his histories are so valuable to us today because that help clarify the first-century Jewish mindset.

It’s from the writings of Josephus we know that a lot of false messiahs actually did arise, just as Yahushua had predicted.

I brought my copy of Josephus’ Wars of the Jews. We’re going to be quoting quite a bit from that today.

Let me find this first quote here for us …

Here we go. Would you please read the bracketed section?

Miles: “There was an Egyptian false prophet that did the Jews more mischief than the former; for he was a cheat, and pretended to be a prophet also, and got together thirty thousand men that were deluded by him; these he led round from the wilderness to the mount which was called the Mount of Olives, and was ready to break into Jerusalem by force from that place.”

Dave: Obviously, an insurrection the Romans would put down with force, leading to a lot of deaths.

Here’s another quote from his Antiquities Of The Jews. Please read that next.

Miles: Uh … “Now it came to pass, while Fadus was procurator of Judea, that a certain magician, whose name was Theudas, persuaded a great part of the people to take their efforts with them, and follow him to the river Jordan; for he told them he was a prophet, and that he would, by his own command, divide the river, and afford them an easy passage over it; and many were deluded by his words.”

Dave: These are false messiahs, claiming to be able to free the Jews from Roman rule. But, as Josephus said, they caused more harm than good. They were false christs, just as Yahushua had predicted.

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* * *Part 2: (Miles & Dave)

Dave: Okay, what’s next? Read verses 6 and 7 of Matthew 24.

Miles: “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.”

Dave: Wars and rumors of wars. This is one of the most common “signs of the times” modern Christians point to as proof of Christ’s soon return. But we gloss right over the last half of verse six that says, “But don’t be afraid. These will happen, but the end isn’t yet.”

Miles: Were there a lot of wars and rumors of wars leading up the 70 CE?

Dave: I’m going to let Tacitus answer that for you. As most of us know, Tacitus was a Roman historian that lived from approximately 56 to 120 CE. I’ve a quote here from the first volume of his Histories. Would you read that for us, please?

Miles: “The history on which I am entering is that of a period rich in disasters, terrible with battles, torn by civil struggles, horrible even in peace. Four emperors fell by the sword; there were three civil wars, more foreign wars, and often both at the same time.”

Wow. Yeah, that’s a lot.

Dave: And unless you’ve made a study of first-century Palestinian politics, how many of us would know this?

Josephus also writes about the wars that occurred leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem. Would you read this next quote?

Miles: Uhh, he says, quote: “The people of Caesarea had slain the Jews that were among them on the very same day and hour [when the soldiers were slain], which one would think must have come to pass by the direction of Providence; insomuch that in one hour's time above twenty thousand Jews were killed, and all Caesarea was emptied of its Jewish inhabitants.”

Wow. He’s describing genocide!

Dave: Twenty thousand people is a good-sized town! It’s terrible.

Keep reading. Finish verse 7.

Miles: “There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.”

Dave: Another translation says, “There shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes.”

Famine is a common aftermath of war. And pestilence—diseases—accompanies famine and loss of health. Yahushua warned this would happen and Josephus confirmed that it did, but not only Josephus. Turn to Acts 11 and read verses 27 to 28.

Miles: “During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.)”

Dave: The emperor, Claudius, ruled the empire from 41 to 54 CE, so before the destruction of Jerusalem.

Other historians confirm a horrible famine. Grab Josephus’ Antiquities there and turn to where there’s a yellow sticky note. Read that. Josephus is talking about Queen Helena providing help to the people of Jerusalem. What does that say?

Miles: “Now her coming was of very great advantage to the people of Jerusalem; for whereas a famine did oppress them at that time, and many people died for want of what was necessary to produce food withal, queen Helena sent some of her servants to Alexandria with money to buy a great quantity of corn, and others to Cyprus, to bring a cargo of dried figs.”

Dave: Tacitus also wrote about famine in his Annals of Imperial Rome. Go ahead and read where it’s marked there to see what he says.

Miles: “Many prodigies occurred during the year. Ominous birds took their seat on the Capitol; houses were overturned by repeated shocks of earthquake, and, as the panic spread, the weak were trampled underfoot in the trepidation of the crowd. A shortage of corn, again, and the famine which resulted, were construed as a supernatural warning.”

Dave: It’s all listed out, just as Yahushua predicted: famines, disease, earthquakes. And all of these were divine warnings of what was to come.

Miles: I think it’s interesting that he says, right here, that the people recognized these events as a supernatural warning.

Dave: Yes. This is why, in the destruction of Jerusalem, they were left without excuse. They had been given plenty of warnings to flee. Some did and escaped. Many did not.

For Christians that live outside of Palestine, our knowledge of the history of the region is typically limited to what we’ve read in the Bible, so we haven’t known from extra-biblical sources just how thoroughly and accurately Christ’s words were fulfilled.

Have you heard of Marcellus Kik? He’s a North American who studied at both Princeton and Westminster theological seminaries. He’s pastored in both Canada and the United States and was an associate editor of Christianity Today.

Miles: Yeah, I have heard of him. Isn’t he still alive?

Dave: Uhhh … if he is, he’s over 120 years old!

Miles: So probably not, then.

Dave: Anyway, I have here a copy of his book called An Eschatology of Victory. Have you read it?

Miles: No. Is it good?

Dave: It’s interesting. Turn to page 93. He’s talking about earthquakes that occurred in region in the lead-up to the destruction of Jerusalem. I think you’ll be surprised just how many there were.

Go ahead.

… And good luck with those names!

Miles laughs: “And as to earthquakes, many are mentioned by writers during a period just previous to 70 A.D. There were earthquakes in Crete, Smyrna, Miletus, Chios, Samos, Laodicea, Hierapolis, Colosse, Campania, Rome, and Judea. It is interesting to note that the city of Pompeii was much damaged by an earthquake occurring on February 5, 63 A.D."

Dave: That’s a lot of seismic activity!

I’d like you to turn now to Luke’s account of this discourse. He adds in a detail that Matthew leaves out. Read Luke 21 and verse 11.

Miles: “There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.”

Dave: It’s easy to see how this would be pushed off to a future fulfillment, but the truth is that this prophecy was, likewise, fulfilled in Jerusalem’s final days. In Wars, Josephus writes, quote:

There broke out a prodigious storm in the night, with the utmost violence, and very strong winds, with the largest showers of rain, with continual lightnings, terrible thunderings, and amazing concussions and bellowings of the earth, that was in an earthquake. These things were a manifest indication that some destruction was coming upon men, when the system of the world was put into this disorder; and anyone would guess that these wonders foreshadowed some great calamities that were coming.

Miles: That’s interesting that the people understood and accepted this as a sign. Today, we tend to be more dismissive.

Dave: Yahuwah always tries to reach us on whatever level we can understand. Here’s another quote from Josephus I’d like you to read.

Go ahead.

Miles:

Thus there was a star resembling a sword, which stood over the city, and a comet that continued a whole year. Thus also, before the Jews’ rebellion so great a light shone round the altar and the holy house, that it appeared to be bright day time; which light lasted for half an hour Moreover, the eastern gate of the inner [court of the] temple, which was of brass armed with iron, and vastly heavy, and had been with difficulty shut by twenty men, and rested upon a basis armed with iron, and had bolts fastened very deep into the firm floor, which was made of one entire stone, was seen to be opened of its own accord about the sixth hour of the night.

Dave: When speaking to Job, Yahuwah pointed out that He is in control of what we call “natural disasters.” As the Creator, He uses these things to get our attention. So, yes. “Fearful events and great signs in the heavens” were fulfilled before Jerusalem fell.

Let’s go back to Matthew 24 now. The next prediction is something that pastors frequently apply to our day but which, again, has already been fulfilled. Please read Matthew 24 verse 14.

Miles: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

Dave: Have you ever sat through a sermon where the pastor basically spanked his audience for the fact that we’re still living in a world of sin because, obviously, Jesus hasn’t returned yet so, get off your lazy bums and go witness to the world because he’s not going to return until the gospel’s gone to the world, and since he hasn’t come back, it hasn’t gone to all the world yet?

Miles laughs: You’ve endured those types of sermons, too?

Dave: I think we all have. But the truth is, before the end of the first century, the gospel had already gone around the then-known world. And we know it had because the Bible itself says so!

Turn to Colossians chapter 1 and read verse … well, this is one of Paul’s long, run-on sentences. Read verses 21 through 23.

Miles:

Once you were alienated from [Yahuwah] and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

Dave: Paul said the gospel had been proclaimed to whom?

Miles: “Every creature under heaven.”

Dave: That’s right. Lars P. Qualben, in his History Of The Christian Church, talks about what happened to some of the apostles. I’d like you to read this quote and you’ll see how truly wide-spread their journeys were.

Miles: Okay, it says: “Tradition assigns the following fields to the various apostles and evangelists: Andrew is said to have labored in Scythia—

Dave: “Scythia” is the ancient name for Russia. This is why many Russians view Andrew as their special apostle.

Keep going.

Miles: “Philip spent his last years in Hierapolis in Phyrgia.”

Dave: That’s in Asian Turkey.

Miles: “Bartholomew is said to have brought the gospel according to Matthew into India.”

Dave: And not just India, but Ethiopia, Mesopotamia, Parthia in Iran and Lycaonia in modern-day Turkey.

Miles: “The tradition concerning Matthew is rather confused. He is said to have preached to his own people, and afterward in foreign lands.”

Dave: Thomas is also said to have taken the gospel to India where it is believed he was martyred. And this is very interesting because when Marco Polo traveled from Europe to China, he kept encountering groups of Christians who, he said, “knew not the pope.”

Go on.

Miles: “James Alphaeus is said to have worked in Egypt. Thaddeus is said to have been the missionary to Persia. Simon Zelotes is said to have worked in Egypt and in Britain; while another report connects him with Persian and Babylonia. The evangelist John Mark is said to have founded the church in Alexandria.”

Dave: And these are just some of them. One ancient account claimed that Joseph of Aramathea took the gospel to the British isles. Andrew took the gospel to the Greeks. Some accounts put both Simon the Zealot and Thaddeus in Beirut and being martyred there the same year, so you can see that the apostles really got around.

Miles: What about Matthias? The apostle that the disciples voted in to replace Judas Iscariot?

Dave: It’s believed that Matthias preached around Cappadocia in what is central Turkey, as well as in modern-day Georgia, and clear over to the Caspian Sea.

Miles: Wow! That’s like … what is it? Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan … Turkmenistan.

Dave: That’s right. So, again, the gospel has already gone to the whole world. And it went, just as Yahushua predicted, in the first generation of believers before the destruction of Jerusalem.

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* * *Part 3: (Miles & Dave)

Dave: One of the things Yahushua said would occur within that generation was that believers would be called before authorities to answer for their faith.

Read Matthew 24 verses 9 through 13 to see Matthew’s account of this.

Miles:

Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

Dave: You can see why we’ve assumed this would occur during a “great time of trouble” just prior to Yahushua’s return. But now that we’re finally taking Yahushua at his word—that his return will take even believers by surprise—this is not a “sign of the time” to watch for. This has already occurred.

Mark, in chapter 13 verse 9, quotes Yahushua as saying, “Watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. And you will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.”

Miles: We don’t need extra-biblical accounts to know this has already occurred! The book of Acts is full of stories where believers were arrested and brought before courts and councils.

You’ve got Peter and John, first thing in Acts 4.

Dave: Stephen, dragged before the Sanhedrin and the first Christian martyr.

Miles: Right. And then there’s the time the Jews of Corinth drug Paul before Gallio, the proconsul of Achaia.

Dave: As well as Governor Felix, King Agrippa, and finally the emperor himself. So this all occurred, just as Yahushua had said it would.

Miles: Okay, in our first segment, you shared your conviction that Matthew 24, verses 4 through 35 all deal with the destruction of Jerusalem. And so far, everything we’ve looked at supports your belief.

But what about verses 15 to 16? This sounds so similar to Daniel 9. Hold on just a sec while I look this up …

Okay. It says: “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” I mean, he even refers back to Daniel! How did this have a first-century fulfillment?

Dave: That’s a great question, but it definitely did. Again, we can gain some valuable insights from Josephus, and he paints a very bleak picture.

Uhhhh … let’s see. There’s a place here in The Wars of the Jews that talks about that.

All right. Here it is. Would you please read … yes, just that paragraph there. It’s talking about the temple before the arrival of General Titus.

Miles:

And now, when the multitude were gotten together to an assembly, and every one was in indignation at these men's seizing upon the sanctuary, at their rapine and murders but had not yet begun their attacks upon them Agnus stood in the midst of them, and casting his eyes frequently at the temple, and having a flood of tears in his eyes he said, ‘Certainly, it had been good for me to die before I had seen the house of Yahuwah full of so many abominations, or these sacred places that ought not to be trodden upon at random, filled with the feet of these bloodshedding villains.’

Dave: When Yahuwah withdraws His spirit, human beings sink to the lowest depths of depravity and evil. We are not to stay where people are fully given over to the depraved lusts of their fallen natures. Yahushua said that when believers saw this happen, they were to “flee to the mountains.”

This is very literal, very practical advice for first-century believers. When this abomination that desolated the souls of men took over the holy place, it was the sign for believers to get out of Jerusalem and flee to the mountains. This was advice for first-century Christians in Israel, not 21^st-century Christians in the United States—which is how it’s often been interpreted.

Miles chuckles: Yeah, that doesn’t even make sense in the context of Matthew 24.

Dave: Now here’s something really fascinating. Luke’s account contains a fascinating detail that probably confused first-century believers but, by faith, they acted on the advice given.

Turn to Luke 21 and read verses 21 and 22.

Miles: “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her.”

Dave: Again, very specific, very literal advice given for the benefit of those living in and around literal Jerusalem in the first century. What happened was that the Roman empire finally had enough of the on-going Jewish violence and insurrections. The emperor sent an army under Vespasian to take and subdue Jerusalem. He built up fortifications. He virtually cut off Jerusalem from the rest of the world.

And then suddenly, inexplicably, he withdrew! I’ve got a copy here of Josephus’ explanation of what happened. Would you read that, please? Bottom of that page, top of the next.

Miles:

And now Vespasian had fortified all the places round about Jerusalem, and erected citadels at Jericho and Adida, and placed garrisons in them both. And now the war having gone through all the mountainous country, and all the plain country also, those that were at Jerusalem were deprived of the liberty of going out of the city. Now as Vespasian was returned to Caesarea, and was getting ready, with all his army to march directly to Jerusalem, he was informed that Nero was dead. Wherefore Vespasian put off at first his expedition against Jerusalem, and stood waiting whither the empire would be transferred after the death of Nero the Roman empire being then in a fluctuating condition, and did not go on with the expedition against the Jews.

Dave: Elsewhere, Josephus describes in exacting detail just how cut off Jerusalem was from the rest of the world.

Here. I printed them off. They’re both from Vol. 5 of The Wars of the Jews.

Miles: Umm … it says: “When the legions of Rome finally got to Jerusalem they camped at the Mount of Olives …

“Immediately after their arrival a trench was cast about Jerusalem. A nine mile long wall was constructed in three days that totally enclosed the city.”

Wow! To finish a wall, 9 miles long in just three days? You know he had to have a massive army to accomplish that.

Dave: Absolutely! The thing is, when the army suddenly and inexplicably withdrew—to those trapped within it would have been confusing—the Christians trapped inside saw this as the warning Yahushua had given. They got out, and no Christians died in the destruction of the city.

Miles: Incredible.

Dave: Not to get too far off on a tangent, but there’s an important point I wish to highlight here. When Vespasian withdrew, it was two years before General Titus returned. Two. Years.

Now it would have been very tempting for anyone who’d fled to see this and start rationalizing and justifying. They fled in a rush, and six months go by. Nine months. Twelve. A year and a half. Two years. It would be very easy to start thinking of their comfortable homes, maybe even once thriving businesses, and start justifying and rationalizing a return. But they didn’t. They trusted the warning of Yahuwah, given through Yahushua, and they stayed away.

Miles: And no believers lost their lives.

Dave: That’s right.

Now, the next part of Matthew 24 is where a lot of Christians have superimposed their belief in a “great tribulation” before the Second Coming. Let’s read it: verses 17 to 21. This is right after Yahushua told them to flee when they saw Jerusalem surrounded by armies.

Miles:

Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.

Dave: This is where the idea of a “great tribulation” comes from. But, again, it’s already been fulfilled! And those who look for a repeat before Yahushua returns, a repeat on a global scale, are going to be caught totally unprepared because he’s going to come when they least expect it.

Miles: Not to mention that there have already been horrific times throughout history that would very well have fit this description. And yet he hasn’t yet returned.

Dave: We can’t point to “signs of the times” or some great tribulation as evidence of when we think Yahushua will return.

Miles: Another thing that just struck me: Yahushua said to pray that their flight wouldn’t be in the winter or on the Sabbath. But if you’re applying this to his return, what possible difference would it make as to the day of the week or the season of the year?

But if you’re escaping on foot from the Roman army, it’s going to make a huge difference.

Dave: Absolutely.

Josephus gives a truly horrific description of the destruction of Jerusalem, the sheer magnitude of the loss of life, and how people died. We’re not going to read it, but it’s bad. Really bad. It’s estimated that over 1 million Jews died in its destruction, and almost 100,000 were deported as slaves.

Miles: What about this next section? You surprised me when you said everything through verse 34 is about the destruction of Jerusalem because this next section really sounds like Second Coming talk. Listen to this: verse 29. It says: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” Unquote.

Dave: We’ve assumed this is end of the world talk because we’ve assumed the “great tribulation” spoken of in verse 21 was describing a great tribulation just before Yahushua’s return.

But this isn’t actually end-of-the-world talk. This is typical, standard biblical language to describe the fall of nations and kings.

Miles: Seriously? Like where?

Dave: Uhh … Isaiah 10? It’s a prophecy against Babylon. Verses 10 and 13 say,

For the stars of the heavens and their constellations
will not give their light;
the sun will be dark at its rising,
and the moon will not shed its light.

Therefore I will make the heavens tremble,
and the earth will be shaken out of its place,
at the wrath of the Lord of hosts
in the day of his fierce anger.

Miles: Wow! Anywhere else?

Dave: Ezekiel 32 verses 7 and 8.

Miles: All right … give me just a second to find it.

It says:

When I blot you out, I will cover the heavens
and make their stars dark;
I will cover the sun with a cloud,
and the moon shall not give its light.
All the bright lights of heaven
will I make dark over you,
and put darkness on your land,
declares Yahuwah Adonai.

Dave: There are at least a half a dozen places that use this symbolism to depict the fall of a nation.

We need to take a look at verse 30 next. Would you read that, please? Matthew 24 verse 30.

Miles: “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.”

Dave: What we’ve overlooked is that this verse does not say that the Son of Man will then appear in the sky, but rather that the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven. That’s a big difference! And one we’ve rather deliberately overlooked.

Furthermore, the phrase “in heaven” refers to where Yahushua is, not where the sign appears. Literally translated, it’s saying at that time the sign of the Son of Man who’s in heaven will appear. It doesn’t say where or what it is, but simply that it will “appear.”

Miles: Sooo … do we know what the sign was?

Dave: The destruction of Jerusalem itself, after it rejected the Savior and all the prophets sent to it, was a sign that the Son of Man was now ruling in Heaven. This was a sign because the destruction of Jerusalem itself was a fulfillment of his prophecy.

We touched on this in another program. After Yahushua ascended to Heaven, he was exalted to sit on Yahuwah’s right hand. The spirit of Yah came down and anointed the disciples on the Day of Pentecost, but from that point on, Christ has reigned and believers have, by faith, reigned with him. We know this because Yahushua said, #1, that his kingdom was not of this world: it’s a spiritual kingdom. And, #2, we know this because Paul says that once Yahushua returns and Yahuwah’s kingdom is set up on earth, the Savior will turn over to Yahuwah all the power entrusted into him. It’s Yahuwah’s kingdom that reigns forever and ever, not Yahushua’s.

Miles: Hmm. Good point.

Dave: I know we’re quickly running out of time, so one last point: Yahushua predicted that not one stone would remain upon another. This was literally fulfilled.

Now, Titus, when he marched against Jerusalem, hadn’t wanted to utterly destroy it. Josephus records a speech he gave to the Jews that’s significant. Would you read his promise there?

Miles:

I appeal to my own army, and the Jews that are now with me, and even to you yourselves, that I do not force you to defile this sanctuary; and if you will but change the place whereon you will fight, no Roman shall either come near your sanctuary, or offer any affront to it; nay, I will endeavor to preserve you your holy house, whether you will or not.

Huh. Do you think he really meant it?

Dave: I do. Some Roman soldier, against orders, torched the temple. The fire couldn’t be stopped and all the gold melted and ran down between the pavers. This is why they dug up even the stones, to get at the gold.

Yahuwah wants to preserve life. He gave Yahushua that prophecy so that believers could watch for and escape the horrible destruction, but for believers today, it’s different. Starting at verse 36, he turns his attention to describing the end of the world. And what does he say? Verse 42.

Miles: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”

Dave: Today, we’re to keep a vigilant watch over ourselves because, unlike the first-century believers, there are no “signs of the times” to watch for. It’s going to take everyone by surprise, so we need to learn to live in constant readiness for Yahushua’s return, whenever that might be.

* * *Daily Promise:

Hello! This is Jane Lamb with your Daily Promise from Yah’s Word.

Nick loved music. When he was five, his father taught him how to play the mandolin. At seven, he began studying the violin and quickly became better than any of the local teachers. Nick’s father took him to Parma, Italy, to ask the great violin virtuoso, Alessandro Rolla, if he would give the boy lessons. However, as soon as Rolla heard Nick play, he immediately referred him to his own teacher, Ferdinando Paer.

After studying with his new teacher for a short while, Paer, in turn, referred Nick to his teacher, Gasparo Ghiretti!

Nick—Niccolò—Paganini was the most celebrated violin virtuoso of his time. The story of one concert he gave has become legendary. As Niccoló picked up his violin and began to play, a string broke. It was rather obvious, and after an initial gasp, an amused snicker passed over the audience. But Nick continued to play.

Then, to the surprise of all, and the obvious discomfiture of the violinist, a second string twanged and broke. Surely, he’d have to quit playing and replace the strings before he could continue!

But, no. Niccoló kept right on playing!

Incredibly, a third string broke! Now, a violin only has four strings. It was inconceivable that anyone, even the great Paganini, could finish the complicated song he was playing on just one string. But that is just what he did. As the audience sat in spell-bound silence, Niccoló smoothly continued to play clear through to the end of the song on just one string!

Such a feat could only be accomplished by someone with immense skill and talent. And yet, each one of us will, at some point in our lives, be faced with a situation that is beyond our ability to handle and no amount of skill, talent, experience, or education will be enough for us to discern, on our own, what we are to do.

When this happens, Yahuwah has the solution. Proverbs 3, verse 26, promises: “For Yahuwah shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.”

Hebrews 13, verse 6 concurs, stating: “Yahuwah is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”

Ultimately, it really doesn’t matter what life brings your way when you know that Yah is with you. With Him standing beside you, there is nothing you can’t handle!

As Philippians 4, verse 13 says: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

We’ve been given great and precious promises. Go, and start claiming!

* * *Part 4: (Miles & Dave)

Miles: Thank you for taking us through Matthew 24 today. I’m one that, for most of my life, believed that Matthew 24 was giving a description of the end of the world, not just the time leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem.

Dave: Well, I’m the same way. I could read through the latest news headlines, comparing them with Matthew 24, and feel as though I’d had my morning devotions because I was so convinced that I was seeing prophecy fulfilled.

Miles chuckles: Been there, done that, too.

Dave: But the prophecies we’ve overlooked have been Christ’s repeated and very clear statements that he’d come as a “thief in the night” and that “no one” would know the day of his coming.

Miles: I remember saying, “Well, he didn’t say we’d never know the day and the hour of his coming because the closer you get, the easier it is to see how near his return is.”

Dave: I know. I reasoned the same way. In fact, a whole school of thought has risen up around what is believed to be “signs of the times” and the need to keep watch so you can know when he’ll return. It’s called Last Generation Theology. They believe it’s crucial to know how near you are to Yahushua’s return because they believe moral perfection is required in believers when Christ returns.

Miles: Well, before you pointed out that Romans says no one with a fallen nature can ever reach perfection, I used to believe that, too.

Dave: So did I. The problem with that belief, of course, is that you build up this entire edifice of expectation. You interpret prophecies that have already been fulfilled as being yet future and, when you don’t see the “signs of the times” you expect, you think you’ve got more time. You can relax and put off making a full surrender.

That’s just not safe. Scripture repeatedly warns that Yahushua’s return will take even believers by surprise.

Turn to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 and read the first 6 verses, would you please.

Miles:

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.

Dave: Notice that Paul’s not saying you can predict when Yahushua will come. Just the opposite. Verse 2 reiterates that it will be like a thief in the night. But Yahuwah’s people can learn to live in constant readiness.

Miles: So, with most of Matthew 24 being already fulfilled, what benefit—if any—does that have for believers today?

Dave: It proves that Yahuwah’s word never fails.

When we look at fulfilled prophecies, our faith is strengthened to trust in Yahuwah’s promises that have not yet been fulfilled. As we see that every particular of Christ’s prophecy regarding the destruction of Jerusalem came to pass, we can know that Yahushua will return because Yahuwah has promised it, and His word never fails.

Miles: Beautiful. Thank you, Dave.

I want to thank you for tuning in. If you want to share today’s program, you can find it on our website at WorldsLastChance.com. Look for Program 262 called “Matthew 24 and the Destruction of Jerusalem.”

We hope you can join us again tomorrow, and until then, remember: Yahuwah loves you . . . and He is safe to trust!

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This program and past episodes of WLC Radio are available for downloading on our website. They're great for sharing with friends and for use in Bible studies! They're also an excellent resource for those worshipping Yahuwah alone at home. To listen to previously aired programs, visit our website at WorldsLastChance.com. Click on the WLC Radio icon displayed on our homepage.

In his teachings and parables, the Savior gave no “signs of the times” to watch for. Instead, the thrust of his message was constant … vigilance. Join us again tomorrow for another truth-filled message as we explore various topics focused on the Savior's return and how to live in constant readiness to welcome him warmly when he comes.

WLC Radio: Teaching minds and preparing hearts for Christ's sudden return.