31 AD, April 21, Monday Afternoon (Nisan 12)
And as He was going out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, behold what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another which will not be torn down.” And they questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, when therefore will these things be? And what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?”
A. The Temple will be torn down. This was fulfilled by Titus, the eldest son of the Roman emperor, Vespasian, on the ninth of Ab (late August) in 70 AD.
And He said, “See to it that you be not mislead; for many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is at hand’; do not go after them. And when you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end does not follow immediately.” Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
“But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake. It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony. And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. And when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not be anxious beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit. But you will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, and you will be hated by all on account of My name. “Yet not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurances you will gain your lives.”
“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is at hand. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are in the midst of the city depart, and let not those who are in the country enter the city; because these are days of vengeance, in order that all things which are written may be fulfilled. Woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land, and wrath to this people, and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”
A. Let those in the city depart. When the city of Jerusalem was surrounded by Titus and his Roman legions in the spring of 70 AD, the Christians departed the city and went to the city of Pella, which is east of the Jordan River.
B. wrath to this people. According to Josephus Flavius, the Jewish historian, 1,100,000 Jews were slain and 97,000 were carried away captive as slaves by the Romans in the war of 66-70 AD.
C. The times of the Gentiles. Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. Jews were allowed to remain in Jerusalem until the Bar Kokhba Revolt (131-135 AD). They were expelled from the city in 134 AD and it was renamed Aelia Capitolina. The city remained under foreign (Gentile) control until June 8, 1967 when it was liberated from Jordan in the Six Day War. In 1980, a proclamation was issued that declared Jerusalem a united city under Israeli sovereignty.
“Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on account of My name. And at that time many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many. And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come.”
And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew were questioning Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” “Therefore when you see the Abomination of Desolation (Daniel 9:27, 11:31, 12:11) which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; let him who is on the housetop not go down to get the things out that are in his house; and let him who is in the field not turn back to get his cloak. But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days! But pray that your flight may not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath, for then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall. And unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days shall be cut short.”
“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I have told you in advance. If therefore they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go forth, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. For just as the lightening comes from the east, and flashes even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”
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