The disciples asked Jesus: „Tell us, when will this (the destruction of the temple) happen? And how will we know that you are coming and that the end of the world is here?“ (Matth. 24,3)

The disciples enquired about two events in one sentence: On the one hand, the fall of the temple and Jerusalem and, on the other, the return of Christ and the associated end of the world. The disciples assumed that these events would occur simultaneously. For them at that time, the fall of the great temple was only conceivable in connection with the return of Jesus and the end of the world. Today, of course, we know that there is a long time in between.

It is astonishing that Jesus nevertheless answered precisely this question of the disciples in detail. His answer covers the chapters Matthew 24 and 25, as well as the parallel chapters Mark 13 and Luke 21.

We notice that Jesus did not mention the temporal separation of the two events at all. One reason for this was certainly Jesus' intention not to worry the disciples. If he had told them that he would only return after such a long time, this would have discouraged them.

But there is another reason: Jesus saw the parallels between the events then, which led to the end of the Jewish nation as the people of God, and the events now, before his return, which will lead to the end of the world and the establishment of the kingdom of God. Jesus linked the description of these two events. When he referred to the destruction of Jerusalem, his prophetic words also referred to the last world conflagration.

He did not give his explanations for the sake of the disciples alone, but at the same time he was thinking of all those who live in the last days of human history. What our Lord Jesus said has meaning for then and for today. And that is precisely what makes his answer so interesting for us to consider.

We can say that in the picture that Jesus paints with his answer, Jerusalem is the foreground and the Second Coming with the end of the world is the background. The fall of Jerusalem is, so to speak, a „mini end of the world“ and an example for us who live at the end of the time before the return of Jesus and the great end of the world. We can draw extraordinarily valuable conclusions from this for ourselves.

Overview

• How was it that all of Jesus' disciples were able to get to safety in time?
• Why did the other very religious people suffer such a terrible fate?
• How did the boldest Jews who survived the fall of Jerusalem for three years in the impregnable fortress of Masada fare?
• What does the Bible say about the greatest day in the history of the world, the day of Jesus' return?
• What promise of God do we have for the coming crisis?

What clues did Jesus give about the future of Jerusalem?

We read in Luke 19:41-44:

„When Jesus drew near and saw the city lying before him, he wept and said, 'If only you could recognise today what brings you peace! But you are blind to it.

There will come a time when your enemies will throw up a wall around you, besiege you and enclose you on all sides. They will completely destroy you and your inhabitants and leave not one stone upon another. For you did not recognise the day when God would come to your aid.“

We read further in Luke 21:20-24:

„When enemy armies besiege Jerusalem, you know that the city will soon be destroyed. Then let all the inhabitants of Judea flee to the mountains! Those who are in the city should leave it quickly, and the people of the countryside should not enter the city! For then the days of judgement will come, when everything foretold in the scriptures will be fulfilled.

Women who are expecting a child or breastfeeding a baby will be hit particularly hard. The whole country will suffer terrible hardship because God's wrath will be directed against this people. The people will be slain with the sword or carried off as captives into the whole world. Jerusalem will be devastated by foreigners until their time is up.“

What was it like in Jerusalem around 30 years after the death of Jesus?

We know from the Bible and from history - especially from Flavius Josephus and his work „The Jewish War“, - what developments were like at the time. Josephus is an eyewitness. He was first a Jewish commander of Galilee, then a Roman war correspondent after his capture and pardon.

The voices against the hated Rome grew louder and louder. Fanatics and rebels gathered in the Jewish Zealot party. They constantly demanded the abolition of foreign rule. Each of them carried a dagger under their robes. They also tyrannised their own countrymen.

High-handed attacks by the Roman procurators exacerbated the situation. The riot broke out in May 66 AD. The Roman cohort in Jerusalem was killed. Uprisings broke out throughout the country, so that Cestius Gallus, the Roman governor in Syria, had to be called in to help. At the end of September 66 AD, he advanced on Jerusalem with his legion. The new city of Jerusalem was soon captured and the battle for the temple eased. The Jews put up fierce resistance.

Jerusalem was now surrounded by enemy armies. Those who lived in the countryside could now easily flee. But how can you flee from a besieged city in large numbers with women and children? Did Jesus tell them an impossible sign? Did he tell them something wrong?

Josephus reported: „Cestius (Gallus), who seemed to have no knowledge of the despair of the besieged or of the mood of the people (a significant proportion already wanted to surrender the city), suddenly ordered his soldiers to retreat, gave up all hope, although he was not struck by any misfortune, and incomprehensibly left the city.“

The Romans withdrew. The Zealots pursued them and inflicted heavy losses on them. During the eight days of persecution, the disciples had the opportunity to leave Jerusalem without being prevented by the Romans or the Zealots. The Romans and Zealots headed west. Where should the disciples flee to? ... What did Jesus say? ... to the mountains! They are in the east over the Jordan. The disciples were all able to escape unhindered to Pella, a town in the mountains on the other side of the Jordan. They were safe there. When the Romans returned, they first conquered the land areas. But they left the area above the Jordan, where the disciples were, untouched.

Let us look back for a moment at the disciples of that time and ask ourselves: Would I have fled with them?

You can only escape from a besieged city - if at all - at great risk. When the Romans withdrew, the Christians fled. Is it even necessary to flee when the enemies are gone? The threat was gone. There were no military reasons to flee after the Romans had left. The Romans only returned to Jerusalem themselves after four years. They had withdrawn in October 66 and did not besiege Jerusalem again until the spring of 70.

Why did the disciples flee anyway?

They fled because they obeyed Jesus' word. They obeyed the seemingly illogical word of Jesus, even though there was apparently no longer any danger. To flee meant to save one's bare life and a few belongings; to leave the house; to leave one's possessions behind.

How could they make such a big decision when there was apparently no longer any danger? I am convinced of one thing: the Christians of that time lived in constant obedience of faith. There were no difficult considerations for them. They simply obeyed the word of Jesus because they were used to trusting him in everything. The fleeing disciples only saved their lives. They lost their homes and possessions. Many of them gave their wealth to the church. The „clever“ people who stayed behind kept their house and possessions for another four years. Then they also lost everything and their lives.

Would you have fled with us back then? I mean, whether we would have fled with him only because of the word of Jesus can be determined by each of us personally if we answer the following questions: If so, do I obey everything I already know from his word out of trust in him and his love?

Anyone who does not follow God's word in any respect today or who represses things would not have fled back then either. Those who do not develop the good habit of following Jesus in everything today are extremely vulnerable when a time of crisis comes. But if we learn to trust and obey Jesus today in this good time of freedom, then we will surely make good decisions in future crises too.

What did Jesus recommend to them for the time of their escape?

„Ask God that you do not have to flee in winter or on a Sabbath.“ Matth. 24,20

Did the Christians pray this back then? With certainty! How did the Lord answer their prayer? The flight of the Christians took place - according to our calendar - on 19 Oct. 66 AD.AD, just before the onset of the rainy season. Rain is catastrophic on unpaved roads. The disciples were therefore able to flee in mid-October. This is a time when it is no longer hot and the autumn rains have not yet begun. If you have to flee, then this was a favourable time in terms of the season.

How did the other part of the request go?

The Romans withdrew from Jerusalem on Thursday, 16 October 66 AD. Jesus had made it extremely urgent for them to flee immediately. Why didn't they flee immediately? Friday was too short to flee, as the Sabbath began at around 6 pm. They didn't flee on the Sabbath, but instead sanctified this day according to Christ's commandment. They did not flee until Sunday, 19 October. This clearly shows that they were not aware of the Sabbath being moved to the first day of the week in honour of Jesus' resurrection and, since Jesus himself gave this command, that Jesus did not intend this either.

The Jews did not honour the Sabbath at that time. They carried out several raids and major attacks on the Romans on the Sabbath. The Christians, however, kept the Sabbath holy, even under these exceptional circumstances.

Why was it so important to Jesus that the flight did not fall on the Sabbath?

The Sabbath was instituted by Christ at creation. That is why He calls Himself Lord of the Sabbath. He gave it to us as a gift and protected it in the Ten Commandments (John 1:1-3, 14; Mark 2:27, 28; Genesis 2:1-4; Exodus 20:8-11). God rested that day. The Bible does not say that he rested. God does not get tired. The Lord rested and rests in order to have a special time of fellowship with us each week. And man should also rest from work in order to have fellowship with his Creator and Saviour, because fellowship with Christ is the anchor of our lives. The Sabbath is an island in the ocean of time where we encounter the freedom, hope and human kindness of God. Jesus considered it so important that they should have this fellowship with him on the Sabbath, even in this dramatic time of flight. In such great need, it is so important to know that my life is in the hands of the Almighty, who rules over me in goodness, and I am in covenant with him.

How was it that all the followers of Jesus were able to get to safety in time? Because they trusted Jesus and acted exactly according to his word. God's promise for the end times also came true for them: „The Lord knows how to deliver those who honour him from tribulation.“ 2 Peter 2:9

Can we rely on the words of Jesus? Heaven and earth will pass away sooner than a word of Jesus will not be fulfilled. (Matth. 24,35)

In the spring of 70 AD, Titus, the future Roman emperor, advanced on Jerusalem with 80,000 men. Jesus had said: ... the people of the country should not enter the city. (Luke 21:21) The disciples adhered to this. They stayed away from Jerusalem for four years. They would probably have been threatened by the Zealots in Jerusalem. The Jews did not comply. They stayed in the city and the people from the country went there. Jerusalem was packed with pilgrims who had come for the Passover when it was shut down. Those who do not obey Jesus' word are in great trouble.

Many of those trapped were religious people. After all, they had come for the Passover. This festival had originally been instituted by God. But with the death of Jesus, it had lost its divine purpose. The will of God had been replaced by many human teachings and institutions in the Jewish church of the time. Jesus had already told them about this decades earlier: „This people honours me only with words, says God, but with their hearts they are far from me, their whole worship is meaningless, for they teach only commandments that men have made up. You push God's commandment aside, but you hold fast to the precepts of men.“ Mark 7:6-8

Jesus made it very clear in the Sermon on the Mount that it is useless to be religious without obedience of faith.

He said: „On the day of judgement, many will say to me: Lord, Lord! In your name we have proclaimed God's instructions, in your name we have cast out evil spirits and performed many miracles. And yet I will pronounce judgement on you: I never knew you. You have failed to live according to God's will; away with you.“ Matth. 7,22.23

Through Jesus and the apostles, the true believers had allowed themselves to be called out of the Jewish church, which no longer did the will of God. This statement is so important for us to realise that it is not religious people who are saved, but those who trust and follow Jesus Christ and the Word of God.

God had withdrawn his protective hand from Jerusalem. Unfortunately, the Jews had not utilised the centuries of God's grace. (Daniel 9:25 - 70 year-weeks = 490 years) So at some point the end of grace came. God in his love wants to save. Jesus wept over Jerusalem and told them: „How often I wanted to gather your inhabitants around me, like a hen takes her chicks under her wings! But you have not wanted to.“ Matth. 23,27

All religiosity is useless if people do not do the will of God. This is also largely the tragedy of our time.

What happened in Jerusalem after the protective grace of God withdrew?

Terrible things were happening. The battle for Jerusalem grew fiercer from month to month. Titus repeatedly called on the Jews to surrender, as he wanted to spare the city and the temple. They did not want to. Titus therefore gave the order to take harsh action. All those who left Jerusalem under cover of darkness and were caught were crucified; around 500 were crucified every day. A forest of crosses grew around Jerusalem. Only when there was no more wood available did the Romans stop.

In order to prevent any escape and any supply for Jerusalem, Titus had an earth wall with fortifications thrown up and a chain of posts set up. What had Jesus predicted? „A time is coming when your enemies will throw up a wall around you, besiege you and enclose you on all sides. They will completely destroy you and your inhabitants and leave not one stone upon another. For you did not recognise the day when God would come to your aid.“ Luke 19:43.44

Hunger raged terribly in the city. People starved to death en masse. Within three months, the Jews managed to get 115,800 corpses out of just one city gate. But they refused to surrender. As soon as the shadow of something edible appeared, a fight for it began. They chewed their belts and shoes, old hay and - babies. What had Jesus predicted? „It will hit women who are expecting a child or breastfeeding a baby particularly hard.“ Luke 21:23

It is terrible what people do when God's spirit withdraws from them. A saying goes: „Humanity without divinity leads to bestiality“, i.e. human behaviour without divine influence leads to bestiality. Left to himself, man is capable of anything. He is also very susceptible to superstition and the influence of demons. The „wrath of God“ consisted of God withdrawing from them after they had repeatedly spurned his grace.

As before, many from Jerusalem wanted to escape starvation under the cover of night. They were picked up by the Romans' auxiliary troops. They had heard that the fugitives were carrying gold and precious stones, which they swallowed so that they could not be taken from them. And so they slit open their bellies - 2,000 in one night. Titus was furious. He had the culprits killed too. But the gruesome events continued.

The Romans attacked Jerusalem non-stop and took it piece by piece. Titus offered that the Jews could fight with the Romans elsewhere in order to preserve the temple. They refused. Titus ordered the temple to be spared. But the soldiers threw flaming torches into it in their rage. Titus ordered them to extinguish it. No one listened to him.

There was murder and looting. Titus finally ordered the burnt temple to be razed to the ground. The soldiers did a great job. Due to the heat of the fire, much of the gold from the temple had seeped into the ground, so they even turned over the soil. As a result, the Edomite Turnus Rufus was finally able to pull the plough over the temple square.

What had Jesus said about the buildings of the temple? „Therefore God will abandon your temple, and the temple will lie desolate. I tell you, not one stone here will be left upon another. Everything will be destroyed down to the ground.“ Matth. 23,38 and 24,2

Many people back then and today do not care what God has said. But everything that the prophets of God foretold is being fulfilled.

Over a million people lost their lives in that terrible Jewish war. 97,000 were taken captive as slaves. Of these, another 11,000 died of hunger because they were not given food immediately. Some of the men over the age of 17 were sent to the gold mines in Egypt. The rest were distributed to the provinces of the Roman Empire to die by the sword or wild animals in plays. Up to 2000 Jewish slaves perished per „play“. No city has ever experienced such a terrible fate as Jerusalem. It is indeed an example of the end of the world. What had Jesus predicted? „People will be put to the sword or taken captive into the whole world. Jerusalem will be devastated by the strangers ...“ Luke 21:24

Why did the other people, who were also religious, suffer such a terrible fate?

Because they did not trust Jesus and therefore did not obey his word. They died by sword, starvation, crucifixion, suicide and in slavery. Jesus named the cause: „But you didn't want to.“ Matth. 23,37

The war did not end with the destruction of Jerusalem: some of the most daring Zealots were able to escape to the impregnable fortress of Masada, which they had taken from the Romans in a coup d'état in 66. It was only rediscovered in the last century and largely excavated in 1963.

What happened to the most daring who relied on their boldness and strength? What happened to the impregnable fortress?

The Roman general Flavius Silva besieged Masada with 10,000 men. This fortress lies on a huge rock whose walls rise almost vertically. It has the shape of a giant ship. It is flat at the top, so that gardens could even be planted there. They had supplies for many years.

The Romans built a 3.5 kilometre-long rampart around the entire rock fortress so that nobody could get in or out. On the western side of the rock - where it is lowest - they spent two years building an earth ramp about 200 metres wide. On this storm ramp they managed to get a battering ram up. This enabled them to break a breach in the wall. By the beginning of May 73 AD, the fortress was ready to be stormed. The Roman assault was to take place on the morning of 2 May 73 AD. The Romans were outnumbered ten to one.

The besieged had realised the hopelessness of their situation.

During the night, the fortress commander gave a speech: its keynote: Better death than slavery. God has abandoned us! Let us end our lives ourselves. - After a second speech, they were ready. They were possessed. First, the men killed their wives and children. Then they chose ten of the men to kill the others. These ten drew lots to decide who would kill the other nine. The last one set fire to the buildings and then threw himself on his own sword.

During their assault, the Romans encountered burning buildings and 960 dead. - Today, Masada is the place where Israeli recruits are sworn in. The Israelis see the 960 defenders of Masada as their role models.

Those 960 people were definitely unfortunate people who had got themselves into a terrible predicament in which they were seized by panic. They had become victims of their own ideas and confidence in their own strength.

What happened to the boldest? They panicked and ended their own lives.

Jesus said: „... you did not recognise the day when God wanted to come to your aid“ Luke 19:44 and: „How often I wanted to gather your inhabitants around me, like a hen takes her chicks under her wings! But you have not wanted to. Therefore God will abandon your temple, and it will lie desolate.“ Matth. 23,37

God did everything he could in his great love and omnipotence to save them from this terrible fate. But they did not want to. Our great and gracious God, who is a God of love, respects our decisions, even if these wrong decisions make him very sorry, because he knows the outcome of these wrong ways in advance. If God then withdraws from us because of our decisions and leaves us exclusively to ourselves, then we are in great danger.

Since the destruction of the temple, many visitors to Jerusalem have been asking one question. God had already told Solomon this question and the answer to it a thousand years earlier: „Why has the Lord made this land and this house so desolate? Because they have turned away from the Lord.“ 2 Chron. 7:21

What is the decisive sign for us today? Back then, it was the siege by an enemy army. For us, the signal will be the Sunday law passed in the USA.

What does the Bible say about the greatest day in the history of the world, the day of Jesus' return?

There will only be two groups of people (we belong to one or the other). „Of two men labouring in the field, one is accepted and the other is left behind. Of two women who then grind grain together, one is accepted and the other is left behind.“ Matth. 24,40.41

„Then the king will say to those on the right, “Come here! My Father has blessed you. Take possession of God's new world, which he intended for you from the beginning." Matth. 24,34

What will happen to the others? „The present world exists only as long as God has ordained. When the day of judgement comes, it will perish by fire, and with it all those who have not obeyed God. ...

But the day of the Lord will come unexpectedly like a thief. Then the heavens will pass away in a firestorm, the heavenly bodies will burn up in fire and the earth and everything in it will melt away. When you consider that everything will pass away in this way, what an incentive this must be for you to live a life that pleases God!“ 2 Peter 3:7, 10, 11

The return of Jesus separates humanity into two groups: Those who have trusted Jesus in everything and have followed him will receive the kingdom of God; for the others it is the end of the world.

What promise of God do we have for the coming crisis? „The Lord knows how to deliver those who honour him from tribulation.“ 2 Peter 2:9

He saved the disciples then, he will also save the disciples today who honour him through trust and obedience.

Why are we faced with this decision?

The Bible says: „Live in expectation of the great day that God will bring. Do what you can so that it can come soon. For this is the only reason why the heavens will go up in flames and the celestial bodies will melt so that God can create something new. God has promised us a new heaven and a new earth. There will be no more injustice there because God's will reigns. We are waiting for this new world.“ 2 Peter 3:12,13

The return of Jesus and the end of the world associated with it will come so that all hardship on earth - illness, pain, suffering, death - will come to an end (Rev 21:3,4).

From then on, the entire universe is once again governed exclusively by God's love. God creates a new heaven and a new earth.

Perhaps many people will feel like a murdered king: a letter was found in his pocket. It was unopened and unread. The writer of the letter had warned the king by pointing out the intended assassination attempt. The letter could have saved the king, but he had not read it.

God has also written us a letter. Do we read and heed it? God has always warned people of coming judgements. Those who trusted his message of warning and - in obedience to his commandments - acted according to his will were protected from the plagues that befell the disobedient and unbelievers.

An American had ordered a barometer from a mail order company. It was delivered to him by post on 21 September 1938. When he unpacked it, it was set to „storm“. It occurred to him that this barometer could not be in order. He packed it up again on the spot, went to the post office and sent it back. Do we know what happened? On the same day, a hurricane blew his house away. - Will we trust the prediction of our Lord Jesus about the end times, obey it and be saved, or will we also think that this instrument - the Bible - is not reliable and suffer eternal loss?

Jesus has given us enough hints so that we will not be overtaken by the great catastrophe of the end of the world, but by eternal life in glory, in the kingdom of God. Those who heed Jesus' advice need not worry about their future.

What conclusion do I want to draw for myself? What decision do I want to make?

I can say that I made my decision at the age of 36. I struggled internally for a week because of this decision. Then I realised that there was no risk in entrusting my life to the God of eternal love. I am glad that I made my decision in his favour back then. I have never regretted it and am still happy about it today. I thank my Lord that he has given me a very valuable life in following him. - We only have today at our disposal. Let's make the most of it.

I recently read the following story: an aeroplane was approaching to land. A course deviation of just three degrees was the cause of an air disaster in which 95 people died seconds before landing. Three degrees off course - not really worth mentioning, but it was enough to destroy the lives of many people. We are also on our way. Our most important goal is: God and his kingdom. We will only reach it if we stay „on course“ or - if necessary - bring about a course correction. That is why we need daily and weekly fellowship with our Lord. This is the only way to prevent our lives from ending in disaster. Are we already on the landing approach? In another GodExperience article, you can find out more about the signs of the times then and now. Jesus said: „When you see all these things coming, then you will know that the end is near.“ Matth. 24,33. I hope that you can look forward to the great day of God with joy and confidence, and that you make the petition of the Lord's Prayer your petition: „Thy kingdom come“.