Both preterism and historicism agree that all or the majority of Matthew 24 was fulfilled in the 70 AD era, and constitutes what Christ referred to as "great tribulation" (Matthew 24:21). Because He declared that it would be unparalleled prior to when it occurred, and would be unparalleled thereafter (Matthew 24:21), it can also correctly be referred to as "the great tribulation".
The accounts of Josephus furnish unassailable historical evidence to corroborate the Scriptural predictions and descriptions.
Unparalleled Tribulation
Josephus, the Jewish historian, was an eye-witness to the unparalleled tribulation that ended
in the fall and destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. His detailed and scholarly account, Wars of
the Jews, was published about 75 A.D., while the events of which he wrote were still fresh in
the memory of thousands. His history provides a marvellous confirmation of the prophecy
Jesus gave, even to fine details. Since he was not a Christian, no one can accuse him of
slanting his material to match the prophecy. The references we will give in the account that
follows are from Josephus.
The trouble in Jerusalem began over differences between the Jews and the Romans. There
were also differences between Jews--some favoured a revolt against Roman rule, others
hoped for a peaceful agreement. Those who favoured revolt became very violent and began
to kill those who disagreed with them. Troops were sent in to control the mob. War was on!
Not only at Jerusalem, but throughout the land there was unrest.
“Every city was divided into two armies,” Josephus says, “and the preservation of the one
part was in the destruction of the other; so the daytime was spent in shedding blood, and the
night in fear--which was of the two the more terrible… It was then common to see cities filled
with dead bodies, still lying unburied; those of old men mixed with infants, all dead and
scattered about together: women also lay amongst them, without any covering for their
nakedness: You might then see the whole province full of inexpressible calamities while the
dread of still more barbarous practices which were threatened, was everywhere greater than
what had been already perpetrated.”
The Jews in Alexandria that revolted against the Romans “were destroyed unmercifully; and
this, their destruction, was complete ... houses were first plundered of what was in them, and
then set on fire by the Romans; wherein no mercy was shown to the infants, and no regard
had to the aged; but they went on in the slaughter of persons of every age, till all the place
was overflowed with blood, and fifty thousands of them lay dead upon heaps.”
In one hour, over 20,000 were killed in Caesarea and the battle continued until “all Caesarea
was emptied of its Jewish inhabitants.... Galilee was all over filled with fire and blood, nor was
it exempted from any kind of misery or calamity." Such horror was in the land that one
prominent man, in order to save his family from a worse fate, took a sword and killed first his
aged father and mother, his wife and children--all submitting to it willingly and then took his
own life.
In Jerusalem, those of the revolting party were known as Zealots. They “fell upon the people
[who disagreed with them] as upon a flock of profane animals, and cut their throats.” In this
way, 12,000 of the more eminent inhabitants perished. “The terror that was upon all the
people was so great, that no one had courage enough either to weep openly for the dead
man that was related to him, or bury him...those that mourned for others soon underwent the
same death with those whom they mourned for.”
Slaughter continued until “the outer temple was all of it overflowed with blood, and that day
they saw 8,500 dead bodies there.” Included in this number were “those that a little before
had worn the sacred garments and presided over the public worship, which were cast out
naked to be the food of dogs and wild beasts.” Even those who came with sacrifices were
slain, “and sprinkled that altar ... with their own blood; till the dead bodies of strangers were
mingled together with those of their own country, and those of profane persons with those of
priests, and the blood of all sorts of dead carcasses stood in lakes in the holy courts
themselves."
“The noise also of those that were fighting was incessant, both by day and by night; but the
lamentations of those that mourned exceeded the other...their calamities came perpetually,
one upon another.... But for the seditious themselves, they fought against each other, while
they trod upon the dead bodies as they lay heaped one upon another, and taking up a mad
rage from those dead bodies that were under the feet, became the fiercer thereupon ... and
when they had resolved upon anything, they executed it without mercy, and omitted no
method of torment or of barbarity.”
Josephus wrote: “
I shall therefore speak my mind here at once briefly:--that neither did any other city suffer such miseries, or did any age ever breed a generation more fruitful in wickedness than this was, from the beginning of the world.” The calamities which befell the Jews were “the greatest of all those, not only that have been in our times, but, in a manner, of
those that ever were heard of; both of those wherein cities have fought against cities, or
nations against nations...it appears to me that the misfortunes of all men, from the beginning
of the world, if they be compared to these of the Jews, are not so considerable as they were.”
In a footnote, the Christian translator of Josephus' works adds this comment: “That these
calamities of the Jews, who were our Saviour’s murderers, were to be the greatest that had
ever been since the beginning of the world, our Saviour had directly foretold (
Matthew 24:21;
Mark 13:19;
Luke 21:23,24) and that they proved to be such accordingly, Josephus is here a
most authentic witness.”
“There have been, of course, other periods of tribulation or suffering in which greater
numbers of people were involved, and which continued for longer periods of time,” writes
Boettner. “But considering the physical, moral, and religious aspects, suffering never
reached a greater degree of awfulness and intensity than in the siege of Jerusalem. Nor
have so many people ever perished in the fall of any other city. We think of the atomic bomb
that was dropped on Hiroshima as causing the greatest mass horror of anything in modem
time. Yet only about one-tenth as many people were killed in Hiroshima as in the fall of
Jerusalem. Add to the slaughter of such a great number the inappropriate behavior with animals of Jews to Jews and of
Roman to Jews and the anguish of a people who knew they were forsaken of God, and we
see the justification for Christ's words, ‘For then shall be great tribulation, such as hath not
been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever shall be!’”
When Jesus spoke of tribulation ”such as was not since the beginning of the world ... nor ever
shall be,” He was using a proverbial form of expression. Similar expressions are found in
various ways in the scriptures: “...before them there were no such locusts as they, neither
after them shall be such” (
Exodus 10: 14). “I will give thee [Solomon] riches, and wealth, and
honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there
any after thee have the like” (
2 Chronicles 1: 12). “...there was none like thee before thee,
neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee" (
1 Kings 3:12). “I will do in thee that which I
have not done, and whereunto I will not do any more the like” (
Ezekiel 5:8,9). "...a great
people ... there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the
years of many generations” (
Joel 2:2). “A time of trouble, such as never was since there was
a nation even to that same time” (
Daniel 12: 1).
Some might argue there have been greater times of tribulation since 70 A.D. They could also
argue that there have been kings who have had more wealth and honour than Solomon. But
seeing how this expression was used in the scriptures, we should not attempt to press it
beyond its intended meaning. We believe the historical fulfilment fully meets the
requirements of the prophecy about great tribulation and wrath upon that land and people.
Source: Great Prophecies of the Bible by
Ralph Woodrow
