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Meester-Chung

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Eternal torment was not a pillar of church doctrine for the first 5 centuries after Christ.



the best known advocate of soul sleep was Martin Luther (1483–1546).[98] In writing on Ecclesiastes, Luther says

Salomon judgeth that the dead are a sleepe, and feele nothing at all. For the dead lye there accompting neyther dayes nor yeares, but when they are awoken, they shall seeme to have slept scarce one minute.[99]

Elsewhere Luther states that

As soon as thy eyes have closed shalt thou be woken, a thousand years shall be as if thou hadst slept but a little half-hour. Just as at night we hear the clock strike and know not how long we have slept, so too, and how much more, are in death a thousand years soon past. Before a man should turn round, he is already a fair angel.[100]


How & When The Idea of Eternal Torment Invaded Church Doctrine

Matthew 10:28 Young's Literal Translation (YLT)
28 `And be not afraid of those killing the body, and are not able to kill the soul, but fear rather Him who is able both soul and body to destroy in gehenna.
 
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Jerryhuerta

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Adventists, Frank W. Hardy, Ph.D., creator of Historicism.org, and R. Dean Davis, Professor of Religion at Atlantic Union College in South Lancaster, Massachusetts, have reevaluated the traditional interpretation of Revelation 4–5 and Daniel 7:10-13 and determined that the scenes correspond and that the phenomenon took place upon entering the Laodicean era.[1] What they failed to grasp is that the seven seals are not phenomena that are taken back to the first advent, but in accord with the preface by the trump of Christ’s voice (Revelation 4:1), representing the trump heralding Rosh Hashanah, we are directed to the “things which must be hereafter,” the phenomena depicted by the opening of the sealed scroll, which are the books in Daniel 7:10. This is what my work is about, insomuch as the trials and tribulations depicted by the seals commence to sort out those who are truly Christ’s from those who are not, in concurrence with 1 Peter 4:17. These trials and tribulations are also depicted as horsemen and correspond to the locust army of Joel 1-2 and Amos 7:1-3. The souls who petition for relief in the fifth seal, correspond with those who petition between the porch and alter in Joel 2:15-17 and Amos’ petition in Amos 7:2. The relief is the turning back of the locusts army into the sea, they are turned back to the wicked when his people are sealed and the final trial by fire commences, depicted in Revelation 8-11, Joel 3, and Amos 7:4-8.

When the Protestants wrought a secular society, at the end of the 2300 days, it stripped society of the protections in the scriptures against exploitation.

Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you. Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. (James 5:1-7)​

The denunciation Babylon is drunk with the blood of the saints is seen in apostate Protestantism. This exploitation is the source of the torment of the souls in the fifth seal. Historically, Protestant missionary imperialism represented the rider of the white horse that led to wars for the resources of the world at the first attempt at globalism. The wars fulfilled the imagery of the rider of the red horse. Contemporaneously, the Protestants ended their churches’ intercession in commerce and exploitation ensued (the rider of the black horse), resulting in famines and death (the rider of the pale horse).

[1] Frank W. Hardy, Ph.D., “Revelation 4-5 and 19a,” Historicism.org, (July 1995, Modified April 15, 2005), 1. http://www.historicism.org/Documents/Rev4-5_Book.pdf; R. Dean Davis, “The Heavenly Court Scene of Revelation 4-5” (Andrews University Dissertations, Paper 31, 1986), 243-244.
https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1030&context=dissertations
 
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A Third Rebuilt Temple In Jerusalem Is Not Biblical

Prophecy teachers refer to these passages to justify their explanation of a future 3rd temple in Jerusalem.

And since these deceptions are from the enemy, they create events in Israel to make it seem like they are going to build a 3rd temple, and they very well might.

But the Bible passages that these teachers are referring to have nothing to do with the end times or a third temple in Jerusalem.

Daniel 9

Futurists claim that Daniel 9:26-27 foretells an end times antichrist who will make a 7-year peace treaty with Israel, the 70th week of Daniel.

The peace agreement would supposedly allow the temple sacrifices to take place. And after 3 1/2 years, the antichrist will supposedly desecrate the temple, to start 3 1/2 years of Great Tribulation.

But the 70th week of Daniel was fulfilled on time, after the 69th week. Go figure!

It was fulfilled from 27-34 A.D., when Messiah and His disciples confirmed with the Jews for seven years, that He is the promised Messiah who atoned for their sins by ratifying the everlasting covenant, as the Passover Lamb of Elohim. Read The Covenant Of The 70th Week

And the “people of the prince” is not referring to an end times antichrist, but it was fulfilled by Roman Prince Titus, who desolated Jerusalem and the temple and the Jews, in 70 A.D

Here is a Bible study that proves that it was Prince Titus.

Here is a study that shows the fulfillment of Daniel 12, the Abomination of Desolation, and the fulfillment of the 1,290 and 1335 days of great tribulation in Judea.

The 70 weeks of Daniel prophecy only speaks about the rebuilding of the second temple, and never speaks about a third temple.

It speaks about the coming Messiah, and never speaks about an end times antichrist.

It gives a 70 week time frame and never speaks about a 1,987+ year time gap in between the 69th and 70th week.

Inserting those things into the prophecy is an abuse of Scripture, as they are out of context with Elohim’s Word.

The concept of a futuristic 70th week of Daniel and one-man antichrist, is the creation of the Jesuits in the 16th century; as they sought to deflect blame about from the Roman Catholic Church as the Antichrist beast of Revelation, the Little Horn of Daniel, and the office of the Papacy, the Son of Perdition.

2 Thessalonians 2

Futurists claim that in 2 Thessalonians 2 Paul is speaking about an end times antichrist who will sit in the temple in Jerusalem and proclaim to be God.

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”

So what does Paul mean?

Keep in mind that when the Apostle Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, the Jewish temple was still standing, as it wasn’t destroyed by the Romans until 70 A.D., so any reference to a physical temple would have been to that temple, not an end times temple.

To understand that, let’s look at how Messiah defined the word “temple.”

In John 2:14, Messiah spoke of the physical temple. The Greek word for the physical temple is hieron.

And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business.”

Then just five verses later in John 2:19-20, Jesus spoke of the spiritual temple. The Greek word for the spiritual temple is naos.

Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” But He was speaking of the temple of His body.”

Whenever Paul used the word naos, he applied it to followers of Messiah, the Christian Church, which is a literal temple, but not a physical building.

Paul is saying that the Son of Perdition would sit in the temple of Elohim, that is, in the midst of the true church.

Instead of being an infidel who doesn’t believe in God, like so many pastors teach, the Antichrist does not reign outside of the Church, but in the very bosom of the Church.

Paul places the Son of Perdition nowhere else than in the very sanctuary of God.

The Pope sits (assumes a position of authority) as God in the temple of God, proclaiming to be the leader of all Christians.

The Pope is called the ‘Vicar of Christ’ which means ‘substitute for Christ.’

He proclaims to forgive sins.

He proclaims that salvation is only available through the Roman Catholic Church.

He preaches a message of ‘salvation by works’, instead of through the blood of Jesus.

Here is a Bible study that proves the meaning of the temple in 2 Thessalonians 2.

Revelation 11

Futurists claim that John is speaking about a physical temple, when he says to measure the temple, and to designate the gentiles into the outer court.

Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple (naos) of God, the altar, and those who worship there.” Revelation 11:1

The ‘reed like a measuring rod’ is the Word of Elohim, the Little Book of Revelation 10.

The Greek for reed or rod is “kanon” = canon of holy scriptures. Kanon is also translated as rule, or measuring rod.

Elohim was telling Martin Luther, a Catholic monk, to use the Scriptures to determine who was the true church, the Temple of Elohim; and who was the false church.

When Martin Luther and others measured the teachings of the Catholic Church against the Scriptures, they were able to see that it is the false church.

Here is a study about measuring the temple in Revelation 11:1-2

Ezekiel 40

The temple that Ezekiel envisioned has been fulfilled in the true temple of Elohim, one that is not made with human hands.

Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?” Acts 7:48-49

God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.” Acts 17:24

Paul told us that we are the temple of Elohim.

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:19-22

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” 1 Corinthians 3:17

“And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them.I will be their God,And they shall be My people.” 2 Corinthians 6:16

Zechariah 6:12-13 proclaims that the Branch, Messiah, would build the temple of the Father; which is made without hands.

“And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD: Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”

The followers of Messiah are the stones which build up the walls.

Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,” 1 Peter 2:4-7

The walls of the Holy City of Jerusalem are made up of Jasper, clear as crystal.

“Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;” Revelation 21:11

“And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.” Revelation 21:18

The light of the Father and Son illuminate the temple from within, so that their light shines through the clear walls, through the saints, to illuminate all that is around it.

“And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” Revelation 21:23

John drives the point home when Jesus proclaims that people who overcome will be a pillar in the temple of Elohim.

He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.” Revelation 3:12

The true tabernacle was made by the Father, not man.

Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.” Hebrews 8:1

An end times rebuilt Jewish temple with bloody sacrifices would be blasphemous.

Messiah is our High Priest whose blood atoned for all of our sins by His sacrifice.

If they ever do rebuild a temple in Jerusalem and restart bloody sacrifices, it will be a denial of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and a blasphemy to God.

Such a temple could never be called “the temple of God” and Christians should never support one being built.

A Third Rebuilt Temple In Jerusalem Is Not Biblical
 
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Jerryhuerta

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More specifically, Jezebel, the papacy, seduced the servants of God to commit fornication, which defiled the people of God, and the people of God represent God’s temple. Revelation 2:20. You are mistaken, the NT affirms the body of believers represents the sanctuary to be cleansed.

2 Corinthians 6
16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

The typical oblation was hardly meant to purify brick and mortar, any more than the antitype was to purity the heavenly sanctuary. It is fallacious to interpret that the object of Yom Kippur was to cleanse the physical temple any more that the antitype is meant to purify the heavenly one. Adventism forces a literal interpretation in place of a spiritual reality.

Rosh Hashanah represents the Day of the Lord, the commencement of judgment, which is the scene depicted in Daniel 7:10.
 
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In the near future, the world leaders have given up their power to Vatican City. While most rejoice at the thought of world peace and religious tolerance, Shane Turner and his Leap Crew aren't buying into it. It's not long before they identify the papal power as the Beast of Revelation and speak out against it. In response, the Vatican sets out to hunt down the Leap Crew. The end has begun.
 
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Mexico’s Persecuted Protestants Lack Simple Coronavirus Defense

While many people around the world are reaching for soap, water, and antibacterial hand gel to prevent the transmission of the new coronavirus, Angelina does not have that luxury.

Her family and a neighboring family had their access to water and sewage services cut off by local authorities in January 2019. Fifteen months later, they still have no access.

All in an attempt to force them to renounce their Protestant faith.

As of April 2, Mexico had reported more than 1,500 cases of COVID-19, with 50 confirmed deaths. Just three days prior, the government announced a national health emergency, suspending non-essential activities, banning gatherings of over 50 people, and encouraging the population to “stay at home for as much time as possible.”

Angelina, 50, with her three adult children, lives in the central state of Hidalgo, which reports 26 confirmed cases, 3 deaths, and a further 65 suspected cases. With this number all but certain to climb in the coming days, her family and others like them lack access to one of the first lines of defense against this invisible threat.

Article 4 of the Mexican constitution states: “Everyone has the right to access, disposal, and treatment of water for personal and household consumption in sufficient measure, safely, acceptably, and affordably.” However, this right is not enjoyed by all people. Nor is the right to freedom of religion or belief.

Mexico is currently on a monitoring list for the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), having previously been considered a Tier 2 country. Moderate and severe violations of religious freedom remain common, particularly in the states of Hidalgo, Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Guerrero. [Editor’s note: From 2015 to 2019, Open Doors even put Mexico on its World Watch List of Christian persecution, where it ranked anywhere from No. 38 to No. 41 among the 50 worst countries.]

The Mexican government’s reluctance to proactively defend religious freedom is often compounded by the nation’s Law of Uses and Customs, which gives significant autonomy to indigenous communities to implement and maintain their own social and cultural norms.

This law is meant to be exercised in line with the human rights guarantees in the Mexican constitution; however, in practice, this is not enforced. Many local leaders in communities functioning under the law mandate uniformity of religious practice and belief—compelling all members of the community to participate in the religious activities of the majority or face punishment.

One of the most common violations of religious freedom in Mexico is the cutting of access to basic services, including water and electricity. On January 14, 2019, authorities cut water and sewage services to two Protestant families in the primarily subsistence farming village of La Mesa Limantitla in the Hidalgo municipality of Huejutla, after Angelina and the others asked to be excused from obligatory financial contributions and community work linked to the celebration of Roman Catholic festivals and activities. Today, they are no longer recognized as members of the community and must walk half a mile to access water.

In addition to depriving religious minorities of access to basic services, even education, women within these groups can be singled out for particularly harsh treatment.

In the case of La Mesa Limantitla, Angelina was simultaneously stripped of her position as the community representative for Bienstar, a government well-being program. She was systematically ostracized and left without support after the local authorities threatened to cut other community members’ access to basic services if they visited her during her recovery from a hysterectomy in July 2019. Angelina told CSW, a UK-based religious freedom advocacy group, that as a result, no one visited her or offered support following the operation.

Angelina’s daughter-in-law, who was living with her as her caregiver after the surgery, was forced to return to her own home in the community because she was pregnant and could not continue without access to water and sewage services, leaving her mother isolated and alone.

Lack of access to clean water can lead to serious health issues such as malnutrition, diarrhea, and gastrointestinal disorders, creating a burden for those who are targeted as well as for those who care for the sick. The coronavirus pandemic is a real concern for many, but is of particular concern to those without basic sanitation.

Often government attempts to rectify situations such as these take the form of “agreements” and “negotiations,” which sometimes even invite further violations of freedom of religion or belief. For example, in an agreement with a community from Buenavista Bahuitz in the Chiapas municipality of Margaritas, children were forbidden from speaking about their faith and Protestants in the community were forced to pay a yearly special tax.

Reports have emerged in recent days that suggest that the government may have agreed to pay an illegal fine to restore the two families’ access to water. If these prove true, they highlight another concerning aspect of the reality faced by families like Angelina’s: in the rare cases where the government does take action, true justice is not served; those responsible for cutting the services are not held to account for their actions, and as a result, victims remain vulnerable to it happening again.

In another example, in February 2016 an agreement was reached that restored access to water and electricity for 27 Protestant families in the village of Unión Juárez in the Chiapas municipality of Trinitaria. This happened just days after Pope Francis visited the state, and the case was officially settled in April 2016 after the government paid a fine of 350,000 pesos (approximately US$18,500 at the time) to the community authorities. The fine, however, was illegal, and the fact that the state paid it arguably sets a bad precedent which could be used to justify future acts of discrimination.

Mision 21 Gramos, a Chiapas-based NGO that supports vulnerable groups—primarily those facing religious persecution—reported to CSW that a significant number of such cases in Chiapas remain open and unresolved. In a particularly striking example, approximately 31 Protestant families in the village of Mariano Matamoros in the Chiapas municipality of Venustiano Carranza, have been denied access to water, sewage, and other basic services since 2012. As a result, these families have suffered a variety of illnesses such as diarrhea, gastrointestinal diseases, parasites, and malnutrition. (According to Mision 21 Gramos, the deaths of two elderly men suffering from diabetes can be linked to some degree to this lack of access to water.)

Also in the southern state of Chiapas, 15 Protestant families in Barrios San José in the municipality of Teopisca have been without access to water since May 2016, and 10 Protestant families from the village of El Encanto in the municipality of Las Margaritas have been without water since November 2016.

Chiapas has reported 15 cases of COVID-19 so far. Experts say keeping your hands clean with soap and water is one of the simplest ways to prevent transmission of the new coronavirus. But for minority Protestants in communities such as these, maintaining good hygiene will be next to impossible.

Mexico’s Persecuted Protestants Lack Simple Coronavirus Defense
 
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JM

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Quote:

Here is the dictionary definition of the word Jesuit and Jesuitism BEFORE the dictionary was OWNED by the Jesuits:

JESUIT, n.
One of the society of Jesus, so called, founded by Ignatius Loyola; a society remarkable for their cunning in propagating their principles. (Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary).

JESUITISM, n. The arts, principles and practices of the Jesuits.

1. Cunning, deceit; hypocrisy; prevarication; deceptive practices to effect a purpose.

St. Paul said that 2 things MUST happen FIRST before the end of the world:

1. A falling away or apostasy from Apostolic Christianity.
2. The Antichrist or Man of Sin to be revealed.
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth (restrains) that he might be revealed in his time.
For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming. (II Thessalonians 2:1-12).

Source: Left Behind by the Jesuits!!
 
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16 hours worth of Bible prophecy videos covering the subject of the Protestant Eschatology, Historicism, presented by author and teacher Robert Caringola. He is the author of “70 Weeks: The Historical Alternative” and “The Present Reign of Jesus Christ“, both books contain insights into Bible prophecy, the Reformation and Church history. Although my eschatology is in flux Caringola is Bible believing brother worth listening to.

Bible Prophecy
 
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Binding of Satan – a’Brakel

Revelation 20:2-3: Although the devil is extremely evil, he lacks the power to exercise his wickedness at will. All he does and has done is only by permission of the Lord Jesus, where by graduation and duration are appointed. The devils fear the bottomless pit, so they prayed to the Lord Jesus not to banish them to it. Now he is caught, bound, and cast into the pit, chained and sealed therein, so that he should deceive the Nations no more.

He is a murderer, he spreads heresy, he blinds the senses of unbelievers, rules over them, and keeps them imprisoned in his snare, and wars against believers in their different ways. But now this will be cut off from him, and that for a period of 1000 years, a specific and determined period of a thousand years or so, till the thousand years should be fulfilled and no longer, for after that he must be loose a little season.

This is not meant to say that there will be no devils roaming the earth during these thousand years. For he will always roam like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. This refers to his public presence: he cannot form a public standing party against the church as previously, first through the heathen emperors, and later through the Antichrist, or what he will do again through Gog and Magog after the millennium.

– Wilhelmus a’Brakel, pg. 325 Commentary on Revelation
 
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Preterism and Historicism have some elements of truth in common. Spin offs are not normally as good but here goes...

Source: Keys To The Great Tribulation - Historicist.com

HOW THE WORDS OF JESUS WERE FULFILLED IN 70 A.D.

Judea had always been one of the most restless and rebellious parts of the Roman Empire, and from 60 A.D. onwards the situation began to deteriorate rapidly. Felix the Roman governor was succeeded by Festus, Albinius and then Gessius Florus, a brutal tyrant whose cruelty and maladministration was bound to result in an uprising; which it soon did; Florus was driven out of Jerusalem, the fortress of Antonio was seized by the Zealots and the pro Roman faction in the Holy City was slaughtered. The revolt spread like wildfire, and when Cestius Gallus the Roman governor of Syria who had advanced on Jerusalem, suddenly retreated for no apparent reason, the Jewish Zealots went on the offensive, convinced that God was on their side.

However, over the next three years, under the command of Vespasian who subsequently became Roman Emperor, and then of his son Titus, the Imperial Legions systematically subdued Palestine, gradually tightening the net around the Holy City, in which anarchy reigned as rival Jewish groups fought each other for control. Gabara, Jotapata, Tarichaea, Gischala, and Gamala all fell to the Romans with great slaughter, as the defenders and citizens were exterminated or engaged in mass suicide. These events are recorded for us by the Jewish historian Josephus, who was at first a commander of the rebels in Galilee before going over to the Romans.

The account of the Siege of Jerusalem, as given by Josephus makes gruesome reading. Over one million Jews perished in the siege by famine and the sword. The defenders were reduced to eating human flesh, and chewing grass and leather for sustenance. Those who ventured outside the walls by night in search of food, if captured were scourged, then crucified by the Romans in full view of the defenders. Sometimes hundreds met their fate in this manner during the space of one day. Perhaps some recalled the words of Jesus, when making His way to Calvary and crucifixion. He said to the women of Jerusalem:-

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

Josephus writing of the conflict says:-

"Our city of all those which have been subjected to the Romans, was advanced to the highest felicity and was thrust down again to the extremist misery; for if the misfortunes of all men from the beginning of the world, were compared to those of the Jews, they would appear much inferior upon the comparison . . . to speak in brief, no other city every suffered such things, as no generation from the beginning of the world was ever more fruitful of wickedness."

As the plight of those within the walls grew worse, many attempted to escape, swallowing their money so that it would not be taken by the Romans. When this was discovered, any subsequent deserters were ripped open and disemboweled by the Romans in search of gold. Eventually most of the city and the Castle of Antonio had fallen to the invaders, and the Jews took refuge within the Temple precincts. They prepared to make a final stand there, still believing that God would intervene and save them. Finally the Holy Temple fell to the soldiers of the Roman Prince Titus; fire brands were used by the Roman soldiers to set the Sanctuary ablaze, and soon the magnificent temple ot Herod was a heap of smoking ruins. The Roman Legions now carried their standards, the Eagle and the Serpent into the Temple and sacrificed before them in the traditional Roman manner, an ox, a sheep and the ultimate abomination — a pig. It has been estimated that at least one milion perished in the Siege of Jerusalem, and some ninety thousand survivors were sold into slavery, whilst seven hundred of the tallest most handsome captives were reserved for the March of Triumph through Rome by 'Titus and his Legions. Thus were fulfilled the predictions of the Lord Jesus, a generation earlier, and also of the prophet Daniel several hundred years before, when he had foretold concerning Titus and the armies of Imperial Rome:-

"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 . . . and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."
Daniel 9:26-27

THE ABOMINATION AND THE FLIGHT OF THE CHRISTIANS

One of the most amazing aspects of the Siege of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. was that not one single Christian perished in the conflict, the reason for this being as we shall see, that they heeded a warning prophecy of Jesus uttered over forty years earlier, concerning the Abomination of Desolation. Let us trace the events as they are outlined for us in the writings of Josephus.

Strange events and portents of doom had begun to take place in the city of Jerusalem as early as 62 A.D. Strange sounds were heard and lights seen shining over the Temple in the dead of night. The huge Eastern Gate which had been barred for years with iron planks had opened at midnight and during the Feast of Pentecost that year there had been a minor earth tremor. Then there appeared in the city a seemingly demented prophet, the son of Ananius, who daily cried out a message of warning and impending doom in the city streets:-

"A voice from the East, a voice from the West, a voice from the four winds, a voice against Jerusalem and the holy house, a voice against the bridegrooms and the brides, a voice against this whole people. Woe, Woe to this holy house and to this people."

When the Jews subsequently broke into revolt some four and a half years later, his previously apparently insane ravings began to have a ring of truth to them and when the Roman armies of Cestius Gallus surrounded Jerusalem and prepared to lay siege to it, the Christians recalled the warning prophecies of Jesus, uttered a generation earlier. Here are three accounts of His message as recorded in the Gospels.

A) "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). Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains. Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house. Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days. But pray ye that your flight be not in winter neither on the Sabbath day for then shall be great tribulation."
Matthew 24:15-21

B) "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 Judea flee to the mountains. And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house neither enter therein to take anything out of his house. And let him that is in the field not turn back again to take up his garment. But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days. And pray ye that your flight be not in winter, for in those days shall be affliction:'
Mark 13:14-19

C) "When ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains and let them which are in the midst of it depart out . . . for these be the days of vengeance.,"
Luke 21:20-22

By harmonising these three Gospel accounts we see that where Matthew and Mark referred to the Abomination of Desolation, Luke referred to the Roman armies; they were one and the same thing. The Christians in Jerusalem realised this, but surrounded by the Legions of Cestius Gallus, flight seemed to be impossible. Then by a miracle, or as Josephus puts it, "for no apparent reason," the Roman commander and his forces withdrew. The forces of the Jewish Zealots pursued the retreating Romans, attacking them with such ferocity that they were faced with total destruction. The Jews believed they had won a great victory, but the Christians knew that the

Legions of Rome would return, and that now was their chance to heed the words of Christ. They fled the city of Jerusalem and its neighbourhood, not even taking time to gather their possessions. They took to the mountains, and eventually according to the historians Eusebius and Ephiphanius they reached safety at Pella and other places beyond the River Jordan. Not one Christian perished in the bloody siege which followed.

What became of the prophet of woe? Josephus tells us that after proclaiming his message for some seven and a half years, he was killed by a stone from a Roman siege engine as he stood on the walls of the embattled city, still proclaiming woe to it and to the Holy Temple.
 
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