Jerusalem’s Destruction (Part 2): The Real Deal

(31 AD – 70 AD)

“Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it,

saying,

‘For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side,

and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.’”

— Luke 19:41, 43–44 (NKJV)

In the year A.D. 70, terrible calamities fell upon Jerusalem as the Roman general Titus, acting under Emperor Vespasian, led his troops to lay siege to the city. The invasion occurred during the Passover, when millions of Jews were assembled within Jerusalem’s walls. The city was overrun, and the Temple was utterly destroyed.

(History – Encyclopaedia Britannica)

THE SIGNS FORETOLD: THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION

Just before Christ went to Calvary to die for our sins—taking our blame upon Himself so that we might receive His righteousness—He predicted the destruction of the Second Temple. He did not leave His followers without warning. He gave them signs by which they would recognize when the “time of visitation” was near, so they could escape.

“And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation.”

— Daniel 11:31 (NKJV)

“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand),

“then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains…

And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.”

— Matthew 24:15–16, 20 (NKJV)

“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near.

Then let those who are 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.”

— Luke 21:20–21 (NKJV)

The sign was clear: Jerusalem would be surrounded by armies.

THE FIRST ENCIRCLEMENT

A few years after Jesus’ warning, in A.D. 66, Jerusalem was surrounded by Roman forces under General Cestius Gallus. Unexpectedly, the Roman army withdrew. The Jews interpreted this as a victory and pursued the retreating forces.

Christians, however, recognized the sign Christ had given. They understood that this was the moment to flee. With no enemy forces blocking their escape routes, they fled unmolested. Not one Christian perished in that invasion.

THE DESOLATION

Emperor Titus resumed the siege in A.D. 69. The siege lasted for months. Food supplies dwindled daily, yet the Jewish leaders refused to surrender.

Titus pleaded with the leaders to choose another battlefield. He did not wish to violate the sanctity of the Temple. Flavius Josephus, serving as Titus’ translator and advisor, earnestly appealed to the Jews to surrender and thus save their city and place of worship. His pleas were met with curses and insults.

One night in A.D. 70, the Jews launched an attack on the Roman soldiers. During the fighting, a firebrand was hurled, igniting the outer courts of the Temple. Though some attempts were made to extinguish the flames, a greater fire erupted from within the Temple itself.

Many Jews died that day; many others were taken captive and sold into slavery. The Temple was destroyed exactly as Jesus had foretold. Not one stone was left upon another. The structure collapsed in flames, just as Christ had warned.

“O Israel, you are destroyed,

But your help is from Me.”

— Hosea 13:9 (NKJV)

“O Israel, return to the Lord your God,

For you have stumbled because of your iniquity.”

— Hosea 14:1 (NKJV)

“By stubborn rejection of divine love and mercy, the Jews had caused the protection of God to be withdrawn from them, and Satan was permitted to rule them according to his will. The horrible cruelties enacted in the destruction of Jerusalem are a demonstration of Satan’s vindictive power over those who yield to his control.

We cannot know how much we owe to Christ for the peace and protection which we enjoy. It is the restraining power of God that prevents mankind from passing fully under the control of Satan.”

— Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, pp. 35.3–36.1 (italicized)

ANOTHER WARNING FOR US

There is a destruction greater than wars and conflicts. God has promised that sin and evil will one day be completely eradicated. In the judgment upon Jerusalem, we catch a glimpse of the foretold doom of a world that has rejected Life and Mercy.

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.”

— 2 Peter 3:9–10 (NKJV)

In the midst of earth’s troubles and uncertainties, will you hold on to God’s Word, worshiping Him in Spirit and in truth? God has spoken, and His word will surely come to pass. Will you heed His warning, or will you follow a deceitful heart?

May the Holy Spirit help us discern the times.

May God’s glory be revealed in our lives.

May we be found faithful and ready when the Son of God returns to claim His own, in Jesus’ name. Amen.