Signs of the End Time
were given to the disciples so they could watch for them and know when
He would return at the end of the age. All signs were fulfilled by
A.D.79.
Refering to the Temple buildings, Jesus said to His disciples, "Do you
see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone shall be left upon
another, which will not be torn down." Desiring to know more, the disciples
asked, "When will these things be and what will be the sign of your
coming and the end of the age? (Mt.24:1-3, Mk.13:1-4, Lk.21:5-7)
SIGN #1 - The disciples will be arrested and brought to trial and
be witnesses to the governors and kings who persecute them.
The gospel will be preached throughout the world.
A.D.33: At the Passover Feast Jesus told His APOSTLES He would ask the
Father to given THEM a Counselor, the Holy Spirit, after He was gone. The
Councilor, the Holy Spirit, would be with THEM, teach THEM all things and
remind THEM of everything Jesus said, and THEY would TESTIFY.
(Jn.14:16,26;15:26;16:7)
A.D.33: Three days later Christ appeared to the Apostles and others.
He would send THEM what the Father had promised and they would be clothed
with power from high. Repentance and forgiveness of sins would be preached
in His name TO ALL NATIONS beginning in Jerusalem. (Lk.24:47,49) When the
Holy Spirit came on the Apostles, THEY would receive power and be His witnesses
in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ENDS OF THE EARTH.
(Acts 1:8)
A.D.33: The APOSTLES received power when the Holy Spirit came upon them
on the Day of Pentecost. They then began witnessing in Jerusalem. Later
THEY went on to Judea and Samaria, and then to "THE REMOTEST PART OF THE
EARTH." (Ro.1:8; 16:25-27; Acts 8:5; Col.1:23)
A.D.33+: The witnessing also marked the beginning of PERSECUTION. This
PERSECUTION continued throughout Paul's missionary journeys while he was
preaching the gospel THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. (Acts 4-8,12,22-26,28,
2Cor.11:23-25)
A.D.46-48: 1st missionary journey
A.D.49-52: 2nd missionary journey
A.D.53-57: 3rd missionary journey
A.D.58: The gospel had been MADE KNOWN to ALL NATIONS and PROCLAIMED
in ALL CREATION UNDER HEAVEN. (Ro.16:25-27; Col.1:23) Paul made this comment
in A.D.61 in his letter to the Romans after his missionary journeys.
SIGN #2 - The beginning of birth pangs will be: false messiahs, wars,
famines, earthquakes, and terrors and signs from the heaven.
A.D.40-46: Sorcerer in Samaria called the great Power of God. (Acts
8:9-11)
A.D.46-48: False prophet and magician Bar-Jesus. (Acts 13:6-10)
A.D.50: False brethren were among them. (Gal.2:40)
A.D.57: Many disguised themselves as apostles of Christ. (2Cor 11:12-15;26)
A.D.60: Many false prophets were in the world. (1Jn.4:1)
A.D.61: Philosophy and empty deception according to the tradition of
the world was the elementary principle of the world. (Col.2:8)
A.D.66: False prophets were among them. (2Pe.2:1-3)
A.D.44-70: Great numbers of false prophets and deceivers were in the
world. (Wars of the Jews (Josephus) II.XIII.4 (52-59), II.XIII.5; VI.V.2)
A.D.41-54: Famine during the reign of Claudius (Acts 11:28)
A.D.63: The first sign of renewal of activity at Mt. Vesuvius was a
severe earthquake on February 5, A.D. 63. Earthquakes continued intermittently
for the next 16 years culminating with the eruption of Vesuvius in A.D.
79. (VE:Ch.8)
A.D.65: Terrors & Signs from the heavens: A comet was seen for
an entire year. Chariots and troops of soldiers in their armor sere seen
running about among the clouds and surrounding the cities. WJ: VI.V.3;
The Histories-Tacitus V.13
A.D.67: Famine in Gamala (WJ IV.I.7).
A.D.65-73: Wars & Rumors of Wars
Peace and prosperity ended in 65 when the Roman procurator Florus contrived
devious ways to excite the Jews to go to war. Many in Jerusalem were killed
and tortured and the Upper Market Place plundered. The Jewish Wars began
in 66 when rebellious Jews captured Masada and put the Romans there to
death.
A.D.66: The Roman army commanded by the Roman general Cestius marched
to Jerusalem with the intent of besieging it. Inside the city, he attempted
to break into the temple at its northern quarter. The first rank of Romans
rested their shields upon that wall, at which time a great fear seized
upon many, who immediately ran out of the city. Cestius recalled his soldiers
from the place and retired from the city without any reason. (WJ:II.XIX.4-7)
The "many" seized by great fear who immediately ran out of the city were
following Jesus' command made 36 years earlier: When they saw
armies surround Jerusalem, when they saw the abomination of desolation
at the holy place, they were to drop everything and flee!
A.D.70: Prior to the siege of Jerusalem, many died of famine when they
were shut inside the City on the Passover. They were surrounded by Roman
troops.
SIGN #3 - Lawlessness will increase. Christians will be hated. Many
will turn away from the faith and betray each other. Many believers will
be put to death. The one who endures to the end will be saved.
A.D.64-65: Christians became hated. They turned away from the faith,
betrayed each other and were put to death. The fire Nero set in Rome was
blamed on the Christians. The Christians became a class hated for their
abominations. They were hated, arrested, tortured and put to death. (Annals
15:44 - Tacitus)
A.D.62-73: Lawlessness increased beginning in A.D.62. Peace and prosperity
continued until A.D.62 when local government became blatantly corrupt.
Houses were plundered, citizens killed, villages set on fire, and robbers
bailed out of prison by politicians. (WJ:II.XIII.6)
SIGN #4 - Jerusalem will be laid desolate: The abomination that causes
desolation will stand in the holy place. Then, let those in Judea flea
to the mountains. It will be dreadful. There will be great distress. They
would fall by the sword and be led captive into all the nations.
AD.66: The Roman army commanded by the Roman general Cestius marched
to Jerusalem with the intent of besieging it. Inside the city, he attempted
to break into the temple at its northern quarter. The first rank of Romans
rested their shields upon that wall, at which time a great fear seized
upon many, who immediately ran out of the city. Cestius recalled his soldiers
from the place and retired from the city without any reason. (WJ:II.XIX.4-7)
The "many" seized by great fear who immediately ran out of the city were
following Jesus' command made 36 years earlier: When they saw
armies surround Jerusalem, when they saw the abomination of desolation
at the holy place, they were to drop everything and flee!
A.D.70: Jerusalem and Herod's temple were destroyed in the Roman siege
led by Titus. (WJ:VI.VIII-X)
A.D.70: They fell by the sword and were led captive to all nations.
1,100,000 perished. 97,000 were taken captive. Those under 17 were sent
to the Egyptian mines and the rest sent as presents to the provinces for
shows in the theaters where they were burned , killed by sword, by fighting
wild beasts, and fighting one another.
A.D.73: The Romans captured Masada, ending the Jewish wars. (WJ:VII.VIII,IX)
A.D.66-73 - The time of tribulation was the Jewish wars. Josephus said
"the multitude of those that therein perished exceeded all the destructions
that either men or God brought upon the world."
SIGN #5 - The sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light,
the stars will fall from the sky, the sea and waves will roar, and men
will be stricken with terror.
A.D.79: Mt. Vesuvius erupted on August 24, A.D. 79. (VE:CH.8)
This caused the waves to roar all over the Mediterranean. The ash plume
from the eruption moving west to east caused the sun to darken the moon
to stop giving its light. All the stars to appeared to fall from the sky.
The appearance of falling stars was an optical illusion caused by the movement
of the ash plume. Men were stricken with terror.
SIGN #6 - The Son of Man will come in the clouds and send forth His
angels to gather His elect.
A.D.79: The Son of Man came in the clouds for all to see. He sent His
angels down to gather His elect. 144,000 believers were "taken." They went
to the same place as Jesus and dead holy people before them who raised
from their graves to life and were taken up to heaven. (Mt.27:52-53) The
secular people left behind described giants
traversing the skies and the sound of a trumpet (Dio Cassius Bk.LXVI section
22,23). Since John was the only disciple who remained to be taken at
this time, no disciples were left to record this event. John's Revelation
in A.D. 69 prerecorded many of these events which would take place a few
years in their near future, thus completing the biblical story before they
were all taken and while some were still around to write it..
SIGN #7 - All the above occurs to the generation to which Jesus is
speaking.
A.D.79: All signs described by Jesus happened to the generation to which
Jesus spoke some fifty years earlier.
SIGN #8 - Heaven and earth will pass away, but His words will never
pass away.
A.D.79: The elect, the 144,000, were "taken." For them, heaven and earth
passed away. And then they saw a new heaven and new earth which God the
Father prepared for them. The Gospels and letters of the New Testament
and Revelation were written down, and the His words never passed away.
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WJ: Wars of the Jews, Josephus