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.
Referring 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.
_________________________
WJ: Wars of the Jews, Josephus