In Luke 21:5-7 we read, “And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, He (Jesus) said, ‘As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.’ And they asked Him, saying, ‘Master, but when shall these things be? And what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass.’ He answered that question in verses 20-21 of the same chapter. “And 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; and let not them that are in the countries enter there into. For these be the days of vengeance …”
Matthew 23:37-38 gives us his account of Jesus’ prediction of the destruction of the nation and its national treasure, ‘the Holy Temple,’ as a judgment for their rejection of Jesus and the crucifixion. Protestants have traditionally held that His prediction was made in 30 AD, less than 3 days before His death. He went on to tell them in Matthew 24:34 that the destruction of the temple would occur in that very generation, which Biblically, is considered by many scholars to equal 40 years.
It is well known that everything Jesus prophesied was fulfilled in 70 AD. In that year Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans and every stone of the temple was literally thrown down. 1.1 million Jews were killed and another 40,000 were captured and taken into captivity.
But what many people may not be aware of is what happened to the Christians that were living in Jerusalem. Were they also destroyed? According to the 4th century Christian historian Eusebius and an early church father Epiphanius, the answer to that question is “No”. According to them, the Christians had left the city and fled across the Jordan River to Pella and that there was not one Christian that perished in the conflagration. We know from the book of Acts that there was a Christian church in Jerusalem leading up to this event. So how did they know when to get out?
Well, the truth is they had advanced warning. Jesus had warned them, as we saw in Luke 21, as to how they could know when the desolation of the city was to occur. There, He told His followers that when they saw the city surrounded by armies it was time to get out. But the question is this: how could they escape the city if it was surrounded? Good question. I believe that answer was given to us by the Jewish historian Josephus, who was an eyewitness of everything that took place.
According to him, in 66 AD, Cestius Gallus took the Roman legions and was about to force the rebellious Jews to submit and surrender Jerusalem. Per Josephus, “Cestius was not conscious of how the besieged despaired of success, nor how courageous the people were for him; and so, he recalled his soldiers, and by despairing of expectation of taking it (the city), without having received any disgrace he retired from the city, without any reason in the world.” So, Cestius Gallos, having Jerusalem surrounded and virtually conquered, for some reason Josephus couldn’t understand, withdrew his forces from the city. But that’s not the end of the story. The Jews, now emboldened, came out of the city and chased the Romans killing almost 5400 soldiers.
Yes, the seditious Jews were miraculously saved that day, but why? I believe it was so the Christians who saw the sign (the city had been surrounded) and believed His words, could get out. Eusebius says they fled the city and crossed the Jordan and settled in Pella.
But I believe there was another reason. All the Jews had done that day was seal their fate, as the Romans, led by the future emperor Titus, would return seeking revenge. This time, instead of just surrendering the city, the day of vengeance, as predicted by our infallible Lord, had arrived.
The Christians remained in Pella until after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD which, by the way, was accomplished to the letter, in accordance with Jesus’ words. Their faith in Jesus’ words had led them to leave the city and their lives were spared. I pray that we may be as wise in our day to listen to our Lord as they were in theirs.
For God’s glory and His alone,
Pastor Terry.