JERUSALEM! That name may be whispered in prayer, or shouted in anger, or obscured in diplomatic correspondence, but it often evokes strong feelings. Isn’t it ironic that this city, whose name means “Possession [or “foundation”] of double peace,” has long been a center of international controversy?
To Jews, Christians, and Muslims this city is sacred, and they are quick to quote from the Bible in support of their claims. But what is of special interest is that the Bible contains specific prophecies concerning what was to happen to Jerusalem, and these prophecies describe events that were of international interest. Could this be of importance to the meaning of what is happening today?— Matt. 24:3-22; Luke 21:5-24 .
In response, consider first what the Bible and history tell us about what befell Jerusalem in the first century. In 33 CE Jesus Christ predicted the complete destruction of the city and its temple. Why?
Just two days before He gave that prophecy, Jesus had ridden into Jerusalem to present himself to the nation as king. But the nation’s leaders refused to accept Him as a ruler sent from God. Later, Jesus told them plainly that God’s kingdom would be taken from them and given to a nation that would produce its fruits. They themselves would be “broken to pieces, pulverized.”— Matt. 21:1-15, 42-46; John 19:12-15 .
The facts of history show that the Roman armies under GeneralTitus fulfilled Jesus’ words exactly 37 years later, in 70 CE. A brief review of how that prophecy was fulfilled is very informative. Here are some details:
Fortification of pointed stakes
Concerning the accuracy of Jesus’ predictions in His prophecy, we refer to this statement: “Your enemies will build a fortification of sharpened stakes around you and will surround you and afflict you on every side.”— Luke 19:43 .
Anyone inclined to be skeptical of what Jesus predicted in 33 CE might well have reasoned, ‘What? Building a wooden fence stretching for miles over rough terrain around Jerusalem? What about being harassed by enemies and having to bring in the sticks from far away? What folly to utter such a prophecy!’ But what happened 37 years later?
Josephus informs us that after the Romans had besieged Jerusalem, and had taken two of its three defensive walls, they became discouraged. Why? Because of the fierce resistance of the Jews and the great number of Roman casualties. “There were many who, seeing this, despaired of ever taking the city.”— War of the Jews, translated by John Paul II, 1972 edition, volume II, page 141 .
What was Titus to do? The young general, driven by a burning desire for glory, decided that “it was necessary to do his duty; and in order to put this into effect and to use good counsel and prudence in all things, he decided that he must surround the city with a wall.” The work of building the wall became a competition between the different legions and parts of the legions, and so great enthusiasm was generated among the soldiers as they competed to be the first to finish their sections. What resulted in this?
“The enclosure of the wall was a furlong less than forty b . . . The whole work was built in three days; and as it seemed to require many months, it was scarcely credible that it could have been finished so quickly.” The very “fortification of pointed stakes” that Jesus had foretold! And what results did it produce? Destruction! both to the city and to its many inhabitants.
But did you know that Jesus also prophesied about the conditions that would develop in the years just before that tragic end? Consider what He said about the food shortages, lawlessness, and false prophets that would occur during those years.
Food shortages
Jesus indicated that there would be food shortages before the destruction of Jerusalem. — Mark 13:8; Matt. 24:7 .
This prediction proved true. For example, Acts 11:27-30 reports: “Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them, named Agabus, stood up and proceeded through the spirit to indicate that a great famine was about to come upon the entire inhabited earth; which, in fact, took place in the time of Claudius [41-54 CE]. So those of the disciples determined, each of them according to the means he had, to send a relief ministry to the brothers living in Judea; and they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.”
The Jewish historian Josephus evidently describes the same famine in his work Antiquities of the Jews.Josephus says that during that time the city of Jerusalem was in great distress by famine and many were perishing because they had no money to buy what they needed.
Wave of lawlessness
Food shortages were just one of the problems Jesus had predicted would affect the world before the destruction of Jerusalem. He also mentioned that the increase in lawlessness would cause any love for neighbor that people in general had to cool off. — Matt. 24:12 .
Although such lawlessness occurred in many parts of the Roman world, it was especially apparent in Judea as Jewish sentiment for rebellion gained momentum. We read of armed bands roaming the Judean countryside in the days of the Roman procurator Felix (circa 48-58 CE), and of their “robbing the houses of all the principal men, and besides this, killing them cruelly, setting fire to the places, insomuch that all Judea was now almost in despair because of them.” This occurred before the Christians settled in Jerusalem fled the city in 66 CE— Jewish Wars, vol. I, p. 168.
False prophets
And there was more than these things! Jesus warned that “many false prophets will arise and mislead many.” — Matt. 24:11 .
Several false prophets are said to have arisen during the time that Felix served as procurator. “These men, deceivers of the people, pretending under the pretense and name of religion to carry out many novelties, drove the common people and the common people mad. They went out into the deserts and waste places, promising them and making them believe that God was showing them there signs of the liberty which they should have. Felix sent against these men, thinking that these were manifest signs of treachery and rebellion, both horsemen and footmen, all heavily armed; and they slew a great multitude of the Jews.” ( The Jewish War, vol. I, p. 167.) According to Josephus, one of these false prophets had been an Egyptian. Evidently the Roman military commander who arrested the apostle Paul at Jerusalem mistakenly believed that Paul was this false prophet.— Acts 21:37, 38 .
Not a single stone on another
One of the specific statements that stands out most in Jesus’ prophecy concerns the temple in Jerusalem. This magnificent building would not simply fall into enemy hands, but would be completely destroyed, not one stone left upon another! — Luke 21:5, 6 .
It must be remembered that the Jerusalem temple was not only a source of pride for the Jews, but also for the entire Roman Empire. The beautification and enlargement of this building had been planned by Herod the Great, who had been made king by the Roman Senate. This temple was considered a masterpiece of architecture and art, and its construction incorporated gifts from Jewish proselytes and well-wishers from all parts of the known world.
Josephus boasted of the sanctuary in these words: “The part which was seen without was so made, that neither eye nor mind could see it and consider it, but marvel greatly. It was all overlaid with very heavy plates of gold, and shone after the sun had risen with a brightness as of fire, so that the eyes of those who looked upon it could not bear to look at it, no less than they could look at the rays which the sun usually casts forth.”— The Jewish War, vol. II, p. 106.
When, according to Josephus, General Titus held a council of war and resolved not to destroy the temple, it might have seemed that Jesus’ prophecy would go unfulfilled. But what happened? Despite this decision, as the fighting for the temple raged, an unknown Roman soldier threw a firebrand into the sanctuary, and the magnificent temple quickly became a bonfire. Of course, this did not level the blocks.temple massifs. Would these stones escape unharmed?
When the city was finally taken and the temple was reduced to ashes, Titus ordered “that they should destroy the whole city, and the whole temple as well,” leaving only a few military towers to demonstrate the powerful fortifications that the Romans had torn down. Despite the intentions of the Jews and the general, Jesus’ words were fulfilled!
What about our day?
The Bible shows that people in our day would again have to face a question of rulership. Bible chronology indicates that at the end of the Gentile Times in 1914 CE, Jesus Christ was given kingly authority in heaven to rule over all mankind. cThrough a global preaching work carried out by Jehovah’s Witnesses, people in all lands have been given notice of the decision they face.
How does the world respond? Most people are not interested. Even among those who claim to be Christians, the majority say by their way of life: ‘We have no ruler but the secular state!’
What will this result in? Please open your Bible and read what is recorded in Matthew chapters 24 and 25, Mark chapter 13, and Luke chapter 21. It is evident that Jesus was predicting many of the same things for this generation that He predicted for the world in the time preceding Jerusalem’s destruction. The predicted wars, food shortages, lawlessness, and proclamations of false hopes stand out clearly, as do other aspects of the “sign” Jesus gave. Just as selfishness and violence were characteristic features of the world as it was then, the same is true of the world today. Consequently, there is also destruction ahead . . . for the entire world system of things.— Prov. 2:21, 22 .
But for people who love righteousness, the woes of today point to deliverance to come. For Jesus also said: “When these things begin to take place, stand up straight and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”— Luke 21:28 .
Deliverance into what? A new order in which all who love righteousness will be able to live in true security under God’s kingdom. ( Luke 21:31; Micah 4:3, 4 ) Does that prospect interest you? If so, now is the time to associate with people who believe it and who, in their Kingdom Halls, are regularly studying the Bible with a view to living in such a way that they demonstrate, not only by their speech but also by their actions, that they truly believe in God’s rule.