Final Lecture

Disclaimer:

I will type the notes as presented to me.
Again let me stress that what follows are NOT my words.
I will not add my thoughts in the post.
Comments allowed for friendly discussion and edifying.

II Timothy 2:15
Study to shew thyself approved unto G-D, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.

I Thessalonians 5:11
Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

And for the record no one is ruling out dual fulfillment.







1. As the romans soldiers in their rage ravaged the Temple, the curiosity of titus gives in and he entered the Holy of Holies. Jewish legion us that when titus penetrated the Holy of Holies he asked, "Where is their G-D, the rock in whom they trusted?" He spoke those words as he saw no Ark of the Covenant and only the foundation stone which was the only thing that occupied the Holy of Holies during the Second Temple period. Tradition records that titus took a harlot by the hand and entered the Holy of Holies spreading out a scroll of the Torah(Law), and committed sin on it. Afterward, titus took a sword and slashed the curtain and shaping the curtain in the form of a basket, carried all the Holy Vessels of the Sanctuary to his ship to be taken to rome (Bab. Talmud, Gittin 56b).

2. This incident is interesting when we consider the Words of Jesus: 'When you see the abomination of desolation standing in the Holy Place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains' (Matt 24:16). The words of Paul also relate to this when he warned these first century Believers: 'The Day of the L-RD will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the Temple of G-D, displaying himself as being god' (II Thess 2:2-3). It should be remembered that this tribulation was the last days for these Jews and their apocalyptic literature had predicted this final conflict with the kittim (romans) in which the very destroyer, beast, or anti-christ (emperor and his powers) would ravage the very Temple itself.

3. Jesus said, 'let the reader understand', because this had already happened with the destruction of the first Temple by the babylonians, and with antiochus epiphanes (165 BC), who proclaimed himself as god. These Jews understood from Daniel's predictions that the beast standing in the Holy of Holies was known as the abomination of desolation. Titus, even though he was not the emperor yet, represented rome and his father, the beast. It should also be remembered that the roman emperors displayed themselves as having devine status. Dr. Ken Hansen points out that when titus entered the Temple Sanctuary, he brought with him the entire roman concept of deified humanity, which was the mystery of lawlessness (Armageddon, p. 73).

4. Paul mentions to the Thessalonians that the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way (II Thess. 2:7). Some worthy scholars believe he who restrains...until he is taken out of th way...refers to the Christian community in Jerusalem, which by their acts of charity and keeping the Law of G-D, in effect, helped restrain the evil befalling the City until they were taken out of the way by fleeing to Pella at the command of Yeshua (Matthew 24:16).

5. Some may ask, what about II Thessalonians 2:8 where it suggests that the lawless one will be slain by the breath of the mouth of the L-RD at HIS coming? Was this not talking about the end of the world? Actually, this is known as telescoping prophecy, in which descriptions of the second coming are linked with first century happenings. Although there might be in the future another man of lawlessness, or at least one with his spirit, the first century Church had no idea about a church existing 2000 years in the future. For them, they were the last generation. Their roman emperor was the anti-christ carrying the number 6-six-6. They understood the appearance of Messiah to be just around the corner, and this literature was given to them to prevent their giving up in the greatest tribulation their world had ever known. Although probably not the most popular view, their is another possibility as we note the wording in II Thess. 2:8 it could be stating: 'And then the wicked one will be revealed...the same one (or same spirit of the devil) that the L-RD will destroy with HIS mouth in the Second Coming...'

6. Another prophecy of Jesus is quite interesting as HE says: 'Truly I say to you, not one stone here shall be left upon another, which will not be torn down' (Matt 24:2). Just 40 years after HE spoke these words as the romans burned the Temple the flames uncontrollably produced such heat that the gold ornamentation which bordered the upper galleries literally melted between the cracks of the limestone ashlars. The roman soldiers wanting to obtain this gold removed every stone just as Yeshua predicted.

7. A major difference between the early Christians and the Essenes is that the Essenes along with the Zealots remained in the city of Jerusalem and Masada to fight this end time battle, while the Christians fled to Pella. This war with the kittim or romans was predicted in the writings of the Dead Sea Scrolls (The War Scroll, col. I), as well as by the apocalyptic sections of Christian literature as the last battle known as Armageddon. Some might ask, why would any people in Jerusalem know about the Essene writings of this end time battle? Remember, the Essenes had segments of their group not only in the desert, but also in various places including Jerusalem preaching and sharing the message of these scrolls. Archaeologists today have located the Essene Gate in Jerusalem and even Jesus told HIS disciples to go seek a man carrying water. The only men who carried water during the first century would have been in a group such as the Essenes who did not have women to do such work. (Mark 14:13; and John the Immerser/Baptist may have been raised by Essenes since they took in orphans and we don't know what happened to his elderly parents)

8. At the end of this terrible scene of the burning Temple we recall again the warning of Jesus concerning false prophets misleading the people: 'See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My Name, saying, I am the christ, and will mislead many' (Matt. 24:4-5). Josephus records the fulfillment of this as many were led astray when 'the romans set fire to all the surrounding buildings, the remains of the porticoes and the gates, and the treasury chambers, where vast sums of money had been deposited. They then moved on to the surviving portico at the outer court, where 6000 women and children had taken refuge. They had gathered there because of a false prophet, who had told them that G-D commanded them to go to the Temple, where they would receive guarantees of deliverance. Before caesar made up his mind what to do with these people, the soldiers set fire to the colonnade, and not a soul escaped.'

9. We remember also the words of Jesus as HE declared: 'If anyone says to you, behold, here is the Messiah, or there HE is, do not believe him. For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect' ( Matt 24:23-24). Josephus continued by informing us that: 'Numerous false prophets deluded the people at this time. They were hired by the tyrants to urge the people to wait for help from G-D, and so keep them from deserting'. This mentality kept the war going and continued to increase the number of victims. There was even one Jesus, son of Ananias, who for seven years and five months, continuing through the war, wandering the streets shouting: 'Woe to Jerusalem!' Even though he was arrested by the rebel leaders and whipped to the bone, and later dismissed as mad, he continued. Finally, one day while making his rounds along the wall, he uttered, 'and woe to me also!' As he was struck by a large stone hurled from a catapult and killed instantly.

10. As the ruins of the Temple lay smoldering, one of the Zealot leaders rose up from what happened to be the very spot where the Temple stood. Actually, he came from one of the many subterranean chambers on the plateau. He was dressed in white tunics with a purple mantle commanding with his priestly garb a Messianic aura, giving some of the remaining people a last hope that they would see some supernatural deliverance. Instead, titus, was wary of Messianic pretenders and gave the order to round up all who could be identified as a member of the family of David and they were executed. We are again reminded of the words of Revelation 12:17 'And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of G-D and hold to the testimony of Yeshua'. Josephus said, 'so great was the slaughter that in many places the flames were put out by streams of blood'. The writer of Revelation reports: 'And the wine press (of the wrath of G-D) was trodden outside the city, and the blood came out of the wine press up to the horses' bridles' (14:20). This figurative language simply stated that things were out of hand and at its worst. By this time the family of Yeshua had long since crossed the Jordan and were in the mountains of Pella.

11. Josephus tells us that after the rebels fled and 'the Sanctuary itself and all around it were in flames, the romans carried their standards into the Temple court, and setting them up opposite the eastern gate, there sacrificed to them, acclaiming titus as imperator'. The prophecies of the Dead Sea Scrolls could not have been more accurate as they foretold: 'They sacrifice to their standards and worship their weapons of war' (Habakkuk Com., Col. VI). As we hear the words of Jesus reminding us that: 'This generation will not pass away until all these things take place' (Matt 24:34), it is clear that HE is speaking directly to the people of HIS day. Although many have tried to stretch the interpretation of these words to our generation, the forty year generation lasted exactly as HE predicted from 30 AD when Jesus uttered them to 70 AD the exact year in which the Temple was destroyed by the romans.

12. As the siege of Jerusalem ended Josephus tells us that titus went on to destroy the rest of the city and razed the walls killing 1.1 million, many of which had come from all parts of the country for the Feast of the Unleavened Bread.

13. Although the Christian community of Jerusalem had saved itself by reading the signs of the times and obeying the words of the L-RD by fleeing to Pella, there were others who were yet to face more tribulation. Like the Christians, the Essenes also fled, but they went southward, along the shore of the Dead Sea, from their headquarters at Qumran to the Zealot stronghold fortress of Masada. For three more years they were able to hold out against the romans in fulfillment of the predictions in their scrolls: 'But I shall be as one who enters a fortified city, as one who sees refuge behind a high wall...for you will set the foundation on a rock...and the tried stones will you lay...to build a mighty wall which shall not sway' (Manual of Discipline, col. VI).




Go to lecture XV or start over