The Apocalypse Of 70 A.D.

Or The End Of The Age

C H U R C H   R E F O R M   S E R I E S

By Biblicism Institute

“Therefore, the LORD says: ‘I am planning disaster against this people, from which you cannot save yourselves… for it will be a time of calamity.‘ ” Micah 2:3

That time of calamity, as planned by God for the Hebrews, materialized in 70 AD.

RECORDED HISTORY

This is how historian Flavius Josephus, in The Wars of the Judahites, described the destruction of Jerusalem, the obliteration of the Hebrew Temple, and the genocidal massacre of the Ancient Hebrews in 70 AD:

The Roman Army and the Hebrew Genocide in Jerusalem 70 AD

“Now the number of those that were carried captive during the whole war was collected to be ninety-seven thousand; as was the number of those that perished during the whole siege, 1.1 Million, the greater part of whom were indeed of the same nation, [with the citizens of Jerusalem,] but not belonging to the city itself; for they were come up from all the country to the feast of unleavened bread, and were on a sudden shut up by an army, which, at the very first, occasioned so great a straitness among them, that there came a pestilential destruction upon them, and soon afterward such a famine as destroyed them more suddenly.

“Caesar exhibited all sorts of shows in Cesarea Philippi. There, the captives were destroyed, some being thrown to wild beasts, and others in multitudes forced to kill one another, as if they were enemies.

“Caesar gave orders that they should now demolish the entire city and temple, but should leave as many of the towers standing as were of the greatest eminency; that is, Phasaelus, and Hippicus, and Mariamne; and so much of the wall as enclosed the city on the west side. This wall was spared, in order to afford a camp for such as were to lie in garrison, as were the towers also spared, in order to demonstrate to posterity what kind of city it was, and how well fortified, which the Roman valor had subdued; but for all the rest of the wall, it was so thoroughly laid even with the ground by those that dug it up to the foundation, that there was left nothing to make those that came thither believe it had ever been inhabited.”

Thus the entire Hebrew race was wiped out, except for those who converted to Christianity and fled beforehand. That very apocalypse or desolation was prophesied by Christ.

“Jesus turned and said to them, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children.’ ” Luke 23:28

“But he responded, ‘Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!'” Matthew 24: 2

“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are in the midst of the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city.” Luke 21: 20,21

“Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” Matthew 24:34

“They will be killed by the sword when all of them are made captives by the Gentiles. And Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the period of the Gentiles is fulfilled.” Luke 21:24

“And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.” Revelation 11:8

THE END OF THE AGE

The Apocalypse of 70 AD was the day of reckoning for those who killed the Messiah, and the end of the age of the Old Covenant and of Satan’s dominion upon the earth.

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20

“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:4

“And Jesus said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.’ ” Luke 10:18

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years…” Revelation 20:1-3

Read Where Is Satan Now? for the Sequence Of Events

THE DESOLATION OF THE HEBREW HOUSE

With the Apocalypse of 70 AD the 12 Hebrew Tribes were decimated. They can’t and won’t be “found” either because they’re not lost, they’re dead.

The 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse of 70 AD

“Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets.” Micah 3:12

“And I will silence in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, for the land shall become a waste.” Jeremiah 7:34

“From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up…” Daniel 12:11

“Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!” Matthew 23:38

If the Hebrews were still alive, God would have kept track of them like He had done before during Old Testament times through endless censuses, even when they were in captivity.

The slaughter of the ancient Hebrews, along with the downfall of Jerusalem and the Old Temple in 70 AD, was God’s way of releasing Himself from His marriage to them via the Old Covenant, thus legally permitting His marriage to the whole world via the New.

As per the law, God’s gifts and calling are irrevocable (Romans 11: 28-31). So God had to irrevocably kill all the remaining non-Christian Hebrews, otherwise he would have had to keep the Old Covenant alive, and thereby undercut and undermine His Son’s New Covenant.

The Book of Revelation and all the other epistles were letters written by the Apostles to their contemporaries – many to their fellow Hebrews and not to the converted Jews of today – admonishing them, warning them of what was to come, and urging them to prepare by accepting Christ and living accordingly. They were all written prior to 70 AD.

“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9

However, the Christian Hebrews, who escaped those infernal LAST DAYS, or THE END OF THE AGE, did not have the mark of the beast and embodied “all Israel shall be saved”‘ of Romans 11:26. Their symbolic number in Revelation is 144,000 (12 tribes squared/Father & Son x 1000/many or 12² x 1000). Those with the mark of the beast were annihilated.

If there exist Christian Hebrews today, they are cultural Arabs by now, living in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine; but chances are they’ve intermarried with other Semitic Christians in the area, hence they are not pure-bred Hebrews.

In other words, there are NO LOST TRIBES of Israel roaming about. They’re all dead. Besides, if they’re lost, why don’t they pick up a cell phone and call someone. After all, this is the 21st century. 🙂

THE OLD IS GONE. BEHOLD THE NEW.

God does not have both the Old and the New Covenants being enforced at the same time. He only has one. The New. And contrary to what many would have you believe, He’s not married to His bride, the Church Assembly, on the one hand, while having an affair with His mistress, the modern state of Israel, on the other. Modern-day Israel is not comprised of Hebrews – with whom God had the Old Covenant – and therefore it is a state that has nothing to do with God’s word in the Bible.

“By calling this covenant ‘new,’ he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete is outdated.” Hebrews 8:13

Today, those who are known as Jews are in fact the non-Semitic and non-Israelite Ashkenazim, Sephardim, and Samaritans, who in later times joined small numbers of other races that converted to Judaism/Pharisaism: Polish, Russians, Ukrainians, Germans, etc. These latter ones form a minority known as European Jews who, when coupled with the Ashkenazim, constitute a majority against the darker-skinned Samaritan, Sephardic, and African Jews.

All the above groups are converts to Judaism, and none can claim to trace their ancestry to Abraham, Jacob, or Judah. In other words, they’re not the chosen Hebrews of the Bible with whom God had the Old Covenant, and therefore cannot claim Palestine as their Abrahamic inheritance. And resurrecting the dead Hebrew tongue after centuries in the dustbin of oblivion in order to make it modern Israel’s official language won’t change those facts, much like parking a Subaru in a Lamborghini dealership won’t turn it into a Veneno Roadster.

CONCLUSION

God’s Old Covenant was with the Ancient Hebrews. They all died during the Apocalypse of 70 AD. Following that fateful event, Satan’s dominion upon the earth also came to an abrupt end. Christ then sat on His throne as ruler of the New Order/New Covenant.

“The One seated on the throne who lives forever and ever.” Revelation 4:10

In addition, because Jews today are NOT Hebrews, neither they nor their impostor state Israel is prophetically mentioned in the bible; and most importantly, neither is key to “end times” theology (i.e., the ridiculous rapture doctrine).

See also A Brief History of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah as it complements the above article.

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ADDENDUM 1

Proselytism And Converted Jews

Jewish Historian Shlomo Sand frames the origin of Jews (not Hebrews) this way:

“Then there is the question of the exile of 70 AD. There has been no real research into this turning point in Jewish history, the cause of the diaspora. And for a simple reason: the Romans never exiled any nation from anywhere on the eastern seaboard of the Mediterranean…

“But if there was no exile after 70 AD, where did all the Jews who have populated the Mediterranean  since antiquity come from? The smokescreen of national historiography hides an astonishing reality. From the Maccabean revolt of the mid-2nd century BC (on)… Judaism was the most actively proselytizing religion…

“The most significant mass conversion occurred in the 8th century, in the massive Khazar kingdom between the Black and Caspian seas. The expansion of Judaism from the Caucasus into modern Ukraine created a multiplicity of communities, many of which retreated from the 13th century Mongol invasions into eastern Europe. There, with Jews from the Slavic lands to the south and from what is now modern Germany, they formed the basis of Yiddish culture…”

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ADDENDUM 2

The Dating Of The Book Of Revelation

[This is an excerpt from Dr. Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.’s article The Book of Revelation and Eschatology]

I hold that Revelation was produced prior to the death of Nero in June, A.D. 68, and even before the formal engagement of the Judean War by Vespasian in Spring, A.D. 67. My position is that Revelation was written in A.D. 65 or 66. This would be after the outbreak of the Neronic persecution in November, 64, and before the engagement of Vespasian’s forces in Spring of 67. […]

Flavius Josephus, the Judahite contemporary of John, clearly points out that Julius Caesar was the first emperor of Rome and that he was followed in succession by Augustus, Tiberius, Gaius, Claudius, and Nero (Antiquities 18; 19). We discover this enumeration also in other near contemporaries of John: 4 Ezra 11 and 12; Sibylline Oracles, books 5 and 8; Barnabas, Epistle 4; Suetonius, Lives of the Twelve Caesars; and Dio Cassius’ Roman History 5.

The text of Revelation says of the seven kings “five have fallen.” The first five emperors are dead, when John writes. But the verse goes on to say “one is.” That is, the sixth one is then reigning even as John wrote. That would be Nero Caesar, who assumed imperial power upon the death of Claudius in October, A.D. 54, and remained emperor until June, A.D. 68.

John continues: “The other is not yet come; and when he comes, he must continue a short space.” When the Roman Civil Wars broke out in rebellion against him, Nero committed suicide on June 8, A.D. 68. The seventh king was “not yet come.” That would be Galba, who assumed power in June, A.D. 68. But he was only to continue a “short space.” His reign lasted but six months, until January 15, A.D. 69.

Thus, we see that while John wrote, Nero was still alive and Galba was looming in the near future. Revelation could not have been written after June, A.D. 68, according to the internal political evidence. Read more here.

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ADDENDUM 3

The Apocalypse of 70 A.D., The Prophet Daniel, And The Apostle John

The entire New Testament – including the Book of Revelation – was written prior to 70 A.D. and must be read with that context in mind in order to understand many of its passages.

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together… and so much the more, as you see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25

“I think that in view of the present distress…” 1 Corinthians 7:25

Daniel’s prophecies, which were precursors and confirmations of John’s prophecies in Revelation, also pertained to 70 A.D. and not to a prophetic distant future that has yet to happen.

They foretold the destruction of Jerusalem which God subsequently delivered up to the Emperor of the Gentiles (i.e., the Roman Emperor) during a period that lasted 42 months = 1,260 days = 3½ years = Middle of 7 = Time (1), Times (2), and Half a time (½), and reached its full consummation in 70 A.D.

“In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.” Daniel 9:27

“They shall be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time.” Daniel 7:25

“They will be killed by the sword when all of them are made captives by the Gentiles. And Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles is fulfilled.” Luke 21:24

It was a period of wrath and judgment due to apostasy: earthly and wicked Jerusalem had become a spiritual abomination, or Babylon.

“And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” Revelation 17:5

The Apostle John’s prophetic and apocalyptic warning was similar to Daniel’s.

“I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, ‘Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.  And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.’ They are ‘the two olive trees’ and the two lampstands, and ‘they stand before the Lord of the earth.'” Revelation 11:1-4

The two Witnesses are spoken of in terms of the two great witnesses of the Old Testament, Moses and Elijah – the Law and the Prophets.

“The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.” Luke 16:16

Prior to the final destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, the animal sacrifices, performed daily by the Judahites, were abolished by Rome, which then had the image or statue of its Emperor Caligula (Gaius) set up to be worshiped in the very temple which was later desolated by its army in 70 A.D., along with Jerusalem. Emperor Vespasian’s ruthless son, Titus, led the war that year, and for his achievement was awarded a triumph: the Arch of Titus.

“From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up...” Daniel 12:11

The Apostle John actually called the Emperor of Rome the beast.

“The beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.” Revelation 19:20

He also gave the beast the number 666.

“Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.” Revelation 13:18

The significance of the number 6 rests in the fact that man was created on the 6th day. Therefore 6 is the number of man. And triple 6 or 666 is man puffing himself up from 6 to the third degree, 1 degree more than God’s duality of Father and Son: such was the Emperor of Rome’s hubris in positioning his might above God’s and above his created status.

That’s why the Caesar was nicknamed the Anti-Christ by Christians everywhere, because he was the agent of Satan the Dragon, placed himself above Jehovah and His anointed Jesus, and persecuted Christians throughout his empire.

“…every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God…” 2 Corinthians 10:5

Thus the Prophet Daniel and the Apostle John served as two prophetic witnesses of the Apocalypse of 70 A.D.

“Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” 2 Corinthians 13:1

Every prophecy in the bible has already been fulfilled, except for those concerning the end of the world as explained in the article Where Is Satan Now?

In addition, the Word JUDAHITE, not JEW, is in the Bible. The word JEW is a mistranslation and causes quite the confusion about the Book of Revelation, especially since Jews are NOT the Hebrews of the bible – all the Hebrews are irrevocably dead. Therefore, the bible is not talking about the Jews nor about modern-day Israel, but about the Judahite Hebrews of old.

“God is not the author of confusion…” 1 Corinthians 14:33

Read also: Jesus was not a Jew

Read also: Is America Cursed Because of Israel?