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Author	: Bill Kochman
Publish	: Sep. 15, 1997
Update	: Jun. 18, 2025
Parts	: 06

Synopsis:



Continuing our discussion from part four, as we have seen, lying and deception was most certainly not that uncommon in Jewish culture. But perhaps the very worst example of such deception, and the very worst of the Jewish false prophets, was revealed during the peak of the First Jewish-Roman War, just prior to the destruction of the temple compound itself. While some of my readers may not know it, many thousands of Jews were killed -- burned to death, actually, or killed by the Zealots, robbers, thugs and other seditionists, or also slain by the Romans themselves -- when they all ran into the temple, because they foolishly believed that God would spare and surely protect them from the Roman soldiers who by this time had already breached Jerusalem's three perimeter walls.

But do you know what motivated the Jews to make such a fatal decision to run into the temple in the first place? Josephus informs us that it was due to the lies of a certain Jewish false prophet. In fact, Josephus explains that there were a number of these false prophets who were in cahoots with the violent insurrectionists, and who performed their bidding. Why were they deceiving the people in this manner? Josephus says that it was to keep the people from deserting over to the Romans. Consider the following excerpt that is found in Book 6 Chapter 5 of "The Wars of the Jews":

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"While the house [the temple] was on fire, everything was plundered that came to hand, and ten thousand of those that were caught were slain: nor was there a commiseration of any age, or any reverence of gravity but children, and old men, and profane persons, and priests, were all slain in the same manner; so that this war went round all sorts of men, and brought them to destruction, and as well those that made supplication for their lives, as those that defended themselves by fighting.

The flame was also carried a long way, and made an echo, together with the groans of those that were slain; and because this hill was high, and the works at the temple were very great, one would have thought the whole city had been on fire. Nor can one imagine anything either greater, or more terrible than this noise; for there was at once a shout of the Roman legions, who were marching all together, and a sad clamour of THE SEDITIOUS, who were now surrounded with fire and sword. The people also that were left above were beaten back upon the enemy, and under a great consternation, and made sad moans at the calamity they were under, the multitude also that was in the city joined in this outcry with those that were upon the hill.

And besides, many of those that were worn away by the famine, and their mouths almost closed, when they saw the fire of the holy house, they exerted their utmost strength, and brake out into groans and outcries again; Perea did also return the echo, as well as the mountains round about the [city], and augmented the force of the entire noise.

Yet was the misery itself more terrible than this disorder; for one would have thought that the hill itself, on which the temple stood, was seething hot, as full of fire on every part of it, that the blood was larger in quantity than the fire, and those that were slain more in number than those that slew them: for the ground did nowhere appear visible, for the dead bodies that lay on it, but the soldiers went over heaps of those bodies, as they ran upon such as fled from them.

And now it was that the multitude of THE ROBBERS were thrust out [of the inner court of the temple] by the Romans, and had much ado to get into the outward court, and from thence into the city, while the remainder of the populace fled into the cloister of that outer court. As for the priests, some of them plucked up from the holy house the spikes that were upon it, with their bases, which were made of lead, and shot them at the Romans instead of darts. But then, as they gained nothing by so doing, and as the fire burst out upon them, they retired to the wall, that was eight cubits broad, and there they tarried; yet did two of these of eminence among them, who might have saved themselves by going over to the Romans, or have borne up with courage, and taken their fortune with the others, throw themselves into the fire, and were burnt, together with the holy house, their names were Meirus the son of Belgas, and Joseph the son of Daleus.

And now the Romans, judging that it was in vain to spare what was round about the holy house, burnt all those places, as also the remains of the cloisters and the gates, two excepted; the one on the east side, and the other on the south; both which, however, they burnt afterward. They also burnt down the treasury chambers, in which was an immense quantity of money, and an immense number of garments, and other precious goods there reposited; and, to speak all in a few words, there it was that the entire riches of the Jews were heaped up together, while the rich people had there built themselves chambers [to contain such furniture.] The soldiers also came to the rest of the cloisters that were in the outer [court of the] temple, whither the women, and children, and a great mixed multitude of the people fled, in number about six thousand. But before Caesar had determined anything about these people, or given the commanders any orders relating to them, the soldiers were in such a rage, that they set that cloister on fire ; by which means it came to pass, that some of these were destroyed by throwing themselves down head-long, and some were burnt in the cloisters themselves. Nor did any one of them escape with his life.

A FALSE PROPHET WAS THE OCCASION OF THESE PEOPLE'S DESTRUCTION, who had made a public proclamation in the city that very day, That "God commanded them to get up upon the temple, and that there they should receive miraculous signs of their deliverance." Now, there was then a great number of false prophets suborned by THE TYRANTS [the seditionists] to impose on the people, who denounced this to them, that they should wait for deliverance from God; and THIS WAS IN ORDER TO KEEP THEM FROM DESERTING, and that they might be buoyed up above fear and care by such hopes. Now a man that is in adversity does easily comply with such promises; for, when such a seducer makes him believe that he shall be delivered from those miseries which oppress him, then it is that the patient is full of hopes of such his deliverance.

Thus were the miserable people persuaded by these deceivers, and such as belied God himself; while they did not attend, nor give credit to the signs that were so evident, and did so plainly foretell their future desolation, but like men infatuated, without either eyes to see, or minds to consider, did not regard the denunciations that God made to them."

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My friends, the previous excerpt from "The Wars of the Jews" is just a small preview of what you will find if you read my series called "Vespasian, Titus and the Fall of Jerusalem". Again, if you really desire to better understand the events related to 70 AD, the destruction of the temple compound, and the seven-year First Jewish-Roman War as a whole, I encourage you to read this 25-part series. You'll be glad that you did.

Regarding the previous list of things which Jesus said would serve as signs of His soon return, two other characteristics of that dark period were betrayal and a lack of love towards one's fellow man. Let me remind you of exactly what the Lord had said in three of the Gospels where He discusses all of these signs which would precede His imminent return:

"Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another . . . And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.‭"


"Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death."


"And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death."


My friends, trust me when I say that the in-depth account by Flavius Josephus regarding what occurred within the walls of Jerusalem during the Roman siege is filled with this kind of sickening behavior. The three factions of men who took over Jerusalem during its final months and years were extremely violent, cruel, self-serving, greedy, very ungodly, and they demonstrated absolutely no regard for the sanctity of life. Regardless of whether they were children, women, men or the elderly, the seditionists killed them all mercilessly if it resulted in their own financial gain, or being able to steal food from someone else in order to survive a little longer.

In his list of the precursor signs, Jesus likewise mentioned famines and pestilences. That is to say, plagues. Now if you read my aforementioned series, you will see that famine is a common theme throughout Josephus' work. Once the Romans put up their five-mile siege wall around Jerusalem, time was on their side, as the food supply within Jerusalem slowly began to dwindle. As that happened, people became more desperate, and the animosity and violence of those wicked thugs who had taken control of the city grew worse with each passing day. As I said, they would do anything in order to secure more food for themselves, and it was really sickening.

To make the dire situation even worse, due to the constant infighting that erupted between the controlling factions, we are informed that fires were set both in and around the temple area, and throughout the city as well. This resulted in a large amount of the stored corn being destroyed, which only hastened the demise of so many thousands of people due to the extreme famine which then gripped the city.

In Book 5 Chapter 12 of his "Histories", the Roman historian Publius Cornelius Tacitus explains how the rival forces in Jerusalem were divided into three factions. Each faction had their own general, as well as their own army, and each one of them controlled different parts of the city. One faction consisted of Zealots who were led by John of Giscala. He had fled like a coward with a large body of his thugs from the Galilean city of Gischala upon realizing that it was futile to try to continue fighting against Titus and the Romans.

And so, John's band of violent thugs now controlled a third of Jerusalem. The most violent amongst the Zealots were the Sicarii -- or dagger men -- who would kill anyone for the sake of profit. That even included killing their own fellow Jews. Barabbas was probably a member of the Sicarii. Another faction which controlled one part of Jerusalem was led by a violent deceiver named Simon bar Giora. A third faction was led by Eleazar.

Just so you understand, as the Romans swooped down from the north conquering cities and villages as they advanced, all of the surviving radicals were forced into Jerusalem with its surrounding hills, cliffs and high walls. This created a very toxic, violent and explosive environment within the city. Caught in the middle of this seething pot of hatred and anger were many Jerusalemites who wanted to make peace with the Romans. But the insane insurrectionists would not let them. They in fact killed anyone who they perceived as being a potential traitor or deserter.

So as Tacitus describes it in the excerpt below, the city of Jerusalem had indeed become filled with every possible kind of violent, wicked, murderous, ungodly and seditious men who were constantly in competition with each other. He refers to these evil, despicable men as "a vast rabble collected from the overthrow of the other cities", meaning from the cities of Galilee -- such as Gischala -- which the Roman army had already conquered. Please notice how Tacitus specifically mentions how a large quantity of corn was burned up due to the constant fighting between these various factions:

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"Their numbers were increased by a vast rabble collected from the overthrow of the other cities. All the most obstinate rebels had escaped into the place, and perpetual seditions were the consequence. There were three generals, and as many armies. Simon held the outer and larger circuit of walls. John, also called Bargioras, occupied the middle city. Eleazar had fortified the temple. John and Simon were strong in numbers and equipment, Eleazar in position. There were continual skirmishes, surprises, and incendiary fires, and a vast quantity of corn was burnt. Before long John sent some emissaries, who, under pretence of sacrificing, slaughtered Eleazar and his partisans, and gained possession of the temple. The city was thus divided between two factions, till, as the Romans approached, war with the foreigner brought about a reconciliation."

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As you can see, the three radical factions which had gained control of Jerusalem were not in unity by any means. In fact, they constantly clashed with each other, until John finally slaughtered Eleazar and his men, thus taking control of the temple compound. This then just left two factions defending the city of Jerusalem. While John and Simon at times formed an alliance against the Romans, it was an on-again-off-again situation, and when it came down to it, it was the survival of the fittest.

Jewish historian Flavius Josephus also mentions the grave consequences of the famine which gripped the city once the Romans had erected their siege wall and prevented the Jews from going out to find food. However, similar to Tacitus, he also points out that the famine was made worse, and the deaths of so many Jerusalemites hastened, by the fact that the foolish seditious Jews were bringing about their own destruction by burning -- intentionally or not -- the vast amounts of corn which were stored within the city. He even states that had the fighting factions not done this, the people of Jerusalem could have endured the siege for a lot longer. Consider the following excerpt which is taken from Book 5 Chapter 1 of "The Wars of the Jews":

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"Accordingly, it so came to pass, that all the places that were about the temple were burnt down, and were become an intermediate desert space; ready for fighting on both sides of it [meaning between the factions]; and that almost all that corn was burnt, which would have been sufficient for a siege of many years. So they were taken by the means of the famine, which it was impossible they should have been, unless they had thus prepared the way for it by this procedure."

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Dear reader, as I have repeatedly told you throughout this lengthy series, the Daniel prophecies, Jesus' key sermons in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 and the astounding events we see being described in the Book of Revelation are all quite intertwined. They in fact all speak of some of the very same events, except in different ways. It is very important that you grasp this point, and that you see this connection; for if you don't, then you will never properly understand all of these prophecies. You will go on for many years, wondering what it all means, half-confused, just as I previously did.

The same war that Daniel talks about is the same war that Jesus talks about. And the same war that Jesus talks about is the very same war we see being described in the Book of Revelation. It is also the very same First Century temple that is mentioned in these three different Biblical sources. It is likewise the very same persecuted Saints who we see being discussed. It is the same exact city being discussed. If you do not grasp this particular point, I encourage you to consider reading my series called "Who is Babylon the Great?". Lastly, in Daniel and Revelation, we see the very same time frames being spoken about as well. All of these books and chapters are describing the Great Tribulation which had been foretold to come; not in our current time, but almost two thousand years ago.

To reiterate this key point, as I explain in other articles, contrary to what so many of my Christian brethren have been deceived into believing -- and as I likewise once believed until the Lord opened my spiritual eyes -- most, if not all, of the amazing Book of Revelation isn't a prophecy regarding our near future in the twenty-first century. In reality, it concerns dreadful events which transpired during the latter half of the First Century when God's Wrath fell upon Israel and the people of Jerusalem due to their rejection of His Son.

As we have seen through previous verses, both Jesus and the Apostles spoke of this terrible wrath which would fall upon those stubborn CHILDREN OF DISOBEDIENCE who rejected God's wonderful Gift of Salvation through His Son. Jesus said that this terrible wrath would also be a precursor to His return. Here are some additional verses regarding God's Wrath and the unbelieving children of disobedience:

"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it . . . He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God."


"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry . . . "


"Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the CHILDREN OF DISOBEDIENCE:"


"Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the WRATH OF GOD upon the CHILDREN OF DISOBEDIENCE."


"For which things' sake the WRATH OF GOD cometh on the CHILDREN OF DISOBEDIENCE:"


"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the WRATH OF GOD abideth on him."


"For the WRATH OF GOD is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;"


"The same shall drink of the wine of the WRATH OF GOD, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb . . . And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the WRATH OF GOD."


"And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the WRATH OF GOD . . . And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the WRATH OF GOD, who liveth for ever and ever."


"And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the WRATH OF GOD upon the earth . . . And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of HIS WRATH."


"And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and WRATH OF ALMIGHTY GOD."


Returning to that list of "all these things" which the Lord said would occur prior to His glorious return to the Earth, He also spoke of pestilences -- plagues -- and earthquakes which would serve as warning signs of His imminent return. If you're familiar with some of the contents of the Book of Revelation, then you are probably already aware of the fact that some of its chapters speak of multiple earthquakes and seven primary plagues. I encourage you to dig into those chapters in order to learn more about each of them.

Concerning the earthquakes, whether or not all of the ones which are mentioned are real, physical earthquakes, at this point in time, I'm not really sure. There is the possibility that some of them may actually be symbolic of great battles which occur in the Spirit World. We need to remind ourselves that the Book of Revelation is NOT entirely literal. There is a certain portion of it which is in fact highly symbolic and allegorical. There is some fantastical imagery which I seriously doubt is meant to be taken literally.

Yet to add a degree of balance to my previous statement, let me also point out that it is true that the nation of Israel partially sits on two major tectonic plates. These are the African Plate, and the Arabian Plate. The African Plate sits on the west, while the Arabian Plate sits on the east. The boundary between these two plates is marked by a fault line which runs through the region which is called the Dead Sea Transform. Furthermore, the Jordan Rift Valley is the result of tectonic movements within this Dead Sea Transform fault system. A transform fault is where the tectonic plates on either side of the fault line slide past each other in a horizontal fashion.

Equally interesting is the fact that the Mount of Olives is located near the Dead Sea Transform fault. As a result, it is subject to the effects of the Jordan Rift Valley, which is the northernmost part of the Great Rift Valley that runs down through southeastern Africa. Some geological studies have suggested that the Mount of Olives may be experiencing some splitting or movement along this fault line. Now if I recall correctly, many years ago, it was as a direct result of this discovery that the Holiday Inn declined to build a hotel on the summit of the Mount of Olives.

Before concluding this particular section of our discussion, I want to address one more interesting subject with you. As I noted earlier, Josephus indicated that somewhere between six hundred thousand and one million plus Jews died during the Jerusalem siege. This was either a direct result of the actual fighting, or due to other causes including the gross and painful Roman practice of crucifixion, slow starvation, disease, betrayal and even infighting amongst the very Jews themselves. Concerning these different manners of death, as I've mentioned before, I am convinced that this was a direct fulfillment of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, as we read in the following verses which we find in the Book of Revelation:

"And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth."


In Book 6 of "The Wars of the Jews", Josephus explains that the dire situation that existed within the city was greatly aggravated by the fact that the siege and fall of Jerusalem occurred during the time of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Passover. As you may know, it was during this time when multitudes of Jews from all around the Mediterranean Sea region made an annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem, just as we see occurring in Acts chapter two. Thus, General Titus, being the shrewd tactician that he obviously was, wouldn't allow the worshippers to leave Jerusalem again once he had begun his siege.

In this way, during the four months that the city was under siege, the pressure within Jerusalem greatly skyrocketed as the food supply began to dwindle, food prices began to rise, inter-factional squabbles began to occur, and starvation, famine and disease set in, exactly as we see described with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in the previous verses.

Please go to part six for the conclusion of this series.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

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