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Author
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: Bill Kochman
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Publish
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: Sep. 15, 1997
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Update
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: Jun. 18, 2025
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Parts
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: 06
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Synopsis:
The Severity Of The Famine, Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse, Desperation Of The Seditionists, Measure Of Wheat And Three Measures Of Barley, Closing Thoughts, BBB Suggested Reading
Continuing our discussion from part five, as I explained a moment ago, I am convinced that everything that happened to the Jews during the dreadful seven-year First Jewish-Roman War -- meaning the war itself, famine, disease and death -- was a direct fulfillment of the Four Horsemen who are found in the sixth chapter of the Apocalypse. That is to say, the Book of Revelation. In the following excerpt which is taken from Book 5 Chapter 10 of "The Wars of the Jews", Josephus describes not only the severity of the famine itself, but also the extremes to which the seditionists went in order to secure food for themselves. In a word, those wicked men spared no one:
----- Begin Quote -----
"The madness of THE SEDITIOUS did also increase together with their famine, and both those miseries were every day inflamed more and more; for there was no corn which anywhere appeared publicly, but THE ROBBERS came running into, and searched men's private houses; and then, if they found any, they tormented them, because they had denied they had any, and if they found none, they tormented them worse, because they supposed they had more carefully concealed it. The indication they made use of whether they had any or not, was taken from the bodies of these miserable wretches; which, if they were in good case, they supposed they were in no want at all of food; but if they were wasted away they walked off without searching any farther; nor did they think it proper to kill such as these, because they saw they would very soon die of themselves for want of food. Many there were indeed who sold what they had for one measure; it was of wheat, if they were of the richer sort, but of barley if they were poorer. When these had so done, they shut themselves up in the inmost rooms of their houses, and eat the corn they had gotten; some did it without grinding it, by reason of the extremity of the want they were in, and others baked bread of it, according as necessity and fear dictated to them; a table was nowhere laid for a distinct meal, but they snatched the bread out of the fire, half-baked, and eat it very hastily.
It was now a miserable case, and a sight that would justly bring tears into our eyes, how men stood as to their food, while the more powerful had more than enough, and the weaker were lamenting [for want of it.] But the famine was too hard for all other passions, and it is destructive to nothing so much as to modesty; for what was otherwise worthy of reverence was in this case despised; insomuch that children pulled the very morsels that their fathers were eating out of their very mouths, and what was still more to be pitied, so did the mothers do as to their infants; and when those that were most dear were perishing under their hands, they were not ashamed to take from them the very last drops that might preserve their lives: and while they eat after this manner, yet were they not concealed in so doing; but THE SEDITIOUS everywhere came upon them immediately, and snatched away from them what they had gotten from others; for when they saw any house shut up, this was to them a signal that the people within had gotten some food; whereupon they broke open the doors, and ran in, and took pieces of what they were eating almost up out of their very throats, and this by force: the old men, who held their food fast, were beaten, and if the women hid what they had within their hands, their hair was torn for so doing; nor was there any commiseration shown either to the aged or to the infants, but they lifted up children from the ground, as they hung upon the morsels they had gotten, and shook them down upon the floor. But still were they more barbarously cruel to those that had prevented their coming in, and had actually swallowed down what they were going to seize upon, as if they had been unjustly defrauded of their right. They also invented terrible methods of torments to discover where any food was, and they were these: to stop up the passages of the privy parts of the miserable wretches, and to drive sharp stakes up their fundaments; and a man was forced to bear what it is terrible even to hear, in order to make him confess that he had but one loaf of bread, or that he might discover an handful of barley meal that was concealed; and this was done when these tormentors were not themselves hungry; for the thing had been less barbarous had necessity forced them to it, but this was done to keep their madness in exercise, and as making preparation of provisions for themselves for the following days."
----- End Quote ------
As I noted earlier, I am convinced that when God pronounces a prophecy in the Scriptures, it is always specific to one particular event. Josephus wrote "Many there were indeed who sold what they had for one measure; it was of wheat, if they were of the richer sort, but of barley if they were poorer." This perfectly matches what John wrote in Revelation. Now if you don't understand it, Josephus says that the rich people sold their possessions so as to purchase a measure of wheat, while the poor people were so poor that if they sold their things, they could only afford to buy a measure of barley. This was because a measure of wheat was worth much more than a measure of barley. John in fact says that wheat was worth three times more than barley. Barley was cheaper to buy than the wheat, so the poor bought the barley, while rich people purchased the wheat. Thus, that aspect of the Four Horsemen prophecy was indeed fulfilled.
At this point in our discussion, we have now covered all of the various signs in the "All These Things" list which Jesus said would serve as precursors announcing His soon return to the Earth. Through a variety of Scriptures, as well as two historical sources, I believe that I have provided convincing evidence to prove that the First Jewish-Roman War was in fact the period of great tribulation and affliction -- or Jacob's Trouble -- which the Lord had prophesied would fall upon the Jews, due to their foolish rejection of the Son of God. This destructive war was indeed the prophesied Wrath of God being poured out upon the children of disobedience, as the Apostle Paul had referred to the unbelieving Jews.
While Josephus himself may not have personally recognized Jesus Christ as the long-awaited Jewish Messiah, he did come to recognize that this dreadful seven-year war was the hand of God against the Jewish nation. As I mention in "Vespasian, Titus and the Fall of Jerusalem", he makes this statement on several occasions throughout "The Wars of the Jews".
If I am correct in my understanding regarding all of these things, then the obvious byproduct of all of this is that it likewise forces us to reconsider the actual time frame of the Lord's return. As I mentioned earlier, this is a topic which I discuss at considerable length in the series called "Jesus Christ's Return: Have We Been Deceived?". Of course, in this series, I have not covered every single Bible verse which is directly related to the topics of the Great Tribulation and the Rapture. Neither have I covered every single aspect of these terrible war events.
But I hope that I have provided you with enough information to motivate you to rethink your position, if you happen to believe that the Great Tribulation and the Rapture are yet future events, as the Futurists believe. If you would like to dig deeper into some of the subjects we have discussed here, then I again invite you to consider reading some of the other BBB articles and series which I have mentioned in this current series.
In conclusion, if you have been led astray by well-meaning but misguided Bible teachers who have tried to convince you of their unscriptural beliefs, I trust that this series will assist you in removing any confusion which may have filled your mind and heart. God's Word has spoken clearly. Please always remember that it does not matter what I say, or what you say. All that matters is what God's holy Word says. In this series I have done my best to present to you with the Biblical truth as I currently understand it in a very clear, direct and easily understandable manner for your personal consideration.
With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you've found it informative and enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!
For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the BBB Bible web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.
Are You Flexible?
Abomination of Desolation: Explained!
As a Thief in the Night
Facebook False Prophets and Misguided Teachers
Fight Against Futurism!
Greater Works Than These Shall He Do . . . and Satan Too
He That Shall Endure Unto the End
Humility in Our Understanding of God's Word
In the Ages to Come
It Is Time to Wake Up!
Jesus Christ's Return: Have We Been Deceived?
Leviathan: An Ancient Dragon of the Sea?
Modern Deception: Shall a Nation Be Born at Once?
Modern Deceptions: Return to Israel, the Fig Tree and This Generation
My Evolving Theology
Please Stop Misinterpreting the Scriptures
Prophetic Comparisons: Moshiach, Mahdi and Messiah
Satan: His Origin, Purpose And Future
Satan: King of Tyrus, King of Empires
Seventy Weeks Prophecy: What It Means
So, You Have Got It All Figured Out, Do You?
Sorry, Jesus Is Not Coming at Any Moment
The 70th Week of Daniel Error: Are You Guilty?
The Day I Am Waiting For
The Day of the Lord: What It Really Means
The Fruits of Disobedience
The Great Tribulation and the Rapture
The Last Seven Years Chart
The Misguided End of the World Predictions of Harold Camping
The Office of Prophets and Teachers
The Triumphant Touchdown of Jesus Christ
The Two Sackcloth Witnesses of Revelation 11
The Woman in the Wilderness and the 144,000
Tradition or Truth? Old Wine or New Wine?
Understanding the Bible in Context
Vespasian, Titus and the Fall of Jerusalem
When Was Satan Cast Out of Heaven?
Who Hindered the Antichrist?
Who is Babylon the Great?
Who is Moshiach ben David?
Who is Who?: Defining Important Prophecy Terms