Will it All Come True?
Can it be expected that the People of our World today, will really believe, that this entire World is on the brink of destruction; and the War of the Great Day of God The Almighty, at Armageddon is looming on the horizen? How did the People of the period of the Global Flood react to Noah's Ark building campaing? Since the Bible tells us that Noah was 'a preacher of righteous.' he must have been delivering them a warning message; but even was that not to be true, the Building of the Ark itself was screaming out a loud warning message. Was any attention paid by them at that time to Noah and his building campaign? According to Jesus, obviously not, note what he has to tell us:
37"As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." {Matthew 24:37-39 NIV}
Obviously they were to occupied with the cares of life to give Noah any notice. That proved out to be very costly for them, swept away in the flood, as they all were. According to the words of Jesus, it will be exactly the same way when he returns very suddenly. All caught by complete surprise when they least expect it.
"So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." {Matthew24:44 NIV}
Not even his close personal followers would be exempt from being taken by surprise; even they had to be awake and on the watch. {Mark 13:33} {Luke 12:40 NIV}
What was the attitude foretold that the people of this World now in these last days, were to display?
3 "First of all, here is what you must understand. In the last days people will make fun of the truth. They will laugh at it. They will follow their own evil longings. they will say, "Where is this 'return' he promised? Everything goes on in the same way it has since our people of long ago died. In fact, it has continued that way since God first created everything." {2 Peter 3:3,4 NIRV}
What would it be that these people are failing to appreciate? Peter will tell us that:
5"But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men." {2 Peter 3:5-7 IV}
So, Peter is telling us, that just as that one World Destruction swept all the wicked unGodly away in the flood period, because God's Word had decreed that, we can bet, that same word spoken in this case, will see fulfillment with out fail, because Jehovah's word never goes unfulfilled. {Isaiah 55:10,11} This following scripture makes that crystal clear"
45 "Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true." {Joshua 21:45 NLT}
With that in mind it does well to consider the words of Jesus to those early Jews. He gave two Prophecies concerning the destruction that was to come upon ancient Jerusalem that were fulfilled in detail: The first one next was General Cestius Gallus leading the Roman Army, who was beaten back by the Jews, losing thousands of men in his retreat from that City. This occurred in 66AD - Notice how Jesus foretells this event:
20 "And when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you will know that the time of its destruction has arrived. 21 Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. Those in Jerusalem must get out, and those out in the country should not return to the city."{Luke 21:20,21 NLT}
The fact that he was beaten back, gave the Jews who had paid attention to the warning Jesus gave, fled that City, while many never listened to what Jesus had said, and remained in that condemned City. 1 Million 100 Thousand lost their lives four years later. The fulfillment of these Prophecies are recorded events of History. The Apostle Peter speaks of these as Judgements on God's Household next, prior to their occurrences
17" For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household. And if judgment begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God’s Good News?"{1 Peter 4:17 NLT}
This Judgement would be the fulfillment of the words of Jesus to those Jews: The first attack on Jerusalem, done by Cestius Gallus in 66 AD when his Army surrounded Jerusalem. That was the time to flee into the hills; after Cestius Gallus had been driven back. When he was, they would naturally flee the City. What happened four years later, when those who failed to heed the word of Jesus? Over 1 Million of them slaughtered, by General Titus and his Army. Both recorded events in our Books of History. Notice first the words of Jesus foretelling their destruction:
41" But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. 42 "How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. 43 Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. 44 They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not accept your opportunity for salvation."{Luke 19:41-44 NLT} These ones failed to follow the direction that Jesus had given them, to flee, when opportunity presented itself.
"Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. Those in Jerusalem must get out, and those out in the country should not return to the city." {Luke 21:21}
These next words of Jesus were fulfilled in 70AD when Titus leading the Roman Army completely destroyed the City of Jerusalem:
1"As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you." {Luke 19:41-44 NIV}
I've copied two excerpts from the Wikipdeia Encyclopedia just to show that, these two events Jesus foretold are a matter of History, and anyone who so desires can go in and read up on them for themselves. If this destruction came on the house of God, as foretold it would, then just as surely, the destruction of our World System of things will be totally wiped out at the Battle of Aramageddon; for it too was foretold by God's Prophet, and God Himself. With out fail it will come true. Now for my excerps from the Wikipedia Encyclopedia:
"As soon as Agrippa departed, Eleazar, commander of the Temple began trouble. He made a proposal that henceforth no sacrifices be offered in the Temple for Gentiles. This was done in the past to ask God's blessing and favor on the Roman Emperor. The purpose of Eleazar to stop this was to insult Nero. According to history, leading Jews tried to prevent this action. The doctors of the Law pleaded with the people at a mass meeting in the Temple. They were not successful. Fanatics among the priest and Levites ceased all sacrifices at that time. Josephus reports this was the beginning of open rebellion. According to Jewish records, the Sanhedrin sent off a request to Florus and Agrippa to send military aid. No help came! But because of the trouble brewing, Roman General Cestius Gallus assembled an army of 40,000 soldiers in Antioch, Syria, and they arrived at the walls of Jerusalem in September 66AD.
The Roman General was shocked at the resistance. He thought the people would surrender. He attacked the well fortified city. But the Jews defended the city and withstood all attempts to make them surrender. While the siege was tremendous with 40,000 men camped as far as the eye could see, there was no great tribulation at this time. Not many deaths, no starvation, no famines, no water turned into blood, no earthquakes, and no seals opened, trumpets sounded, or vials poured out. Having failed in this effort, Gallus departed to Caesarea before the year was over. In his flight from the city of Jerusalem, Jews took after him and killed 6,000 of his troops.
Word of the defeat of Gallus reached Rome in the spring of 67AD. Nero picked Titus Flavius Vespasian to put Israel back under Roman Tribute and control.
Finally in the spring of 70AD the emperor appointed his son Titus as General over the Roman troops still in Syrian and Israel. Another sizable army was organized and Titus swung down through Samaria and came to the walls of Jerusalem arriving in April. In a few short weeks there was a breach in the walls of the lower city. But the tower of Antonia and the temple fortifications offered great resistance. Titus decided to build a earthen wall around the city and starve the Jews. This failed and an assault was launched against the tower of Antonia which fell into Roman hands on July 5, 70AD. The Temple came immediately under attack and fell on August 10, 70AD. The upper city fell on September 7, 70AD and the capture of Jerusalem was over.
Just as Jesus Foretold. Titus built that embankment around that City, and carried out every word that Jesus had predicted. So, the judgement on God's House came, as Peter mention it would. That being the case, what does This World lying in the power and control of satan have to look forward to? Nothing very pleasant from my understanding of scripture.
18 "Their silver and their gold
will not be able to rescue them
on the day of the LORD's wrath.
The whole earth will be consumed
by the fire of His jealousy.
For He will make a complete,
yes, a horrifying end
of all the inhabitants of the earth." {Zephaniah 1:14-18} HCSB}
Will it all come true? Ezekiel the Prophet thinks so, and I feel it safe to say, he knew what he was talking about when he said the following:
33 "When all this comes true—and it surely will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them." {Ezekiel 33:33 NIV}
So! Will it all come true? For an absolute certainty Wannabe.
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