It’s all of the futuristic deceptions of the enemy that make it hard to see the truth of the fulfillment.
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Understanding Messiah’s Olivet Discourse is very important, because of the truth of its fulfillment, and the deception which is based on it.
To see the truth, we have to put aside preconceived notions, as we’ve been conditioned to believe that it applies to the end times.
Throughout history the followers of Messiah believed in its first century fulfillment, but the enemy has been very effective in this end times disinformation age. I’m not asking you to be empty-minded, but open-minded; for it is when we think that we know the truth, that we are closed to other views.
Note: This is only a summary, to give you the big picture. Detailed explanations are provided in the separate studies.
Messiah proclaimed that all of the things that He described would take place in that generation, so we need to take Him at His Word, and look to see how those things were fulfilled in the first century.
He didn’t say ‘that generation’ as if He was pointing to the end times, He said ‘this generation.’ Too many people dismiss Messiah’s clear proclamation because they don’t understand the fulfillment of the prophecy. But when you take Him at His Word, we can see how it was all fulfilled in that generation.
Matthew uses the words ‘this generation‘ nine times prior to Matthew 24:34 and each time it is pointing to the Jews who lived during Messiah’s ministry.
The context of the Olivet Discourse is that Messiah had just rebuked the Jewish leaders, who sought to kill Him, and He said that all of the righteous blood that they shed would come upon on them, in that generation. “Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.” Matthew 23:36
It’s very clear to see that Messiah was proclaiming that judgment would come upon that generation of Jews, and we know that a terrible time of tribulation came upon the Jewish nation forty years after Messiah proclaimed judgment on them, during the Jewish-Roman War of 66-70 AD.
After Messiah rebuked the Jewish leaders, He left the city and looking back, His disciples pointed to the beautiful temple; to which He replied with “See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”
He proclaimed that the second temple would be desolated, which caused His disciples to ask about the sign of these things (the judgment of the Jews and the desolation of the temple) which were about to happen.
When they sat down on the Mount of Olives, which overlooks the city and temple, the disciples asked Messiah about when the desolation would take place and what would be the sign.
The proper context of the Olivet Discourse is the desolation of the second temple, not the end times.
Messiah’s disciples understood the prophecy in the 70 weeks of Daniel 9 that foretold that the temple and city would be desolated, because the Jewish leaders would deliver Messiah up to be killed; so they wanted to know more about when it would happen.
Jewish historian Josephus documented the fulfillment. Wars occurred around Judea, in the Roman Empire. There were times of famine and pestilence, and earthquakes. The disciples were delivered up to councils and all but John were killed. Many false prophets rose up during this time (Bar-Jesus, Simon Magus). Paul proclaims that the Gospel was preached all over the world (Romans 1:8, 10:15-19, 16:25-26, Colossians 1:4-6, 23), the earth of the Roman Empire.
The abomination of desolation is defined in Luke 21:20-21, “And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains.“
Josephus says that in November 66 AD, Cestius and his army surrounded the temple and were ready to capture Jerusalem, and then suddenly they left for no explained reason. The Jewish rebels chased after the Romans, which gave the saints the opportunity to flee Jerusalem to the mountains for safety.
Messiah said to flee Judea, which only existed until 132 AD.
He said to not come down from the housetop, a typical design of a house in Judea. He said to pray that it doesn’t happen on the Sabbath, when the Jewish priests would have shut the city gates, keeping them in. All of those things isolate the prophecy to that generation in Judea. The saints fled to the mountains east of the Jordan River after seeing the abomination of desolation, to escape the time of tribulation.
The time of great tribulation that Messiah foretold was so horrific that at the end, there were 1.1 million dead Jews lying out in the open, in and around Jerusalem; with wild animals and birds feeding on their bodies.
- Hundreds of thousands of Jews died in Jerusalem during the civil war between three rival factions.
- They slit each other throats and tortured each other. They slew the high priest and his temple guards.
- They died from famine, pestilence, infighting and suicide.
- Hundreds of thousands of bodies were stacked in Jerusalem or thrown over the city wall into the valleys around it.
- Jews that tried to find food outside of the city were tortured and crucified, so that all of the trees around Jerusalem were filled with multiple bodies.
- Some Jews swallowed gold coins to protect their wealth and they tried to escape, but were caught and disemboweled to retrieve the gold.
- Then hundreds of thousands were killed the Roman sword and 97,000 taken captive and sold as cheap slaves in 70 AD.
Though more people have died in other times of tribulation, this grisly scene in the small city of Jerusalem, was so concentrated that Messiah proclaimed:
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Of this period of great tribulation Josephus says, in the introduction of his ‘Wars of the Jews‘ historical documentary.
“It had come to pass that our city Jerusalem had arrived at a higher degree of felicity than any other city under the Roman government, and yet at last fell into the sorest of calamities again. Accordingly it appears to me that the misfortunes of all men from the beginning of the world, if they be compared to those of the Jews, are not so considerable as they were.”
Messiah’s reference to the ‘sun being darkened, the moon not giving her light, and the stars falling from heaven’; is not pointing to the literal heavens in the end times; but to the Jewish political hierarchy being cast down from power.
Isaiah used this same terminology when he referred to the judgment of Elohim against the leadership of Babylon in Isaiah 13:10. And indeed, the power of Babylon was destroyed by the Medo-Persian empire.
“For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; The sun will be darkened in its going forth, And the moon will not cause its light to shine.“
In the Olivet Discourse, Messiah is referring to the high priest, who was the sun; the Sanhedrin Council, who were the moon; and the many Rabbis, who were the stars; who were killed and cast down during the Roman siege. This is explained in the study The Sun, Moon And Stars.
‘Coming on a cloud in great power and glory’ is not referring to Messiah’s second coming, but to His presence as He caused the Roman army to desolate the city, temple and the Jews.
The term ‘clouds‘ can represent judgement, and in this instance it represented the judgment of the Jews who rejected Messiah and delivered Him up to be killed.
Messiah told the high priest who delivered Him up to be killed, that he would see Messiah come in power and glory. That took place in 70 AD as the high priest of Jerusalem witnesses Messiah’s judgment of the Jewish nation by the Roman armies.
Jewish historian Josephus recorded the witness of people who saw this in the clouds:
On the twenty-first day of the month of Artemisius [Jyar], a certain prodigious and incredible phenomenon appeared; I suppose the account of it would seem to be a fable, were it not related by those that saw it, and were not the events that followed it of so considerable a nature as to deserve such signals; for, before sunsetting, chariots and troops of soldiers in their armor were seen running about among the clouds, and surrounding of cities. (Josephus The Wars of the Jews 6.5.3.)
Daniel 12 described the great tribulation scene in Jerusalem from 66-70 AD, as the prophecies about the 1,290 and 1,335 days were fulfilled. From the time that the first division of the Roman army, the abomination of desolation, appeared in November 66 AD; until the next division flooded the city in 70 AD, was 1,290 days. The siege lasted 45 days and stopped abruptly when the last stronghold of Jewish rebels suddenly surrendered; fulfilling the 1,335 days. This is explained in the study Messiah Coming In The Clouds
‘Gathering together his elect‘ is referring to the leaders gathering together the early Church, which had retreated to the mountains for safety; to then send them out to preach the Gospel.
The Greek word for ‘angels‘ can refer to leaders in Messiah’s Ekklesia, His Church. Given the context, when the Roman siege of Jerusalem was over, the leaders blew a trumpet to gather an assembly of Messiah’s saints, who had spread out in the mountains for safety during the time of great tribulation in Judea.
Some returned to Jerusalem to minister to people there, others stayed in the Decapolis region to continue ministry there, and others went into the Roman Empire to proclaim the Gospel. This is explained in the study Gathering Together His Elect
The Jewish leaders wanted Messiah to setup His kingdom, to overthrow the Romans, and to exalt them up as the leaders of the kingdom.
Instead, the very opposite happened. Messiah caused the Roman army to desolate the Jewish leaders and their temple. This removed them from their power and effectively ended the Jewish nation.
In order to setup the kingdom of His Father, Messiah had to remove the old types, which had pointed to the true type.
- He removed the temple made with hands, to create the temple made without hands; of which Messiah is the cornerstone, the Apostles the foundation, and the saints the small stones that make up the walls; which Elohim indwells.
- He removed the Jewish high priest, as Messiah is our High Priest, who intercedes for us.
- He removed the Jewish priest system, as the saints (made up of believing Jews and Gentiles) are the priests who offer spiritual sacrifices to the Father.
- He desolated the city of Jerusalem, as the bride of Messiah is Holy Jerusalem.
The kingdom of Elohim was setup in the first century. This is explained in the study Messiah Setup His Kingdom
Here’s a one-page summary PDF of the fulfillment of The Olivet Discourse which you can save and print and share.
Here’s a two-page summary PDF of the fulfillment of the Olivet Discourse which you can save and print and share.
Click on this link to listen to The Olivet Discourse Decoded Bible Study Guide YouTube videos that cover key concepts about prophecy fulfillment, that I focus on in my book.
Click on this link to listen to The Olivet Discourse Decoded Bible Study Guide audios.
The Olivet Discourse Decoded book explains the fulfillment in detail.
The enemy has created many prophecy fulfillment deceptions to mislead the saints, so that they’re not prepared for how the end-times with play out.
Both the 70th week of Daniel 9 prophecy and Messiah’s Olivet Discourse, pointed to the desolation of the temple, Jerusalem and the Jewish nation; as punishment for their grievous sin of delivering Messiah up to be killed.
You need to know the fulfillment of the Olivet Discourse in order to understand Messiah’s apocalyptic vision in Revelation.
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Note: This is not a Preterist website which proclaims that all prophecy was fulfilled in the first century; as my Revelation Timeline Decoded website shows how Revelation has been in the process of being fulfilled since it was written in the 1st century, and won’t be complete until Messiah returns.
But history proves that many prophecies such as the 70th week of Daniel, the Olivet Discourse and Daniel 12, were fulfilled in the first century; as they were about the Jewish nation.
David Nikao Wilcoxson
Click Here For The Olivet Discourse Study List
First Olivet Discourse Study: The Context Of The Olivet Discourse
Reference For Further Study: The Witness of 70 A.D. – Let God Be True
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21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
It’s amazing Roelf how what Messiah was proclaiming pointed back to the 70 weeks of Daniel prophecy. The Jews had been punished with 70 years of captivity in Babylon, and then they were given 490 years (7 x 70) to prepare for the promised Messiah.
Messiah appeared in the 70th week of Daniel, to confirm the everlasting covenant with His blood as the Passover Lamb, which atoned for the sins of the Jews who believed in Him, and ended the need for temple sacrifices.
http://70thweekofdaniel.com
David, Most times God says what he means and means what he says. The passage “when you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place”
1- So where is this all taking place?- In the Holy of Holies, inside the Temple
2- How is someone outside the temple going to see inside the Holy of holies?
3- Its a technology statement…camera televised by the Son of Perdition on MSM.
Next: Matt 24-21 “For then shall be great Tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” The Holocost in Germany took 1 out of 3 jews….this is greater than that..this will take 2 out of 3 (possibly more) the goal is to eliminate the Jews preventing them from recognizing Jesus as Messiah and calling out to him.
Scripture also contains weeks of years, I thought this was well know.
Luke gave us the definition of the Abomination of Desolation, an army surrounding Holy Jerusalem, which everyone saw. When the first division of the Roman army left (for no reason), the Early Church fled to the mountains of Pella.
Luke 21:20-21 – “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her.”
Here is the study http://theolivetdiscourse.com/the-abomination-of-desolation-deception/
There was less than 1 million Jews in Germany at the time of the holocaust, so the stories have been embellished.
The point that Messiah was making is that the sheer horror of the scene would never be greater. 1.1 million Jews died in and around Holy Jerusalem, from famine, pestilence, infighting, suicide, crucifixion and by the Roman sword. All of those bodies were left out in the open, as nobody took them outside the city to bury them. They were stacked up in heaps in the city. The temple had dead bodies and blood in it. The trees around Jerusalem were filled with dead bodies. Wild animals and birds fed on their flesh.
Here is the great tribulation of Matthew 24 study http://theolivetdiscourse.com/the-great-tribulation-of-matthew-24/
Most of the non denominational scholars I follow, including my own research, indicates that the desolation in Luke is as you point out, Jerusalem. However Daniel and Yesuah and Yeshua references Daniel, are speaking about an abomination of desolation inside the temple; Idol worship. Its a very specific event, unlike a siege of a city. Both obviously take lives, but this one kicks off the 3.5 years of great Tribulation very clearly outlined in Gods Revelation to Jesus.
https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/mat/24/15/p0/t_conc_953015
The whole sentence cross referenced clearly indicates something is going to STAND in the holy place, inside the holy of holies inside the Temple.
Honestly I think its difficult to know how many exactly were killed in either event, since..as your site implies, and I agree, there is alot of deception.
However, deception in of itself implies a deliberate act to deceive. Many of the topics you allege as deception are not, they are misunderstandings by most, perhaps the victims of a deception or simply those who have a different viewpoint.
I suggest Its a very fair and realistic conjecture to say Satans goal prior to Jesus birth including up to 2 years old, was to cut Davids Bloodline, and now, close to the end of days, eliminate the “remnant” and prevent them from crying out Mat 21:9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.” In Scripture: Hos 5:15 “I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.” Its referencing a specific event in Revelation. Once this is completed he returns.
Daniels 70th week was never completed as they rejected Jesus as Christ and Crucified him.
The Time of Jacobs Trouble has yet to come.
I follow the teachings of the great theologians of the 16th-20th centuries, who taught the historical fulfillment of the 70th week of Daniel, before all of the futuristic deceptions crept in to deceive people.
Here are the explanations:
Adam Clarke http://70thweekofdaniel.com/adam-clarkes-commentary-on-the-70-weeks-of-daniel-9/
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown http://70thweekofdaniel.com/jamieson-fausset-brown-commentary-on-the-70-weeks-of-daniel-9/
John Gill http://70thweekofdaniel.com/john-gills-exposition-on-the-70-weeks-of-daniel-9/
Matthew Poole http://70thweekofdaniel.com/matthew-pooles-commentary-on-the-70-weeks-of-daniel-9/
A 70 week prophecy is either fulfilled in 70 weeks, or it is invalid. http://70thweekofdaniel.com/an-end-times-70th-week-of-daniel-is-illogical/
You say that the Jews rejected Messiah, so the 70th week wasn’t fulfilled; but that is wrong, as many thousands of Jews accepted Him as their Messiah during the later half of the 70th week of Daniel. 3,000 were saved on the day of Pentecost, and then they returned to their foreign lands to preach the gospel to other Jews. The Early Church was made up of Jews.
As for the supposed 3 1/2 years of tribulation in Revelation; it is pointing to the 1,260 year reign of the antichrist Popes of Rome, from 538-1798 A.D. That’s in the past. http://revelationtimelinedecoded.com/the-1260-year-reign-of-the-popes-of-the-roman-catholic-church/
Torpex, if I might give you another alternative? The abomination that causes desolation is the Dome of the Rock that was put in the temple in 688 A.D. We can deduce this by establishing the hint Daniel gave in Daniel 12:11– “from the time the daily sacrifice is taken away and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days.”
The sacrifices were ended when Nebuchadnezzar exiled the Jews to Babylon in 583 BC. So we have to remember Daniel was written to the Jews about the Jews, and in the customs of the Jews. This means they kept the lunar calendar and not the solar. So we have to take 1290 lunar days (1290 x .9857) to reach the equivalent in solar years, which is 1271.5 583 + 1271.5 gives us 688.66 A.D.
This means that the abomination that causes desolation was the idolatry of Islam being established in the temple. Daniel goes on to say, “Blessed is he who comes to the one thousand three hundred thirty-fifth day.” This is key and how we can ascertain we have applied the prophecy correctly. Using the same formula (years for days, converting lunar to solar), we get the year 732 A.D. This is pivotal because it’s the year of the Battle of Tours, where the Islamic conquest across Europe is halted. Every historian submits that had the Battle of Tours not ended in Islamic defeat, that all of Europe would have become Islamic, and thus, the world.
One more thing, context is so important. Daniel was written to the Jews to tell them of the events to come concerning the JEWS. So this has to do with the Promised Land. The Islamic kingdom is the Beast Kingdom, and the False Prophet is Mohammed. Daniel was explaining the state of the Holy Land in his prophecies As history attests, the Islamic kingdom overtook most of the Holy Land to the suffering of the saints, even to this day. (Hosea was writing to the Israelites, and his prophecies are concerning the Israelites — everyone BUT Judah/Jews.)
For greater clarity, look at the late Ellis Skolfield’s work, “The False Prophet”, available free online. After fifteen years of personal research and study, this was the study that broke it open for me.
God bless 🙂
The revolt against Rome that ended in 70 AD literally started because of outrage from when a Roman general named Pompey went into the holy of holies. That is the sign that Jesus used to tell them when to flee from Judea. Also, Jesus was crucified around 30 AD during Passover. The siege started in 69 AD during Passover (when all the Jews were in Jerusalem. Jesus said this would happen within 1 generation (to Jews, this meant 40 years). It happened also on his death anniversary
Luke 21:20-21 tells us that the sign of the Abomination of Desolation was the (Roman) army surrounding Jerusalem. “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her.”
This happened in 66 A.D., when Cestius led a division of the Roman army, which surrounded Jerusalem, and built ramps up the walls, and were ready to take it captive; when for no reason (other than the hand of our Father), they left.
The Early Church obviously saw this sign, and they took opportunity to flee to the mountains of Pella. The Jews stayed, and were killed when three divisions of the Roman army came against them. Here’s the study that proves it out. http://theolivetdiscourse.com/the-abomination-of-desolation-deception/
I believe David,that The Pope of Rome stood in the Temple,and desolated it When he Sat on King Davids Throne in 2013 of January, The Upper Room ,where Yeshua had the Last Supper ,This used to Be a Mosque ,But is was turned into a Synagog,So I read ,what do you think ;Thankyou and Godbless your site is very informative ,
Well Anonymous, the antichrist beast Pope being in the Upper Room, was an abomination to be sure; but many things that the Popes are are an abomination; most notably their Babylonian Eucharist ceremony.
Dual Fulfillments of Prophecy
The Wycliffe Bible Commentary says, “There is no record of any person claiming to be Christ between A.D. 30 and 70” (p. 972), claiming this proves that the whole prophecy applied to our time, rather than to the first century.
Many Antichrists in the First Century
If there is no record of any false messiahs rising up during the forty years leading to Jerusalem’s destruction, then Jesus’ statement must surely apply to a future time leading to a second destruction of the city. Many modern commentators tell us that this was a reference to “The Antichrist” who was to arise. But such an “Antichrist” hardly fulfills Jesus’ word, “many will come in My name.” It is better explained in 1 John 2:18, 19,
18 Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen; from this we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, in order that it might be shown that they all are not of us. 20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know.
Hence, while the Wycliffe Bible Commentary searches in vain for a false messiah (or Antichrist) to arise from 30-70 A.D., John saw many antichrists already. These, he said, proved the fact that “it is the last hour.” There was no single Antichrist on the scene in the sense that many have been taught today. John saw many antichrists in his time, and this is consistent with Jesus’ statement, “many will come in My name.”
1 John 2:22, 23 describes these antichrists more fully, saying,
22 Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.
John defines “antichrist” as those who deny that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah). The context shows that many Jews who had confessed Jesus as the Christ later renounced that belief and rejoined fellowship with the temple with its unbelieving priesthood.
In other words, they returned to Judaism. This was part of the problem in the Jerusalem church, which did not make a clear break with Judaism until they left the city just before its destruction. They left town when they saw the signs of war that Jesus had prophesied in the passages that we are now studying.
The records of church history are far from complete, but John implies that many Christians reverted to Judaism and thereby became “antichrists.” In their reunification with the temple, they believed that they were following Yahweh (“the Father”). But John tells us that if they deny the Son, they deny also the Father. “Whoever denies the son does not have the Father,” he asserts.
John’s definition of antichrist, then, points to Judaism itself, which rejected Jesus as the Christ. This includes former Christians who then reverted back to temple worship. Such former Christians apparently did not believe that the temple would be destroyed, but that God would defend Jerusalem from its enemies. No doubt many of them died in the coming war with Rome.
The Final Destruction
We must keep in mind that this entire fireside chat on the Mount of Olives was an extension of Jesus’ prophecy in Luke 21:6 about the utter destruction of the temple. That temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. Many are expecting to see a new temple erected in its place in the near future. I do not know if this will take place or not, but if such a temple were to be constructed, its existence would be short-lived. Jesus’ prophecy in Luke 21:6 would apply again, because that physical temple competes for the hearts (allegiance) of men with the heavenly temple in the New Jerusalem.
The fate of such a rebuilt temple would be tied to the fate of Jerusalem itself. If Jerusalem is to be destroyed permanently (as per Jer. 19:11), then so also will any temple that may be built there. Paul tells us in Gal. 4:25 that Jerusalem is “Hagar,” who, like the original Hagar, must be cast out along with the son who was born after the flesh. The reason, as seen in the “allegory,” is that the flesh seeks to usurp the birthright that God intends to give to the spiritual son who is born through the free woman (New Covenant) through the promise (vow, oath) of God.
The flesh and the spirit are enemies, both personally (Rom. 7:23) and between the two Jerusalems with their temples. This is also a battle between the two covenants, and Paul makes it clear that the New Covenant will win. The New Jerusalem will be the capital of the Kingdom in the Age to come. The antichrists who advocate for the earthly Jerusalem and place their faith in an earthly temple (to be built there, as they say) will be affected in various ways by the divine judgment.
The irony is that John’s description of some first-century believers who reverted back to Judaism is being repeated in our own life time. We live in a parallel time. Those Christians who support a physical temple and look to Jerusalem as their “mother” decry The Antichrist, and yet support the antichrists described by John. Modern prophecy teaching since the 1850’s has brought us to the place where Christians are returning to Judaism. This is because most Christians lack understanding about God’s purpose for allowing the Israeli state to be formed in 1948. I explained this fully in my book, The Struggle for the Birthright.
The solution, of course, is for Christians to stop reverting back to Judaism and to declare Sarah (the New Jerusalem) to be their “mother.” They should have faith through the New Covenant, with its new way of life, and renounce the Old Covenant with its physical temple, Levitical priesthood, and animal sacrifices.
By individually casting out the bondwoman and her son from our hearts, we show our acceptance of the New Covenant that Jesus came to mediate, and we no longer side with those who not only rejected Him but who also crucified Him.
DUAL PROPHECY
In my view the prophecy has a dual application, as we see so often. The original pattern had already been set 600 years earlier in the first destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. At that time, we find the prophecy of Jeremiah 19 being fulfilled, with verse 11 remaining for another time. Verse 11 says that Jerusalem’s destruction will be so complete that it would not be repaired (or rebuilt) again. Yet Jerusalem was rebuilt after its destruction at the hands of Babylon, and it was rebuilt again after 70 A.D. The city stands to this day, proving that Jer. 19:11 has yet a future fulfillment.
It is difficult for some to comprehend how prophecy repeats in cycles. When the same prophecy is fulfilled on more than one occasion, or when parts of a prophetic passage are fulfilled at different times in history, many are confused. Yet we see this from the start of Jesus’ ministry, when He quoted Isaiah 61:1, 2, but stopped in the middle of verse 2. That which He quoted was applicable to His first coming, but the last half of verse 2 would apply to His second coming. This angered His audience in Nazareth and caused His former neighbors to try to throw Him off the nearby cliff at the edge of town.
Therefore, when we study this prophecy, we should recognize from the start that it applied first to the coming seven-year war (66-73 A.D.), but that it also applies to the time when Jerusalem is fully destroyed—which is yet future at the time of this writing.
Ecclesiastes 1:9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
I cover this on the verse by verse explanation page. http://theolivetdiscourse.com/explanation-of-the-olivet-discourse/
There were indeed false prophets claiming to represent God in plenty [Josephus War 6.5.2 refers to a “great number of false prophets” who gave false hope to the people]; these tried to initiate various signs to “activate God’s eschatological salvation” [Keener, 567-8], and they did indeed deceive many.
Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible:
1. Josephus says, (War, b. ii. c. 13), that there were many who, pretending to Divine inspiration, deceived the people, leading out numbers of them to the desert, pretending that God would there show them the signs of liberty, meaning redemption from the Roman power: and that an Egyptian false prophet led 30,000 men into the desert, who were almost all cut off by Felix. See Acts 21:38. It was a just judgment for God to deliver up that people into the hands of false Christs who had rejected the true one. Soon after our Lord’s crucifixion, Simon Magus appeared, and persuaded the people of Samaria that he was the great power of God, Acts 8:9, Acts 8:10; and boasted among the Jews that he was the son of God.
2. Of the same stamp and character was also Dositheus, the Samaritan, who pretended that he was the Christ foretold by Moses.
3. About twelve years after the death of our Lord, when Cuspius Fadus was procurator of Judea, arose an impostor of the name of Theudas, who said he was a prophet, and persuaded a great multitude to follow him with their best effects to the river Jordan, which he promised to divide for their passage; and saying these things, says Josephus, he deceived many: almost the very words of our Lord.
4. A few years afterwards, under the reign of Nero, while Felix was procurator of Judea, impostors of this stamp were so frequent that some were taken and killed almost every day. Josephus. Ant. b. xx. c. 4. and 7.
Galatians 4:16 Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?
Thomas, I manage several prophecy websites, and get comments every day, which I have to approve and reply to. I manage a Facebook prophecy group and have to manage posts and comments. I’m busy working on new studies and videos. And I work for a living.
Your comments are a bit lengthy, so I will give you a proper response when I get caught up. David