Introduction to the Great Tribulation

1. Introduction

Many people fear the Great Tribulation because they believe it is still to occur in our future. Yet Jesus placed its fulfilment within the generation to whom He spoke. If the Great Tribulation remains in the future, then the time limitation Jesus placed upon His prophecy becomes impossible to maintain.

In this series, we will examine the biblical prophecies associated with the Great Tribulation and compare them with the events surrounding the Jewish–Roman War and the destruction of Jerusalem. We will see that the signs, prophetic time periods, armies, judgments, and historical events described by Jesus, Daniel, and Revelation converge upon the first-century judgment of Jerusalem.

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Matthew 24:21

In this series on the Great Tribulation, we’ll explore 22 key questions.

1. When was the Great Tribulation?
2. What was the Abomination of Desolation?
3. Had the gospel been preached to all nations before the Great Tribulation?
4. Why does Revelation compare Jerusalem to Sodom and Egypt?
5. Who was Josephus, and is he a credible historian?
6. What are the Seven Seals, the bowls and the trumpets?
7. How do the Seven Seals relate to the Great Tribulation?
8. Were one quarter and one third of the population killed, as Revelation describes?
9. Who were the 144,000?
10. Which armies crossed the Euphrates in Revelation?
11. How long was the Great Tribulation—seven years or 2,300 days?
12. Why did Jesus say His coming would be like lightning from the east to the west?
13. When did the Great Tribulation begin?
14. When did the Great Tribulation end?
15. When did the Christians flee Jerusalem?
16. How many people were killed during the Great Tribulation?
17. What is the significance of the half hour of silence in heaven?
18. When was the forty-two-month prophecy of Revelation fulfilled?
19. What is the significance of the five-month prophecy in Revelation 9?
20. What were Daniel’s 1,290- and 1,335-day prophecies about?
21. What is Antioch’s importance in the prophetic calendar?
22. What blessing was promised to those who reached 1,335 days?

In this lesson, we cover the first five questions.

2. What Is the Great Tribulation?

The Great Tribulation was the unique period of divine judgment upon Jerusalem and Judea foretold by Jesus, culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple during the Jewish–Roman War. 

Several features define the Great Tribulation:

• It was a unique historical judgment that would never be repeated.
• It concerned Jerusalem and Judea specifically.
• It occurred within the generation to whom Jesus spoke.
• It involved both internal Jewish conflict and external Roman military judgment.
• It culminated in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 CE.
• Various prophetic periods—including the forty-two months, five months, 1,260 days, 1,290 days, 1,335 days, and 2,300 days—describe particular phases or aspects of this wider period and should be examined individually rather than assumed to have identical starting and finishing dates.

A. The Great Tribulation Will Never Occur Again

Jesus described the Great Tribulation as a unique historical event. It was not one of many similar tribulations, nor did He indicate it would repeat in a future generation.

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Matthew 24:21

The words “nor ever shall be” clearly limit the prophecy. Jesus described a judgment so significant that nothing comparable would occur again.

For this reason, Scripture speaks of the Great Tribulation as a unique historical event. Once fulfilled, it cannot be repeated in another age.

This does not mean that persecution, war, famine, or severe suffering would never occur again. Rather, the specific Great Tribulation Jesus foretold was a singular judgment connected with Jerusalem and Judea, culminating in the destruction of the city and Temple.

B. When Would The Great Tribulation Occur?

Jesus placed a clear time limit upon the fulfilment of the Great Tribulation. His teaching in Matthew 24 is framed by two statements that identify the generation in which these events would occur. Before the Olivet Discourse, Jesus said:

Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

Matthew 23:36

Then, after describing the Great Tribulation and the events associated with it, He repeated the same limitation:

Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.

Matthew 24:34

Jesus therefore placed the fulfilment of the Great Tribulation within the lifetime of the generation to whom He was speaking.

In our Introductory lesson on eschatology, we established that a biblical generation is commonly represented as forty years. Jesus gave this prophecy around 30 CE, placing its fulfilment by 70 CE. The Great Tribulation therefore cannot be moved into a distant future without breaking the time limitation Jesus Himself placed upon the prophecy.

3. The Gospel Preached to All Nations

A. All Nations Would Hear the Gospel

Immediately before His teaching on the Great Tribulation, Jesus gave another condition that had to be fulfilled before the end would come.

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Matthew 24:14

This raises an important question: if the Great Tribulation occurred in the first century, had the gospel already been preached throughout the world by then? The New Testament repeatedly indicates that, within the biblical understanding of the world known to its writers, this prophecy had already been fulfilled before the Great Tribulation.

B. Start of the Church

At the beginning of the church, on the Day of Pentecost, Luke, the author of Acts, stated that the entire earth was limited to those known at that time.

And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven.

Acts 2:5

Luke was not claiming that every modern nation-state was represented in Jerusalem. He was using the common biblical language of the known world at the time.

This is important when interpreting Jesus’ statement that the gospel would be preached “in all the world” and “to all the nations.” The New Testament writers could use universal language to describe the nations and peoples of the world known to them.

C: Paul’s Teaching

Paul wrote that the gospel had already been proclaimed throughout the world before the Great Tribulation.

If indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Colossians 1:23

Paul’s language is important. He does not speak of the gospel merely as something that would eventually be preached to every creature under heaven; he describes it as something that had already happened. This supports interpreting Matthew 24:14 within the first-century setting. The gospel had spread throughout the world and was known to the New Testament writers before the judgment upon Jerusalem.

D. The Whole World Had Been Reached

Paul makes the same point in Romans, showing that the gospel had already spread throughout the world before the Great Tribulation.

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

Romans 1:8

Then, near the end of the same letter, Paul writes:

Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith.

Romans 16:25-26

Paul therefore describes both the faith of the Roman believers as known “throughout the whole world” and the gospel as having been “made known to all nations.” This further supports that Matthew 24:14 was fulfilled before the Great Tribulation.

E. The Early Church Also Understood the Gospel to Have Reached the World

The New Testament writers were not the only ones to describe the gospel as having spread throughout the known world. Early Christian writers used similar universal language when describing the apostolic mission. Paul mentions a fellow worker named Clement.

And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.

Philippians 4:3

Ancient Christian tradition identifies Clement of Rome with the Clement Paul calls a fellow worker¹. Following this identification, Clement belonged to the apostolic generation and was personally associated with Paul’s missionary work. Clement describes Paul as teaching righteousness throughout the whole world and reaching the western limit.²

Clement’s description closely reflects the language Paul himself used. His description reflects the universal language Paul used concerning the spread of the gospel and supports our understanding of the breadth of the apostolic mission.

Eusebius later used the same language concerning the wider apostolic mission:

“The voice of the inspired evangelists and apostles went forth through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.”

Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 2.3.1

Elsewhere, Eusebius names regions associated with individual apostles: Parthia for Thomas, Scythia for Andrew, Asia for John, and Pontus, Galatia, Bithynia, Cappadocia, and Asia for Peter.³

4. Abomination of Desolation

A. Let the Reader Understand

Jesus connected the approaching Great Tribulation directly with Daniel’s prophecy of the Abomination of Desolation:

“Therefore, when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Matthew 24:15-16

Jesus deliberately directed His hearers back to Daniel and added the instruction, “whoever reads, let him understand.” The prophecy was therefore intended to be understood and recognised when its fulfilment approached. 

The immediate consequence was not speculation about a distant future Temple. Jesus gave His disciples a practical warning: when they recognised the sign, they were to flee if they were in Judea.

This establishes two important points. The Abomination of Desolation was a sign Jesus’ first-century disciples could recognise, and it was directly connected to Jerusalem’s approaching desolation.

B. Holy Place

Some futurist interpretations identify the “holy place” with the Holy of Holies in a future rebuilt Temple. However, Matthew’s Greek expression means “in a holy place” and does not specifically name the Holy of Holies. The expression can refer to the Temple, so we identify Jerusalem and its sacred territory based on the context and Luke’s parallel account.

The word topos means a place or location. In this context, the “holy place” is best understood in relation to Jerusalem, the sacred city and the centre of Israel’s Covenant worship. This interpretation becomes clearer when we compare Matthew with Luke’s parallel account. 

Matthew describes the Abomination of Desolation standing in the holy place, while Luke describes Jerusalem surrounded by armies. The two accounts therefore identify the same approaching event from different perspectives.

The “holy place” should not be restricted to the Holy of Holies. Jesus was warning that hostile armies would enter the sacred territory surrounding Jerusalem, signalling that its desolation was near and that those in Judea must flee.

C. Armies Surrounding Jerusalem

Jesus’ warning in Matthew 24:15-16 becomes even clearer when compared with Luke’s parallel account.

“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. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

Luke 21:20-22

Luke identifies the sign in unmistakable historical terms: Jerusalem surrounded by armies.

The correspondence between the two passages is direct. Matthew speaks of the Abomination of Desolation standing in the holy place; Luke speaks of Jerusalem surrounded by armies. Both are followed by the same instruction for those in Judea to flee.

The Abomination of Desolation was therefore not a future event involving a sacrifice in a rebuilt Temple. It was the military encirclement of Jerusalem that warned believers that the city’s desolation was near.

D. An Abomination of Lost Destiny

God called Israel to become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, representing Him before the nations and revealing His plan of salvation to the world.

And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

Exodus 19:6

However, Israel failed to fulfil its calling. Rather than faithfully proclaiming the God of Israel and preparing the nations for their coming Messiah, the nation repeatedly turned away from God and ultimately rejected Jesus Christ.

Throughout the Old Testament, God described His Covenant relationship with Israel as a marriage. He portrayed Israel as His wife but condemned her spiritual unfaithfulness as adultery.

“Bring charges against your mother, bring charges;
For she is not My wife, nor am I her Husband!
Let her put away her harlotries from her sight,
And her adulteries from between her breasts;

Hosea 2:2

The desolation of Jerusalem therefore represented far more than a military defeat. The Gentile armies would plunder the city of the God of Israel, destroy His Temple, and bring disgrace upon a nation He had called to reveal His glory.

This was the tragedy of Israel’s lost destiny. God had not called Israel to suffer destruction at the hands of the Gentiles but to bring His salvation to them.

Nevertheless, Israel’s failure could not defeat God’s eternal purpose. Through Jesus Christ, God brought Jews and Gentiles together into one family, fulfilling His intention to have sons and daughters for Himself, a Bride for Christ, and a Temple for the Holy Spirit.

The abomination therefore involved more than foreign armies in the holy land. It represented the terrible consequences of Israel’s Covenant unfaithfulness and the loss of the national destiny God had entrusted to her.

E. The Roman Armies

We understand Jesus’ imagery of the eagles gathering around the carcass as a picture of the Roman armies gathering against Jerusalem:

For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.

Matthew 24:28

The eagle was Rome’s great military emblem. Each Roman legion carried an aquila, the eagle standard representing the legion’s honour and identity.

The image therefore fits the Roman armies gathering around Jerusalem. The city had become the carcass, and the eagles were assembling for judgment.

The Abomination of Desolation was fulfilled when the Roman forces surrounded Jerusalem, providing the warning Jesus had given to those in Judea to flee.

The Roman standards also carried religious significance. To the Jews, the presence of these pagan military emblems in the holy land intensified the sense of abomination.

In 66 CE, the Roman advance under Cestius Gallus became an early and unmistakable warning that Jerusalem’s desolation was approaching.

F. Babylon

In the Old Testament, God used the image of a great eagle to describe Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, coming against Jerusalem.

‘Thus says the Lord GOD:
“A great eagle with large wings and long pinions,
Full of feathers of various colours,
Came to Lebanon
And took from the cedar the highest branch.

Ezekiel 17:3

Ezekiel later identifies the eagle as the king of Babylon:

“Do you not know what these things mean? Tell them, ‘Indeed, the king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and took its king and princes, and led them with him to Babylon.'”

Ezekiel 17:12

In 597 BCE, Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem and carried King Jehoiachin and many of Judah’s leading citizens into captivity. This provides a significant prophetic parallel with Jesus’ warning that where the carcass is, the eagles will gather.

Just as Babylon’s eagle had descended upon Jerusalem, Rome’s eagle-bearing legions would gather against the city in the first century.

God had previously used Babylon to judge Jerusalem. He would now use Rome to judge the city again.

G. Babylon Spirit Ruling Through Rome

Although Babylon fell centuries earlier, we understand Revelation’s imagery of Babylon as expressing the same spirit of worldly power, idolatry, oppression, and opposition to God that later operated through Rome.

‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’

Revelation 18:10

In Revelation 17, the woman identified as Babylon is associated with seven mountains:

“Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.

Revelation 17:9

Rome was famously associated with seven hills, making this imagery especially significant for first-century readers. The Roman Empire had inherited many of the characteristics previously associated with Babylon: imperial power, pagan worship, persecution, and domination over other nations.

In our lesson on the Beasts of Revelation, we will examine this relationship in greater detail. The key point is that Rome functioned as the instrument of judgment against Jerusalem, paralleling Babylon’s earlier role.

God once used Babylon to bring judgment upon Jerusalem. In the first century, Rome would fulfil a similar role.

5. Jerusalem Judged Like Sodom and Egypt

Revelation uses striking symbolic language to describe Jerusalem under judgment:

And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

Revelation 11:8

The identity of the city is explicit: it is the city “where also our Lord was crucified.” This is Jerusalem.

Yet spiritually, Jerusalem is called both Sodom and Egypt. These names describe the character of the judgment coming upon the city. Sodom had become synonymous with divine judgment, while Egypt had experienced judgment through a foreign power’s intervention.

Revelation therefore presents Jerusalem as a city that had come under Covenant judgment. The city once called holy was now compared spiritually with nations that had stood under God’s judgment.

A. A Catastrophic Jewish Death Toll

The Great Tribulation brought extraordinary suffering and loss of life upon Jerusalem and Judea. Jesus warned that the coming judgment would produce unparalleled distress.

“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.”

Matthew 24:21

Josephus records the devastating consequences of the Jewish-Roman War, including widespread slaughter, famine, internal conflict, and the destruction of Jerusalem.

He reports that 1,100,000 people died during the siege of Jerusalem alone⁴. Although historians debate the accuracy of this figure, Josephus’ account demonstrates the extraordinary scale of the catastrophe.

The destruction extended beyond Jerusalem as Roman forces suppressed Jewish resistance throughout Judea and the surrounding regions.

In a later lesson, we will examine Josephus’ population figures, the Passover census, and the number of Jews killed during the Great Tribulation. We will also consider how these figures relate to the judgments described in Revelation.

B. The Romans Believed God Was Fighting for Them

Josephus records that Vespasian recognised how the internal fighting among the Jewish factions was weakening Jerusalem. While his officers urged him to attack, Vespasian preferred to let his enemies destroy one another.

Vespasian argued that an immediate attack would unite the Jewish factions against Rome. If the Romans waited, the factions would weaken one another through their internal conflict. He believed that God was acting as the Romans’ general more effectively than he himself could.⁵

Josephus thus portrays the Romans as recognising divine assistance in their campaign against Jerusalem.

This closely parallels the earlier Babylonian conquest. Just as God used Nebuchadnezzar to judge Jerusalem, He now used Rome to carry out His judgment on the city.

The Jewish factions contributed substantially to Jerusalem’s destruction before the Roman armies completed it in 70 CE.

C. The Law Had Become a Carcass

The imagery of the carcass in Matthew 24:28 also possesses covenantal implications. Through His crucifixion, Jesus fulfilled the sacrificial framework of the Old Covenant and inaugurated the New Covenant.

having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

Colossians 2:14

The Law and its sacrifices pointed forward to Jesus Christ. His death fulfilled their purpose, removing the need for further sacrifices for sin.

“But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.”

Hebrews 10:12

Nevertheless, the Jewish priesthood continued offering sacrifices in the Temple, maintaining a religious system whose covenantal purpose Christ had already fulfilled. Jesus’ words regarding the carcass therefore carry additional significance.

Within our interpretation, the carcass symbolises the Old Covenant sacrificial system centred upon Jerusalem and its Temple, whose purpose Christ had fulfilled, while the eagles represent the Roman legions gathering to bring judgment.

The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 CE did not end the Old Covenant spiritually. Christ had already fulfilled it through His death and resurrection. Rather, Rome destroyed the remaining physical structures of that obsolete covenantal order.

D. The Old Covenant Was Ready to Vanish

The writer of Hebrews explains that Jesus had already made the Old Covenant obsolete through His sacrifice, although its outward religious institutions continued to function.

In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

Hebrews 8:13

The distinction is significant. The New Covenant had already replaced the Old Covenant, yet the Temple, the Levitical priesthood, and the sacrificial system remained in Jerusalem.

The expression “ready to vanish away” indicates that the writer anticipated the disappearance of the old covenantal order.

For nearly forty years after Jesus’ crucifixion, the Jewish priests continued offering sacrifices in the Temple, even though Christ had already fulfilled their purpose.

In 70 CE, the Roman armies destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple, bringing the remaining sacrificial system to an end.

The destruction of the Temple, therefore, did not establish the New Covenant. Jesus had already established it through His death and resurrection. Instead, the destruction visibly confirmed the passing of the Old Covenant order. This fulfilled the warning Jesus gave His disciples:

“Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

Matthew 24:2

The Great Tribulation thus marked the historical end of the Temple system, which had become obsolete through Christ.

E. Destruction of Sodom

Scripture frequently uses Sodom as an example of divine judgment against wickedness. Revelation applies this imagery to Jerusalem, identifying the city spiritually with Sodom.

“and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.”

Revelation 11:8

God destroyed Sodom because of its wickedness:

Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens.

Genesis 19:24

Sodom’s destruction became a lasting warning of God’s judgment on unrighteousness. Jesus Himself compared the coming judgment on unrepentant Jewish cities to the judgment on Sodom (Matthew 10:15; 11:23-24).

Revelation therefore uses Sodom to describe Jerusalem’s spiritual condition rather than its geographical identity.

The city that had rejected and crucified its Messiah would now face divine judgment, just as Sodom had experienced judgment centuries earlier.

The parallel does not require Jerusalem to suffer destruction in precisely the same manner as Sodom. Rather, both cities illustrate the consequences of rejecting God and coming under His judgment.

The destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE therefore provides the historical fulfilment of this imagery within our interpretation of the Great Tribulation.

F. Babylonian Judgment upon Egypt

Revelation also identifies Jerusalem spiritually as Egypt, another nation that experienced God’s judgment.

God used Babylon as His instrument to judge Egypt. Through Jeremiah, He declared that Nebuchadnezzar would invade the land and bring destruction upon its inhabitants.

… “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I will send and bring Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, My servant, and will set his throne above these stones that I have hidden. And he will spread his royal pavilion over them. When he comes, he shall strike the land of Egypt and deliver to death those appointed for death, and to captivity those appointed for captivity, and to the sword those appointed for the sword.'”

Jeremiah 43:10-11

God explicitly called Nebuchadnezzar “My servant,” showing that He could use a pagan king to carry out His judgment.

The historical parallel is significant. Just as God used Babylon to judge Egypt and Jerusalem, He would later use Rome to judge Jerusalem during the Great Tribulation.

Within our interpretation, Revelation’s identification of Jerusalem as Sodom and Egypt brings together two examples of divine judgment. God destroyed Sodom directly, while Jeremiah foretold that He would use Babylon to judge Egypt. We see a parallel with God’s use of Rome to judge Jerusalem.

Rome would fulfil a similar role in the first century. Its armies would bring the destruction Jesus had foretold upon Jerusalem and its Temple.

This reinforces the lesson’s central argument: the Great Tribulation was not merely a military catastrophe but the historical execution of God’s judgment upon Jerusalem.

6. Josephus

Josephus provides one of the most important historical accounts of the Jewish-Roman War and the destruction of Jerusalem. His writings allow us to compare the events of the Great Tribulation with the prophecies of Jesus, Daniel, and Revelation.

Josephus was a Jewish priest, military commander, and historian. Born in Jerusalem around 37 CE, he belonged to a priestly family and received an extensive Jewish education.

During the Jewish-Roman War, Josephus commanded Jewish forces in Galilee. He defended Jotapata against Vespasian’s Roman legions until the city fell in 67 CE. After the Romans captured Jotapata, they took Josephus prisoner.

While in captivity, Josephus foretold that Vespasian would become emperor. When this prophecy came to pass in 69 CE, Vespasian released him. Josephus subsequently accompanied the Roman forces and witnessed many events surrounding the siege and destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE.

Josephus later recorded the conflict in The Jewish War, describing the Roman campaigns, the internal Jewish factions, the siege of Jerusalem, the destruction of the Temple, and the enormous loss of life.

He was not a Christian and did not write to demonstrate the fulfilment of Jesus’ prophecies. Nevertheless, his historical accounts provide remarkable parallels with the events Jesus foretold.

We must distinguish between events Josephus personally witnessed, information he obtained from others, and his own interpretations. We must also distinguish dates explicitly recorded by Josephus from those reconstructed by later historians.

Throughout these lessons, we will use Josephus as an important historical witness while recognising Scripture as our primary authority for interpreting the Great Tribulation.

A. Josephus: A True Prophet

Josephus defended Jotapata against Vespasian’s Roman legions during the Galilean campaign of 67 CE. After a forty-seven-day siege, the Romans captured the city and took Josephus prisoner.

Josephus subsequently appeared before Vespasian and prophesied that the Roman general would become emperor. At that time, Nero still occupied the imperial throne, making Josephus’ prediction particularly remarkable. Scripture provides a test for recognising a true prophet:

“As for the prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet comes to pass, the prophet will be known as one whom the Lord has truly sent.”

Jeremiah 28:9

“When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken.” …

Deuteronomy 18:22

Suetonius records that Josephus, a prisoner of Vespasian,  predicted that Vespasian would become emperor and release him from his chains.⁶

 In 69 CE, Vespasian became emperor, fulfilling Josephus’ prophecy. Vespasian then ordered Josephus released from his chains.

Josephus’ prediction concerning Vespasian came to pass. Although fulfilment alone does not establish that God sent a prophet, I regard this fulfilled prediction as supporting my recognition of Josephus as a true prophet.

This does not place Josephus’ writings on the same level as Scripture. Nevertheless, his fulfilled prophecy adds significance to his historical testimony concerning the Great Tribulation.

B. Similarity to Prophet Jeremiah

 Josephus’ experience closely parallels that of the prophet Jeremiah during the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem.

Jeremiah warned Judah that God would use Babylon to judge the nation. Although the people rejected his warnings, Jeremiah kept proclaiming God’s judgment and urged them to surrender to the Babylonians.

After Jerusalem fell in 586 BCE, Nebuchadnezzar ordered his officers to protect Jeremiah.

Now Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, saying, “Take him and look after him, and do him no harm; but do to him just as he says to you.”

Jeremiah 39:11-12

Josephus experienced a remarkable parallel during the Roman judgment of Jerusalem. After the Romans captured him at Jotapata in 67 CE, he prophesied that Vespasian would become emperor. When Vespasian gained the imperial throne in 69 CE, he ordered Josephus’ release.

Both Jeremiah and Josephus witnessed God’s judgment upon Jerusalem through foreign empires. Both recognised the role of the conquering power, warned of destruction, and subsequently received protection from the very rulers who brought judgment upon their nation.

The prophet Daniel provides another parallel. Foreign rulers recognised his prophetic gift and elevated him to positions of influence.

These similarities reinforce the prophetic pattern. God used Babylon to judge Jerusalem under the Old Covenant and Rome to judge Jerusalem during the Great Tribulation. In both periods, He preserved witnesses who recognised the approaching judgment.

Josephus therefore occupies a remarkable position in the history of Jerusalem’s destruction, paralleling the experiences of Jeremiah and Daniel.

C. Did Josephus Exaggerate?

Some historians question the accuracy of Josephus’ casualty figures for the Jewish-Roman War, particularly his claim that 1,100,000 people died during the 70 CE siege of Jerusalem.⁷

However, we must consider Jerusalem’s population during the great Jewish festivals, especially Passover, when enormous numbers of pilgrims travelled to the city.

Josephus records that the priests counted 256,500 Passover sacrifices before the war, with at least ten people sharing each sacrifice. Multiplying these figures gives a minimum of 2,565,000 participants. However, his account reports a total of 2,700,200.⁸ These figures contain a numerical discrepancy that we should acknowledge. Nevertheless, Josephus’ account describes an immense gathering of pilgrims and provides historical context for his extraordinary casualty figures.

Josephus explains that Cestius Gallus requested the count to show Nero Jerusalem’s enormous population. According to his account, the priests counted the sacrifices, and the number of participants was calculated from that count. We should distinguish the reported sacrifice count from the calculated festival population.

Furthermore, the Romans began their final siege during Passover in 70 CE, when Jerusalem contained numerous pilgrims who could not escape the encirclement.

Although modern historians question whether the city could have accommodated such numbers, the Passover census provides historical context for Josephus’ extraordinary casualty figures.

Others suggest that Josephus exaggerated events to enhance Vespasian’s reputation. However, we should distinguish evidence of historical inaccuracies from speculation about an author’s motives.

We should therefore examine Josephus’ figures against the available historical evidence rather than dismiss them solely because of their magnitude.

His testimony remains an essential historical source for understanding the catastrophic loss of Jewish life during the Great Tribulation.

7. Summary

In this lesson, we have established that the Great Tribulation was the unique judgment upon Jerusalem and Judea that Jesus foretold and that culminated in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 CE.

We have learned that:

1. Jesus placed the Great Tribulation within the generation to whom He spoke and declared that such a tribulation would never occur again.
2. The New Testament writers and early Christian witnesses affirmed that the gospel had reached the nations before the Great Tribulation.
3. The Abomination of Desolation referred to the Roman armies surrounding Jerusalem, warning believers to flee.
4. The Roman advance under Cestius Gallus in 66 CE provided an early warning of Jerusalem’s approaching destruction.
5. God used Rome to judge Jerusalem, just as He had previously used Babylon.
6. Revelation spiritually identifies Jerusalem as Sodom and Egypt, illustrating its Covenant unfaithfulness and approaching judgment.
7. Jesus fulfilled the Old Covenant through His death and resurrection. The destruction of the Temple in 70 CE removed its remaining sacrificial institutions.
8. Josephus provides valuable historical testimony concerning the Jewish-Roman War. His fulfilled prophecy about Vespasian supports my recognition of him as a true prophet.
9. Josephus’ experiences parallel those of Jeremiah and Daniel, who also witnessed God’s dealings with foreign rulers.
10. Josephus records extraordinary casualties during the war, including 1,100,000 deaths in Jerusalem. His figures deserve careful historical examination.

The Great Tribulation was not an event awaiting fulfilment thousands of years after Jesus spoke. It belonged to the generation He addressed and marked the judgment upon Jerusalem and the passing of the Old Covenant order.

In the following lessons, we will examine the Seven Seals of Revelation, the 144,000, the prophetic time periods, and the historical events that identify their fulfilment during the Great Tribulation.

1. Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.4.10. ↩︎
2. Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 5.5-7. ↩︎
3. Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.1.1-2 ↩︎
4. Josephus, The Jewish War 6.9.3 (6.420) ↩︎
5. Josephus, The Jewish War 4.6.2 (4.368-370) ↩︎
6. Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars, Vespasian 5.6 ↩︎
7. Josephus, The Jewish War 6.9.3 (6.420) ↩︎
8. Josephus, The Jewish War 6.9.3 (6.422-427) ↩︎

© Use by Permission Awakening Impact Ministries / Dr Neville Westerbeek van Eerten D.Miss, 2027