The video teaching is at the bottom of this page.
1. Introduction
The popular teaching is that wars and rumours of wars are proof that we are living in the last days.
Jesus’ Last Days Prophecy taught us that everything that happened in Matthew 24:4-34 would happen in one generation. It also taught us that we do not live in the last days because the last days were when the apostles lived. That is why the apostles said they lived in the last days, not because they were somehow ignorant. (If so, we cannot trust the word of God because God is lying!) Instead, the Bible teaches us we live at the end of the age.
2. Jesus’ Prophecy Concerning False Wars and Rumours of War
Jesus prophesied this during the historical period called Pax Romana (peace in the Roman Empire):
And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Matthew 24:6
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom….
Everything would happen within one generation of Jesus’ prophecy. We are not at liberty to use this scripture today to reference the timing of Jesus’ final return.
He is not referring to the end of the age (in the future). Instead, He refers to the last days, which finished in 70 CE or 100 CE, depending on whether you use the 40-year generation or 100-year generation, both being equally biblical.
The timing of ‘wars and rumour of wars’ was placed between the two references to one generation:
Firstly, in Matthew 23:
Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
Matthew 23:36
The phrase, ‘this generation’, is then repeated in Matthew 24:
Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.
Matthew 24:34
3. Non-Biblical Evidence of Wars and Rumours of Wars
Jesus prophesied correctly, but again this is still within one generation, and we are not at liberty to use this for today if we are going to be faithful to the Word of God. So let’s see what the leading historian of the time had to say – was Jesus correct?
Josephus has 150 pages of the wars over this time. Here are a few:
A. Rumours of War.
Whenever war is imminent, there are always rumours of wars. However, here is an example of a rumour that did not end in war:
37-41 CE
The idea of Emperor Caligula attacking Jerusalem was sufficient for the inhabitants of Jerusalem to not till their lands. But it never happened.
B. Kingdom Against Kingdom.
36 CE
King Herod II of the Jews versus King of Arabia.
C. Nation Against Nation.
We will list here different wars that were nation versus nation. Besides these, if we look at the Roman army’s attacks on the Jews by themselves, we see countries versus a nation. The Roman Empire conquered many nations, conscripting men of the fighting age. Therefore, many nations made up the Roman army.
Remember that a Jewish generation is 40 years and 100 years, so 70 CE is 40 years after Jesus’ prophecy, and 130 CE is 100 years after Jesus’ prophecy.
The Roman army attacking Jerusalem in 70CE and 130CE was many nations against Israel. Here are some of Josephus’s historical records:
D. Jewish-Roman Wars
41 CE
After fleeing Babylon because of pestilence to the city of Seleucia in modern-day Iraq, the citizens rose against the Jews, killing 5,000 of them.
45 CE
Jews of Perez versus Philadelphia. The Romans killed many Jews.
45 CE
Under Cumanus, a soldier offered indignity within the temple precincts. The Jews violently objected, and the Romans started to attack, killing 30,000 Jews in the resulting stampede.
49 CE
Jews argued with the Syrians over who would govern Caesaria. The Syrians killed approximately 20,000 Jews as a result.
Following their defeat in Caesarea, the Jews started another war with the Syrians, who again defeated them.
In Damascus, Tyre, and Ascalon, the Romans killed 10,000 Jews in the first hour alone. In Sythopolis, 13,000 Jews were massacred in one night.
66 CE
At Alexandria, the Jews rose against the Romans. Tiberius sent in the two legions of the Roman army plus a further 5000 soldiers. They killed infants, children and adults, leaving 50,000 Jews dead in the streets or burnt alive in their houses.
67 CE
During the 47-day siege of the Jewish town of Jotapata by Vespasian, his army killed 40,000 Jews and 1000 taken into captivity.
66 CE
Vespasian attacked Jerusalem, but the Jews defeated him. He then spends two years going through all the cities of Judea and Samaria, killing all those who resisted. So many people were killed that bodies filled the rivers, warning the downstream towns of their impending massacre.
E. Destruction of Jerusalem
70 CE
Vespasian returns to Rome to become Emperor and leaves Titus to finish off the remaining cities, including Jerusalem, home to the rebel leaders and the stronghold of the Jewish resistance to the Romans.
70 CE April 23rd
Titus starts his siege on Jerusalem with 20,000 legionnaires and 40,000 further auxiliaries and troops from various nations. Because they arrived during Passover, there were vast numbers of Jewish populace trapped in the city.
70 CE August 9th
The last sacrificial lamb is killed due to running out of sheep
70 CE August 10th
Titus offers a sacrificial ox, sheep and pig to show the ascendancy of the Roman gods.
70 CE September
The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple is complete. 1.1 million were killed, and 97,000 were captured.
4. Jewish First-Century Holocaust
As Jesus predicted in His prophecy, the following 40 years were the pinnacle of suffering for the Jews. It truly was the Great Tribulation that Jesus said would NEVER be repeated.
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
| War | Year | Jewish population killed | Worldwide Jewish Population | Per cent killed |
| Roman-Jewish wars | 41-67CE | 148,000 | 4,200,000 | 3.5% |
| Destruction of Jerusalem | 70CE | 1,197,000 | 4,200,000 | 28.5% |
| Total 40-year generation | 30-70CE | 1,345,000 | 4,200,000 | 32.0% |
| Masada and Ein Gedi | 73CE | 1,660 | 4,200,000 | 0.04% |
| Hadrian revolt | 130-133CE | 580,000 | 4,200,000 | 13.8% |
| Total 100-year generation | 30-130CE | 1,926,660 | 4,200,000 | 45.9% |
Jesus’ prophecy was true- the Great Tribulation came within one generation.
Many will say there are more wars now than ever in history. We need to look at this objectively to see if this is true. I have not included the loss of the total population as a result of the destruction of Jerusalem in my percentage. If we dropped the worldwide population as a result, then the percentage would be even higher by the time of the Hadrian revolt.
5. Has it Become Worse Since Jesus’ Prophecy of Wars and Rumours of Wars?
| War | Year | Jewish population killed | Worldwide Jewish Population | Per cent killed |
| World War 2 | 1939-1945CE | 6,000,000 | 16,600,000 | 36.1% |
| Total 100-year generation | 30-130CE | 1,926,660 | 4,200,000 | 45.9% |
Remembering that Jesus was talking to the Jews, the ‘Last Days’ prophecy is correct when it says nothing surpasses it. Even the Nazi holocaust did not surpass what happened in the Roman – Jewish wars.
A. Wars and Rumours of Wars Have Decreased Since 70CE:
The following table of wars since 70 CE shows the opposite is true, that major conflicts have decreased in the last 500 years:
Now, let’s look at the percentage of the population killed in major conflicts since Christ preached. However, it is important to realise that the figures for the last century include death from famines. So, if you calculated them out, the percentages would be much lower for those of the 20th Century.
| War | Date (CE) | Mean of Population Killed | World Population at the time | Percentage Population killed |
| Mongol Wars | 1206-1405 | 41,000,000 | 392,000,000 | 10.4% |
| An Lushan Rebellion | 755-763 | 21,000,000 | 235,000,000 | 8.9% |
| Ming to Qing Dynasty Transition | 1618-1683 | 25,000,000 | 590,000,000 | 4.2% |
| Conquests of Timur | 1370-1405 | 12,600,000 | 390,000,000 | 3.2% |
| World War Two | 1939-1945 | 75,000,000 | 2,800,000,000 | 2.6% |
| Tai Ping Rebellion | 1850-1864 | 31,000,000 | 1,260,000,000 | 2.5% |
| Yellow Turban Rebellion | 184-205 | 4,500,000 | 202,000,000 | 2.3% |
| World War One | 1914-1918 | 23,500,000 | 1,800,000,000 | 1.3% |
| Mao Purges | 1966-1976 | 35,000,000 | 3,700,000,000 | 0.9% |
| Russia Civil War | 1917-1924 | 6,700,000 | 1,880,000,000 | 0.4% |
| China Civil War | 1927-1949 | 9,600,000 | 2,800,000,000 | 0.3% |
| Stalin killings | 1924-1953 | 8,500,000 | 2,800,000,000 | 0.3% |
B. Kingdom of Peace
As Christianity has spread over 2000 years, Wars and Rumours of Wars have Decreased.
Do you notice that relatively speaking, the 2nd World War killed a quarter of what Genghis Khan did and just under half of the next 3 contenders? So, to say that wars are getting worse (and therefore, Matthew 24 proves that Jesus must be returning) is incorrect.
This does not mean that Jesus will not return. It means we cannot quote Matthew 24 and say, “there are more wars now; therefore, Jesus is returning.”
Let’s now look at the number of wars since World War 2:
C. Current Revival Reduces Conflict.
Christianity has spread rapidly in the last 75 years, and conflict has been reduced even further.
Now, let us zoom in on the last 30 years and see what the trend is:
In 2010, you were twenty times more likely
Worldwide figures
to die from a car accident than a conflict or terror-based event
6. Speculation About The Times We Live In
There is no reason to quote Matthew 24:4-34 to fulfil some rhetoric about today.
Now, there will be false Christs, false prophets and wars, but that does not signify the end of the world.
You will often hear people talk about the number of wars, earthquakes and disasters occurring now as if this were proof that we live in the time of Jesus’ return. Yet statistically, this is not the most dangerous time to live in.
It may APPEAR to be the most dangerous time, but this is not so.
7. Media – Wars and Rumours of Wars.
A. We are Now more Aware of Wars.
With the rise of media and satellites, we are very aware of all the conflicts that are occurring, but that does not mean there are more of them. It just means we are more aware of them.
B. Do the Number of Wars and Rumours of Wars Signify the Return of Christ?
So, what has been the situation since the Second World War? The first chart shows a decrease, but let’s examine it more thoroughly.
I have already postulated that we cannot quote Matthew 24 for today as it was a specific prophecy for the next 40 years (30-70CE). So we must seriously ask ourselves: Does the number of wars signify that Jesus is returning?
If we consider this thinking, then Jesus is definitely not returning now.
If we base Jesus’ return on the recent history of wars , then Jesus is definitely not returning yet.
C. We Do not Know the Time of Christ’s Return.
He may return today or in 10,000 years. The strongest indication of the return of Christ coming soon is the return of the Jews to Israel.
But we cannot quote Matthew 24 for the purpose of a timeline for Jesus’ return. I do not know when Jesus will return – nor do you.
8. Summary of Wars and Rumours of Wars
- Jesus prophesied wars and a great tribulation within one generation.
- We found the same in False Christs and Prophets, Jesus’ prophecy of the last days was correct and does not say we live in the last days now.
- This happened with 46% of the Jewish population being killed, as opposed to 36% in the Nazi holocaust.
- Wars and rumours of wars have decreased over time as Christianity has spread worldwide.
- Just because we can see wars due to the advancement of technology does not mean that they are increasing.
- We are ten times more likely to die in a car accident than in a conflict or terror attack.
- We cannot quote Matthew 24 as proof of living in the last days, as there was a one-generation time limit to that prophecy.
- Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 24 was completely fulfilled within one generation.
© Use by Permission Awakening Impact Ministries/ Dr Neville Westerbeek van Eerten D. Miss. 2024
