Which is a complete construct, and as un-biblical as that silly gap in the 70 weeks.
Take out the gap and the antichrist and that Daniel 9 prophesy is simple and easy to understand, just as it reads.
Wrong. Only a mind in denial fails to rightly comprehend these passages.
And if you have failed to do your homework and study history at that time, shame on you!
Swift, stealthy, surprising, like a thief in the night are the terms that Jesus uses,
and coming upon the whole world......
unlike 70AD.
Mat 24:37
“But as the days of Noah
were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
Mat 24:38
“For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,
Mat 24:39
“and did not know until the flood came and took them all away,
so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
Mat 24:42
“Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.
*****************************************************************************
Yes there were years of unmistakable warning signs, political shocks, and military preparations before the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in
70 AD. The catastrophe did
not arrive suddenly. It built slowly and visibly.
Here is how it unfolded.
Rising unrest for decades before 70 AD
From about
AD 40 onward, Judea was in a state of near-constant tension:
• Heavy Roman taxation
• Brutal governors
• Zealot militancy
• Temple corruption
• Messianic uprisings
• Frequent riots and massacres
The Jewish historian
Flavius Josephus records dozens of violent clashes in Jerusalem between Jews and Romans during the 40s–60s AD.
By the time of
Nero, Judea was already close to rebellion.
The revolt explodes (AD 66)
In
AD 66, Jewish rebels attacked the Roman garrison in Jerusalem and massacred Roman troops.
They also defeated the Roman legate
Cestius Gallus when he tried to retake the city.
That victory convinced many Jews that
God was backing the rebellion — a tragic misinterpretation.
Rome begins massive mobilization (AD 67)
Rome immediately launched a full-scale invasion.
Nero appointed
Vespasian to crush Judea.
Vespasian brought:
•
3 full Roman legions
•
20,000+ professional troops
• Syrian, Arab, and auxiliary forces
This was
one of the largest armies Rome ever sent against a single province.
By
AD 67–68, all of
Galilee had been conquered, and tens of thousands of Jews had been killed or enslaved.
Jerusalem watched the noose tighten (AD 68–69)
By now:
• Every surrounding region had fallen
• Refugees poured into Jerusalem with horror stories
• Roman armies were encamped only miles away
• Food supply lines were cut
• Civil war erupted inside Jerusalem
Three Jewish factions began
killing each other inside the city while Rome waited outside.
The final siege (AD 70)
After Vespasian became emperor, his son
Titus marched on Jerusalem with:
• 4 legions
• 80,000+ troops
• Siege towers
• Battering rams
• Encirclement walls
Christians had already fled
Early Christians, remembering Jesus’ warning, fled Jerusalem when the Roman armies first withdrew in AD 66.
They escaped to
Pella in modern Jordan — avoiding the slaughter.
Those who stayed were trapped.
Bottom line
The destruction of Jerusalem was not sudden.
It was preceded by:
• 30 years of rebellion
• 4 years of open war
• 3 years of Roman encirclement
• Massive troop movements
• Collapsing food supplies
• Internal civil war
• Clear visible siege preparations
Anyone paying attention knew the end was coming.