Is History Repeating Itself ? Part 1
So we know that history repeats itself, the question is, is that true for prophecy?
Daniel speaks of the Abomination of Desolation three times, Daniel 9:27, 12:11 and Daniel 11:29-32.
We want to look at what Yeshua said in Matthew 24:15-22, 24-26 “Therefore when you see the Abomination of Desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place—let the reader understand— then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get things out of his house. And whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. But woe to those women who are pregnant, and to those who are nursing babies in those days! Moreover, pray that when you flee, it will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will again. And if those days had not been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘He is over here,’ do not believe him. For false christs and false prophets will arise and will provide great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I have told you in advance. So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them.”
Yeshua says, “Let the reader understand.” We see that in the year 70 CE the Temple came under siege, this was the Abomination that the people of His day should have understood from not only the Book of Daniel, but the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy in the days of the Maccabees. Though the Emperor Titus did not place an idol in the Temple, he did enter into the Temple court which was off limits to Gentiles. This is why Yeshua said, “Let the reader understand.” There were many people who did understand what He meant, and they fled as they were told to, but as Yeshua warned that many false prophets would arise. And they did!
False Prophets told the people if they put their faith in God by going to the holy place, at this critical hour, they would surely see the Messiah come from the Mount of Olives and drive out their enemies. And a great number of people—men, women, and children, did just that. They did not heed Yeshua’s words, and they made their way up to the Temple Mount which, at that time, was still a war zone. Some of them made their way to the Temple, others took refuge from the battlefield on the roof of the Royal Stoa (the southern portico) and on the roof of the eastern colonnade (Solomon’s Portico). They looked toward the east, waiting for the deliverer to appear. Josephus says that about six thousand men, women, and children crowded onto those rooftops. The fighting continued and no Messiah came. They set the Temple on fire and many people were slain.
A fierce fight continued in the Court of the Priests. Josephus says that the Roman soldiers behaved like men possessed, cutting down everything and everyone in a mad fury and ignoring the orders of their superiors. The bodies piled up quickly:
“The rebels were slain and defeated everywhere they turned. A great number of them were weak and unarmed. They had their throats cut wherever they were caught. All around the altar lay dead bodies heaped one upon another. The ramp going up the altar ran with their blood. The dead bodies that were slain above slid down the ramp.” (Josephus)
The Talmud tells us that the Emperor Titus entered the sanctuary, committed indecencies in the Holy of Holies, defiled the Torah scroll, and finally thrust his sword into the curtain that hung before the Holy of Holies:
“He then took a sword and slashed the curtain. Miraculously, blood spurted out. He thought he had slain [God], as it says [in Psalm 74:4], “Your adversaries have roared in the midst of Your meeting place; they have set up their own standards for signs.” (b.Gittin 56b)
10,000 people died because they did not listen to the Messiah. Today there are many false prophets and they are teaching a dangerous message.
The teachings of pre-tribulation started with a man named John Nelson Darby. He is the father of modern Dispensationalism and Futurism. Pre-tribulation rapture theology was popularized extensively in the 1830s by a group called the Plymouth Brethren, which Darby was a part of. Later it became popular in the United States in the early 20th Century by the wide circulation of the Scofield Reference Bible.
The reason why this is so dangerous is because like in the days of the Messiah, the Lord told the people what they needed to do when trouble struck. They were prepared. Today, here in America, the church is not prepared for what is coming. People are listening to false prophets of peace. They tell the people this will not happen to you, and yet all around the world believers are suffering persecution and martyrdom and they are going through all kinds of trials and tribulations. They hang their proverbial hat on 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 which says, “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Messiah Yeshua who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.” Paul was speaking about salvation, not persecution. Of course God wants to see all of us come to salvation, and that is how we will be spared by God’s wrath. In fact, here are several verses speaking about trials from those who knew all about them.
Hebrews 10:32-35, “Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.”
John 16:33, “I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
James 1:2-4, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
James 1:12, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”
1 Peter 1:6-7, “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may result in praise, glory and honor when Messiah Yeshua is revealed.”
1 Peter 1:12, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.”
1 Peter 5:10, “And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
Revelation 7:13-14, “Then one of the elders responded, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
Revelation 2:17, “The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows except the one who receives it.”
Revelation 3:5-6, “The one who overcomes will be clothed the same way, in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Revelation 3:21-22, “The one who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat with My Father on His throne. The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”
Revelation 12:17, “So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Yeshua.”
We are to be overcomers, overcomers of what? Today in America, there are more people than ever who no longer call themselves Chrisitians. The worldview in America is no longer the Biblical worldview. We no longer look at things through God’s eyes, but now only through man’s eyes. We no longer even feel that we need to keep God’s Commandments. I heard one man say, “He does not even believe that Yeshua said this in John 14:15”, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
We want to continue looking at this topic of prophecy repeating itself, and we hope that you will consider its warnings.
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