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Explanation for:
Matthew
24
:
21
For there shall be then great tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, neither shall be.
7
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{"arr":[{"author-name":"John Chrysostom","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88ea76859f9f8e2ffd3ee_John%20Chrysostom.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"Furthermore, to emphasize the severity of the disaster, he states: ‘Pray that your flight may not occur in winter or on the Sabbath, for then there will be great tribulation, such as not been since the foundation of the world until now, nor ever shall be’.... Let no one assume that this is stated exaggeratively; let him refer to the writings of Josephus to discover the truth in these words. It is impossible to claim that Josephus, as a believer, embellished the account of these calamities to validate what is expressed; he was a devout Jew, notably strict and zealous, who was present during the time of Christ’s coming. So what does he declare? That these disasters surpassed every description of suffering, and such a conflict had never occurred for any nation. He remarks that the famine was so dire that mothers consumed their own children, and fierce battles broke out among them; many of the deceased had their wombs ripped open. I now pose a question to the Jews: ‘What led to God’s anger manifesting in such an overwhelming and intolerable manner, exceeding all calamities experienced not only in Judea but throughout the entire world? Was it not clearly due to their audacity in crucifying Christ, fulfilling His prophesy? All can bear witness to this, universally affirming the accuracy of the events. Observe, then, the magnitude of these disasters; compared to all past and future tribulations, they remain the gravest of all. Truly, no one can reference similar afflictions throughout the entire universe or throughout history, either in the past or yet to come. This assertion stands as undoubtedly true. No individual, either before or after, has ever dared to commit such a lawless and dreadful act. Therefore, Christ states, ‘There shall be great tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world until now, neither shall there be.’"},{"author-name":"Euthymios Zigabenos","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":11,"exegesis-text":"Anyone who examines the writings of Josephus (Flavius) will be deeply persuaded of this truth. Although he was of Jewish heritage, he describes the divine wrath that overtook them as surpassing all disasters and overwhelming every tragic scene. During the dreadful siege, a severe famine struck, leading even mothers to resort to consuming their own children, an atrocity they had to wrestle with their fellow citizens. But what accounted for such a calamity, more devastating and atrocious than anything ever experienced by humanity? It was due to their act of murdering the Son of God, a sin of greater gravity than any committed throughout eternity. Luke adds that there will be significant distress on the earth, divine anger directed toward these people; they will fall by the sword and be taken captive among all nations: “And Jerusalem shall be trampled by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” This reflects both the divine judgment for His Son and the period of the Gentiles leading to the culmination of their existence and the end of the world."},{"author-name":"Theophylact of Bulgaria","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8989296bafed9104677d7_Theophylact%20of%20Bulgaria.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":11,"exegesis-text":"The sorrow was overwhelming. The Roman troops received orders to show no mercy. Nonetheless, for the benefit of those who had faith or were still coming to faith, God chose not to let the entire nation be annihilated; instead, He reduced the duration of the conflict and diminished the suffering endured. Had the hostilities continued much longer, all those within the city would have succumbed to starvation. Some interpret this as pertaining to the era of the Antichrist, but this context relates to the siege of Jerusalem. The prophecy concerning the Antichrist, however, commences later. Here it is:"},{"author-name":"Abbot Panteleimon about the Trinity","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"I tell you that there will be immense anguish, unlike anything seen since the dawn of time and never to be witnessed again. Many will perish by the sword, and countless others will be taken captive to all nations. Jerusalem will lose its heavenly protection and will be handed over to the nations, a situation that will persist until the appointed times are completed."},{"author-name":"Gladkow B.I.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88bf0ceef8c96e09a6521_Gladkow%20B.I..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"There will be a time of hardship unlike any that has occurred since the creation of the world, nor will there ever be another like it. These distressing days will be shortened for the sake of the chosen ones, for those who have placed their faith in Me, as they would have no opportunity to escape; otherwise, all would perish. By the conclusion of this period, marked by the martyrdom of the Apostle Peter and the beheading of the Apostle Paul in Rome, the latter prophecies of Jesus Christ began to unfold: the Jewish nation turned against the Roman realm, the kingdom of the Jews confronted the kingdom of Rome, heralding whispers of war that soon erupted into conflict. Vespasian advanced with his army from Antioch, initiating the assault on Galilee, where one hundred thousand young Jews rallied under the command of Josephus Flavius. However, this hastily assembled and untrained Jewish force could not withstand the seasoned Roman legions. Consequently, Galilee, Samaria, and many cities of Judea fell one after another, enduring great devastation, and Josephus Flavius was captured. Gadara was the first to succumb, resulting in the slaughter of men, women, and children en masse. During the siege of Jotapata, 40,000 Jews were killed, and 1,200 were taken as captives. In Ascalon, 10,000 lost their lives, while 27,000 were killed in Japhia, with the remaining women and children sold into slavery. In Samaria, on Mount Gerizim, 11,000 were slain. In Joppa, 8,400 perished and 4,200 were drowned. In Tarichea, 2,200 were killed, and 6,000 were taken prisoner. At Gamala, 4,000 died, and 5,000 jumped from the cliff to their death. Of those taken captive, 30,400 were sold into slavery. After vanquishing Galilee, Samaria, and almost all of Judea, Vespasian intended to advance on Jerusalem, but news of Emperor Nero's demise briefly halted his military campaign. After being proclaimed emperor by his troops, he returned to Rome, entrusting the war to his son Titus. Titus approached Jerusalem just before the Jewish Passover feast in 70 A.D. The Christians, mindful of Christ’s covenant, escaped Jerusalem even before the siege, finding refuge beyond the Jordan in safer wilderness areas. \\n\\nJosephus Flavius bears witness that omens alluded to the coming devastation before the siege of Jerusalem: A star resembling a sword hovered over the city for an entire year; before the onset of conflict, during the feast of unleavened bread, the area around the altar and sanctuary was illuminated as bright as day at night; the bronze temple gates, which required twenty men to close, opened on their own at night. During the feast of Pentecost, priests entering the temple to serve heard strange noises and movements, followed by voices proclaiming, \\"Let us depart from here!\\" However, once the war commenced, the city was torn apart by factions vying for control. Bands of robbers emerged, who justified their lawlessness under the guise of Jewish independence, known as Zealots, asserting authority over the populace and ruthlessly dominating the lives and resources of the citizens. Refugees from cities besieged by Roman forces sought refuge in Jerusalem, among them John of Gischala, who formed a loyal faction and instigated an internal conflict against both the Zealots and the peaceful residents, initially led by High Priest Ananus. Bloody confrontations erupted in the city streets and within the temple courtyards; the sacred space became stained with blood and littered with corpses—transforming the holy place into an abomination of desolation (Matthew 24:15). The warring factions summoned the Idumeans, escalating violence and lawlessness as daytime robberies, assaults, and murders occurred frequently, with the wealthy often victimized.\\n\\nAs Titus’s army approached Jerusalem, the city fell into utter chaos. Titus surrounded it with trenches to cut off food supplies, hoping to force the inhabitants into submission through starvation. A dreadful famine ensued; many attempted to escape the grip of starvation, only to be captured by Roman soldiers and crucified on the crosses—far exceeding supply. In the city itself, turmoil reigned with rampant strife, robbery, violence, and murder; the famine reached such extremes that individuals succumbed to horrific desperation, with one mother reportedly roasting and consuming her own child. Initially, the deceased were interred in caves and abandoned homes, but as space ran out, bodies were disposed of beyond the city gates or piled upon its walls. One observer reported that 150,880 corpses had been removed through his assigned gate, while other estimates suggested that up to 600,000 were disposed of altogether. When Titus circled the city and witnessed the ditches overflowing with decaying bodies, he raised his hands to heaven in dismay, calling upon God to witness that he bore no responsibility for such a calamity. This was, in part, accurate, as he had offered the besieged a chance to surrender, but they remained resolute. Titus dispatched Josephus Flavius to the city walls to convince the defenders, delivering a long speech that recounted the history of the Jewish people, illustrating that victory came only when God intervened on their behalf, and that relying solely on their own strength had led to failure. He challenged them to reflect on whether they could expect divine help after allowing the holy temple to become a haven for abominations, questioning if by taking up arms they were not at war with God Himself. Despite these earnest appeals, they fell on deaf ears.\\n\\nThe destruction of Jerusalem would have undoubtedly been much grimmer had, according to Christ’s prediction, the Lord not shortened those days for the sake of the elect (Mark 13:20), who had not had time to escape. Desperation reached its peak when the Roman forces breached the city walls, entered Jerusalem, and seized the tower of Antonia; the inhabitants and officials gathered in the temple courts, barricading themselves to defend against their pursuers. Nevertheless, the besiegers infiltrated the temple with torrents of blood washing over its sacred grounds. Titus aspired to save the temple, but he could not restrain his soldiers. They set fire to the temple and began to slaughter all Jews within its confines; around the sanctuary lay an appalling multitude of corpses, and blood flowed profusely on the altar’s steps, overwhelming the ground with dead bodies. The Romans mercilessly pursued the fleeing Jews, trampling over them as they fled towards the temple’s gates. Those survivors who managed to enter the city fortified themselves, yet could not withstand the might of the Roman legions. As the troops advanced, they killed all they encountered, blocking streets with corpses and immersing the city in blood. The temple was consumed by flames, and the entirety of Jerusalem was razed to the ground. Exhausted from the slaughter, the soldiers received orders to spare some lives—not killing those who were unarmed and non-resisting—but to capture the rest. Ultimately, up to 97,000 individuals were taken prisoner, while 1,100,000 perished during the siege. The treasures of both the temple and the city were looted, leaving no remnant of Jerusalem or the temple standing. Thus, the words of Jesus Christ regarding the fate of a cruel people—who had mercilessly slain their prophets and ultimately crucified their Messiah—were fulfilled. They were made to account for the innocent blood of the righteous they had shed, which they brazenly brought upon themselves when they cried to Pilate, \\"His blood be upon us and upon our children!\\"\\n\\nLet us follow the fate of the temple and Jerusalem. Jesus foretold that the temple would be demolished so that no stone would remain upon another, and that Jerusalem would be overrun by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles concluded. Truly, the temple was obliterated beyond recognition; all attempts at reconstruction have met with complete failure. One Roman emperor, Julian the Apostate, vowed to restore the temple in Jerusalem, seeking to disprove Jesus's prediction of its final ruin. He summoned Jews from across the globe, who with great diligence began to clear the site of the former temple; yet whenever they attempted to work, balls of fire erupted from the ground, forcing them to abandon their efforts repeatedly. Ultimately, the builders ceased their labors, accepting that it was futile to continue any attempts to restore the temple, which had been demolished by divine will."},{"author-name":"Michail (Lusin)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c89550c567e172d15b3055_Michail%20(Lusin).png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"‘Which was not from the beginning of the world,’ etc. ‘Let no one assume that this statement is made in excess; rather, let them examine the writings of Josephus Flavius to grasp the reality of these events. It cannot be said that Josephus, as a believer, embellished the accounts of these tragedies to validate the claims made; he was a devout Jew and part of the very community present at Christ’s arrival. What does he convey? He asserts that these calamities exceeded any previous description of disasters, and that such warfare has never been experienced by any other nation’ (Zlat.). Here are passages from Flavius' works that illustrate the severe brutality of the events during that time: ‘All the woes that befell peoples throughout history were insignificant compared to those that struck the Jews’ (Bel. Iud. 1, 4).... ‘After seizing the city, the Roman soldiers surged in, mercilessly killing everyone they encountered and setting ablaze the homes along with their inhabitants. In their plundering, they found houses filled with the deceased who had succumbed to starvation. When they glimpsed the dead, some may have felt a fleeting compassion; however, they showed no mercy to the living, slaying all in their path. The streets ran with blood to the extent that, in many areas, the flames were extinguished by it’ (ibid. 6, 8, 5. 9, 2, 3). He reports that during the siege of Jerusalem, over a million individuals perished in the city and its vicinity, a vast number of whom were crucified. ‘Many were scourged, then subjected to various torments, and ultimately crucified. The Roman soldiers, driven by hatred or vengeance, took pleasure in nailing their victims in diverse manners (cf. note on Matthew 27:35). The multitude of those crucified was so extensive that there was insufficient space for all the crosses’ (ibid. 5: 2, cf. 6: 9: 3). This seemingly unfathomable death toll is clarified by the fact that the siege commenced during the Passover festival when up to 2,000,000 Jews, excluding women and children, were gathered in Jerusalem (ibid. 6: 9, 3. 4). Thus, the dreadful words they proclaimed upon themselves came to pass, ‘His blood be upon us and upon our children’ (Matt. 27:25). Flavius also recounts the horrific circumstances surrounding the famine during the siege of Jerusalem. The besieged resorted to consuming what even animals would not eat, indiscriminately foraging for sustenance... One noblewoman, despairing and driven to madness by hunger, tragically ended her own child's life and consumed part of the body before her act was uncovered (ibid. 6, 3, 3. 4). This dreadful outcome fulfilled the grim prophecy uttered by Moses (Deuteronomy 28:53-57)."},{"author-name":"Alexander Gorsky","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8884037c1e1c51e1332e2_Alexander%20Gorsky.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"After describing a series of alarming events, the Lord focused on the imminent judgment of God regarding what was to occur in Jerusalem. He stated, concerning Jerusalem, that its destruction is certain, as indicated in Daniel's writing, when the abomination of desolation is revealed in the sacred place. Consequently, anyone wishing to escape this impending doom should flee from Judea without delay. Those who choose to remain will face a tribulation unlike any seen since the world's inception. In that time, there will also be false prophets, but do not give in to their deception. The Son of Man will manifest like lightning, not tied to any specific location or form, but as the divine judgment of God. He will be revealed in the fullness of His glory at the end of days."}]}
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