Zechariah 11:4-5 "This is what the LORD my God says; Put out to pasture the flock intended for slaughter! Those purchasing them slaughter them and are not punished. Those who sell them even say, The LORD be praised; for I am rich. Even their shepherds don't spare them."
The rich made themselves richer at the expense of the poor and the religious leaders were involved in it up to the hilt. They exploited the poor and thanked God for the riches they thus acquired.
Whilst they were still in the process of rebuilding the temple, God had warned them of the deterioration that would set in toward the end of the promised golden years.
BC 180 God withdrew his wall of protection from around them. Seleucid misrule began under Antiochus III ("the Great"). Helenisation flooded in with a vengeance. This precipitated the successful Maccabeean revolt of BC 167. In BC 161 the Maccabees established an independent state, obtaining a mutual assistance treaty from the Roman senate. Even so things were never the same as in the golden years. The era of tranquillity had gone for ever. Though they never returned to the pre-captivity type of idolatry, the priests dabbled in liberal sophistry whilst rigidly maintaining temple ritual.
In BC66 Pompey ravaged Jerusalem and desecrated the Temple. Priests persisting with their temple duties were slaughtered alongside their sacrifices.
Luke 21:20-21 – “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.”
Ancient armies carried idols (images of their gods) wherever they went. The Greeks of the second century B.C. and Romans of the first century A.D. did as well. These idols of foreign gods are an abomination to the Jews. It is for this reason that foreign armies like the Greeks of the second century B.C. and Romans of the first century A.D. are called the abomination that causes desolation. These two foreign armies were an abomination to the Jews because of the idol images they carried. Furthermore, both armies literally CAUSED the desolation of Jerusalem. This is why these armies are called the “abomination that causes desolation.”
Graven images and foreign gods are an abomination according to the Law of Moses. The spiritual presence of the deity in the idol was expected to ensure martial victory to its devotees. Through faith in their idols of Zeus, two pagan armies caused the desolation of Israel. The Greeks were the first to do so in the second century B.C. during the Maccabean Wars. Then in the first century A.D., the Romans caused even greater havoc during the Jewish War.
In 168 BC, the Greek king Antiochus IV Epiphanes invaded Jerusalem and captured the city. He marched into the Jewish temple, erected a statue of the Greek god Zeus, and sacrificed a pig on the altar of incense. This provoked a revolt in Judea as the Jews fought to remove Antiochus’ sacrilege from the temple. Under the leadership of the Maccabees, the Jews drove Antiochus and his army out, and the Jews gained control of their land for about one hundred years until Pompey, an acclaimed Roman general, captured the Holy Land and brought it under Roman rule.
However, the time frame in verses 24–27 begins with the decree of Cyrus that sent the Jews back to their land after the exile (Ezra 1). This makes it impossible that Daniel’s prophecy refers to Antiochus Epiphanes. The year 186 BC was far too early to fit the prophecy—but the year AD 70 was not.
When the city and temple fell, more than one million Jews died. But Jewish Christians, by and large, were not among them, for they had already fled the city when they saw the Romans coming.
The setting up of an idol in the sanctuary is a thing which could not be done until the city and temple were taken by the enemy, which would be at the end of the siege. Hence it could not possibly serve as a sign to the disciples to save themselves from the horrors of the siege by timely flight.
Roman Military leader Cestius in 66 AD and his army surrounded Jerusalem and they made rapid progress to the point of almost being captured BUT soon thereafter that division of the Roman army left which allowed the Christians to flee to the mountains of Pella. The early Church had seen the SIGN and heeded the words of their Messiah.
So to summarize..
66 AD saw the sign to flee to the mountains when the early Church saw the army surrounding the City. Then later at some point and idol was set up in the Temple and Jerusalem fell with Rome falling also at a later date.
**WE** ARE ALL WAITING FOR THE NEW HEAVEN THE NEW EARTH AND THE ETERNAL NEW JERUSALEM**!!
EXCEPT THE PRETERISTS AND KJVONLY!!
Hebrews 12:26-28: God says, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens. The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken--that is created things--so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a *KINGDOM* that can not be shaken let us be thankful...for our God is a consuming fire!
2 Peter 3:10-13: But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will DISAPPEAR with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and *EVERYTHING* in it will be burned up {NIV}. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you {**CHURCH SAINTS*} wait eagerly for the Day of God to come. {NIV} That Day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with His promise **WE** {Excluding the Preterists and the RC church} are looking forward to a New heavens and a New Earth, the home of righteousness.
I Corinthians 15:50--51: I declare to you brothers, that flesh and blood CANNOT INHERIT the *KINGDOM OF GOD*... Listen I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet."
John 18:36: Jesus says, "My *KINGDOM* IS NOT OF THIS WORLD**...But now, my Kingdom is from another place!!"
Matthew 25:31-34: Jesus says, "When the Son of Man comes in His glory , and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another..He will put the sheep on the right and the goats on His left. Then the King will say to those on His right, "Come you who are blessed of My Father, take your inheritance, the *KINGDOM* prepared for you!!"
**WE** ARE ALL WAITING FOR THE NEW EARTH, THE NEW HEAVENS AND THE HEAVENLY NEW JERUSALEM!!
Revelation 21:1-5: Then I saw a New heaven and a New Earth, for the {present} first heaven and first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the **NEW JERUSALEM**, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making **EVERYTHING NEW**!" Then He said, "Write this down, for these words are TRUSTWORTHY and TRUE!"
Hebrews 11:13-16: All these people {Abraham, Sarah Isaac, Jacob, Noah etc} were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were looking for a BETTER COUNTRY--a HEAVENLY ONE. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a *CITY* (The *NEW JERUSALEM*} for them!!
Galatians 4:25,26: Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. But the **JERUSALEM** that is **ABOVE** is free, and she is our MOTHER !!
The New Jerusaem is described in Revelation 21:9 to Revelation 22:5. The New Jerusalem will be 12,000 stadia long, high and wide as per Revelation 21:16. A stadia is 606 feet long which is the exact same length as the ancient Greek stadium. 606 feet times 12,000 equals 7,272,000 feet which is 1377 miles plus 1,440 feet. A mile is exactly 5,280 feet. {1377 times 5,280 feet equal 7,270,560 feet.} And so the New Jerusalem will be exactly 1377 miles plus 1,440 feet long, wide and high!!
Revelation 21:9-12,15-16,19,23,27; Revelation 22:1-6: The angel said to John, “Come, I will show you the Bride the Wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from from God It shone like the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel. It had a great high wall {1377 miles plus 1,440 feet HIGH!} with 12 gates, and with 12 angels at the gates.
The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the City, its gates and its walls. The City was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the City with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia {A Stadia is exactly 606 feet} in length, and as wide and high as it is long. {1377 miles plus 1,440 feet long, wide and high} The wall was made of Jasper, and the City of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone....... The great street of the City was of pure gold, like transparent glass...... Only those written in the Lamb's Book of Life will be able to enter the New Jerusalem!
Then the angel showed me the river of the Water of Life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb {Jesus} down the middle of the great street of the City. On each side of the river stood the Tree of Life, bearing 12 crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month... The throne of God and of the **LAMB** will be in the City, and his servants will serve Him. They will see His face and His name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night!! They will not need the light of the lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign **FOR EVER AND EVER**. The angel said to me, “These words are TRUSTWORTHY and TRUE!!”
JESUS WILL WRITE ON US THE NAME OF THE CITY OF GOD THE **NEW JERUSALEM**!!
Revelation 2:18; 3:12,21: Jesus says, "To him who overcomes I will give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it... I will write on him the name of the City of My God, the **NEW JERUSALEM**, which is coming down out of heaven from My God....And I will give the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne."
According to Revelation 22:3 the only 2 thrones in the **NEW JERUSALEM** will be the thrones of the **FATHER** and of the **LAMB** Jesus Christ.
