Let us turn to the first century of our time, when Nero was still Emperor of the Roman Empire. The year is 66 BC. The place is Jerusalem.
Historical data gives us very reliable information about what really happened there back then. It is true that we do not have many details about any particular family living in Jerusalem at the time. However, based on the information available, we can safely conclude how some people behaved.
The following story is based on events that fulfilled a prophecy about Jesus Christ. As you will see, the basic facts come from the Bible and other historical data. Pasur and Abigail's family is imaginary, but how they reacted before the crisis that prevailed at the time may have been typical of several families living at the time.
An important prophecy
The lively streets of Jerusalem are crowded. Well-dressed priests make their way among ordinary workers in ordinary clothes. The rich and self-satisfied go their way with the help of servants. The loud voices negotiating goods in the many shops testify to general prosperity. In the audience we see Pashhur, a cloth dealer. He is a convert from Judaism to Christianity. A disciple who knew Jesus Christ personally studied the scriptures with him, which led him to become a Christian.
Pasur was only a young man when Jesus died thirty-three years ago. For the most part, he just remembered that there was a lot of talk about Jesus and that he was a very controversial person. It was only after examining the biblical evidence that Pasur was convinced that Jesus was the promised Messiah. As a resident of Jerusalem, Jesus' prophecy about the destruction of the city of Pashur received attention. Referring to copies of the scriptures written by Matthew and Luke as confirmation, the student who studied with Pasur stated:
One day four of the apostles went to Jesus on the Mount of Olives. They wanted to know the sign that would tell them when Jerusalem would be destroyed. But they were also curious about the presence of Christ and the end of the order of things. Jesus' answer to her question was not just about the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the Jewish system of things. He spoke about the completion of the entire world system.
With this, the disciple quoted the following words of Jesus, which the Christian disciple Luke wrote:
When you see Jerusalem amid camp armies, you must know that your fate is near. And they began to flee into the mountains of Judea, and in the midst of them they withdrew, and those in the fields did not enter; for it is days to do justice, so that all that is written may be fulfilled. Woe to pregnant and breastfeeding women at this time! For there will be great need on earth and anger against this people; and they will fall by the blade of the sword and be captured for all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trodden down by the nations.
A well deserved travel destination
As for Pasur, Jerusalem deserves that fate. Witnesses told him how people screamed and said after Jesus was executed, “Take him away! Take it away! Impale! "And when the Roman governor asked, 'Shall I coat your king?' "It was the high priests themselves who replied, 'We have no king but the emperor.' This murderous act by religious leaders displeased Pasur!”
Many followers of Jesus were treated equally. More than twenty years after Jesus' death, the apostle Paul was attacked in Jerusalem. And recently Jacob, Jesus' half-brother, and other faithful Christians were stoned to death in Jerusalem. As Pashhur comes home through the lively streets, he thinks: "The city really lives up to its reputation!" Jesus' words come back to him: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the murderer of the prophets and the stoning of those who were sent to her. "
Pasur has no doubt: Jerusalem deserves what Jesus foretold for her. Jesus said, "The days will come when your enemies will build a fortress with sharp pillars around you and surround you and turn around on all sides, and they will throw you and your children within you to the ground and not stones left ... on the stone in you because you did not discover the time of your inspection. "
"But if?" This is a question that worries Pasur, especially now that the revolt against the Roman occupation of Jerusalem has broken out.
Postponed his arrival
He and his family hope that the destruction will never happen. After years of hard work, the fabric business is starting to bear fruit. Now that the kids are older, his wife, Abigail, works full time in the business. Additionally, children have become so involved in athletics and music that they even consider doing these activities.
"Ah," Pashhur mumbles to himself as he approaches his house, "no matter how much I deserve it, I cannot see Jerusalem being destroyed now."
He stops in front of the door and looks at the temple. Recently, Roman armies have almost taken over. They came to quell the uprising. But then his leader, Céstio Galo, ordered his men to withdraw.
"Who knows why?" Pashhur thought about it. "It doesn't matter now. I just know that thousands of Romans died in retreat. What a victory for Jerusalem and what a difficult decision for us!"
comforted by this thought, breathes relief and enters the house. Some of your members of the Christian community are already there. He greets them warmly and is curious why they came.
"We have to leave Jerusalem immediately!" says the oldest in the group.
"Why? Rome will probably never send another army after the last defeat," Pashhur replies with a certain conviction in his voice.
Jesus said if we see Jerusalem surrounded by camp armies, we must flee to the mountains. We saw it. Now that the armies are gone, we can escape.
"But Pasur, you did not understand what was happening. The Roman armies were maneuvered by Jehovah so that the Christians could flee Jerusalem before the city was destroyed. Remember Jesus 'instructions:' When you see Jerusalem in the middle of camps. From the army, then you must know that your fate is approaching. Then the Jews begin to flee to the mountains. "Jesus didn't mean it that way now," Pashhur replies. "That moment will come later. And when I do, my family and I will leave Jerusalem."
No persuasion can convince Pasur to take his family with him and travel with the other Christians to the region around Pella in the mountains of Gilead. * The many visits from his Christian brothers do not make him or his family realize the need to leave Jerusalem at a time when things are going so well for them materially. They also trust the Jerusalem army.
As Pasur bids farewell to the last of the Christians who are leaving Jerusalem, he feels that once the situation calms down, they will return and will be great if they do. won't scold them.
In the years 67, 68 and 69 the situation in Jerusalem did not stabilize. It's getting worse. Ultimately, the warring Jewish factions prevent the city from escaping. Worst of all, Pashhur and his family miss the spiritual union of their Christian friends who fled across the Jordan to the mountains of Gilead.
Prophecy fulfilled
The spring of 70 BC offers a completely different source of terror. The Roman armies return under the command of the son of the new emperor Titus and surround Jerusalem. For several miles they felled the trees, made vigorous efforts with them, and built a stable supply around the town. Escape is now impossible!
The days of fear of siege pass one by one. Pashhur's food supply is running low. Relentless hunger hits your home. Outside, rampant soldiers plunder what food they can find. In order not to aggravate Pasur's already constant fear, Abigail does not mention her hunger, but neither she nor her husband can hide their concern for one another.
One day, when hunger is mounting, an unusual commotion drives Pashur out to investigate. When he comes back, Abigail quickly finds out she's seen something scary. "Mary, daughter of Eleazar de Betezub, their son," he explains. * “The same thing happens again as in the time of Jeremiah. We're going to die too, Abigail. "*
Jerusalem does not suffer much. Summer 70 AD The Romans eventually conquered and destroyed it. More than a million Jews died during the entire siege; About 97,000 are in captivity. Among the dead Pashhur and his family. They knew about Jesus' prophecies and the instructions He gave them for salvation. But because they refused to act on this knowledge, they paid the price for disobedience.
One lesson for today
Yes, this biblical prophecy has been fulfilled. The same will happen to all that is foretold or promised in the Word of God. Joshua, the former leader of the Nation of God Israel of Israel, said: “You know with all your heart and soul that not one word of all the good words that Jehovah your God has spoken to you has failed. They all came true for you. None of them failed.”
As mentioned at the beginning of our story, the Bible obviously does not speak of the individual lives of those who lived shortly before or during the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Worldly history does this. However, it is likely that there are families similar to the one we have described who did not act on knowledge and fled to the mountains in obedience to Jesus' instructions.
But what about us that we live today? We're not facing a similar situation, are we?Indeed yes! The prophecy of Jesus identified more than just the end of the Jewish order in AD 70. This prophecy also identified the time of Christ's "presence" in the power of the kingdom, the time when the end of this whole world system of things would be near would. One reason we know this is true is because Jesus said, "When you see these things, you know the kingdom of God is at hand." Luke 21:31.
Well, what did Jesus foretell that would mark the end of the whole system and when the kingdom of God was at hand? What would happen, among other things, Jesus said: “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be severe earthquakes and place after place pests and food shortages.
So if one compares all of Jesus' prophecies with current events, it is clear that this prophecy is now experiencing a remarkable fulfillment. What does it mean?This means that the end of this entire system is nigh, even if the Roman armies of Cestius Gallus who were besieging Jerusalem were a sign that the end of Jerusalem was nigh. And just as special measures were required at that time to get to safety in the mountains, today appropriate measures are required to be saved from the global destruction that arises when God judges the wicked.
