In the sermon 'A Gracious Salvation of Judgement' by Jason Dohm, the focus is on Matthew 24, where Jesus speaks about the 'abomination of desolation' as mentioned by the prophet Daniel. The sermon explores the dual themes of Jesus's work and the impending judgment on those who reject Him. The speaker emphasizes the historical context of 70 AD when Jerusalem was destroyed, which he interprets as a fulfillment of prophecy and a demonstration of God's judgment. The sermon warns against false prophets and stresses the importance of repentance to avoid perishing in judgment. It highlights the mystery of God's mercy, as He chose to spare some despite the overall destruction. The sermon draws parallels with Old Testament events, like the destruction of Sodom and the siege of Jerusalem by the Assyrians, to illustrate the severity of divine judgment and the necessity of obedience and faith in God's mercy. Ultimately, it underscores the importance of understanding the seriousness of sin and the graciousness of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 24 as we continue our study of prophecy Going through the gospel of Matthew our sermon text this morning will be Matthew 24 Starting in verse 15 through 28, please read along with me Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place, whoever reads, let him understand. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house, and let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days. And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath for there will be great tribulation such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time no nor ever shall be and unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved.

But for the elect's sake, those days will be shortened. Then, if anyone says to you, look, here is the Christ, or there, do not believe it, for false Christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. Therefore, if they say to you, look, he is in the desert, do not go out. Or Look, he is in the inner rooms.

Do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together. Let's pray. Oh Father, open our hearts.

Increase our understanding to hear your wisdom. Holy Spirit, do a work on this, this people gathered under your name, that we may come away not just smarter, but Lord, so much more appreciative of your perfection, of your knowledge, of your wisdom, and more in love with you as our God and our Savior. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. The title of the sermon this morning is A Gracious Salvation from Judgment. From judgment.

The mystery in our text isn't that God would come in judgment on a generation that has rejected the Redeemer sent to them. There's no mystery in that, is there? That God would be full of wrath when His own Son was sent to save and is rejected. That makes sense. The mystery is that God would be pleased not to bring His wrath all the way to completion and just wipe it all out.

That he would put his hand on some and have mercy. And even warn those that he's had mercy on what's going to happen so that they would flee at just the right moment. That's the mystery in this text. We're in Matthew 24. It's a chapter that has lots and lots of debate and controversy down in the fine points.

In the minutiae, there's reams and reams and books and articles and everything else written about the fine points. But I just want to continue the exhortation not to live there, not to live in the debates and the controversies to be found in Matthew 24. Overarching Matthew 24 are two great themes. The first is the work of Jesus. He's just a few days from dying for our sins.

And so the work of Jesus looms over everything that is said in Matthew 24 and the bringing in of a new covenant. There's going to be a new covenant established and sealed with the blood of Jesus Christ in just a very few days from when Matthew 24 happens. An old covenant, and all that went with the old covenant is going to be wiped away. That's so much a part of what Jesus is talking about. That's so much a part of what happened in Jerusalem in 70 AD when the whole city was destroyed.

It's part and parcel with an old covenant coming completely to an end and being swept away. The second great theme is what we saw in Luke 13 a couple of weeks ago where Jesus is talking about the Tower of Siloam which fell on 18 people and He just asked the question, do you think those people who the tower fell on were more sinful than you? No. Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." This is a great theme that hovers over chapter 24. The theme of judgment and that unless a person repents, we all likewise perish.

We're in our fourth sermon since we began Chapter 24. The first sermon was about setting the stage. It had to do with Jesus had just left the temple. So, He's pronounced eight woes in Chapter 23 on his adversaries. And he's declared judgment on them, and then he leaves the temple at the beginning of chapter 24.

And his disciples start talking to him about how magnificent the buildings are. And if you read the historical accounts, so it was. This is a gem, a jewel of the Roman Empire, the Jewish temple was. And so the disciples are marveling. And Jesus says, you see these buildings?

Not one stone is going to be left on top of another. So the disciples then, when they're with him in private, begin to ask him, what does this mean? When will these things be? When is this temple going to be brought down to the last stone? And what will be the sign of your coming?

And what would be the sign of the end of the age? And of course, all this is within the context of chapter 23. This didn't just spring up out of nowhere. Jesus has just been talking about the blood of all the righteous prophets from Abel through Zechariah and the Messiah will come upon this generation. And the judgment of God for all that, because the Messiah has been rejected, the judgment will be brought upon this people.

The second sermon was Jesus speaking about this intervening period. The period between when He dies and rises again from the dead in great glory, and the time when He's been speaking of, when the temple will be destroyed. And Jesus says a number of things about this intervening period. He says that deceivers will come. We'll be back to that in this text.

But Jesus warns them and says don't be deceived by anyone. He says that there will be tumultuous events like famines and pestilences, like wars and rumors of wars. And He speaks of persecutions. The godly are going to be despised by everyone. There's going to be betrayal.

There's going to be martyrdom. And Jesus wants His people to know it, so He speaks to them of the things that are going to happen in this intervening period. But he also comes with encouragement that those who endure to the end will be saved. And in fact, the gospel will go to all the nations. Then last week we had the third sermon to consider these things.

And we just went to Daniel 9. Why Daniel 9? Because Daniel 9 is quoted in verse 15. Now we're talking about verse 15 today. So last week was to set the table for today and have a proper understanding of what Jesus is talking about in Daniel 9.

And We saw in Daniel 9 how messianic it is. In other words, Jesus' quoting of Daniel 9 is not out of the blue in any way. Daniel 9 is all about the work of Jesus Christ to come and do an atoning work so that people can be forgiven from their sins. Here's the very end of Daniel 9, the last verse in Daniel 9, and even the last part of that verse. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate." So this is our abomination of desolations in verse 15.

Even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate. So the abomination of desolation in Daniel 9 is in a context. And Jesus said, it's a consummation. In other words, it's not an isolated thing or event, But it is a crescendo. It is an increasing of abomination that will come to a point of consummation.

Now, Jesus is going to talk a lot about that point of consummation in Matthew 24. But It's important that we get this. The abomination of desolation is a consummation. It's not just something that happens in isolation, but there's a crescendo. There's an increase of abomination that brings us to the point that Jesus will speak of here in Matthew 25.

Let's begin with verse 15 in Matthew 24. Jesus says, therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, whoever reads, let him understand. So there's something to be seen in verse 15. And it's going to trigger an action in verses 16 and following. But do you get that?

There's something to be seen. Your eyeballs will be able to see it. It's not something spiritual unseen, but it's something that is physical and seen and that can be known and recognized, and then that is a trigger point for an action. Now what is to be seen? The abomination of desolation is to be seen, or perhaps maybe even a better rendering of that would be the abomination that causes desolation.

The abominations are actually bringing on the destruction and desolation that is being spoken of here. So there's something foul. There's something defiling that brings with it desolation. And Jesus here in Matthew 24 and also in the parallel passage in Mark 13 says, let him who reads understand. In other words, those reading Daniel understand this is what Daniel is talking about.

So he exhorts all the readers of Daniel to know that this is what Daniel means. Now, what is the thing that could be seen? What is this abomination of desolation? Turn in your Bibles to Luke 21. Luke 21 is a parallel text.

It describes exactly the same circumstances and exactly the same discourse. So it's Jesus in the same spot, the same place and time delivering the same sermon. This is Luke chapter 21 and the sermons called the Olivet Discourse. If you ever hear anybody talk about the Olivet Discourse, he's talking about Matthew 24 or Mark 13 or Luke 21. Now, Here's what Luke captures from what Jesus says.

Luke 21 beginning in verse 20. 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.

For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant and those who are nursing babies in those days, for there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people and they will fall by the edge of the sword and be led away captive into all nations and Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled." so we can see in Luke 21 that we're talking about exactly the same things right it's Something that can be seen Matthew Because he's writing to Jews Says this is Daniel because he's expecting his audience to be able to understand what a good Jew would understand, to know Daniel. So Matthew, because his audience is Jewish, can point to Daniel and say, let the reader of Daniel understand. This is what Daniel was talking about. It's an abomination that causes desolation.

Luke didn't have the same audience. In Luke 1, Luke is addressing his audience and He says, Oh, most excellent Theophilus. Luke's writing to a Greek. Luke's not expecting that his audience knows the thing that the audience of Matthew would know because they're not Jews. They're either not that familiar with Daniel or they're unfamiliar with Daniel.

That's Luke's expectation. So Luke captures a different part of what Jesus says. So undoubtedly Jesus called it the abomination of desolation and undoubtedly Jesus also said because Luke records it that it's when the armies surround Jerusalem and it has to be the same thing because it's the thing that can be seen with the eyeballs that is to trigger the action And in both Matthew 24 and in Luke 21, the very next words out of his mouth are the same thing. Then let those in Judea flee to the mountains. So it's the same thing to be seen.

Matthew's writing to Jews, so he relates it to Daniel. Luke's writing to Gentiles, so he describes exactly what it's to be. It's to be when the armies surround Jerusalem. And then Luke goes on to say a couple of things that Matthew doesn't say. For instance, these are the days of vengeance.

It is God's vengeance. It's the repaying for the righteous blood of all the prophets from Abel to Zechariah that Jesus just got through, speaking of in chapter 23. It's repayment for the cutting off of the Messiah. Remember back to Daniel 9, the Messiah will be cut off but not for himself. That's Daniel 9.

So Luke records what Jesus says, which Matthew doesn't, but Luke picked it up and put it in, which is that these are days of vengeance and people are going to be falling by the sword and they're going to be sent captive into every nation. Now in a minute we're going to get to the history of what actually happened in the historical accounts and you'll see what Jesus says and Luke records is dead on the money to exactly what happened in 70 AD. Roman soldiers to a man are idolaters. Okay, this is an army of idolaters that's coming to surround Jerusalem. In fact, the idolatry is institutionalized.

It's part of army life. There are going to be standards or insigns that they're marching after. They have two symbols on the standards. They have the symbol of an eagle, which is the symbol of the Roman Empire, and they have the image of Caesar. And this is going to be part of their worship.

Caesar worship is part of army life. So that when the temple is destroyed, the Roman army is going to set up their insides, set up their standards with the likeness of Caesar on it and they're going to sacrifice to it as an act of worship. So, it shouldn't be strange to us that Matthew, in his account, would say the abomination of desolation, this is an abomination as idol worship is so often called in the Old Testament. But that Luke, writing to Greeks, would say it's the armies that surround Jerusalem. They're one in the same.

Because this is an army of idolaters, of God haters, that is coming to surround Jerusalem. Now it is not unprecedented in any way for God to use idolaters and God-haters as an instrument of judgment on His people. It happens all the time in the Old Testament. The Assyrians come, the Chaldeans come, the Babylonians come, all worse idolaters than Israel. And yet God uses them in His plan to bring judgment on Israel.

And then He always deals with them. And by the way, he'll deal with the Roman Empire as well. Finally, in Luke 21 20, when it says the armies that surround Jerusalem and bring desolation, that word Desolation is only used three times in all of the New Testament, that Greek word. It's used in Matthew 24 in the Olivet Discourse with abomination of desolation. It's used in Mark 13 in the Olivet discourse, the abomination of desolation, and it's used in Luke 21 20, tagged to the armies that will surround Jerusalem in the Olivet Discourse in exactly the same spot in the discourse.

Now, let's go back to Matthew 24, verses 16 through 20. So there's something to be seen, and that's the armies that surround Jerusalem, which are the culmination of the abominations that bring desolation on Jerusalem. Verse 16. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house, and let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.

But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days. And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath." There's something to be seen, an army encircling Jerusalem. And then there's something to be done. There's an action that Jesus calls for. Flee to the mountains with no delay.

Here's something really important to consider. In 2 Kings chapters 18 and 19, The Assyrian king Sennacherib surrounds Jerusalem. It's in the time of Hezekiah. Hezekiah is the king of Judah at that point. Sennacherib comes with a massive army and surrounds and circles Jerusalem, just like what is being described here.

And Hezekiah is a righteous king and he repents for his people and he begs for God to deliver them. And what happens? God does deliver them. In one night, this massive undefeatable army, one night, 185, 000 are struck dead with the plague. And when the Israelites wake up the next morning, the rest are gone.

Jesus wants His people to know that's not going to happen this time. The righteous have all manner of confidence to believe that God can deliver from the biggest army. Now Rome is the greatest force on earth at that time, but the Jews don't think so, and we don't think so either. God is really always the greatest force on earth. So you might have the biggest, baddest army, but you're not the greatest force on earth.

And so the people of God need to know that This is not the time to trust God by holding your ground. There are times, there have been times in the history of Israel where it was the time to trust God by holding your ground. Don't run. Wait for God to deliver you. And if God throws you into the fiery furnace, He's able to deliver you without even a trace of smoke on your clothing.

You won't even smell like smoke. God can do that. God can deliver Jerusalem from the Romans. But Jesus is saying, not this time. It is God's will.

He is bringing these armies to Jerusalem. It's the days of vengeance as we saw in Luke 21. Look at the flight. Look at the flight. It is to be fast.

It is to be fast. In Genesis 19, Lot finds himself in a similar situation. He's in a city that's about to be judged. And he's being told, flee! In Genesis 19, God is getting the righteous seed out of a wicked city that's about to be annihilated.

So it's very much like what Jesus is speaking of in Matthew 24. But Genesis 19, the text says that Lot lingered. God is on the verge of annihilating this city, and he's told Lot to go, and Lot's lingering. Lot's packing. Lot's procrastinating.

And the angels, remember, have to take him by the hand and lead him out of here. And here's the last thing that they say to Lot, escape to the mountains lest you be destroyed. So Matthew 24 is very much like Genesis 19. The godly seed being spared when the judgment of God comes on an unrighteous city. So if you're on the housetop, Don't even come down to pack.

Flee. So if you're in the field, don't go back to get your clothes. Flee. Here's an application for us. This is so important.

This is one of the key things we should get out of today's text. Jesus is Lord. And He claims His rights, His Lordship rights all the time. And he's told his people, don't get attached to your stuff. And don't worry about your clothes, and don't worry about food, because he's able to provide.

He's Doing here what Jesus started teaching about in Matthew 6 in the Sermon on the Mountain, he says, don't worry about clothes, God closed the lilies with splendor. Don't worry about clothes. Don't worry about food. God feeds the sparrows, even though they don't sow and reap. Don't worry about food.

And he's saying the same thing here. He's claiming his lordship rights for his people not to be attached to their stuff so that when judgment is lingering, they'd be packing. But He's saying He's Lord and He's a Father who can provide the things that are needed. So they don't need to pack. So they don't need to linger and procrastinate like Lot was doing in Genesis 19.

They are to obey and flee. Because when we obey, when God's people obey, God will take care of the rest. When we obey, He'll give you clothes for your back. When we obey, He'll give you food to eat. And so the focus is on not our work and our planning and our best thoughts, but on obeying the Lord.

This is exactly what happened in 70 AD. The Christians did flee in Judea. Notice it doesn't say Jerusalem, it says Judea. So this whole district, right, you have the district. Starting in the north of Israel, you have Galilee, where most of Jesus' ministry was.

Then you have Samaria. Then you have Judea. Then you have Idumea. Those are the regions and Piraeus off on the east somewhere. Those are your districts.

And so this is the whole district of Judea, not just Jerusalem, but that whole district when they see the armies coming and surrounding there to flee. Eusebius, one of the very early church fathers in the first century, says that the Christians went to Pella, which is a mountain village, and that they were preserved there. This is exactly what David did, right, when he's fleeing from his life. In 1 Samuel 23, Saul has a couple of whacks at David trying to pin him to the wall with the spear, and David flee for his life, and he flees to the mountains because there he can hide himself and there he can live successfully on the run. And this is what God is telling his people to do.

And that's what they did and they were saved. In verse 19, Jesus speaks of how hard it will be for the mothers of babies. Both, I think this applies to the flight. Think about how you pack now when you have a baby for the smallest journey. It's like you got stuff hanging off every part of your body for the baby, just the things that are needed.

And so to flee and have a baby, there's going to be hardship and difficulty. And in the siege, the most indescribable things are said of the women of small children during that time. Now, listen to what Jesus says, listen to what Jesus says in Luke 23. In Luke 23, Jesus is on the way to be crucified. So he's already been judged and condemned and he's on his way to the place of crucifixion.

And this picks up our account in Luke 23, starting in verse 27. And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women also mourned and lamented Him. But Jesus, turning to them, said, Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed. Then they will begin to say to the mountains, fall on us and to the hills, cover us.

For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry? So Jesus, women are coming out and weeping because they know it's unjust that the Messiah is being cut off. And so they're weeping and Jesus looks at them and says, don't weep for me. Weep for yourselves. Weep for your children.

Do you know what's going to happen if they do this here in the presence of the Redeemer that has been sent to them? If they do this in the Greenwood, what will they do in the dry? And here is the reality of 70 AD. The things that were done by Jews, to Jews, were ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times worse than what the Romans ever did to them. Those who killed Jesus, cut off the Messiah in the green wood when it came to the dry wood and the pressures mounted and the food dwindled, did the most horrific things Jew to Jew.

It wasn't even the Romans that did the atrocities. And so what Jesus says in Luke 23 starting in verse 27, is so very literally fulfilled. Verse 20, He says, pray that the flight won't happen in winter or on the Sabbath. Notice he doesn't say, pray that God will withhold this judgment. This judgment is so certain, this is the generation that is going to cut off the Messiah.

And the blood of the prophets and the blood of the Messiah must come upon this generation. So Jesus doesn't say, pray that God will withhold it. He says, pray that it will be merciful in your flight. Pray that it won't happen in the winter when the days are short and it's cold. Pray that it won't happen on the Sabbath.

Now think of all the animosity towards Jesus on the Sabbath when they were just taking wheat and rubbing it in their hands. How much active opposition to Jesus came just from that act. What would it be like when the people are taking long journeys on the Sabbath? So Jesus comes and says, pray for mercy. Pray for mercy even towards you and your flight that won't happen during winter, which it didn't.

The siege started in April and ended in September. So God's people prayed and God honored those prayers And it didn't happen during winter. Notice how localized this is. It's impossible to take this and say, this is a worldwide event. This is a worldwide tribulation.

He's talking about Jerusalem, Judea, he's talking about a place where it matters whether you're fleeing on the Sabbath or not. It matters. And so this is regional and very localized to Judea and Jerusalem. To Judea and Jerusalem. Alright, back to Matthew 24 and verses 21 and 22.

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time. No nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved. But for the elect's sake, those days will be shortened. Our whole text today is part of Jesus' answer to when will these things be.

And that is the temple being pulled down, right? Not one stone left on another. The disciples say, when will these things be? Jesus answers, this is part of that answer. And so you might say, well, this isn't the greatest tribulation.

I just want to contend with you on that. Jesus says it is. Jesus says it is the worst tribulation. Now, it's not the biggest body count. The Holocaust in World War II was a bigger body count.

But Jesus didn't say that. Jesus said it's the greatest tribulation. Tribulation literally means pressing, pressure, a pressing upon something. And when you read the histories, you won't think that Jesus has overstated his case or that Jesus is given a hyperbole. This is the greatest tribulation since the beginning of the world and there won't be a time of greater pressure until the end of time.

We have Jesus' words on that. Now what happened in 70 AD? I'll be pulling from two sources. The first is Josephus. The second is James Usher, Archbishop Usher, who wrote A History of the World, and he pulls extensively from Josephus.

So a lot of this, most of this comes from the Jewish historian Josephus. It really began in 66 AD. So the culmination of it is in 70 AD, but it began in 66 AD, and it began with a Roman governor named Florus who hated the Jews and was hated by the Jews. And his conduct was so terrible that he was afraid that the Jews were going to accuse him to Caesar. At that time, Nero was Caesar.

And so he's afraid that the Jews are going to accuse him and he'll no longer be able to plunder this people and he'll be relieved of his duties and be disgraced. And So he works very, very aggressively to provoke the Jewish people into open revolt. At that time, there's not an active disposition to revolt, but their governor is trying to press them in to open revolt because he thinks they're going to accuse him to Caesar. And this is a way to cover his tracks. And so Josephus records that the governor of Flores sends his men into the market and there's a slaughter of 3600 Jews.

Now he's got a pretense. He's operating under a pretense to say there's something wrong happening in the marketplace. There's really nothing wrong happening in the marketplace. He's just trying to provoke them to open revolt. And he kills 3, 600 people in the middle of Jerusalem in the marketplace.

Well, they do react against that. He is successful in that way. And then the Syrian governor, Sesgius Gallus, begins the first campaign in 66 AD against Jerusalem because the Jews did react to the slaughter of 3600 other people in the middle of Jerusalem. Cestius Gallus almost takes over Jerusalem, but inexplicably he ends the siege early and he withdraws. So he's on the, this is Josephus records that he's on the verge of stamping out this rebellion and taking Jerusalem relatively peacefully in 66 AD.

But inexplicably he lifts the siege and he retreats. But the retreat is a disaster. The Jews harry them all the way back to Caesarea, and there's a great slaughter of the Romans in the retreat. So, probably could have won had he just stayed and pressed the matter in Jerusalem, but that's not what happened, according to the providence of God. He retreats and there's a slaughter which is going to bring on war with the Romans.

Now at this time, there begin to be two factions. There are the zealots who have always hated Rome and have always wanted an opportunity to rebel, and this is their opportunity. And there are the leaders of the Jewish people and in Jerusalem who want no part of a war with Rome. So, a civil war breaks out within the walls of Jerusalem, between the zealots. Now these are not religious zealots.

They're happy to have religion as a cloak for all that they're doing. But they're not driven theologically. They're not driven by religious zeal. They're driven by hatred for Rome and a desire for power in their own country. So the civil war breaks out between the Jewish leaders, legitimate Jewish leaders, and the Zealots.

And the legitimate Jewish leaders are about to win that. When the Zealots send to Idumea, the district to the south of Jerusalem saying they're getting ready to capitulate to Rome, send reinforcements. Well, the Idomaeans are taken in by the Zealots and they do that. They're led into Jerusalem and there's a great slaughter. And the balance of power which was tipped towards those who did not want war with Rome is tipped towards those who do want war with Rome, and there's a great slaughter of the rest.

And it reads just like the French Revolution. It's anti-nomian, anti-education, anti-class warfare. It will remind you so many things of the French Revolution when you read it. And this happens in Jerusalem, and there's a great slaughter within Jerusalem. Now the Zealots have the upper hand, and the Zealots are really going to call the shots the rest of the way.

But the Zealots aren't united. There's actually three factions among the zealots. There's a John, and there's a Simon, and there's an Eleazar. And the only thing they can agree on is that they hate the Romans, but they also hate each other. And so there's a three-way war within Jerusalem.

Eleazar and much less men have holed themselves up in the temple and the holy of holies. Talk about the abomination that causes desolation. These Jews have holed, these Jewish delights have holed themselves up and they're using the temple as a fortress. Then you have John, which has a part of the city. Then you have Simon, which has a part of the city.

And they're raiding each other all the time. They're all three trying to get the upper hand and they're going out and one of their key tactics against the others is to go out and destroy their stores, go out and burn their grain up. So you can see what's happening. The stores for any sort of a unified resistance to Rome are being burned up before the Romans ever get there. In fact, Vespasian is going to be the German general who will come and lead the assault on all of Israel.

And Vespasian is being told, you got to go to Jerusalem, that's the capital. What does Vespasian say? No way. They're doing such a great job of killing themselves, I'm going there last. I'm going to let the civil war happening within the walls of Jerusalem run its course until all the other business in Israel is taken care of and then I will besiege Jerusalem.

That's exactly what happens. It takes two years, Vespasian campaigns, two years, two and a half years before he ever gets to Jerusalem and that's because he knows what's going on inside the walls of Jerusalem. So the campaign starts in Galilee. The Jews put a man as a general over the defense of Galilee and he raises an army of a hundred thousand men. So he's entrusted with the defense of Galilee with 100, 000 men.

Do you know what this man's name is? Josephus. Josephus is the Jewish general entrusted with 100, 000 men to guard Jesus' homeland of Galilee. And he puts up a great fight, but he cannot withstand the Romans, and finally the Romans capture him. And they were so impressed with his cunning and leadership that instead of killing him or sending them to Rome, they keep him with the army and use him to negotiate with the other cities than that they're going to be besieging.

So Josephus, our Jewish historian, has a front row seat with Vespasian and the Roman army. So these accounts come from a Jew, a loyal Jew. He was no traitor. He defended Galilee very gallantly, but he's finally captured by the Romans. Well, he's captured and he asks for a private audience with Vespasian.

And he's given it. And Vespasian and his son Titus and a few others are there. And Josephus says, you think I'm just a common prisoner of war. But God has sent me here to tell you that you're going to be emperor and so is your son. Now at the time, Nero's emperor, and it's very improbable that he's going to be.

And so they dismiss it, Vespasian and Titus dismiss it, but Josephus continues to call him emperor all this time. Now as we'll see, Vespasian does become emperor of Rome. Nero commits suicide and then a man ascends who's killed, the one who killed him ascends and is killed, and the people call Vespasian. And he comes and has a lengthy reign as emperor. So this is the Vespasian that is leading the campaign in Israel.

So Vespasian puts down the revolt in Galilee coming south, puts it down in Samaria, goes around Judea, puts it out in Idumea in the south, and then finally comes back to Jerusalem in 70 AD. He camps a few miles away from Jerusalem when the Feast of Unleavened Bread comes, where all the Jews are supposed to come to Jerusalem, and they do. So the population of Jerusalem, as it always does during the feast, swells from a couple hundred thousand to some estimate three million. Now, with the Roman army there, it could have been less than three million this time around. But anyway, in any event, the population greatly swells within Jerusalem and then they're besieged by Vespasian.

And before the assault on Jerusalem really starts, Vespasian is called away and Titus, his son, becomes the commander. So you have a civil war, a three-way civil war happening inside, even when the Romans are around them. And They only take a break from fighting each other in the times where they really need to join together to defend Jerusalem against the Romans. But there's still actively a civil war happening inside the gates. And on the outside you have the Roman army.

And you have these factions inside burning up each other's grain. Okay, so under normal circumstances, Jerusalem would be supplied for a three or four year siege, no problem, But because the population has been, has swelled from a couple hundred thousand to maybe three million. And because you have these factions that are burning up each other's stores in, there's starvation happening. The whole siege lasts less than seven months and they're completely out of food and they're eating each other by the end. Cannibalism is happening by the end because of it.

And people are dying in droves of starvation inside the gates. And at first, at first they're burying the dead, but then there are too many dead, and so they just start throwing them over the wall and filling up the valleys beneath the walls. Hundreds of thousands, probably 600, 000 starved to death in the siege, or never killed by anybody other than hunger, and 600, 000 bodies. So Vespasian, when he was still there and this was happening, Vespasian sees all these bodies decaying and he calls God as witness that he didn't do that. It's so terrible.

Now, the resistance to the Roman army is bitter. The zealots fight them tooth and nail all the way. Every time that the Romans make an offer of peace, they're insulted, and they're met with a trick in order to gain some sort of an upper hand. So there's nothing but treachery from the Jewish side. There's nothing but insult.

Even though they're facing the Roman army. There's nothing but insult coming from the other side. Now Titus, who's now the commander, wants to save as much as he can of Jerusalem and absolutely does not want the temple destroyed, because it is a gem in the Roman Empire. It's a jewel in the crown of the Roman Empire. It is known far and wide for its magnificence, just as the disciples say at the beginning of 24.

He wants no part of the destruction of the temple. But because the resistance is so bitter and because there's so much treachery from the Jewish side, up until the very last minute, Titus finds that he cannot even control his men, and they burn the temple to the ground. And they destroy the temple against their commanding officer's wishes. So there are many, many attempts to negotiate peace from the Roman side, but there's nothing but treachery from the Jewish side. And it enrages the Romans so much that at the end there's a great slaughter and there's total destruction.

During the siege, one of the ways that the Romans, there are two ways that the Romans are dealing with the walls. Jerusalem is a seriously fortified city. One of the ways is with battering rams, and that's quite effective. Another way is with earthworks, where you build up to the level of the wall. So essentially, you nullify the advantage of having a wall by building up next to it, so your soldiers can breach the wall.

So they're building earthworks and they're building earthworks and they're building earthworks and Josephus says that they cleared, completely cleared timber for 11 miles around Jerusalem. So we're talking desolation here, right? In Matthew 23, Jesus has said what? Your house is left to you desolate. It is spiritual, but it's literal too, right?

There's an 11 mile band around Jerusalem where all the wood has been cleared out for the earthworks. Now listen to what Jesus says in Luke 19. In Luke 19, this is the triumphal entry, So Jesus said it about a week before Matthew 24 happened. Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it. So remember in Luke's account of the triumphal entry, Jesus is weeping as He enters Jerusalem, saying, If You had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace.

But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you and your children within you to the ground. And they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation." So what Jesus says in Luke's account of the triumphal entry absolutely comes true. The earthworks are built. They build mounds, and then they level everything.

So everyone, There's a great slaughter in Jerusalem. The low accounts, you have a range of historians who say this many people died. On the low end is 1.1 million people died and another million died outside of Jerusalem during those campaigns. So a total during the war of two million people. Others say that three million people died in Jerusalem and then another million outside.

So depending on who you believe, the total is 2 to 4 million people slaughtered during this war or starved to death. Here's what, some were sold into slavery, some were used in games after the fact. Very soon after the fall of Jerusalem, Titus has a birthday party for his father in honor of his father in Syria. And 2, 500 of the captives from Jerusalem are either fed to beasts for entertainment or forced to be gladiators. So we know this is the Roman practice and it happened with captives from Jerusalem.

Here's what Josephus says, Neither did any other city ever suffer such miseries, Nor did any age ever breed a generation more fruitful in wickedness than this was from the beginning of the world." Josephus says almost exactly what Jesus said, although almost certainly he didn't know what Jesus had said and he definitely was not a Christian, but he was on the front row to witness what happened and he says it's the worst thing that has come upon a city from the beginning of time. Now, brothers and sisters, this had to be. This had to be. Amos chapter 3 verse 2, you only have I known of all the families of the earth, therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities. Do you see what Amos chapter 3 verse 2 is saying?

God's people, Israel, had enjoyed all the benefits. They had the oracles of God, they had the law of God, they had the mind of God, they lived under the blessing of God. They had the defense of God. And they squandered all their advantages. And they rebelled.

And they even killed Jesus Christ. They killed every prophet that was ever sent to them. They killed the Redeemer that was sent to them. In Luke 12, Jesus says that those who know their master's will but won't obey it will be beaten with many stripes. And those who don't obey, but they really didn't know their master's will will be beaten with a few stripes.

This is those who have had more advantages, knew more of their master's will than anyone being beaten with the most stripes. In verse 22 Jesus says, unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, the days would be shortened. At a micro level, you can see that there were actual things that happened to shorten the days. This could have gone on for years except for the population of Jerusalem was swollen with the people coming for the Passover and these factions inside burning each other's food up shortened the days.

It made it not a three or four year siege, it made it a six month siege. But there's something more than just the micro level and the days being shortened because they didn't have enough to eat. The elect are mentioned here by Jesus in verse 22. It's for the sake of the elect that the days were shortened. Now, in Romans 9, Paul takes up the topic of election.

He talks about people who obtain mercy from God. He says it's not works. It's the pleasure of God. And in Romans 9, Paul quotes Isaiah 1 9, unless the Lord of Sabaoth, the Lord of hosts, the Lord of armies, had left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom, and we would have been made like Gomorrah. What happened in 70 AD is a microcosm.

Microcosm is just two Greek words put together. Little, micro, cosmos, world. It's a little world. It's a little example. It's a little picture to teach the people of God about the judgment of God.

And so, if this little pouring out of judgment by God would have gone to where it could go, No one would be left. No flesh. Flesh there is not just humans, it's humans, animals. Total annihilation. If God fully pours out His judgment, it's total annihilation.

Do you get that? No flesh is left. If God renders what's due, the Bible says the wages of sin is death. If God renders what is due, then it's total annihilation. But for the sake of the elect, he shortens it.

He makes it just a little picture and not the full thing because he's kind, because he's long-suffering, because he has mercy and he's patient and he forbears. Lamentations 3 22, Lamentations chapter 3 verse 22, Through the Lord's mercies we're not consumed, because his compassion's fail not. That's what Jesus is teaching. Now we might look at this and say, this is horrible. One or three million people dying.

Starvation so much that they can't even bury the dead, they have to just push them up off the wall so they're not left with bodies in their midst. What we should see is that this is what sin does, and this is what sinners deserve. You got it? 70 AD is just a microcosm. It's just a little world.

And it shows us where sin takes you. And it shows you what sinners deserve. There were no innocents in Jerusalem. We're only sinners. In Jerusalem were only sinners.

Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. All likewise perish. The surprise in the chapter isn't that God would judge the people who rejected the Messiah. The surprise in the chapter is that God would still have mercy on some, still call out some, still put His hand on some and draw them to himself and grant them the gift of repentance and faith. People who didn't have eyes to see, people who didn't have ears to hear would be given eyes to see and ears to hear.

So we're way short of the end, but we're going to end. I'm not going to do what I did last week. I'm cutting this off. And we'll pick it up next week. In some ways, it goes better with what we're going to talk about anyway.

So it's a good stopping point. Let's pray. Father, I thank You for this little world, this little picture that shows people with eyes to see where sin takes us, what sinners deserve. God, when we think of the many ways that we've been our own God and honored our own ways and acted as if there weren't a God in heaven. Which one of us can stand before you and say we don't deserve what happened in 70 AD?

At least there was an end to that. But in the big picture, when the shadow is swept away and we're left with the substance, there is an eternal judgment. God, I pray that you would cause this chapter to make many wise, to make many see, to make many hear, and to consider the state of our souls. And for those of you who have trusted you to remember in a fresh way what we deserve, what we've earned, so that we'll be happy in Jesus, having been set free from the wrath of God that is righteous. O God, cause us to rejoice in the mercies of Jesus Christ, in the gracious deliverance from judgment that comes through the blood of Christ, the atoning sacrifice that was accepted by the Father.

I thank you in Jesus' name, Amen.