Rev 1:3 (Mark 13 and the Nearness of the End 7)– Jesus also predicted dramatic signs in the heavens before His coming would be near (Matt 24:29; Mark 13:24-25; Luke 21:11, 25-26). While Adventists have understood these predictions to have a more recent fulfillment (from 1780-1833), the historian Josephus tells some remarkable stories of heavenly signs and apparitions in the context of the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Many of these stories are repeated in the opening chapter of the book The Great Controversy. Jesus also predicted that sufferings like the pain of childbirth (Matt 24:8; Mark 13:8) and persecution (Matt 24:9; Mark 13:9-13; Luke 21:12-19) would be part of the experience of His disciples. There is certainly abundant evidence in the book of Acts that persecution was the regular experience of the early church. And the language of birth pains is repeated in Romans 8:22 and 1 Thessalonians 5:3. Related to this is Jesus’ language of a great tribulation like none before it or since (Matt 24:21-22). This too would seem to have a powerful fulfillment in incredible suffering of the inhabitants of Jerusalem during the siege and destruction of Jerusalem (AD 70).
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 13:01:51 +0000
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