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WARS AND RUMORS OF
WARS
[Taken by permission from Chapter
7 of "Great Prophecies of the Bible" by Ralph Woodrow,
P.O. Box 124, Riverside, CA 92502]
Matthew: "And ye shall hear of wars and rumours
of wars. See that ye be not troubled; for all these things must come to
pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation and
kingdom against kingdom" (24:6,7).
Mark: "And when ye shall hear of wars and
rumours of wars, be ye not troubled; for such things must needs be, but
the end is not yet, For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom
against kingdom" (13:7, 8).
Luke: "But when ye shall hear of wars and
commotions, be not terrified; for these things must first come to pass;
but the end is not by and by [immediately]. Then said he unto them, Nation
shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom (21:9,10).
We are told that when Jesus gave this
prophecy, the Roman Empire was experiencing a general peace within its
borders. Jesus explained to his disciples that they would be hearing of
wars, rumors of wars, and commotions. And did they? Yes! Within a short
time the Empire was filled with strife, insurrection, and wars.
Before the fall of Jerusalem, four Emperors
came to violent deaths within the space of 18 months. According to the
historian Suetonius (who lived during the latter part of the first century
and the beginning of the second), Nero "drove a dagger into his throat.''
Galba was run down by horsemen. A soldier cut off his head and "thrusting
his thumb into the mouth," carried the horrid trophy about. Otho "stabbed
himself" in the breast. Vitellius was killed by slow torture and then
"dragged by a hook into the Tiber." We can understand that such fate
falling on the Emperors would naturally spread distress and insecurity
through the Empire.
In the Annals of Tacitus, a Roman who wrote
a history which covers the period prior to 70 A. D., we find such
expressions as these: "Disturbances in Germany," "commotions in Africa,"
"commotions in Thrace," "insurrections in Gaul," "intrigues among the
Parthians," "the war in Britain," "war in Armenia."
Among the Jews, the times became turbulent.
In Seleucia, 50,000 Jews were killed. There was an uprising against them
in Alexandria. In a battle between the Jews and Syrians in Caesarea,
20,000 were killed. During these times, Caligula ordered his statue placed
in the temple at Jerusalem. The Jews refused to do this and lived in
constant fear that the Emperor's armies would be sent into Palestine. This
fear became so real that some of them did not even bother to till their
fields.
But though there would be wars, rumours of
wars, and commotions, Jesus told his disciples: "See that ye be not
troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the END is not yet."
The word "end" that is used here is not the same Greek word as in the
expression "end of the world." (See footnote). As Barnes says, the end
here referred to is "the end of the Jewish economy; the destruction of
Jerusalem."
Wars, rumors of wars, and commotions were of
a general nature. These things were not signs of the end; to the contrary,
they were given to show that the end was NOT yet! None of these things
would be the sign which would cause the disciples to flee into the
mountains.
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