I previously mentioned that I was introduced to the Bible at a young age. Even though I was not baptized as a Jehovah's Witness, my initial exposure to theology and eschatology was through their perspective. I learned that prophecy is when God foretells events that will happen in the future. I still believe this definition holds up today, predominantly as it is expressed in texts such as Isaiah in the Old Testament, where it is made clear that God declares the end from the beginning and is, therefore, in control of human affairs. As for the book of Revelation, I was taught a prophecy predicted future events. However, I never questioned whose future it was referring to; I assumed it was my own. Consequently, whenever I encountered prophecy in the Bible, I interpreted it as a forecast of my personal future. This was due to my habit of internalizing and personalizing every biblical text I read, regardless of its context.
I had an inconsistent approach when interpreting the Old Testament scriptures that foretold the coming of the Messiah. While I could comprehend these prophecies and acknowledge that they were accomplished in Jesus historically, I only sometimes considered the historical background when interpreting other passages. With other scriptures, such as the ones mentioned in Isaiah that describe the government resting on the Messiah's shoulders, I still considered the phrase "shall come to be" as a future occurrence - that is future to me.
Despite being ingrained in a futuristic perspective, whenever I read the book of Revelation it never sat well with me to justify phrases like soon, shortly, and quickly. It didn’t rest well with my futuristic approach because it began to dawn that John received the text over 2000 years ago. Other people’s explanations of this apparent inconsistency were that to the Lord a day is like a thousand years. And I would always push down the objection, but he spoke to John. Nevertheless, the force of my indoctrination suppressed this little question.
The problem was exacerbated by the fact that the Book of John was written during a period of intense persecution and suffering for Christians, whether it was authored during Nero's reign or later in the time of Emperor Domitian. It is difficult to comprehend why, during such affliction, God would reveal to John something that did not directly address the Christians' pain. It seems unreasonable to expect a first-century audience to decipher the meaning of the beast’s number. Even if they were able to do so, why would they bother? If the beast's arrival did not occur for centuries, it would appear pointless. Moreover, one might question why God did not raise up a prophet who could speak more directly to the predicted events, as had been done in the past.
Initially, the Olivet discourse in the Gospels confused me. However, upon closer examination, I realized that Jesus was warning his disciples about the destruction of the Temple and its aftermath. Jesus frequently addressed his disciples in the discourse, using the second person plural.
In Matthew 24:34, Jesus said that his predicted events would happen within his disciples' lifetime. As I began to pursue this line of thinking, I realized that this was fulfilled in the temple’s destruction in Jerusalem in 70 AD, which occurred within the lifetime of many of Jesus' followers.
In Matthew 10:17-23, Jesus warns his disciples about the persecution they will face for their faith, telling them they will be handed over to local councils, flogged in synagogues, and brought before governors and kings. He also tells them that everyone will hate them because of him. This prediction proved true, as early Christians faced persecution from Jewish and Roman authorities.
Similarly, in Mark 13:9-13, Jesus warns his disciples that they will be arrested and persecuted for their faith, but he tells them not to worry because the Holy Spirit will give them the words to speak when they are brought to trial. He also tells them that family members and friends will betray them and that all will hate them because of his name. This prediction was fulfilled in the early Christian community, as many believers were arrested, persecuted, and martyred for their faith. Even if I insist on forcing a futuristic interpretation on these warnings that Jesus gives to his disciples, I still couldn’t negate the fact that everything Jesus said would happen happened to them the way that he said it would.
In Luke 21:10-19, Jesus warns his disciples about the signs that will precede the end of the age, including wars, earthquakes, famines, and plagues. He also tells them they will be persecuted and brought before rulers and authorities because of him, but they should not be afraid because he will give them the words to speak.
This prediction was fulfilled in the first and second centuries. During this time, there were several significant revolts by the Jews against Roman rule, such as the First Jewish-Roman War in 66-73 AD and the Bar Kokhba revolt in 132-135 AD. These revolts were marked by violence and bloodshed, fulfilling Jesus' prophecy of wars.
Natural disasters, famines, and earthquakes were also prevalent during the first and second centuries. For example, in 92 AD, a major earthquake struck the Roman city of Laodicea, causing significant damage. Several famines were recorded during this period, including one in Rome in 51 AD that was so severe that the government had to import grain from Egypt.
In addition to these natural disasters, early Christians faced persecution and were brought before rulers and authorities because of their faith. For instance, in the first century, Jewish and Roman leaders targeted Christians for persecution. The Roman Emperor Nero blamed Christians for the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD and ordered the execution of many believers. Later, in the second century, under Emperor Trajan, the Roman Empire implemented policies to persecute and punish Christians actively.
Finally, in Acts 8:1-4, we see the beginning of the persecution of the early church, as Saul (later known as Paul) begins to arrest and imprison Christians. This fulfilled Jesus' prediction that his followers would be persecuted for their faith. However, we also see in this passage that the persecution did not stop the gospel’s spread, as many believers continued to proclaim the good news of Jesus even in the face of opposition.
Despite facing persecution and opposition, the early Christians spread the gospel throughout the Roman Empire and beyond, just as Jesus had foretold. This ultimately led to the growth and establishment of Christianity as a major world religion.
As I embarked on my journey of discovery, I realized the accuracy and reliability of Jesus' prophecies. The events he predicted in the first century came to pass, providing strong evidence of his divinity and the truth of his message. However, my study didn't end there, and there were still questions that lingered, which you, the reader, may also be wondering about. For instance, Jesus spoke of signs in the heavens, such as the sun getting dark, the moon turning to blood and stars falling. He also mentioned the abomination of desolation, which Daniel prophesied. In the following few blogs, I will address these questions and share my own testimony of how the temple’s destruction and the many supernatural events in the first century that have been documented historically resolved these issues for me.
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