The Shaking of the Powers of the Heavens

The Shaking of the Powers of the Heavens

These words looks like they come out from a science fiction movie, but they are actually found in the bible in Mat 24:29.

Mat 24:29  “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken."

Compare this verse with David's writing in Psalms 18:7-13, where it says:

Psa 18:7  Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry. 

Psa 18:8  Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him. 

Psa 18:9  He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. 

Psa 18:10  He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind. 

Psa 18:11  He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water. 

Psa 18:12  Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds. 

Psa 18:13  The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire. 

Q: What was Psalms 18 written by David about?

A: These words actually belong to a Song (Psalm) of David. "A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who addressed the words of this song to the LORD on the day when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul." David was singing about his deliverance from King Saul in battle, and using Jewish metaphors to describe the judgement of God coming down on his enemies.

This battle going on between David and Saul is described in 2 Samuel 21. In fact, after the battle the same song was also recorded in 2 Samuel 22, where these Hebrew metaphors were used. David was a great song or poem writer who used lots of symbols and Jewish metaphors to bring colors to his words.

Mat 24:29 is no different, when Jesus talks to His disciples about the heavenly bodies being shaken. Do stars literally fall from the sky? Are stars in the sky or in the outer galaxies? Can the sun be darkened or the moon gives out light? Of course not. These are languages that Jews understand, and that the 21st Century reader must not take it literally. By the way, these words were actually written in ancient Hebrew, and translated into Greek, then into Latin, and then into English.

Let us look at Old Testament apocalyptic language being used by writers and prophets especially on judgments that were impending on the people. These prophetic words were later fulfilled and recorded in the Old Testament.

In Isaiah 13:9-13 we read of the prophecy predicting the fall of the Babylonian (Isa 13:1) empire to the Medes (or Persians). This happened in 539BC, about more than 500 years before the writings of the New Testament.

Isa 13:9  Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it. 

Isa 13:10  For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light. 

Isa 13:11  I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless. 

See a write up on the Fall of Babylon in 539BC:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Babylon

https://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-europe/fall-babylon-0011090

In Ezekiel 32:7-8, we read of the prophecy predicting the war against the Pharaoh and Egypt (Eze 32:2) and it was later fulfilled.

Eze 32:7  And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. 

Eze 32:8  All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD. 

In Amos 8:9, we read of the prophecy predicting the judgement of the Jews of the Northern Kingdom.

Amo 8:9  And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day: 

These verses are written in apocalyptic language that the Jews understand and it is in similar style with Matthew 24:29. Futurists and dispensationalists take these verses literally as some sort of cosmic phenomenon in the heavenly bodies in the future, not understanding audience relevance of the Jews. But to the Jewish listeners who are familiar with Old Testament scriptures, the Torah and their prophetic writings, it is common metaphorical language.

Another example of metaphorical words is Daniel 8:9-10. Imagine a goat's horn growing so big that it reaches the heavens and bring down some of the stars to trample.

Dan 8:9  Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land. 

Dan 8:10  It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And some of the host and some of the stars it threw down to the ground and trampled on them. 

Another example in Isaiah 34:3-4, where the mountains will be melted with blood, the stars of heaven will be dissolved, the heavens will be rolled up like a scroll, and the heavenly hosts will fall down like leaves. These are symbolic words of punishment on the cities of Idumea (Edom) and Bozrah. And they were fulfilled when the cities were destroyed. Isaiah was prophesying that the judgement on these two cities is  going to take place.

Isa 34:3  Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood. 

Isa 34:4  And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree. 

Isa 34:9  And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch, and her soil into sulfur; her land shall become burning pitch.

 

Isa 34:10  Night and day it shall not be quenched; its smoke shall go up forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it forever and ever. 

Isaiah write of  the streams will turn to pitch and the soil into sulfur forever and ever. But if you go to the land of Edom in the Middle East today, the rivers are not pitch and the soil is not sulfur. In fact, people can still pass through them. It was  not forever and ever. It was  symbolic and metaphorical language, and not to be taken literally. Isaiah used these metaphors to show the severity of the judgement on them.

We find similar apocalyptic words in the New Testament in Rev 6:13-14 where John was given a vision in parallel to the judgement of Jerusalem in Mat 24:29.

Rev 6:13  and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. 

Rev 6:14  The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 

This is symbolism saying the stars of heaven falling to the earth, heavens will vanish and rolled up like a scroll, mountains and islands will be displaced. The New Testament and Old Testament apocalyptic language is identical. So Matthew 24:29 is symbolic language found in the language and culture and style of the Old Testament scripture.

Let's look at how the author of Hebrews wrote to the Jews. Hebrews was written a few years before the fall of Jerusalem and the Temple in AD70. Many say it was most probably written by apostle Paul or someone familiar and concerned with the Jewish nation. The author was writing to the Jews who were leaving the Moses Old Covenant and became believers in Jesus Christ so that they do not go back to it. And to go back would be like trampling on the blood of Jesus again. Read Hebrews 9.

In Hebrews 12, the author warned the Jews that they do not reject Jesus who is from heaven, and He is going to shake the heavens and the earth very soon. In return Jesus will bring in a kingdom that cannot be shaken.

Heb 12:25  See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape, those who refused him that spoke on earth, much more we shall not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from Heaven, 

Heb 12:26  whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, "Yet once more I will not only shake the earth, but also the heavens." 

Heb 12:27  And this word, "Yet once more," signifies the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, so that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. 

Heb 12:28  Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear, 

The author was quoting the book of Haggai chapter 2, and indicated that a judgement that is happening right in their midst. God is bringing about a shaking so big that it will remove them (the Temple) and replaced with things that cannot be shaken and that is the kingdom of God. It happened in AD70 when Israel, Jerusalem and the Temple would fall and 1.3 million Jews were killed by the Romans according to the historian Flavius Josephus. This is the event referred to as "the sun would darkened" and "the moon will not give out light", and the "powers of heavens will be shaken".

We also read earlier in Daniel 7:13-14, that the Son of Man (Jesus) is coming before the Ancient of Days (God) and receiving a kingdom that will last forever and ever, and cannot be shaken.

When Jesus was on the earth 2000 years ago, Jesus came preaching the gospel of the kingdom saying that the kingdom of God is already at hand (Mat 3:2; Mat 4:17; Mat 10:7; Mark 1:15; Luke 21:31). It is not far in the future but it is already among them, at hand.

Paul told the Colossian church that they have been taken out of the kingdom of darkness and delivered into the kingdom of His Son (Colossians 1:13).

All these shows that we are already placed in the kingdom of God that cannot be shaken. 

Coming back to the book of Hebrews, God is shaking up the things  that can be shaken so that He can remove them. All through the book of Hebrews from chapters 1 to 12, we read of the author systematically telling the audience that the Old Covenant has no more significance, and that Jesus is bringing in the New Covenant that is the kingdom that cannot be shaken. The author repeatedly says that Jesus is better than Moses, Aaron, the priesthood, angels, and the Temple. All these are going to pass away. It is going to be shaken and never applicable anymore.

In Jewish culture they understand that the "heavens" refer to the Temple. God has removed the old system of performance based religion of the Temple so that He can FULLY brings in the New Covenant.

Heb 8:13  In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. 

In Heb 8:13, we read of the Old Covenant is already obsolete, and it will vanish away.

When did it became obsolete? At the Cross, when Jesus became the sacrificial lamb that took away the sin of the world. God did not accept any more animal sacrifices after that. The old sacrifices had no more meaning anymore.

When did it vanish away? At the destruction of the Temple when all the religions system of Judaism and sacrifices were done away with. All the practices and paraphernalia established by the presence of the Temple building were stopped with the destruction of the Temple.

The Old Covenant had been rolled up like a scroll and kept away. The sun and moon had stopped giving out light. The heavens of Moses Old Covenant was shaken and we are left with the kingdom of God that cannot be shaken.

John L Bray in his book "Matthew 24 Fulfilled" wrote this about the sun, moon and stars:

[  Jewish writers understood the light to mean the law. The sun represents the king. The moon was the Sanhedrin and the stars were the rabbis.  ]

Look at how Isaiah called Israel (Zion). God called Israel as the heavens and the earth.

Isa 51:16  And I have put my words in your mouth and covered you in the shadow of my hand, establishing the heavens and laying the foundations of the earth, and saying to Zion, ‘You are my people.’” 

Right early in Genesis 37:9, when Joseph had a dream. He saw the sun, moon and stars bow down and worship him. And this dream was fulfilled when Jacob and his sons had to submit to Joseph when he was in Egypt. By the way, Jacob and his wife did not literally bow down in the flesh to Joseph.

Gen 37:9  Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 

Gen 37:10  But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” 

His father, Jacob (later renamed Israel) had 12 sons, who later became the 12 tribes of Israel. Jacob was a Jew and he understood the cultural meaning of sun, moon and stars. This was in their mindset. The heavenly bodies represent Jacob and their family members. This was common Jewish symbolism. Jesus said in Mat 24:29 that the powers of heaven will be shaken, meaning that Israel will be shaken at the event of the great tribulation (Mat 24:21,29).

See a write up about Jacob:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob

In Jewish culture, the darkening of the sun, moon and stars and the shaking of heavenly bodies is always interpreted as a bad omen, that a great calamity or disaster is soon going to come. They are taken as astrological signs foreshadowing that a great tragedy is about to occur.

We read this in Joel 2:10-11 where Joel prophesied about Jesus coming with His armies in judgement, and the sun, moon and stars were darkened before the army arrives.

Joe 2:10  The earth quakes before them; the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. 

Joe 2:11  The LORD utters his voice before his army, for his camp is exceedingly great; he who executes his word is powerful. For the day of the LORD is great and very awesome; who can endure it? 

In Luke 21:25-27, we also read of the signs in the sun, moon and star at the start of the great tribulation mentioned in Mat 24:29.

Luk 21:25  “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 

Luk 21:26  people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 

Luk 21:27  And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 

Noticed that the shaking of the heavens occurs concurrently with the coming of the Son of Man, and the great tribulation. It is not after, but definitely before or at the same time.

In the Old Testament the shaking of the powers of heavens and earth is always related to judgement upon people:

Jeremiah 4:23-28 speaks about the prophecy by Jeremiah on the destruction of the kingdom of Judah at the hands of the Babylonian armiy in the 6th Century BC. He called it the destruction of heaven and earth.

Isaiah 13:9-13 speaks about the prophecy by Isaiah predicting the fall of Babylon. He said the sun, moon and stars will no longer give any light, and they will tremble.

Ezekiel 32:7-9 speaks about the prophecy by Ezekiel to the Pharaoh of Egypt on how the judgement of God will be upon them. The stars, sun and moon will stop giving light to them and their destruction will be known among the nations.

All of these passages use the apocalyptic language of poetry and symbolism about the destruction of heavens and earth to describe judgement of God on people. These are basically poetry and not to be taken literally like news in a newspaper. The heavenly bodies and earth do not physically passed away in AD70 during the Jewish Roman War, just as the sky and the stars did not dissolve and the heavens rolled away during the fall of Egypt, Judah and Babylon in the 6th Century BC.

The audience in Revelations 6:12-14 and in 2 Peter 3, understood that the "destruction of the heavens and earth" does not mean the complete destruction of all of creation.

CONCLUSION

We know in Isaiah 51:16 that God called Zion (Israel) the heavens and the earth.

So the passing away of heavens and earth refers to the passing away of Israel (Mat 5:18; Mat 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33).

The shaking of the heavens and earth refers to the judgement and shaking that came upon the nation of Israel.

Q: When will the shaking take place according to Matthew 24:29?

A: It will take place IMMEDIATELY after the tribulation of those days. What days? the days of great tribulation in Matthew 24:15-28.

Q: Will it happen in our future?

A: NO. It happened in THAT GENERATION just as Jesus said it would in Luke 21:31.

Luk 21:31  So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 

Luk 21:32  Truly, I say to you, THIS GENERATION will not pass away until all has taken place. 

Luk 21:33  Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 

ALL that Jesus said came true because it came to pass as the times of the Gentiles (Roman army) was fulfilled in AD7O when Jerusalem was trampled upon by Gentiles.

This is NOT in the future.

https://advancingtruth.blogspot.com/2020/05/times-of-gentiles.html

Where does the Old Testament predict the coming of Jesus Christ?

Question: "Where does the Old Testament predict the coming of Jesus Christ?"

Answer: There are many Old Testament prophecies about Jesus Christ. Some interpreters place the number of Messianic prophecies in the hundreds. The following are those that are considered the clearest and most important.

Regarding Jesus’ birth—Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Isaiah 9:6: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Micah 5:2: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

Concerning Jesus’ ministry and death—Zechariah 9:9: “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Psalm 22:16-18: “Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.”

Likely the clearest prophecy about Jesus is the entire 53rd chapter of Isaiah. Isaiah 53:3-7 is especially unmistakable: “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”

The “seventy sevens” prophecy in Daniel chapter 9 predicted the precise date that Jesus, the Messiah, would be “cut off.” Isaiah 50:6 accurately describes the beating that Jesus endured. Zechariah 12:10 predicts the “piercing” of the Messiah, which occurred after Jesus died on the cross. Many more examples could be provided, but these will suffice. The Old Testament most definitely prophesies the coming of Jesus as the Messiah.

Why should I believe in Christ’s resurrection?

Question: "Why should I believe in Christ’s resurrection?"

Answer: It is a fairly well-established fact that Jesus Christ was publicly executed in Judea in the 1st Century A.D., under Pontius Pilate, by means of crucifixion, at the behest of the Jewish Sanhedrin. The non-Christian historical accounts of Flavius Josephus, Cornelius Tacitus, Lucian of Samosata, Maimonides and even the Jewish Sanhedrin corroborate the early Christian eyewitness accounts of these important historical aspects of the death of Jesus Christ.

As for His resurrection, there are several lines of evidence which make for a compelling case. The late jurisprudential prodigy and international statesman Sir Lionel Luckhoo (of The Guinness Book of World Records fame for his unprecedented 245 consecutive defense murder trial acquittals) epitomized Christian enthusiasm and confidence in the strength of the case for the resurrection when he wrote, “I have spent more than 42 years as a defense trial lawyer appearing in many parts of the world and am still in active practice. I have been fortunate to secure a number of successes in jury trials and I say unequivocally the evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is so overwhelming that it compels acceptance by proof which leaves absolutely no room for doubt.”

The secular community’s response to the same evidence has been predictably apathetic in accordance with their steadfast commitment to methodological naturalism. For those unfamiliar with the term, methodological naturalism is the human endeavor of explaining everything in terms of natural causes and natural causes only. If an alleged historical event defies natural explanation (e.g., a miraculous resurrection), secular scholars generally treat it with overwhelming skepticism, regardless of the evidence, no matter how favorable and compelling it may be.

In our view, such an unwavering allegiance to natural causes regardless of substantive evidence to the contrary is not conducive to an impartial (and therefore adequate) investigation of the evidence. We agree with Dr. Wernher von Braun and numerous others who still believe that forcing a popular philosophical predisposition upon the evidence hinders objectivity. Or in the words of Dr. von Braun, “To be forced to believe only one conclusion… would violate the very objectivity of science itself.”

Having said that, let us now examine several lines of evidence for Christ’s resurrection.

The First Line of Evidence for Christ’s resurrection

To begin with, we have demonstrably sincere eyewitness testimony. Early Christian apologists cited hundreds of eyewitnesses, some of whom documented their own alleged experiences. Many of these eyewitnesses willfully and resolutely endured prolonged torture and death rather than repudiate their testimony. This fact attests to their sincerity, ruling out deception on their part. According to the historical record (The Book of Acts 4:1-17; Pliny’s Letters to Trajan X, 97, etc) most Christians could end their suffering simply by renouncing the faith. Instead, it seems that most opted to endure the suffering and proclaim Christ’s resurrection unto death.

Granted, while martyrdom is remarkable, it is not necessarily compelling. It does not validate a belief so much as it authenticates a believer (by demonstrating his or her sincerity in a tangible way). What makes the earliest Christian martyrs remarkable is that they knew whether or not what they were professing was true. They either saw Jesus Christ alive-and-well after His death or they did not. This is extraordinary. If it was all just a lie, why would so many perpetuate it given their circumstances? Why would they all knowingly cling to such an unprofitable lie in the face of persecution, imprisonment, torture, and death?

While the September 11, 2001, suicide hijackers undoubtedly believed what they professed (as evidenced by their willingness to die for it), they could not and did not know if it was true. They put their faith in traditions passed down to them over many generations. In contrast, the early Christian martyrs were the first generation. Either they saw what they claimed to see, or they did not.

Among the most illustrious of the professed eyewitnesses were the Apostles. They collectively underwent an undeniable change following the alleged post-resurrection appearances of Christ. Immediately following His crucifixion, they hid in fear for their lives. Following the resurrection they took to the streets, boldly proclaiming the resurrection despite intensifying persecution. What accounts for their sudden and dramatic change? It certainly was not financial gain. The Apostles gave up everything they had to preach the resurrection, including their lives.

The Second Line of Evidence for Christ’s resurrection

A second line of evidence concerns the conversion of certain key skeptics, most notably Paul and James. Paul was of his own admission a violent persecutor of the early Church. After what he described as an encounter with the resurrected Christ, Paul underwent an immediate and drastic change from a vicious persecutor of the Church to one of its most prolific and selfless defenders. Like many early Christians, Paul suffered impoverishment, persecution, beatings, imprisonment, and execution for his steadfast commitment to Christ’s resurrection.

James was skeptical, though not as hostile as Paul. A purported post-resurrection encounter with Christ turned him into an inimitable believer, a leader of the Church in Jerusalem. We still have what scholars generally accept to be one of his letters to the early Church. Like Paul, James willingly suffered and died for his testimony, a fact which attests to the sincerity of his belief (see The Book of Acts and Josephus’ Antiquities of the Jews XX, ix, 1).

The Third and Fourth Lines of Evidence for Christ’s resurrection

A third line and fourth line of evidence concern enemy attestation to the empty tomb and the fact that faith in the resurrection took root in Jerusalem. Jesus was publicly executed and buried in Jerusalem. It would have been impossible for faith in His resurrection to take root in Jerusalem while His body was still in the tomb where the Sanhedrin could exhume it, put it on public display, and thereby expose the hoax. Instead, the Sanhedrin accused the disciples of stealing the body, apparently in an effort to explain its disappearance (and therefore an empty tomb). How do we explain the fact of the empty tomb? Here are the three most common explanations:

First, the disciples stole the body. If this were the case, they would have known the resurrection was a hoax. They would not therefore have been so willing to suffer and die for it. (See the first line of evidence concerning demonstrably sincere eyewitness testimony.) All of the professed eyewitnesses would have known that they hadn’t really seen Christ and were therefore lying. With so many conspirators, surely someone would have confessed, if not to end his own suffering then at least to end the suffering of his friends and family. The first generation of Christians were absolutely brutalized, especially following the conflagration in Rome in A.D. 64 (a fire which Nero allegedly ordered to make room for the expansion of his palace, but which he blamed on the Christians in Rome in an effort to exculpate himself). As the Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus recounted in his Annals of Imperial Rome (published just a generation after the fire):

“Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired.” (Annals, XV, 44)

Nero illuminated his garden parties with Christians whom he burnt alive. Surely someone would have confessed the truth under the threat of such terrible pain. The fact is, however, we have no record of any early Christian denouncing the faith to end his suffering. Instead, we have multiple accounts of post-resurrection appearances and hundreds of eyewitnesses willing to suffer and die for it.

If the disciples didn’t steal the body, how else do we explain the empty tomb? Some have suggested that Christ faked His death and later escaped from the tomb. This is patently absurd. According to the eyewitness testimony, Christ was beaten, tortured, lacerated, and stabbed. He suffered internal damage, massive blood loss, asphyxiation, and a spear through His heart. There is no good reason to believe that Jesus Christ (or any other man for that matter) could survive such an ordeal, fake His death, sit in a tomb for three days and nights without medical attention, food or water, remove the massive stone which sealed His tomb, escape undetected (without leaving behind a trail of blood), convince hundreds of eyewitnesses that He was resurrected from the death and in good health, and then disappear without a trace. Such a notion is ridiculous.

The Fifth Line of Evidence for Christ’s resurrection

Finally, a fifth line of evidence concerns a peculiarity of the eyewitness testimony. In all of the major resurrection narratives, women are credited as the first and primary eyewitnesses. This would be an odd invention since in both the ancient Jewish and Roman cultures women were severely disesteemed. Their testimony was regarded as insubstantial and dismissible. Given this fact, it is highly unlikely that any perpetrators of a hoax in 1st Century Judea would elect women to be their primary witnesses. Of all the male disciples who claimed to see Jesus resurrected, if they all were lying and the resurrection was a scam, why did they pick the most ill-perceived, distrusted witnesses they could find?

Dr. William Lane Craig explains, “When you understand the role of women in first-century Jewish society, what’s really extraordinary is that this empty tomb story should feature women as the discoverers of the empty tomb in the first place. Women were on a very low rung of the social ladder in first-century Israel. There are old rabbinical sayings that said, 'Let the words of Law be burned rather than delivered to women' and 'blessed is he whose children are male, but woe to him whose children are female.' Women’s testimony was regarded as so worthless that they weren’t even allowed to serve as legal witnesses in a Jewish court of Law. In light of this, it’s absolutely remarkable that the chief witnesses to the empty tomb are these women... Any later legendary account would have certainly portrayed male disciples as discovering the tomb - Peter or John, for example. The fact that women are the first witnesses to the empty tomb is most plausibly explained by the reality that - like it or not - they were the discoverers of the empty tomb! This shows that the Gospel writers faithfully recorded what happened, even if it was embarrassing. This bespeaks the historicity of this tradition rather than its legendary status." (Dr. William Lane Craig, quoted by Lee Strobel, The Case For Christ, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998, p. 293)

In Summary

These lines of evidence: the demonstrable sincerity of the eyewitnesses (and in the Apostles’ case, compelling, inexplicable change), the conversion and demonstrable sincerity of key antagonists- and skeptics-turned-martyrs, the fact of the empty tomb, enemy attestation to the empty tomb, the fact that all of this took place in Jerusalem where faith in the resurrection began and thrived, the testimony of the women, the significance of such testimony given the historical context; all of these strongly attest to the historicity of the resurrection. We encourage our readers to thoughtfully consider these evidences. What do they suggest to you? Having pondered them ourselves, we resolutely affirm Sir Lionel’s declaration:

“The evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is so overwhelming that it compels acceptance by proof which leaves absolutely no room for doubt.”

gotquestions.org

Did Jesus really exist?

Question: "Did Jesus really exist? Is there any historical evidence of Jesus Christ?"

Answer: Typically, when this question is asked, the person asking qualifies the question with “outside of the Bible.” We do not grant this idea that the Bible cannot be considered a source of evidence for the existence of Jesus. The New Testament contains hundreds of references to Jesus Christ. There are those who date the writing of the Gospels to the second century A.D., more than 100 years after Jesus’ death. Even if this were the case (which we strongly dispute), in terms of ancient evidences, writings less than 200 years after events took place are considered very reliable evidences. Further, the vast majority of scholars (Christian and non-Christian) will grant that the Epistles of Paul (at least some of them) were in fact written by Paul in the middle of the first century A.D., less than 40 years after Jesus’ death. In terms of ancient manuscript evidence, this is extraordinarily strong proof of the existence of a man named Jesus in Israel in the early first century A.D.

It is also important to recognize that in A.D. 70, the Romans invaded and destroyed Jerusalem and most of Israel, slaughtering its inhabitants. Entire cities were literally burned to the ground. We should not be surprised, then, if much evidence of Jesus’ existence was destroyed. Many of the eyewitnesses of Jesus would have been killed. These facts likely limited the amount of surviving eyewitness testimony of Jesus.

Considering that Jesus’ ministry was largely confined to a relatively unimportant area in a small corner of the Roman Empire, a surprising amount of information about Jesus can be drawn from secular historical sources. Some of the more important historical evidences of Jesus include the following:

The first-century Roman Tacitus, who is considered one of the more accurate historians of the ancient world, mentioned superstitious “Christians” (from Christus, which is Latin for Christ), who suffered under Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius. Suetonius, chief secretary to Emperor Hadrian, wrote that there was a man named Chrestus (or Christ) who lived during the first century (Annals 15.44).

Flavius Josephus is the most famous Jewish historian. In his Antiquities he refers to James, “the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ.” There is a controversial verse (18:3) that says, “Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man. For he was one who wrought surprising feats....He was [the] Christ...he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him.” One version reads, “At this time there was a wise man named Jesus. His conduct was good and [he] was known to be virtuous. And many people from among the Jews and the other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. But those who became his disciples did not abandon his discipleship. They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion, and that he was alive; accordingly he was perhaps the Messiah, concerning whom the prophets have recounted wonders.”

Julius Africanus quotes the historian Thallus in a discussion of the darkness that followed the crucifixion of Christ (Extant Writings, 18).

Pliny the Younger, in Letters 10:96, recorded early Christian worship practices including the fact that Christians worshiped Jesus as God and were very ethical, and he includes a reference to the love feast and Lord’s Supper.

The Babylonian Talmud (Sanhedrin 43a) confirms Jesus’ crucifixion on the eve of Passover and the accusations against Christ of practicing sorcery and encouraging Jewish apostasy.

Lucian of Samosata was a second-century Greek writer who admits that Jesus was worshiped by Christians, introduced new teachings, and was crucified for them. He said that Jesus’ teachings included the brotherhood of believers, the importance of conversion, and the importance of denying other gods. Christians lived according to Jesus’ laws, believed themselves to be immortal, and were characterized by contempt for death, and renunciation of material goods.

Mara Bar-Serapion confirms that Jesus was thought to be a wise and virtuous man, was considered by many to be the king of Israel, was put to death by the Jews, and lived on in the teachings of His followers.

Then we have all the Gnostic writings (The Gospel of Truth, The Apocryphon of John, The Gospel of Thomas, The Treatise on Resurrection, etc.) that all mention Jesus.

In fact, we can almost reconstruct the gospel just from early non-Christian sources: Jesus was called the Christ (Josephus), did “magic,” led Israel into new teachings, and was hanged on Passover for them (Babylonian Talmud) in Judea (Tacitus), but claimed to be God and would return (Eliezar), which his followers believed, worshiping Him as God (Pliny the Younger).

There is overwhelming evidence for the existence of Jesus Christ, both in secular and biblical history. Perhaps the greatest evidence that Jesus did exist is the fact that literally thousands of Christians in the first century AD, including the twelve apostles, were willing to give their lives as martyrs for Jesus Christ. People will die for what they believe to be true, but no one will die for what they know to be a lie.

Return of Christ - Biblical Time Frame

Times of the Gentiles

Times of the Gentiles

The phrase "times of the Gentiles" is found in Luke 21:24.

Luk 21:24  They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. 

In this passage, Jesus was foretelling about the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple. This is a continuation of verse 20-23, where we hear Jesus warning His disciples about the signs that will come before the great tribulation.

What was Jesus talking about here? He was continuing His speech from verse 20:

Luk 21:20  But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. 

So this verse 24 cannot be taken to stand alone, but must be read together in the Context of the earlier verses. Dispensationism says that the "times of the Gentiles" means all the Gentiles in the world, and because they have not all come to Christ, the Coming of Jesus is still in the future. This is a misunderstanding on the term "times of Gentiles". In fact, Luke 21:32 tells us that all these signs will be fulfilled within that generation of the audience. So how can we apply the "times of the Gentiles" to people 2000 years later?

The "times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" means that the time of the conquest of Jerusalem by a Gentile enemies (Roman armies) is completed. Jerusalem was invaded, felled and given over to the Romans who are Gentiles.

We see a similar parallel passage in Rev 11:2 when John was given a glimpse of what will happen to Jerusalem in the very near future.

Rev 11:2  But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. 

The courts of the Temple was "given to the Gentiles" and this was exactly what happened in AD70 when the Romans invaded Jerusalem and trampled underfoot their Temple for 42 months (three and a half years). The courts of the Temple were reserved for the Gentiles to be trampled.

This was the physical presence of the Gentiles within the Temple and in Jerusalem. It was the physical fulfillment of the "times of the Gentiles" in that generation.

However we are also drawn to a spiritual understanding to the fulfillment of the "times of the Gentiles".

We know that the Old Testament was written about the Jews, their nation Israel and their relationship with God. But before we had the Jews, before we had Abraham, Moses and before we had Jacob (also called Israel), way back when God made mankind, there was no separation between Jews and Gentiles. There was no such terms as Jews or Gentiles. God just created Adam and Eve. They were human beings made in the image of God, and not termed Jews or Gentiles.

In the later part of Genesis, from the time of Moses onward, the Jews began to set up a religious system to imitate that of the surrounding nations that did not know God. They instituted the priesthood and established a tabernacle and then a temple to be the meeting place with God. The performance based religion started with temple sacrifices and observation of special days and feasts. They try to make themselves righteous based on their own obedience. That was what the religions of the neighboring nations doing also.

That means the destruction of the Temple and their religion (Judaism) together with all the religious practices would then make their former way of access to God through the Holy Place impossible since there will be no more Temple. God has brought the Israel's practice of religion obsolete. This is the spiritual fulfillment of the "times of the Gentiles".

There is now no more distinction between Jews and Gentiles. The door of access to God through the Temple had ceased. And all these made possible because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ at the Cross and the destruction of the holy city Jerusalem and its Temple. Because of Jesus Christ who instituted the New Covenant through His shed blood, there is no more  separation between God and man. Previously, only the Jews had access to God, and the Gentiles did not. But the event of AD70 brought about the "times of the Gentiles" and God does not show any more distinction of mankind based on race or religion.

Gal 3:26  For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 

Gal 3:27  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 

Gal 3:28  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 

Gal 3:29  And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. 

Let us look at how the word "Gentile" was established right from the beginning. The word "Gentile" first appear in Genesis 10:5.

Gen 10:5  By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations. 

Here we find that after the flood of Noah, the Gentiles were separated from the Jews, the people of God, into their own nations and languages.

However, prior to Gen 10, there was no distinction between Jews and Gentiles. In fact, these terms or categories do not even exist. In the New Covenant, God brought about a reunification of all races, both Jews and Gentiles, all mankind, into a relationship with God. God brought back all of humanity to Himself.

On the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, the Holy Spirit came upon the people, and they began to speak in various tongues and languages of man until everyone could understand the gospel. And as a result, they heard the wonderful works of God in their own mother tongue, and 3000 people believed in Jesus (Acts 2:41). God reunited back all the people of various nations and languages into the kingdom of God.

The world fights very hard to maintain distinction of race, species and religion, resulting in many wars and tribulations continuously. But those in the New Covenant, they lose their separation and are brought near to God as one. The kingdom of God is the melting pot and the spiritual glue that brings all of us together. This was what Jesus accomplished at the Cross.

The whole bible, and particularly Isaiah has many passages that God was interested to bring His kingdom and blessing not only to Israel but to the Gentiles and the nations of the world. Isaiah prophesied many times that God will bring His kingdom to the Gentiles. Let us look at some of these in Isaiah:

Isa 11:10  And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

The root of Jesse is Jesus. The Gentiles will seek for Jesus and it shall be glorious. Isaiah was written to the Jews, and yet it speaks of a time when the Gentiles will seek after their root of Jesse and finding the glory.

Isa 42:6  I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;

God will establish a covenant and a light to the Gentiles.

Isa 49:6 I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

Israel will bring salvation and light to the Gentiles.

Isa 49:22  Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.

God will raise  up the Gentiles to take care of Israel's sons and daughters.

Isa 60:3  And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

Isa 66:12  For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees.

God will bring about the glory of the Gentiles.

Isa 66:19  And I will set a sign among them, ... and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles. 

From the above, you can see that God had the nations, both Jews and Gentiles in His eternal plan. That fulfillment of the "times of the Gentiles" happened on the Cross, and completion in AD70 when the Temple was no longer the access route to God.

The Gentiles did not have a Messiah promised to them like the Jews had all through the Old Testament, but they have a share of the Savior (Messiah) now that Jesus is the Redeemer of all mankind. Jesus has completely eradicated the difference between a Jew and a Gentile. Now everyone can come to God through Jesus Christ. God does not have any future plans to put aside the New Covenant and restore the natural nation of Israel again, like what some of these new organizations are advocating. 

Some are trying to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem to bring back the glory of Israel and usher in a new Messiah. But this is never the plan of God.

Some are telling people and naive believers that God is only interested in Israel and Israel Only (IO). Again, from all throughout the Old and New Testament, we have seen the goodness of God for all nations, not just Israel only.

Paul told the  Galatians:

Gal 6:15  For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. 

Gal 6:16  And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. 

In Jesus, there are no more rituals called circumcision or uncircumcision and especially upon the Israel of God. This complements what Paul said in Gal 3:26-29.

Dead bodies and eagles

Dead bodies and eagles

This is a phrase that is not much written about in the bible, but Jesus saw it fit to bring it up to His disciples within the discourse on the end times and in answer to their question in Mat 24:3.

This appears in Mat 24:28; and Luk 17:37

Mat 24:28  For wheresoever the carcass (dead body) is, there will the eagles be gathered together. 

Luk 17:37  And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse (dead body) is, there the vultures will gather.” 

The bible uses the word "eagle" and "vulture" interchangeably.

To look into the Context of what Jesus meant, we find that in Luke 17, we have a conversation of Jesus with 2 different groups of people, the Pharisees in v20-21, and His disciples after v21 onward.

In v20, when the Pharisees ask Jesus "when will the kingdom of God come?", Jesus answered them in v21, that the kingdom of Go is not "here" or "there" but the kingdom is "within you".

Then in v22, Jesus began to talked to His disciples and going a little deeper into the matter of the coming of the kingdom of God. He said that the kingdom of God is not going to be here or there. Don't go after them He said in Luke 17:23-24 (parallel account in Mat 24:26-27).

In Luk 17:26, Jesus said just like the days of Noah, He is going to come.

Luk 17:26  Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 

Luk 17:27  They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 

In Luke 17:28, Jesus said just like the days of Lot, He is going to come.

Luk 17:28  Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 

Luk 17:29  but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— 

Luk 17:30  so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 

Q: What were the people doing during the days of Noah and Lot before the judgement of God came down on them?

A: They were doing what they normally do. They were living their daily lives and suddenly the events that God prophesied came to pass suddenly.

Similarly, the Son of God will be revealed in the same manner, when they were going about their daily affairs, and like the days of Noah and Lot, the Son of God will come suddenly.

Luk 31-36 says that the Coming will take many of them by surprised. Some will be  taken, some will be left behind.

In Luk 17:37, the disciples asked a question that only appears in Luke 17 but not in Matthew 24 or Mark 13, and that is "Where, Lord?". Where is this going to take place? Tell us the location of "where" these signs of your coming are going to happen.

You see, in Matthew 24:3, we read of the disciples asking Jesus "when" will the sign of His coming and the end of the age take place. But in Luke 17:37, we read of them asking Jesus "where".

And in answering the disciples' question of "where", Jesus talks about "dead bodies and eagles", which is the title of our topic today.

Luk 17:37  And they answered and said to Him, Where, Lord? And He said to them, Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together. (MKJV)

Jesus said that all the signs of the coming of Jesus is like the eagles on the dead bodies.

It is interesting to take note that the Roman armies carry a standard (emblem) when they march or go to war, and that standard is the emblem of the "eagle". This was the same standard that was planted inside the Holy Place of the Temple by general Titus when he destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple in AD70.

So what is Jesus answering His disciples as to "where". Jesus is prophesying to them that where the dead bodies are (in Jerusalem), the eagles (Roman armies) will be there.

See some definitions of the Roman eagle:

https://www.ancient.eu/Roman_Standard/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquila_(Roman)

The Jewish audience can comprehend what Jesus was saying to them because their culture is full of such imageries, and especially when it comes to warfare images. Imageries are mental images, figures, or likenesses of things so that the audience could understand.

For example in Habakkuk, when God told them about the judgement that is going to come on Israel:

Hab 1:6  For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own. 

Hab 1:7  They are dreaded and fearsome; their justice and dignity go forth from themselves. 

Hab 1:8  Their horses are swifter than leopards, more fierce than the evening wolves; their horsemen press proudly on. Their horsemen come from afar; they fly like an eagle swift to devour. 

Q: Who are the Chaldeans?

A: They are the Babylonian empire that surrounds Israel and are their enemies.

Q: Who is raising the Chaldeans against the people of God, the nation of Israel?

A: GOD is. Not Satan! God raised His peoples enemies to punish Israel, His chosen people.

Q: How will the Chaldeans attack God's people?

A: Like an eagle flying in swiftly to devour them (see the imagery).

Another example in Jeremiah 7, where God is going to send judgement on His people of Judah for their idolatry and evil (Jer 7:30).

Jer 7:33  And the dead bodies of this people will be food for the birds of the air, and for the beasts of the earth, and none will frighten them away. 

Jer 7:34  And I will silence in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, for the land shall become a waste. 

The context of v33-34 is the judgement of God on Judah because of the evil in the nation. Here God is using imageries to describe the judgement. Their bodies will be food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.

Again in Jer 19, God is using same imageries to describe the coming judgement on His people:

Jer 19:7  And in this place I will make void the plans of Judah and Jerusalem, and will cause their people to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hand of those who seek their life. I will give their dead bodies for food to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the earth. 

Such imageries are familiar with the Jews when Jesus used them in Luk 17:37. An attack in Israel or God's people will be like the birds of the air or beasts of the earth attacking their dead bodies.

A reputable and early church bible scholar and leader, John LIghtfoot (AD1602 - AD1675) wrote in his commentary on Matthew 24:37:

[  "For wheresoever the carcass is, there the eagles will be". I wonder any can understand the words of pious men flying to Christ, when the discourse here is of quite a different thing. They are this connected to the foregoing. Christ shall be revealed with the sudden vengeance. For when God shall cast off the city and the people groomed right for destruction like a carcass thrown out, the Roman soldiers like eagles shall straight fly to it with their eagles or their ensigns to tear and devour it. And to this also agrees the answer of Christ in Luke 17:37 when after the same words that are spoken here in this  chapter, it was  enquired, "Where. Lord". He answered, "wheresoever the body is," silently hinting thus much that Jerusalem and that wicked nation which he described through the whole chapter would be the carcass to which the greedy and devouring eagles would fly to prey upon it.  ]

Q: Was Jesus drawing cross references from the Old Testament about similar judgments on God's people? (Jesus had always referred back to the Scriptures. To the Jews, Scriptures stands for the 5 books of the Torah, Psalms and writings from the prophets).

A: I will highlight some cross references as evidences.

In Hosea, God sent for eagles against His nation:

Hos 8:1  Set the trumpet to thy mouth. "He shall come" as an eagle against the house of the LORD, because they have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law. 

The words “he shall come” are inserted for clearness. Hosea beholds the enemy speeding with the swiftness of an eagle, as it darts down upon its prey. “The house of the Lord” is, most strictly, the temple, as being “the place which God had chosen to place His name there.” It is also used, of the kingdom of Judah and Jerusalem, among whom the temple was. (Albert Barnes)

Another example in Jeremiah 25:9, God raising up the enemies of Israel against His nation:

Jer 25:9  Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof.

Did you noticed who did God named as His servant? God named Nebuchadnezzar as His servant. Remember Hab 1:6, where God raised up the Chaldeans against His people to execute judgement against Israel. (Babylon was the capital of the country Chaldea).

Another prophecy about the judgement of God by Zechariah:

Zec 14:2  For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 

God will gather the nations surrounding Jerusalem to battle with His nation Israel.

Another prophecy about the judgement of God by Isaiah:

Isa 10:5  Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger; the staff in their hands is my fury! 

God calls the enemy Assyrians the "rod of His anger" and the "staff of His fury".

From the above, we can see clearly that God uses Nebuchadnezzar, Chaldeans and Assyrians as His instruments to punish and discipline His people Israel.

See a write up on Nebuchadnezzar:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebuchadnezzar_II

The Jews can relate to the phrase "eagles attacking dead bodies", as the coming destruction of Jerusalem by the coming Roman armies led by Titus in AD70. This is consistent interpretation from the whole chapters of Matthew 24, Luke 17 and Mark 13.

Q: Why was Jesus giving so many evidences and prophecies on the coming destruction of Jerusalem within their lifetime? Why was Jesus speaking so much about God's wrath on His people? Why was there a need for AD70, when the nation of Israel was brought under Roman captivity with the city and the Temple leveled?

A: To answer this, we need to look at Isaiah 54:8-9 (there are many other passages also), to understand about God's wrath.

Isaiah 54 follows after Isaiah 53, where we have the famous chapter on the crucifixion of Jesus Christ as prophesied by Isaiah.

In Isaiah 54:8,9 we read of God putting His wrath on His people Israel for a short while, and He will show His compassion on it again. Bible scholars call Isaiah 54 as  God setting up the "eternal covenant" or the "new covenant" with His people.

So the wrath of God was only for a brief period of time. The day of vengeance was just a short burst of God's anger. God had to destroy the effectiveness of the system of religion (Judaism) that is by performance. He is saying no more priests, no more sacrifices, no more temples, no more  man made access to the presence of God. All of it was gone in AD70 when the Temple was destroyed.

Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that the time will come that Jerusalem will no longer exist as a place of worship of God. Neither will it be any one place but everyone can worship Him in spirit and in truth anywhere. No more mountain. No more Jerusalem.

Joh 4:21  Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. "

Jesus was preparing the Samaritan woman the coming of the New Covenant. God in us, the hope of glory.

Coming back to Isaiah 54, we  read that the judgement of God on His people is firstly only for a short period of time, and secondly it will be the last judgement forever and ever. It will never happen again in the future of mankind.

Isa 54:8  In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD, your Redeemer. 

Isa 54:9  “This is like the days of Noah to me: as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will NOT be angry with you, and will NOT rebuke you. 

Isa 54:10  For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall NOT depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall NOT be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you. 

God drew a parallel between the waters of Noah to His prophesied coming judgement on Jerusalem. He said that just as the flood waters of Noah will never cover the earth, God will no longer send His wrath on us again forever. Hallelujah!

The AD70 event was like the event of the flood of Noah's time. It is over. It is done. It is finished and it will never be done by God again.

The rainbow that surrounds the throne of God in Revelations 4:4 reminds God not to flood the earth again. God will not to display His wrath again. There is no more wrath, no more day of vengeance. No more tribulations. We can rest in the fact that there is a great future with God without the wrath of God upon His people.