^ Deuteronomy 28: Curses for Disobedience Against God ^

If My people who are called by My name [Christians] will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

II Chronicles 7:14

“That John saw these visions in the reign of Nero, and that they were written by him during his banishment by that emperor, is confirmed by Theophylact, Andreas, Arethas, and others. We judge, therefore, that this book was written about A.D. 68, and this agrees with other facts of history.. There are also several statements in this book which can only be understood on the ground that the judgment upon Jerusalem was then future.”

- William Hurte, Catechetical Commentary: Edinburgh, Scotland, 1884

The 'Crown of Life' is only mentioned two times in the Bible.

Revelation 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

James 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

James, the Brother of the Lord, died in A.D. 62. Did James read the book of Revelation prior to writing his letter to the 12 tribes?

“[The jews] are inveterate murderers, destroyers, men possessed by the devil… debauchery and drunkenness have given them the manners of pigs and lusty goats. They know only one thing, to satisfy their gullets, get drunk, to kill and maim one another. They murder their offspring and immolate them to the devil …The jewish disease must be guarded against. The Christian’s duty is to hate the jews.

jews are impure and impious, and their synagogue is a house of prostitution, a lair of beasts, a place of shame and ridicule, the domicile of the devil, as is the soul of the jew. As a matter of fact, jews worship the devil; their rites are criminal and unchaste; their religion a disease; their synagogue an assembly of crooks, a den of thieves, a cavern of devils, an abyss of perdition!

The synagogue is a brothel, a den of scoundrels, the temple of demons devoted to idolatrous cults, a criminal assembly of jews, a place of meeting for the assassins of Christ!"

- St. John Chrysostom, 347-409 A.D.

"We may thus assert in utter confidence that the jews will not return to their earlier situation, for they have committed the most abominable of crimes, in forming this conspiracy against the Savior of the human race…hence the city where Jesus suffered was necessarily destroyed, the jewish nation was driven from its country, and another people was called by God to the blessed election."

- Origen of Alexandria, 185-254 A.D.

"Yes, you jews. I say, do I address you; you, who till this very day, deny the Son of God. How long, poor wretches, will ye not believe the truth? Truly I doubt whether a jew can really be human… I lead out from its den a monstrous animal, and show it as a laughing stock in the amphitheater of the world, in the sight of all the people. I bring thee forward, thou jew, thou brute beast, in the sight of all men."

- Peter the Venerable, 1092-1156 A.D.

The early church fathers were some very wise men.

“For I will ask them, Did He send the prophets and wise men? Did they slay them in their synagogue? Was their house left desolate? Did all the vengeance come upon that generation? It is quite plain that it was so, and no man gainsays it.” (Chrysostom, Homily LXXIV)

“But of wars in Jerusalem is He speaking; for it is not surely of those without, and everywhere in the world; for what did they care for these? And besides, He would thus say nothing new, if He were speaking of the calamities of the world at large, which are happening always. For before this, were wars, and tumults, and fightings; but He speaks of the jewish wars coming upon them at no great distance, for henceforth the Roman arms were a matter of anxiety. Since then these things also were sufficient to confound them, He foretells them all.

Therefore He saith, they shall come not by themselves or at once, but with signs. For that the jews may not say, that they who then believed were the authors of these evils, therefore hath He told them also of the cause of their coming upon them. “For verily I say unto you,” He said before, “all these things shall come upon this generation,” having made mention of the stain of blood on them.” (Chrysostom, Homilies)

Saint Paul only preached to White people and said it was done, even reaching the further reaches of Britannia.

The Gospel was only intended for the White race.

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell [sheol] delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell [sheol] were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. (Revelation 20:12 - 14)

At last! The redeemer had come.

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:55 - 57)

WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS

And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. (v 6)

“I am entering on the history of a period rich in disasters, frightful in its wars, torn by civil strife, and even in peace full of horrors. Four emperors perished by the sword. There were three civil wars; there were more with foreign enemies; there were often wars that had both characters at once. There was success in the East, and disaster in the West..” (Tacitus, Histories, I.2)

For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. (v 7)

During Nero’s reign, Rome went to war with the Parthians, there was a war in Britain and various other rebellious disturbances across the empire. All of these uprisings and wars immediately preceded the Judean War.

At the same time, Judea revolted against Rome, civil war broke out amongst the Judeans, and they began to turn their weapons on one another.

FAMINES

"and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places." (v. 7)

"Then came Tiberius Alexander as successor to Fadus … Under these procurators that great famine happened in Judea, in which queen Helena brought corn in Egypt at a great expense, and distributed it to those that were in want." (Josephus, Antiquities, 20:5:2)

Fadus was governor of Judea from AD 44 - 46, and was replaced by Tiberius Julius Alexander who was governor from AD 46 - 48. This dates the famine to the year AD 46.

"And there stood up one of them named Ag´abus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth [famine] throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar." Acts 11:28

"Scanty crops too, and consequent famine were regarded as a token of calamity. Nor were there merely whispered complaints; while Claudius was administering justice, the populace crowded round him with a boisterous clamour and drove him to a corner of the forum," (Tacitus. Annals 12:43)

PESTILENCE

"and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places." (v. 7)

"A year of shame and of so many evil deeds heaven also marked by storms and pestilence. Campania was devastated by a hurricane, which destroyed everywhere country-houses, plantations and crops, and carried its fury to the neighbourhood of Rome, where a terrible plague was sweeping away all classes of human beings.." (Tacitus, Annals, 16.13)

"To these terrible and shameful calamities brought upon the people by their prince, were added some proceeding from misfortune. Such were a pestilence, by which, within the space of one autumn, there died no less than thirty thousand persons." (Suetonius, Nero, 39)

"In his attempt to root out their very name, he [Nero] put to death Peter and Paul. . . Soon wretched Rome was engulfed by disasters pressing in upon her from every side. The following autumn so great a plague visited the City that thirty thousand funerals were entered in the register.." (Orosius 7.7.1011)

EARTHQUAKES

"and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places." (v. 7)

"The earth did quake and the rocks split." (Matthew 27:51)

"There was a violent earthquake" (Matthew 28:2)

"There was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken." (Acts 16:25)

62-64 AD: Pergamum, Laodicea, Hierapolis, and Colossae destroyed by earthquakes. (Tacitus, Annals, 14.27)

Pompeii nearly engulfed by an earthquake. (Tacitus, Annals, 15.22; Josephus, Ant. 20.7.2)

Prior to 70 AD, there were also earthquakes in Crete, Smyrna, Miletus, Chios, Samos, Campania, Rome and Judea.

No one knew the day or the hour, not even Jesus, but only the Father.

Here we see in Revelation chapter 1:1, God essentially telling Jesus "Tell my servants... It is time."

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in." Matthew 23:13

"For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake." Titus 1:10 - 11

Then Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” Matthew 16:6

A little leaven leavens the whole lump. Galatians 5:9