The Big Fall: When Jerusalem's Walls Came Tumbling Down!

Hey kids! Today we continue with Jesus' parable about the destruction of 70AD Jerusalem. In 70AD Jerusalem was  a really, really old and important city that had been the capital of Israel for over 1000 years.

Long, long ago, even before your grandparents' grandparents were born, this city had tall, strong walls and a beautiful, shiny temple. It was very special to a group of Israelites called called the Jews.

Model Of 66AD Jerusalem - 

Berthold Werner, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Jesus foretold that enemies would knock down the walls of Jerusalem and its temple

Now, a long time before this big fall, there was a very wise teacher named Jesus. He was the Son of God. He loved the people of Jerusalem very much, but he also knew something sad was going to happen. 

Jesus told them, almost like a secret whisper about the future, that a time would come when their enemies would surround their city and make it impossible to leave. He even said something amazing – that the enemies would knock down all the walls and even the beautiful temple, stone by stone!

Think of a tall tower of LEGO bricks. Jesus said that one day, armies would come and take apart every single brick until there was nothing left standing. That sounds pretty unbelievable, right?

Model of The 66 AD Temple - 

By Ariely - Own work, CC BY 3.0, 

Jesus' prophecy came to pass a few years later

Well, guess what? A few years later, a powerful army called the Roman army came to Jerusalem. We've talked before about how they built a big ramp, called an embankment, all around the city to trap everyone inside. But that wasn't the end of the story!

The Roman soldiers were very angry after a long fight. When they finally got inside the city, they began to tear down the strong city walls. Imagine giant machines and lots of strong people pulling and pushing on the huge stones. Slowly, bit by bit, the walls started to crumble.

But the most amazing and saddest part was what happened to the beautiful temple. This temple was so special and important to the Jewish people. It was the special place where they worshiped God But in the chaos of the fighting, the temple caught fire. The fire was so hot and fierce that it damaged the stone walls of the temple.

The Romans completely destroyed the temple in Jerusalem

And just like Jesus had said, the Roman soldiers didn't just damage it a little bit. They kept tearing down the stones, one by one. It's hard to imagine, but the historical writings from that time, especially from a writer named Josephus in his book called "War of the Jews," tell us that the Romans completely destroyed the temple. There were so many stones that it looked like the whole place had been leveled to the ground!

Josephus was actually there during this time, and he saw all these things happen. He wrote down everything he could remember, and his writings help us understand just how much of Jerusalem was destroyed. He tells us about the strong walls being pulled down and the magnificent temple being turned into ruins.

Stones from the western wall of the  Temple. 

They were thrown onto the street by Roman soldiers during the city's destruction. 

Wilson44691, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The destruction of the beautiful city and its temple was a very sad time

It was a very sad time for the people of Jerusalem. Their beautiful city and their special temple were gone, just like Jesus had prophesied. It shows us that He is God and knows everything in the future.

So, remember the story of the big fall of Jerusalem. Remember the strong walls and the beautiful temple. And remember the words of Jesus, who knew what was going to happen long before it did. 

Fallen Stones Of Jerusalem's Temple Mount

Jesus also warned about other things that all humans need to know about

Jesus also warned us about other things like a place called hell. He died on the cross to save us from going to that place. To escape from hell, we must believe He is God and the only one who can save us from our sins.

We must also confess or own up to being sinners, or people who disobey God from the time we were born. Then we must ask Him to pardon our sins, to wash them away and to write our names in the Book of Life.

The MOST important thing for every believer in Jesus to do is to obey His Word and to live righteously. That means to stop sinning and to do what is right and pleasing to God. We learn these things from the bible.

Go here to learn more about being saved from your sins. 

Jesus Prophesied That Armies Would Surround Jerusalem Before Its 70 AD Destruction

Jesus prophesied that Jerusalem would be surrounded by armies

Today we're showing another historical event that was a fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy that Jerusalem would be surrounded by armies before its 70 AD destruction.

Jerusalem's trench: Jesus' prophecy fulfilled.

Jerusalem, Israel

Jerusalem was an amazing city with a beautiful temple

Jerusalem was like a beautiful castle, with a super special building called the Temple. It was beautiful and made of big, pretty stones. Some people thought it was the most amazing place ever! 

One day, Jesus' disciples showed Him the beautiful stones. Instead of being awed, Jesus said something really surprising. He said that one day, all those pretty stones would be knocked down like building blocks falling apart!

He also said that Jerusalem would be destroyed and that armies would surround it before that happened!

Jerusalem, Israel

The Roman army surrounded Jerusalem in AD70

About thirty seven years after Jesus' prophecy, something terrible happened. The Jews, who were ruled at the time by the Roman Empire, revolted against them. The Roman king sent his  powerful army to take back the territory.

The Romans had a lot of soldiers and weapons and they surrounded the city. Just like Jesus said, Jerusalem was "surrounded by armies."

A Jew named Josephus wrote about the war

A Jewish man named Josephus, who lived during that time, wrote  about what happened. Josephus was one of the generals who led the Jews in the war.

He said the Romans built walls and towers all around Jerusalem, so nobody could go in or out. They put a big fence around the whole city.

The people inside Jerusalem were very scared. They didn't have enough food, and they were fighting each other too. It was a very sad time. The Romans kept attacking, and they were very strong.

                                 Western Wall of the Temple Mount, Jerusalem

The Romans finally broke through the city walls

Then, after a long time, the Romans finally broke through the walls. They went into the city and, just like Jesus said, they knocked down the Temple. All those beautiful stones fell to the ground. Not one stone was left on top of another! It was like a giant puzzle being smashed.

Josephus told us that there was a big fire, and many, many people were hurt or died. Those who lived were carried away as captives to other nations. It was a really sad time for Jerusalem.

Jesus had already warned His disciples about everything that would happen

Do you remember that Jesus had said that not one stone of the temple would be left on another and that Jerusalem would be surrounded by armies?  We can truly see that Jesus’ words came to pass. 

Jesus' prophecies about the destruction of Jerusalem reminds us that He is God and knows everything. He always tells the truth. Therefore we can believe everything that the Lord said and trust Him to save us from hell and from the lake of fire.

We begin by confessing our sins to God. After that we must repent. To repent means to turn away from sinning and obeying the Word of God. God is always pleased with those who obey His Word and do what is right and pleasing to Him.

       An Israeli stamp from 1968, quoting Psalm 122:6; Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!...

Armies will surround Jerusalem scriptures

Luk 21:5

Then, as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and donations, He said,

Luk 21:6

“These things which you see—the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down.” 

Luk 21:20

But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near.

References

Josephus

The Wars Of The Jews By Flavius Josephus

Jerusalem's Trench: Jesus' Prophecy Fulfilled

Last time we dived into Parable Of The Fig Tree Foretells The Time Of The 70AD  Destruction Of Jerusalem   In the parable, Jesus prophesied that armies would dig a trench around Jerusalem before its destruction:

“For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side - Luk 19:43.

“and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation - Luk 19:44.

Roman General Titus built the trench around Jerusalem

The Romans used to rule over the Jews, but they decided to form their own government. The king of Rome sent his army to take back the territory. There was a big fight between the Romans and the people living in Jerusalem. Titus, the Roman general, really wanted to win, so he did something really different!

He told his soldiers to build a giant wall all the way around the city. It wasn't just any wall; it was like a super long fence and a ditch, all together! We call it a "circumvallation," which is a big word for a wall built all the way around a place.

Why did Titus and his army build this wall? Well, they wanted to stop anyone from bringing food and water into the city. They also wanted to stop anyone from leaving. It was like putting a big circle around the whole city so nobody could go in or out.

                        

Source

The Romans built the ditch very quickly

The Romans worked super, super fast to build this wall. It was a really big job, but they did it quickly! They wanted to make sure the people inside the city got very hungry, because if they couldn't get food, they would have to give up and let the Romans win.

We know all about this because Josephus, a leader of the Jewish army,  wrote a book called "The Wars Of The Jews." He told us all about the big wall and what happened in Jerusalem when the Romans invaded.

                              Titus - By © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62268165

What happened to the Jews when the Romans built the trench around Jerusalem?

Just as Jesus warned, the Romans closed off the city of Jerusalem when they built the trench. People inside the city could not get food and water. Also, they could not escape to find safety elsewhere.

The people inside got very hungry and sad, and it was a very difficult time for them, as Josephus explained in his book

You Can Believe Jesus' Words When He Speaks

The amazing thing is that Jesus warned the Jews that their enemies would build a trench around Jerusalem then destroy it.  Just as Jesus said, the Romans locked down the city so that no one could go in or out.

The Lord gave the prophecy about thirty seven years before it happened. 

Jesus came to die for our sins in order to save us from the punishment of hell. He will save you if you believe His Word.

Go to the link below to know how to be saved from hell.

Link here.

Sources:

• Josephus, F. (n.d.). The Wars of the Jews.