On Mark 13:19 “For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.
Questions and or accusations arise from this verse regarding the destruction of Jerusalem/Temple in AD 70 to those of us who believe ALL bible prophecy has been fulfilled.
It usually goes something like this: —There have been greater holocausts and tribulations since AD 70 so you can’t say All bible prophecy has been fulfilled -it says “never will be” but there has been.
What a great question and or accusation-It’s the truth that futurists are right there have
been greater holocausts and tribulations that exceed the AD 70 death toll of approx. 1.3 million Jews.
So how can you say all bible prophecy has been fulfilled since there have been greater human catastrophes since then?
Jesus can say this because He is specifically speaking about the Jews under the Mosaic Covenant. He was not speaking about any other nation in existence at that time or that would come in the future.
For example, for 1500 years the Jews were God’s Covenant people. During that time tribulation came upon Israel, the northern kingdom by the Assyrians in 722 BC and the southern kingdom in 586 BC by the Babylonians.
Although these were terrible times for the Israel, they still continued as God’s Covenant people under the Mosaic law.
AD 70 was different there would be no return to restore and rebuild their Temple-and life under the Mosaic Covenant because it had ended!
The destruction of the Temple in AD 70 brought the end to the Mosaic Covenant. God will never create this kind of Covenant people again thus it would be impossible to destroy them again in the future.
Therefore, the destruction of Jerusalem in the first century was the greatest tribulation to ever come upon Old Covenant Israel “and never will be again” is why Jesus can say this -because they would cease to exist as the Old Covenant People in 70 AD.
Another thing to consider is the great tribulation spoken of in Mark 13:19 & Matthew 24:21 are both “one of ALL these things” to be fulfilled before Christ’s generation of contemporaries passed away -Upon THAT generation-Mk.13:30, Mt.24:34!
What the Old Covenant concealed the N.T. revealed and fulfilled Mt.23:34-38-Mt.24:34-Acts 3:24.
THREE PROPHECIES OF GREAT TRIBULATION
Ezekiel 5:9 “Because of all your abominations, I will do to you what I have never done before and will never do again.
Daniel 12:1“At that time Michael, the great prince who stands watch over your people, will rise up. There will be a time of distress, the likes of which will not have occurred from the beginning of nations until that time.”
Joel 2:2“a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like the
dawn overspreading the mountains a great and strong army appears, such as never was of old, nor will ever be in ages to come.
These 3 prophecies are regarding Old Covenant Israel -The Nation of Israel who were living under the Mosaic Covenant-Not the Jews of 1948!
Notice the language is the same as Jesus had used and spoken in Mt.23:36-Mt.24:21-Mk.12:19.
Jesus is clearly drawing from these 3 Old Covenant Prophecies and places their fulfillment upon THAT–THERE–THEN generation- the last generation of the Old Covenant People.
Daniel 12:1 ” finds its fulfillment at the shattering of the Old Covenant Nation of Israel 12:7 -Daniel and Jesus both agree a 1st-century fulfillment!
The shattering of Old Covenant Israel in AD 70 was the fulfillment of all that was ever written Lk.21:20-22!
The first century Jewish Nation of Israel- NOT the 21st century Jews of 1948 were to whom ALL Bible prophecy was to be fulfilled upon Acts 3:24!
Joel 2:2″ says and drives home the very point of this article!
Such as never was of Old, Nor will ever be in the ages to come!
We now live in the Messianic age-the age to come as God’s New Covenant People.
Joel’s prophecy was specifically regarding God’s Old Covenant People and excluded anyone in the Messianic New Covenant age.
The prophets and Jesus simply drew the line in the sand that the tribulation would be Old Covenant Israel’s WORST and FINAL judgment in their 1500-year history as His Old Covenant People.
This is why Jesus could say, nor shall ever be!