The Destruction of the Temple

>>> Read Mark 13:14-30. <<<

This paragraph is one of the most difficult in the gospel of Mark. Several things should be carefully observed: 1) Jesus said that all of these things were going to occur within that generation (13:30). 2) We know that Jerusalem and the temple within it were destroyed by Roman armies in the year 70 A.D. Contemporary reports chronicle Jerusalem's horrible siege and tell that thousands (possibly more than a million) died in the conflict. 3) Jesus warned the Christians to flee to the mountains. History records that the disciples fled to a mountain fortress near the Dead Sea. As far as we know, no Christians perished in that war. It always pays to listen to Jesus.