A.D. 70 - The End of an Age

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In the previous lesson, we looked at the Roman Empire. We saw that the Roman Empire was the fourth kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar's prophetic dream of Daniel chapter 2. It was also the fourth beast system of Daniel chapter 8, a terrifying beast that would arise out of the sea (the Mediterranean) and crush underfoot the saints of the Living God.

In this lesson, we take a closer look at the events surrounding A.D. 70, where the Roman Empire would crush God's people in the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, and kill huge numbers of Jews and Christians alike. Josephus reckons that, in the destruction of A.D. 70, almost 1.2 million Jews were killed in Jerusalem. That is a huge number even by today's standards - but two thousand years ago, those numbers were unprecedented.

But we shall also see that, despite Hebrew and Aramaic scrolls and manuscripts being destroyed wholesale, the Word of God miraculously survived. The Aramaic Peshitta New Testament was preserved by going north, being written in Estrangela script, and then spreading eastwards (especially), well out of the reach of the Roman Empire. Thus, we should not expect any Hebrew or Aramaic manuscripts from Israel to survive - but the Aramaic Peshitta survived nevertheless. God's Hand was at work in preserving His Word...

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