by Brian Godawa
Several friends shouted out, “Amen! Amen!”
He looked at the handsome young bridegroom. “And Jonathan, just as the Father watches over the bride of Christ, so I too stand watching over you—with a gladius in my hand.”
Alexander waited for the laughs to subside before turning serious again.
“I wanted to take a moment to remind us of another marriage feast of which we Christians all partake. The wedding feast of the Lamb. During the days of Moses, our people wandered in the wilderness for forty years while Yahweh destroyed that adulterous generation so that the Remnant would inherit the Promised Land. And when they did, Yahweh gave them the Feast of Tabernacles to commemorate that he was with them in that time of suffering, of endurance, and of ultimate victory.”264
Voices of agreement peppered the crowd.
“So too the Bride of Christ has had our forty years of wilderness from the ministry of Jesus until now when the adulterous generation was destroyed. So too do we enter into our inheritance of the kingdom of God because Jesus fulfills the Feast of Tabernacles. He is God dwelling with us and in us as his tabernacle. Jesus the Messiah is our temple. He is our Jerusalem, our Mount Zion. Jesus is our Promised Land. And he is our bridegroom of marriage.”265
The sound of the crowd cheering gave Alexander deep joy as he looked at Cassandra, her look beaming with pride at her husband. She held his hand and squeezed it lovingly.
Rachel came out from her table with Jonathan to hug and kiss Alexander and Cassandra.
Alexander looked over his family and thought of the symbol of a spiritual tree. The seed of little Samuel watched over by young warrior Noah. The growing branch of Rachel and Jonathan. And Cassandra, his devoted, loyal, and godly wife. They were all grafted onto Jesus, the root of Israel.
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.”
Apocalypse 22:16–17
EPILOGUE
The Jewish historian Josephus wrote that over one million Jews perished in the siege of Jerusalem. Ninety-nine thousand were made slaves and used in the Roman arena for sport. He concluded with prophetic hyperbole, “The multitude of those that therein perished exceeded all the destructions that either men or God ever brought upon the world.”266
After the destruction of Jerusalem and the holy temple, a thousand Zealot rebels and their families fled to the fortress of Masada near the Dead Sea, only to find themselves again under siege by the Romans. All thousand Jews committed suicide rather than submit to Caesar.267
Simon bar Giora was brought back to the eternal city of Rome, paraded through the streets in a triumphal procession, and then hanged.268
The Roman triumph included the wealth of Jerusalem and holy instruments of the temple such as the golden Menorah lampstand.269
Vespasian ruled as emperor for ten years until his death in AD 79. He helped rebuild Rome and established a new family dynasty that replaced the Julio-Claudian line.270
Titus led the triumphal procession in Rome for his victory in the Judean campaign and siege of Jerusalem. He became emperor at his father’s death in AD 79.271
Berenice accompanied Titus to Rome with the intention of marrying him and becoming empress. But the Roman people rejected her, so Titus discarded her and she faded into obscurity.272
Herod Agrippa II received more territory from Caesar for his loyalty during the Judean campaign. He died, the last prince of the house of Herod.273
Josephus became a client historian for Vespasian. He would write the only existing detailed history of the Revolt of the Jews. He was branded a traitor by many of his countrymen.274
Yohanan ben Zakkai and his school at Yavneh created a new version of Judaism based on rabbinic writings in order to accommodate the lack of a temple. Judaism was no longer Torah-based.275
The Dead Sea community of Qumran disappeared into the mists of history until 1948 when some of its ancient scrolls were discovered in secret caves. Amongst them was a mysterious copper scroll containing a list of hidden treasures.276
Not one stone of the earthly temple in Jerusalem was left upon another. It has never been rebuilt.277 The Messianic temple had arrived.278
Christianity overcame its humble and persecuted beginnings to eventually destroy the rule and authority of ancient Rome. The stone cut without hands had brought down the mighty empire with a kingdom that would never be destroyed, a mountain that would grow to fill the whole earth.279
Then comes the end, when Christ delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
1 Corinthians 15:24–26
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.
Apocalypse 20:11–14
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More Books by Brian Godawa
See www.Godawa.com for more information on other books by Brian Godawa. Check out his other series below:
Chronicles of the Nephilim
Chronicles of the Nephilim is a saga that charts the rise and fall of the Nephilim giants of Genesis 6 and their place in the evil plans of the fallen angelic Sons of God called, “The Watchers.” The story starts in the days of Enoch and continues on through the Bible until the arrival of the Messiah, Jesus. The prelude to Chronicles of the Apocalypse. ChroniclesOfTheNephilim.com
Chronicles of the Watchers
Chronicles of the Watchers is a series that charts the influence of spiritual principalities and powers over the course of human history. The kingdoms of man in service to the gods of the nations at war. Completely based on ancient historical and mythological research. ChroniclesOfTheWatchers.com
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Biblical & Historical Research
For additional free biblical and historical scholarly research related to this novel and series, go to Godawa.com > Chronicles of the Apocalypse > Scholarly Research.
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF BOOKS ON BIBLE PROPHECY FROM A PRETERIST PERSPECTIVE
For additional biblical and historical research related to this series, go to www.ChroniclesoftheApocalypse.com and Click on Scholarly Research.
John L. Bray, Matthew 24 Fulfilled, (American Vision; 5th Edition, 2009).
David Chilton, The Days of Vengeance: An Exposition of the Book of Revelation, (Dominion Press; 1st Edition, 2006).
Gary DeMar, 10 Popular Prophecy Myths Exposed: The Last Days Might Not Be as Near as You Think, (American Vision, 2010).
– Last Days Madness: Obsession of the Modern Church Wolgemuth & Hyatt Pub; 4th Revised edition (September 1999).
– Left Behind: Separating Fact From Fiction, (American Vision; First edition, 2010).
– Why the End of the World is Not in Your Future: Identifying the Gog-Magog Alliance, (American Vision; First edition, 2010)
Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., The Beast of Revelation, (American Vision, 2002).
– Before Jerusalem Fell: Dating the Book of Revelation, (Victorious Hope Publishing, 2010)
– The Book of Revelati
on Made Easy: You Can Understand Bible Prophecy, American Vision (December 31, 2009).
– The Divorce of Israel: A Redemptive-Historical Interpretation of Revelation Vol. 1 & 2, (Liberty Alliance, 2016).
– Navigating the Book of Revelation: Special Studies on Important Issues, (GoodBirth Ministries, 2011).
– The Olivet Discourse Made Easy, (Apologetics Group. 2010)
– Perilous Times: A Study in Eschatological Evil, (Covenant Media Press, 1999).
Kenneth L. Gentry Jr., and Thomas Ice, The Great Tribulation: Past or Future?: Two Evangelicals Debate the Question, (Kregel Academic & Professional, 1999).
John H. Gerstner, Wrongly Dividing the Word of Truth: A Critique of Dispensationalism 3rd Edition (Nicene Council, 2009).
Hank Hanegraaff, The Apocalypse Code: Find out What the Bible Really Says About the End Times and Why It Matters Today, (Thomas Nelson, 2010).
George Peter Holford, The Destruction of Jerusalem: An Absolute and Irresistible Proof of the Divine Origin of Christianity, (Covenant Media Press; 6th American edition, 2001).
Peter J. Leithart, The Promise of His Appearing: An Exposition of Second Peter (Canon Press, 2004).
Keith A. Mathison, Dispensationalism: Rightly Dividing the People of God? (P & R Publishing, 1995).
Philip Mauro, The Seventy Weeks and the Great Tribulation: A Study of the Last Two Visions of Daniel and the Olivet Discourse of the Lord Jesus Christ (Hamilton Brothers, 1922).
R.C. Sproul, The Last Days According to Jesus: When Did Jesus Say He Would Return? 2nd Edition, (Baker Pub Group, 1998).
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brian Godawa is the screenwriter for the award-winning feature film, To End All Wars, starring Kiefer Sutherland. It was awarded the Commander in Chief Medal of Service, Honor and Pride by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, won the first Heartland Film Festival by storm, and showcased the Cannes Film Festival Cinema for Peace.
He previously adapted to film the best-selling supernatural thriller novel The Visitation by author Frank Peretti for Ralph Winter (X-Men, Wolverine), and wrote and directed Wall of Separation, a PBS documentary, and Lines That Divide, a documentary on stem cell research.
Mr. Godawa’s scripts have won multiple awards in respected screenplay competitions, and his articles on movies and philosophy have been published around the world. He has traveled around the United States teaching on movies, worldviews, and culture to colleges, churches and community groups.
His popular book Hollywood Worldviews: Watching Films with Wisdom and Discernment (InterVarsity Press) is used as a textbook in schools around the country. In the Top 10 of Biblical Fiction on Amazon, his first novel series, Chronicles of the Nephilim, is an imaginative retelling of Biblical stories of the Nephilim giants, the secret plan of the fallen Watchers, and the War of the Seed of the Serpent with the Seed of Eve. The sequel series, Chronicles of the Apocalypse, tells the story of the apostle John’s book of Revelation, and Chronicles of the Watchers recounts true history through the Watcher paradigm.
Find out more about his other books, lecture tapes and DVDs for sale at his website, www.godawa.com.
End Notes for Judgment: Wrath of the Lamb
Notes
[←1]
PROLOGUE
With the death of Nero, the “death” of the Julio-Claudian line spelled the death of the empire. But Vespasian would save it. This matches with Revelations’ notion that one head of the Beast dies with a mortal wound, but is miraculously healed. The empire was “healed” with Vespasian.
Revelation 13:3
One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast.
“The upheaval caused by the death of Nero, Rome’s head (the beast specifically considered), would strike both the subjects and the enemies of the vast empire as being the very death throes of the empire itself (the beast generically considered)…
But then the unthinkable occurred, the fatally-struck beast arose – his fatal wound was healed (13:3a). This pictures the surprising resurgence of the dying empire by Vespasian’s coming to power. Suetonius (Vesp. 1) writes: “The empire, which for a long time had been unsettled and, as it were, drifting through the usurpation and violent death of three emperors, was at last taken in hand and given stability by the Flavian family.”
Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., The Divorce of Israel: A Redemptive-Historical Interpretation of Revelation Vol. 2 (Dallas, GA: Tolle Lege Press, 2016), 205-208..
[←2]
The seventh king would reign a short while: This series has explained that Nero is the sixth king of Revelation 17:10. He was the king that “is” at the time of John’s writing. But the king after him would only reign a short while. That king as Galba, who was Caesar for only a short six months.
Revelation 17:9–10
9 This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; 10 they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while.
[←3]
Prophecy of a “ruler from the east” or “from Judea”: “But now, what did most elevate them [the Jews] in undertaking this war was an ambiguous oracle that was found in their sacred writings, how, “about that time, one from their country should become governor of the habitable earth.” The Jews took this prediction to belong to themselves in particular; and many of their w
ise men were thereby deceived in their determination. Now, this oracle certainly denoted the government of Vespasian, who was appointed emperor in Judea.” Flavius Josephus, The Wars of the Jews, 6.5.4.
[Some understand that this meant Herod, others the crucified wonder-worker Jesus, others again Vespasian.] Slavonic addition, Loeb, vol. 2, p. 658.
“The majority were convinced that the ancient scriptures of their priests alluded to the present as the very time when the Orient would triumph and from Judaea would go forth men destined to rule the world. This mysterious prophecy really referred to Vespasian and Titus, but the common people, true to the selfish ambitions of mankind, thought that this exalted destiny was reserved for them, and not even their calamities opened their eyes to the truth.” Tacitus, The Histories, 5.13.
“It may be that mysterious prophecies were already circulating, and that portents and oracles promised Vespasian and his sons the purple; but it was only after the rise of the Flavians that we Romans believed in such stories.” Tacitus, The Histories, 1. 10.
“An ancient superstition was current in the East, that out of Judea would come the rulers of the world. This prediction, as it later proved, referred to the two Roman Emperors, Vespasian and his son Titus; but the rebellious Jews, who read it as referring to themselves, murdered their Procurator, routed the Governor-general of Syria when he came down to restore order, and captured an Eagle.” Suetonius, Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Vespasian, 4.
