John 16: Sadness and Joy

Jesus is about to die. He says that his disciples will become sad for some days (for his death), but after that, their grief will turn into joy (for his resurrection) as a woman in labor. 
It is very good to have prayers answered:

23-24 “This is what I want you to do: Ask the Father for whatever is in keeping with the things I’ve revealed to you. Ask in my name, according to my will, and he’ll most certainly give it to you. Your joy will be a river overflowing its banks!

The Spirit will be with the disciples, revealing more and more about Jesus. The Spirit will bring the disciples into communion with the Lord. Even though it is painful to live in this world, this sadness will be turned into joy due to the communion with the Father.

John 15: United with Jesus

Jesus is the vine. We are the branches. We live and produce grapes because we are in the vine.
Although Jesus is about to be crucified, he has joy because he says:

7 If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. 9 Just as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you; remain in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. 11 These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
 

I glorify the Father when I bear fruit. I will bear fruit when I remain in Jesus, when I love others. May the love of the Lord flow through me; may my joy be full. My son has some psychiatric problem. He lies a lot and in doing so, I am afraid he departs from reality. May the Lord bless my son through me. May Truth and Love save him from madness.

John 14: Jesus is preparing a place for me

Jesus is about to be crucified. He had already take the Lord's Supper with his disciples. In his last moments, Jesus assures that he will not abandon his disciples. Jesus is going to his Father's house but not only that, he will prepare a place to each one of his disciples. 

NASB 1 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many rooms; if that were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you also will be. 4 And you know the way where I am going.” 

Now, imagine that Jesus is preparing a house to one of his disciples but something goes wrong: this disciple falls into temptation and can't go to this house. Strange, isn't it? It is much easier to believe that Jesus is with each disciple, not only preparing his place but also strengthening him in the faith.

John 13: Jesus foresaw

Why the disciples spread the gospel and suffered for it? In the Lord's Supper, Jesus foresaw his betrayal and after that, he said:

19 From now on I am telling you before it happens, so that when it does happen, you may believe that I am He. 20 Truly, truly I say to you, the one who receives anyone I send, receives Me; and the one who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”

The disciples understood that everything, Judas betrayal included, was under the control of Father and the Son.
Besides, in the Lord's Supper Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, Judas included. As Jesus came from heaven to earth for our sake, so Jesus that should have his feet washed, washed his disciples feet. Peter was very aware that it was weird to have his feet washed by the King, but what did Judas think? Judas judged Jesus when he was worshiped by Mary. An evil guy see bad things even when seeing good things.

John 12: the Messiah arrives in Jerusalem

The resurrection of Lazarus appears only in the gospel of John. Many Jews wanted to see Lazarus and Jesus. Lazarus, Martha and Maria lived in Bethany, a city near Jerusalem. Jesus went to their house where Maria worships Jesus: she anoints the feet of Jesus with a very expensive perfume and wiped them with her hair. It was very disturbing to Judas to see that. Jesus said that Maria was honoring the day of his burial that was coming soon. From Bethany, Jesus goes to Jerusalem where he is cheered as the Messiah, the king of Israel. In both events Jesus never said: "I am just a man, honor the Lord instead". By contrary, it is very important to accept Jesus as the Logos, Word of the Lord:

47-50 “If anyone hears what I am saying and doesn’t take it seriously, I don’t reject him. I didn’t come to reject the world; I came to save the world. But you need to know that whoever puts me off, refusing to take in what I’m saying, is willfully choosing rejection. The Word, the Word-made-flesh that I have spoken and that I am, that Word and no other is the last word. I’m not making any of this up on my own. The Father who sent me gave me orders, told me what to say and how to say it. And I know exactly what his command produces: real and eternal life. That’s all I have to say. What the Father told me, I tell you.”

John 11: the light and the darkness

Jesus is the light that came to shine on this world. Through him, all who trust in him, have life. Jesus made a great sign to show this reality: he resurrected Lazarus. Jesus said that this sign would happen in favor of his disciples:

14-15 Then Jesus became explicit: “Lazarus died. And I am glad for your sakes that I wasn’t there. You’re about to be given new grounds for believing. Now let’s go to him.”

After the resurrection, many were led to believe in Jesus:

45 Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him.

The darkness fought against the light:

47-48 The high priests and Pharisees called a meeting of the Jewish ruling body. “What do we do now?” they asked. “This man keeps on doing things, creating God-signs. If we let him go on, pretty soon everyone will be believing in him and the Romans will come and remove what little power and privilege we still have.”
53 From that day on, they plotted to kill him. So Jesus no longer went out in public among the Jews. 

It is very interesting that Jesus saw the resurrection of Lazarus, not only to ground the faith of his disciples but also to glorify him, the Son of God.

4 When Jesus got the message, he said, “This sickness is not fatal. It will become an occasion to show God’s glory by glorifying God’s Son.”

John 10: blasphemy

In John 10, Jesus continues in Jerusalem. People are asking among themselves: "Is Jesus the Messiah?". Thus, they ask Jesus.  

22 At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem; 23 it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple area, in the portico of Solomon. 24 The Jews then surrounded Him and began saying to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep. 27 My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

Jesus answered that he had already told (that he is the Messiah indeed) but they didn't believe, however, some believed because the Lord (the Father) sent them to him. Jesus called the Lord, his father. Besides, Jesus said that he and the Lord are one. The reaction was to stone Jesus for blasphemy.

33 The Jews answered Him, “We are not stoning You for a good work, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.”

Even though they were near to stone him, Jesus asked them to pay attention to what he himself does:

37 If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.” 39 Therefore they were seeking again to arrest Him, and He eluded their grasp.

The gospel of John is telling me, chapter after chapter, to believe in Jesus. Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God (ICTUS). He is the door: only through him we may get near the Lord.

John 9: Jesus, the blind man and the Sabbath

In John 9, Jesus is in Jerusalem near the Pool of Siloam on Sabbath. There was a blind man there. Jesus healed him. According to the Pharisees, Jesus broke the law of keeping the Sabbath. A big discussion began: The blind man claimed that the Lord (the Father) is with Jesus given the great sign he had done on him, while the Pharisees claimed that Jesus was a sinner because he hadn't healed in a kosher way. The blind man was mistreated and expelled (from where they were). 

35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and went and found him. He asked him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
36 The man said, “Point him out to me, sir, so that I can believe in him.”
37 Jesus said, “You’re looking right at him. Don’t you recognize my voice?”
38 “Master, I believe,” the man said, and worshiped him.
39 Jesus then said, “I came into the world to bring everything into the clear light of day, making all the distinctions clear, so that those who have never seen will see, and those who have made a great pretense of seeing will be exposed as blind.”

The blind man was despised by that society because they saw him as someone cursed by the Lord for sins. By other hand, Jesus brought light to the man who lived in darkness. Do you believe in the Son of Man?

John 8: Jesus, the Logos and his pre existence

In the beginning of the gospel of John we read:

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

In chapter 8, Jesus is in Jerusalem. We read:

54-56 Jesus said, “If I were striving to get all the attention, it wouldn’t amount to anything. But my Father, the same One you say is your Father, put me here at this time and place of splendor. You haven’t recognized him in this. But I have. If I, in false modesty, said I didn’t know what was going on, I would be as much of a liar as you are. But I do know, and I am doing what he says. Abraham—your ‘father’—with elated faith looked down the corridors of history and saw my day coming. He saw it and cheered.”
57 The Jews said, “You’re not even fifty years old — and Abraham saw you?”
58 “Believe me,” said Jesus, “I am who I am long before Abraham was anything.”
59 That did it—pushed them over the edge. They picked up rocks to throw at him. But Jesus slipped away, getting out of the Temple.

Jesus is not only the Word with God at creation but when he was here, among us, he knew about his pre existence and communion with the Father.

John 7: Jesus in Jerusalem at the Feast of Booths

 In all other gospels, the story happens in Galilee and then, Jesus goes to the Passover where he is crucified. In the gospel of John, Jesus goes many times from Galilee to Jerusalem. In John 7, Jesus is in Jerusalem at the Feast of Booths (which is not Passover, but another Jewish celebration). There, he discourses about being extremely important to know the Lord:

28-29 That provoked Jesus, who was teaching in the Temple, to cry out, “Yes, you think you know me and where I’m from, but that’s not where I’m from. I didn’t set myself up in business. My true origin is in the One who sent me, and you don’t know him at all. I come from him—that’s how I know him. He sent me here.”
37-39 On the final and climactic day of the Feast, Jesus took his stand. He cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Rivers of living water will brim and spill out of the depths of anyone who believes in me this way, just as the Scripture says.” (He said this in regard to the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were about to receive. The Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified.)

According to the gospel of John, Jesus is the one who reveals the Lord, the Father. Without him, we can't know the Lord. The one who comes to Jesus desiring to live (water), will have an abundant life because the Spirit will be with him. The gospel of John talks about the Trinity, doesn't it?

John 6: the Bread

53-58 But Jesus didn’t give an inch. “Only insofar as you eat and drink flesh and blood, the flesh and blood of the Son of Man, do you have life within you. The one who brings a hearty appetite to this eating and drinking has eternal life and will be fit and ready for the Final Day. My flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. By eating my flesh and drinking my blood you enter into me and I into you. In the same way that the fully alive Father sent me here and I live because of him, so the one who makes a meal of me lives because of me. This is the Bread from heaven. Your ancestors ate bread and later died. Whoever eats this Bread will live always.”

Jesus compares himself to the manah that came from heaven at Moses times. The Israelites were in the desert and they needed food. The Lord provided food for them, so that they could survive miraculously in the desert. Jesus says that he is the manah from heaven but a better manah because the one who eats Jesus will live forever. We have eternal life by believing in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The one who eats Jesus is the one who accepts his blood in favor for his sins. I am like a sheep, distracted by the worries of this world, however, when I look to the cross, I am grateful for what the Lord has done to me.

Jesus wants some kind of Peter attitude in us:

68-69 Peter replied, “Master, to whom would we go? You have the words of real life, eternal life. We’ve already committed ourselves, confident that you are the Holy One of God.”

John 5: resurrect to eternal life

In the chapter 5 we have the miraculous healing of a man in the pool Bethesda in Sabbath and a long discussion about this healing with the Jewish leaders due to breaking the Sabbath. In this discussion we read:

25 Truly, truly, I say to you, a time is coming and even now has arrived, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For just as the Father has life in Himself, so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; 27 and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. 28 Do not be amazed at this; for a time is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, 29 and will come out: those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the bad deeds to a resurrection of judgment.

In verse 29, we read that those who did the good deeds will resurrect to life. How do I do good deeds? By being born again, by the Spirit; by receiving the Son and the Father because the Son and the Father lives in complete harmony. We do good deeds when we belong to the Trinity.

John 4: Who has more to offer?

Jesus encounters the Samaritan woman. He asks her water, but Jesus says he has much more to offer her than the woman to him. 

9 The Samaritan woman, taken aback, asked, “How come you, a Jew, are asking me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” (Jews in those days wouldn’t be caught dead talking to Samaritans.)

10 Jesus answered, “If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking me for a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water.”

11-12 The woman said, “Sir, you don’t even have a bucket to draw with, and this well is deep. So how are you going to get this ‘living water’? Are you a better man than our ancestor Jacob, who dug this well and drank from it, he and his sons and livestock, and passed it down to us?”

13-14 Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst — not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.”

15 The woman said, “Sir, give me this water so I won’t ever get thirsty, won’t ever have to come back to this well again!”

When I was young, I thought that I should give everything to the Lord and not expect anything from him, but now I understand that the Lord is the one who has much more to offer. In this dialogue, although Jesus had asked water to the woman, he claims that he has a much more valuable thing to give to her. The Samaritan woman had to go to the well again and again because its water satisfied her for a short period, but not for her life. Jesus said that his water was different: it would become a spring within her. Obviously Jesus was not talking about a literal water, but about a new life he could give her: a meaningful life dedicated to the Lord. Her life was a mess but not only that, others looked her down. In this new life, she would love others even when they looked her down. In her new life, she would come back to the well with joy and not feeling a burden for it. 
Who would not agree with the woman and say "Sir, give me this living water"?

John 3: Believe and Obey

we read:

 36 The one who believes in the Son has eternal life; but the one who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

The gospel of John has some flip-flops mixing verbs. Here, he is mixing "believe" and "obey". Many Christians would say:

 36 The one who believes in the Son has eternal life; but the one who does not BELIEVE the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

The verb in Greek used to "obey" is "apeitheó" that can be translated as "Disobey, be disobedient, refuse to believe".
The point is that the one who believes in the Son, submits to him because he is the king. This submission leads to obedience.
We are humans and sinners. I think that it is impossible to anyone claim that obeys fully the Lord; but to believe in him, leads to submission to him, and that leads to more and more obedience. We are disciples of Jesus, constantly learning from him.

John 2: Jesus revealed His glory

The word "glory" from the Greek "doxan" is very used in John. John presents Jesus doing his first sign when he changed water into wine. We read:

11 This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.  

This verse reminds John 1:14:

14 The Word became flesh and blood,
    and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
    the one-of-a-kind glory,
    like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
    true from start to finish.

Jesus revealed his glory to his disciples. They were amazed when they saw this first miracle, so amazed that they believed that Jesus was showing them the glory of the Father through him. Jesus was generous with the bride and groom and their guests. The Lord is above us all and he takes care of us, in much more details than we can imagine.

John 1: Emanuel

How can we know our Creator?

14 The Word became flesh and blood,
    and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
    the one-of-a-kind glory,
    like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
    true from start to finish.

Jesus is Emanuel - "God with us". 
John wants to share his testimony - he saw the glory of the Lord through Jesus. 
In John 20 we read:

30-31 Jesus provided far more God-revealing signs than are written down in this book. These are written down so you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way he personally revealed it.

This reminds me the question of the young rich: "how can I have eternal life?". The answer according to John is "believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God".

This also reminds me of ICTUS (the symbol of the first Christians, a fish): 
"Iēsous Christos, Theou Yios, Sōtēr," which means "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior".

Why is it so important to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God? Because, through Him we see the glory of the Father.

Luke 24: The Resurrection

Jesus, resurrected, says to two disciples on the road to Emmaus:

25-27 Then he said to them, “So thick-headed! So slow-hearted! Why can’t you simply believe all that the prophets said? Don’t you see that these things had to happen, that the Messiah had to suffer and only then enter into his glory?” Then he started at the beginning, with the Books of Moses, and went on through all the Prophets, pointing out everything in the Scriptures that referred to him.

It is somehow obscure that the Messiah had to suffer and only then enter into glory because the Old Testament doesn't explain it so clearly. The suffering serve in Isaiah 53 refers to the Messiah? It is very easy to say so after reading the New Testament, but it is difficult to understand reading only the Old Testament. 

Previously the two disciples had said:

19-21 They said, “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene. He was a man of God, a prophet, dynamic in work and word, blessed by both God and all the people. Then our high priests and leaders betrayed him, got him sentenced to death, and crucified him. And we had our hopes up that he was the One, the One about to deliver Israel.

For them, the Messiah was the One who would deliver Israel (from Rome). Jesus was crucified but he didn't have done it, so these two disciples was near to conclude that Jesus was not the Messiah. There was the possibility that Jesus had risen from the death, but it was not so clear.

For we, Christians, Jesus delivered us from the death - the ultimately great enemy. 

Luke 20: Jesus is about to be killed

Jesus is in the temple of Jerusalem. His authority is questioned: how come he expels business men from the temple? He tell the parable of the Tenants.

13 “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.’

14 “But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. ‘This is the heir,’ they said. ‘Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 15 So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

Jesus compares the Jewish leaders to the bad tenants. They were supposed to take care of Israel, not to use Israel in their own benefit.

17 Jesus looked directly at them and asked, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written:
“‘The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone’[a]?

18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”

19 The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.


The Jewish leaders rejected the stone, the cornerstone, Jesus which would cause severe consequences to them.
Thus, Jesus was very aware that he was about to be killed.

Luke 23: the temptation when the Messiah was crucified

Jesus made many miracles. When Jesus restored the vision of the blind (among many other miracles), he was restoring people. These miracles showed the love of the Lord for the poor and sick. Jesus also pointed to the prophet Isaiah and Daniel (among others) - he was the one who was fulfilling the prophecies. Despite his words and signs, Jesus was mocked as if he was a crazy man claiming to be the Messiah when in fact, Jesus was very clever not to draw much attention about it.
We read:

36-37 The soldiers also came up and poked fun at him, making a game of it. They toasted him with sour wine: “So you’re King of the Jews! Save yourself!”

38 Printed over him was a sign: this is the king of the Jews.

39 One of the criminals hanging alongside cursed him: “Some Messiah you are! Save yourself! Save us!”

There are many ways that we may understand salvation. Salvation from what? From the death? From the sins? From the Romans? When they said: "Save yourself" is something like "perform a miracle to save from your own death". When the criminals said "Save us", it is the same. Save us from our deaths.
It was a temptation: Jesus was going to be saved, but by trusting on the Father; not by himself.
It is the same temptation that we have: we are to be saved by Jesus, not by ourselves.

Luke 22: The Passover Meal

It is confusing when Jesus ate the Passover Meal: was it when the lambs were sacrificed (Nissan 14) or was it one day before (Nissan 13) ? Did Jesus die when the lambs were being sacrificed (Nissan 14) or did Jesus die one day after (Nissan 15) ?
Jesus is the lamb of the Lord who takes away the sins of the world, thus, it is a great sign of the Lord that Jesus had been crucified on the Passover.
The Passover Meal is also very important.
Jesus knew on that day that He was to be crucified, so we read:

17-18 Taking the cup, he blessed it, then said, “Take this and pass it among you. As for me, I’ll not drink wine again until the kingdom of God arrives.”
19 Taking bread, he blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, given for you. Eat it in my memory.”
20 He did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant written in my blood, blood poured out for you.

How can we deny that Jesus knew about his crucifixion when every Christian church celebrates the Holy Communion?
Christianity is very different from all others religion. We drink the blood of Jesus that was poured out for us. This is the new covenant.

Luke 21: Jerusalem was destroyed, but Jewish Christians were saved

We read:

5-6 One day people were standing around talking about the Temple, remarking how beautiful it was, the splendor of its stonework and memorial gifts. Jesus said, “All this you’re admiring so much—the time is coming when every stone in that building will end up in a heap of rubble.”

20-24 “When you see soldiers camped all around Jerusalem, then you’ll know that she is about to be devastated. If you’re living in Judea at the time, run for the hills. If you’re in the city, get out quickly. If you’re out in the fields, don’t go home to get your coat. This is the Day of Reckoning—everything written about it will come to a head. Pregnant and nursing mothers will have it especially hard. Incredible misery! Torrential rage! People dropping like flies; people dragged off to prisons; Jerusalem under the boot of barbarians until the nations finish what was given them to do.

Using Perplexity:

Question: in 70 AD , the Romans destroyed Jerusalem. Were Christians saved by paying attention to the words of Jesus?
Answer:

## Were Christians Saved by Paying Attention to the Words of Jesus During the Destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD?

Historical evidence strongly suggests that many Christians in Jerusalem survived the Roman destruction in 70 AD by heeding Jesus’ warnings to flee the city when they saw danger approaching.

**Jesus’ Prophecy and Instructions**
- The Gospels record that Jesus predicted the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, warning his followers: "When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies... then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains" (Luke 21:20-21, see also Matthew 24:15-20)[3][4].
- Jesus specifically instructed not to delay or return for possessions, emphasizing urgency in escape[3].

**Historical Accounts of Christian Flight**
- Early Christian historians, notably Eusebius of Caesarea (4th century), wrote that the Christian community in Jerusalem received a divine warning—interpreted as fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy—and fled to the city of Pella, located across the Jordan River, before the Roman siege began[2][4].
- Epiphanius, another early church writer, also confirmed that Christians left Jerusalem for Pella, and archaeological finds in Pella may support the presence of early Christians there[4].
- The Christians’ departure reportedly occurred before the Romans encircled Jerusalem, sparing them from the siege’s horrors, which included mass death, enslavement, and destruction[1][2].

**Why Pella Was Chosen**
- Pella was outside the main conflict zone, across the Jordan, and had a Hellenistic culture less involved in the Jewish revolt, making it a safer refuge for Christians who were not active participants in the rebellion[2].

**Conclusion**
- According to both biblical records and early church historians, Christians in Jerusalem survived the 70 AD destruction largely because they paid attention to Jesus’ warnings and fled the city when the signs he described appeared[2][3][4].
- This event is often cited as a fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy and as a pivotal moment in the early separation between Christianity and Judaism[1][5].

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Jerusalem_(70_CE)
[2] https://biblereflection.org/pella/
[3] https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/matthew-24/
[4] https://refugeinjordan.com/did-first-century-christians-flee-to-pella-pt-1/
[5] https://christianleaders.org/mod/page/view.php?id=33121
[6] https://answeringisraelonly.wordpress.com/2019/01/03/the-saints-went-back-to-jerusalem-from-pella-after-ad-70/
[7] https://www.biblestudytools.com/matthew/24-16.html
[8] https://www.gracegreeley.org/teaching/the-destruction-of-jerusalem-part-3/
[9] https://bredenhof.ca/2024/03/05/decisive-moments-the-fall-of-jerusalem/
[10] https://www.thetorah.com/article/did-early-christians-mourn-the-destruction-of-the-temple
[11] https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/not-one-stone-left-upon-another
[12] https://biblehub.com/matthew/24-16.htm
[13] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+24&version=NIV
[14] https://www.britannica.com/event/Siege-of-Jerusalem-70
[15] https://christiancourier.com/articles/the-siege-of-jerusalem
[16] https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/ice_thomas/Mat24-25/Mat24-25_Part14.cfm
[17] https://www.bibleref.com/Matthew/24/Matthew-24-16.html
[18] https://www.koinesune.com/stories/church-history-the-destruction-of-jerusalem