13. Why were Christians able to heed Jesus’ warning to flee?

¹³ But if the Romans withdrew from around Jerusalem, why did anyone need to flee? Jesus’ words showed that what had occurred proved ‘that the desolating of Jerusalem was near.’ (Luke 21:20) Yes, desolating. He foretold ‘a tribulation such as had not occurred from the beginning and would not occur again.’ About three and a half years later, in 70 C.E., Jerusalem actually did experience “great tribulation” from the Roman armies under General Titus. (Matthew 24:21; Mark 13:19) Why, though, would Jesus describe this as a tribulation greater than any before or since?

14. Why can we say that what happened to Jerusalem in 70 C.E. was “great tribulation” such as had not occurred before nor has happened since?

¹⁴ Jerusalem was ravaged by the Babylonians in 607 B.C.E., and the city has seen horrible fighting in our present century. Still, what occurred in 70 C.E. was uniquely a great tribulation. In a campaign of about five months, Titus’ warriors defeated the Jews. They killed some 1,100,000 and took nearly 100,000 into captivity. Moreover, the Romans demolished Jerusalem. This proved that the Jewish system of formerly approved worship that centered on the temple had permanently ended. (Hebrews 1:2) Yes, the events of 70 C.E. could rightly be considered ‘tribulation such as has not occurred [on that city, nation, and system] since the world’s beginning, no, nor will occur again.’​—Matthew 24:21.d

[Picture on page 10]

The tribulation in 70 C.E. was the greatest that Jerusalem and the Jewish system ever experienced