The video teaching is at the bottom of this page.
1. Introduction
The common belief is that wars and rumours of wars are evidence that we are living in the last days.
Jesus’ Last Days Prophecy shows us that everything in Matthew 24:4-34 would happen within one generation. It also teaches us that we are not living in the last days, as the apostles did during their time. That’s why the apostles said they lived in the last days, not because they were ignorant. (If so, we couldn’t trust God’s word!). Instead, the Bible tells us we are living at the end of the age.
2. Jesus’ Prophecy Concerning False Wars and Rumours of War
Jesus prophesied there would be wars and rumours of war during the period known as Pax Romana (peace in the Roman Empire).
And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Matthew 24:6
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom….
Everything would occur within one generation of Jesus’ prophecy. We are not free to use this scripture today to reference the timing of Jesus’ final return.
He is not referring to the end of the age (in the future). Instead, He refers to the last days, which finished in 70 CE or 130 CE, depending on whether you use the 40-year generation or 100-year generation, both being equally biblical.
The timing of ‘wars and rumour of wars’ in Matthew 24:6 was placed between the two references to one generation:
Firstly, in Matthew 23:
Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
Matthew 23:36
The phrase, ‘this generation’, is then repeated in Matthew 24:
Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.
Matthew 24:34
3. Non-Biblical Evidence of Wars and Rumours of Wars
Jesus prophesied accurately, but again, this is still within a single generation, and we are not free to apply it to today if we want to stay faithful to the Word of God. So let’s see what the leading historian of the time said – was Jesus correct?
Josephus has 150 pages of the wars over this time. Here are a few:
A. Rumours of War.
Whenever war is imminent, rumours of war are constantly circulating. However, here is an example of a rumour that did not end in war:
37-41 CE
The prospect of Emperor Caligula attacking Jerusalem was enough to discourage the locals from working their land; however, the attack never eventuated.
B. Kingdom Against Kingdom.
Here is an example of a fulfilment of Jesus’ prophecy concerning kingdoms against kingdoms.
36 CE
King Herod II of the Jews versus the King of Arabia.
C. Nation Against Nation.
We will list here various wars that were fought between nations. Besides these, if we look at the Roman army’s attacks on the Jews alone, we see multiple countries versus a nation. The Roman Empire conquered many nations, conscripting men of fighting age. Therefore, many nations made up the Roman army.
Remember that a Jewish generation lasts 40 years, and 100 years old, so 70 CE is 40 years after Jesus’ prophecy, and 130 CE is 100 years after it.
The Roman army’s attacks on Jerusalem in 70 CE and 130 CE involved multiple nations against Israel. Here are some of Josephus’s historical records:
D. Caligula Turns on the Evil Servants
There were many conflicts between the Jews and the Romans, starting after the Jews persecuted the Christians in 33 CE. The first began in 37 CE when the Jews approached Emperor Caligula, asking him to help with the Jews’ persecution of Christians. Instead, Caligula fulfilled Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew by being the only emperor to cut people in two. Caligula turned on the Jews. Indeed there was a lot of weeping and gnashing of teeth as they had expected the support of Caligula
But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 24:48-51
E. Jewish-Roman Conficts and Wars
41 CE
After fleeing Babylon due to pestilence, to the city of Seleucia in what is now Iraq, the citizens rebelled against the Jews,
killing 5,000 of them.
45 CE
Jews of Perez versus Philadelphia. The Romans killed many Jews.
45 CE
Under Cumanus, a soldier caused an indignity within the temple precincts. The Jews strongly objected, and the Romans started to attack, killing 30,000 Jews in the ensuing stampede.
49 CE
Jews argued with the Syrians over who would govern Caesaria. The Syrians killed approximately 20,000 Jews as a result.
After their defeat in Caesarea, the Jews began another war with the Syrians, who once again defeated them.
In Damascus, Tyre, and Ashkelon, the Romans killed 10,000 Jews in the first hour alone.
In Sythopolis, 13,000 Jews were massacred in one night.
66 CE
At Alexandria, the Jews rose against the Romans. Tiberius sent in the two legions of the Roman army plus a further 5000 soldiers. They killed infants, children and adults, leaving 50,000 Jews dead in the streets or burnt alive in their houses.
The 2300-day Great Tribulation starts on 8th December after the Roman armies surrounding Jerusalem are routed by the Jews.
67 CE
Jotapata is the first major city to fall during the Great Tribulation. During the 47-day siege of the Jewish town by Vespasian, his army killed 40,000 Jews and took 1000 into captivity. Josephus is imprisoned.
67 CE
Vespasian travels through the cities of Judea and Samaria, killing all those who resist. So many people were killed that bodies filled the rivers, warning the downstream towns of their impending massacre.
Vespasian returns to Rome in 69 CE and becomes Emperor on July 3, fulfilling Josephus’ prophecy, which leads to his freedom and the writing of the six volumes on the history of the Jews under Vespasian’s instruction.
E. Passover Sacrifices
There were eleven hundred thousand people (1.1 million) killed in Jerusalem in 70 CE. Some have questioned how many there were. However, Cassius in 67 CE was encouraging Nero to attack Jerusalem, declaring how glorious it would be as a prize for the Emperor.
On the first day of Passover in 66 CE, 285,000 sacrifices were made within the first three hours of the celebration. Since people were not allowed to observe alone, each sacrifice required ten pure individuals. This meant that approximately 2.85 million people in Jerusalem would have been celebrating Passover in 66 CE. This figure excluded individuals with sexually transmitted diseases, women during menstruation, lepers, and others. In other words, more people were celebrating Passover in 66 CE than in 70 CE, likely due to the civil war that had been ongoing in the city for those three years.
F. Destruction of Jerusalem
70 CE
Vespasian becomes Emperor on July 3, 69 CE, and returns to Rome. He commands his son Titus to finish off the remaining cities, including Jerusalem, home to the rebel leaders and the stronghold of the Jewish resistance to the Romans.
70 CE April 14th
Titus, with his four armies, begins his siege of Jerusalem with 20,000 legionaries, 40,000 auxiliaries, and troops from various nations. Because they arrived during Passover, many members of the Jewish population were trapped in the city from every nation and tribe. The tenth legion, made up of 10,000 men, was literally called the Legion Equus, or Army of horsemen, and crossed the Euphrates for the coming battle. The twelfth legion, comprising another 10,000 men, was responsible for guarding the crossings of the Euphrates River, precisely as Jesus prophesied. WE look at this in detail in our lesson Great Tribulation, as this was precisely what happened, 10,000 army of horsemen (Xth Legion), and another 10,000 (XII legion) crossed the Euphrates.
Saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. Now the number of the army of horsemen was two hundred million (in Greek army of horsemen 10,000, 10,000); I heard the number of them.
Revelation 9:14-16
70 CE July 14th
The final sacrificial lamb of the Old Covenant is killed because there are no more sheep.
70 CE August 10th
The Temple burns and is destroyed.
70 CE September 8th
The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple is complete. 1.1 million were killed, and 97,000 were captured.
4. Jewish First-Century Holocaust
As Jesus predicted in His prophecy, the following 40 years marked the height of suffering for the Jews. It truly was the Great Tribulation that Jesus said would NEVER be repeated.
For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Matthew 24:21
| War | Year | Jewish population killed | Worldwide Jewish Population | Per cent killed |
| Roman-Jewish conflicts | 37-66CE | 128,000 | 4,200,000 | 3% |
| Great Tribulation (First Jewish Roman War)start until surrounding of Jerusalem | 9th December 66 CE to April 13th, 70 CE | >71,800 | 4,200,000 | 2% |
| Destruction of Jerusalem | April 14th to September 8th 70 CE | 1,100,000 | 4,200,000 | 26.2% |
| Total 40-year generation | 30-70CE | 1,299,800 | 4,200,000 | 31% |
| Domitians birthday games | October 18th, 70 CE | 10,000 | 3,100,000 (subtract loss of population) | .3% |
| Vespasian’s birthday games | November 17th 70 CE | “Great multitude”* | 3,100,000 | 0 |
| Macherus | 71 CE | 1,700 | 3,100,000 | .04% |
| Masada and Ein Gedi (End of Great Tribulation and First Jewish Roman War) | 73 CE | 1,660 | 3,100,000 | .04% |
| Hadrian revolt | 130 CE | 600,000 | 3,400,000 (add population growth) | 17.6% |
| Total 100-year generation | 30-130 CE | 1,913,160 | The Jewish population shrank to 2,700,000 by 130 CE. | 45.6% of the original 4,200,000 |
Jesus’ prophecy proved true – the Great Tribulation was to happen within one generation, and would be the worst in their future or past history. If we estimate the percentage of Jews killed compared to the Jewish population in 30 CE, when Jesus made the prophecy, it’s about 45% of the world’s Jewish population. By the end of 100 years, with a population that has dropped to 2.7 million, that percentage increases significantly to 70%.
Many people think there are more wars now than ever before in history. We need to look at this objectively to see if it’s true. I haven’t included the total population lost from the destruction of Jerusalem in my percentage. If we accounted for population loss because of this, the rate would be even higher by the time of the Hadrian revolt.
5. Has it Become Worse Since Jesus’ Prophecy of Wars and Rumours of Wars?
| War | Year | Jewish population killed | Worldwide Jewish Population | Per cent killed |
| World War 2 | 1939-1945 CE | 6,000,000 | 16,600,000 | 36.1% |
| Total 100-year generation | 30-130 CE | 1,913,160 | 4,200,000 30 CE 2,700,000 130 CE ( including 0.085% growth rate over 100 years) | At least 45.6% |
Remembering that Jesus was speaking to the Jews, the prophecy of the Last Days is correct when it says that nothing surpasses it. Even the Nazi Holocaust did not surpass what happened in the Roman-Jewish wars.
A. Wars and Rumours of Wars Have Decreased Since 70 CE:
The following table of wars since 70 CE shows that, contrary to Futurist thinking, major conflicts have decreased in the last 500 years.
Now, let’s examine the percentage of the population killed in major conflicts since Christ preached. However, it is essential to realise that the figures for the last century include deaths from famines. So, if you calculated them, the percentages would be much lower for the 20th Century.
The following table of wars since 70 CE shows that, contrary to Futurist thinking, major conflicts have decreased in the last 500 years.
Don’t make Jesus a false prophet
| Rating | War | Date (CE) | Mean of Population Killed | World Population at the time | Percentage Population killed |
| 1st | Mongol Wars | 1206-1405 | 41,000,000 | 392,000,000 | 10.4% |
| 2nd | An Lushan Rebellion | 755-763 | 21,000,000 | 235,000,000 | 8.9% |
| 3rd | Ming to Qing Dynasty Transition | 1618-1683 | 25,000,000 | 590,000,000 | 4.2% |
| 4th | Conquests of Timur | 1370-1405 | 12,600,000 | 390,000,000 | 3.2% |
| 5th | World War Two | 1939-1945 | 75,000,000 | 2,800,000,000 | 2.6% |
| 6th | Tai Ping Rebellion | 1850-1864 | 31,000,000 | 1,260,000,000 | 2.5% |
| 7th | Yellow Turban Rebellion | 184-205 | 4,500,000 | 202,000,000 | 2.3% |
| 8th | World War One | 1914-1918 | 23,500,000 | 1,800,000,000 | 1.3% |
| 9th | Mao Purges | 1966-1976 | 35,000,000 | 3,700,000,000 | 0.9% |
| 10th | Russia Civil War | 1917-1924 | 6,700,000 | 1,880,000,000 | 0.4% |
| 11th | China Civil War | 1927-1949 | 9,600,000 | 2,800,000,000 | 0.3% |
| 12th | Stalin killings | 1924-1953 | 8,500,000 | 2,800,000,000 | 0.3% |
B. Kingdom of Peace
As Christianity has spread over 2000 years, wars and rumours of wars have decreased.
Have you noticed that, comparatively, the Second World War caused a quarter of the death toll of Genghis Khan, and just under half of the combined fatalities of the next three most deadly figures? So claiming that wars are worsening (and therefore Matthew 24 proves Jesus must be returning) is incorrect. This does not mean that Jesus will not return; it means we cannot quote Matthew 24 and say, “There are more wars now, therefore Jesus is returning.”
Let’s now look at the number of wars since World War 2:
C. Current Revival Reduces Conflict.
Christianity has been spreading more rapidly over the last 75 years, and the growth of conflict has been further decelerated.
Now, let us zoom in on the last 30 years and see what the trend is:
In 2010, you were twenty times more likely
Worldwide figures
to die from a car accident than a conflict or terror-based event
6. Speculation About The Times We Live In
There is no reason to quote Matthew 24:4-34 to fulfil some rhetoric about today.
There will be false Christs, false prophets and wars, but that doesn’t mean the end of the world.
People often talk about the number of wars, earthquakes, and disasters happening now as if it’s proof that we are living in the time of Jesus’ return. However, statistically, this isn’t the most dangerous time to be alive.
It might seem like the most dangerous time today, but that’s not actually true.
7. Media – Wars and Rumours of Wars.
A. We are Now more Aware of Wars.
With the rise of media and satellites, we are very aware of all the conflicts happening. That does not mean there are more of them; it just means we are more aware of them.
If we judge Jesus’ return by recent wars, then Jesus certainly isn’t coming back just yet.
C. We Do not Know the Time of Christ’s Return.
He may return today or in 10,000 years. The strongest indication of the imminent return of Christ is the return of the Jews to Israel.
However, we cannot cite Matthew 24 or the other gospels’ accounts for the purpose of establishing a timeline for Jesus’ return. I do not know when Jesus will return – nor do you.
8. Summary of Wars and Rumours of Wars
- Jesus prophesied wars and the Great Tribulation within one generation.
- In False Christs and Prophets, we find the same; Jesus’ prophecy about the last days was accurate and does not imply that we are currently living in the last days.
- During the wars within Jesus’s prophecy period, over 45% of the Jewish population was killed, compared to 36% in the Nazi holocaust.
- Wars and rumours of wars have declined as Christianity has expanded globally.
- Just because we can see wars thanks to technological advancement doesn’t mean they are on the rise.
- We are ten times more likely to die in a car crash than in a conflict or terror attack.
- We cannot cite Matthew 24 as evidence of living in the last days, as that prophecy had a one-generation timeframe.
- Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 24 was fully fulfilled within a single generation.
© Use by Permission Awakening Impact Ministries/ Dr Neville Westerbeek van Eerten D. Miss. 2025
