Titus – The Preacher Pollard Blog

Controversial Prophecy Alert

Dale Pollard

Daniel 8

Daniel prophesied of the Persian and Greek eras of Israelite history. The angel interpreted that for us, so there’s no mystery there. That mean man of the Diadochi, Antiochus Epiphanes, is described with his persecution lasting 2300 days. It was concluded by the Rededication of the Temple by Judas Maccabee, and that day became the Jewish Festival of Lights (John 10:22).

Daniel 11-12

The number of days in this query are set in a prophetic history that covers the entire second temple era of Judaism.

It relates the Persian kings to the conquest of Alexander the Great, to the break-up of that empire into the Diadochi, to the rise of Antiochus Epiphanes and the Maccabees, to the Roman conquest of the East, to Herod the Great, and to the final Destruction of Judea by the Roman generals and the Zealots.

Some of the final verses in this vast prophecy are referred to by Jesus in the address on Mount Olive (Dan. 12:1,11; Matt.24:15,21).

The interpretation of these number of days must fit into this first century time period (the end of the Second Temple Era).

Abomination of Desolation

According to the synoptic section in Luke, the Abomination of Desolation (that which makes desolate) was the Roman Legions (Luke 21:20). The number of days that those armies marched up and down the land of Judea was 1290! Recall that Jesus warned His disciples to flee Judea, not just Jerusalem.

This devastation was widespread with villages being torched in Galilee, Perea, Samaria, and Judea proper, with supply lines cut off from Jerusalem. When the soldiers finally besieged Jerusalem their fate was sealed— literally! All of this time period (with dates) is recorded by an eyewitness Jewish general by the name Flavius Josephus who had been captured.

The 1335th Day

The city of Jerusalem had its three defensive walls breached. The inhabitants were slaughtered. The Temple was burned and torn down just like Jesus said. Everything was trampled down except for a Herodian palace in the Upper City where the last Jews barricaded themselves and refused to surrender. It’s estimated that they had plenty of water and food supplies to last for an unknown period of time. The walls were so thick the Roman General, Titus, decided to wait it out.

But amazingly, the remaining Zealots opened the gates on the 1335th day of this war!

Note the remarks of Josephus’s history concerning Titus’s surprise:

“Now when Titus came into this (upper city), he admired not only some other places of strength in it, but particularly those strong towers which the tyrants in their bad conduct had relinquished; for when he saw their altitude, and the largeness of their several stones, and the exactness of their joints, and also how great was their breadth, and how extensive their length, he expressed himself…’We have certainly had God for our assistant in this war, and it was no other than God who ejected the Jews out of these fortifications; for what could the hands of man or any machine do towards overthrowing these towers?’” (Wars, VI,9:1)

If the tyrants had stayed in the fortress, the Roman Legions would have stayed around the territory and continued to massacre the Jewish people. The soldiers had seen the despicable display of gross inhumanity the Zealots committed on each other and innocent people, and they had no mercy for them. But as Jesus said, with the mysterious surrender— the killing would stop:

“And except those days be shortened, there would no flesh be saved, but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”

(Matthew 24:21-22)

Conclusion

These days, 1290 and 1335, are seen fulfilled by recorded history. There is no need for guessing or speculation. They fit the time period required by the chapters 11-12 which end with the topic of the Ending of the Jewish Era. It is this same topic that Jesus dealt with in the first half of the Olive lesson, which Jesus said was to occur within that generation (30-70 A.D).

No, these days do not refer to any Great Tribulation at the End of the World. These prophesied days were fulfilled to the day— in the first century! They’re important because they mark the end of the Old Testament economy, and the rise of the fantastic Kingdom of God.

(Hebrews 8:13, Luke 13:35, 16:16; the years 30-70 A.D. were transitioning times)

Your True Self Is False

“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age..” (Titus 2:11-12).

Paul records and reminds us of some profound truths in the second chapter of Titus. He says that the greatest gift ever given to mankind, salvation, was motivated by God’s grace. A grand and priceless gift was freely given from His perfect heart. The gift of Christ is then to motivate us in return to live contrary to our instincts. We willingly give up and give back to God because it’s a response to His love and grace.

While the English translations certainly capture the intended meaning of the text (Titus 2.11-12), there’s some weightier implications that can be found when we take a closer look at the word “No” or “deny” in verse twelve. The word (or: renounce, no, deny) means “to act entirely unlike himself” (STRONGS, G720).

In context we find that it’s our grace-given salvation that teaches us how to act entirely unlike ourselves. Why would someone renounce ungodliness and worldly passions of all kinds? What incentive does one have to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives? The reason (love and grace) that God gave us His son (our salvation) is what should motivate us to love and live juxtaposed to the rest of the world. It is beautifully simple and elucidates the perfect God that we can happily serve.

“Received Up Into Heaven”

Friday’s Column: Supplemental Strength

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Brent Pollard

With the death of Nero, a path to the imperial throne was opened to Vespasian by those soldiers serving under the former’s command. Vespasian had made a reputation for himself in the conquest of Britain and the subjugation of Jewish revolts beginning in AD 66. Thus, given the opportunity by his men, Vespasian founded the Flavian Dynasty, which his son, Titus, would succeed. As emperor, Vespasian left the task of quelling the Jewish rebellion to his son, Titus. Thus, Titus remained in the theater of conflict while his father returned to Rome.

In AD 70, Titus crushes the Jewish rebellion by destroying Jerusalem and the Second Temple. Vespasian dies from an illness within a decade, opening the throne to his son, Titus. As emperor, Titus completed the Roman Colosseum and dealt with the crisis of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Upon his death, Titus’ younger brother, Domitian, became emperor and built the Arch of Titus in AD 81 to commemorate Titus’ conquest of Jerusalem. Titus serves only about three years as emperor.

It is of note that the triumphant arch Domitian dedicates is to Titus, who only completes his father’s work in Judea and Jerusalem. No doubt, Vespasian would have approved seeing as he desired to lay the foundation for his family’s rule. In life, Vespasian had likewise sought to emphasize his son’s actions. In other words, though ambitious, Vespasian was generous enough to share the spotlight with his son to further his machinations. As homecomings go, Titus was a son well-received by his father. One can question if the son was as accomplished as his father, given the brevity of his reign. If for no other reason than establishing the desired optics, though, Vespasian knew to give Titus a grand reception upon the completion of his task on the battlefield, since it glorified himself as well.

I recently completed a study on the Harmony of the Gospels; that is, the complete narrative one finds when fleshing out the revealed narrative of Christ by coalescing all four gospel accounts into a single account. I noted that despite being the shortest gospel, only Mark ends in a manner consistent with the once-coveted literary “happily-ever-after.” Indeed, Mark 16.19-20 has Jesus returning to the Father and the disciples carrying out their Master’s work. Matthew ends his gospel with our Lord’s promise to remain with us. Luke ends his thoroughly-researched gospel by showing the rejoicing disciples continuing in their praises to God. John ends the last written gospel by telling us that despite not having a complete record of Christ’s life, we have enough information to develop a saving faith.

As a Christian, I appreciate the perspective of each inspired gospel author. I have always been partial to John’s gospel with its unique approach, but now find myself most enamored by Mark’s inspired conclusion. In stark contrast to the prodigal son, in which a rebellious son squanders his father’s inheritance in the far country, but finds a gracious, welcoming father upon his repentance, we have in Mark’s closing an obedient Son returning triumphantly to the deserved adulation of His Father. The text is simple enough. The New American Standard Version states, “…He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God” (Mark 16.19).

That was what Jesus eagerly anticipated. The Hebrews writer said it was this impending joy enabling Him to endure the shame of the cross (Hebrews 12.2). If Titus deserved a triumphant arch for doing his father’s bidding, shouldn’t a much more deserving Son receive from His Father the name above all names? (Philippians 2.9-11) No Christian doubts Jesus was worthy of this honor, but is there not something uplifting about reading the confirmation Mark provides? Given what Jesus accomplished, we relish this affirmation since we know His vicarious sacrifice enables us likewise to join Him in His death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6.3-5,8-9). We can see by faith Stephen’s vision granted him before his martyrdom of the Christ standing at God’s right hand, looking at human events intently (Acts 7.56). Truly, He is our great High Priest (Hebrews 4.14-16), interceding for us (Romans 8.34).

Submitting To Elders

Neal Pollard

Elders are not infallible, and most of the men I’ve known who serve as elders do not think they are. On the whole, the rank and file of elders I have known are humble, selfless, sacrificial, magnanimous, and spiritual men who embrace the often difficult work of herding and leading that often strong-willed species of us known in biblical terms as “sheep.” They are so often second-guessed and may be the most commonly backbitten group of people among God’s people. I have found that there are a few—sadly too often a “vocal minority”—who, in practice, are hesitant to submit to eldership’s decisions. In my experience, here are some of the reasons why:

They do not agree with the judgment call(s) made by the eldership
They do not understand why the elders have decided as they have
They feel they would or could handle a situation better than the elders did
They feel that they would be immune from perceived pressures or weaknesses
They see some deficiency in them

Such attitudes are very frustrating to encounter. I would go so far as say that these are bad attitudes. They reflect more on the sheep than the shepherds. Here is what they often fail to understand:

The elders probably have privy to more information than they do
They are likely privy to sensitive information they cannot share
They are almost always involved in more than anyone else
Since they will give an account to God for their work, they face the reality of making choices for which they have to answer
They submitted to a congregational process and found qualified to lead
We are commanded to submit to them, and that necessarily implies in matters of judgment even when we do not agree with their judgment

The vast majority of elders are sensitive to the concerns and objections they hear from the sheep. Should we not exercise an equal measure of humility, selflessness, sacrifice, magnanimity and spirituality in our words and attitudes regarding our shepherds? Remember, “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you” (Heb. 13:17).

Give this to others:

Give this to others:

Friday’s Column: Supplemental Strength

Brent Pollard

Give this to others:

Give this to others: