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Destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 In Luke 21v20 & 24 Jesus made a prophecy to the Jews (around AD30ish). He said: When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. .. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. In absolute fulfilment of these words, Jerusalem was indeed surrounded by the armies of Rome at the start of AD70. Sick and tired of the terrorism, agitation and sheer ungovernability of Palestine , the full might of Rome descended upon Israel in the form of a great army lead by General Titus Flavius Vespasian, Emperor Nero's commander. Whilst the subjection of the land under Vespasian was swift and typically ruthless, Jerusalem presented a much tougher nut to crack. Well fortified and prominent on a hilltop fortress it was always going to be difficult. But Jesus had more to say about this time: When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the city get out, and let those in the country NOT enter the city.... ...How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people! Which, on the face of it lacks common sense! After all if your city is surrounded by enemies, how are you supposed to get out? Much less get in! But Jesus had foreseen a remarkable chain of events. The rebels holed up in the city must have cheered when news reached them of the Emperor Nero's death. Civil war followed in Rome and the business in Jerusalem went unfinished. The armies withdrew as Vespasian stepped in to claim the empire for himself. The defenders settled down to their previous existence, assured that they were now safe. Except of course for those who heeded Jesus' advice. They fled whilst they could.
How right Jesus was in all the details of his prophecy. But what did Jesus mean by the phrase UNTIL the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled?
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In the Spring of AD70 Vespasian's son Titus appeared at the walls of Jerusalem with an enormous army equipped with siege engines, siege engineers, auxiliaries and the like; in total almost 80,000 men. This time it was a fight to the finish and by August AD70 the city was taken. It was one of the bitterest sieges in history, both from the tenacity of the defenders and the savagery of the treatment meted out to the survivors. Over half a million Jews lost their lives in and around the city. There was no escape, no surrender, just a miserable death. 
