#2- One of the most well attested realities of history is the destruction of the holy city Jerusalem, the temple, the priesthood, and sacrifices by Rome in 70AD by fire.

Yet many modern scholars act as if something that significant is not spoken of by the apostles. As further reasons will show, there are many many references in the NT that people try to apply to our future, when in fact it was in THEIR future.

Malachi 4 predicted the coming of Elijah whom Jesus identifies as John the Baptist. Malachi says he was sent to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, lest he come and strike the earth/land with a curse. That curse is the curses of the Law which can only come on covenant Israel.

Notice the words of JB-

7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8“Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; 9and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. 10“The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (Mt 3)

In fact, John the Baptist spoke of a wrath that was, according to the tense of the Greek, SOON, (mello) ABOUT TO BE ON THE VERGE OF COMING. There was a wrath coming on Jerusalem and it was so close the ax was already at the root and the fire was near.

This is the same message of imminent danger for Jerusalem and the trial that was coming quickly on the land in the book of Revelation.