Devotional 04 March 2025
Revelation 8:7 (ESV) “The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.”
When Jesus warned of the coming destruction of Jerusalem, His words were dire: “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be” (Matthew 24:21). The siege of Jerusalem in AD 70 fulfilled this prophecy with terrifying accuracy. Josephus, an eyewitness, described a land once adorned with trees and gardens reduced to a barren wasteland. “The war had laid all the signs of beauty quite waste,” he lamented, noting that even those familiar with the city would no longer recognize it. Tacitus, the Roman historian, confirmed this devastation, writing that the temple was “piled high with corpses” and that the city itself was left in utter ruin.
Revelation 8:7 captures this horror in symbolic terms: fire and blood consuming the land. The siege was marked by famine, infighting, and slaughter, as Rome’s judgment fell on a people who had rejected their Messiah. Just as Egypt once suffered plagues before Israel’s deliverance (Exodus 9:23-25), so too did Jerusalem experience a covenantal judgment for rejecting Christ. The parallels are unmistakable—God’s judgment is total.
Yet, even in judgment, Jesus reigns. This was not chaos, nor was it beyond His control. Every trumpet, every disaster, every moment unfolded as He had ordained. The same Jesus who warned of judgment also provided a way of escape for His people, instructing them to flee to the mountains (Luke 21:21). Those who heeded His words were spared.
This should sober us. God’s justice is real. His judgment is certain. Yet, it should also encourage us—Jesus is always in control. Whether in judgment or deliverance, His plan is unfolding exactly as He has decreed. The destruction of Jerusalem stands as both a warning and a reminder: those who trust in Christ will always find life in Him, no matter the storm.