Was the Neronian Persecution the Great Tribulation– and NOT the Jewish War?
Was the Neronian Persecution the Great Tribulation– and NOT the Jewish War?
Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 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. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened (Matthew 24:15-22).
In 2014, Edward Stevens introduced and made the shocking claim that the Neronian persecution against the Christians was the Great Tribulation (Edward Stevens, Final Decade Until the End, 2014, p. 150). In my current written debate with him on the subject of the rapture he repeated that claim (Stevens’ 2nd Aff. Paragraphs #20 & 21. His presentation can be found on Facebook at the page Preterist Debate).
Stevens’ claim is, to the best of my knowledge, A HISTORICALLY UNPRECEDENTED CLAIM. The reader needs to know that this claim is absolutely foundational for his rapture doctrine. Yet, in neither his 2014 work or his 2025 statements did Stevens cite a single historical source in support of his claim. Not one scholar. Not one historian. Not a keystroke. If the Neronian persecution was NOT the Great Tribulation foretold by Jesus in Matthew 24:21 then in reality, Stevens’ rapture doctrine goes up in smoke.
So, was the Neronian persecution of the church the greatest Tribulation that has ever been or ever will be? Was it greater than the Jewish War that killed over one million Jews? Josephus considered the siege and destruction of Jerusalem to be the fulfillment of Daniel 9 and the worst thing in history.
Consider some facts.
The term “Abomination of Desolation” literally means the Abomination that brings or causes desolation.
According to Brant Pitre, (and Jesus) the Abomination of Desolation would be the direct cause of the Great Tribulation (Brant Pitre, Jesus, Tribulation and the End of Exile,(2005, 305). Pitre says the abomination as used in Scripture “always refers to a profanation of the Jerusalem Temple” (2005, 304, his emphasis). He continues, “…the ‘abomination of desolation’ not only refers to a profanation of the Temple that leads to the cessation of sacrifices, but also to the destruction of the sanctuary and the holy city that accompanies it.”
So, the Abomination was directly tied to and the cause of the Great Tribulation. It was in fact, some heinous sin (that is what “abomination” meant!) that brought God’s judgment down on the guilty. That means if the Neronian persecution was the Great Tribulation, that the church must have committed an egregious sin that brought God’s wrath down on them.
Consider also that according to Daniel 9 & 12 the Abomination was to be set up IN THE TEMPLE– not in Rome: //Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week. He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate” (Daniel 9:27); “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days (Daniel 12:11). Clearly, the Abomination was linked to the temple, the city and the land of Judea– not Rome.
The parallel text to Matthew 24:15 is Luke 21:20f. Where Jesus said, “When you see the Abomination of Desolation spoken of by Daniel… let those in Judea flee” Luke has: “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.”
So, without any doubt, the Abomination that would cause the Great Tribulation was to be Judea focused. Thus, if the Great Tribulation was the Neronian persecution of the church, this demands that it was the church that set up the Abomination in the temple, and that abomination instigated God’s judgment on the church via the Neronian persecution. This is stunningly misguided.
We therefore have the right to ask what was the Abomination that the church set up in Judea, Jerusalem, the temple, to cause God to use Nero to persecute them- and to then destroy Jerusalem? If Stevens cannot answer this, his rapture doctrine is falsified.
Historically the Neronian persecution began IN ROME in AD 64. It began, as so many historians believe, as a convenient way for Nero to avoid the blame for setting the city of Rome on fire. (See Tacitus).
But as just seen, the Great Tribulation was to be the result of the Abomination being set up IN Judea, the city and THE TEMPLE– not in Rome! Did the Christians set up the Abomination in the Jerusalem Temple or anywhere in Judea causing Nero to begin persecuting them? This is a totally specious and untenable suggestion. It is an incredible example of an argumentum ad desperatum! (Argumentum ad desperatum is a non-Latin, “Latin” term that I coined years ago– somewhat in jest – to describe arguments created out of desperation by folks trying “desperately” to hold onto their pet doctrines. Stevens’ claim that the Neronian persecution of the church was the Great Tribulation fits firmly within that description).
Jesus told his apostles and disciples that they were to flee Judea when they saw the Abomination set up because in the days of that Abomination, the Tribulation would take place. Thus, the Tribulation was to be centered in Judea, NOT ROME.Now, if the Neronian persecution of the church was empire wide, exactly what good would it do for the church to flee Judea to escape it? Would they not be fleeing from a lion only to run into a bear?
To my knowledge there is not a shred or thread of evidence to support the idea that the Neronian persecution of the church ever even got to Judea, much less Jerusalem. But perhaps I have missed something. One thing is for certain, the appearance of the Roman armies in Judea, sent by Nero, had absolutely NOTHING to do with persecution of the church. Those armies were there to put down the Jewish rebellion. I have challenged Stevens to provide that documentation for his unprecedented claim, so we will see what he produces!
The Christians were to pray that their flight from the Abomination and Tribulation WOULD NOT BE ON SABBATH. This had nothing to do with Neronian persecution. It is a tacit allusion to the fact that the gates of Jerusalem were closed and locked on the Sabbath to prevent Jews from violating the Sabbath by traveling more than a Sabbath Days Journey. There would have been no problem for Christians to flee Rome on a Sabbath. Stevens removes the Tribulation from a Judean centered event against Jerusalem’s rebellion, to a Roman focused persecution of the church.
Stevens says I don’t understand that the Neronian persecution was the Great Tribulation and that the pouring out of wrath against the Jews for persecuting the saints were two different events [His 3rd Affirmative-#28-60 / Final, 160]. You have to realize that Stevens is saying that the Neronian persecution of the church, which most commentators / historians claim was confined mostly to Rome was the Great Tribulation, but that the Jewish War was God’s wrath being poured out on the Jews for persecuting the church. Well, as noted, according to Josephus over one million Jews perished in the War. So, perhaps Stevens can share with us how many Christians died at the hands of Nero. He claims that the “majority” of Christians perished in that claimed persecution, but again, gave us not a keystroke of evidence or proof of ANY kind. You would certainly think– and would have the right to do so– that he would provide some very, very powerful evidence to support his unprecedented claim, but he gives not one single word of evidence. This more than revealing.
I fully understand that the Great Tribulation was NOT the Neronian persecution of the church and Stevens, and let me re-emphasize that he has not offered a key stroke to support HIS UNPRECEDENTED DOCTRINE. Yet, his rapture time line – his entire rapture theory – is totally, 100% dependent on him being able to prove that Nero’s persecution of the church was the Great Tribulation. Without that proof, his rapture doctrine is destroyed. Let me say again that I have challenged Stevens to produce the historical proof that the Neronian persecution was the Great Tribulation. We shall see what he tries to produce.
I will not discuss it here, but in the Tanakh the prophecies of the resurrection are always inseparably tied to the time of the Great Tribulation (Cf. Isaiah 25-27; Jeremiah 30:5f; Hosea 13). And here is what is so critical, in every OT prophecy of that coming unparalleled tribulation it was coming on Israel. See my book, These Are the Days When All Things Must Be Fulfilled, for an in-depth study of these connections.
Was the Neronian Persecution the Great Tribulation– and NOT the Jewish War?