By Dan Maines

Matthew 24:29 - His Return in Glory, Not at Masada

Matthew 24:29 The Glorious Return
29 "But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Jesus said, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days..." this is important context.

Let's look at what Jesus actually meant by "those days" and what "tribulation" He was referring to. In Matthew 24:15-21, He describes the great tribulation as beginning when they would see the abomination of desolation that is, the Roman armies surrounding Jerusalem (Luke 21:20). He said it would be a time of unprecedented distress, and He told that generation to flee the city (Matthew 24:34).

The "tribulation of those days" primarily refers to the siege of Jerusalem, which began in 66 AD and reached its horrific climax in 70 AD when the temple was destroyed. The destruction was brutal, as both history and Josephus record.

The tribulation Jesus was speaking about - centered on Jerusalem and the temple - ended in AD 70 with the total destruction of the city. That was the focal point of His prophecy. After that, the survivors were scattered, but the judgment on the covenant-breaking city had been completed.

So when Jesus said He would come "after the tribulation of those days," He was referring to His coming in judgment - not years later at Masada, but immediately after Jerusalem's fall, just as He promised. His coming was with power and great glory, not in physical form, but in the clear demonstration of His authority over the old covenant system (the old covenant system did not end in AD 73, even futurists know that).

Jerusalem (AD 70) not Masada (AD 73)

Masada is a desert fortress about 55 miles southeast of Jerusalem, near the Dead Sea. It was one of the last strongholds of Jewish resistance after the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70.

When the Romans leveled Jerusalem and burned the temple in AD 70, the core of the war was over. The city - the heart of Jewish life and worship - was completely devastated.

However, pockets of resistance continued, especially by Zealots who fled to places like Masada, where they held out until AD 73. The Romans laid siege there, and when the walls were finally breached, the defenders had reportedly committed mass suicide (according to Josephus).

Why this matters:

Jesus' prophecy in Matthew 24 focuses on Jerusalem, the temple, and the tribulation connected to that city and its people - not remote rebel holdouts in the desert.

His words were fulfilled when the temple was destroyed, not when the last rebels fell. That's why Preterists see AD 70 as the clear end of the tribulation Jesus referred to.

Masada was tragic, but it was more like an epilogue to the war - not the main event.

Here are some key points an recap

Masada was 55 miles away from Jerusalem and fell 3 years after the city was destroyed, but it was not central to Jesus' prophecy. The "tribulation of those days" ended with the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70, not the cleanup operations that followed.

After Jerusalem was destroyed in AD 70, some Jewish Zealots fled to remote fortresses like Masada.

Roman forces didn't prioritize Masada at first - it wasn't strategic like Jerusalem.

The Romans finally laid siege to Masada in AD 72, and by AD 73, the stronghold fell.

Josephus records that the defenders (nearly 1,000 people) committed mass suicide rather than be captured.

"They had died in the belief that they had left not a soul of them alive to fall into Roman hands.”
– Josephus, The Jewish War, Book 7, Chapter 9

Jesus' prophecy was about Jerusalem - its temple, its people, and the covenant tied to it.

He never mentioned Masada or scattered bands of rebels.

The "tribulation of those days” centered on the siege and fall of Jerusalem (AD 70), not fringe battles 3 years later.

By AD 70, the temple was destroyed, the sacrificial system ended, and the old covenant world had collapsed - exactly what Jesus said would happen within that generation.

Masada in AD 73 was tragic, but it wasn't the focus of Jesus' prophecy. Jerusalem's destruction in AD 70 marked the end of the tribulation He spoke of - Masada was 55 miles away and three years later, involving a few hundred rebels, not the nation or temple He warned about.