Events in 70AD by Phillip Kayser
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https://kaysercommentary.com/Sermons/New%20Testament/Revelation/Revelation%2012/Revelation%2012_13-14.md#fn15
Artemisius 21, of AD 66
Pinpoints as the battle of Revelation 12:7-12
We have already seen that this great battle of verses 7-12 took place on Artemisius 21, of AD 66. And when we looked at the sixth seal, I documented Jewish, Roman, and Christian witnesses who saw a huge heavenly battle in the skies. Satan and all of his angels were cast out of heaven and no longer allowed to visit heaven to accuse the brethren, such as they had done under Job. It was a momentous historical event. Heaven was cleansed.
12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
12:8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
He says the "woman" is the church.
(I tend to say it is Israel. Perhaps more accurate to say "true" Israel?)
He says the dragon came against the church.
(I say the dragon came against the Jews. Rev 12:16-17, confirms the flood did not take the 'remnant' who keep God's commandments.)
He says that the 'prince' and the 'beast' were bound in 70AD.
(I do not agree. They were thrown in the lake of fire. Revelation 19:20)
But in any case, the church fathers said that God warned the church in Jerusalem through both a prophet[2] and an angel[3] to flee from Jerusalem and travel to the region of Paerea, and three say to Pella and some other areas in Paerea. The Clementine Writings say that the early Christians obeyed Christ's command to flee and they were "kept unhurt from the destruction of war." 
Flight to Pella, Jordan, by Christians
Notice the reference to two wings of the great eagle. This speaks of God's personal supernatural deliverance of the church.
Ex 19:4
Deut 32:11
Rev 12:14
Zech 14:1-3
We saw in a previous sermon that the Roman armies that came to Jerusalem were indeed made up of all the nations of the empire. Every language group and every skin color was represented.
Florus robbed the temple of 25 talents of gold in AD 66, and Titus took the rest in AD 70.
"The city shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. half of the city shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city."
Josephus records that Rome left a remnant of Jews at the city and it was not until the time of the Bar Kochba rebellion (AD 132-135) that it was completely evacuated of all Jews.
THE MOUNT OF OLIVES
Zech 14:4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south.
There are disagreements among scholars on how this should be translated. I won't give a definitive interpretation this morning. Some see this as a double landslide, such as Josephus says had happened under Uzziah and that it fills the valley rather than making a valley. And archeology certainly shows a first century massive landslide on both sides of the Mount of Olives.[7] https://web.archive.org/web/20180726082950/https://zechariahfourteenfive.wordpress.com/
see... Deciphering Zechariah 14:5
...there is evidence that the split we see today on the Mount of Olives may well have happened during this earthquake on the day of Pentecost of AD 66.[8] Early historians tell us that God's glory cloud left the temple and stood on the Mount of Olives. This either created an earthquake or was accompanied by an earthquake that made massive amounts of that unstable mountain fall.
1. ... both angelic and prophetic warnings happened on this date according to Tacitus,[9] Josephus,[10] Ambrose of Milan,[11] Eusebius,[12] Yossipon,[13] and an eye witness rabbi by the name of Jonathan.[14]
2. the Shekina glory of God left the temple and rested on the Mount of Olives
the same way that it left the temple and stood on the mount of olives in Ezekiel's day, just before the exile (Ezek. 10:18-19; 11:22-23)
I don't know how any Jews could have missed the ominous connection. That's a literal fulfillment of this verse, which says, "in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives." (shekina glory moving to the mt olives)
According to Ernest Martin, there are three ancient witnesses to that Glory Cloud leaving the temple on Pentecost of AD 66, landing on the Mount of Olives, and possibly resulting in the split in the Mount of Olives that you can still see today.
Eusebius, the early church historian, seems to refer to this event as an apologetic against the Jews - saying that God's Shekina glory left them and went to the Mount of Olives precisely to show God's favor upon the church.[16]
Eusebius says that they made pilgrimages to Jerusalem, not because Jerusalem was holy, which it was not, but to commemorate the presence of God being given to the church in this miraculous glory cloud resting upon the Mount of Olives. It was a confirmation that Pentecost was indeed true forever.
Eusebius said, “Believers in Christ congregate from all parts of the world, not as of old time because of the glory of Jerusalem, nor that they may worship in the ancient Temple at Jerusalem, but . . . that they may worship at the Mount of Olives opposite to the city, whither the glory of the LORD [the Shekinah] migrated when it left the former city.”
(Eusebius Proof of the Gospel 6.18.)
3. Third, there was an earthquake reported on that same day by Josephus, Eusebius, and Ambrose of Milan.
modern seismology shows the fault lines going right through it. So the mountain mentioned in verse 4 was literally split (and according to modern archeology apparently had a massive landslide - so the evidence fits either translation of this verse) , and this was all done by God in order to accommodate the flight of the Christians.
Zech 14:5 Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal.
Notice that it is not an end-of-the-world kind of flight, but they were to flee just like they fled in the days of King Uzziah. That fact makes this less cataclysmic.
This first sign was recorded by Tacitus as the sun darkening during the day and a bright light shining during the night. We looked at those signs when I preached on Revelation 6:12-17.
And both the Roman historian Tacitus and the Jewish historian Josephus record that a miraculous light emanating from the Temple lit up the city of Jerusalem so brightly “that it appeared to be bright daytime.”[17] This miracle literally fulfills verse 7 which says, “When evening comes, there will be light.”
Josephus says that the literal spring-fed-stream that supplied water to Jerusalem had almost completely dried up (unheard of), but once Titus had conquered the city, that stream miraculously surged with far more water than it had previously.[18]
8 And in that day it shall be That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, Half of them toward the eastern sea And half of them toward the western sea; In both summer and winter it shall occur.
While Josephus does indeed mention a miraculous change in the physical water coming into and out of Jerusalem, because this text uses the phrase "living waters," (which Ezekiel clearly uses for the Holy Spirit leaving the temple) this is most likely referring to the living waters of the Holy Spirit leaving the temple and going to the ends of the world
verse 12, which I believe was fulfilled in AD 79, when Mount Vesuvius blew its top. That happened under Titus
Zech. 14:12 And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem:
Who fought against Jerusalem? It would be Rome. And of those Romans verse 12 says,
Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet,
Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets,
And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.
FLIGHT TO PELLA DATING
1
Some have proposed that this flight of the church into the wilderness, or into the town of Pella, happened just before Titus came to capture the city.
2
A second theory says that this escape happened after Cestius surrounded Jerusalem on Tishri 30 (or October 8), of AD 66.
3
The third theory is that the armies surrounding Jerusalem were the heavenly armies that appeared on Artemisius 21 (or May 4).
4
Theory 4 is the Governor Florus theory. It says that Florus' Roman army forced its way into the temple, and they did so on the same day that the heavenly armies appeared in the sky.
Ambrose of Milan indicates that Florus' entry into the temple was the Jewish justification for going to war.[20]
(problem) Josephus claims that shortly after Ellul 17 (or August 26), every Gentile inhabitant of Pella was killed by Jews in retaliation for the massacre of Jews that took place in Caesarea.
the phrase "time, and times, and half a time"
it actually seems to be a reference to the three campaigns of Rome to subdue Jerusalem, each of which was separated by a short period when there was a removal of the armies. It actually covers more than four years. The first campaign was "a time" and refers to Cestius' 66 AD campaign. The second compaign was "and times" and refers to Vespasian and Titus' two year campaign of AD 68-69. Vespasian then gets recalled to Rome to become emperor. The third campaign was the "half a time" and refers to the six month campaign of Titus against Jerusalem, which completely overthrew the city.
Another possible candidate for the abomination that makes desolate is the Jewish zealot, Menahem, a man who successfully fought his way into Jerusalem, declared himself king, entered the temple, and killed the high priest.
The last candidate for the abomination that makes desolate was John of Gischala, a man who killed thousands of his countrymen, entered the temple, killed the high priest, and then set up a mock high priest who was a common man - someone whom Josephus says brought mockery to the priesthood and defiled the temple. In fact, Josephus explicitly says that he was an abomination that defiled the temple and guaranteed Israel's destruction.
Flight to Pella, Jordan, by Christians
Notice the reference to two wings of the great eagle. This speaks of God's personal supernatural deliverance of the church.
Ex 19:4
Deut 32:11
Rev 12:14
Zech 14:1-3
We saw in a previous sermon that the Roman armies that came to Jerusalem were indeed made up of all the nations of the empire. Every language group and every skin color was represented.
Florus robbed the temple of 25 talents of gold in AD 66, and Titus took the rest in AD 70.
"The city shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. half of the city shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city."
Josephus records that Rome left a remnant of Jews at the city and it was not until the time of the Bar Kochba rebellion (AD 132-135) that it was completely evacuated of all Jews.
THE MOUNT OF OLIVES
Zech 14:4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south.
There are disagreements among scholars on how this should be translated. I won't give a definitive interpretation this morning. Some see this as a double landslide, such as Josephus says had happened under Uzziah and that it fills the valley rather than making a valley. And archeology certainly shows a first century massive landslide on both sides of the Mount of Olives.[7] https://web.archive.org/web/20180726082950/https://zechariahfourteenfive.wordpress.com/
see... Deciphering Zechariah 14:5
...there is evidence that the split we see today on the Mount of Olives may well have happened during this earthquake on the day of Pentecost of AD 66.[8] Early historians tell us that God's glory cloud left the temple and stood on the Mount of Olives. This either created an earthquake or was accompanied by an earthquake that made massive amounts of that unstable mountain fall.
1. ... both angelic and prophetic warnings happened on this date according to Tacitus,[9] Josephus,[10] Ambrose of Milan,[11] Eusebius,[12] Yossipon,[13] and an eye witness rabbi by the name of Jonathan.[14]
2. the Shekina glory of God left the temple and rested on the Mount of Olives
the same way that it left the temple and stood on the mount of olives in Ezekiel's day, just before the exile (Ezek. 10:18-19; 11:22-23)
I don't know how any Jews could have missed the ominous connection. That's a literal fulfillment of this verse, which says, "in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives." (shekina glory moving to the mt olives)
According to Ernest Martin, there are three ancient witnesses to that Glory Cloud leaving the temple on Pentecost of AD 66, landing on the Mount of Olives, and possibly resulting in the split in the Mount of Olives that you can still see today.
Eusebius, the early church historian, seems to refer to this event as an apologetic against the Jews - saying that God's Shekina glory left them and went to the Mount of Olives precisely to show God's favor upon the church.[16]
Eusebius says that they made pilgrimages to Jerusalem, not because Jerusalem was holy, which it was not, but to commemorate the presence of God being given to the church in this miraculous glory cloud resting upon the Mount of Olives. It was a confirmation that Pentecost was indeed true forever.
Eusebius said, “Believers in Christ congregate from all parts of the world, not as of old time because of the glory of Jerusalem, nor that they may worship in the ancient Temple at Jerusalem, but . . . that they may worship at the Mount of Olives opposite to the city, whither the glory of the LORD [the Shekinah] migrated when it left the former city.”
(Eusebius Proof of the Gospel 6.18.)
3. Third, there was an earthquake reported on that same day by Josephus, Eusebius, and Ambrose of Milan.
modern seismology shows the fault lines going right through it. So the mountain mentioned in verse 4 was literally split (and according to modern archeology apparently had a massive landslide - so the evidence fits either translation of this verse) , and this was all done by God in order to accommodate the flight of the Christians.
Zech 14:5 Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal.
Notice that it is not an end-of-the-world kind of flight, but they were to flee just like they fled in the days of King Uzziah. That fact makes this less cataclysmic.
This first sign was recorded by Tacitus as the sun darkening during the day and a bright light shining during the night. We looked at those signs when I preached on Revelation 6:12-17.
And both the Roman historian Tacitus and the Jewish historian Josephus record that a miraculous light emanating from the Temple lit up the city of Jerusalem so brightly “that it appeared to be bright daytime.”[17] This miracle literally fulfills verse 7 which says, “When evening comes, there will be light.”
Josephus says that the literal spring-fed-stream that supplied water to Jerusalem had almost completely dried up (unheard of), but once Titus had conquered the city, that stream miraculously surged with far more water than it had previously.[18]
8 And in that day it shall be That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, Half of them toward the eastern sea And half of them toward the western sea; In both summer and winter it shall occur.
While Josephus does indeed mention a miraculous change in the physical water coming into and out of Jerusalem, because this text uses the phrase "living waters," (which Ezekiel clearly uses for the Holy Spirit leaving the temple) this is most likely referring to the living waters of the Holy Spirit leaving the temple and going to the ends of the world
verse 12, which I believe was fulfilled in AD 79, when Mount Vesuvius blew its top. That happened under Titus
Zech. 14:12 And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem:
Who fought against Jerusalem? It would be Rome. And of those Romans verse 12 says,
Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet,
Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets,
And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.
FLIGHT TO PELLA DATING
1
Some have proposed that this flight of the church into the wilderness, or into the town of Pella, happened just before Titus came to capture the city.
2
A second theory says that this escape happened after Cestius surrounded Jerusalem on Tishri 30 (or October 8), of AD 66.
3
The third theory is that the armies surrounding Jerusalem were the heavenly armies that appeared on Artemisius 21 (or May 4).
4
Theory 4 is the Governor Florus theory. It says that Florus' Roman army forced its way into the temple, and they did so on the same day that the heavenly armies appeared in the sky.
Ambrose of Milan indicates that Florus' entry into the temple was the Jewish justification for going to war.[20]
(problem) Josephus claims that shortly after Ellul 17 (or August 26), every Gentile inhabitant of Pella was killed by Jews in retaliation for the massacre of Jews that took place in Caesarea.
the phrase "time, and times, and half a time"
it actually seems to be a reference to the three campaigns of Rome to subdue Jerusalem, each of which was separated by a short period when there was a removal of the armies. It actually covers more than four years. The first campaign was "a time" and refers to Cestius' 66 AD campaign. The second compaign was "and times" and refers to Vespasian and Titus' two year campaign of AD 68-69. Vespasian then gets recalled to Rome to become emperor. The third campaign was the "half a time" and refers to the six month campaign of Titus against Jerusalem, which completely overthrew the city.
Another possible candidate for the abomination that makes desolate is the Jewish zealot, Menahem, a man who successfully fought his way into Jerusalem, declared himself king, entered the temple, and killed the high priest.
The last candidate for the abomination that makes desolate was John of Gischala, a man who killed thousands of his countrymen, entered the temple, killed the high priest, and then set up a mock high priest who was a common man - someone whom Josephus says brought mockery to the priesthood and defiled the temple. In fact, Josephus explicitly says that he was an abomination that defiled the temple and guaranteed Israel's destruction.