The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 1

VI. Rabbis Expect Messiah’s Kingdom Following Rome

The rabbis of Josephus’ time believed that Rome was the power which was to be superseded by the Messiah’s kingdom. They derived this from the book of Daniel, and also from the popular tradition of the sixth millennium of the world, as the kingdom of God, with the Messiah appearing in the fifth millennium. This expectation increased from the second quarter of the first century, and especially after the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70, and on into the second century. There was “a widespread tradition” that “Rome was the fourth and last empire that subdued Palestine,” that “salvation would come upon the fall of Rome,” and “that the Messianic era would be ushered in at the beginning of the fifth chiliad or during that period.” ³⁵ Two first-century rabbis are mentioned in the treatment of later Jewish interpretation in Volume II, chapter 8. PFF1 202.5