The Great Tribulation VS. The Holocaust

How could the Great Tribulation have happened in the first century when more Jews died in the Holocaust?

Critics of preterism sometimes argue that the Great Tribulation could not have happened in the first century because more Jews died in the Holocaust. Jesus said this would be the greatest tribulation ever:

“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” (Matt. 24:21).

First, it’s true that more Jews died during the Holocaust than during the judgment in AD 70; however, the Holocaust was not a biblically prophesied about judgment from God. The Holocaust happened because an evil madman named Hitler hated Jews and tried to wipe them off the face of the earth.

The Great Tribulation, on the other hand, was a biblically prophesied about judgment from God, which happened because of Israel’s long history of killing God’s prophets and, eventually, killing the Messiah himself (see Matt. 21:33–45, 22:7, 23:29–36).

Second, the Great Tribulation entailed much more than simply loss of life, as tragic as that was. God also took away the kingdom from (old covenant) Israel and gave it to a new nation called the church (Matt. 21:43, 1 Pet. 2:9). This judgment put an end to Israel’s unique and privileged status before God. From that time forward, God would treat Israel like any other group. Jews can certainly still have a relationship with God, but they must turn to Christ to do so, just like anyone else (Matt. 23:39).

Note: It is technically still true that “whoever blesses Israel will be blessed of God” (Gen. 12:3); however, from AD 70 onward, true Israel consists of believers in Christ (Gal. 3:29, 6:16; Rom. 2:28–29).

Third, although Jesus described the Great Tribulation as “the worst ever” (Matt. 24:21), this description doesn’t necessarily have to be taken in a wooden-literal way. After all, did Jesus believe this judgment would be worse than the flood of Noah’s day?

Keep in mind, also, that this same kind of “worst ever” language was used in the Old Testament to describe previous judgments. For example, when God was about to judge Israel in 586 BC, God said:

“Because of all your detestable practices, I will do to you what I have never done before and what I will never do again” (Ez. 5:9).

This is almost word for word how Jesus described the judgment in AD 70 (Matt. 24:21, 30). Logically, there cannot be two “worst ever” judgments of Israel, which means the prophets were likely using hyperbole.

But to those on the receiving end, it probably felt like it was the worst ever.

Fourth, by describing the judgment as “the greatest tribulation that ever was or ever will be,” Jesus was warning the Jews of his day—who knew well the book of Daniel—that Daniel’s prophecy of the “greatest tribulation ever” was about to be fulfilled. Compare Daniel’s prophecy to Jesus’s:

Daniel (600 BC) “And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation” (Dan. 12:1).

Jesus (AD 33) “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” (Matt. 24:21).

Daniel and Jesus were describing the same event! They both not only mention “the greatest tribulation ever,” but they also both mention the time of the end/end of the age (Dan. 12:4, 9; Matt. 24:3, 14, 34), the end of sacrifices/destruction of the temple (Dan. 12:11; Matt. 24:1–2), and the “abomination of desolation” (Dan. 12:11; Matt. 24:15, 34). In fact, right after describing the abomination of desolation, Jesus specifically adds “as spoken by Daniel” (Matt. 24:15). Jesus and Daniel were clearly describing the same event.

Therefore, by describing this judgment as “the worst ever,” Jesus was warning the Jews of his day in no uncertain terms that Daniel’s prophecy of the “greatest tribulation ever” was about to happen, within “this generation,” as he went on to say (see Matt. 24:34).

And this judgment was fulfilled during the first Jewish/Roman War of AD 66-70. According to the first century historian Josephus, more than 1.1 million Jews were killed, and another 97,000 were taken into slavery. The city of Jerusalem and the temple were desolated, just like Jesus had said would happen (Luke 21:20). Moreover, the kingdom was taken from (old covenant) Israel and given to another “nation,” the Christian church (Matt. 21:43).

For more information about the topics discussed in this article, please see my book The End Is Here: How the New Testament Prophecies Were Fulfilled, available now on Amazon!

By Alex Polyak, Director of The Bible Fulfilled, 9/19/25.