In the wake of Rome’s defeat, anti-Jewish violence erupted across Syria, including Damascus. Despite the flourishing community of Jewish and Gentile disciples of Yeshua there, Roman-aligned citizens herded all Jews—believers and non-believers alike—into the gymnasium and slaughtered them by night. God-fearing Gentile women, many likely believers, protested in vain. Josephus records that the Gentiles of Syria showed greater hatred toward the Jews than the Romans themselves. These massacres shattered Jewish-Gentile unity within the early church and compelled many Gentile believers to distance themselves from Jewish identity and practice out of fear for their lives.

In the winter months of 67 CE (Kislev–Shevat), Jerusalem descended into chaos as Zealots seized the Temple and turned it into a fortress, murdering suspected sympathizers of Rome, including aristocrats and priests. Pharisees and Sadducees united in protest, led by Annas son of Annas, who publicly lamented the desecration of the holy place. The people attempted to resist, but the Zealots, reinforced by Idumean allies during a stormy night, massacred their way into the city and Temple Mount. Blood filled the courtyards, and the Idumeans unleashed terror on the city's leadership, fulfilling Yeshua’s grim warnings. The Zealots established martial law, imprisoning and executing any who resisted, plunging Jerusalem into terror and fulfilling prophecies of tribulation and fratricide.