1 Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” – Matthew 24:1-14 ESV
In one of our earlier readings this week we saw the anger of Jesus leveled against those who would keep people from experiencing the blessing of the Kingdom He had come to offer. But you need to understand His heart, and you see it clearly in His words spoken in regards to Jerusalem.
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks under beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me. And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate. For I tell you this, you will never see me again until you say, ‘Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’” – Matthew 23:37-39 NLT
Jerusalem, as the city of God, had a track record of rejecting the message of God. Jesus had come as the King they had long waited for. He had come as the perfect sacrifice that would forever replace their need for further sacrificial offerings in the temple. He had come as their perfect High Priest, interceding on their behalf before God. But they would refuse to accept Him. And Jesus had prophetically warned:
“And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate.” – Matthew 23:38 NLT
This was a prophetic judgment. Jesus was leaving. He was going away. He was going to literally walk away from the temple and the city, but His departure would have an even greater significance. This all reminds me of a vision given to the prophet Ezekiel hundreds of years earlier. It also involved the temple and the city of Jerusalem:
Then the glory of the LORD moved out from the door of the Temple and hovered above the cherubim. And as I watched, the cherubim flew with their wheels to the east gate of the LORD's Temple. And the glory of the God of Israel hovered above them.… Then the glory of the LORD went up from the city and stopped above the mountain to the east. – Ezekiel 10:18-19; 11:23 NLT
As an illustration of God’s coming judgment, His presence left the temple and the city. God removed Himself from their midst. Now fast-forward to this point in Jesus' life. He was also threatening to abandon the temple and the city. The Son of God was going to remove His presence from their midst and, as a result, judgment would come.
Look at how Matthew chapter 24 starts out: "Jesus left the temple and was going away…" (Matthew 24:1 ESV). Sounds eerily similar to the Ezekiel passage. “Then the glory of the Lord went out from the threshold of the house…” (Ezekiel 10:18 ESV). As they walked away from the temple, the disciples remarked about the temple grounds:
“Teacher, look at these magnificent buildings! Look at the impressive stones in the walls.” – Mark 13:1 NLT
Jesus gave them a bit of shocking news:
“Yes, look at these great buildings. But they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!” – Mark 13:2 NLT
Naturally, the disciples wanted to know WHEN all this was going to happen?
“Teacher,” they asked, “when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to take place?” – Luke 21:7 NLT
In response, Jesus gave them a two-part answer. There would be some things that happened in the not-too-distant future, and there would be other things that took place long after the disciples were gone. Some of the things that were to happen in the more immediate future would serve as patterns of things to come later. For instance, the temple was going to be destroyed in 70 AD just as Jesus had predicted (Luke 19:41-44). But this would be a pattern of what is yet to come. The destruction of the temple by the Romans was NOT going to be the end. It would simply be a foreshadowing of the coming future judgment.
Jesus and His disciples made their way out of the Temple grounds. It is likely that they left through the Eastern gate on their way to the Mount of Olives.
Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives across the valley from the Temple. – Mark 13:3 NLT
Again, eerily similar to what we find in the book of Ezekiel.
Then the glory of the LORD went up from the city and stopped above the mountain to the east. – Ezekiel 11:23 NLT
Mark tells us that it was Peter, James, John and Andrew who privately questioned Jesus about the timing of the temple’s destruction. They were obviously concerned. They wanted to know if the temple had to be destroyed as part of Jesus’ Messianic plan – when would it happen? So, Jesus begand what has come to be known as His Olivet Discourse. He was sitting with His disciples on the Mount of Olives just outside the city walls of Jerusalem. They could see the temple grounds just beyond the valley and just over the walls
What Jesus was about to tell them can be highly confusing. It was prophetic in nature and included both short-term and long-term predictions. And it was focused primarily on the Jewish nation. Jesus was going to talk about the end.
“Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately.” – Matthew 24:6 NLT
Jesus was talking about a future point in time. But before THAT TIME arrived, there were going to be some things to look for – some signs
Sign 1: False Messiahs – Matthew 24:4
Jesus discussed events that would happen after His resurrection and ascension. When He left, there would be those who showed up claiming to be the Messiah. Basically, they would claim, “the time has come!” (Luke 21:8). Don’t Jesus warned that the disciples were not to believe them.
Sign 2: Wars, threats of wars, and insurrections – Matthew 24:6
Those future days would be marked by increasing instability and uncertainty. Things would appear shaky. But Jesus encouraged His followers not to panic because all these things were necessary. Yet their presence did not mean the end would immediately follow.
Sign 3: Actual global conflict – Matthew 24:7
The time of which Jesus spoke would NOT be a time of peace. It would be marked by increasing conflict around the world. Sin would continue to exhert a powerful influence over the lives of man. But again, Jesus told His disciples not to be surprised by all this.
Sign 4: Natural disasters – Matthew 24:7
Creation itself would be in turmoil. Natural disasters would increase, not diminish, and would serve as the early signs before the end. –Jesus compared them to a woman's contractions during labor, steadily increasing in intensity before she finally gives birth. But interestingly, Jesus told them once again not to be concerned about these things.
Personal Persecution – Matthew 24:9
Now, Jesus shared with the disciples some really disturbing news that directly involved them. He told them about the upcoming persecution they would suffer after His departure. This is virtually a word-for-word repeat of what He had told them back in Matthew 10. He told them they would be dragged into synagogues, put in prison and eventually tried in a court of laws. Their own families would betray them. Some of them would be killed. Everyone would hate them. And it would all be because they were His followers. And this would all commence as soon as Jesus returned to heaven. His disciples would experience all of this, to one degree or another.
Denial of Christ and Spiritual Apathy – Matthew 24:10-12
Jesus informed the disciples that many who claimed to be His followers would desert and betray Him. We know that this took place even before His trials began in Jerusalem. At His arrest, the disciples all fled. At His trial, Peter denied Him and ran away. Judas had already made an agreement with the high priest to betray Him. All those people who had shouted, “Hosanna!” at His arrival in Jerusalem at the beginning of the week, would turn on Him, shouting instead, “Crucify Him!” But these events would extend far beyond the time in which the apostles lived. These things were to be ongoing, extending even into our own lifetimes. And they will continue until He returns.
The Perseverance of the Saints and the Spread of the Gospel – Matthew 24:13-14
But in spite of the fact that many would end up deserting and denying Jesus, there would be those who endured and persevered to the end. They would remain faithful, resulting in the spread of the good news about the Kingdom throughout all the world. This includes the period of time from Jesus’ ascension all the way to the END. And it would be at that time that Jesus would return.
This incredible passage provides us with a glimpse into the future of not only Israel, but the world. Jesus is preparing His disciples to think globally and eternally. He is attempting to move their point of reference from the here-and-now to the yet-to-be. These men had been obsessed with their own immediate context. They had hoped that Jesus was going to establish His Messianic Kingdom in their lifetimes. They had a difficult time accepting His repeated warnings that He was going to die in Jerusalem. And the very thought of the temple being destroyed was unfathomable to them. It was inconceivable and unacceptable. But Jesus had a long-term perspective that was focused on God’s eternal plan of redemption. He was not done yet. He had to die. He had to rise again. He had to return to His Father’s side. And then, one day, when it was time, He would return to earth and complete His Father’s will.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Message (MSG)Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson
