The Prophecies of Jesus

Part 1: The Destruction of the Temple & The End of the Age

by Don Manley, PhD

Introduction

Godly living brings blessings from God. Sinful living brings trouble, unhappiness, and, if not repented of, judgment from the holy God of the Bible. In Matthew chapter 23, we read that Jesus exposed the Jewish religious leaders for their sin and hypocrisy. After He had pronounced seven “woes” (declarations of grief) upon them that day, He left the stunning beautiful Jewish temple, one of the most impressive buildings on Earth at that time. As Jesus and the disciples were leaving the temple area He prophesied about the future of that temple –

“…Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down” (Matthew 24:2).

A short time later that day as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, He was approached by the disciples who asked Him about three things that would happen sometime in the future. Their questions, therefore, were prophetic. Let’s take a look at those three questions and our Lord’s response –

Now 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?” (Matthew 24:3)

1. The Destruction of the Temple: “When?”

In response to Jesus’s prior statement that the temple would be destroyed (verse 2), the disciples wanted to know when this would happen, so they asked Him. The book of Matthew does not tell us our Lord’s answer to that first question, however; His answer is recorded in Luke 21:20-24.

But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near.
(Luke 21:20)

We know from history that the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and of the temple happened about 40 years later (AD 70). God gave the Jews plenty of time to change their minds about the awful sin they had committed by rejecting Messiah Jesus, but they didn’t change. The holy God, therefore, sent a horrific judgment on them. Josephus, the Jewish historian, recorded the details of this judgment. His writings tell us that Titus, a Roman general, came into the Holy Land with a Roman army that killed roughly one million Jews, destroyed the city and the temple, and took over 100,000 Jews captive. The massive stones that Jesus was referring to (Matthew 24:2) were
10-12 feet in length. When the Roman soldiers tore down the temple not one stone was left upon another.
The prophecy that Jesus spoke to His disciples as recorded in Matthew 24:2 was literally fulfilled.

2. What Would Be the Signs of the End of the Age? (Matthew 24:4-28)

Notice in the biblical text that the second question the disciples asked Jesus focused on His future return to earth. They wanted to know what the sign of His coming would be. Then in the third and final question, the disciples asked what would be the sign of the end of the age. Jesus the Master teacher, however, wanted to discuss the signs of the end of the age first and then discuss the sign of His second coming, so He switched the order. He did this because He was about to explain three periods of time in the coming Tribulation.

Think “Jewish”

As we study the signs to which Jesus refers, it is important to understand that this was a Jewish conversation. Jesus spoke to His disciples that day about Jewish things, not the Church. He spoke to them about the temple, the Sabbath, and the Jewish people. He also spoke to them about Daniel’s prophecy concerning the Jewish people living in Judea during the coming tribulation period.

We, the Church (composed of all who have placed their faith in Jesus as Savior), cannot be found in Matthew 24. This chapter deals with the coming tribulation period and we (the Church) will not be here. We will be in Heaven because the Rapture has already occurred (1st Thessalonians 4:13-17, 1st Corinthians 15:51-52). Many Jewish people will come to faith in Messiah Jesus during the tribulation period that follows the Rapture. As a matter of fact, Jewish preachers will win multitudes of people to the Lord from all over the earth. These Jewish evangelists will take the “gospel of the kingdom” to the entire world (Matthew 24:14).

a. Deception

And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you” (Matthew 24:4).

The first sign that Jesus said to watch for was deception. He reveals to us that deception will be an ever-present sign at the end of the age. Jesus also warned about end-time deception in verses five and eleven of this chapter. Deception, of course, is not new. What will be new is the degree of deception at the end of the age. Satan is the great deceiver. He is never out to help us; He is always out to hurt us.

Here are three of the main areas of deception to watch out for:

1. Watch out for religious deception.
2. Watch out for political deception.
3. Watch out for cultural deception.

The Bible reveals that millions will be deceived in the last days. This is a thought-provoking subject because the things we see happening on Earth indicate that we are living in the last days. Let us, dear friend, be careful. Christians are not immune from the deception of the world, the flesh, and the devil. Jesus said, “Take heed that no one deceives you.” You and I should take that warning from our Lord very, very seriously.

After the rapture of the church, the world in general and the Jews in particular will experience the infamous tribulation period. Demonic deception will reach its zenith at that time. Early in the Tribulation, for example, many false Christs will appear in Israel. These false Christs will probably get a lot of media attention. One will appear and say “I am the Christ.” A short time later another will appear and make the same claim. Jesus told us that they “will deceive many” (verse 5). Satan’s wicked goal is to fool the Jews with these false Christs so that he might keep them from placing their faith in the true Christ.

There are many scriptures in the Bible on the subject of deception. These are a few you should read and ponder: Mark 7:21-23, Jeremiah 17:9, 2nd Timothy 3:13, Galatians 6:3, 1st Corinthians 15:33,
1st John 1:8, Revelation 20:10, Galatians 6:7, 2nd Corinthians 1:2, 11:3-4.

b. False Messiahs

Many will come in My name saying, “I am the Christ” and will deceive many (Matthew 24:5).

The Greek word for Christ in this text is “Christos” and it means “anointed one,” which is a description of the coming Messiah. The gospel of Christ is the power of God that brings salvation to all who believe (Romans 1:16). During the first three-and-a-half years of the Tribulation many Jews will be saved. God will choose 144,000 of them to preach the good news of the coming kingdom to all of Israel and then to the entire world (Revelation 7:1-8, Matthew 24:14). Satan has opposed the work of God from the very beginning. He is the one who convinced Adam and Eve to sin in the garden. He hates it when people accept Christ and are saved. The tribulation period will be a time of fear, chaos, and deception. Satan will deceive many Jews at that time by raising up men who claim to be Christ.

c. Wars and Rumors of Wars

And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom… (Matthew 24:6-7).

Well-meaning men and women have labored in government to do away with war. They have said things like, “No more war,” and “Let’s get rid of these destructive weapons, and let’s all live in peace.” But the human race has never been able to do that. There will be no lasting peace until the Lord Jesus Christ comes and sets up His kingdom. Until then, there will be wars and rumors of war. The book of Revelation tells us that millions of people will die in the coming wars. Jesus said that if He delayed His coming everybody on earth would perish (Matthew 24:21-22). Aren’t you glad that you are saved? Aren’t you glad that someone told you about Jesus? Share the good news of Christ’s gift of salvation to someone this week!