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.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Jesus walks away from the temple having just abandoned it to judgement. The temple was the centre of Judaism, the symbol of Israel as a nation and an object of national pride. The disciples even point out it’s magnificence. But Jesus tells them that soon not one stone will remain on top of another—it will be completely destroyed. That was not just the destruction of a building but the destruction of the Jewish national way of life. Israel was left with no hope for the bright future the prophets had prophesied.
When the disciples asked Jesus about how and when this would happen, they were likely imagining the future when the current temple would be destroyed and Ezekiel’s Millennial temple would be erected in its place (Ezek 40-44). They imagined that this would all happen soon and in quick succession. The disciples are concerned about when the Kingdom age would begin and Messiah would deliver Israel.
Jesus addresses the disciples as representatives of the Kingdom age, not the church age. This is a message primarily for the Jews, not for us.
Jesus lays out the broad timeline of the tribulation, the return of Christ, and the regathering of Israel. Many of the events seem to be taking place today, two thousand years after Jesus spoke. But during the tribulation these things will magnify significantly. The tribulation will be a time of great difficulty for the believers at the time and only those who persevere through this trial and difficulty will be delivered, not from hell, but from physical death. Their endurance would not save them from hell, as that would be works-based salvation and salvation is always only by faith. Our salvation is assured because of the promise of God to save us and not on any effort on our part. Those who endure through the tribulation will be gloriously saved by Jesus as He returns. During the tribulation, this gospel “good news” that Jesus will rescue those believers who persevere and will usher in a kingdom of peace will be proclaimed throughout the earth, and then the end will come.
The even greater news is that us believers in the church age, which the disciples didn’t even realise was coming next, will be saved from even having to endure the tribulation at all. Who do you need to tell of the good news of Jesus before it’s too late?