I am the Lord…
Everything I prophesied has come true, and now I will prophesy again.
I will tell you the future before it happens.
Isaiah 42:8-9
God is not a man, so he does not lie.
He is not human, so he does not change His mind.
Has He ever spoken and failed to act?
Has He ever promised and not carried it through?
Numbers 23:19
Matthew 24 # 2 Two Powerful Signs of the End of the Age
Matthew 24:1- Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple building to Him.
What temple is this? Where is it located? How does this temple look?
The passage is about God’s temple in Jerusalem where Jews came to worship God, where high priests and priest would raise up prayers and animal sacrifices for their sins to God.
King David was grieved because he lived in Jerusalem in a house of cedar while the ark of the Lord was covered by curtains in the tabernacle. However, because David was a man of war, God gave the privilege of building the temple to David’s son Solomon, who was a man of peace. Solomon’s magnificent work was overshadowed only when God’s glory itself filled His temple. God’s presence remained the for more than 350 years, until the days of Ezekiel the prophet. Then because of Judah’s sin and God’s impending judgement, the glory of the Lord departed. In 586 B.C. The temple lays in ruins, destroyed by the Babylonians and the people of Israel captured. When the remnant of Israel returned after the Babylonian captivity, the task of rebuilding the temple was overwhelming. The work began in 536 B.C. and everything was moving very slow. Although this temple, built under Zerubbabel’s leadership, could not compare with Solomon’s Temple, and although God did not fill this temple with His glory, He honored the people’s obedience. When Herod become king of Judaea, he aspired to make this second temple more glories that Solomon’s Magnificent as it was, the temple remained void of God’s glory.
We can see the disciples were amazed by the temple! It was magnificent and huge! This was a huge treasure of their nation! The house of the God of Israel!
Matthew 24:2-And He said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”
What did Jesus mean when He said these word? Did it happen? If yes, then when? How will this prophecy of Jesus will be fulfilled? Why did God allow it and was it His plan to destroy this holy place?
When disciples were amazed and proud of their national treasure, Jesus gives them the news, which they did not want to hear. This news did not bring them any joy, instead it brought sadness and deep worry.
Jesus prophesied the destruction of the temple. The prophecy of Jesus was fulfilled through the Roman commander Titus in 70 AD. The destruction of the temple stopped the sacrifice for sins because the time has already come when animal sacrifices will not help, and it makes no sense to make them anymore because a perfect sacrifice was made - Jesus Christ.
Moreover, God's prophecies are always fulfilled word for word, letter for letter, comma to comma. Jesus said that there would be no stone to stone. By the great mercy of God, I visited Israel in March 2014 and December 2015. It was an amazing journey, but we’re not talking about that right now. During one of the tours, we had an opportunity to see the remains of the temple and the remains of some stones. The stones themselves are grandiose, the sizes are shocking, and I have to say that they are far from our bricks or cinder blocks. Jesus said not only the temple would be destroyed, but He also specified that there would be no stone unturned. How did this happen? When the Romans conquered Jerusalem and the temple, the first thing that they decided to do was to use the fire to devour the temple. Later, they realized that they had made a mistake because there was a lot of gold in the temple that had melted. Moreover, in a liquid state, it seeped into the stones of the temple. Therefore, when everything had cooled down and the Romans understood what was happening, they broke down each stone individually into many pebbles to pick out gold. It seemed like a regular plan - to destroy the temple that belonged to the Roman commander Titus. But, without suspecting it, he was guided by the powerful hand of the Almighty and executed His plan in all details.
Matthew 24:3- As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
Asking great questions is what differentiates great disciples from good disciples! Why did they connect the destruction of temple with the end of the world? Throughout history when people experience hardships, they believe that it is the end of the world...during that time, Jews were under the rule of the Roman Empire and many of them believed that this is the end. Even in the movie, “Gone With the Wind”, as the North and South fought each other, there was so much horror happening that many people though that this the end is near. But, let’s see what Jesus says about this. Disciples have been walking with Jesus for over three years. They knew about His second coming and that it will be connected with the end of the world. Let’s look at what signs Jesus gave in order for us to know when the end of the world will come?
First powerful sign - All the nations will hate those who love Jesus Christ and wear His name high. This will lead to strong persecutions for those who believe in Jesus. There will be many temptations, betrayals, false prophets will arise and will mislead many, but God’s plan will be fulfilled - The gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:4-14
They will hate believers because of the name of Jesus. Sometimes I ask myself a question, “What will cause all the nations to hate those who love Jesus?” I don’t know. During the last few months and the events that have been connected with coronavirus, I do not even want to guess. Who could have guessed on January 1, or February 1, or even March 1 of 2020 the reason why all the planes would stop flying, why the restaurants will be empty, and why the doors of mega-churches will be closed. What needs to happen for every single person on the planet to be locked in their own house?
Persecution of the church started in the first century and in many places in still continues. Persecution purifies the church and makes her more valuable than any treasure. Persecution activates the church to fulfill its greatest commission of brining the Gospel to every person. The Gospel is a joyful, strong, and the only news of life, happiness, peace and love. Believers of Jesus will accomplish this great command and their role will be fulfilled. The times of joy will end for gentiles. The rapture of true and victorious church will happen, and she will meet her Lord.
Second strong single - Eyes of the whole world will turn towards Israels and the events that will take place there. The world will attack Israel. Israel will only have opportunity to ask their great God to come and save them. They will beg for the return of the Messiah and call upon Him: “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” Their Messiah will come, the one whom they have accepted and pierced. And the prophecy about Jesus’ second coming will become true. He will come as Judge to fulfill the judgement of those who are living in the world. Matthew 24:15-28
There is not much that is written about this moment in this letter, but the Bible is full of details. This is also the time of the coming of antichrist, who will look victorious, and people of the world will accept him. It will be the time of God’s wrath which will be poured out as fire on this earth. You can find all of these details in Matthew 24, Luke 21, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and Revelations.
The end of the world will come when the time of the church (in the position like we know church now) on this earth will end. Then it will be God’s final work with His nation of Israel, and then judgement, and the end of the people who belong to this world.
