LUKE 21:5-11 TERRIFIC TEMPLE TO BE TOTALED

TERRIFIC TEMPLE TO BE TOTALED

LUKE 21:5-11

(See also Matthew 24 and Mark 13)

Luke 21:5-6 And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said, As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

Susie: The temple in the time of Christ was a magnificent edifice shining with polished marble and gold ornamentation. An excellent description is given by John MacArthur, and can be found in the MacArthur Study Bible  or online at:

 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+24&version=ESV

Another excellent article about the temple built under the direction of King Herod is found at:

http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/14304-temple-of-herod

Suffice it say that it was one of the most splendid temples of its day, impressive to Jews and Gentiles alike.

Susan: The foretelling of the Temple’s destruction to the point of being reduced to rubble would have been extremely earthshattering to any Jew and particularly to Jesus’s followers.

Susie: Jesus’s prophecy was fulfilled in AD 70 when the Romans demolished much of Jerusalem including the Temple. John MacArthur explains the destruction of the Temple in his commentary on the companion passage in Matthew:

MacArthur Study Bible

Matthew 24:2 not one stone shall be left here. These words were literally fulfilled in A.D. 70. Titus, the Roman general, built large wooden scaffolds around the walls of the temple buildings, piled them high with wood and other flammable items, and set them ablaze. The heat from the fires was so intense that the stones crumbled. The rubble was then sifted to retrieve the melted gold, and the remaining ruins were “thrown down” into the Kidron Valley.

Luke 21:7 And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?

Susan: The disciples wanted to know when, where, and how. They were asking if they would get a “heads up” before this all happened. Their hearts’ desire and expectation was still that Jesus would set up His earthly kingdom then and there, not sometime in the distant future. They were fed up with Roman rule.

Susie: This was another reason the prophecy of destruction was unnerving. How could that fit with the Messiah/King they supposed Jesus would become?

Luke 21:8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.

Susan: Jesus warned His disciples to pay attention, to be alert. He predicted false Messiahs who would come proclaiming the time was near, but they should run away from them.

Susie: Jesus had explained earlier that His coming would be obvious to the entire planet. There would be no doubt about His authenticity:

Luke 17:24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.

Luke 21:9 But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by. Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

Susie: The time period right after Jesus’s death and resurrection was filled with war. In our own lifetime, we have seen great earthquakes, tsunamis, drought, and famine. In Matthew’s account, Jesus says this is just the beginning:

Matthew 24:8 (AMP) But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs [of the intolerable anguish and the time of unprecedented trouble].

Susie: I hear knowledgeable Bible scholars saying we are living in the end times. If so, how does Jesus tell us to respond?

Susan: Above all, Jesus taught we are not to fear. God is in control even when all chaos seems to have broken loose on the earth.

Susie: Neither should we drop everything and just sit around waiting for the Lord’s return. Paul spent most of chapter three of his second letter to Thessalonica telling people to keep working and behaving in an orderly manner.

Susan: We should live each day trusting in Jesus and, thereby, glorifying God. We should behave as if our Lord could return at any moment, today or tomorrow.

Susie: As believers, Jesus’s soon return should not cause panic, but peace if we are living according to His word.

Ponder this and Apply it: The disciples wanted to know the signs that would occur before the destruction of the Temple and the “end times.” They wanted a time-line, but Jesus did not draw it out as such. We must live as though His return is eminent; but the key is that we continue to live. We go about our lives obedient to His commands and seeking to glorify our Father. Knowing Jesus will return should spur us to tell our family, friends, and even strangers how to begin a relationship with the Lord Jesus. We should offer them the same peace in Him that we have received.