Jesus’ Prophecy – Not One Stone, shocking & new for today!

Prophecy

Prophecy needs to be studied by all followers of Christ. It was written for our benefit and to be prepared for what is ahead. Knowing what God tells us about the future is critical.

Matthew 24:1-3
1 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings.
2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” (Jesus Bible)

Prophecy of End Times

Just before Christ’s famous Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24:3 – 25:46), Jesus is recorded as predicting that the temple that was built in Jerusalem would one day be torn down. To those in his presence, this may have been very difficult to believe. All recorded accounts reported that it was the most impressive building in the world. John MacArthur describes it in his NIV Bible commentary:

At the time of Jesus’ ministry, the temple was one of the most impressive structures in the world, made of massive blocks of stone bedecked with gold ornamentation. Some of the stones in the temple complex measured 40x12x12 ft. and were expertly quarried to fit perfectly against one another. The temple buildings were made of gleaming white marble, and the whole eastern wall of the large main structure was covered with gold plates that reflected the morning sun, making a spectacle that was visible for miles

Prophecy – Roman Destruction

There is more, but I think you get the idea. It was an amazing and impressive structure that anyone looking at could not imagine how it could be torn down, with no stone left standing. Yet, seventy years later, the Romans did just that. The entire temple was demolished. No stone was left on another.

Not One Stone and End Times?

So, how does this pertain to End Times? It is another example of a prophecy that was foretold and came true – history has proved it. Even if it was Jesus who spoke the prophecy, God made sure to show us that it could be trusted. It has long been the practice that if a prophet foretold of an event, there was an early event and a later event. If the early event came true, it gave greater weight to the later even also coming true.

In this instance, Jesus foretold the destruction of the temple. He then went on to discuss the events of the End Times that would come. Since his prediction of the destruction of the temple was true, one can put great weight into the later events coming true as well.

Casting of Shadows

We are at a time when these end-time events are casting their shadows. These are glimpses of what is soon to come. No one knows God’s timing. Therefore, we don’t know God’s timing.  It could be an hour, a day, 100 years, or it could be one second. But, because he is a loving and merciful God, who wants all to be saved. So, he gives us warnings, he gives us signs. We need to be aware.

Over the past few months, we have been looking at some of these signs. With more yet to come in both these posts and in our history, until the final sign, the Rapture. Until then, make sure you are ready. Make sure your family is ready. Your friends are ready. For it will all happen in the blink of an eye.

Confidence in Christ’s Words

Have confidence in Christ’s words, for they are true. They are true because he is the Son of God, and because history has proved it.

Blessings,
Jana

Commentary notes… in case you want to read more about the temple and it’s destruction.

Matthew 24:1
24:1 its buildings. This temple was begun by Herod the Great in 20 B.C. and was still under construction when the Romans destroyed it in A.D. 70.
At the time of Jesus’ ministry, the temple was one of the most impressive structures in the world, made of massive blocks of stone bedecked with gold ornamentation. Some of the stones in the temple complex measured 40x12x12 ft. and were expertly quarried to fit perfectly against one another. The temple buildings were made of gleaming white marble, and the whole eastern wall of the large main structure was covered with gold plates that reflected the morning sun, making a spectacle that was visible for miles. The entire temple mount had been enlarged by Herod’s engineers, by means of large retaining walls and vaulted chambers on the S side and SE corner. By this means the large courtyard area atop the temple mount was effectively doubled. The whole temple complex was magnificent by any standard. The disciples’ conversation here may have been prompted by Jesus’ words in 23:38. They were undoubtedly wondering how a site so spectacular could be left “desolate.” (MacArthur Study Bible Notes NIV)

Matthew 24:2
24:2, not one stone here… left on another. 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. (MacArthur Study Bible Notes NIV)

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