Everything which seems so solid, secure, and predictable in this earth can suddenly change forever. Powerful nations which ruled others have been subdued and forgotten. Well-built houses, and established trees suddenly plunged into a sinkhole or were wiped from the earth in a devastating tornado. People who are healthy and strong can perish in an instant. Jesus taught in the Temple, but He also used the massive stones of the Temple to illustrate how the things which seem immovable can be quickly cast down and ruined forever. Some say the future is uncertain, and in a sense it is. No one knows precisely how the future will play out. From a biblical perspective, however, the future of the world is absolutely certain: it is all going to perish.
Matthew 24:1-2 tells the story: "Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down." Some of the stones used in building the Temple weighed hundreds of tons. When I visited the Western Wall Tunnels just weeks ago, I placed my hands on the Western Stone which is estimated to weigh 570 tons! The words of Jesus came true years later in 70AD when the Romans sacked Jerusalem and pulled apart the Temple. Based upon the size of stones used in the Temple, the disciples likely thought it would last for generations! But as Jesus said, the buildings of the Temple were all thrown down and left as a heap of rubble.
The claims of Jesus piqued the curiosity of His disciples. Matthew 24:3-8 reads, "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?" 4 And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 6 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. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows." The disciples asked three specific questions which Jesus answered in the remainder of Matthew 24 and chapter 25. What Jesus addressed in this passage was 1) when these things would be (the destruction of the Temple) and 2) the signs of His coming. Since the Temple was destroyed in 70AD and Jesus has not yet returned, we are currently living in the days of which He spoke.
When I hear of wars and rumors of wars, I am not surprised. When I hear of earthquakes in various places, I am not afraid. This is exactly what Jesus said would happen. I am saddened to hear of the horrors of war, the loss of life, and the terrible conflicts which consume fighters, families, and little ones. "All these things must come to pass," Jesus said, "but the end is not yet." If we have seen the beginning of sorrows with genocides, the Jewish holocaust, tsunamis, earthquakes, forest fires, terrorist attacks, diseases, and hate, what will the end of these things be? As Jesus said on His way to being crucified, "If they do these thing in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?" (Luke 23:31) Thank the LORD for the comfort and eternal security He offers through faith in Jesus Christ! Because I am in Him, I am not worried about the end of all things, fearful with uncertainty. But I ought to be mindful that my end can come in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. At any second my life can be over and I will be judged before the Living God.
This world has not seen the end of war and tragedy. With burgeoning conflicts between the nations, it is like the powers of the world are dusting off their swords to go to battle. The escalation will continue, and the rhetoric will someday end with real fighting. Politics and policies will be powerless to stop the tide, and nations will fall. Yet Christians need not be troubled or afraid at the dangerous spectre of these things. Did not Jesus tell us beforehand? Jesus spoke to His disciples in John 16:33: "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
Matthew 24:1-2 tells the story: "Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down." Some of the stones used in building the Temple weighed hundreds of tons. When I visited the Western Wall Tunnels just weeks ago, I placed my hands on the Western Stone which is estimated to weigh 570 tons! The words of Jesus came true years later in 70AD when the Romans sacked Jerusalem and pulled apart the Temple. Based upon the size of stones used in the Temple, the disciples likely thought it would last for generations! But as Jesus said, the buildings of the Temple were all thrown down and left as a heap of rubble.
The claims of Jesus piqued the curiosity of His disciples. Matthew 24:3-8 reads, "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?" 4 And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 6 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. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows." The disciples asked three specific questions which Jesus answered in the remainder of Matthew 24 and chapter 25. What Jesus addressed in this passage was 1) when these things would be (the destruction of the Temple) and 2) the signs of His coming. Since the Temple was destroyed in 70AD and Jesus has not yet returned, we are currently living in the days of which He spoke.
When I hear of wars and rumors of wars, I am not surprised. When I hear of earthquakes in various places, I am not afraid. This is exactly what Jesus said would happen. I am saddened to hear of the horrors of war, the loss of life, and the terrible conflicts which consume fighters, families, and little ones. "All these things must come to pass," Jesus said, "but the end is not yet." If we have seen the beginning of sorrows with genocides, the Jewish holocaust, tsunamis, earthquakes, forest fires, terrorist attacks, diseases, and hate, what will the end of these things be? As Jesus said on His way to being crucified, "If they do these thing in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?" (Luke 23:31) Thank the LORD for the comfort and eternal security He offers through faith in Jesus Christ! Because I am in Him, I am not worried about the end of all things, fearful with uncertainty. But I ought to be mindful that my end can come in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. At any second my life can be over and I will be judged before the Living God.
This world has not seen the end of war and tragedy. With burgeoning conflicts between the nations, it is like the powers of the world are dusting off their swords to go to battle. The escalation will continue, and the rhetoric will someday end with real fighting. Politics and policies will be powerless to stop the tide, and nations will fall. Yet Christians need not be troubled or afraid at the dangerous spectre of these things. Did not Jesus tell us beforehand? Jesus spoke to His disciples in John 16:33: "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
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