On the final Tuesday of Jesus' earthly life as Jesus was leaving the temple area, one of his disciples is overcome by the glory of the temple and turns to Jesus saying in Mark 13:1 (NIV), "Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!"
The beauty and majesty of the temple was a source of great pride for the Jews. The temple, which was built by Herod, was considered one of the wonders of the ancient world. Its gold-set stones measuredsixty-seven feet long by seven anda half feet high andnine feet wide.
Josephus, a Jewish historian, described the templelike this. "Now the outward face of the temple in its front wanted nothing that was likely to surprise either men's minds or their eyes: for it was covered all over with plates of gold of great weight and at the first rising of the sun reflected back a very fiery splendor and made those who forced themselves to look upon it to turn their eyes away, just as they would have done at the suns' own rays. But this temple appeared to strangers when they were at a distance, like a mountain covered with snow; for as to those parts of it that were not gilt, they were exceedingly white. Of its stones, some of them were forty-five cubits in length, five in height and six in breadth."
Jesus was not impressed by Herod's temple.
Jesus wasn't so impressed by the sparkling, radiant temple. In Matthew 24:2 (NIV) he tells the disciples to take a good hard look at the temple. " 'Do you see all these things?' he asked. 'I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.' " Jesus predicted nothing less than the complete and total destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. In time, he believed it would be demolished.
Startled, the disciples Peter, Andrew, James, and John pulled Jesus aside in confidence in Matthew 24:3 (NIV). "Tell us, when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" Notice that the disciples were asking two questions. First, they wanted to know when the temple would be destroyed. Second, they wanted to know what signs and events would precede Christ's return.
The temple's destruction.
Jesus first took up the question about the destruction of the temple. In Matthew 24:4-14 he warns them about what will happen before the destruction of the temple. False Christs will appear. There will be wars and rumors of war. Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes and persecution. Many will turn away from the faith. False prophets will appear. There will be an increase in wickedness. The love of most will grow cold. And the gospel will be preached in the whole world.
Many suggest that these verses are absolutely signs of Jesus Christ's return and that they can in no way be signs leading up to the temple's destruction. But leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. we know that there were many false Christs or false messiahs who appeared in and around Jerusalem. We know that there were at least three threats of war rumored by Roman emperors and that there were three actual Gentile uprisings against the Jews. We know that there were four major earthquakes, Crete in 46 A.D., Rome in 51 A.D., Apamia in Phrygia in 60 A.D., and Campania in 63 A.D. We know that there were four major famines, Rome in 41 A.D., Judea in 41 A.D., Greece in49 A.D., and Rome in 50 A.D. We know that in the decades following Christ's death and resurrection there was tremendous persecution as the gospel spread throughout the known world. We know that in Jesus' day the Roman empire was considered the whole world.
In Matthew 24:15-21 (NIV) Jesus continues with, "So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation', spoken of through the prophet Daniel-- let the reader understand-- then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now-and never to be equaled again."
Jesus is referring to the manner in which the temple in Jerusalem would be destroyed. Notice the specific geographic references. "Those who are in Judea, the mountains." Notice the lifestyle references. "Let no one on the roof." Another is, "Let no one in the field." In their lifetimes, in their Judean countryside, they would flee this abomination.
What is the abomination that causes desolation?
The abomination that causes desolation is a reference to the Roman army under Titus which encircled the city of Jerusalem and completely annihilated it in 70 A.D. In Luke 21:20 (NIV) Luke confirms this fact when he says, "When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you know that its desolation is near." Jesus was telling the disciples to get out of Jerusalem the very moment they saw the Roman army making its move against the city. The circling army of Titus was to be a sign that Jerusalem would be destroyed. The Christians were not to return from the fields to get their coats. They were not to re-enter their homes to get possessions. They were to flee for their very lives. It would be most difficult for pregnant women and nursing mothers to flee. The actual destruction of Jerusalem was a horrific event, unparalleled in history. Josephus says there were over one million Jews slain and ninety-seven thousand taken captive. Those taken captive were forced to fight in the arena, were tortured, or were sold into slavery.
Trapped within the city's walls, the Jews became desperately hungry. Literally everything became food, including insects, dogs, rotten trash, hay, leather garments, and shoes. Robbers would slit the stomachs of the deceased open hoping to make a meal of the stomach's contents. Mothers cannibalized their own sons. On top of all this, during the Roman siege there were five internal wars raging simultaneously within the city walls. It was Jew against Jew. One can argue that the suffering within the city of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. has never been paralleled in all of history, thus fulfilling Jesus' prophecy.
When the Romans finally breached the city walls of Jerusalem, the Jews set fire to the temple because they did not want it to fall into Roman hands. Desperate for the gold that melted into the crevices of the massive temple stones, the Roman soldiers completely leveled every stone. Remember,"...not one stone here will be left upon another."
There was to be no question. The destruction of the temple would be preceded by multiple signs. False Christs, wars, rumors of war, famines, earthquakes, false prophets, apostasy, persecution, and the preaching of the gospel all preceded the destruction.
When Jesus returns, it will be unmistakable.
Christ's return in Matthew 24:26-28 (NIV) is detailed by Jesus. Jesus answers the question about the timing of his return. "So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather."
Jesus continues in Matthew 24:29-31 (NIV). Jesus says, "Immediately after the distress of those days 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other."
When Jesus returns it will be an unmistakable, cataclysmic, global event. The whole world will be permanently disrupted by Christ's return. Where it is daytime the sunlight will be blocked. Where it is night the moonlight will not shine. The whole world will witness Christ's lightning-fast return in power and glory. There will be no chance or time for men to put their spiritual lives in order quickly. The destruction of Jerusalem could be escaped because one could flee the advancing Roman army. But the return of Christ will be sudden and cataclysmic and unmistakable. The return of Jesus Christ will be global. There will be no place to flee.
It will be impossible to flee the legions of angels that will accompany Christ. It will be impossible to ignore the cosmic display of the Son of Man coming on the clouds. It will be impossible to ignore the deafening blast of the last trumpet.
It will be impossible to predict the time of Jesus' coming.
And it will be impossible, impossible, to predict Jesus' coming. In Matthew 24:36-39 (NIV) Jesus says, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man."
In Matthew 24:40-41 (NIV) Jesus says, "Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left."
In other words, we will be taken by complete surprise at Christ's return. We will be caught in the middle of our daily routine. We may be working overtime. We may be laying down for an afternoon nap. We may be reading the morning paper. We may be bussing the kids off to sports. We may be on our way to church. We may be in the middle of a phone call.
The truth is that we do not know exactly when Christ will return. He can come at any moment of any day. He can come right now.
In Matthew 24:42-44 (NIV) Jesus says, "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you must also be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."
Perhaps the application is obvious. Or perhaps not. By nature we are spiritual procrastinators. By nature we are foolish risk takers. By nature we major in the minors and minor in the majors. We want there to be signs of Christ's return because we are spiritually lazy. We like to put off our preparations. We like to think we still have lots of time. If we knew when Christ would return, we would sleep until his arrival. But Jesus will come like a thief in the night and we must always be alert and ready.
Among us this morning there are a lot of earthquake counters and famine watchers and rumor mongers and Jerusalem watchers. This morning you should know that the primary sign that must precede Christ's return has already happened. The temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. Christ can return at any moment of any day. When he does, will your spiritual house be in order?
Are you ready?
[Story Source: Stories that Sneak Up On You, by John Duckworth, Revell, 1987.]
There had been an accident. It was in the middle of the night, two dozen miles from anywhere. The cars sat like crumpled candy wrappers on the side of the road. Five people lay by the highway. Everyone was alive, but they all needed the ambulance. Fortunately there was a pay phone about a hundred yards down the highway. One man, the youngest, painfully limped the distance, placed a call to the nearest town, and limped back to be with the others.
"It's okay," he told them, "I talked to the ambulance driver. He'll be out to get us very soon." "Thank heaven," sighed a woman who lay by the bushes where she had been thrown. "This road is so deserted. I doubt anyone would have passed us until morning."
After a long pause a large man in a business suit spoke up. "How do you know he's coming?" he asked gruffly. "I don't believe he is." "He promised he would," the young man answered. "I talked to him myself." Nearby, two elderly brothers leaned back to back against a speed-limit sign. "Tell me young man," said one. "Exactly what did the ambulance driver say? " "Yes," added the other, "We must know his exact words."
The young man thought. "He said, 'Stay off the road and keep alert. Don't let anyone doze off. I'm about thrity-one miles away. I promise I'll be there just as soon as I can.' And that was it." "Hmmm," one of the brothers said, pulling a pocket calculator from his jacket. "Thirty-one miles. Let's see, average speed, fifty-five. I figure he will arrive in exactly 34 minutes and24 seconds."
"Balderdash!" shouted the first. "You're not allowing for the 100 yards between the phone booth and our present position." "I am so!" retorted the second. "Gentlemen please," the young man said. "The ambulance driver didn't say when he would get here, only that he would. That's the important thing, isn't it? " The elderly brothers lowered their voices but kept arguing.
"Oh my," said the woman, sounding worried. "Thirty-three or thirty-four minutes, how am I ever going to mend this dress before he gets here?" Finding a little sewing kit in her purse she moaned, "I've got so many things to do. I hope he doesn't get here too soon."
"He won't get here at all," growled the businessman. "I can't wait here forever. I'm going to get help myself." Dragging himself to his feet, he staggered down the road in the opposite direction from the phone booth. "Wait!" called the young man. "He'll be here. I know it." "Ha!" said the businessman. "You're going the wrong way," persisted the young man.
The businessman's voice was fading. "There's bound to be a town in either direction," he declared. "I can take care of myself, boy." Then he was gone.
"I have it," cried one of the elderly brothers. " 'Stay off the road,' that ambulance man said. There's a hidden meaning there. If you study it closely it means the ambulance will not arrive on the road at all, but out there in the trees and brush somewhere." "No, in the hills," the other brother countered. "In any case we must get away from the road immediately." Slowly they got up.
"Wait!" the young man said. "He didn't mean we were to leave the road!" The brothers shook their heads. "Son, you have not studied the driver's statement as we have. There are mysteries here you cannot comprehend." They turned and wandered off into the night, arguing about whether they would hear the ambulance siren or see the flashing light first.
Shivering, the young man called to the woman, "Are you still there?" "Yes, yes," she snapped. "But I'm very busy. Ouch. I've got a million things to do before he gets here and I don't want to be disturbed."
In a minute the young man felt himself starting to doze off. He shook himself. "Got to stay awake," he said. "Got to keep alert." Folding his arms against the cold he stared off into the darkness, wide-eyed.
The first pink hints of dawn were appearing in the sky by the time they heard the siren. "Oh, no, no!" cried the woman, looking up from the dress she was still mending. "He can't come yet. I've still got so much to do! I've got to hide. He can come back and get me later. I've just got to finish this dress." Gathering up her sewing kit she stumbled awkwardly off the shoulder and into the woods. "Don't let him find me!" she pleaded. "I'm not ready yet!"
The young man struggled to stand as the ambulance, red lights flashing, screeched to a halt in front of him. "What happened to the others?" the driver asked surveying the scene. "They left," the young man answered. "They didn't believe or weren't ready or got too involved something else." The driver nodded. "That happens."
Inside the ambulance the young man lay down on the cot and breathed a thankful sigh. He was safe at last. Then he looked around surprised. "Say," he called out to the driver. "This is a pretty small ambulance isn't it? I mean, you couldn't get a whole lot of people in it." "That's true," the driver replied. "But," he added with a sad note in his voice, "there weren't a whole lot of people left waiting for me, were there? "
Who do you identify with the most?
This morning as we continue through our worship service, you need to be asking who you most identify with in this story. Are you like the business man who lost faith and tried to save himself? Are you like the elderly brothers who miscalculated the ambulance's arrival and wandered out into the woods? Are you like the woman who was busy and unprepared by the ambulance's arrival? Or are you like the young man who stayed alert, trusted, and readied himself? Jesus says, "Be watchful. Be alert."