CHAPTER 8
The Second Jewish Temple was one of the most formidable buildings ever constructed. Some of the foundation stones weighed as much as one hundred tons. But the Temple was more than a wonder of architecture. It was the heart of Israel's religious and cultural life.
Imagine how Messiah's followers felt when He predicted that not one of those stones would be left standing on another. That would have been disheartening to any Jew, but for the disciples it was doubly so. For they had assumed that within the next few days this man would be made King of Israel. Already they had been arguing over which of them would be greatest in His Kingdom.
The prediction disturbed them because without the Temple, there would be no kingdom—at least not until another was built. Remembering that it took nearly 50 years to finish their Temple, the disciples wondered if they would still be around when another one was built. After traveling a little way they could contain their curiosity no longer. They had to know if the Kingdom would come soon enough for them to have a part in it. Cautiously, they began to question Messiah about His prophecy (see Matthew 24:3). They posed these three questions:
By their questions the disciples revealed what they were thinking. Like the rest of the Jews, they associated the End Time destruction of Jerusalem with the coming of Messiah, an idea based on the prophecy of Zechariah (See Zechariah 12-14). From the writings of Alfred Edersheim, we learn more about what Jews of that day expected concerning the last days:
Messiah would be unknown to His contemporaries; He would appear, carry on His work, then disappear; He would then reappear, and destroy the hostile powers of the world, notably "Edom" and "Armilos," the Roman power—the fourth and last world empire. Finally, All the resistance to God would be concentrated in the great war of Gog and Magog...Three times the enemy would seek to storm the Holy City. But each time would the assault be repelled—at the last with complete destruction of the enemy. The Sacred City would now be wholly rebuilt. Jerusalem was to be the dwelling-place of Israel, and the resort of all nations. But more glorious in Jerusalem was to be the new Temple which Messiah was to rear.1
From their questions, it appears this was also the disciples' understanding. For that reason, Messiah's response was not what they expected. You see, He knew something they didn't: namely, that the destruction of Jerusalem, His reappearing, and the end of the age were separate events.
His prophetic reply, recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, provides a provocative snapshot of history from that moment to the end of the age. To better understand it, the elements of Messiah's answers are arranged in chronological order.
Before answering their questions, Messiah injected some additional information that would save the lives of many of His followers! He knew what the Jews believed about Him: that He would (1) appear, (2) do his work, (3) disappear, and then (4) reappear to destroy the Roman empire. Because they thought that way, Messiah realized that some coming events were bound to be misinterpreted. So first of all, He warned them not to be deceived by false Messiahs:
Many will come in My name, saying, "I am the Messiah," and will mislead many (Matthew 24:5).
Remember, the Jews expected Him to reappear to destroy the Romans. On that point the Jews were going to be deceived, and Messiah didn't want His followers to make the same mistake. History records that in 135 A.D. one Simon Bar Kochba, claiming to be the Messiah, led a massive rebellion against Rome. The result—500,000 Jewish soldiers were killed, and Israel ceased to exist as a nation.
Next, Messiah warned His followers not to be misled by the coming wars with Rome. As mentioned, the Jews believed Messiah would come on the heels of a war against Rome. For that reason, He strongly cautioned them that such a war was NOT a sign of the end of the age!
And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, BUT THAT IS NOT YET THE END (Matthew 24:6).
Forty years later, rather than accept Rome's terms for peace, the Jews chose to resist and wait for their expected Messiah to rescue them. In a single day, over a million Jews died inside the walls of Jerusa lem—all because of that erroneous belief.
Messiah also informed His disciples that persecution was not a sign. That condition, He explained, would always be present. He did promise, however, that persecution would not stifle the gospel. In fact, the gospel would be preached in the whole world before the end of the age.
With the preliminaries out of the way Messiah began to answer their questions—one at a time, and in the order the events would take place. First, He spoke of Jerusalem's destruction. No specific date was mentioned. Instead, He told them how to know when it was about to happen.
When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is at hand (Luke 21:20).
At that time, those in Judea were to flee to the mountains. No one was to delay because the greatest tribulation in Jewish history was about to begin. Josephus, a Jewish historian of that day, wrote that in A.D. 70, the Romans built a wall enclosing the entire city so no one could escape. The ensuing siege produced a terrible famine which weakened the Jewish soldiers, making them no match for the Legions of Rome. Finally, the Jews realized the Messiah wasn't coming to deliver them, and they asked for terms of surrender.
That decision came too late. Only after the soldiers tired of the slaughter did they decide to spare a few remaining Jews. Those under seventeen were taken as slaves. Other survivors were taken to theaters where they were killed by wild beasts. In all, over a million died, and 97,000 were taken captive. So dreadful was the persecution that, if Divine mercy had not interposed for the sake of the followers of Messiah, the whole Jewish race that inhabited the land would have been swept away.
History records that Messiah's Jewish believers took His prophecy to heart. When they saw the armies approaching, they fled Jerusalem and Judea for the city of Pella, 60 miles northeast of Jerusalem. Thus, by this prophecy Messiah prevented the annihilation of the Jewish believers in Judea.
As part of the same prophecy, Jesus said Jerusalem would be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles was fulfilled. From A.D. 70 until the Six Day War of 1967, Jerusalem was under continuous Gentile control.
To understand Messiah's answer to their second question, we need some background. In the Old Testament, the end of the age is called the "day of the Lord," or simply, "that day." When the prophets spoke of Israel's final destiny, it was always tied to the mysterious day of the Lord:
Wail for the day of the Lord is near! It will come as a day of destruction from the Almighty. Therefore all hands will fall limp, and every man's heart will melt. And they will be terrified, pains and anguish will take hold of them... Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, cruel with fury and burning anger, to make the land a desolation; and He will exterminate its sinners from it (Isaiah 13:6-9).
Remarkably, the Jews misunderstood almost everything the prophets said about that day. They had convinced themselves that on that day, God would punish all the other nations and drive the Gentile "sinners" from the Land. For that reason, the Jews were eagerly anticipating the coming of the day of the Lord. It was left to the prophet Amos to correct their mistaken belief. He informed the nation that, contrary to what they thought, the day of the Lord would be as sorrowful for Israel as it was for the other nations.
Alas, you who are longing for the day of the lord, for what purpose will the day of Lord be to you? It will be darkness and not light; as when a man flees from a lion and a bear meets him, or goes home, leans his hand against a wall, and a snake bites him. Will not the day of the Lord be darkness instead of light, even gloom with no brightness in it? (Amos 5:18-20).
How do we know the "day of the Lord" is the same as the "end of the age?" Because of the Biblical sign which identifies them both! This unmistakable sign, which is well documented in Scripture, will precede that long-awaited day. What is the sign? Actually it is a combination of signs. It begins with a colossal earthquake. Just before the end of the age, this earthquake will shake the earth (see Revelation 6:12), which will cause enormous quantities of dust and volcanic ash to be hurled into the atmosphere. These particles will literally blot out the sun, bringing an eerie darkness over all the earth. The dust in the air will cause the moon to appear blood red.
What's more, the earthquake will affect the oceans, stirring up the sea as perhaps never before. As men observe this happening, they will sense it is no ordinary act of nature. Across the globe, men will be terrified as the realize they are about to do business with an angry God.
And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expecta tion of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken (Luke 21:25-26).
Both testaments record men's reactions to this sign. Isaiah says, "men will go into caves of the rocks, and holes of the ground...when He arises to make the earth tremble." (Isaiah 2:19). According to the prophet Joel, the ominous darkness associated with this sign will cause many to repent, calling on the Lord to save them:
The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And it will come about that WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE DELIVERED; For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who will escape... (Joel 2:31-32).
The sign given by Messiah during the Olivet discourse is identical to the cosmic events of the sixth seal of Revelation Chapter Six, as well as the visions of Joel. When the earthquake comes which causes the sun and moon to be darkened, we will have our sign. Then we will know the day of the Lord is near.
Adding to the confusion of Messiah's answer to this question is this fact—His coming involved not one, but two signs, and a short period between. Jesus described the beginning sign (which we will cover in the next chapter), and then spoke of the conditions which followed. Then He mentioned the ending sign, which is the sign of His coming. To our dismay, the only thing He said about it was that it would be seen in the sky.
And then the SIGN OF THE SON OF MAN will appear in the sky... (Matthew 24:30).
Exactly what will that sign be? Since Messiah didn't say, we can only speculate. Whatever it is, rest assured that everyone will understand. And with that sign (or soon thereafter) something EXTRAORDINARY will happen. All of Messiah's followers, both living and dead, will be physically taken up into the clouds! This is known as the rapture (we will cover it in another chapter). Shortly after that, another spectacle will take place in the heavens—the final harvest. Messiah Himself will descend on a cloud, and He will issue the command for the earth to be harvested.
...and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and THEY WILL GATHER HIS ELECT from the four winds, and from one end of the sky to the other (Matthew 24:29-31).
Considering these prophesied signs, the theme of the end of the age has to be, "Look up!"
Notes on Chapter 8