Olivet Discourse: Prediction of the Temple’s Destruction (Ep 85)

Introduction

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Jason: Welcome, and thank you for listening. My name is Jason, and I'm your host. In today's episode, I'm kicking off a new series covering the Olivet Discourse, starting with a profound moment in Jesus teaching, his prophetic words about the Jerusalem Temple, which was the stunning structure and central to Jewish worship, not to mention a symbol of national pride.

But what Jesus has to say will astonish and bewilder his followers. Jesus made a prophetic declaration that carries immense theological and historical significance, which foreshadowed the events that would unfold roughly 40 years later in 70 AD. As we reflect on this together, I can't help but be reminded of Romans 10, 17, which tells us, consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

It's through this very message that I feel called to share this with you. So let's dive into the significance of Jesus's prophetic words and uncover how they resonate in our lives today.

What Is The Olivet Discourse?

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Jason: The Olivet Discourse is also known as the Little Apocalypse, and it is a significant message from Jesus found in the Synaptic Gospels. Specifically, Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, delivered on the Mount of Olives. In this discourse, or authoritative message, Jesus addresses the End Times. In this episode, we're going to start with his prediction about the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple.

Setting the Scene: The Significance of the Temple

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Jason: To fully grasp the weight of Jesus's prophecy about the temple's destruction, we need to take a moment to understand the monumental role the temple played in Jewish life during his time.

The temple wasn't just another pretty building, it was the very heart of Jewish worship and identity. For centuries, the temple in Jerusalem had been seen as this place where God's presence dwelled, where sacrifices were offered, and where Israel gathered to celebrate the most important festivals.

Historically, the temple represented God's covenant with Israel. It's, it was an intangible reminder that God was among his people. And we can see this reflected in 1 Kings 8 verses 27 through 30, where Solomon dedicates the first temple, acknowledging the temple as a place where God's people would seek him in prayer.

Solomon writes, but will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you, how much less this temple I have built. And yet, God did choose to make his presence known there, and it became the central place for worship and connecting with the divine. Now we fast forward to 2nd Chronicles 7 verses 15 and 16, after the completion of the temple where God himself declares, Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.

I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my name may be there forever. This was the significance the temple held in the hearts of the Jewish people, a direct connection to God's promise and his presence. But it wasn't just a spiritual hub. The temple was also a powerful symbol of national identity and pride.

For the Jews of Jesus's time, to imagine Jerusalem without the temple was unthinkable. It was the center of their cultural identity and the heart of their religious practices. That's why, when Jesus predicted the destruction of it, as we see in Matthew 24, 1 and 2, Mark 13, 1 and 2, and Luke 21, 5 and 6, his words must have been utterly shocking.

Now let's look at these passages a little closely. In all three Gospels, we see that Jesus and his disciples are leaving the temple. The disciples are in awe. They point out the massive stone and majestic beauty of the structure. Now, in Matthew 2, Jesus responds bluntly, saying, Do you see all these things?

Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left on another. Everyone will be thrown down. Mark 13, mirrors this account, with Jesus making the same prediction, the destruction of the temple is inevitable. In Luke 21, Jesus words are recorded similarly, but Luke adds that some We're talking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God.

Jesus's response cuts through their admiration, predicting the temple's complete ruin. What's striking here is that Jesus's prediction isn't just a statement about the physical temple, though, That would indeed come to pass in 70 A. D. It carried deep spiritual implications as well. The temple, which had long been the dwelling place of God among his people, would no longer serve that role.

In John 2, verses 19 through 21, Jesus offers a profound statement. Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days. His listeners thought he was talking about the physical structure, but he was referring to his own body. This signals a dramatic shift from physical building to Jesus himself.

as the true temple, the place where humanity would meet God. Jesus's prediction also hints at the broader spiritual truth that God's presence would no longer be confined to one location. As we see later, the early Christians understood that they too became temples of the Holy Spirit. The destruction of the temple wasn't just about the end of an era for Jewish worship, it signified a new chapter in which Jesus himself would be the cornerstone.

And through him, all believers would have a direct connection to God. So in these passages from Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we see Jesus foretelling not just the end of a building, but the transformation of how God would dwell with his people. His prophecy of the temple's destruction points to a much deeper truth about his mission to bring salvation and establish a new covenant.

The Prediction: Jesus Foretelling the Destruction

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Jason: Well, let's turn our attention to the heart of today's episode, Jesus's startling prediction about the destruction of the temple. This prophecy is recorded in three gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. And each account provides us with a slightly different perspective on the same moment. Now let's go through them.

And we'll start with Matthew 24, verses 1 and 2. Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came to him to call his attention to its building. Did 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. Okay. In Mark 13, verses 1 and 2, we see a similar moment.

As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, look teacher, what a massive, what massive stones, what magnificent buildings. Do you see all these great buildings? And Jesus replied, Not one stone here will be left on another. Everyone will be thrown down. Now, finally, in Luke 21, verses 5 and 6, we read, Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God.

But Jesus said, As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another. Every one of them will Now, in all three accounts, his disciples were amazed at the grandeur of the temple. And this isn't surprising. Herod's temple was an architectural wonder of its time, with massive stones and intricate adornments.

For the disciples, this building represented not only the center of their religious lives, but also a symbol of Israel's heritage, identity, and their connection to God. So when Jesus tells them not one stone will be left on another, they were likely left in a bit of shock. It's hard to overstate how unimaginable this must have seemed.

How could this sacred, seemingly indestructible place A place that stood for centuries. How could this ever fall? The disciples couldn't fathom such an event, and that confused, that confusion set the stage for Jesus to explain further about the end times later in the Olivet Discourse. We'll get there.

But Jesus words were not just a statement about the physical temple. They were prophetic. His prediction about the temple's destruction was fulfilled less than 40 years later in 70 AD when the Romans destroyed the temple during the siege of Jerusalem. The prophecy became reality just as Jesus had said.

But the significance of his prophecy extends way beyond the historical event. Let's take a moment to reflect on the prophetic nature of Jesus's words. Prophecy. In the Bible, often, works on multiple levels. What is spoken may have immediate fulfillment, but often points to something greater. And this is certainly true here.

In Daniel 9, we see a prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood. War will continue until the end and desolations have been decreed. Jesus's words echoed Daniel's prophecy and reminds us that God's plan, even those that seem devastating, are always in motion.

The destruction of the temple, as tragic as it was for the Jewish people, was a part of God's Larger story of redemption. Jesus's predictions also carries a deeper spiritual meaning. I mentioned this before In Isaiah 66, verses 1 and 2, God says, Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me?

Where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being? Now here, God is reminding his people that he cannot be contained in a physical building, no matter how magnificent it is. The destruction of the temple symbolizes the end of the old covenant and the coming of something far greater.

A new way for humanity to connect with God. And what was that new way? Well, John 2, verses 18 through 21, Jesus gives the answer, destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days. But he wasn't talking about the physical temple in Jerusalem. He was speaking about his own body. Jesus was declaring that through his death and resurrection, he would become the new temple.

The place where God's presence would dwell and where all people could meet with God. And this spiritual truth reaches its fulfillment in Revelation 21, verse 22, where we see a vision of the new heaven and new earth. And John writes, I did not see a temple in the city because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

In this new creation, there will be no need for a physical temple because God himself will dwell with his people. So, when Jesus predicted the destruction of the temple, he wasn't talking about the loss of a building, not just the loss of the building. He was pointing to the end of this era and a beginning of a new covenant.

No longer would people need to travel to come and physically be at a temple to meet God. Through Jesus, the temple, we have direct access to God wherever we are. This is the prophetic depth of Jesus words in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. They spoke to an eminent historical event, but they also carried profound spiritual implications.

It continues to shape our faith today.

Understanding the Fulfillment: Destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D.

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Jason: Well, now that we've explored Jesus's prophecy about the destruction of the temple, let's dive in to its fulfillment and the profound impact it had on both Jews and early Christians. The destruction of the temple occurred, as I said, in 70 A. D., uh, about 40 years after Jesus made his prediction.

The Roman Empire, under Emperor Titus, laid siege to Jerusalem following a Jewish revolt that ha that began around 66 A. D. After months of brutal fighting and starvation within the city, the Roman forces breached the walls, and what followed was complete devastation. The temple, the center of Jewish worship, culture, and identity, was burned and torn apart, just as Jesus had foretold.

Not one stone here will be left on another. Every one will be thrown down. The destruction was so thorough that even today, the temple has not been rebuilt. For the Jewish people, this was more than just the loss of a building. This temple had been the place where they believed God's presence dwelled, where sacrifices were made for the atonement of sin, and where they gathered to celebrate the key festivals of their faith.

Without the temple, much of their religious practices was thrown into disarray. It was catastrophic for the Jews in that moment of history. leading to a shift towards Rabbinic Judaism, which focused more on the study of the Torah and synagogue worship in the absence of a temple. But what about the early Christians?

Well, for them, the destruction of the temple had Hold a different significance. By this time, they had already begun to understand that Jesus was the fulfillment of the temple's purpose. He was the ultimate sacrifice for sin, and through his death and resurrection, a new way of worship had had been established.

One that was no longer tied to a physical place. When we read Matthew 27 51, it tells us at that moment of Jesus's death, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. This is a powerful image. The curtain that separated the holy of holies, the innermost part of the temple where God's presence was said to dwell.

Was torn apart, symbolizing that through Jesus's sacrifice, the barrier between God and humanity had been removed. No longer was God's presence confined to a building Through Jesus, direct access to God was made possible for all believers. The writer of Hebrews explains this on Hebrew. 10 verses 19 through 22, where we read, Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the most holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain that is his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw nearer to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings.

So here we see that through Christ, we are invited.

This shift in worship, from physical temple to personal faith in Christ, was a radical transformation for early Christians. They no longer needed to travel to any specific location to encounter God. Instead, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, each believer became a temple of God. And this is why the destruction of the temple, while tragic for the Jewish community, was not devastating for the Christians.

They recognized that Christ had fulfilled the temple's role, and their faith was now centered on him. In fact, in Acts 7 verses 48 through 50, we see Stephen, the first Christian martyr, proclaiming this truth boldly. The Most High does not live in a house made by human hands. As the prophet says, Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool.

What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or where will my resting place be? Has not my hands made all these things? Stephen was obviously quoting Isaiah, pointing out that God's presence was never truly confined to the temple. This teaching became even more real after the temple's destruction, as Christians spread throughout the world, carrying with them the message that God's presence was with them Wherever they went, through the Spirit of Christ.

So while the destruction of the temple in 70 AD was a fulfillment of Jesus's prophecy and a turning point in Jewish history, it also marked a new era for believers. The focus shifted from physical location to a spiritual reality. Jesus himself had become the true temple, and through him, all people could come into the presence of God.

This fulfillment carried not only historical significance, but a deep spiritual meaning, reshaping how God's people would worship and relate to him from that point forward.

Spiritual Implications for Today

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Jason: So as I bring this episode in for a landing, let's consider the spiritual implications of Jesus's prediction and the destruction of the temple for us The fall of the temple was not just a historical event, but as I mentioned, it carried deep spiritual meaning that continues to shape our faith today.

The most profound takeaway is the idea that Jesus himself is the ultimate temple, the place where we find communion with God. As I mentioned earlier, when Jesus declared in John 2, 19, destroy the temple and I will raise it again in three days, he was referring to his body. Pointing to his death and resurrection.

In Jesus, God's presence was no longer confined to a physical building. Instead, through Christ, all believers had direct access to God. I can't stress that enough. This truth changes the way we think about worship. In the Old Testament, the temple was center of worship. Sacrifices were offered, prayers were made, and festivals were held there.

But after Jesus's resurrection, worship was no longer tied to a specific location or set of rituals. Instead, true worship became about the heart and the spirit. This is exactly what Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well. In John 4, verses 21 through 24, a time is coming when you will worship the Father, neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.

True worshipers will worship the Father in the spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. What Jesus was saying is revolutionary for us as Christians today. God doesn't require us to be in a certain place or follow a specific set of rituals to worship him. Instead, we can meet with our God anytime, anywhere, as long as we come to him in spirit and truth.

This shapes our understanding of worship as a personal relationship with God, rather than a performance of some external duties. Moreover, the New Testament teaches that believers themselves are now the temple of God. First Corinthians 6, verses 19 through 20, reminds us of this reality. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?

You are not your own, you were bought at a price, therefore honor God with your bodies. This verse makes it clear that each of us, as followers of Christ, carry God's presence within us. The Holy Spirit dwells inside every single believer, making our very bodies a temple where God resides. This has powerful implications for how we live our lives.

It means that worship is not just something we do on Sunday or in special places. Instead, it's a way of life. Every moment is an opportunity to honor God, because wherever we are, He is within us. Whether we are at home, at work, or in the car, we can offer our thoughts, our actions, and our hearts to God in worship.

This is the freedom and beauty of the new covenant that Jesus established. Paul expands on this idea in Ephesians 2, verses 19 through 22, where he writes, Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household. Built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets with Christ, Jesus himself, the chief cornerstone.

In him, the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him, you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. Here Paul isn't talking about a literal building. He's speaking about the church, the body of believers, the body of Christ.

Together, we form a spiritual temple with Christ as the cornerstone. And this reminds us that our faith isn't individualistic, it's communal. We are each temples of the Holy Spirit, but together we are being built into something greater, a dwelling place for God. For modern believers, this means that the church is not just a building where we gather, but The people of God united in Christ.

Our worship is not confined to a physical location or a set of rituals But expressed through our lives in our love for God and for one another. This is why Christians worship today is focused on the heart, on sincerity, faith, and love rather than on outward forms or specific places. So what does this all mean for us?

The destruction of the temple was a turning point in redemptive history, and it marked the end of an era, but for Christians, for Christians, it marks the beginning of something far greater. Through Jesus, the true temple, we have direct access to God, and we are called to worship him in spirit and in truth, wherever we are.

We are his temple, both individually and collectively, and through us, God's presence is made known to the entire world. As we live out this reality, let's remember that our worship is not just about what we do on Sundays or in church buildings. It's about how we live through it. Every day in the presence of God who dwells within us in his spirit.

Conclusion

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Jason: The fall of this temple marked the end of an era for both Jews and Christians, but it also signified a remarkable shift. Worship went from being centered on a building to being centered on Christ. For early Christians, this transformation reshaped their relationship with God. Worship was no longer confined to a place, but became a personal daily experience, one rooted in heart and spirit.

And truth. As we've seen, we too are now temples of the Holy Spirit called to live in a communion with God wherever we are. So as we close, I encourage you to take some time to reflect on your own spiritual temple. How is your relationship with Christ shaping your worship? Are you inviting his presence into your life daily, hourly, minutely?

Remember through Jesus, you are always connected to God and worship is a lifestyle, not a location. May we all seek to honor Him in everything we do as His temples, as temples of His Spirit. Now if you're enjoying this podcast, I ask you to head over to https://myministrymission.com/support. Help me keep the lights on.

This is truly a labor of love for me, but it does carry a few costs. While you're on my website, be sure to check out my social media or contact me by email or whatever. Look around. Until next time, remember to love each other and remember to read your Bibles. And may the Lord bless you and keep you. God bless everyone.

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