Matthew 24:1-3; Mark 13:1-4; Luke
25:5-7
The Temple at the time of Jesus’
earthly ministry was generally considered one of the most beautiful buildings
in the world.[1] In
Matthew’s account, Jesus had just stated that as Israel had persistently
refused to accept His protective covering over Jerusalem (indeed this
consistent rebellion resulting in the Kingdom being taken away from them and
given to a nation that will produce the proper fruit (Matthew 21:43) appears to
be theme of Matthew’s Gospel)[2],
He would withdraw His presence, “leaving the Temple (Matthew 23:38 – their[3]
“house”) desolate, defenceless against enemy attack.”[4]
According to Matthew 23:36, this devastating judgment would fall specifically on
“this very generation”.[5]
Given this context, it is not
surprising then that the no doubt bewildered disciples pointed out the glory of
the various Temple buildings.
The second Temple (the first had
been destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC) was at first a rather modest building
(see Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, and Zechariah), and although archaeology suggests
that changes were made during the rule of the Hasmoneans, Herod the Great
practically rebuilt it. The construction started with the massive expansion of
the Temple Mount itself. Ground level was apparently six metres below the
current level. The priests themselves then built the Temple itself on top of
this platform.[6]
Imagine then, the disciple’s
surprise when Jesus solemnly told them that this huge impressive structure would
soon be completely demolished! And so they asked: “Tell us, when will all this
happen? What sign will signal Your return and the end of the world?”
The discussion that followed
these questions was extremely significant for the disciple’s understanding of
who Jesus was as the Messiah on two counts. Firstly, that He was indeed the
Messiah, the King of Israel come to deliver His people and reign over them, and
secondly that He was, in fact, presently enthroned as King and ruling over the
nations of the world.
According to the author to the
Hebrews, Jerusalem and the Temple were but copies of the original in Heaven
(Hebrews 9:23-24) and, according to Jesus, both city and Temple would be irrelevant in the new
dispensation (John 4:21-24), a dispensation which Jesus seems to have thought
was already present (John 4:23). Jesus also believed Himself to be the new
Temple (Matthew 12:6, John 2:19-22) and the incarnated fulfilment of what was
predicted by the prophets (John 7:38, cf. Ezekiel 47:1-12, Zechariah 14:8,
Revelation 22:1-2, Genesis 2:8-17).
The destruction of the physical
Jerusalem would thus prove to the disciples (and indeed those who did not
believe in Him would be constrained under His judgment to recognise His
authority and sovereign rule, cf. Matthew 26:64) that Jesus was the Messiah and
that the religious centre had moved from a geographical and physical location
to a heavenly and spiritual one. The pouring out of the Holy Spirit (the River
of God) from the Temple/Throne Room in heaven served as further evidence of His
present reign as King. So those who have come to Christ have come to the true
Mount Zion, the true city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews
12:22)[7],
in which is no Temple as the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its Temple
(Revelation 21:22).
The destruction of Jerusalem and
the Temple indicated clearly that all that Jesus had said about Himself and all
He had accomplished on the cross was true and had been fulfilled. The New
Creation had come with His resurrection from the dead, as Jesus is the New Man
of the New Creation (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:45-49). He is the first fruit of
those who are new creations (1 Corinthians 15:20). In Christ we have been
raised up into the heavenly realm where Christ is (Ephesians 2:4-6) seated at
the right hand of the Father. According to the Apostle Paul, we (the Church or the
Body of Christ), together with Christ as the Chief Cornerstone are the new
Temple (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1, see also 1 Peter 2:4-5). He is
the Head, at once both sacrifice as well as intercessory High Priest, of a new
heavenly Temple and a new holy priesthood who, under His authority and in His
presence, offer freely to the world a sacrifice once fulfilled for all.
What does this mean for us who
are seeking to make disciples? The meeting place between God and man is now
Jesus and Jesus alone. It is through His blood that we have boldness or freedom
to enter into the presence of the Holy God. There is no other way. Forgiveness
for sin is centred in Him. And from Jesus as the Temple flows the River of God,
the Holy Spirit bringing life and renewal wherever He flows. However, God’s
judgment is restrained today as it was at the time of Jesus. There was a forty-year
period (in biblical numerology this would represent one generation) between
this prophetic warning and its fulfilment in AD 70. People are precious to God
and we must never give up hope.
There is a sign in the Western
Wall Plaza (the Western Wall is a small section of what remains of the
retaining walls of the Temple Mount constructed by Herod the Great) that reads:
The Divine presence never moves from the Western Wall.
Jewish tradition teaches that the Temple Mount is the focal point of Creation. In the center of the mountain lies the “Foundation Stone” of the world. Here Adam came into being. Here Abraham, Isaac and Jacob served God. The First and Second Temples were built upon this mountain. The Ark of the Covenant was set upon the Foundation Stone itself. Jerusalem was chosen by God as the dwelling place of the Shechinah. David longed to build the Temple, andSolomon, his son, built the First Temple here about 3000 years ago. It was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. The Second Temple was rebuilt on its ruins seventy years later. It was razed by the Roman legions over 1900 years ago. The present Western Wall before you is a remnant of the western Temple Mount retaining walls. Jews have prayed in its shadow for hundreds of years, an expression of their faith in the rebuilding of the Temple. The Sages said about it: “The Divine Presence never moves from the Western Wall.” The Temple Mount continues to be the focus of prayer for Jews from all over the world.
“My House is a House of Prayer for all Peoples.” Isaiah 56:7
Jewish tradition teaches that the Temple Mount is the focal point of Creation. In the center of the mountain lies the “Foundation Stone” of the world. Here Adam came into being. Here Abraham, Isaac and Jacob served God. The First and Second Temples were built upon this mountain. The Ark of the Covenant was set upon the Foundation Stone itself. Jerusalem was chosen by God as the dwelling place of the Shechinah. David longed to build the Temple, andSolomon, his son, built the First Temple here about 3000 years ago. It was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. The Second Temple was rebuilt on its ruins seventy years later. It was razed by the Roman legions over 1900 years ago. The present Western Wall before you is a remnant of the western Temple Mount retaining walls. Jews have prayed in its shadow for hundreds of years, an expression of their faith in the rebuilding of the Temple. The Sages said about it: “The Divine Presence never moves from the Western Wall.” The Temple Mount continues to be the focus of prayer for Jews from all over the world.
“My House is a House of Prayer for all Peoples.” Isaiah 56:7
But we have not come to a
physical mountain…
[1] Roman Historian, Tacitus in “Fragments of the Histories 2” said that Jerusalem had a
Temple that “was famous beyond all other works of men”. Quoted in Gentry Kenneth L, “Before Jerusalem
Fell: Dating the Book of Revelation”,
ICE, Tyler, TX, 1989, 171. Other ancient authors, who mention the
magnificence of the Temple buildings, are Jewish historian, Josephus, and the 1st
century Jewish philosopher, Philo.
[2] The central
focus of the Olivet discourse thus appears to be Divine Judgment - the
destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple is the climactic culmination of all the
prophetic warnings of coming judgment upon Israel for their persistent
rejection of God.
[3] Note that
in this text Jesus does not call the Temple My
house as in Matthew 21:13, but your house,
indicating that He had forsaken the Temple as He had done before the Babylonian
Exile (cf. Ezekiel 11:23).
[4] Wright,
Tom, Matthew for Everyone (Part 2), SPCK, Westminster John Know Press,
Louisville, KY, 2004, 110.
[7] The author
to the Hebrews appears to be making a very clear contrast between what was
known historically as the “city of God” (see Psalms 46:4, 48:1, 8, 87:3), “My
holy Mountain” (see Isaiah 11:9, 56:7, 57:13, 65:11, 25), and the “city of the
Great King” (see Psalm 48:2, Matthew 5:35) and the heavenly, spiritual reality.
