Chapter 13
The Destruction of the Temple Foretold
13 And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!”
The temple was a wonder. Herod the Great had done major rebuilding work on the temple.
2 And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another, that will not be thrown down.”
It’s not going to last.
3 And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, …
This is known as the “Olivette Discourse”.
…Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, …
Jesus’ inner circle.
… 4 “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign when these things are all to be accomplished?”
They ask what will be the sign given prior to the Temple’s destruction.
5 And Jesus began to say to them, “Take heed that no one leads you astray. 6 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray.
There will be false Christs. There were many in the First Century. In fact, the destruction of Jerusalem took place after a Jewish rebellion.
7 And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places, there will be famines; this is but the beginning of the sufferings.
Great suffering. This took place prior to Jerusalem’s destruction, as we read in Josephus.
Persecution Foretold
9 “But take heed to yourselves; for they will deliver you up to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them.10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.
This is all acted out in Acts.
11 And when they bring you to trial and deliver you up, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say; but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.
We have examples of this in Acts.
12 And brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; 13 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake.
This is the division of which Jesus previously spoke.
But he who endures to the end will be saved.
It’s not going to be pleasant, but salvation is for those who overcome. It should be noted, however, that this doesn’t mean that you’ll escape death.
The Desolating Sacrilege
14 “But when you see the desolating sacrilege set up where it ought not to be (let the reader understand), …
This is a reference to Daniel.
…then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; …
This is what the Early Christians did. They fled to Pella and thereby were saved from the massacre that took place in Jerusalem.
… 15 let him who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything away; 16 and let him who is in the field not turn back to take his mantle.
Put simply, when you see this stuff, just run.
17 And alas for those who are with child and for those who give suck in those days! 18 Pray that it may not happen in winter.
Because it will make the flight harder.
19 For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will be. 20 And if the Lord had not shortened the days, no human being would be saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days.
God’s mercy.
21 And then if any one says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it.22 False Christs and false prophets will arise and show signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23 But take heed; I have told you all things beforehand.
He began with warnings of false Christs and this is again repeated.
The Coming of the Son of Man
24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,25 and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
This is Biblical language for the falling of a city or nation.
Time is up.
26 And then they will see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
This is Biblical language for God’s coming judgement.
27 And then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
God will save His people.
The Lesson of the Fig Tree
28 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates.
When you see the signs, be ready.
30 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away before all these things take place.
A biblical generation is forty years.
31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
It’s a promise.
There’s also possibly an interesting parallel between the passing away of the Jerusalem temple, the passing away of the cosmic temple (“heaven and earth”) and the perseverance of the Christological temple (“my words will not pass away”).
The Necessity for Watchfulness
32 “But of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
The sign of any cult is when they say that they know when the end is going to be.
33 Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time will come.
Jesus calls for vigilance.
34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. 35 Watch therefore—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning— 36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Watch.”
Jesus gives a parable to drive home the point.