“The Harder They Fall”
Unit II: “Jesus and the Temple”
PRINTED TEXT: Matthew 24:1-8, 15-24, NIV
July 27, 2025
Key Verse: “Do you see all these things?” He said. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; everyone will be thrown down.” (Matthew 24:2, NIV)
Lesson Aim:
- Become familiar with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in AD 70.
- Experience peace amid alarming world circumstances.
- Create hopeful communities of worship that center around sound, Jesus-centered worship experiences.
Unifying Principle and Why this Lesson Matters: Most grand structures appear to be indestructible. What might cause even the sturdiest buildings to deteriorate? Jesus warned that the magnificent Temple would be destroyed as a sign of both His coming and the end of the age.
The Introduction, Lesson in Focus, and Biblical Context:
The immediate biblical setting of this lesson is what is identified as the Olivet Discourse. The title is derived from the location of this teaching, the Mount of Olives, situated in Jerusalem east of the Old City. The Mount of Olives is named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes, and it played a pivotal role in Jesus’ ministry. It was a place of teaching, prayer, prophecy, and ultimately, betrayal. This is significant because it is reflective of occurrences from the past but also ones of the future; some of which include: 1. One of Jesus’ most important teachings, the Olivet Discourse, took place on this mountain. Jesus spoke about the end times, the destruction of Jerusalem, and His second coming. 2. The Mount of Olives was the starting point of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. 3. Perhaps the most emotional moment on the Mount of Olives was when Jesus prayed in deep agony in the Garden of Gethsemane before His arrest. 4. After His resurrection, Jesus took His disciples to the Mount of Olives. It was here that He gave them the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16–20), and where Jesus ascended into Heaven (Acts 1: 9-11). 5. As prophesied in Zechariah 14:4, Jesus will return to the Mount of Olives at the end of the Great Tribulation. 6. The Mount of Olives was a place where God’s judgment was announced (Ezekiel 11:23). 7. It will also be the place of Jesus Christ’s victorious return (Zechariah 14:4).
In the context of this lesson, the central theme of Jesus’ teaching is the end times. Following His scathing denunciation of the Pharisees in Matthew 23:13-32, as He and the disciples were leaving the Temple, the disciples called His attention to the Temple’s magnificent buildings. His disciples still seemed to believe that the Temple would have a place in God’s future. Their observation prompted Jesus to rebuke them, and He pronounced His final judgement on the Temple, telling them that “no stone would be left on another and every stone would be thrown down”; hence, predicting that the Temple would be utterly destroyed. While Jesus sat viewing the Temple, His response prompted his disciples to ask when this event would occur and what signs would indicate His return and the end of the age. Jesus’ reply forms the content of Matthew 24-25, where He describes a series of signs preceding His return. It would be a period of unprecedented tribulation, His glorious return, and two parables emphasizing the importance of vigilant preparation for His return. With the destruction of the Temple in AD 70, Matthew recognized the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy and an assurance that Jesus’ other predictions would come to pass. The essential consideration for believers is not setting a date for when this will occur, but instead focusing on how this event should shape and direct our lifestyles and hopes for the future. With this hope in mind, Jesus warned against being misled by false prophets. He also encourages our readiness for His return, and He reminds His followers of their world mission. For believers now, the Olivet Discourse offers an informative insight into the future, including events preceding His return, the necessity of faithful and expectant living in anticipation of His return, hope and assurance of His ultimate victory, and the certainty of our ultimate glorification.
The Temple Will Fall (Matthew 24: 1-3, NIV):
1. Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings.
2. “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone there will be left on another; everyone will be thrown down.”
3. As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Verses 1-3 of Matthew 24 set the stage for Jesus’ final significant discourse before His crucifixion. Matthew
24:1-14 describes this segment as the Olivet Discourse, a profound block of Jesus’ teachings that grew out of His response to His disciples’ questions about the timing of the Temple’s destruction, the signs of the end of the age, and His second coming. The disciples’ concern aroused by Jesus’ prediction of its destruction is significant for several reasons. The Temple represented God’s presence in Israel, serving as the core national worship center and a symbol of their cultural identity. Its destruction would devastate their religious, cultural, and social life. As devout Jews, Jesus’ disciples were familiar with prophecies predicting the Temple’s destruction and restoration, which were part of the Old Testament prophecies. These prophecies had significant implications for God’s plans for Israel’s future and would affect the nation’s future and the fulfillment of God’s covenant promises. Like their fellow Jews, the disciples also held eschatological expectations regarding the establishment of God’s kingdom during the future messianic age. They were concerned about how the Temple’s destruction would impact this future hope and their lives and mission as Christ’s disciples. For the disciples and the Jewish nation, the Temple represented permanency and their hope for the future, and they couldn’t imagine its being torn down. Yet, they learned a vital lesson regarding a relationship with Jesus Christ: nothing physical stands or remains forever, nor can it replace the significance of trusting God alone by faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus’ prediction underscores that earthly structures and human life are transient; thus, there is a need for us to develop endurance in faith in God. The
declaration that the Temple, a symbol of permanence and hope, would fall reminds us that our only security and hope are in God alone. Therefore, we as believers are challenged to focus on our relationship with Jesus Christ, acknowledging that Physical things are not eternal, no matter how significant they appear or are assumed to be.
Key Points to Remember: The destruction of the Temple carries profound implications for the faith community. 1. It reminds us to “not” place our trust in the physical world and to prioritize maintaining a stable relationship with God. 2. Our worship must be God-centered and “not” idolized, making our worship of God secondary. 3. Finally, we must remain vigilant and spiritually resourceful in preparing for the Lord’s return by living righteously and serving faithfully.
Signs of the End Times (Matthew 24: 4-8, 15-24, NIV):
4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.
5. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.
6. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.
7. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
8. All these are the beginning of birth pains….
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15. “So, when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—
16. then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
17. Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house.
18. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak.
19. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!
20. Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.
21. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.
22. “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.
23. At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!” or “There he is!’ do not believe it.
24. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”
In Matthew’s account, Jesus did not tell the disciples when the Temple would be destroyed. However, He answered their second question descriptively. Jesus begins His response to the disciples’ question about the signs of the end times and His return with a crucial warning: do not allow false messiahs claiming to come in His name to deceive them. During that time, religious deception often plagued the Jews’ relationship with God, leading them to rebellion and the rejection of His commandments. Likewise, believers today must be able to discern spiritual truth from false doctrine and erroneous biblical interpretations. Jesus then proceeded to list “signs” that would precede the end of the age: wars, rumors of wars, and nations rising against nations, natural disasters, martyrdom, persecution, and betrayal of believers; in other words, believers will undergo extreme persecution and be killed and hated because of their faith in Him. In addition, there will be an increase in the appearances of false prophets and lawlessness, thereby causing many to depart from their faith and love to wane. Jesus described these things as “birth pains,” meaning they signified the beginning of the tribulation to come before the end and His victorious return. Jesus affirmed that the end would not come until the Gospel had been proclaimed to all nations, thereby allowing people to receive salvation. Jesus follows His description of these signs with a promise in verse 13. Here, He provides a ray of hope by stating that it is possible to endure this time of trouble and that the end will not come until the whole world has had the opportunity to hear the Gospel, signifying the depths of God’s patience and desire that none should perish. As believers, we should acknowledge and heed Jesus’ warnings, interpret current conditions that mirror those in this discourse as signs of the end’s coming, and live in a state of spiritual readiness for His return with active anticipation, faithful service, and the production of fruits of righteousness. Our tasks, individually and collectively, are to ensure that: 1. we seek spiritual insight regarding spiritual truth, 2. trust God’s faithfulness to His promises, 3. recognize persecution as being a part of our spiritual journey, 4. prioritize evangelism so others have the opportunity to receive salvation, and 5. worship God wholeheartedly for our ultimate glorification when Christ returns. This lesson reminds me of the spiritual, “I want To Be Ready When Jesus Comes.” Will You Be Ready!