The Fall of Jerusalem Foretold (Based on Matthew 24; Luke 21)

As Jesus was going out of the temple, there were some people who showed Him the buildings of the temple, for they were very beautiful, but Jesus said, “Do you see all these things? I tell you there shall not he left here one stone upon another.” Then Jesus went up to the Mount of Olives and sat down there. When they were alone, Peter, James, John, and Andrew began to ask Jesus questions about what He had said, for they did not understand what He meant. They asked, “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matthew 24:3). The disciples wanted to know the exact day that their Master would come again.

Jesus did not tell them the exact day, but He told them much about the destruction of Jerusalem and about His own coming to judgment, of which the destruction of Jerusalem was a picture. He said, “When I am gone, take care that you are not deceived, for false Christs and false prophets will come and try to deceive you. You must not believe them or pay attention to what they say. You will hear of wars, famines, earthquakes, and plagues. Dreadful sights will be seen in the sky, and men will be in great fear and sorrow. When you see all these things, do not be afraid; only remember that they will be the signs of destruction coming upon Jerusalem. You will be hated, persecuted, and imprisoned, and some of you will even be killed for My sake. Still, you must not fear, for I shall be with you in all your sorrows. After this, great armies will come against Jerusalem. When you see them, you must flee immediately to the mountains. You must not stop to take your clothes or anything else you have; escape immediately, and then you will be safe, but Jerusalem, the temple, and the city will all be destroyed. The people in it will be killed or taken prisoner. Jerusalem will be persecuted by the Gentiles for many generations. All these things will soon come to pass.”

Then Jesus spoke of His own second coming. He said, “Only God knows when that day will be. I shall come when people are not looking for Me or thinking of Me. I shall come suddenly, as the flood came upon the wicked in the time of Noah. I shall come in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory, and I shall send My angels to gather together My own people from every part of the earth and take them to be with Me forever. Then two women will be grinding together; one will be taken, and the other left. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken, and the other left. Watch, then, for you know not when your Lord will come.”

All that Jesus foretold about the destruction of Jerusalem soon came to pass. Not very long after Christ’s ascension to heaven, a false prophet appeared and said that he was Christ; many of the Jews believed him though they had rejected the true Messiah. There were wars in many parts of the world and troubles of every kind. Wonderful and dreadful sights were seen in Jerusalem unlike anything ever seen before. At last, the Roman army came to besiege Jerusalem. Then the disciples remembered again what Jesus had told them; they left the city and escaped to a place called Pella, in the mountains of Gilead, and there they were kept in safety. Not one perished.

It was then a sad time for the Jews in Jerusalem. They suffered very much from famine in the long siege; many died of hunger; some even ate their own children. Many were taken prisoner and crucified; the city was full of dead bodies, and the streets were red with blood. At last, Jerusalem was taken. The Romans burned the beautiful temple and plowed up the ground where it had stood. The remaining Jews were either killed or taken captive and sent to live in distant lands. Prom that time, they were scattered over the world. All these dreadful sufferings were the punishment of their sins, but God has not cast off His people Israel forever. He says to them in His word, “For I will take you from among the heathen ... and will bring you into your own land. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you ... And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes ...” (Ezekiel 36:24,26, & 27).

The destruction of Jerusalem is a type of something still more dreadful—the destruction of the wicked at the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. We do not know exactly when this will be. It will be a dreadful day for those who are not ready for it—those who do not have a new heart—but it will be a very glorious and happy day for those who have new hearts, for the people of God will then be taken to live with Him forever. We should pray that we may be ready for the coming of the Lord Jesus, that our sins might be all washed away in His blood and our hearts made new by His Holy Spirit. Then we shall not be afraid to see Him but shall say with joy, “Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly” (Revelation 22:20).

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