Study Lesson 1
Bible Prophecy Perfectly Fulfilled
Sept. 15, 2021
Scripture To Consider:
“And Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, ‘Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another that shall not be thrown down.’” Matthew 24.1-2
A Few Words Of Warning:
All Bible Prophecy Shall Be Perfectly Fulfilled
The temple in Jerusalem was the central hub of all Jewish religion and worship. This temple was sometimes referred to as Herod’s temple, for Herod rebuilt the temple during the Roman rule over the nation of Israel. The original temple was built by Solomon, King David’s son and heir, who reigned as king over the land of Israel after David’s death. The original temple was destroyed approximately four centuries later in 587 B.C. by an invading Babylonian army.
The new temple built by Herod was forty-six years in building. It was magnificent in every aspect, and the disciples proudly showed Jesus the various buildings of the temple and its earthly splendor. In Matthew 12.6, Jesus, speaking of Himself, declared in comparison to the magnificence of the temple, “Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple.” And time has certainly proven Jesus to indeed be greater than the temple!
Matthew chapter 24 and 25 which are often referred to as the Olivet Discourse, speak to both near and far future events. In verse 2 of Matthew 24, Jesus was speaking prophetically regarding the destruction and the devastation of the temple, Jerusalem, and the Jewish people at the hands of the Roman government in 70 A.D.
This march on Jerusalem was led by Titus a Roman general. Rome could no longer turn a deaf ear to the rebellious revolutions within the Jewish borders. Therefore the city was seized and the temple was leveled. Jesus speaking as a Prophet declared in our Scripture to consider, “Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another that shall not be thrown down.” This prophecy spoken approx. forty years before 70 A.D. was perfectly fulfilled word for word.
In 1 Kings 6.7, we are told concerning the first temple that was built by Solomon, that the massive stones weighing several tons each were fashioned at the quarry so that no sound of a hammer or chisel could be heard in the temple during construction. Paul, writing in 1 Corinthians 6.19, compares our bodies as true believers to the temple of the Holy Spirit.
As true followers of Jesus Christ, we too are under spiritual construction by the Holy Spirit, being fashioned without the sound of a hammer or chisel into the image of Jesus Christ our Lord. For some this work takes many years. For most of us it takes an entire lifetime! Are we as possible end time followers of Jesus, yielding to the quiet behind the scenes constant work and care of the Holy Spirit? It would do us all eternally well to surrender our all to Jesus and His gracious words of warning found here in Matthew 24 and 25.
Though the disciples were fascinated with the magnificence of the temple’s exterior structure, within its walls the temple was stained with the sin of religious, legalistic, misleading men of hypocrisy and deception. In less than forty years during the siege of the temple, historians report that Titus had given orders not to desecrate the temple.
Historians also record that a Roman soldier threw a flaming torch into the temple. The fire spread and eventually melted all the gold in the temple from the top to the bottom. Therefore in attempts by the Roman soldiers to remove the cooled but solidified gold from between the cracks and crevices of those massive stones, every single stone was thrown down, just as Jesus had predicted!
Something To Consider:
Is The Truth Of Future End Time Events Knowable
The prophecy of Jesus, though seemingly impossible when spoken by Jesus, was perfectly fulfilled. Not one stone was left upon another. Bible prophecy, no matter how difficult it may be to believe or seemingly impossible to understand remains the Word of God, and must in time come to pass. This in depth study of Matthew chapters 24 and 25, and the words of warning spoken by Jesus, should prove to be an enlightening look into end time bible prophecy.
In Matthew 24 Jesus declared some thirty end time descriptive scenarios that point directly to the fulfilling of end time events. He exposed these future events in advance for those who are spiritually discerning rather than dogmatic in their denominational and or man-made doctrinal approach to the Scriptures.
We are indeed living in extremely exciting times as true born again bible believing Christians. And yet, we may be fast approaching many of the end time disruptive future events facing those living upon planet earth. That is to say, unless the many 20th and 21st century proclaimers of the Americanized Escapism theory promoted as a pre-tribulation rapture of all believers is accurate.
But can we know for sure if that book and movie version of Scripture being presented as the pre-tribulation rapture is solid biblical truth? Or is it simply another religious tactic to fill church pews with millions of those being encouraged to fill the church coffers with millions of dollars to ensure these same millions hear exactly what their itching ears want to hear? Can we truly know and rightly understand the truth, and thereby rightly prepare millions if not billions to stand firm rather than to fall prey to the flood of false information that is to continue according to Jesus?
According to Jesus, the biblical truth surrounding future end time events is not a deep dark diabolical secret or mystery hidden from human understanding. But rather, the truth concerning future end time events is knowable and understandable to all those who are willing to diligently search the Scriptures. Therefore, the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 24 and 25 hold all the truth Jesus deemed necessary for us to be properly prepared for future end time events, their importance, their sequence, their impact, and their coming to pass, exactly according to Jesus’ words.
More Scripture To Consider:
“And as Jesus sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’”
Matthew 24.3
Something Else To Consider:
Can We Relate To The Disciple’s Shock
These hand-picked by Jesus Jewish disciples, after the sudden shock of hearing what Jesus prophesied concerning the destruction of their highly regarded temple, finally composed themselves and asked Jesus three intuitive questions. Each of the three questions revolved around future end time events. The first question these overwhelmed disciples asked was; “Tell us, when will these things be?”
Jesus, in verse 2, spoke of one single future event, the destruction of the Jewish temple. And yet, in the startled minds of these 1st century spiritual students of Jesus, stunned by Jesus’ words, automatically linked the destruction of the temple with Christ’s second coming and the end of the world. Just think for a brief moment, of what might fill the minds of most Americans if the 2013 Hollywood production, “White House Down,” came to fruition, even to the total destruction of not one stone being left upon another?
Would not many living within the borders of America also link that event if actually having taken place, as a sign of the possible end of this one time great nation known as America? The answer is a resounding “Yes!” And so did these shocked disciples! Their curiosity of future events was of course on high alert.
As true born again believers being led by the Holy Spirit of God, our curiosity level should also be on high alert. We should be the best and most informed group of people on planet earth as it pertains to future end time events. Is that the case? Or is just the opposite the case due to the deceptive false messages presented by false prophets and spiritual wolves in sheep’s clothing?
Something More To Consider:
Can We Know The Signs Of Christ’s Coming
The second question asked Jesus by these shell shocked Jewish temple loving disciples was; “What will be the sign of Your coming?” Surely these recently named fishers of men, who had left everything to follow Jesus, linked the future fall of the Jewish religious temple with the end time coming of Christ. Evidently these uneducated disciples, by the religious leader’s standards, believed Jesus to truly be the Old Testament proclaimed Messiah. And therefore they must have believed Jesus to truly be the Messiah Savior of Israel, and not Israel alone.
This something more to consider raises another deserving of our undivided attention question that must be asked. At this point in the life and earthly events surrounding Jesus, are these disciples beginning to grasp the reality and truth of Jesus being required to die for the sins of the world, and return to eventually establish a millennial and final eternal kingdom of God? Otherwise, why would they ask Jesus about the sign of His coming? Why would they automatically link the destruction of the temple with Jesus’ return and the end of the age? This indeed gives us something more to consider.
The third question raised for discussion by these spiritually distraught disciples was, “What will be the sign of the end of the age.” In other words, if the glorious by all human standards Jewish temple is totally destroyed, Jerusalem must lie in waste also. If Jerusalem is vanquished then it only makes perfect sense to these faithful followers of Jesus for over three years, to conclude that the end of the world is in motion, and no humanistic force or fleshly bargaining, or man-made negotiating can divert the world’s end and most debilitating doom!
A Few Final Words:
Is The Future Foretold End Time Stage Set
Therefore, the future end time stage has been all together set indelibly in the pages of sacred Scripture, certainly for our benefit and for our understanding. Here in Matthew chapter 24 Jesus relinquishes never before revealed biblical knowledge as if classified information, concerning the future coming end time events. What will we do with this treasure chest of prophetical evidence and future facts of the coming of end time events? Will we disregard these words of Jesus as if they have little or no spiritual value? Will we allow the prolific flow of false prophet’s false and misleading information to lull us to sleep spiritually?
Matthew chapter 24 and 25 should invoke within us an honest desire and sense of responsibility to be prepared, along with a faith produced willingness to study the Word of God in depth, especially the words of Jesus. Jesus proclaimed what our response as true believers should be in John 5.39, as He declared; “Search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, and these are they which testify of Me.”
Let us therefore, sincerely search the Scriptures for future end time events exposed in advance, as according to Jesus. And as we diligently search the Scriptures, let us be reminded, that it is entirely possible to be sincere and still be sincerely wrong if we are walking after the flesh and not after the Spirit and what the Spirit of God has revealed in the Word of God.
Prayer: Our Father in heaven, we thank You for the assurance that all biblical prophecy will be perfectly fulfilled. Thank You that the truth of future end time events is knowable. Thank You that as we study to show ourselves approved unto You, we can know the signs of Christ’s coming. And finally, Father, grant to us spiritual discernment as the future foretold end time stage is being established upon the earth! In Him Always, Amen!
According to Jesus 