JESUS PREDICTS THE TEMPLE’S DESTRUCTION
LESSON FOR THE JUNIOR CLASSES
STUDY SCRIPTURE:
MATTHEW 24 : 1-8, 15-24
Key Verse
“But He responded and said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another which will not be torn down.”
Matthew 24: 2
INTRODUCTION
Jesus has now been forced to teach the disciples that there are consequences for disobedience to God’s commandments. Jesus had come down from heaven to save His nation and to save the world from the disasters and destruction Satan had brought to humankind. But despite His strenuous efforts, and His doing miracles and wonderful works of healing and raising the dead it only brought opposition from the powerful religious leaders who had long moved away from following the most of the instructions of God. They hated Jesus so much that they planned to bring false charges against Him and then kill Him.
Jesus now was at the point where His ministry had finished. The nation and the leaders had rejected the salvation He brought to them. So after teaching His last lesson in the Temple Jesus declared that the nation, the Temple the people so loved and the city of Jerusalem would be desolate. That meant they all would be destroyed and the nation of Israel would go into exile and suffer a great deal.
Jesus and the disciples then left and went on the Mount of Olives. The disciples were shocked at Jesus’ statement that the nation, the city of Jerusalem and the Temple would be desolate, and they pointed out to Jesus that this Temple was a magnificent and elaborately decorated Temple which had taken over 40 years to be rebuilt.
But Jesus told the disciples that all they were so proud of would be destroyed and all the large stones that made up the foundation of the large Temple building would be torn down. The disciples then took Jesus seriously and asked Him to explain to them if the end of the age was near and He would soon come to earth as King and make Israel a great nation, free from the domination of the Romans. But Jesus warned them about powerful deception they would face. People would hate them that followed Jesus and the love of God would grow cold. There would be many earthquakes, famines, pestilences even worse than Covid 19 and millions would be killed. There would be constant wars and violence. But He told them not to be worried about these events. Even when there would be people pretending to be Him and say they are coming from God the Father, God would bring their rebellion to an end. We learn from this that only God knows the future. He is in control and will make sure the righteous people will survive. So let us trust Him