Matthew 24:2

[tjw]

What did Jesus mean by what He said in Matthew 24:2?

 

[Nathan]

What did Jesus mean by what He said in Matthew 24:2?

He meant that the stones that made up the buildings of the temple would be torn down.

 

[tjw]

He meant that the stones that made up the buildings of the temple would be torn down.

Is Jesus saying that the temple would simply be destroyed... OR... that there would LITERALLY "not be left here one stone upon another?"

 

[Thranduil]

Is Jesus saying that the temple would simply be destroyed... OR... that there would LITERALLY "not be left here one stone upon another?"

According to Flavius Josephus, a Jewish historian who lived at the time and served as a consultant to the Ceasar's, when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, not one stone of the temple remained on top of another.

 

[Nathan]

He was speaking about the buildings of the temple. I have often wondered myself if He was speaking about all stones that were around, and if so what about the western wall.

I am not a educated Jewish expert, so I cannot tell you what part the wall played in the temple buildings. But from a literal, and basic interpretation of the passage. It would seem to indicate that He was specifically speaking of the stones that made up the buildings of the temple. Not the ones that made up the wall.

But, I am going to have to say that I am not completely positive. So, keep looking on for your answer because I do not want you to think my interpretation is correct 100%. sorry

 

[Michae1]

What did Jesus mean by what He said in Matthew 24:2?

And He 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 NASB)

My Bible teacher answered a similar question about Matthew 24:2 so I will just post his answer here. I just did that big post about OSAS and I really do not want to do another big explanation post at this time. Plus the kids are bugging me about eating food and stuff. What's up with that? :dunno

You’re referring to the Lord’s prophecy in Matt. 24:2 . Most experts say the so-called wailing wall was part of the Temple Mount foundation and was underground at the time. It supports the Temple Mount on top of which the Temple was built.

But some believe the Temple Mount we see today is not the one upon which the Temple was built. They say this mount was built over the original by the Roman Emperor Hadrian, and the original was actually much lower in elevation. There’s some interesting evidence to support this view. If it’s true, the Holy of Holies of Herod’s Temple would have been just behind the wall where Jews now go to worship.

However you see it, when the Roman soldiers broke through the boundary walls in 70 AD, they set fire to the Temple furnishings. The rising heat caused the gold sheets covering the timbers in the ceiling to melt. The melted gold ran down the walls and into the cracks between the stones. After the fire burned out, they tore the Temple apart stone by stone to get the gold, until there was not one stone left standing upon another.

 

[Adstar]

Is Jesus saying that the temple would simply be destroyed... OR... that there would LITERALLY "not be left here one stone upon another?"

That not one stone would left upon another.

If you read the OT about the details of the construction of the Temple you will see that the inside of the temple was layered with gold.

1 Kings 6
21 So Solomon overlaid the inside of the temple with pure gold. He stretched gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, and overlaid it with gold.

The temples inside was not just stone covered in Gold there was a layer of Cedar wood also.

1 Kings 6
9 So he built the temple and finished it, and he panelled the temple with beams and boards of cedar.

So when the Romans burnt the temple in 70ad the temple became like a furnace melting the gold and the gold seeped into the spaces between the stones.

So when the fire was over and the remains of the temple was cooled you had a sizable amount of gold in between the stones of the remaining building like golden mortar. Gold has always been of great value so they preceded to tear down the sones one as a time to remove the gold that was locked between them. most of the gold was down the bottom pf the temple so the temple had to be totally pulled down one stone at a time to get to the gold.



All Praise The Ancient Of Days

 

[Adstar]

He was speaking about the buildings of the temple. I have often wondered myself if He was speaking about all stones that were around, and if so what about the western wall.

The western wall is not the temple itself. The temple was only one building within the complex. For the prophecy to be fulfilled it was the only building that needed to be totally demolished and it was totally demolished.


All Praise The Ancient Of Days

 

[Thranduil]

Yeah, the western wall was an outer wall of the city itself, not the temple.

 

[tjw]

I just want to clarify my posts on this thread...

1And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

2And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

Matthew 24 - Passage Lookup - King James Version - BibleGateway.com


These verses seem to be talking about "buildings of the temple" and "all these things."

So, are these verses talking about the temple AND the surrounding buildings?

 

[Nathan]

I just want to clarify my posts on this thread...

1And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

2And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

Matthew 24 - Passage*Lookup - King James Version - BibleGateway.com


These verses seem to be talking about "buildings of the temple" and "all these things."

So, are these verses talking about the temple AND the surrounding buildings?

This is a rendition of what the temple used to look like. As you can see, the temple was not just one building. It was multiple ones, multiple walls, very large.

He was referring to the buildings of the temple and everything that stood on the temple mount. Which it has been fulfilled.

Thanks guys for clarifying the wall issue. I just did not have the time to look it up, and it has never really been an issue for me. I really do not like people going by what I say unless I am completely confident that it is true. And I was not on the wall.

 

[Vic C.]

I just want to clarify my posts on this thread...

1And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

2And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

Matthew 24 - Passage*Lookup - King James Version - BibleGateway.com


These verses seem to be talking about "buildings of the temple" and "all these things."

So, are these verses talking about the temple AND the surrounding buildings?

Hi tjw,

Don't let the use of the plural confuse you. Buildings could easily refer the workings, materials, used to build the Temple and it's walls. The outer most wall you see in Nat's picture is not considered a part of the Temple structure. It's a protective wall; you can see that by how it is fortified.

Some of that outer wall still stands today, called the Wailing Wall. The Temple and it's walls were destroyed and the beautiful thing is, an everlasting Temple not made of hands was raised decades before the physical Temple was actually burned down and dismantled, stone by stone.

Amen!

 

[Codger]

If you read Josephus you can easily see that what they are calling the "Temple Mount" today is in reality the Fortress Antonia. This fortress was the only structure to survive the war of 70AD. The real temple mount was located about 600 feet south of the Fortress Antonia. The SE wall of the temple mount was 450' high with another 150 feet underground going down to bedrock. All of these stones were disloged mainly in search of the tons of gold and silver that melted from the heat of the burned out temple.

The real temple probably looked more like this not-to-scale sketch.