Matthew 24:2

Friday, 6 November 2026

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 24:2

“The ‘also Jesus’, He said to them, ‘Not you see all these? Amen, I say to you, no not it may be left here, stone upon stone, which not it will be collapsed.’” (CG)

In the previous verse, it said that Jesus departed from the temple and that His disciples came to show Him the buildings of the temple. Despite its magnificence, Matthew records, “The ‘also Jesus’, He said to them, ‘Not you see all these?’”

One can almost sense the conversation. Jesus had proclaimed to Jerusalem that her house would be left to her desolate. Probably stunned by that prophecy, the disciples called attention to the temple mount and all the structures on it, noting how long it took to build and all the careful effort taken to ensure it would always remain standing.

Jesus, knowing the future, may have said, “Yes, I have seen them. But what you see is not what I see. Take a careful look!” This is all speculation, but it probably gets the sense of what transpired between them. With Jesus having called their attention to the scene, He next says, “Amen, I say to you, no not it may be left here, stone upon stone.”

Jesus speaks of the event as certain. Not only will the temple be destroyed, but there will not be a single stone left to indicate it was ever there. Of this, Albert Barnes gives a thorough description, saying –

“After the city was taken, Josephus says that Titus ‘gave orders that they should now “demolish the whole city and temple,” except three towers, which he reserved standing. But for the rest of the wall, it was laid so completely even with the ground by those who “dug it up from the foundation,” that there was nothing left to make those believe who came hither that it had ever been inhabited.’ Maimonides, a Jewish writer, has also recorded that ‘Terentius Rufus, an officer in the army of Titus, with a plowshare tore up the foundations of the temple, that the prophecy might be fulfilled, “Zion shall be plowed as a field,”’ Micah 3:12. This was all done by the direction of divine Providence. Titus was desirous of preserving the temple, and frequently sent Josephus to the Jews to induce them to surrender and save the temple and city. But the prediction of the Saviour had gone forth, and, notwithstanding the wish of the Roman general, the temple was to be destroyed. The Jews themselves first set fire to the porticoes of the temple. One of the Roman soldiers, without any command, threw a burning firebrand into the golden window, and soon the temple was in flames. Titus gave orders to extinguish the fire; but, amid the tumult, none of the orders were obeyed. The soldiers pressed to the temple, and neither fear nor entreaties, nor stripes could restrain them. Their hatred of the Jews urged them on to the work of destruction, and thus, says Josephus, the temple was burned against the will of Caesar. - Jewish Wars, b. 6 chapter 4, section 5-7.”

The words of Jesus were validated. Jesus had said that the sign of Jonah would be given for the people to understand. Jonah’s words to Nineveh were, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” In the standard biblical pattern, a day for a year, Jerusalem (which Nineveh pictured) was destroyed forty years later. So complete was the destruction that Jesus said concerning every one of the stones, “which not it will be collapsed.”

Just as He spoke, so it came to pass. They plowed the temple mount like a field. Any visitor would see just a barren base, as if waiting for someone to come and erect a building on it, not realizing one once stood there.

Life application: Jesus proclaimed what would occur, even telling the people when it would take place. To the minutest detail, His words were validated. And yet, to this day, He is dismissed by the nation of Israel. His name is normally not spoken, except in a derogatory manner. His memory among the nation is like that of a person who is a leprous outcast.

Imagine it! God Himself came to His own people in the Person of Jesus. He perfectly fulfilled every prophecy spoken in anticipation of His coming. And more, no other person since then could fulfill the prophecies. And so either Jesus is who He claimed to be, or the Bible is not the word of God.

Despite all of the evidence to validate who Jesus is, He is utterly rejected by them. And now, after two thousand years, the church itself is turning away from Him in an immense way. There are still many faithful believers around the world. But the large denominations that have carried the message of Jesus are scorning Him and biblical doctrine more each day.

The world is ripe for judgment. When will that day be? We have to wait and see. But until it comes, we should carefully guard the faith, passing it to others and constantly fixing our eyes on the Lord so that we don’t get pulled away from soundness of faith.

Jesus! Let us focus our lives each day on the One who has come, prevailed over sin and death, and who promises to bring us home someday. May we be willing to share the good news with those around us. There is hope in Jesus. Without Him, there is only a temporary life of futility followed by an eternity of separation from God. Jesus! Let us focus on Jesus.

Lord God, there is nothing surer than the words of Scripture that tell us of the coming of Jesus. Every prophecy finds its fulfillment in Him. Every word is given to assure us that in finding Jesus, we have found the One the Bible proclaims. Help us to get the good news out to the world that Jesus has come and that in Him, there is salvation. Hallelujah for Jesus! Amen.