Introduction

† One of the greatest surprises in the Gospels is not what Jesus did for the temple, but what He refused to do for it.

† He honored the temple while it still served God's covenant purpose, but He never treated it as something that would last forever.

† He cleansed it, condemned its corruption, departed from it, foretold its destruction, and established Himself as the true dwelling place of God.

† This becomes a powerful testimony that the Old Covenant system was reaching its appointed end, making way for the everlasting New Covenant.

The Cleansing Of The Temple
Matthew 21:12-13

And Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all those who were selling and buying on the temple grounds, and He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. And He said to them, "It is written: 'My house will be called a house of prayer'; but you are making it a den of robbers."

† Jesus cleansed the temple because it had become corrupt, not because He intended to preserve it. (Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11)

† His actions exposed the spiritual condition of Israel's leaders and demonstrated that judgment was approaching. (Matthew 23:13-36)

† Instead of beginning a restoration program, Jesus revealed that the temple had failed in its covenant purpose. (Matthew 21:12-13)

Jesus Pronounced Judgment Upon The Temple
Matthew 23:37-38

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!

† Jesus no longer called it My house. He called it your house, showing that God was abandoning the Old Covenant institution. (Matthew 23:38)

† The declaration of desolation fulfilled the warnings given through the prophets against covenant unfaithfulness. (Jeremiah 22:5; Daniel 9:26-27)

† Rather than saving the temple, Jesus announced its coming abandonment by God. (Matthew 23:37-38)

Jesus Left The Temple
Matthew 24:1-2

Jesus left the temple area and was going on His way when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. 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."

† Jesus physically departed from the temple before announcing its destruction.

† The disciples admired the buildings, but Jesus directed their attention to God's coming judgment instead of their impressive appearance. (Matthew 24:1-2)

† Not one stone would remain because the temple's covenant role was about to end forever. (Luke 21:20-22)

Destroy This Temple
John 2:19-21

Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews then said, "It took forty-six years to build this temple, and yet You will raise it up in three days?" But He was speaking about the temple of His body.

† Jesus shifted attention away from the physical temple and toward Himself as the true dwelling place of God.

† His resurrection established the foundation of the New Covenant temple that could never be destroyed. (John 2:19-21)

† God's presence would no longer be centered in a building made with hands, but in Christ and His people. (Ephesians 2:19-22)

The Veil Confirmed The Temple's End
Matthew 27:50-51

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and gave up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.

† God tore the veil from top to bottom, showing that He Himself ended the separation maintained by the Old Covenant priesthood. (Matthew 27:50-51)

† Access to God was now through Christ instead of the temple rituals. (Hebrews 10:19-22)

† The torn veil announced that the temple's purpose had reached its fulfillment long before the building itself was destroyed in AD 70. (Matthew 27:50-51)

The Temple's Destruction Was God's Judgment
Luke 21:20-22

But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are inside the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city; because these are days of punishment, so that all things which have been written will be fulfilled.

† Jesus instructed His disciples to flee, not defend Jerusalem or protect the temple.

† The destruction of the temple fulfilled God's covenant judgments exactly as the prophets had foretold. (Deuteronomy 28:49-57; Daniel 9:26-27)

† Jesus never organized an effort to save the temple because its destruction was part of God's redemptive plan. (Luke 21:20-22)

The Old Covenant Was Ready To Vanish Away
Hebrews 8:13

When He said, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is about to disappear.

† The writer of Hebrews declared that the Old Covenant was already growing old and nearing its complete removal. (Hebrews 8:13)

† The temple stood only briefly after Christ's sacrifice because God was bringing the Old Covenant age to its appointed end. (Hebrews 8:13)

† The destruction of the temple publicly confirmed what God had already accomplished through Christ. (Luke 21:20-22; Hebrews 8:13)

A Better And Lasting Sanctuary
Hebrews 9:11-12

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things having come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made by hands, that is, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all time, having obtained eternal redemption.

† Christ entered the true heavenly sanctuary, making the earthly temple obsolete.

† His sacrifice accomplished what the Levitical system could never permanently accomplish. (Hebrews 10:11-14)

† Believers now have direct access to God through Christ instead of through the temple system. (Hebrews 10:19-22)

Historical References

† Josephus records that the temple was completely destroyed by the Roman armies in AD 70, exactly as Jesus foretold. (The Wars of the Jews 6.4-6)

† Tacitus records the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and its temple during the Jewish war. (Histories 5.11-13)

† Eusebius records that the Christians remembered Jesus' warning and fled Jerusalem before its destruction. (Ecclesiastical History 3.5)

† The historical record confirms that Jesus' prophecy was fulfilled within the first-century generation.

How It Applies To Us Today

† Our confidence is in Christ, not in sacred buildings.

† God's dwelling place is His redeemed people through the New Covenant.

† We don't look for a rebuilt temple because Christ fulfilled everything the temple pointed toward.

† We rejoice that the perfect sacrifice has already been offered once for all.

Q & A Appendix

Q: Why did Jesus cleanse the temple if He knew it would be destroyed?

A: He cleansed it to expose its corruption and call Israel to repentance before God's judgment fell. (Matthew 21:12-13; Matthew 23:37-38)

Q: Why didn't Jesus tell His followers to defend the temple?

A: Because its destruction was God's appointed judgment, and He instructed His disciples to flee instead. (Luke 21:20-22)

Q: What replaced the Old Covenant temple?

A: Jesus Christ is the true temple, and believers are God's dwelling place through Him under the New Covenant. (John 2:19-21; Ephesians 2:19-22)

Q: When was Jesus' prophecy about the temple fulfilled?

A: It was fulfilled in AD 70 when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, just as Jesus foretold. (Matthew 24:1-2; Luke 21:20-22)

Q: If the temple was still standing after the cross, why wasn't it still God's house?

A: Jesus declared, Your house is left unto you desolate, showing that God had withdrawn His covenant favor even though the building remained until AD 70. (Matthew 23:38)

Q: Did the destruction of the temple mean God's plan had failed?

A: No. The destruction fulfilled Jesus' prophecy and confirmed that the Old Covenant had given way to the New Covenant established through His death and resurrection. (Luke 21:20-22; Hebrews 8:13)

† This is the fulfilled perspective we proclaim at Fulfilled Prophecies. †

© Fulfilled Prophecies - Dan Maines.

Source Index

† Matthew 21:12-13, Matthew 21:18-20, Matthew 23:37-38, Matthew 24:1-2, Matthew 27:50-51, John 2:19-21, Luke 21:20-22, Hebrews 8:13, Hebrews 9:11-12

† Josephus, The Wars of the Jews 6.4-6; Tacitus, Histories 5.11-13; Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.5