Passage 📖: Matthew 24: 1–14

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👋 Introduction to Today’s Lesson

Hey Friends,

Some things don’t break quickly.

They erode — slowly, silently, and while no one is watching.

Imagine this:

You’re standing in Washington, D.C.

You’re walking the halls of the White House — the very center of our nation’s power.

You feel the weight of history, the pride of legacy, the permanence of it all.

And then someone you admire, trust, and follow turns to you and says:

“Not one stone will be left upon another. All of it will come crashing down.”

You’d be rattled.

Probably even offended.

Because how could something so massive — so central to your nation’s identity — simply… disappear?

That’s exactly the kind of moment the disciples are having in today’s passage.

They’re admiring the Temple — the spiritual center of their faith, the heartbeat of Jewish life.

But Jesus doesn’t share their admiration.

He sees something they don’t.

Not just what’s standing… but what’s about to fall.

And He speaks with clarity, grief, and urgency.

He’s not just predicting destruction.

He’s inviting them — and us — to pay attention.

Not to panic… but to prepare.

Let’s dive in.

Last week, we saw the tension between Jesus and the religious leaders hit its boiling point.

The Pharisees had been trying to trap Him.

The Sadducees had been trying to discredit Him.

But Jesus flipped the script — and asked a question of His own:

“If the Messiah is the son of David, why does David call Him Lord?”

It was more than clever.

It was a revelation — exposing their small vision of the Messiah.

And their refusal to recognize the One standing right in front of them.

Then Jesus turned to the crowds — and said the quiet part out loud.

He exposed the Pharisees’ obsession with power, praise, and appearances.

He called out their hypocrisy, their heavy-handed rules, and their empty religion.

He didn’t tell the people to rebel.

He told them to go lower.

“The greatest among you will be your servant.

Those who exalt themselves will be humbled.

Those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Jesus wasn’t just confronting false teaching.

He was confronting false living — and calling us back to the heart of God.Last week, the Sadducees came to Jesus with a trap disguised as a question.

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Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple.

But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

As he sat on 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?”

And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray.

For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.

And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.

For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.

And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.

And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.

And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.

But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

A Prophecy They Didn’t Want — and a Reality They Couldn’t Accept

This moment unfolds just days before Jesus’ crucifixion.

He’s leaving the Temple — for the last time.

His disciples pause to admire the building, its size and beauty.

But Jesus doesn’t marvel.

He mourns.

“Truly, I say to you, not one stone will be left upon another.”

To them, it would’ve sounded unthinkable.

To destroy the Temple wasn’t just to tear down a building — it was to tear out the heart of Jewish identity.

So they ask:

“When will these things happen? What will be the sign of Your coming and the end of the age?”

What follows is known as the Olivet Discourse — Jesus’ longest prophetic teaching.

But it’s more than a timeline.

It’s a warning, a comfort, and a call to trust.

⛓️ The Fall of Jerusalem: A Prophecy Fulfilled

Jesus’ words weren’t abstract.

They came to pass — painfully and precisely — in 70 A.D.

That year, Rome besieged Jerusalem during Passover, trapping nearly a million Jews inside.

Famine broke out.

Civil war erupted inside the city.

The Temple was desecrated and burned to the ground.

According to the Jewish historian Josephus:

Over 1.1 million died.

97,000 were enslaved.

Mothers ate their own children.

The Temple was pulled apart stone by stone.

It was a horror unlike anything they had ever seen — or imagined.

And Jesus had warned them.

Not just about destruction… but about the danger of forcing their will in God’s name.

🔥 When Our Way Leads to Ruin

This prophecy is more than a forecast.

It’s a mirror.

The Jewish people were hoping for a warrior Messiah.

A political Savior.

Someone who would destroy Rome, not submit to it.

Instead, Jesus told them to surrender.

To love their enemies.

To pray for their oppressors.

To carry crosses, not swords.

It felt like weakness.

But it was the way of the Kingdom.

Jesus wasn’t the first to preach this.

Back in the days of Babylon, the prophet Jeremiah gave similar instructions:

“Build houses. Plant gardens. Seek the welfare of the city.” (Jeremiah 29:5–7)

Even in exile, God had a plan — not for rebellion, but redemption.

But by the time of Rome, the people had had enough.

They wanted revolution.

They chose war.

And the result?

The Temple — destroyed.

The people — scattered.

The city — lost for nearly 2,000 years.

⛪ How Christians Escaped

Remarkably, the early Church in Jerusalem remembered Jesus’ words.

Historians like Eusebius (Yo-See-Bee-Us)  tell us that when war broke out, they fled to Pella (Pell-uh), a city east of the Jordan.

While over a million Jews perished, the Jewish-Christian community survived.

This is what prophecy is for —

Not prediction games… but preservation.

Obedience saved lives.

Not Just Then… But Now

Jesus isn’t just talking about 70 A.D.

His words stretch beyond that moment — pointing toward the final days, when deception and lawlessness will increase.

He warns of false messiahs.

Wars.

Global unrest.

Betrayal.

A love that grows cold.

And then He says:

“But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (v. 13)

The call isn’t to panic.

It’s to stay faithful.

What This Means for Us

The Kingdom of God doesn’t come through revolution.

It comes through surrender.

When we cling to control, we lose it.

When we insist on our version of victory, we miss the way of Jesus.

He wasn’t just predicting disaster.

He was offering a different path.

One of humility, endurance, and trust.

One that looks like loss… but leads to life.

The disciples were marveling at the Temple — its grandeur, its permanence.

But Jesus wasn’t impressed.

He saw through the stone.

He saw the danger of trusting in institutions instead of intimacy with God.

He saw what happens when people marry their version of power to God’s name.

And He gave a sobering word:

“Not one stone will be left upon another.”

That warning wasn’t just about architecture — it was about idolatry.

Because when we build our faith around appearances, titles, or status…

we lose the very God we say we’re honoring.

Jesus shows us that the Kingdom doesn’t come through force, fame, or politics.

It comes through surrender.

So the invitation is clear:

Let go of the version of victory you’ve built in your head —

and follow the King who wears a crown of thorns.

The disciples looked at the Temple and saw strength. Stability. Glory.

But Jesus saw something else:

A structure that would not survive what was coming.

Not because it was unimportant — but because it was temporary.

And that’s the danger.

When we build our sense of safety on what looks secure — institutions, systems, governments, even churches — we forget that only one Kingdom is unshakable.

The Temple fell. Rome fell.

Every empire does.

Because human power isn’t eternal — only God is.

So today, if your peace is tethered to your job, your status, your bank account, or your country…

Let Jesus re-center your hope.

Because what looks permanent… isn’t.

And what may feel invisible… is actually the foundation.

As Jesus says:  “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” — Matthew 24:35

Let His Word — not your world — be your anchor.

Let His eternal power be your security.

Jesus doesn’t share this vision of the future to stir fear.

He does it to preserve His people.

He warns of false messiahs, wars, betrayals, and deception — not to paralyze us,

but to prepare us.

And history proves it worked.

When Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D.,

historians say the early Christians remembered Jesus’ words and fled.

While over a million Jews perished, the believers were spared.

Prophecy isn’t just a mystery to be decoded.

It’s a mercy to be obeyed.

So today, don’t chase headlines and call it discernment.

Pay attention to what Jesus actually says:

“See that no one leads you astray… the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

Discernment isn’t fear-based.

It’s faith-fueled.

We all want clarity about the future.

The disciples did too.

But Jesus doesn’t give them dates.

He gives them instructions.

Stay awake.

Endure.

Don’t be led astray.

Don’t give up.

Because in the Kingdom, faithfulness is the strategy.

You don’t need to know the timeline to walk in trust.

You don’t need every answer to keep following.

Jesus isn’t looking for people who predict well —

He’s looking for people who stay faithful when the pressure’s on.

So today, hold fast.

Not to your assumptions.

Not to your control.

But to the One who already sees the end — and walks with you through every step of it.

This is not a feel-good passage.

It’s not an easy teaching.

But it is Jesus — pulling back the curtain, not to scare us… but to save us.

He isn’t just predicting the fall of a city.

He’s exposing the collapse of a system —

a system that traded trust for control, faith for performance, and God’s will for personal agendas.

And the tragedy wasn’t just that the Temple fell.

It’s that so many never saw it coming… because they were too busy building their own version of the Kingdom.

But not everyone missed it.

The ones who remembered Jesus’ words — the ones who listened — were the ones who lived.

Because faithfulness will always outlast foresight.

You don’t need to know when the storm will come.

You just need to follow the One who sees it coming.

So today — if the future feels uncertain…

if the world feels unstable…

if your heart is tired from trying to control what you were never meant to carry…

Step back.

Remember who holds the timeline.

And rest in this:

Heaven and earth will pass away —

but His words will never pass away.

Because the Kingdom isn’t built on stone.

It’s built on surrender.

And the King is already on the throne.

Blessings,

Michael