Shocking Truth About Temple Destruction and Jesus' Return [2025 Update] - Booty and Treasures fer All!

You Are Not Alone in Asking About the Temple Destruction and Jesus’ Return

Many Bible readers and scholars wrestle with Jesus’ prophecy about the destruction of the temple and the timing of His return. This study examines those questions. It accepts that a future attempt to rebuild the temple may occur—possibly as a climax to the tribulation period. The goal of this discussion is to wrestle with the tension between Jesus’ warnings to “watch” and the timeline of events that followed.

If Jesus repeatedly told His disciples to “be ready” because His return could happen at any moment, yet the man of lawlessness must stand in the temple first, then His command would have had little value once the temple was destroyed. There must be a temple for that event to occur. This lies at the heart of understanding temple destruction and Jesus’ return.

Internal and External Clues to Temple Destruction and Jesus’ Return

As Jesus left the temple, His disciples pointed out the grandeur of its buildings. Jesus replied:

“Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

Later, on the Mount of Olives, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked three questions (Mark 13:3):

When will this destruction happen?
What will be the sign of your coming?
What will be the sign of the end of the age?

Mark notes this was a private conversation. That detail matters. Jesus answered His closest followers—Jews, all of them—who likely assumed the coming kingdom would free Israel from Roman rule.

Jesus’ Warning About Temple Destruction and Jesus’ Return

Jesus warned of coming persecution, the destruction of the temple, and the fall of Jerusalem. He spoke to those alive in that generation (Mark 13:30, Luke 21:32). His advice was clear:

“Pray that you may escape all that is about to happen and stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36).

Trials Before the Temple Destruction and Jesus’ Return

Jesus warned:

They would be arrested and brought before governors and kings (Matt 10:17–18, Mark 13:9–10).
They would be persecuted, imprisoned, and hated (Luke 21:12–13, Matthew 10:21–22, Mark 13:12–13).
The Spirit would give them wisdom and words their enemies could not resist (Matt 10:19–20, Mark 13:11, Luke 21:14–15).

We Will Suffer Persecution for His Name and His Word

Jesus wants the Four—and by extension all believers—to know that standing with Jesus comes at a cost. He warns of coming suffering (Baptism of Suffering: Mark 10:38, Luke 12:50, Romans 6:3–4), persecution and the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem. “Watch for it,” he says. “These things will come and during your lifetime.”

“But take heed to yourselves. Beware of men; for they will deliver you (persecution) up to councils and in the synagogues, before governors and kings and to the Gentiles for my sake for a testimony to them also. They will scourge (persecution) you in their synagogues.” Matt 10:17–18, Mark 13:9–10

In the same way Jesus suffered at the hands of men and was persecuted, so the disciples would also suffer.

“They will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison (suffering). And so you will bear testimony to me (“Stand up for Me.”)” Luke 21:12–13

How Should We Prepare for Such Trials

“But take no thought beforehand. Do not worry about what you shall speak. For it is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaks in you (Matt 10:19–20, Mark 13:11). Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist (Luke 21:14–15). A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master (Matthew 10:24).”

Later, when the religious leaders saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished at their depth of knowledge. They took note that these men had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13). We too, by living with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of Jesus and remaining in His Word, will receive a depth of knowledge that will astonish those who oppose the Gospel.

We Will Be Singled Out and Cast Out

“Brother will betray brother to death and deliver up the brother to death—and the father his child. Children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. You will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved (Matthew 10:21–22, Mark 13:12–13).”

Temple Destruction and Jerusalem Surrounded

Jesus gave a clear sign:

“When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you will know its desolation is near” (Luke 21:20).

He told them to flee without delay. In 70 AD, Roman armies laid siege to Jerusalem. Over a million died. The Temple was destroyed. The warnings of Deuteronomy 28:53, 56–57, 64 came true.

The Abomination of Desolation and Temple Destruction

Jesus referenced Daniel and warned that when they saw the abomination of desolation, they should flee (Mark 13:14). That statement only makes sense to the Four and others of their day if a temple still stood at the time. Which it did—until 70 AD.

The Fig Tree Lesson and Jesus’ Return

“When you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near” (Mark 13:28–29, Luke 21:29–31).

Only days before Jesus sought fruit from a fig tree, found none, and cursed it. Within a day, the tree withered. This incident and the desecration of the temple—turning it from a house of prayer into a marketplace—would still be fresh in the minds of the Four. At his death and resurrection the focus of worship shifted from a physical building to a spiritual temple. The empty fruit offered by the religious leaders of His day was replaced with spiritual fruit from Jesus’ Holy Spirit within us.

What Temple Remains After the Temple Destruction?

Paul and the other writers of the New Testament explain:

Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16, 3:17, 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16).
We offer ourselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1).
Jesus referred to His own body as a temple (John 2:21).
We are joined together in Christ as a spiritual temple (Ephesians 2:21–22).

The temple has been destroyed. Our focus is no longer on a physical structure in Jerusalem. Instead, the writers of the New Covenant make it clear that worship now centers on praising in spirit and in truth—with His Holy Spirit living in us and His truth revealed through His Word.

The Temple in Heaven and Jesus’ Return

The Revelation of Jesus speaks of a temple in heaven (Revelation 3:12, 7:15, 11:1–2, 11:19, 14:15, 14:17, 15:5–8, 16:1, 16:17, 21:22).

Jerusalem as the Great Prostitute and the Timing of Jesus’ Return

Revelation portrays Jerusalem as the Great Prostitute—Babylon the Great—who is cast down while the world looks on (Revelation 11:8, 14:8, 16:19, 17:1–6, 17:18, 18:2–24). Ezekiel gave similar warnings to Samaria and Judah (Ezekiel 16:1–63, 23:1–49), connecting the unfaithfulness of God’s people with false worship. They had defiled themselves with other gods. The same charge is brought against Jerusalem in Revelation.

Final Thoughts on Temple Destruction and Jesus’ Return

Will another temple be built? Perhaps. But it would not be a return to worship that pleases God. Physical “temple worship”—replacing the blood of Jesus with that of an animal—would be viewed by God as an abomination. The temple Jesus recognizes is in heaven and in His people. Any new earthly temple that denies Christ’s completed work would stand as a monument to rebellion, not faith.

Watch. Be ready. Jesus could come at any moment for His own. This is the message of Jesus during His last week on earth. When in doubt, go with with Jesus and God say.