Written by Joseph
Luke 21:5-8 And as some
spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, He said,
6 As for these things
which you behold, the days will come, in which there shall not be left one
stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
7 And they asked Him,
saying, Master, but when shall these things be? And what sign will there be
when these things shall come to pass?
8 And He said, Take
heed that you are not deceived: for many shall come in My name, saying, I am
Christ; and the time draws near: do not go after them.
This prophecy of Christ came to pass in a very literal sense. During the siege on Jerusalem in 70 A.D., the temple was burned and the Roman general Titus gave the order to plunder all the gold left in the temple and not to leave one stone left upon another. However, there is also a spiritual fulfillment of this prophecy that has not yet come to pass.
The Herodian temple was a beautiful building. Herod had spent large sums of money refurbishing and expanding the temple that was rebuilt under Zerubbabel and filling it with gold and other precious metals. His motivation for all this was to win the support of the Jewish people. It was completely a political move. Herod’s Temple thus became a type of the denominational church. There are many things that appear to be very good and attractive to the people in the denominational church. The social programs, missionary work and pleasing doctrines, attract many people, yet these are only the fine gold trimmings that decorates the temple.
Christ tells us the sign that will precede the fulfillment of this prophecy are many appearing to come in His name professing to be the Christ. Who are these false Christs that are going to appear? Should we be looking for a man or a group of men to come that claim to be Jesus Christ? No, the false Christs that are going to appear are not people but are false teachings of Christ. Every denomination has a different teaching about Christ and a different belief of who Christ is, but all denominations have fallen away from the true teaching of Christ. Therefore, each denomination is saying, “I am Christ. Our teaching of Christ is correct.” This is the same antichrist spirit that Paul speaks about in II Thessalonians 2:2, 3. …that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposes and exalts himself, above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. The denominational systems have taken over what should be the temple of God and has set itself up to appear as something of God. This is the sign that will precede the judgment upon the false Christs of denominations. Now the Lord Jesus Christ is waiting for His people to loose the fulfillment of His prophecy and the judgment of God upon spiritual Babylon. And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly (Romans 16:20). Christ has spoken the Word and now He waits for it to be spoken into existence by His people. So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it (Isaiah 55:11). Prophesy against the false Christs and Babylon and loose God’s people to be free that they may not be partakers of her sins and her plagues. (Revelation 18:4).
Copyright © 2006 by Henry DuBose