Not one stone will be left upon another, but every stone will be thrown down.

 

Not one stone will be left upon another, but every stone will be thrown down.

 

Mark 13:1-2 『And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here! And Jesus answered unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.』

Jesus predicted that the temple in Jerusalem would fall. The disciples could not help but be surprised. While the disciples were admiring this magnificent castle, they suddenly heard that the temple would be destroyed. So the disciples asked Jesus when this would happen. In Luke 21:20, “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you will know that its destruction is near.” Jesus is saying that the city of Jerusalem will be attacked by Rome, and that is when. The castle collapsed in A.D. 70. Because the city of Jerusalem was so solidly built, it would have taken a considerable amount of time for the Roman army to surround the city and destroy it. So the people in the castle would have been in great confusion.

At that time, Jewish society was in a state of chaos. Among the Jews there were zealots, who frequently attacked the Roman army for Israel's independence. They had previously attacked Antioch, driven out the Syrian army from Judea, and established the Hasmonean kingdom. This kingdom was destroyed by Rome, so the Zealots tried to rebuild it.

After conquering the world, Alexander the Great died at a young age. After the king's death, the conquered country (Greek Empire) was divided into four countries, and Seleucus of the Kingdom of Syria, one of the four major divided kingdoms of the Greek Empire. An incident occurred in which the 8th king of the dynasty, Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-163 B.C.), desecrated the Jerusalem Temple.

The first goal of Epiphanes' Hellenization policy toward Judea was to destroy Judaism and plant Greek religion in the region. Accordingly, Epiphanes dispatched 22,000 troops and attacked Jerusalem on the Sabbath, taking advantage of the fact that the Jews would not fight on the Sabbath. As a result, much of Jerusalem was sacked and burned, many people were killed, and women and children were taken into slavery. And B.C. In 167, it finally came to be that the Jews were prohibited from observing the laws that their ancestors had observed for generations. Epiphanes banned the Jews from observing the Sabbath, celebrating festivals, offering burnt offerings, and circumcising children.

He then burned all the books of the law, made people worship idols as unclean sacrifices on the altar of the temple, and forced the Jews to eat pork. And he decreed that anyone who violates any of these would be put to death. This heinous act reached its peak in B.C. It was December 16, 167. A statue of Zeus was erected in the temple, and pork sacrifices were offered on the altar of burnt offering. And he had this sacrifice held on the 25th of every month, which was Epiphanes' birthday. The Jews were made to offer sacrifices to Epiphanes himself in front of the statue of Zeus. However, this was Epiphanes' huge mistake. He never understood the religiosity of the Jews.

In contrast, the person who appeared was Maccabee. In the 2nd century BC, he was a hero who fought with the Jewish people to drive out the Seleucid army and establish an independent Jewish kingdom. So the Hasmonean kingdom emerged. Therefore, the goal of the Zealots' war was to rebuild the Hasmonean kingdom, so the war never stopped. In the end, the situation reached such a point that Rome attacked the city of Jerusalem.

Jesus talked about the state of society at that time in various parables or facts. In Mark 13:6, “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.』A representative figure is Acts 5:36-37, 『For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought. After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away many people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.』

In Mark 13:7-8, “And when ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must need be; but the end shall not be yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.』This shows the social situation at the time. There were wars almost every day, Israel fought against the Roman army made up of people from all countries, and earthquakes occurred frequently at that time.

The reason why Jesus says that the walls of Jerusalem will fall includes the meaning that the stone temple will be destroyed and a new temple will be built. In order for the new temple to be built, this stone temple must be destroyed. God allowed Solomon to build the temple, and later Zerubbabel's temple and Herod came to the temple, but its function was not revealed properly. The temple became a den of commercial thieves. So Jesus says he will give us a new temple, but he says there will be persecution. In chapter 13 verses 9-10, “But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. And the gospel must first be published among all nations.』

The new temple is not a stone temple, but rather represents the resurrection of Christ. Saints who believe in resurrection also believe that they were resurrected in the present with Christ. Because the saint believes in the present resurrection, a new temple is built in his heart. So preaching this becomes the gospel. However, this means that there will be persecution. Even today, when a believer preaches about the present resurrection in a church, persecution comes immediately. In a church, members call each other brothers, but if they say something like heresy, they immediately look at them with strange eyes.

At that time, Christians were persecuted by Judaism. The gospel could no longer be preached in Jewish society. So the gospel is introduced to the Gentiles. The Jewish Paul appeared, and thus the church was established and the gospel expanded. Chapter 13 verses 11-13 『But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost. Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved 』

In Mark 14-15, 『But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house:』

It is reminiscent of Daniel 9:27, “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it.” desolate, even until the consumption, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”

This refers to the aforementioned Epiphanes IV of Antioch. In the Gospel of Mark, the Roman army is the abomination of desolation. Therefore, when such signs appear, Jesus tells the disciples to quickly evacuate. If Jesus had not warned his disciples in advance, they would not have escaped disaster. However, the disciples realized this situation and went somewhere else.

In chapter 13 verses 23-25, “But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.” But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.』

When a country is destroyed, this expression appears. In Isaiah 34:4-5, “And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree. For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.』

The destruction of Jerusalem (stone temple) heralds the advent of a new temple. The tribulation is the beginning of a new world. It is as if the world was destroyed by Noah's flood and a new heaven and new earth arrived. So the resurrected Christ comes to the new era with great power. In chapter 13 verses 26-27, “And then they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.” And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.』

Saints become those who believe in present-day resurrection. So a new temple begins. Saints also have an old temple (old people). “This old man dies with Jesus and is resurrected with Christ” is the creation of the new temple (new man). At that time, it shows that the new temple was already spreading. The gospel was spread and spread through the disciples.

『Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.』

The fig tree represents spiritual Israel, or saints. Those who have had a present resurrection and a temple established in their hearts become saints. The number of believers who believe in and accept present-day resurrection is spreading. This generation refers to the period from the time of Jesus to the destruction of Jerusalem. About 70 years could be said to be a period of repentance.

Chapter 13 Verses 32-33 『But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.』 Christ will return to the saints who have been resurrected and the temple has been built in the present. No one will know at that time. The resurrected Christ is not the Son, but Jehovah God. For those who do not believe in the present resurrection, Christ will not return in the present.

The second coming of Christ occurred to the disciples on Pentecost. The Holy Spirit has come. And afterward, Christ will enter those who are united with Christ. In Acts 2:16-17, “But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 』

Those who distinguish between the Holy Spirit and Christ still believe in God in three parts. The Trinity belief applies when Jesus was on earth as the Son of God, but after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, he is one God. This means that the Holy Spirit is God, and Christ is also God.