Which temple were the disciples referring to in Matthew 24?
The disciples were referring to the second temple—the one rebuilt by Ezra after the Babylonian captivity and later remodeled and enlarged by Herod the Great. It stood at Christ’s first Advent and is the temple in view in Matthew 24, not Solomon’s original temple or the future tribulation temple.
Les explains that Israel’s history includes two past temples, with a third yet to come. The first was Solomon’s, around 960 B.C. The second was rebuilt by Ezra after the Babylonian captivity, but it was makeshift and lacked Solomon’s beauty and wealth. Herod the Great, 50 or 60 years before Christ and embarrassed by its condition, remodeled and enlarged that second temple. That was the temple at Christ’s first coming, and the one the disciples were talking about in Matthew 24. Every Jew was rather proud of their temple.
More Questions
Which temple did the disciples see when they spoke with Jesus in Matthew 24?
The temple the disciples were talking about in Matthew 24 was the temple that existed at Christ's first coming, which was the second temple enlarged by Herod.