Jesus said not one stone of the temple would be left upon another, but every stone would be thrown down.
In Matthew 24, Jesus explicitly told His disciples that the temple buildings would be completely dismantled, with not one stone left on another. Les Feldick teaches that this was fulfilled in 70 A.D. when the Roman general Titus and his soldiers literally tore the temple down stone by stone, as described in the historical account. This was a complete destruction, not just damage.
Matthew 24:2 — This is the verse where Jesus directly responds to the disciples' comment about the temple buildings, stating that all would be thrown down.
In Matthew 24:2, Jesus said to His disciples: "See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down." This is a direct prophecy of the temple's complete destruction, where every stone would be toppled.
Les Feldick explains that Jesus' prophecy in Matthew 24:2 was fulfilled literally in 70 A.D. when the Roman general Titus and his armies destroyed the temple. Unlike Nebuchadnezzar's destruction of Solomon's temple by fire (because it was predominantly cedar), the Romans dismantled Herod's temple stone by stone, as Jesus had said. Les references a historical report, attributed to Josephus, that Roman soldiers believed gold and wealth were hidden between the stones and thus tore the structure apart seeking it. He notes that only a small section of the western wall, known as the Wailing Wall, remained. This destruction is also tied to Luke 21:24, where Jesus said Jerusalem would be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
Les Feldick explains the contrast between Nebuchadnezzar's destruction of Solomon's temple, which was predominantly cedar wood and burned like a matchbox, and the Roman destruction of Herod's temple. The Romans, even though they used fire, literally dismantled the temple rock by rock and stone by stone. A legendary reason was that Roman soldiers had heard rumors of tons of gold hidden between the building blocks, so they took it down to retrieve the treasure.
Les Feldick connects the temple's destruction to Jesus' words in Luke 21:24. The Jews of Jerusalem would fall by the edge of the sword and be led away captive into all nations, and Jerusalem would be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. Les emphasizes the word 'until,' indicating a future time when the Gentiles will no longer have control over Jerusalem.
Les Feldick clarifies that this prophecy was fulfilled in 70 A.D., not at the end of the Tribulation. He points out that in Luke 21, Jesus is speaking of the destruction by Titus, the Roman general. The clue is that the Jews would be led away captive into all nations, which did not happen at the end of the Tribulation but in 70 A.D.
The White Horse Rider: Antichrist or Jesus? Revelation 6
His power with military might, or by fighting wars, but do you remember how He's going to come in? Peaceably and with flattery. He's going to be a political maneuverer, He's going to be a charismatic type of individual. So He comes in and He gets His ducks all in a row, if I may put it that way, peaceably.
Jesus' Prophecy of Complete Destruction
Les directly teaches on Matthew 24:2, explaining that Jesus said not one stone would be left, and then contrasts Nebuchadnezzar's fire destruction with the Roman's dismantling stone by stone, citing the legend of hidden gold.
Fulfillment in 70 A.D. and Times of the Gentiles
Les explains that Jesus predicted the Roman destruction, the captivity of the Jews, and that Jerusalem would be trodden down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled, pointing to 70 A.D.
What Happens at the Midpoint of the Tribulation?
So he was rather embarrassed that Israel's temple was nothing like Solomon's, and so Herod the Great really began remodeling and extending and enlarging the second temple, which is a remodeled one of Ezra, and so I'll put up here plus Herod. That was built then at Christ's first coming, at His first Advent. That's the temple that the disciples were just talking about here in Matthew 24.
Titus as Destroyer
Les identifies Titus as the Roman general who destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, tying it to Daniel's prophecy of the coming Antichrist from the Roman Empire.
Context of Luke 21: 70 A.D. Not End Times
Les uses Luke 21 to show that Jesus was speaking specifically about Titus' invasion in 70 A.D., noting the clue of Jews being led captive into all nations as evidence.
Jacob's Trouble: Why the Tribulation is for Israel, Not the Church
Now the first thing you've got to ask yourself when you read something like that, well in order for Israel to have the temple worship and have it disrupted, what is Israel going to have to have first? Well, the temple. And so we know that one day soon, somehow or other, everything is going to fall into place that Israel will have her temple rebuilt.
What Happens at the Midpoint of the Tribulation?
To haul in all that dirt and maintain that it was undefiled, I imagine by any corpses or bones or anything like that, but it was filled with kosher dirt. I thought that was quite an interesting sidelight. But anyway, the Tribulation Temple then will become the third temple, and as most of you are aware if you watch current events at all, the Jews are more than ready to rebuild their next temple, w…
Matthew 24:2: And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
This is the direct prophecy Jesus gave about the temple's complete destruction, which Les uses as the foundational answer.
Luke 21:24: And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
Les cites this to explain that the destruction was in 70 A.D. and that Jerusalem would be under Gentile control until a future time.
Jesus said, "There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down" (Matthew 24:2). This meant the temple would be completely dismantled, not just damaged.
It was fulfilled in 70 A.D. when the Roman general Titus and his armies destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, as Les Feldick teaches.
According to Les Feldick, the Romans dismantled the temple stone by stone because they had heard rumors of gold hidden between the stones, and they tore it down to retrieve the wealth.
Watch the Teaching: The White Horse Rider: Antichrist or Jesus? Revelation 6