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The apocalyptic language that Yahushua uses to describe the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem is often misunderstood as being about the end of the world and the second coming of Christ.
At the beginning of what’s called the “Olivet Discourse,” Yahushua and his disciples are at the Temple. The disciples point to the stones and marvel at how amazing they are. They say, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”
And Yahushua responds, “Do you see all these great buildings? Not one stone here will be left on another; everyone will be thrown down.”
This disturbs them, so they ask Yahushua: “When will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”
After that, everything is an answer to those two questions.
The “end of the age” is not the “end of the world.” The age that is coming to an end is the Jewish age because their priesthood, their daily sacrifice, their temple, and their status as a nation are about to be wiped off the face of the earth.
In this context, the “coming of the Lord” is similar to what is said about Yahuwah riding on the clouds as He brought judgment against Egypt:
“Behold, Yahuwah is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.” – Isaiah 19:1
Did Yahuwah saddle up a cloud and come riding through the sky when He judged the nation of Egypt? No, that’s not what happened.
Armies from another nation attacked Egypt, and they experienced the “coming of the Lord,” who was “riding on a swift cloud” against them.
This is what Yahushua intends to communicate when, in the context of pronouncing a similar judgment against Jerusalem and their Temple, he says:
“At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.” – Mark 13:26
Yahushua even goes so far as to let them know the time frame of when these events will take place:
“Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” – Mark 13:30
And Yahushua was correct. The temple was destroyed in AD 70, just as He predicted it would be, with no stone left upon another and in the lifetime of those who were hearing Him pronounce this prophetic judgment.
WLC NOTE: Immediately after prophesying about the coming Prophet/Messiah (Deut. 18:18-19), Yahuwah said: "But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.' And if you say in your heart, 'How shall we know the word which Yahuwah has not spoken?'— when a prophet speaks in the name of Yahuwah, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which Yahuwah has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him." (Deut. 18:20-22) |
What about where Yahushua refers to things like the sun and the moon not giving their light? What about His prophecy about the stars falling from the sky? Doesn’t that mean the world and the universe are being destroyed?
Yes and no.
Much like the previous use of the “fire is not quenched and their worm does not die” language mentioned above, this is apocalyptic hyperbole.
Here are a few examples:
Isaiah prophesies against Babylon:
“For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.” – Isaiah 13:9-11
Ezekiel prophesies against Egypt:
“And when I shall put thee [Pharaoh] out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord Yahuwah.” – Ezekiel 30:18; 32:7-8
Amos prophesies against Israel about how the Assyrians will destroy them:
“in that day, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight” – Amos 8:9
Isaiah prophesies against Edom:
“…Hearken, ye people: let the earth hear….All the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll….For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold it shall come down upon Edom, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment….For it is the day of the Lords vengeance.” – Isaiah 34:1-8
Notice anything?
Did you see how these prophets pronounced a real-world judgment against them yet used cosmic destruction language?
Notice how they each promise that the stars will go dark or the heavens will be dissolved and rolled up like a scroll? Notice how they foretell that this destruction will be marked by the sun and moon not giving their light?
All of that? It’s apocalyptic hyperbole—prophetic and poetic overstatements about the cosmic-level judgment that is about to come upon them all.
Poetic, not literal.
No stars were harmed in the destruction of Edom, no moons or suns were extinguished when Babylon and Egypt were sacked, and no heavens were rolled into a taco.
Hyperbole.
Now, go back and read what Yahushua says about the destruction of the Temple and the “end of the age” coming to Jerusalem within a single generation. If you do, you’ll notice he uses the exact phrases, and when he does, the disciples understand that the moon, the sun, the stars, and the sky will not turn to blood, be extinguished, fall, or be rolled up in a rubber band.
"Temple Destruction 70 AD" by Francesco Hayez
They knew – where we do not seem to know – that this was widespread Old Testament-style apocalyptic language used to communicate an authentic day of destruction and judgment that was about to come to pass.
The language is figurative, but the destruction is very, very real.
Notice a few more examples of this type of apocalyptic hyperbole:
“I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth, declares the Lord…The wicked will have only heaps of rubble when I cut off man from the face of the earth” – Zephaniah 1:2-3
Note: Zephaniah prophesied against Judah before the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. In this event, Yahuwah did not destroy the entire world or wipe away everything from the face of the earth.
When the prophet Joel prophesies against Judah, he says this about the armies that will be used to bring the Yahuwah’s judgment:
“The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining…” – Joel 2:4-11
Once again, this is not a promise to snuff out the sun and the moon or to extinguish the stars in the sky. It promises to bring an explosive doom upon Judah because of their sins.
Got it?
[I hope so]
Here’s a bonus example for you.
When Yahushua says:
“For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again” [in Matthew 24:21]…
…you already know what he’s trying to say here, right?
Of course, you do. In the Old Testament, this sort of language was used over and over again to overstate the severity and horror of the judgment to come:
“And I will do in thee that which I have not done, and whereunto I will not do any more the like, because of all thine abominations.” – Ezekiel 5:9
This was about the impending destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. Yahushua applied the same language to the imminent destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 (Matthew 24:21). In the common hyperbole of the day, both events are spoken of as if they were each uniquely horrendous, but this is simply for emphasis.
The locust plague mentioned in Exodus 10:14 is described using the same language, yet Joel 2:2 seems to describe another locust plague, also uniquely horrendous and “unequaled since the beginning of the world,” etc.
The point — and I think I have made it — is that hyperbole is never literal, but destruction always is.
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But can these three events be the worst of all time and never be equaled again? Of course not, but that’s not the point here. The hyperbole is not literal, but the destruction is.
Similarly, Solomon was said to have been uniquely wise and magnificent, using the same hyperbole (1 Kings 3:12-13). Yet we know of one [Yahushua] who is “greater than Solomon” (Matthew 12:42).
The “never before and never after” language is typical hyperbole and should not be pressed to a literalness beyond that which was intended in any of its uses.
In Daniel 9:12, he says of the destruction of Jerusalem under Nebuchadnezzar:
“You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem.”
Really? Well, maybe up to that point, but certainly only for some time.
The point—and I think I have made it—is that hyperbole is never literal, but destruction always is.
This is a non-WLC article by Keith Giles.
We have taken out from the original article all pagan names and titles of the Father and Son, and have replaced them with the original given names. Furthermore, we have restored in the Scriptures quoted the names of the Father and Son, as they were originally written by the inspired authors of the Bible. -WLC Team