We've had a lot of new members join lately, so this post is for you. If the fulfilled perspective is new to you, get ready to learn and enjoy. For those already familiar with fulfillment, you'll notice I'm starting with Luke instead of Matthew this time, and I'll explain why as we go.

Luke 21:5-6
5 And while some were talking about the temple, that it was decorated with beautiful stones and votive gifts, He said,
6 As for these things which you are observing, the days will come when there will not be left one stone upon another, which will not be torn down.

† The disciples marveled at the glory of the temple, yet Christ revealed that even the most sacred and magnificent structure of their covenant would soon be destroyed.

† In all three synoptic gospels (Matthew 24:1-2, Mark 13:1-2, Luke 21:5-6) Christ tells His disciples that the temple would be destroyed. This consistency shows the weight of the prophecy.

Matthew 24:3 - Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?
Mark 13:4 - Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?
Luke 21:7 - Teacher, when therefore will these things happen? And what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?

† Matthew's account connects the destruction of the temple with the coming of Christ and the end of the age. That age was the Old Covenant age. Hebrews 8:13 confirms this, saying the covenant was becoming obsolete and ready to disappear.

† Mark and Luke, however, wrote more for Gentile audiences. Since Gentiles weren't bound to Israel's covenant system, they recorded the prophecy of destruction without emphasis on the end of the Jewish age.

† We can prove this from scripture. Matthew was clearly writing to Jews. He begins his gospel with the genealogy of Jesus traced through Abraham and David (Matthew 1:1-17), showing Christ as the heir to Israel's promises. Matthew uses Jewish expressions like "kingdom of heaven" rather than "kingdom of God," and he constantly quotes Old Testament prophecy to show fulfillment (Matthew 2:5-6, 2:15, 2:17, 2:23).

† Luke, on the other hand, was writing to Gentiles. His gospel begins with a direct address to Theophilus, a Greek name, to assure him of the certainty of what he was taught (Luke 1:1-4). Luke traces Jesus' genealogy all the way back to Adam (Luke 3:23-38), presenting Him as the Savior of all mankind, not just Israel. Luke also emphasizes the inclusion of outsiders, Samaritans, and Gentiles (Luke 2:32, Luke 4:25-27, Luke 7:9, Luke 10:33, Luke 17:16). His focus was to show the good news spreading beyond Israel to the nations.

† This is why Matthew stresses the destruction of the temple as the "end of the age," the Old Covenant age, while Luke simply records the prophecy without using that language. Luke was concerned with showing Gentiles that judgment on Jerusalem was part of God's plan, while Matthew was showing Jews that this destruction was the fulfillment of their own covenant scriptures.

† That is why I chose to begin this study with Luke. It introduces the prophecy in a straightforward way for those new to fulfillment, while Matthew adds the heavier covenant context. Starting with Luke lets new members ease into the teaching, while those familiar with fulfillment can see how the gospels together give a full picture.

70 AD, the temple destroyed
† In 70 AD the temple was destroyed by the Romans. This is a historical fact recorded by Josephus and Tacitus. Nobody can deny this.

† Christ spoke these words to His generation, and they came true exactly as He said. If His prophecy about the temple was fulfilled, why would the following events He described be any different?

The significance of the temple
† To Israel, the temple was the center of covenant life. It was where priests interceded, sacrifices were made, and God's presence was sought.

† The fall of the temple wasn't just the fall of a building. It was the end of the covenant order. When the temple fell, the age of the Law gave way to the New Covenant of Christ.

False messiahs and signs
Luke 21:8 - See to it that you are not misled, for many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and, 'The time is near.' Do not go after them.

† Christ warned His disciples not to be deceived by false messiahs or false timing. Many impostors rose in the first century (Acts 5:36, Acts 8:9-10, Acts 21:38, 1 John 2:18).

† Josephus records that the land was filled with magicians and impostors who led people astray with false promises of miracles.

† Yet Christ told His disciples that when they saw these events truly begin, then they could know their redemption was near (Luke 21:28). Near to them, not to us 2,000 years later.

Wars, famines, earthquakes
Luke 21:10-11 - Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be great earthquakes in various places, plagues, and famines.

† The book of Acts records famine (Acts 11:28).
† Josephus and Tacitus recorded widespread famine and earthquakes during the reign of Claudius and Nero. Seneca wrote of cities swallowed by earthquakes across Asia, Achaea, Syria, and Judea. Revelation 6:12 also records a great earthquake before 70 AD.

† These weren't global end-of-world events, but local and regional judgments fulfilling Christ's words to that generation.

Persecution
Luke 21:12-13 - But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you…

† The book of Acts testifies of the apostles being arrested, imprisoned, and beaten (Acts 4:3, Acts 16:23-24, Acts 9:23-24).

† Most apostles were martyred, and others, like John, were exiled. This persecution wasn't for a future church thousands of years later, but for His disciples living in that generation.

The days of vengeance
Luke 21:20-22 - When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. For these are days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled.

† The Roman armies surrounded Jerusalem in 66 AD and finally destroyed it in 70 AD. Christ's words came to pass with exact accuracy.

† These were the days of vengeance, fulfilling all that was written in the prophets about the covenant curses (Deuteronomy 28, Isaiah 65-66, Daniel 12:7).

† Josephus himself admitted that no greater calamity had ever happened, saying the destruction of Jerusalem was "the greatest of all calamities since the beginning of the world" (Wars 6.9.4). That matches Christ's words in Matthew 24:21.

The coming of the Son of Man
Luke 21:27-28 - Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

† Christ's coming in judgment was covenantal, not physical descent. He came on the clouds just as God came in judgment on nations in the Old Testament (Isaiah 19:1, Psalm 18:7-12).

† The disciples were told to look up because their redemption was near. Not distant, but near in their lifetime.

Application for us today
† Christ's words prove His faithfulness. He spoke judgment upon the old covenant order, and it happened exactly as He said.

† The destruction of the temple wasn't the end of the world, but the end of the Jewish age. The New Covenant stands forever, and our access to God isn't through temples made with hands, but through Christ Himself (Hebrews 9:11-12).

† This fulfilled prophecy strengthens our faith, for if He kept His word then, He keeps His word now.

† This is the fulfilled perspective we proclaim at Fulfilled Prophecies †

Source index
† Luke 21:5-28, Matthew 24:1-3, Mark 13:1-4, Acts 4:3, 9:23-24, 11:28, 16:23-24, 21:38, 1 John 2:18, Deuteronomy 28, Isaiah 19:1, 65-66, Daniel 12:7, Hebrews 8:13, Revelation 6:12
† Matthew 1:1-17, Matthew 2:5-6, 2:15, 2:17, 2:23
† Luke 1:1-4, Luke 2:32, Luke 3:23-38, Luke 4:25-27, Luke 7:9, Luke 10:33, Luke 17:16
† Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Books V-VI, 6.9.4
† Tacitus, Annals, Book 12
† Seneca, Natural Questions, Book VI