Lk 21:5-11
5While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, [Jesus] said, 6“All that you see here—the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”
7Then they asked him, “Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?” 8He answered, “See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’ Do not follow them! 9When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end.” 10Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.”
THE SIGNS OF THE END: The temple that some people are pointing to Jesus in the Gospel was known as the Second Temple, completed in 515 BC. In 20/19 BC, Herod the Great refurbished this temple and enlarged it. When work was completed in a decade, it came to be referred to as Herod’s temple. Its beauty was proverbial not just in Israel but throughout the Roman empire.
Many scholars agree that Luke wrote his Gospel around 80 or 85 AD. If so, for his readers the Second Temple was but a memory. It had been destroyed at the end of the Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD. The loss of the temple and the cult was a severe blow to the religion of Israel. It survived in the form of Pharisaic Judaism, anchored now only on the Law.
The predictions of Jesus have already occurred for Luke’s readers. Wars and insurrections, famines and plagues occurred during the Jewish revolt. Jesus’ apostles and disciples had to face kings and governors on account of Jesus’ name, as they preached the Gospel to the Jews and the Gentiles, as Luke’s second volume—the Acts of the Apostles—attests. Earthquakes are associated with the theophanies of the Lord and are the usual backdrop of eschatological or apocalyptic discourses.
The “predictions” in the eschatological discourse of Jesus enhance Jesus’ reputation as one who knows the will of God. Because these events have come true, Jesus is judged reliable in other predictions, especially in his coming as the “Son of Man” at the end of the age (Lk 21:27). This is the focus of our attention as the liturgical year draws to a close.