Daily Devotional For Friday, February 13, 2026
Good day Southside. We are making our way through the Gospel of Matthew and today we come to Matthew 24. Today, we come to Matthew 24:1-14:
“Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. (2) And He said to them, ‘Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.’ (3) As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’ (4) And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘See to it that no one misleads you. (5) For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. (6) You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. (7) For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. (8) But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. (9) ‘Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. (10) At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. (11) Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. (12) Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. (13) But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. (14) This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come” (NASB).
Today, we pick up with this same passage due to the length of it. Jesus reminded His disciples that just like in the days of the prophet Jeremiah, the destruction of their beloved beautiful temple would happen due to their rebellion and sin. You can read God’s warning to and through the prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 9:11. This future destruction would come in 70 AD. The Romans fulfilled Jesus’ words completely. After fire raged through the temple, Emperor Titus ordered the leveling of the whole area, so no part of the original walls or buildings remained. Titus considered this as punishment for the Jewish rebellion in A.D. 66.
This had to be a hard pill to swallow. Looking at the massive stones and columns, the disciples could not even imagine this. Why? The Temple represents to them God’s presence. What they did not know is that God’s presence was no longer there due to the corruption of the religious leaders. To watch this happen would be horrifying to them as much as it was for us to watch the World Trade centers come down on September 11, 2001. We stared at TVs over and over in unbelief, as if we kept staring, things would change.
Just as Jesus, God in human flesh had cleansed the Temple of corruption He now pronounced its destruction. When we get to verse 3, we see that Jesus said this from the Mount of Olives. I have been there and from there you can see what is called the Temple Mound. In that day, Jews could see the Temple itself. It was majestic, beautiful and one of the wonders of the world. The prophet Zechariah had prophesied that the Messiah would stand on the Mount of Olives to set up His eternal kingdom (see Zechariah 14:1-4). The disciples would naturally be curious about when Jesus, the Messiah, would do this. So, out of curiosity they asked Jesus.
We learn here and from Mark’s Gospel (Mark 13:3-4) that the disciples had two questions:
- When will the destruction of the Temple be?
- What will be the sign of Jesus’ coming and the end of the age?
They were expecting the end to be soon, probably in their lifetime. So, Jesus gave them signs to know but told them that in their lifetime these did not mean the end was near. To understand Jesus’ answer, New Testament scholar Bruce B. Barton writes this:
“In order to understand the prophecy, picture yourself standing on a mountaintop looking across a distant mountain range. The mountain peaks appear to be next to each other, while in reality they are miles apart because of the valleys in between. Jesus’ prophecy pictured “mountain peaks” (significant future events), looking to us as though they would occur together, when, in reality, they may be thousands of years apart. Some of the disciples lived to see the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, while some of the events Jesus spoke of have not yet—to this day—occurred. But the truth of Jesus’ prediction regarding Jerusalem assured the disciples (and assures us) that everything else he predicted will also happen” (Source: Bruce B. Barton, The Life Application Study Bible Commentary, “Matthew,” p. 466).
This means that chapter 24 describes the destruction of Jerusalem and the last days before Jesus returns. Some of His disciples would be alive when Rome destroyed Jeusalem and the Temple. Some scholars believe we are living in the last days today, but this has been true for every generation since Jesus returned to heaven. After WWI and WWII preachers preached the end was near. Now with such anti-semitism and the world turning against Israel, some are preaching the end is near. With Israel having gathered materials to rebuild the Temple as prophesied, some say the end is near. With the technology now in place to have a chip put in your hand to charge and buy things (mark of the beast?), some say the end is near. I say, Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!”
Reflection Assignment: If Jesus were to return today, would you be ready? Embarrassed? Ashamed? Jesus said He would return like a thief in the night. The last time I checked, a thief does not announce when he or she is going to break into your home. Are you ready?
Scripture To Meditate On: 1 Thessalonians 5:2, “For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, I do not want to be caught off guard when You return. I want to be ready. Thank You for Your promise You are going to return and right all wrongs, defeat all evil, and restore everything to the way it was supposed to be in the beginning. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly