I believe it is a metaphor. The sanctuary is in a temple and we are that temple:
1Co_3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
Is this the lie that started many false teachings?
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I believe it is a metaphor. The sanctuary is in a temple and we are that temple:
1Co_3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
I actually belive in that too, that the Beast system will defile the temple of our physical beings through genetic modification, but unfortunately that's not in the context of the Olivet Discourse. The whole speech was His specific response to the specific questions from the disciples - 1. When will these things (destruction of the second temple) be? 2. When will Jesus return? And Jesus answered BOTH. If you ignore this context, you're fooling yourself.
He didn't answer when the temple would be destroyed. He didn't even talk about it on the mount at all. He was in charge of what he was going to teach, not the disciples.
Jesus didn't talk to himself, He didn't evade questions and go preach whatever He wanted. He responded to questions, even it was a loaded question or a silly question. He declared that "not one stone will be left upon another' and "your house will be left desolate" PUBLICLY, disciples asked about it PRIVATELY, and He explained it to them, that's it.
This bears repeating:
He didn't answer when the temple would be destroyed. He didn't even talk about it on the mount at all. He was in charge of what he was going to teach, not the disciples.
The teacher decides what to teach. The students do not.
He taught the “desolation” HE talked about earlier. It didn’t come from the disciples, it came from himself.
Have you confessed your sin of choosing the forbidden knowledge of good & evil violating God's command in Genesis 2: 17? But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Haven't all humans sinned by choosing the forbidden knowledge of good & evil violating God's command in Genesis 2 :17? Don't we need to repent?
And the desolation was not literal...the city is not destroyed in the Olivet Discourse.
No, you can credit the ancient Greeks for that. They were just as intelligent as the people of the modern world. No, I take that back. More intelligent.
Matthew 23:38, “Behold, your house is left unto you DESOLATE.” Either the Lord was lying or you are. You can "spiritualize" in any way you want, but I'll stick to the bible's own definition of desolation in Leviticus 26:30-34:
"I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars, and cast your carcasses on the lifeless forms of your idols; and My soul shall abhor you. I will lay your cities waste and bring your sanctuaries to desolation, and I will not smell the fragrance of your sweet aromas. I will bring the land to desolation, and your enemies who dwell in it shall be astonished at it. I will scatter you among the nations and draw out a sword after you; your land shall be desolate and your cities waste. Then the land shall enjoy its sabbaths as long as it lies desolate and you are in your enemies’ land; then the land shall rest and enjoy its sabbaths."
This generation can also be interpreted as "this nation" or "this race"(as Thayer's Lexicon will show). So Jesus was saying exactly what He meant. And that would means that Israel would be in existence as a nation when many of those prophecies began to be fulfilled. No one expected to see a nation of Israel for almost 2,000 years. But now there is a nation-state of Israel and Jerusalem is still where it was since ancient times. And Jerusalem is the key to Bible prophecies.
The key is to understand the symbolism of the fig tree, which is Israel. Jesus cursed this tree, but He didn't chop it down. This tree was preserved till He returns. In the end it will be revived, shooting leaves and bearing fruit.
I sure hope not.
God doesn't take likely to man playing with His words or intent. He has cautioned us in.... three different books of the Bible...... not to do so. To do that three different times suggest concern that it would happen
The importance of His feelings is reflected in His need to apply a terrible wrath if it happens. Yet we see it almost continuously.
Wrath came through violating God's command in Genesis 2: 17: "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die".
How about we just study the word?
And then take the word literally. and stop trying to symbolize or make an allegory of prophetic writings?
The catholic church held power for centuries And destroyed anything that apposed them. So we would not in all honesty to expect anythign that apposed them to be found.
The only way this is even remotely true is if we symbolically interpret everything that has not literally been fulfilled.