Christ's words to the priests and rulers, "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate" (Matt. 23:38), had struck terror to their hearts. They affected indifference, but the question kept rising in their minds as to the import of these words. An unseen danger seemed to threaten them. Could it be that the magnificent temple, which was the nation's glory, was soon to be a heap of ruins? The foreboding of evil was shared by the disciples, and they anxiously waited for some more definite statement from Jesus. As they passed with Him out of the temple, they called His attention to its strength and beauty. The stones of the temple were of the purest marble, of perfect whiteness, and some of them of almost fabulous size. A portion of the wall had withstood the siege by Nebuchadnezzar's army. In its perfect masonry it appeared like one solid stone dug entire from the quarry. How those mighty walls could be overthrown the disciples could not comprehend.

Dette kapitel er bygget op over Matt 24; Mark 13; Luk 21,5-38
Kristi ord til præsterne og de ældste: "Se, jeres huse bliver forladt og overladt til jer selv!" Havde slået dem med rædsel. De foregav at være ligegyldige, men spørgsmålet om betydningen af disse ord blev ved med at nage dem. Det var, som om en usynlig fare truede dem. Var det muligt, at dette pragtfulde tempel, som var folkets stolthed, snart skulle blive til en ruinhob? Også disciplene nærede en forudanelse om noget ondt, og de afventede med spænding en eller anden mere tydelig forklaring af Jesus. Da de sammen med ham vandrede ud fra templet, henledte de hans opmærksomhed til dets styrke og skønhed. Templets stene var af det reneste marmor, blændende hvide, og nogle af dem af en næsten fabelagtig størrelse. En del af muren havde modstået belejringen af Nebukadnezars hære. Med sin fuldendte opbygning virkede den som en eneste massiv sten, der var hentet i stenbrudet. Disciplene fattede ikke, hvordan disse mægtige mure skulle lade sig nedbryde.