Did not Jesus say that in the generation when the temple will be destroyed, He will return? Where is He? So many generations have passed, and many have died, but He did not return. Where is He?
I think you may be referring to what we read in Matthew 24:1-3, “And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”
This discourse of the Lord is referred to as the Olivet Discourse, and we see it occurs right after the Lord departed from the temple. The Lord’s disciples, in their Jewish pride began to point out the different buildings and their beauty. The Lord warns that this grand building would one day be destroyed, so much so that that not even “one stone upon another” would be left.
Notice the disciples’ questions. They asked when the temple would be destroyed. We know historically, this destruction occurred about forty years later when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem…around 70 A.D. Next, the disciples asked the Lord about signs leading to His coming again, and the end of the world, or the end of the age. I encourage you to read Matthew, chapters 24-25, to read the Lord’s answers. These chapters speak of the events that will occur prior to the Lord’s physical return to the earth. We have to keep in mind that their questions have nothing to do with the Rapture of the church, but when the Lord will return to the earth to establish His kingdom on the earth. At this point in time, the church had not yet begun. It was still a mystery and so the rapture of the church was also a mystery. In chapters 24 and 25, we read about many events that will take place during the seven-year Tribulation period that occurs just after the rapture of the church. These events culminate in the Lord’s return to the earth where He will establish His kingdom and thus bring to an end this present age.
We read about the time the resurrected Lord had with His disciples just before He ascended physically to Heaven. He went up from the Mount of Olives and we read in Acts 1:10-11, “And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” THIS is the return the disciples asked about…the time when the Lord would come back to set up His kingdom on the earth.
I think we can see that the destruction of the temple did not prompt the Lord’s return and the disciples’ questions asked about the temple’s destruction AND the Lord’s return. Indeed, the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. and the Lord has not returned to the earth. I trust these scriptures have made it clear that the disciples asked the Lord about three different events and the temple’s destruction did not mean the Lord would immediately return. (CC) (703.2)