Does the destruction of Jerusalem in Matthew 24 have a parallel at the end of time?
Yes, we will see from the Scriptures that there is a parallel at the end of time. However, we will learn about a wonderful difference in the near and far fulfillments of this prophecy. We read in Matthew 24:1-2, “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.” This prophecy by the Lord Jesus was fulfilled in A.D. 70. Jerusalem and its temple were destroyed by the future Roman emperor Titus and his army.
In order to move toward the far fulfillment of this prophecy, let us briefly summarize future events that are revealed in God’s Word. In order to keep this answer from getting overly lengthy, I will not type out all of the verses. However, I will include Scripture references that you are welcome to read. The next event that will take place (perhaps today) is the rapture of all believers to heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18). Next will be seven years of Tribulation on this earth. The first half of the Tribulation is described in Matthew 24:2-14. There will be wars, famines, diseases, and earthquakes. We see these events today, but they will get worse during the first 3.5 years of the Tribulation. The second half of the Tribulation will be even worse and is described in Matthew 24:15-26.
Near the end of the Tribulation, we have some verses that will give us the parallel. We read in Daniel 11:40-42, “And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.” The king of the South is Egypt, the king of the North is Assyria, and the glorious land is Israel. Egypt will attack Israel from the South, but Assyria will ferociously attack Israel from the North and overrun the land of Israel and the Egyptian army.
At the end of the Tribulation Christ will come with His saints from heaven to the battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:13-16, 19:11-21). This battle will occur in the Jezreel Valley, which is 80 miles north of Jerusalem. The king of the North will hear about the battle of Armageddon after he conquers Egypt and will return to Jerusalem. We read in Daniel 11:44-45, “But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.” The glorious holy mountain is Jerusalem. The king of the North will come to Jerusalem, but the Lord will defeat him.
We read more detail about these future events in Zechariah 14:1-4. “Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.”
The Lord Jesus Christ will personally save Israel from all of the armies gathered against Jerusalem. A nice summary of the rise and fall of the king of the North is found in Daniel 8:23-25. “And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practice, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.” How wonderful it is that we have tomorrow’s news today in God’s Word! Do you know Christ as your Savior? If not, please come to Him today, repenting of your sins and trusting the Lord Jesus as your Savior. Dear reader, are you safe “from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10)? (DJ) (568.2)