SermonStudio

Characters
Narrator
James
John
Peter
Jesus

Questions
1. What were some of the signs that the temple would soon be destroyed?

2. Did Jesus predict the exact time of his return?

3. What are some of the signs that the time has arrived when Jesus is returning?

Narrator: Jesus had spent the day teaching. Late in the afternoon, he and his disciples left the magnificent temple grounds, crossed the Kidron Valley, and climbed to the top of the Mount of Olives. The sun sank in the western sky behind the temple towers. Now, at the end of the day, one thing was on the disciples' minds.

James: Did you ever see anything so huge as those temple stones?

John: Those stones must be thirty to forty feet long and ten feet high. How did they manage to get those granite blocks up in place?

Peter: One thing's for certain. That temple will last forever. It's indestructible!

Jesus: No, my friends. Not one single stone in the temple will be left in place. It will all be torn down.

John: (acts amazed) When will that happen, Lord? At the end of time, when you come again?

Peter: Tell us when the end will come, when all things will be destroyed.

Jesus: Be cautious; don't let anyone fool you. Many will try to deceive you. They will claim to be the Messiah.

John: These are the false prophets?

Jesus: They will be able to fool many, so beware.

Peter: But who or what will destroy the temple? Some army like the Babylonians, who came 600 years ago?

Jesus: There'll be wars and rumors of wars. There'll be earthquakes and famines. There'll be plagues and floods. But they aren't signs that the end has come. These are just the beginning of the earth's troubles.

James: How could things get any worse?

Jesus: Many of you will be arrested and put in prison. Faith in me will divide families so that fathers and mothers and children will turn against each other. People will think they're doing God a favor by killing you.

John: Surely that's the sign of the end of the world? The signal that you are about to come back?

Peter: It won't be easy to admit to being your follower. Will any be left to confess your name?

Jesus: The majority will indeed fall away, but some will be faithful, even if it means death. Only those who stay faithful to the end will be saved.

James: Will there be any clear sign when the temple will be destroyed?

Jesus: When you see an army approaching, then flee the Holy City ... immediately! Don't pause one moment to get any cherished possessions, any food, any clothes. Get out of the city fast! Flee for your lives! Just pray that it doesn't happen in the winter or when your wife is pregnant with child.

Peter: What will happen to those who stay behind?

Jesus: There will be horrible suffering, starvation worse than anything seen before. People will be slaughtered, tortured, enslaved. Every home in the city will be destroyed and the house of God will be completely torn down. Some of you here today, listening to my voice, will still be alive when this happens.

John: And that's the end of the world. That's when you'll return?

Jesus: I don't know. Only the Heavenly Father knows when I will come again. So don't make any predictions as to when it will happen.

James: But can't you give us any specific sign that it's about to happen?

Jesus: Like a quick flash of lightning across the sky, there will be a great calamity in the heavens. The sun will grow dark; the moon will no longer shine; the stars will fall from the sky. All the earth will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great glory. Then all peoples and nations will be gathered before God's Son to be judged.

Peter: But you can't tell us exactly when this will happen? You can't say when you will return?

Jesus: I can only tell you, "Be prepared," for we do not know when, but I will come again.

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Read the questions again, and prompt answers from the children.