Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” (Matthew 24:1-2)
The discourse of Matthew 23:1-39 had evidently been given in the temple precincts. The first temple, built by Solomon, was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.. The second temple, built under the encouragement of Haggai and Zechariah and the leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua (Hag. 1:1), was completed after considerable delay in 516 B.C.. This second temple was completely and lavishly renovated by Herod the Great. He began the work around 20 B.C., but the renovations were not completed during the lifetime of Christ (John 2:20). The work was finally finished in A.D. 64, and the temple stood completed for only six years before it was reduced to rubble by the Romans.
