Ahhh...there were "LOTS" of stones left standing, one upon another after 70 AD. And many still left standing one upon another 2000 years later.
Thus 70 AD CANNOT rationally be the fulfillment of that particular prophesy "IF" it was meant of the Physical buildings of the Temple being thrown down.
Mark 13:1-2
- "And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!
- And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down."
And before you start rationalizing how those stones were not of the main Temple building like so many others, please pay careful attention that Christ spoke not only of the Temple, its buildings, but also of all the buildings of the
ENTIRE Holy City Jerusalem.
Luke 19:41-44
- "And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
- Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
- For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
- And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation."
Now, logically speaking,
"IF" Christ was really addressing the physical stones of the Temple and the physical Holy City Jerusalem, then it is ridiculous to say 70 AD qualifies since we all know that many many stones are STILL left standing one upon another to this very day 2000+ years later. And "hyperbole" is just a word used when someone doesn't like exactly what Christ said. He was very specific, not one stone left standing one upon another. The "ONLY"
Holy City and Temple that could meet that criteria is the
corporate congregation of the Old Testament congregation of Israel. Not the Physical building, but as they were the building of God to whom pertained the Covenants before the cross. But not after.
That should settle it, but of course it won't because a myriad of professing Christians choose to cling to these ideas supported by Josephus' writings and Church traditions as if they were gold. ..Well, his words aren't Gold, but God's word is. It always gets back to "authority" of God's word or man's.
Revelation 3:18
- "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see."
That's not physical gold you can purchase in the church, neither physical clothing nor eyesalve. But you know that. How is it you can discern the face of the sky, but can not discern the signs of the times? Humm?