DO NOT GIVE UP Meeting Together -'Not a Stone Will Be Left Upon a Stone'

'Not a Stone Will Be Left Upon a Stone'

Referring to the temple in Jerusalem, Jesus told his disciples:  "By no means will a stone be left upon a stone and not be thrown down."  (Matthew 24:1, 2 ) True to those words, the place that had been recognized for centuries as the center of God's worship was destroyed in 70 C.E. by Roman troops who came to put down the revolt of the Jews.  That temple was never rebuilt.  In the seventh century, the Muslim shrine known as the Dome of the Rock was erected and it stands until this day upon the location of the former Jewish place of worship.

What was to be the arrangement of worship for Jesus' followers?  Would early Christians coming from a Jewish background continue to worship God at the temple that was soon to be destroyed?  Where would non-Jewish Christians worship God?  Were religious structures of Christendom to serve as a replacement for the temple?  Jesus' conversation with a  Samaritan woman gives us insight into the matter.

For centuries, Samaritans worshiped God as a large temple on Mount Gerizim in Samaria. 
"Our forefathers worshiped in this mountain," said the Samaritan woman to Jesus,  "but you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where persons ought to worship."  In reply  Jesus said: "Believe me, woman, The hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you people worship the Father." A material temple would no longer be necessary in the worship of Jehovah, for Jesus explained:  "God is a Spirit, and those worshiping him  must worship with spirit and truth."   (John 4:20, 21, 24)  "The apostle Paul later told the Athenians:  "The God that made the world and all the things in it, being, as this One is, Lord of the heaven and earth, does not dwell in handmade temples." -Acts 17:24.

Next time: Conclusion of  'Not a Stone Will Be Left Upon a Stone'

The Watchtower, 2002