Jesus stands within the grandeur of Herod’s Temple, its massive columns as wide as redwoods, when he stuns the crowd with a chilling prophecy: soon, not one stone will remain upon another. In this episode, we journey through ancient eyewitness accounts, peek into archaeological marvels, and unravel the dramatic signs that heralded the temple’s downfall. Along the way, we’ll draw out the spiritual punch packed in a single Greek word—martyr—and ask what true testimony looks like when kingdoms crumble. Get your bearings for this apocalyptic moment and discover how hope rises from ruin as the Church learns to witness in the darkest of days. (Mass Reading for Nov 16, 2025)

Journeying through this episode, we’ll dive into riveting details such as:

• The astonishing scale of Herod’s Temple Mount expansion—including the “Western Stone,” a single block weighing 660,000 pounds, rivaling the weight of two blue whales [18:00]
• The dazzling description of the Temple’s sanctuary, adorned in gold so brilliant that looking at it at sunrise risked blinding pilgrims, and decorated with golden grape clusters as tall as a man [22:05]
• Eyewitness reports from Josephus about eerie omens in the Temple before its destruction—like a bright light at midnight, a heifer giving birth to a lamb on the altar, and the massive eastern gate swinging open on its own [37:03]
• The haunting account of false prophets leading thousands to their deaths during the siege, and the terrifying scene of chariots and armored soldiers seen racing among the clouds above Jerusalem [30:01] & [41:04]
• The remarkable fact that, according to early Christian historian Eusebius, not a single Christian died during the siege of Jerusalem, because they heeded Jesus’s prophetic warnings and left the city in time [43:54]

For the full show notes including references and small group discussion questions, visit: kptz.io/33OT-C25