This obviously has zero to do with why the city and temple would be destroyed in their near future.
In fact, Jesus was describing DECEIVERS who would appear during the years between His discourse and 70 AD.
Jesus was alerting His followers that these DECEIVERS
did not yet signal the end of the old covenant age:
Matthew 24
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass,
but the end is not yet.
DECEIVERS
Matthew: “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you, For
many shall come in my name saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many” (24:4,5).
Mark: “And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you
; For
many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many” (13:5,6).
Luke: “And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived; for
many shall come in my name saying, I am Christ, and the time draweth near; go ye not therefore after them” (21:8).
We notice that all three accounts warn about deceivers. But Luke’s account explains WHEN these things would happen. Jesus Said: “And the time DRAWETH NEAR: go
ye not therefore after them.” Jesus was not talking about something that would take place hundreds or thousands of years later. Jesus was warning his disciples about something that was drawing near
in their time. This is plain.
Did such deceivers or false Christs arise and deceive many in those years before the destruction of Jerusalem? Yes.
According to Josephus, the noted Jewish historian, twelve years after our Saviour’s death, a certain impostor named Theudas persuaded a great multitude to follow him to the river Jordan which he claimed would divide for their passage. At the time of Felix (who is mentioned in the book of Acts), the country of the Jews was filled with impostors who Felix had put to death EVERY DAY — a statement which indicates that there were many of such in those days.
An Egyptian who “pretended to be a prophet” gathered 30,000 men, claiming that he would show “how, at his command, the walls of Jerusalem would fall down.”
Another deceiver was Simon, a sorcerer, who led people to believe he was the great power of God (See Acts 8). According to Irenaeus, Simon claimed to be the Son of God and creator of angels. Jerome says that he claimed to be the Word of God, the Almighty. Justin relates that he went to Rome and was acclaimed as a god by his magical powers.
Origen mentions a certain wonder-worker, Dositheus, who claimed he was the Christ foretold by Moses. Another deceiver in those days was Barchochebas who, according to Jerome, claimed to vomit flames. Bar-jesus is mentioned in Acts 13:6 as a sorcerer and false prophet.
These are examples of the deceivers of whom history says there were a great number, and of whom Jesus had prophesied that there would be “many.”
Great Prophecies of the Bible
Ralph Woodrow