Three Miracles of Jesus and the Temple

An artist’s depiction of the Temple in Jerusalem during the time of Jesus [1]

The Second Temple was a center of worship and sacrifice in Jerusalem, critical to the narratives of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It was the second iteration of the temple initially established by the Prophet-King Solomon (Sulayman عليه السلام), and was constructed under Cyrus the Great after the First Temple’s destruction by the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Mentioned in the Old Testament, New Testament, and the Quran, its destruction by the Roman Empire in 70 AD was a turning point in the history of the Israelites (Children of Israel), as it was the second time God punished the Israelites for disobedience in this manner. This temple was where the Priest-Prophet Zechariah (Zakariyya عليه السلام) worked, where he provided Mary (Maryam عليها السلام) sanctuary, where Mary was provided with food as a miracle, and where Zechariah received the news of the upcoming birth of his son, John the Baptist (Yahya عليه السلام).

The central figure around the destruction of the Temple, as Christians and Muslims know, was the Messiah, Prophet Jesus (Isa عليه السلام). In this article, we shall go over three miracles associated with Jesus and this holy temple of God, for it shows the sheer importance of his Messiahship.

1. The Signs of the Temple Going Out During the Time of Jesus

Most people know that the Talmud rejects and insults Jesus. What many do not know, however, is that it accidentally proves that Jesus was a genuine Prophet and the Messiah. In the tractate known as “Yoma” in the Babylonian Talmud, in section Yoma 39b, it says:

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה קוֹדֶם חוּרְבַּן הַבַּיִת לֹא הָיָה גּוֹרָל עוֹלֶה בְּיָמִין, וְלֹא הָיָה לָשׁוֹן שֶׁל זְהוֹרִית מַלְבִּין, וְלֹא הָיָה נֵר מַעֲרָבִי דּוֹלֵק.

The Sages taught: During the tenure of Shimon HaTzaddik, the lot for God always arose in the High Priest’s right hand; after his death, it occurred only occasionally; but during the forty years prior to the destruction of the Second Temple, the lot for God did not arise in the High Priest’s right hand at all. So too, the strip of crimson wool that was tied to the head of the goat that was sent to Azazel did not turn white, and the westernmost lamp of the candelabrum did not burn continually [2].

In this section, it records that the miracles associated with the Second Temple in Jerusalem ended forty years before its famous destruction in 70 AD by the Romans. What is notable about this? Well, forty years before 70 AD was the period of Jesus’ ministry. The most significant miracle mentioned here is that of the Yom Kippur sacrifice, in which the sacrificed goat would have a scarlet ribbon tied to their horns. If God accepts the sacrifice, the ribbon would become white, which indicates that the sins of the Children of Israel are forgiven. The fact that the ribbon stopped turning white in the year 30 AD signifies that from the time of Jesus’ ministry, God stopped accepting this sacrifice and/or that God did not forgive the sins of the Israelites [3].

Another sign mentioned in Yoma 39b is that the “Westernmost Lamp” of the Temple Menorah, which is to continuously remain lit, failed to perpetually burn from this year onwards. And the third of the signs was that the lot for God stopped appearing in the High Priest’s hand. Basically, the High Priest was to draw two lots, one saying “For the Lord” and the other saying “To the Scapegoat”. If the lot for God (For the Lord) showed up in the Priest’s right hand, then it would indicate God had accepted their sacrifice. If not, then it was rejected [4]. All of this seems to demonstrate that the sacrifices stopped being accepted by God from the time of Jesus’ ministry. And there is seemingly a reason for that.

Imam al-Qurtubi, in his famous tafsir, states:

Al-Kalbī and others said that it was revealed about Ka‘b ibn al-Ashraf, Mālik ibn aṣ-Ṣayf, Wahb ibn Yahūdhā, Finḥāṣ ibn ‘Āzūrā’ and a group who came to the Prophet ﷺ and said to him, ‘So you claim that Allah has sent you to us when He revealed to us a Book in which He made a contract with us that we should not believe in any Messenger until he brings us a sacrifice consumed by fire. If you bring that, then we will believe you.’ Then Allah revealed this. It is said that this is in the Torah, but the Word was complete when both the Messiah and Muḥammad came to them. When they came to them, then they should believe in them without such a sacrifice.

It is said that the matter of that kind of sacrifice was established until it was abrogated by ‘Īsā. Among them, a Prophet used to sacrifice and pray. A roaring smokeless white fire would descend and consume the sacrifice. This is what the Jews claimed, while concealing its abrogation [5].

Here, Imam al-Qurtubi relates that the sacrifice at the Temple, which was a major component in the religion of the Israelites and mentioned in the Torah, was abrogated by Jesus. This would explain why the sacrifices at the Temple stopped being accepted, and aligns with what the rabbis recorded in the Babylonian Talmud.

Illustration of the High Priest performing a ritual in the Holy of Holies [6]

What’s remarkable about these signs is that while Rabbinical Judaism and the Talmud fiercely reject Jesus as the Messiah, they appear to accurately record information that proves his Messiahship, as they seem to not realize that the year these signs stopped was a year that Jesus preached, likely due to their ignorance. So, despite the Talmud’s infamous insults towards this Prophet, it accidentally undermines its own case.

2. The Prophecy of the Destruction of the Second Temple

Jesus’ most famous prophecy is undoubtedly his prediction of the destruction of the Second Temple. In Luke 21:5–6 of the New Testament, it states:

Then, as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and donations, He said, “These things which you see — the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down [7].”

In Matthew 23:37, Jesus calls Jerusalem the murderer of Prophets and Messengers:

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me [8].

Aside from the Bible, modern historians also tend to accept that Jesus really did prophecy the destruction of the Temple and of Jerusalem [9].

One should note that this theme of the Israelites being the murderers of their own Prophets is found in the Old Testament, New Testament, and the Quran. The destruction of both the First and Second Temples is mentioned in Surah al-Isra:

And We decreed for the Children of Israel in the Scripture: Ye verily will work corruption in the earth twice, and ye will become great tyrants.

So when the time for the first of the two came, We roused against you slaves of Ours of great might who ravaged (your) country, and it was a threat performed.

Then we gave you once again your turn against them, and We aided you with wealth and children and made you more in soldiery.

(Saying): If ye do good, ye do good for your own souls, and if ye do evil, it is for them (in like manner). So, when the time for the second (of the judgments) came (We roused against you others of Our slaves) to ravage you, and to enter the Temple even as they entered it the first time, and to lay waste all that they conquered with an utter wasting. (Quran 17:4–7, Translation by M. Pickthall) [10]

The corruption that the Children of Israel would commit twice includes the persecution and killing of Prophets, according to the scholars of tafsir. For the First Temple, its destruction is believed to have been a punishment for the persecution of Prophet Jeremiah (Irmiya عليه السلام), among perhaps other reasons. The destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans is believed to be in response to the Children of Israel killing John the Baptist and rejecting and persecuting Jesus.

The destruction of the Second Temple by Titus Caesar Vespatian during the First Roman-Jewish War was a major event in world history and is important to Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike. And just as Jeremiah had famously warned of the destruction of the First Temple, Jesus had warned of the destruction of the Second Temple. It is, without doubt, an incredible prophecy from Jesus, and a sign to all nations that have come after it.

The destruction of the Second Temple by the Roman Army [11]

3. The Miraculous Failed Construction of the Third Temple

A little-known, but historically important miracle was Julian the Apostate’s failed attempt to build the Third Temple for the Jewish people, in an attempt to disprove the Messiahship of Jesus.

For context, Flavius Claudius Julianus (331–363), known most commonly today as Julian the Apostate, was the Emperor of the Roman Empire from 361 to 363 AD [12]. He was an apostate from the Christian faith (which is why he is known as “the Apostate”) and became a vicious enemy of the religion and of Jesus. He had a deep love of Hellenism and preferred paganism to Christianity, and went to great lengths in attempting to prove that Jesus was not a legitimate holy figure [12].

His most famous attempt was his endeavour to build the Third Temple in 362–363 AD, almost three centuries after the Second Temple’s destruction. Since Jesus prophesied the destruction of the Second Temple, he believed that rebuilding it as a Jewish center of worship would disprove Jesus’ claims, thus casting Jesus as a false prophet [13]. This attempt failed in spectacular fashion after a series of problems, notably a massive earthquake, strange supernatural events, and the quick death of Julian himself.

To begin, the Galilee earthquake of 363 is thought to have been a major contributing factor to the project’s failure [14]. Even more amazingly, fireballs were reported to have burst out of the Temple Mount, and this was not only reported by the Christians of the time, but also by a pagan historian, Ammianus Marcellinus. Marcellinus writes:

He [Julian the Apostate] planned at vast cost to restore the once splendid Temple at Jerusalem, which after many mortal combats during the siege by Vespasian and later by Titus had barely been stormed. He had entrusted the speedy performance of this work to Alypius of Antioch… But though this Alypius pushed the work on with vigor, aided by the governor of the province, terrible balls of fire kept bursting forth near the foundations of the Temple and made the place inaccessible to the workmen, some of whom were burned to death; and since in this way the element persistently repelled them, the enterprise halted. (Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae, XXIII.1) [15].

Ultimately, though, the death of the project was caused by the death of Julian himself, only two years into his short reign [16]. It is not hard to imagine that his short time in office, as a result of his untimely death, was divine retaliation for his attempt to bring down the Son of Mary. After all, his infamous final words were said to have been, “Thou hast conquered, Galilean” (Galilean referring to Jesus), an admission of total defeat [17].

Thou hast conquered, Galilean.

Statue of Julian the Apostate [12]

The importance of all of this is well known in Christian sources, as it is by all means astonishing that the emperor of the most powerful empire on Earth failed to assemble this one specific building, with the heavens themselves seemingly at war against its construction. We Muslims, however, can go a bit further. While the construction of a Jewish temple failed, the construction of the Muslim house of worship, Masjid al-Aqsa, which is meant to be a continuation of the Temple of Solomon as the true Third Temple, was successful. This, in and of itself, is quite significant. Moreso, we can go even further. Shaykh Hamza Karamali believes that Masjid al-Aqsa may be the prophesied temple in the book of Prophet Isaiah (Isha’ya عليه السلام), as the Book of Isaiah talks about the Temple becoming a place of worship to all nations, similar to Masjid al-Aqsa today [18].

Dome of the Rock, part of Masjid al-Aqsa [19]

In Isaiah 2:2, it says:

In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it [20].

There are other verses in the Book of Isaiah similar to this. Regardless, the takeaway is that the construction of the Third Temple failed due to what seems to be divine intervention, while the construction of Masjid al-Aqsa faced no such resistance. Julian’s debacle could be considered yet another miracle relating to Jesus and the Temple. One should mind the famous quote from Titus Caesar Vespasianus himself, that after defeating the Jewish rebels and destroying Jerusalem and the Temple, he refused a victory wreath as there was “no merit in vanquishing people forsaken by their own God” [21]. Well, God perhaps had “forsaken” the Jews, but he seems not to have rejected the Muslims.

No merit in vanquishing people forsaken by their own God

To conclude, we should remember that miracles and supernatural events display God’s power and serve as evidence for His prophets, and are a sign for those who believe. Jesus, the final prophet of Israel and the penultimate Prophet of all of humanity, has been blessed with many signs, and as Muslims, we may use them as evidence for our religion and as a reminder for ourselves.

“Peace be upon me the day I was born, the day I die, and the day I will be raised back to life!”

That is Jesus, son of Mary. ˹And this is˺ a word of truth, about which they dispute.

(Quran 19:33–34)

References

[1] “Second Temple Judaism: A Glimpse into the Rich Diversity of Jewish Life in the Time of Jesus and the Apostles,” Zion Lutheran Church, Oct. 26, 2023. https://zionhoricon.org/2023/10/26/second-temple-judaism-a-glimpse-into-the-rich-diversity-of-jewish-life-in-the-time-of-jesus-and-the-apostles/

[2] “Yoma 39b:5,” Sefaria.org, 2025. https://www.sefaria.org/Yoma.39b.5?lang=bi

[3] C. to, “Crimson to White: Yom Kippur’s Miraculous Thread — TheTorah.com,” Thetorah.com, 2023. https://www.thetorah.com/article/crimson-to-white-yom-kippurs-miraculous-thread

[4] “Yom Kippur and Our High Priest,” Blogspot.com, 2017. https://wildbranches.blogspot.com/2017/09/yom-kippur-and-our-high-priest.html?m=1

[5] Abu, Tafsir Al-Qurtubi Vol. 4: Juz’ 4: Sūrah Āli “Imrān 96 — Sūrat An-Nisā” 1–23. Tafsir Al-Qurtubi, 2020. pp. 207–208

[6] Moses”, “‘The LORD Spoke to Moses’ — Does God Speak? — TheTorah.com,” Thetorah.com, 2025. https://www.thetorah.com/article/the-lord-spoke-to-moses-does-god-speak

[7] “Bible Gateway passage: Luke 21:5–38 — New King James Version,” Bible Gateway, 2019. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2021%3A5-38&version=NKJV

[8] “Matthew 23:37 — Lament over Jerusalem,” Bible Hub, 2025. https://biblehub.com/matthew/23-37.htm

[9] “Jesus and the Destruction of the Temple,” The Historical Jesus and the Temple, pp. 81–114, Apr. 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009210843.005.

[10] “Text of Quran, Sura 17: AL-ISRA (ISRA’), Verse 1 — Verse 10,” Parsquran.com, 2026. http://www.parsquran.com/data/showall.php?sura=17&ayat=1&user=eng&lang=eng

[11] Tzvi, “History Crash Course #35: Destruction of the Temple,” Aish.com, May 09, 2009. https://aish.com/48944036/

[12] S. H. Perowne, “Julian | Roman Emperor & Philosopher,” Encyclopedia Britannica, Jul. 20, 1998. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Julian-Roman-emperor#ref3788

[13] “Internet History Sourcebooks Project,” Fordham.edu, 2019. https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/jewish/julian-jews.asp

[14] “The Earthquake of 363 CE — Ancient Inscriptions from Israel / Palestine,” Inscriptionsisraelpalestine.org, 2017. https://www.inscriptionsisraelpalestine.org/story/the-earthquake-of-363-ce/

[15] “What Happened When the Jews Tried to Rebuild the Temple,” Fisheaters.com, 2026. https://www.fisheaters.com/juliantemple.html

[16] “Julian the Apostate and His Plan to Rebuild the Jerusalem Temple, Jeffrey Brodd, BR 11:05, Oct 1995. | Center for Online Judaic Studies,” Cojs.org, 2026. https://cojs.org/julian-the-apostate-plan-to-rebuild-temple/

[17] S. Rebenich, “Julian’s Afterlife. The Reception of a Roman Emperor,” A Companion to Julian the Apostate, pp. 398–420, Jan. 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004416314_014.

[18] Basira Education, “Jews Missed the Third Temple by 1000 Years | Episode 5 of 8,” YouTube, Dec. 07, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQM0JnWX-HY&list=PLeVtFJ5Wg2hupT-p_66vRPWJG-WvXlwoM&index=6

[19] I. Landmarks, “10 Spectacular Facts about Masjid Al Aqsa | Islamic Landmarks,” IslamicLandmarks.com, May 21, 2023. https://www.islamiclandmarks.com/palestine-masjid-al-aqsa/facts-about-masjid-al-aqsa

[20] “Bible Gateway passage: Isaiah 2:2–4 — New International Version,” Bible Gateway, 2019. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%202%3A2-4&version=NIV

[21] “Military Achievements of the Flavians | Western Civilization,” courses.lumenlearning.com. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-herkimer-westerncivilization/chapter/military-achievements-of-the-flavians/