Did Satan Physically Take Jesus to the Temple When Tempting Him?

in behalf of true worship to the extent that they extremely large army.”—Ezek. 37:10; Zech. 8:20- were able to do so. Some of them endeavored to 23. produce Bibles in the languages of the common Given these facts, it becomes clear that God’s people. Others declared the truths that they had people went into captivity to Babylon the Great discovered in the pages of God’s Word. with the growth of the apostasy in the second Then, in the late 1800’s, Charles Taze Russell century C.E. This was a dark period of time, sim- and his associates worked zealously to restore Bi- ilar to what the ancient Israelites experienced ble truths. It was as if symbolic flesh and skin while in exile. How happy we can be, though, that were starting to be put on spiritual skeletons. after God’s people experienced centuries of spir- Zion’s Watch Tower and other publications helped itual oppression, we are living in the time when honesthearted ones to discover spiritual truths. “those having insight will shine . . . brightly” and Later, such tools as the “Photo-Drama of Cre- “many will cleanse themselves” and they “will be ation” in 1914 and the book The Finished Mystery refined”!—Dan. 12:3, 10. in 1917 also strengthened God’s people. Finally, in  Ezekiel 37:1-14 and Revelation 11:7-12 each speak of a spir- 1919, God’s people were given life, spiritually itual restoration that took place in 1919. However, the prophecy speaking, and were settled in their new spiritual in Ezekiel foretold the eventual spiritual restoration of all of land. As time has progressed, this remnant of God’s people after an extremely long period of captivity. On the other hand, the prophecy in Revelation refers to the spiritual re- anointed ones has been joined by those with an birth of a small group of anointed brothers who have taken the earthly hope, and together they have become “an lead after a relatively short period of forced inactivity.

QUESTIONS FROM READERS Did Satan physically take Jesus to the temple when tempting him?

ˇ Put simply, we cannot be certain whether Jesus For example, in the issue of March 1, 1961, The actually stood in the temple or he did so only by Watchtower explained: “It does not seem reason- means of a vision. At times, both possibilities able to place a literal construction on all that ap- have been presented in our publications. pears in the account of Jesus’ temptation in the Consider first what the Bible record says. In his wilderness. Certainly there is no mountain from Gospel account of this event, the apostle Mat- which one could be shown ‘all the kingdoms of thew was inspired to write: “Then the Devil took the world and their glory.’ So too, we must rea- him [Jesus] along into the holy city, and he sta- sonably conclude that Satan did not literally, bod- tioned him on the battlement [“parapet; highest ily, physically, take Jesus ‘along into the holy city’ point,” ftn.] of the temple.” (Matt. 4:5) Luke’s and station him ‘upon the battlement of the tem- parallel account puts it this way: “He then led him ple.’ Such was not at all necessary for the temp- into Jerusalem and stationed him on the battle- tation to have force.” However, in subsequent ment of the temple.”—Luke 4:9. issues of this journal, we have observed that In the past, our publications have reasoned Christ’s complying with Satan’s request could that this event may not have happened literally. have resulted in Jesus’ suicide.

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