Questions

Matthew 24:1-3
24:1 And Jesus went out from the temple, and was going on his way; and his disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple.

2 But he answered and said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

3 And as he sat on the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what (shall be) the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
ASV

Picture in your mind Jesus and his disciples coming out of the temple. The disciples look around and begin to brag to Jesus about the magnificence of the temple. Jesus turns to them and responds in a way they were not expecting. He tells them these buildings would be torn down. This was a huge magnificent structure that took years to construct. Tearing it down would be a major undertaking. As the disciples were walking to the Mount of Olives there minds were churning with the thought of the destruction of the temple. How would it happen? When is it going to happen? We will know before it is going to happen? When they get to the Mount and get settled in they just couldn't wait. They asked Jesus when was it going to happen, what would be the signs of His return and the end of the world. In the remaining verses of Matthew 24 Jesus answers their questions.

If you would like to see an artist layout of Herod's Temple check this page:
http://www.bible-history.com/jewishtemple/JEWISH_TEMPLEHerods_Temple_Illustration.htm

The tearing down of the temple actually happened around 70 A.D. Tiberius sent Roman troops to Jerusalem to loot the temple and put down a rebellion. In the process the temple caught fire and the gold melted down between the stones. In order to get the gold out, the temple had to be removed stone-by-stone. Fulfilling what Jesus foretold some thirty years earlier. All that is left of the temple and still stands today is the west wall and is called the Wailing Wall.