“The
Olivet Discourse” (Matthew 24-25; Mark 13; Luke
21)
Matt
24:1-2, “Then Jesus went out and departed
from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the
temple. And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things?
Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon
another, that shall not be thrown down. Mark 13:3, “Now
as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and
Andrew asked Him privately, "Tell
us:
1a) “When will these things be?”
(Matt 24:3a; Mark 13:4a; Luke 21:7a)
(The destruction of Jerusalem and Temple)
1b) “What sign will there be when
these things (destruction of Jerusalem) are about to take place?" (Mark 13:4b; Luke 21:7b)
2) “What shall be the sign of your coming?” (Matthew 24:3)
3) What will be the sign of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3)
“And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 6 "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” (Matthew 24:4-6; Mark 13:5-7). “And He said: "Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and, 'The time has drawn near.' Therefore do not go after them. 9 "But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately." (Luke 21:8-9).
“Then He said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.” (Luke 21:10-11) “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains (sorrows).” (Matthew 24:7-8; Mark 13:8).
"But before
all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you,
delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before
kings and rulers for My name's sake. But it will turn out for you as an
occasion for testimony. Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate
beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom
which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. You will
be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will
put some of you to death. And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But
not a hair of your head shall be lost. By your patience possess your souls.” Luke 21:12-19
“But when you see
Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let
those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of
her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are
the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But
woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those
days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people.
And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all
nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the
Gentiles are fulfilled.” Luke 21:20-24
Events of the 1st Half of Tribulation
"Then they will
deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all
nations for My name's sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one
another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and
deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow
cold. But he who endures to
the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached
in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will
come.” (Matthew 24:9-14).
Events of 2nd Half of Tribulation
"Therefore when
you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet,
standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), then
let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop
not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field
not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those
who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be
in winter or on the Sabbath. "For
then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning
of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but
for the elect's sake those days will be shortened. Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here
is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs
and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. Therefore if they say
to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or 'Look, He is in the
inner rooms!' do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east
and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.”
(Matthew 24:15-28; Mark 13:14-23).
Question # 2 Answered (sign of Jesus’ coming)
“Immediately after the
tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give
its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will
be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will
appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they
will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great
glory” (Matt 24:29-30; Mark 13:24-26).
"And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (Luke 21:25-27).
"And He will send
His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His
elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matthew
24:31). Remember, the tribulation is
primarily about Israel (Jeremiah 30:7).
"Now learn this
parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts
forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these
things, know that it is near -- at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means
pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no
means pass away” (Matt 24:32-35;
Mark 13:28-32; Luke
21:29-33).
"But of that day and
hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven (‘nor the Son’- Mark 13:32),
but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of
the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the
ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will
the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be
taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be
taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your
Lord is coming” (Matthew
24:36-42).
“ But take heed to
yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and
cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as
a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore,
and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that
will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:34-36).
Parables Urging Watchfulness,
Readiness, and Laboring (serving)
1. Parable of the Doorkeeper
"Take
heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave
authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper
to watch. Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of
the house is coming -- in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the
rooster, or in the morning -- lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And
what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!" (Mark 13:33-37).
2. Parable of the Master of the House
"But
know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would
come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.
Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you
do not expect” (Matthew 24:43-44).
3. Parable of the Faithful Servant & Evil
Servant
"Who
then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his
household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his
master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that
he will make him ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servant says in his
heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat his fellow
servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant
will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an
hour that he is not expecting, and will cut him in two and appoint him his
portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 24:45-51).
4. Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13)
Emphasizes watching and readiness. “Watch
therefore, for you know not the day nor the hour” (v.13).
5. Parable of the
Talents (Matthew 25:14-30)
Emphasizes our responsibility to be laboring while we
are watching.
Judgment of the Gentiles
(Matthew
25:31-46)
This is the judgment of all those alive at the end of the tribulation. Jesus will judge all living people
individually depending on how they treated his brethren (primarily Jewish
people, but also believers). Those who
are believers will be sent into the kingdom.
Those who have not been faithful will be sent to eternal punishment.
For a
deeper discussion of The Olivet Discourse, see The Footsteps of the Messiah by Arnold Fruchtenbaum.
You can get it at www.ariel.org
.