THE OLIVET DISCOURSE

          Does the Olivet Discourse provide signs or conditions to indicate to people of our generation that the end of the world or the Second Advent is near?  Let us take another look:

The Olivet Discourse is a reply to the inquiry about the end of the Jewish world, which centered on Jerusalem and the temple, and the Second Coming (Greek: Parousia): "And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus 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. And as he sat upon 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?" (Matthew 24:1-3)

There were many deceivers claiming to be Christian (saying that Jesus is Christ) and there were many false prophets and false messiahs in the years preceding the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. “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.” (Matthew 24:4-5) “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.” (Matthew 24:11) “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” (Matthew 24:24) “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.” (Romans 16:17-18) “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15) “For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision.” (Titus 1:10)

Wars, famines, and pestilences characterised the years preceding the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. “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. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.” (Matthew 24:6-7)

“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” (Matthew 24:14) “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:18-20) Matthew 24:14 is not the Great Commission given in Matthew 28:18-20. In any language words often have various possible meanings which depend on context. Matthew 24:14 is part of a prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and is saying the gospel would be preached throughout the Roman Empire before the destruction; compare the use of word "world" elsewhere. For example, did Caesar Augustus tax everyone on the entire inhabited earth or just everyone in the Roman Empire? “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.” (Luke 2:1) Matthew 28:18-20 refers to the entire inhabited earth and verse twenty refers to the Second Advent as Christ began with "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore ...." Matthew 24:14 was fulfilled before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.” (Romans 1:8) “But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith.” (Romans 16:26) “Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth.” (Colossians 1:6) “If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister. (Colossians 1:23)

Matthew 24:15 is an obvious reference to the earthly temple in Jerusalem then in operation. "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)" (Matthew 24:15; compare Hebrews 9:11-12, 24-25) In 66 A.D., Roman forces surrounded Jerusalem and made a thrust up to the temple walls and then withdrew for no apparent reason, and then the Christians in Judea fled to the mountains as instructed. “Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains.” (Matthew 24:16)

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matthew 24:21) This verse is preceded by “Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:  Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day.” (Matthew 24:16-20) If the “great tribulation” will be worldwide, why did Christ tell Christians to flee into the mountains?

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.” (Matthew 24:29) Here Christ used an Old Testament figure of speech for national disaster. “For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.” (Isaiah 13:10) “And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light.” (Ezekiel 32:7) “The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.” (Joel 2:10) “The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.” (Joel 3:15)

“And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matthew 24:30-31) Christ used figurative language to say that people would see the evidence or sign of His coming (Greek: Erchomia) in judgment against Jerusalem in 66-70 AD. Followers of Christ were destined to occupy all nations and gather the elect from all peoples. Christianity did spread and prevail after this period. (Note the use of the word Erchomia instead of Parousia)

"Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." (Matthew 24:34; compare the use of the word "generation" in Matthew 11:16; 12:39; 17:17; 23:36; etc...) Matthew 24:4-34 was fulfilled within the lifetime of people living when the prophecy was given. After verse thirty-four the subject changes to the Second Advent (Parousia) and from there the discourse does not give us any visible signs or verifiable events except people carrying on with their lives unaware. “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Matthew 24:36-39)