INTRODUCTION

The basic purpose of Messiah’s Olivet Discourse is to reveal when and how Christ’s kingdom will come into being. For a complete picture, all three of the Gospel accounts that recorded the Olivet Discourse must be studied (Matt. 24-25; Mk. 13; Lk. 21:5-36). Because each writer included only that information most relevant to the theme of his particular account, this study will take the form of a synthesis with all three Gospels examined simultaneously.

A. The Three Questions

Having just previously denounced the Pharisees in His final public ministry, Christ now proclaims the coming destruction of the Temple (Matt. 23:1-39; 24:1-2). His words prompt three questions from four of the disciples: (1) “When will the Temple be destroyed, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?”; (2)“What will be the sign of Your second coming?”; (3) “What will be the sign that the end of this age has begun?” (Matt. 24:3; Mk. 13:3-4; Lk. 21:7).

B. The General Characteristics of the Church Age

Yeshua would answer these questions, but not in the same order they were asked. And rather than immediately answering all three questions, He first began to provide some general characteristics of the Church Age (Matt. 24:4-6; Mk.13:6-7; Lk. 21:8-9). He wanted to prevent the disciples from jumping to certain conclusions because of various events, and so He chose to tell them of things that would not mean that the end has begun.

The first general characteristic of the Church Age would be the rise of false messiahs. Historically, Yeshua was the first person who claimed to be the Messiah, with many claiming such after Him. From Messiah’s time until about the mid-1850s, a great number of Jewish men declared themselves to be Messiah, and, indeed, led many astray. We now have the modern-day example of Lubavitch leader Menachem Schneerson (though Rabbi Schneerson, himself, never affirmed or denied his followers’ claims of his messiahship). Gentiles, too, of course, have also claimed the messianic title, with Rev. Moon and Branch Davidian David Koresh at the forefront of such modern examples.

The second feature of the Church Age would be local wars and rumors of wars. Concerning both characteristics of the Church Age, Messiah emphasized that the rise of false messiahs and wars would come to pass, but neither would in any way signify that the end had begun.

C. The Sign of the End of the Age (Question Three)

Having told His disciples which characteristics would not indicate the end of the age, Jesus turned to the questions themselves; He begins with the third one about the sign that would mark the end of the age (Matt. 24: 7-8; Mk. 13:8; Lk. 21:10-11).

According to all three Gospels, the sign of the end of the age is said to be when nation shall rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. This act will be coupled with famines and earthquakes in various places, which Messiah clearly stated would be the beginning of travail. The term travail means “birth-pang,” referring to the series of birth-pangs that a woman undergoes before giving birth. The prophets pictured the last days as a series of birth-pangs before the birth of the new Messianic Age. Yeshua is saying that the beginning of travail (the first birth-pang and the sign that the end of the age has begun) is when nation rises against nation and kingdom against kingdom.

But Messiah had earlier clearly stated that local wars between a few nations would not signify the end. To understand this seeming contradiction, it is necessary to return to the Jewish origin of nation against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. This expression – found in Jewish sources such as the Bereshit Rabbah (written shortly after Yeshua’s time) and, later, the Zohar Chadash – is a Hebrew idiom for a world war. What Jesus was saying, then, is that it would be a world war rather than merely a local war that would mark the beginning of the end of the age.

Again, this is quite in keeping with the Jewish writings of the same period, as the rabbis clearly taught that a worldwide conflict would signal the coming of Messiah. Jesus corrected this idea slightly, saying that the world war signals the end of the age, not the coming of Messiah. But these birth-pangs Jesus spoke of are the same as the rabbis’ “footsteps,” which concerned the series of events leading up to Messiah’s coming. [My prophecy book is entitled, The Footsteps of the Messiah, because of this Jewish concept reflected in the Matthew account describing nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom.]

World War I (1914-1918) was a fulfillment of this particular prophecy, as it was the first world war. And as virtually all historians agree, World War II was merely a continuation of the First World War. Furthermore, both wars had a decisive impact on Jewish history. The first gave impetus to the growth of the Zionist movement, and the Second World War led to the re-establishment of the Jewish State. Though World War I ushered in the last days of the Church Age, still, it is important to remember that the last days are an extended period of time.

D. Personal Experiences of the Apostles

Having provided an answer to the third question about the sign of the end of the age, Christ turned back to His own time to describe some of the personal experiences that the Apostles would undergo (Mk. 13:9-13; Lk. 21:12-19).

The Luke account clearly states that the persecution foretold here will occur before the sign that the end of the age has begun. Altogether, Yeshua listed nine personal experiences that the Apostles would need to endure after He departed from them: first, they would be rejected by the Jews (v. 12a); second, they would be rejected by the Gentiles (v. 12b); third, they would undergo persecutions, but these would provide opportunity for testimony (v. 13); fourth, they would succeed in proclaiming the Gospel everywhere (Mk.13:10; and verified by Rom. 10:18; Col. 1:6, 23); fifth, they’d need not prepare defenses before their trials, because they would be given divine utterance when they faced judgment (vv. 14-15); sixth, they would be rejected by their own families (v. 16); seventh, they would be hated by all men (v. 17); eighth, their salvation was assured regardless (v. 18); and, ninth, they would succeed in winning many souls (v. 19). That the apostles did, indeed, experience all these things is well known both from the Book of Acts and other historical records.

E. The Sign of the Fall of Jerusalem (Question One)

Messiah then revealed the sign of the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple (Lk. 21:20-24) in response to the disciples’ first question. The sign was to be the surrounding of the city of Jerusalem by armies. Upon seeing this sign, the Jewish believers were told to flee outside the Land. From that point on, declared the Lord, Jerusalem would be continually trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. This prophecy was fulfilled in a very striking way in the year 66 A.D., when the first Jewish revolt broke out against the Romans, who then surrounded Jerusalem. Remembering the Lord’s admonition, the Jewish believers knew that Jerusalem would soon be destroyed. Unfortunately, they also realized that they could not heed His warning to flee the city while it was surrounded.

But the Roman army general (Cestius Gallus), noticing that his supply lines were not secure, lifted the siege of Jerusalem and was attacked and killed by Jewish forces on his way to re-supply in Caesarea. Jerusalem, then, was no longer surrounded, and every single Jewish believer was able to leave Jerusalem and set up a new Messianic Jewish community in the town of Pella in the Transjordan. There, they waited for the prophecy of Messiah to be fulfilled.

Two years later, another Roman general (Vespasian, with his son Titus) again besieged the city, and then destroyed the city and the Temple in 70 A.D. Altogether, more than one million Jews were killed in this final onslaught, but not one Jewish believer died because of their obedience to the words of their Messiah. Since that time, Jerusalem has been trodden down of the Gentiles and continues so to the present day. She will not be free of such aggression until Messiah returns.

F. The Great Tribulation
Preparing His (last) answer to the disciples’ second question, Christ turned to the Great Tribulation itself and spoke of the events of both the first and second halves of the period (Matt. 24: 9-26; Mk. 13:14-23).

1. The First Half

Yeshua pointed out five events that will occur during the first half of the Tribulation (Matt. 24:9-14): first, there will be tremendous persecution of the saints (vv. 9-10), a fact also revealed in Revelation 6:9-11. The one-world religious system known as Ecclesiastical Babylon will be the persecutors and will be responsible for the death of the saints during this first half of the Tribulation (Rev. 17:1-6); second, this period will be characterized by the rise of many false prophets (v. 11), a fact also revealed in Zechariah 13:2-5; third, sin and iniquity will rise greatly (v. 12), because evil will no longer be restrained (II Th. 2:6-7); fourth, those Jews who survive the Tribulation will be saved (v. 13); fifth, there will be a worldwide preaching of the Gospel (v. 14) conducted by the 144,000 Jews (Rev. 7:1-8). The results of this ministry of the 144,000 are recorded in Revelation 7:9-17, which clearly states that a great multitude of Gentiles will come to saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2. The Second Half

Messiah next turned to the events of the second half of the Tribulation (Matt. 24:15-28; Mk. 13:14-23), giving more detail about this time period through eight points:

First, Jesus dealt with the specific event that will mark the beginning of the second half of the Tribulation – the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place (v. 15). The abomination of desolation will involve two stages. The first will occur with the Antichrist taking over the Jewish Temple, sitting in the Holy of Holies, and declaring himself to be God (II Th. 2:3-10). The second stage of the abomination begins when the False Prophet makes an image of the Antichrist, erecting it in the Holy of Holies (Rev. 13:11-15; Dan. 12:11). This period will signal the coming of the second and worst half of the Tribulation.

Second, Yeshua says that the abomination of desolation will be the signal for the Jews to flee from the Land (vv. 16-20), an event also recorded in Revelation 12. This passage reflects a sense of urgency to Israel’s flight. In fact, the whole emphasis is on speed, and Christ stresses three potential barriers to fleeing: (1) for women who are pregnant or have infant children; (2) for all on the Sabbath (when nearly everything in Israel, including public transportation, shuts down); (3) for all in the winter (when the rainy season brings heavy flooding at times, which could also make escape difficult). For these last two reasons, He urges prayer that the abomination of desolation will not come on the Sabbath or during the winter.

The third item mentioned (v. 21) is the reason for this flight: that worldwide anti-Semitism will break out in all its fierceness at this time. Satan’s attempt to annihilate the Jews once and for all will have begun in earnest.

Fourth, Israel will survive this terrible period, though she will be greatly reduced in number (v. 22).

Fifth, the second half of the Tribulation will feature a false messiah, as typified in the counterfeit son, the Antichrist (v. 23).

Sixth, the latter half of the Tribulation will be characterized by many false signs, miracles and wonders per- formed both by the Antichrist (II Th. 2:8-10) and the False Prophet (Rev. 13:11-15) to bring about worldwide deception.

Seventh, Jesus warned that there will be people claiming that the Messiah has returned here or there, and that the Second Coming has secretly occurred (vv. 25-27). Messiah warned His disciples to believe no such claims, because, unlike the First Coming, the Second Coming will not be in secret; all men will see Christ return the second time, for it will be like a flash of lightning surrounding the world.

Eighth, Messiah gave a hint as to the place of His Second Coming (v. 28). He said that where the body (Israel) is, the vultures will be gathered together (the Gentile nations coming against the body of Israel). The place of the Second Coming of Christ will be in that place where the body of Israel is located, and where the Gentile nations are gathered together. The exact place is known as Bozrah in Hebrew, or Petra in Greek: it is where the body will be gathered (Mic. 2:12-13), where the vultures will come against them (Is. 34:1-7; 63:1-6), and where the Second Coming will occur (Hab. 3:3).

G. The Sign of the Second Coming (Question Two)

Here, Jesus answers the second question about the sign that will signal His Second Coming (Matt. 24:29-30; Mk. 13:24-26; Lk. 21:25-27). From these passages, we learn that immediately after the Tribulation of those days, there will be a total blackout with no light penetrating at all, followed by a sudden, glorious, tremendous light that will penetrate through the blackout. This is the Shechinah Glory, and this Shechinah light will be the sign of the Second Coming of Christ (v. 30b).

At this point, Christ had answered all three questions: the sign of the destruction of the Jewish Temple was to be the surrounding of Jerusalem by armies; the sign that the end of the age had begun was to be a worldwide war; and, the sign of the second coming would be the Shechinah breaking through the worldwide blackout. The first sign was given in 66 A.D., with the second given in 1914-1918. At the end of the Tribulation, the third sign will come as well.

H. The Regathering of Israel

Although Jesus had answered all three questions, He still wished to give more information regarding the last days. As the Jewish prophets had predicted (in great detail) the worldwide regathering of Israel, Jesus did not spend much time with this. He pointed out only that it would occur after His Second Coming (Matt. 24:31; Mk. 13:27), and that He would send His angels all over the world to regather every Jew back into their Land.

I. The Exhortation

Having given an outline of things to come from their own day until the beginning of the kingdom, Christ then exhorted believers that when they see these things begin to come to pass, then they are to look up and raise their heads, because it will mark the soon redemption of the believers from this world (Lk. 21:28).

The expression these things refers back to Luke 21:20-21, the sign of the destruction of Jerusalem fulfilled in A.D. 70. Once Jerusalem was destroyed, it rendered the Rapture imminent – meaning it could occur at any time. It is important to note that none of these things described in the Olivet Discourse have been signs of the Rapture, but only signs of the coming of the Tribulation. However, if these things tell us that the Tribulation is near, this means that the Rapture of the Church is nearer still, as the Rapture will precede the Tribulation by an unknown period of time. Therefore, because Jerusalem and the Temple have been destroyed, and because there have been signs leading up to the Great Tribulation, believers should be looking up for the completion of their redemption at the Rapture of the Church.