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The Olivet Discourse
24
1 So as Jesus was going out, departing from the temple, His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 But Jesus said to them: “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly I say to you, absolutely not a single stone here will be left upon another, that will not be thrown down.”* This was literally fulfilled in 70 AD. The Jews used the temple buildings as their last bastion of defense. They themselves set fire to some buildings and the Roman soldiers finished the job. Apparently the gold on the dome melted and ran down the cracks between the stones. So the looters literally tore stone from stone to make sure they got all the gold.
“A beginning of birth pains”
3 Now as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately saying: “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming and of the completion of the age?”† There are two questions: “When these things?” and “What the sign?” The answer to the first is given in Luke 21:20-24. The answer to the second begins here in verse 5. 4 So in answer Jesus said to them: “Watch out, so that no one deceives you. 5 Because many will come in my name saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will deceive many. 6 You will be concerned when you hear‡ I follow the best line of transmission, with 25% of the Greek manuscripts, in reading “You will be concerned when you hear”, instead of ‘you will be about to hear’ (more or less followed by most versions). of wars and rumors of wars; see to it that you not get worked up; for all of it has to happen, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will be raised up against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in various places; 8 but all these things are only a beginning of birth pains.§ The Text has ‘birth pains’, so what is the ‘baby’? I suppose the ‘baby’ is the Messianic Kingdom.
The increase of lawlessness
9 “Then they will hand you over to oppression and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then many will be offended, and they will betray one another and will hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will be raised up and they will deceive many.* The verb is in the passive voice, ‘will be raised up’: the obvious question is, by whom? Here we have a clear hint of supernatural activity behind the scenes. 12 And because of the increase of the lawlessness the love of the majority will grow cold. 13 So the one who perseveres to the end, he will be saved.† The Greek text is emphatic here—it is the one who perseveres who will be saved. 14 And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in the whole inhabited earth as a witness to all the ethnic nations, and then the end will come.‡ The ‘end’ of what? There are at least four possible relevant ends here—of the world, of the Millennium, of the Great Tribulation, of the Church Age. Just as this day, this week, this month, this year, etc. all have ends, but those ends are rarely coincidental, so the four ends above are not coincidental. So which ‘end’ is it? The immediately following context points to the Great Tribulation. In that event, any unreached ethnic nations in our day cannot impede the Rapture, since the angel in Revelation 14:6 will finish the job.
The Great Tribulation
15 “So then, when you (ye) see the ‘abomination of desolation’, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place”§ “Standing”—presumably a person, therefore. See Daniel 11:31 and 12:11. (let the reader understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Anyone on the housetop should not go down to take things out of his house, 18 and anyone in the field should not go back to get his cloak.* Wait a minute! If you are on the housetop or in the field, how can you “see” the ‘abomination’ so you know it's time to run? Well, how about wrist TVs, hand held computers, cell phones with Internet access, etc.? So how did Jesus know about these gadgets 2,000 years ago? If you are still around when that happens, and if you do not want the ‘mark’, you had better disappear in a hurry. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing a baby in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not happen in winter or on a Sabbath.† Well now, any such praying needs to be done before the fact to do any good. Do you know anyone who is praying like this? 21 Because then there will be a great tribulation, such as has never been since the beginning of the world until now, and never again will be.‡ There has always been tribulation and distress in the world, and continues to be, but nothing to compare with the Great Tribulation, which has not yet happened. 22 And unless those days were cut short no flesh would be saved;§ Adding up the percentages of destruction in Revelation, it appears that only one sixth of those who are alive at the beginning of the Great Tribulation will still be alive at its end. If six billion go in, only one billion will come out. So much for the overpopulation problem! but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.* Just who are the “elect” here (and in verse 31), if the Rapture has already taken place? I believe there will be many millions of conversions immediately after the Rapture—unsaved church members who are left behind. And if the Rapture is partial (Matthew 25:1-13), all the lukewarm Christians will all of a sudden get serious. 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, the Messiah is here!’ or ‘there!’ do not believe him. 24 Because false christs and false prophets will be raised up,† Here is the passive voice again, ‘will be raised up’. In this context it seems clear that they are Satan's servants. and they will give great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26 So if they should say to you, ‘Look, He is in the wilderness!’ do not go out; ‘Look, in the secret rooms!’ do not believe it. 27 Because just as the lightning comes from east and shines to west, so also will be the coming of the Son of the Man; 28 for wherever the carcass may be there will be a gathering of vultures.‡ The point of verses 26-28 seems to be that the Lord's return will be very obvious, like the lightning or the circle of buzzards above a carcass—so if someone says He has returned secretly, don't believe it (see verse 30). The word “then” in verse 23 makes clear that what is being described here is the Lord's return to the earth after the Great Tribulation, to set up the Millennial Kingdom.
The King's return to earth
29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.§ ‘Stars’ often refer to angels, in the Scriptures, and “the powers of the heavens” most probably refers to high ranking fallen angels. It is at this time that Satan will be confined in the Abyss (Revelation 20:1-3). (Just one literal star hitting the earth would reduce it to dust, so the reference cannot be to them.) 30 And then the sign of the Son of the Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn* Literally, ‘beat the breast’—in Semitic cultures this action expresses strong emotion, involving some combination of grief, fear and despair. This will be the attitude of everyone who is wearing the ‘mark’.—they will see the Son of the Man coming on the clouds of the heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He will send out His angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they will collect His elect from the four winds, from one extreme of the heavens to the other.
Learn from the fig tree
32 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and it puts forth leaves, you know that the summer is near. 33 So you also, whenever you see all these things, know that it is near, at the doors! 34 Assuredly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things happen.† “This generation” could refer to the Jewish race (render ‘this race’), but I think it more probable that it refers to the generation that “sees all these things”. To be more precise, I think that those who were alive on the planet in 1967 (when the city of Jerusalem returned to the political control of the nation Israel) are the generation in question. 35 The heaven and the earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.‡ The Lord Jesus declares the eternal authority of His own word.
The Rapture
36 “But no one knows concerning that day and hour,§ It is typical of Hebrew prose (Jesus is a Jew) to retell a sequence of events from different perspectives. He is still answering “What is the sign?” but here He starts over and comments upon something that will happen before the ‘abomination’ (see the second footnote after this one). not even the angels of the heavens, except my Father alone.* While walking this earth as Jesus, the Son was not omniscient. 37 But just as were the days of Noah, so also will be the coming of the Son of the Man. 38 For just as they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, in the days before the flood until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and were not aware until the flood came and took all away, so also will be the coming of the Son of the Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and the other will be left. 42 So be watchful, because you (pl) do not know in what hour† Instead of “hour”, perhaps 5% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘day’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, because the Son of the Man is coming at an hour that you do not suppose.‡ I take it that for there to be the element of surprise the Rapture of the Church must occur before the “abomination of desolation”. When the Antichrist takes his place in the Holy of Holies and declares himself to be god there will be precisely 1,290 days until the return of Christ to the earth. “An hour that you do not suppose” presumably requires a pre-‘abomination’ rapture—if the rapture is pre-wrath but post-abomination, only a fool will be taken by surprise, unless the Rapture happens immediately after the ‘abomination’ (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). For a fuller discussion of this question, please see the Appendix: Before or after?
45 “Who then is the faithful and prudent servant whom his lord placed over his corps of servants to give them food on schedule? 46 Blessed be that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find doing so. 47 Assuredly I say to you that he will place him over all his possessions. 48 But if that bad servant should say in his heart, ‘My lord is delaying his return,’ 49 and should begin to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, 50 the lord of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour when he is not aware, 51 and will cut him in two and appoint his portion with the hypocrites.§ Notice that the Lord consigns hypocrites to hell. That servant pretended to be faithful while the owner was around, but as soon as he turned his back… There, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.* This is a servant who had gained his master's confidence, but then betrayed it—he winds up in hell. He was director of food services, and if he had been faithful there he would have been promoted to general director (verse 47), but…

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*24:2 This was literally fulfilled in 70 AD. The Jews used the temple buildings as their last bastion of defense. They themselves set fire to some buildings and the Roman soldiers finished the job. Apparently the gold on the dome melted and ran down the cracks between the stones. So the looters literally tore stone from stone to make sure they got all the gold.

†24:3 There are two questions: “When these things?” and “What the sign?” The answer to the first is given in Luke 21:20-24. The answer to the second begins here in verse 5.

‡24:6 I follow the best line of transmission, with 25% of the Greek manuscripts, in reading “You will be concerned when you hear”, instead of ‘you will be about to hear’ (more or less followed by most versions).

§24:8 The Text has ‘birth pains’, so what is the ‘baby’? I suppose the ‘baby’ is the Messianic Kingdom.

*24:11 The verb is in the passive voice, ‘will be raised up’: the obvious question is, by whom? Here we have a clear hint of supernatural activity behind the scenes.

†24:13 The Greek text is emphatic here—it is the one who perseveres who will be saved.

‡24:14 The ‘end’ of what? There are at least four possible relevant ends here—of the world, of the Millennium, of the Great Tribulation, of the Church Age. Just as this day, this week, this month, this year, etc. all have ends, but those ends are rarely coincidental, so the four ends above are not coincidental. So which ‘end’ is it? The immediately following context points to the Great Tribulation. In that event, any unreached ethnic nations in our day cannot impede the Rapture, since the angel in Revelation 14:6 will finish the job.

§24:15 “Standing”—presumably a person, therefore. See Daniel 11:31 and 12:11.

*24:18 Wait a minute! If you are on the housetop or in the field, how can you “see” the ‘abomination’ so you know it's time to run? Well, how about wrist TVs, hand held computers, cell phones with Internet access, etc.? So how did Jesus know about these gadgets 2,000 years ago? If you are still around when that happens, and if you do not want the ‘mark’, you had better disappear in a hurry.

†24:20 Well now, any such praying needs to be done before the fact to do any good. Do you know anyone who is praying like this?

‡24:21 There has always been tribulation and distress in the world, and continues to be, but nothing to compare with the Great Tribulation, which has not yet happened.

§24:22 Adding up the percentages of destruction in Revelation, it appears that only one sixth of those who are alive at the beginning of the Great Tribulation will still be alive at its end. If six billion go in, only one billion will come out. So much for the overpopulation problem!

*24:22 Just who are the “elect” here (and in verse 31), if the Rapture has already taken place? I believe there will be many millions of conversions immediately after the Rapture—unsaved church members who are left behind. And if the Rapture is partial (Matthew 25:1-13), all the lukewarm Christians will all of a sudden get serious.

†24:24 Here is the passive voice again, ‘will be raised up’. In this context it seems clear that they are Satan's servants.

‡24:28 The point of verses 26-28 seems to be that the Lord's return will be very obvious, like the lightning or the circle of buzzards above a carcass—so if someone says He has returned secretly, don't believe it (see verse 30). The word “then” in verse 23 makes clear that what is being described here is the Lord's return to the earth after the Great Tribulation, to set up the Millennial Kingdom.

§24:29 ‘Stars’ often refer to angels, in the Scriptures, and “the powers of the heavens” most probably refers to high ranking fallen angels. It is at this time that Satan will be confined in the Abyss (Revelation 20:1-3). (Just one literal star hitting the earth would reduce it to dust, so the reference cannot be to them.)

*24:30 Literally, ‘beat the breast’—in Semitic cultures this action expresses strong emotion, involving some combination of grief, fear and despair. This will be the attitude of everyone who is wearing the ‘mark’.

†24:34 “This generation” could refer to the Jewish race (render ‘this race’), but I think it more probable that it refers to the generation that “sees all these things”. To be more precise, I think that those who were alive on the planet in 1967 (when the city of Jerusalem returned to the political control of the nation Israel) are the generation in question.

‡24:35 The Lord Jesus declares the eternal authority of His own word.

§24:36 It is typical of Hebrew prose (Jesus is a Jew) to retell a sequence of events from different perspectives. He is still answering “What is the sign?” but here He starts over and comments upon something that will happen before the ‘abomination’ (see the second footnote after this one).

*24:36 While walking this earth as Jesus, the Son was not omniscient.

†24:42 Instead of “hour”, perhaps 5% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘day’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).

‡24:44 I take it that for there to be the element of surprise the Rapture of the Church must occur before the “abomination of desolation”. When the Antichrist takes his place in the Holy of Holies and declares himself to be god there will be precisely 1,290 days until the return of Christ to the earth. “An hour that you do not suppose” presumably requires a pre-‘abomination’ rapture—if the rapture is pre-wrath but post-abomination, only a fool will be taken by surprise, unless the Rapture happens immediately after the ‘abomination’ (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). For a fuller discussion of this question, please see the Appendix: Before or after?

§24:51 Notice that the Lord consigns hypocrites to hell. That servant pretended to be faithful while the owner was around, but as soon as he turned his back…

*24:51 This is a servant who had gained his master's confidence, but then betrayed it—he winds up in hell. He was director of food services, and if he had been faithful there he would have been promoted to general director (verse 47), but…

© 2016 Wilbur N. Pickering, ThM, PhD