Appendix

The Olivet Discourse: Introduction

Days shortly before He was crucified, Jesus taught His disciples about the subsequent history of the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. This was history in advance—in other words, prophecy about their future. It entailed the time from His crucifixion to His second coming to reign as King over the earth. This teaching became known as the "Olivet Discourse."

Jesus Christ (or Yeshua the Messiah) has many roles. He was born as the Son of God, Savior and Redeemer. He came to be "the Lamb of God" as a sacrifice for sin. This came to pass a few days after the Olivet Discourse on Passover. But He also came as The Prophet, spoken of by Moses, to the people of Israel. He spoke forth and taught the Holy Scriptures, the Word of God, much of which contains prophecy. As such, much of what Jesus taught in the Olivet Discourse can be found in the Old and New Testament scriptures. The book of Daniel especially overlays and correlates with much of this teaching. And in fact, Jesus specifically mentions Daniel.

The Glory of the Temple and Jesus' Response

The basis for this teaching began when Jesus and His disciples were leaving the temple in Jerusalem. This was the magnificent temple built by King Herod I over forty years. The book of Matthew records, "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' " (Matt. 24:1-2).

The Disciples' Three Questions

This statement by Jesus was most likely incomprehensible and astounding to the disciples. They believed Jesus to be the Messiah. They were expecting Jesus to reign as King of Israel and did not grasp His previous statements that He would be killed.

At this time they crossed over to the Mount of Olives and probably pondered all this while walking. Next, Matthew records: "Now as He sat 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 end of the age?' " (Matt. 24:3).

To the disciples, the destruction of the temple surely must be synonymous with the end of the age and the coming of Jesus to rule and reign. This had to be a single event with all these things happening at once. Nevertheless, they asked three distinct questions. And Jesus answered each of these three distinctly. What the disciples did not imagine was that these were not all one event, happening close together in time. As we shall see, there is a wide span of time over which these things take place.

When they asked, "when will these things be?" they were referring to the destruction of the temple, where one stone will not be left upon another. When they asked about "the end of the age," this refers to the end of the age of mankind ruling over himself—apart from the visible rule of the King of Israel. What will be the sign of that? And after these things what will be the sign of the coming of Jesus as King of Israel and all the earth? Their questions show they were coming to grips with the fact Jesus would not immediately become King and Ruler. Israel is facing war, tribulation, and desolation first.

Jesus' Teaching Overlays with Daniel's Seventy Weeks

The answers Jesus gave to His disciples overlay and match the events and time structure of the Seventy Weeks prophecy found in the book of Daniel, chapter nine, verses 24 through 27. (See also The 2300 Days of Daniel.)

The prophet Daniel is told,
"Seventy weeks are determined
For your people and for your holy city,
To finish the transgression,
To make reconciliation for iniquity,
To bring in everlasting righteousness,
To seal up vision and prophecy,
And to anoint the Most Holy." (Dan. 9:24)

What is accomplished at the end of these seventy weeks (this is seventy-sevens, or 490 years) is the same that is accomplished in the events of the Olivet Discourse. Daniel's prophecy begins toward the end of the Babylonian captivity. It ends with the second coming of the Messiah, where "vision and prophecy" are sealed up and the "Most Holy" is anointed.

The point in time that Jesus gave His teaching is right at the end of sixty-nine weeks (seven weeks plus sixty-two weeks). Scripture says, "And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself" (Dan. 9:26a). Jesus' teaching is a few days before His crucifixion, where He is "cut off." Thus the time span of this teaching is the end of the sixty-nine weeks through the end of the seventieth week. There is a pause in counting the seventy weeks at the end of the sixty-ninth week. The time of this pause is included in Jesus' discourse. The reason for the pause is that the seventy weeks are the time of God's dealing with the nation of Israel and the Jewish people, to bring them back as a nation into a right relationship with God through the Messiah, Jesus. As Daniel writes, "For your people and for your holy city." The pause is the time in which God deals with the whole world, both Jew and Gentile, in building the Church, a people called into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. At the end of the Church age there will be the "catching up," also known as the Rapture, when believers will be caught up to meet Jesus in the air (1 Thess. 4:17). Then God will continue dealing with Israel as a nation to complete the seventy weeks.

The Sequence of Jesus' Answer

The Olivet Discourse teaching is found in three of the four New Testament Gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Each of these three is only a partial account, and all three must be taken together to get the full account. Only one of the three, Luke, records Jesus' answer to the first question, "when will these things be," regarding the destruction of the temple.

Jesus begins His answer by speaking of the events that will happen at "the end of the age," which is the final seven years, the seventieth week of Daniel. This is known as the Tribulation period. The Tribulation is divided into two three-and-one-half-year periods, with the Abomination of Desolation in the middle. The pause in the counting of the seventy weeks, between the sixty-ninth and seventy weeks, is the period in which the temple is destroyed during the Church age, which happened in 70 AD.

The sequence of Jesus' answer to the disciples' three questions is first to teach about the signs of the end of the age by describing the opening series of events in the first half of the Tribulation. Then Jesus will teach about the time of the destruction of the temple by interjecting with the phrase, "but before all these things," and speak of the time of the Church Age. Then He will revert to the Tribulation period and continue speaking of the Abomination of Desolation and the Great Tribulation period of three and one-half years that follows that. Finally, He will finish up with answering their question about the sign of His coming.

It's important to distinguish two different times He calls the people to flee their land in Judea. One is at the time of the destruction of the temple, before the seventieth week, and the other at the time of the Abomination of Desolation in the middle of the seventieth week.

(Click on the following links or follow the "Next Page" sequence.)

The Olivet Discourse: The Church Age

The Olivet Discourse: The Tribulation Period

The Olivet Discourse: The Second Coming

The Olivet Discourse: The Parables