OLIVET DISCOURSE
COMPOSITE FROM THE GOSPELS OF MATTTHEW (24:39-26:1)MARK (13:2-37), AND LUKE (21:5-36)
PREAMBLE
LUKE 1:1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us,
LUKE 1:2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word have handed them down to us,
LUKE 1:3 it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus;
LUKE 1:4 so that you might know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.
JESUS’ TEACHING BEFORE THE OLIVET DISCOURSE
LUKE 17:22 ¶ And He said to the disciples, “The days shall come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.
LUKE 17:23 “And they will say to you, ‘Look there! Look here!’ Do not go away, and do not run after them.
LUKE 17:24 “For just as the lightning, when it flashes out of one part of the sky, shines to the other part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in His day.
LUKE 17:25 “But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
LUKE 17:26 “And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it shall be also in the days of the Son of Man:
LUKE 17:27 they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marrriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
LUKE 17:28 “It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building;
LUKE 17:29 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.
LUKE 17:30 “It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.
LUKE 17:31 “On that day, let not the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house go down to take them away; and likewise let not the one who is in the field turn back.
LUKE 17:32 “Remember Lot’s wife.
LUKE 17:33 “Whoever seeks to keep his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life shall preserve it (to be fulfilled by Jews fleeing Babylon, cf. Jeremiah 51:6).
LUKE 17:34 “I tell you, on that night there will be two men in one bed; one will be taken(removal of the Church), and the other will be left.
LUKE 17:35 “There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken, and the other will be left.
LUKE 17:36 [ "Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left."]
LUKE 17:37 And answering they said to Him, “Where, Lord?” And He said to them, “Where the body is, there also will the vultures be gathered ( probably in Babylon, cf. Jeremiah 50:40 and Revelation 18:2).”
COMPOSITE OF DISCOURSE AND FURTHER INFORMATION
A. FULFILLMENT OF DANIEL 9:26
LUKE 21:5 ¶ And while some were talking about the temple, that it was adorned with beautiful stones and votive gifts, He said,
LUKE 21:6 “As for these things which you are looking at, the days will come in which there will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down.”
MARK 13:3 ¶ And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew were questioning Him privately,
MATT 24:3 ¶ And 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 end of the age?”
LUKE 21:8 And He said, “See to it that you be not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is at hand’; do not go after them (e.g., Acts 15:5; cf. Paul’s response to the churches in 49 AD—Gal. 5:12; also cf. 2 Thess. 2:2, 51 AD).
LUKE 21:9 “And when you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end does not follow immediately.”
LUKE 21:10 ¶ Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom,
LUKE 21:11 and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.
MARK 13:8 “For nation will arise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
LUKE 21:12 “But before all these things (i.e., Luke 21:10-11; Mark 13:8), they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake (e.g., Acts 9:1-2; 26:2).
LUKE 21:13 “It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony.
MARK 13:10 “And the gospel (of Jesus Christ, cf. Mark 1:1) must first be preached to all the nations (fulfilled by 57 AD, cf. Romans 16:26).
MARK 13:11 “And when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not be anxious beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit.
LUKE 21:16 “But you will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death,
LUKE 21:17 and you will be hated by all on account of My name.
LUKE 21:18 “Yet not a hair of your head will perish.
LUKE 21:19 “By your endurance you will gain your lives.
LUKE 21:20 ¶ “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies (answer to question 1 and fulfilled in 66 AD by the Roman general, Cestus Gallus), then recognize that her desolation is at hand.
LUKE 21:21 “Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are in the midst of the city depart, and let not those who are in the country enter the city;
LUKE 21:22 because these are days of vengeance, in order that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
LUKE 21:23 “Woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land, and wrath to this people,
LUKE 21:24 and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
MATT 24:9 “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on account of My name.
MATT 24:10 “And at that time many will fall away and will deliver up one another and hate one another.
MATT 24:11 “And many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many.
MATT 24:12 “And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.
MATT 24:13 “But the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved.
MATT 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come (to be fulfilled in accordance with Matthew 28:18-20).
B. FULFILLMENT OF DANIEL 9:27
MATT 24:15 ¶ “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place [let the reader understand],
MATT 24:16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains;
MATT 24:17 let him who is on the housetop not go down to get the things out that are in his house;
MATT 24:18 and let him who is in the field not turn back to get his cloak.
MATT 24:19 “But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days!
MATT 24:20 “But pray that your flight may not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath;
MATT 24:21 for then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall.
MATT 24:22 “And unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days shall be cut short.
MATT 24:23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him.
MATT 24:24 “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.
MATT 24:25 “Behold, I have told you in advance.
MATT 24:26 “If therefore they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go forth, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them.
LUKE 21:25 ¶ “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves,
LUKE 21:26 men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
MATT 24:27 “For just as the lightning comes from the east, and flashes even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.
MATT 24:28 “Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
LUKE 21:28 “But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
MATT 24:29 ¶ “But 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 sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken,
MATT 24:30 and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky (answer to question 2), and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.
MATT 24:31 “And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
MATT 24:31 “And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
MATT 24:32 ¶ “Now learn the parable from the fig tree (and all the trees, Luke 21:29—answer to question 3): when its branch has already become tender, and puts forth its leaves (fulfilled in 1978 AD), you know that summer is near; (The fig tree is a symbol for the Levitical priesthood. Priests began training at about 30 years old, cf. Ezekiel 1:1. This would mean that the priests were born around 1948—the year of Israel’s Declaration of Independence.)
MATT 24:33 even so you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door.
MATT 24:34 “Truly I say to you, this generation (a biblical generation is about 70 years long, Psalm 90:10) will not pass away until all these things take place.
MATT 24:35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away.
MATT 24:36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
MATT 24:37 “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.
MATT 24:38 “For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,
MATT 24:39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.
MATT 24:40 “Then there shall be two men in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left.
MATT 24:41 “Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left.
MATT 24:42 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.
MATT 24:43 “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.
MATT 24:44 “For this reason you be ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.
LUKE 21:34 ¶ “Be on guard, that your hearts may not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day come on you suddenly like a trap;
LUKE 21:35 for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth.
LUKE 21:36 “But keep on the alert at all times, praying in order that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
MARK 13:33 ¶ “Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time is.
MARK 13:34 “It is like a man, away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert.
MARK 13:35 “Therefore, be on the alert– for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, at cockcrowing, or in the morning–
MARK 13:36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep.
MARK 13:37 “And what I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!’”
C. JESUS’ COMMENTS TO ISRAEL REGARDING HIS RETURN
MATT 24:45 ¶ “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time?
MATT 24:46 “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.
MATT 24:47 “Truly I say to you, that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
MATT 24:48 “But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time,’
MATT 24:49 and shall begin to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards;
MATT 24:50 the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know,
MATT 24:51 and shall cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; weeping shall be there and the gnashing of teeth.
D. JESUS’ PARABLES FOR ISRAEL AND HIS JUDGMENT OF GENTILES
MATT 25:1 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom.
MATT 25:2 “And five of them were foolish, and five were prudent.
MATT 25:3 “For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them,
MATT 25:4 but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps.
MATT 25:5 “Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep.
MATT 25:6 “But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’
MATT 25:7 “Then all those virgins rose, and trimmed their lamps.
MATT 25:8 “And the foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
MATT 25:9 “But the prudent answered, saying, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’
MATT 25:10 “And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut.
MATT 25:11 “And later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’
MATT 25:12 “But he answered and said, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’
MATT 25:13 “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.
MATT 25:14 ¶ “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves, and entrusted his possessions to them.
MATT 25:15 “And to one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey.
MATT 25:16 “Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents.
MATT 25:17 “In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more.
MATT 25:18 “But he who received the one talent went away and dug in the ground, and hid his master’s money.
MATT 25:19 “Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.
MATT 25:20 “And the one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me; see, I have gained five more talents.’
MATT 25:21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master.’
MATT 25:22 “The one also who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted to me two talents; see, I have gained two more talents.’
MATT 25:23 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
MATT 25:24 “And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed.
MATT 25:25 ‘And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground; see, you have what is yours.’
MATT 25:26 “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I scattered no seed.
MATT 25:27 ‘Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest.
MATT 25:28 ‘Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’
MATT 25:29 “For to everyone who has shall more be given, and he shall have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.
MATT 25:30 “And cast out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth (cf. Luke 12:35-48).
MATT 25:31 ¶ “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.
MATT 25:32 “And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;
MATT 25:33 and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.
MATT 25:34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
MATT 25:35 ‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;
MATT 25:36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’
MATT 25:37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink?
MATT 25:38 ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?
MATT 25:39 ‘And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
MATT 25:40 “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
MATT 25:41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;
MATT 25:42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink;
MATT 25:43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’
MATT 25:44 “Then they themselves also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’
MATT 25:45 “Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’
MATT 25:46 “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
MATT 26:1 And it came about that when Jesus had finished all these words, He said to His disciples . . .
(See also Luke 12:35-48.)
E. COMMENTS ON THE COMPOSITE’S CONSTRUCTION AND SOURCE
1. The Composite is taken from the New American Standard Bible, 1995.
2. Major Composite Section Headings have been inserted for clarity.
3. The foregoing composite relies heavily upon Luke’s ordered organization of the material in his gospel presentation.
4. No Discourse subject material has been omitted; however, duplications of the same material have been eliminated. For example, Jesus’ comments about the permanency of His words recorded in all three gospels have been reported only once in the composite.
5. Bold type and underlining have been added to some words and phrases for emphasis.
6. Parenthetical information has been inserted in the text as an aid to understanding the Discourse.
F. THE CHURCH’S PREPARATION FOR THE RAPTURE
Galatians 2:20
G. RESOURCES FOR FURTHER STUDY
1. Fruchtenbaum, Arnold G. The Footsteps Of The Messiah, rev. ed. Tustin CA: Ariel Ministries, 2004.
2. http://www.mcclymont.org