The Olivet Discourse - Part 01

The Olivet Discourse and the Coming Judgment on the Temple

You have your Bibles turn to Mark chapter 13. Mark chapter 13. I have previously mentioned that I was a little anxious about getting to this chapter because it is somewhat difficult and so I want to give you a little preface before we read.

Then we're going to read the text. First of all I want to say that this study in Mark has been somewhat of an overview. I have not been as thorough as I would in a Sunday morning exposition. This has been more of a survey of the book.

I mean we've stopped at certain points and dug in a little deeper. But there have been times where we've surveyed and when it comes to chapter 13 this is going to be more of a survey and the reason for that is in just a few weeks we're having our conference on the end times but I just made the poster for it today and brother Mike is going to be talking about this same thing and he's going to be digging in a little deeper at certain areas.

And so if there's anything that you feel like I didn't cover well you know feel free to tell me but also know that I'm giving more of an overview because I want to give room for him to be able to come behind and dig a little deeper in that.

So that's the first thing. The second thing is it's 37 verses and I want to read the whole thing tonight because it's one discourse. So as we read I want to start out by reading all of it and that way whenever I give my lesson tonight we at least have the snapshot of what it is Jesus is saying this is this is called the Olivet discourse.

This is found in three of the four Gospels. The synoptic Gospels all have a version of this. Matthew's is longer and I am convinced it includes some things that are intentionally different from Matthew's perspective.

It includes some things that Mark and Luke does not and we'll talk about that in a little while. But the the three of them when put together examine Jesus's words regarding the coming judgment or what we might call the tribulation the Great Tribulation.

So we're going to read. And then I'll begin the lesson. So beginning in verse 1 it says. And as he came out of the temple one of his disciples said to him look teacher what wonderful stones. And what wonderful buildings.

And Jesus said do you see these great buildings. There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down. And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately tell us when will these things be.

And what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished. And Jesus began to say to them see that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name saying I am he. And they will lead many astray.

And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars do not be alarmed. This must take place. But the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places.

There we will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains. But be on your guard for they will deliver you over to councils. You will be beaten in synagogues. And you will stand before governors and kings for my sake to bear witness before them.

And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say but say whatever is given you in that hour.

For it is not you who speak but the Holy Spirit and brother will deliver brother over to death. And the father his child and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name's sake.

But the one who endures to the end will be saved. But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be let the reader understand. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Let the one who is on the housetop not go down nor enter his house to take anything out. And let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days pray that it may not happen in winter.

And in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now and ever will be. And if the Lord had not cut short those days no human being would be saved.

But for the sake of the elect whom he chose he shortened the days. And then if anyone says to you look here's the Christ or look there he is. Do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders to lead astray if possible the elect be on guard.

I have told you all things beforehand. But in those days after the tribulation the Sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light and the stars will be falling from heaven and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then will he will send out the angels to gather his elect from the four winds from the ends of the earth. The ends of heaven from the fig tree learn its lesson as soon as its branches as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves.

You know that summer is near. So also when you see these things taking place you know that he is near at the very gates. Truly I say to you this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

Heaven and earth will pass away. But my words will not pass away. But concerning that day or that hour no one knows not even the angels in heaven nor the Sun but only the Father. Be on guard. Keep awake.

For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge each with his work and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake for you do not know when the master of the house will come in the evening or at midnight or when the rooster crows or in the morning lest he comes suddenly and find you asleep.

And what I say to you. I say to all stay awake father in heaven. I thank you for your word. I pray even now that as I seek to give an understanding of it that you would keep me from error the Lord God.

This is a difficult passage and one that is fraught with many different interpretations and sometimes even confusing arguments erupt. So I pray Lord that you would give me wisdom pray that you would keep me from error.

That you would glorify yourself and edify your people in Jesus name. Amen. This passage as I said before is known as the Olivet discourse and it is called that because it is Jesus on the Mount of Olives looking at the temple giving a prophecy regarding a time of tribulation.

Preterism, Dual Fulfillment, and the End of the Jewish Age

And this passage is debated for several reasons. And the first question that is at the really at the forefront of every issue involving this text is is this text describing something that is in the future or the past.

That is the question now from the perspective of Jesus's hearers everything would have been in the future. So the question is not is it in their future. It's obviously in their future. But the question is is what Jesus saying still in our future.

Or is what Jesus said in our past now you've all heard me use the term preterism and that is a somewhat new word for some people preterism means in the past. That's where this idea comes from. And therefore preterism would say that there are prophecies that were prophesied in the past but that those prophecies have already been fulfilled.

Like for instance we all know that Daniel gave prophecies that have already been fulfilled. He prophesied the fall of Babylon and it fell. He prophesied the fall of the Medo-Persians to Greece and that happened.

He prophesied the fall of Greece to Rome and that happened. So none of us would say we don't believe in any type of preteristic view that every prophecy in the Bible is yet to take place because we know that there are prophecies that were given in the Bible and were fulfilled in the time of the Bible.

So we would say that all of us at some point are partially preteristic. We have to agree that some things are in the past. The question though is the question of this Olivet discourse. Is this in the in the past.

Is it in the future. Or is there some form of middle ground where we might call a dual fulfillment. I want to write that idea up here just because we're going to come back to it later. A dual fulfillment.

Well let me try that again. Whoa I can't write the word. Is it fulfillment. Thank you that yeah I know. But I'm sitting here when you're when you're on a whiteboard sometimes your brain goes as blank as the board because you're like I know I can spell dual fulfillment and that is is there some of it that's going to be has already been fulfilled and some of it is yet to be fulfilled.

And or is there some that it's referring to something that happened but a greater fulfillment in the future. And so for instance do we ever see that we do. And here's an example in the book of Daniel it talks about the abomination of desolation.

Well many scholars believe that that was fulfilled in Antiochus Epiphanes. You're going to hear about this in brother Mike's class and Antiochus and what he did certainly was an example of Daniel's prophecy of the abomination of desolation.

Yet in the time of Christ he says there's coming another abomination of desolation and so there's a dual fulfillment. And so that can happen as well. So when we talk about this the first question is is everything in our future is everything in our past that is a hugely debated part of this text.

The second part that is often debated about this text is is everything in this text only for the Jews. Or is this for the church. And here's why I bring that up. I want to read a quote this is from a website that I actually like I like the articles that this website puts out but it is a dispensational website.

That's there. I mean they make no bones about it. So they are and I like like I said much of what they do I like. But this is what they say about this passage. It's important to recognize that Jesus is teaching in this discourse is in reference to Israel and not the church.

Christ was speaking of God's future program for Israel. Other passages to consider when studying the Olivet discourse or Daniel 9 revelation 6 which referred to the future seven year period called the tribulation.

See they make they make the assumption that all this is in the future. Right. That they make this and they say it's not about the church. Why. Well they go on to say because the church will be raptured out.

See they make that state that the idea the church has got. You can't be about the church because the church is going to be raptured out. So this has to be about God's program for the Jews. So now the Olivet discourse is no longer for the church it's only for the Jews.

And it's only for the Jews during the tribulation period. See there's a lot of assumptions in that. There's a lot of there's a lot of thoughts that go into that say okay that's how this is to be understood.

I obviously take issue with that. I don't agree but understand. That's one of the debates. So one of the debates is this future past. And if it is in the future is it the future only for the Jewish nation.

See leads to a lot of questions. The third thing is when Jesus is described in the third thing of great debate in this is when Jesus is describing this event of tribulation and the end of the age. Is he describing the end of the Jewish age or is he describing the end of all time.

And that is another huge debate. Because when we think of the end of the age we have to consider the question. Was there a age of the Jewish dispensation or the Jewish Covenant the Old Covenant. And did it come to an end.

Well certainly it did. And obviously if you've heard me teach for any amount of time especially in the last few months because I've been preaching in this second Corinthians I've mentioned this several times.

What came to an end when Christ came the Old Covenant. Or one could say the end of the Jewish age. Right. The age of the focus on the Old Covenant. So that is another hotly debated topic. So with those as our starting points for the issue of debate on this I want to also address something else and I know we're going to get to the text I promise.

But but all this I feel like I need to lay some groundwork because another issue that is often raised when it comes to this text is the question of Jesus being a false prophet. Bertrand Russell was a famous atheist and he believed that Jesus was not only not the Son of God but he believed that Jesus was a false prophet and his argument came from this text.

Speaking to the South London branch of the National Secular Society in 1927 Bertrand Russell said I do not believe that one can grant either the superlative wisdom or the superlative goodness of Christ as depicted in the Gospels.

And here is why I am concerned with Christ as he appears in the Gospels taking the gospel narrative as it stands. And there one does find some things that do not seem to be very wise. For one thing he certainly thought that his second coming would occur in the clouds of glory before the death of all the people living at that time.

There are great many texts to prove that. And he could went on to say and that didn't happen. And he uses the Olivet discourse to argue that Jesus said he's going to return. He's going to return in the lifetime of these people.

He didn't return the lifetime of these people. Therefore he's a false prophet. What's interesting about that is he actually debated C .S. Lewis. Now you're familiar with C .S. Lewis. I want to read this as a quote in one of the last letters which C .S. Lewis wrote he lamented a debate he had with Professor Bertrand Russell about the arguments for the existence of God.

Professor Russell used Christ's own words in the Olivet discourse to make the claim that Christ was not divine that he had no clue about the future and that he was wrong. C .S. Lewis was unable to counter Professor Bertrand Russell's arguments and ultimately lost the debate.

In a letter to a friend C .S. Lewis described the verse which Russell used which was this generation will not pass away. That was the verse. And he said that was the most. C .S. Lewis said that was the most embarrassing verse in the Bible.

He couldn't counter the argument couldn't couldn't wouldn't hold up to scrutiny from his perspective. So yeah that's an embarrassing verse. Wish you weren't there all right. So you understand why I say this is important.

Because many have tried to counter the argument of Jesus being a false prophet by suggesting that when Jesus said this generation would not pass away that somehow Jesus wasn't talking about the people hearing him and listening to him.

But he was talking about some far-off future generation that was yet to come. In fact how many of you have ever heard of the book 88 reasons Jesus will return in 1988. Never heard of that. Well it was pretty famous before 1988.

Obviously in 1989 it it fell into hard times. But why was it that someone would write a book entitled 88 reasons Jesus will return in 1988. Because the Jewish people returned to Israel in 1948. And this generation will not pass away generations 40 years Jesus must return in 1988.

And when he didn't. Oh that's egg on the face right. But you see this idea of this this generation time stamp is well understood to be an important part of this discourse. And if it is ignored or it simply sought to be explained away as simply mere figurative language then I think we missed the point of what Jesus is actually referring to when he says it.

I believe that what Jesus says in this discourse was fulfilled for the vast most vast most part vast majority of the of what he said was fulfilled in a d70 because that is within a generation of Jesus's claims.

And I would go on to say this it shows the integrity of Jesus's prophecy rather than stealing from the integrity of Jesus's prophecy if we understand what he is talking about is not some far-off future event but he's actually warning his Apostles about something that some of them would actually see with their own eyes.

What's the what's a generation 40 years. When is Jesus speaking these words. Right. Around the year 30. When did Jerusalem fall the year 70. This generation will not pass away until these things take place.

So with that in mind I want us to now begin walking through the text as I said just where I am in no way going to try to give an exhaustive explanation of everything for for two reasons. One I want to save some for brother Mike but also because quite frankly there are some parts that even I have difficulty with and if you have a question and I may give you an answer that says I don't know because some things I don't know.

If that is that if that's unsatisfactory to you then I will ask do you know everything I will I'll tell you what I was interviewed Monday on a show I was interviewed about amillennialism because as you know I'm an amillennialist and I was interviewed and I was asked about the hundred and forty four thousand from Revelation and I said well there's a lot of different interpretations of who that hundred and forty four thousand is.

And I said and quite frankly I'm not sure I'm pretty sure it's not 144 ,000 virgin Jews which is the most popular view among some people could be. But I don't think that's the answer. But I was willing to say on a open mic that there are some things I don't know.

So if that's unsatisfactory for you I apologize. But the first thing we need to address is what is happening in this narrative what brings about this discourse. So let's look back at verse 1 in Mark's gospel or in chapter 13 of Mark's gospel.

Now this is the same discourses in Matthew 24 and in Luke 21 almost the same outline. But as I said Matthew has some additional things. So in Mark 13 it says. And he came out of the temple. Or as he came out of the temple one of his disciples said to him look teacher what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings.

Now for a moment let me just kind of give you a bird's-eye view of kind of what they're seeing. Oh and by the way don't forget what just happened right before this is when they the woman putting all of her money into the Treasury box.

We talked about that last week. So we just heard Jesus condemn the sagittarius the scribes for for making long prayers having long robes and and one of the best seats and mistreating the widows. Right.

And then the widow puts all her money in the box and then they're walking out and the guy one of the disciples says look how great everything is. Look how beautiful this is how majestic it is. And here's the thing he was.

Right if you look into the history of Herod's temple Herod's temple was a massive complex 30-some acres. I think if I remember correctly the amount of space that was all built is this massive place with all of these courts and this tremendous temple and stones that were hundreds of thousands of pounds that were that were brought in.

And it was it was a miracle of ancient architecture. Tremendous building tremendous complex. So the person who said this is not saying anything wrong. We're looking at that decades of work they had gone into building this edifice.

When Jesus responds in a way that probably was not expected. Jesus said do you see these great buildings. There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down. So right there if if we at least are fair we see the setup for what's coming next.

The setup is sorry you got the the buildings and Jesus says it's all coming down. It's all coming down. Not one stone will be left upon another but it's all going to come down now right away before we even get to the Olivet discourse that in and of itself is a prophecy.

Is it not. When is that prophecy fulfilled 40 years later. Right. Yeah. And and here's the thing if you're not familiar with the fall of Jerusalem just very quickly let me just read you this very quickly.

The Gospels during the time of Jesus. Excuse me I'm let me start over. The fall of Jerusalem in 8070 is one of the most the I wrote this a while back. I actually copied this over to bring this to you today.

The fall of Jerusalem in 8070 is one of the best attested historical events of the ancient world. We know from the Gospels that during the life of Jesus Jerusalem was under Roman occupation. This began in 63 BC when the Roman general Pompey captured Jerusalem.

The Jews despised the Romans for their oppressive taxation and occupation. We know about that we read the Gospels in 866 about 33 years after the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus the Jews revolted against Rome.

This began what was known as the Jewish Wars. This revolt was somewhat successful establishing a revolutionary government. In response to this the Emperor Nero spent sent General Vespasian to meet the Jewish forces and the result was that the majority of the Jewish forces were pushed into Jerusalem.

Vespasian became the Emperor in 69 and in April of 8070 his son Titus besieged Jerusalem. Josephus a former commander among the Jews was captured by Rome and because of his position attempted to negotiate a settlement but that was resisted on both sides.

Some of the Jews considered him a traitor. Some of the Romans didn't trust him. There was issues on both sides. The Romans encircled the city cut off supplies and drove the people within to starvation.

You can imagine even today you remember back during COVID the supply lines began to get cut off. And what happens. There's bare shelves. Right. No more toilet paper. Right. No more anything. Right. You can't.

You can't go find. Well imagine if you're inside of a walled city in the first century there's no more food coming in or out. Eventually food goes away and people begin to starve to death. And this is going on over a period of several months.

It was near the time of Passover and therefore filled with visitors and some began even resorting to cannibalism. By the month of August the Romans had breached the broken through excuse me breached and broken through the final defenses and massacred many of those who remained.

The total there were over 1 million dead and that's a number that's hard to fathom. That's about the population of Jacksonville dead. They destroyed the second temple leaving only the western wall that there was any trace that the temple even existed.

That wall today is still there and there are those who go and pray at it. You can see that though they call it the wailing wall because they wail at the wall put prayers in it and all those things. Josephus gives an eyewitness account of this event.

This is a quote from his writings. He says. The rebels shortly after attacked the Romans and a clash followed between the guards of the sanctuary and the troops who were putting out the fire inside the inner court.

The latter routed the Jews and followed in hot pursuit right up to the temple itself. Then one of the soldiers without awaiting any orders and with no dread of so monumentous a deed but urged on by some supernatural force snatched a blazing piece of wood and climbing on another soldiers back hurled the flaming brand through a low golden window that gave access on the north side to the rooms that surrounded the sanctuary.

As the flames shot up the Jews let out a shout of dismay that matched the tragedy. They flocked to the rescue with no thought of sparing their lives or husbanding their strength for the sacred structure that they had constantly guarded with such devotion was vanishing before their very eyes.

Jesus said not one stone will be left upon another. And we have the historical account of that taking place. So just looking at verses 1 and 2 of Mark 13 we can say Jesus made a prophecy. And if we understand that prophecy to be fulfilled in the fall of Jerusalem that prophecy came true.

Now we go into the longer part of that prophecy which begins in verse 3. And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple Peter James John and Andrew asked him privately tell us when will these things be.

And what will be the sign of all these things. Excuse me what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished. Now I want to make a point about this verse 4 in Matthew's gospel there are actually three questions in Mark and Luke there are only two and so I want to point out what I mean by that.

Because the first question is when will all these things be. Well what are the front. This is purely hermeneutical right. This is how you do Bible study. If you have a pronoun a pronoun has an antecedent.

An antecedent means it points backwards to something else. Right. And these things is a phrase which points back to something else. And what is it pointing back to what Jesus just said. He said this not one stones gonna fall or not one stones gonna be left upon another.

Right. And so they said when will these things be. That's question one. So we'll put that as question number one. Now in Mark's gospel we have a second question. What will be the sign the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished all right.

Now it does say all these things. So it could also be connected to this. Matthew's gospel says it a little differently. Matthew's gospel says tell us these things or excuse me tell us when will these things be.

What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age. So Matthew's gospel adds a third about the end of the age which leads some people to believe that Matthew's gospel is actually including a future event that is not necessarily connected to the fall of Jerusalem.

That one is a little more difficult. But there are three questions in Matthew's gospel and two questions in Mark and Luke's gospel. But it all boils down to the preceding statement of Christ where he said not one stone will be left upon another.

That's what's preceding these questions. So with that Jesus begins in verse 5 we're back in Mark's gospel. And Jesus began to say to them see that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name saying I am he.

And they will lead many astray. And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars do not be alarmed. This must take place. But the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation kingdom against kingdom.

There will be earthquakes in various places. There will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains. Now I don't know how many of you have ever listened to any prophecy teachers any Bible teachers rumors of war wars and rumors of wars.

Boy that phrase is very popular when people say wars and rumors of wars. There has never in the history of man not been a time where there weren't wars. And there's never been a time in the history of man that there weren't rumors of wars.

Right. So if anyone says that this has to be something in the future because of that statement you have to stop and say wait a minute. That statement can apply to almost any age. But with that we ask the question could it apply to the age that Jesus is in.

Yes that's right. Until the revolt until the Jewish Revolt and we and the in starts with rumors right. There's rumors about the one who preceded Nero I forget his name. Who is the Emperor prior to Nero.

I can't think of it right now. But there was one who is Caligula. A might not been right before. But Caligula had done some things caused issues with the Jews that caused rumors of questions about it's going to cause a war that's going to cause an issue.

Is this going to cause a problem. And then of course later the war did erupt. So yes I think you're right. I think there's evidence to suggest that this is referring to what's happening there. And there certainly were earthquakes and famines and all of those things.

You know the story of Pompeii being destroyed. All these things are happening at this same time now Jesus's point here and this is what I this is really what I hope to help you understand the point of Christ in this is to prepare those people who were going to face this for facing it again.

I grew up well I said grew up. My early Christian life was exposed to only one form of eschatology and it was the dispensational pre-millennial view. And this was always about the future. It was always.

There's going to be wars and rumors of wars gonna be famines. There's gonna be earthquakes. I was always looking forward to something and the idea was we need to be ready. Right. You need to be ready for the rapture.

You don't want to be left behind. Right. Because this is the things that are going to happen if you get left behind. So the idea of these words being preparatory that's true. But is it preparatory for something in the future or what.

Jesus preparing the people listening to him for what was about to happen. So with that we move on to verse 9. Jesus says. But be on your guard for they will deliver you over to councils. You will be beaten in synagogues you will stand before governors and kings for my stake to bear witness before me.

And the gospel must be proclaimed to all nations. Now if you read the book of Acts that is an outline of the book of Acts Paul literally fulfills the prophecies here. He's taken before Kings. He's taken before governors.

Literally this happens. And it says in Paul's writings that the gospel had gone out to the nations. It's not saying every it's not talking understand when the nations or the world is considered at this point in time.

They're not talking about Tahiti and Taiwan and Japan. They're talking about the known world in the same way that when Jesus was born it said there was a census taken of what the whole world. Well trust me they weren't taking a census of Greenland.

Right. They weren't taking a census of those because they didn't know they existed. The whole world was that which was under Roman occupation. That was the world. And so when it says that the gospel gone out to the nations that is the story of Acts.

Remember when I taught through Acts Acts begins with its own outline. And you will buy you will be my witnesses in Judea and Samaria. I'm sorry in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria into the end of the end of the world.

That's the that's the outline of Acts. It begins in chapter 1 verse 8. And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem in Judea and Samaria the ends of the earth. That's and you follow Acts. That's the outline book of Acts start in Jerusalem then moves out to Judea then to Samaria and then Paul takes it to Greece and Macedonia to the end of the world.

Right. So this is what's happening in that time period all within the lifetime of the Apostle Paul. Okay. So with that being said verse 11. And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say but say whatever is given you in that hour.