The Olivet Discourse and Interpretative Approaches

[Jeffwhosoever]

Instead of studying verses at a time, this thread is to examine the entire Olivet Discourse, focused on Matthew 24.

I'll start off with one paper that begins to compare a few interpretations, but feel free to add others and to discuss.

The Olivet Discourse: The Tribulation and the Second Coming

 

[daq]

Instead of studying verses at a time, this thread is to examine the entire Olivet Discourse, focused on Matthew 24.

I'll start off with one paper that begins to compare a few interpretations, but feel free to add others and to discuss.

The Olivet Discourse: The Tribulation and the Second Coming

I'll offer my understanding of the opening portion of the passage. Since we read "when therefore you see", in Matthew 24:15, the text strongly implies a stopping point because therefore means that he has interrupted the discourse to introduce an important sign, (the abomination of desolation), that appears to be the starting point for the things he has just previously stated up to this point. This therefore is the end of an initial synopsis which I will quote in full.

Matthew 24:1-15 ASV
1 And Jesus went out from the temple, and was going on his way; and his disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple.
2 But he answered and said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
3 And as he sat on the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? [literally, the consummation of the age]
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man lead you astray.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ; and shall lead many astray.
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled: for these things must needs come to pass; but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and earthquakes in divers places.
8 But all these things are the beginning of travail.
9 Then shall they deliver you up unto tribulation, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all the nations for my name's sake.
10 And then shall many stumble, and shall deliver up one another, and shall hate one another.
11 And many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray.
12 And because iniquity shall be multiplied, the love of the many shall wax cold.
13 But he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come.
15 When therefore ye see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let him that readeth understand),

This therefore is what will happen:

1) Many (lying spirits) shall come claiming to be the Messiah or of the Messiah and shall deceive many.
2) (Spiritual) warfare, and rumors and reports of warfare, but the end is yet for an appointed time.
3) Nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom, heathen against heathen, (dominion Yavan over dominion Media-Persia over dominion Babel, and Sar Yavan over Sar Persia).
4) Fasting and famines, (of the Word), earth-tremors, birth pangs, and woes.
5) THEN THEY SHALL HATE YOU, DELIVER YOU UP TO TRIBULATION, AND KILL YOU.
6) Many shall stumble and be offended, many false prophets shall arise, loveless lawlessness shall abound.
7) BUT THE ONE WHO PATIENTLY ENDURES UNTO THE END SHALL BE SAVED.
8) This Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony to all the nations: and then shall the end come.

So then, if you simply believe what it says in the order in which it is given, you cannot possibly believe it to be outward and physical in meaning: for before you will endure to the end and be saved the heathen are going to kill you. However, after they have killed you, if yet you endure unto the end, you will be saved.

Perhaps if one gets the point in this first portion then the rest will start to become more clear.

 

[Jeffwhosoever]

I'll start with verses 2 and 3, in which the Lord makes a remark about the future destruction of the temple which may be a reference to the destruction in AD70 and/or a future destruction of a rebuilt temple. I'll side with the Preterists on this point for sake of being fair, but I see 3 totally different questions after the Lord's comment. The first question the apostles asked related to the temple destruction, but the other 2 point to the end of the world, the literal end, when the Lord comes in the second coming as John foretold in Revelation 19.

him the buildings of the temple.
2 But he answered and said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
3 And as he sat on the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? [literally, the consummation of the age]

In verse 3 we have 3 questions:

(1) Tell us, when shall these things be? (a reference to verse 2)
(2) what will be the sign of thy coming (which Jesus describes fully in this chapter and John expands on in Revelation 4-22)?
(3) and (what will the signs be) of the end of the world (literally, the consummation of the age?)

I believe questions 2 and 3 refer to the coming of the Lord in the future, not in AD70, because nowhere in Scripture does it tell us that this coming has occurred. Nowhere have we experienced the wonders that are coming, and never have we seen the horrors described briefly in this discourse and more fully in Revelation, ever, in the history of the world.

The Lord answers questions 2 and 3 next:
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man lead you astray.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ; and shall lead many astray.
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled: for these things must needs come to pass; but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and earthquakes in divers places.
8 But all these things are the beginning of travail.
9 Then shall they deliver you up unto tribulation, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all the nations for my name's sake.
10 And then shall many stumble, and shall deliver up one another, and shall hate one another.
11 And many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray.
12 And because iniquity shall be multiplied, the love of the many shall wax cold.
13 But he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come.

Verse 9 describes the start of Daniel's 70th week, of the beginning of the 7 years of tribulation, after which to be saved you must die a martyr's death. It describes the beginning of the killing of tribulation martyrs, but it doesn't describe the end of the killing. More is still to come. Some will be saved up until the very end of tribulation, at the 7th trumpet, and 7 bowls of wrath poured out, as long as you have refused to accept the mark of the beast.

Verse 14 is the end of the world, the beginning of great tribulation.

Verse 15 is another sign of the end, and occurs before verse 14:
15 When therefore ye see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let him that readeth understand),

When we see the antichrist standing in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem, and declares himself to be God, that will start the Great Tribulation as John describes in Revelation.

 

[Jeffwhosoever]

I found this summary very useful. It is from a Futurist school of eschatology. I would like to see a similar paper published from a Preterist, Historicist, and Idealist point of view, one from each, similar to this paper: https://tms.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/tmsj13f.pdf

 

[Jeffwhosoever]

This paper offers a different interpretation that I'm not sure fits into any certain Eschatology:
The Second Appearing and the Olivet

 

[daq]

The seven bowls of fury are the atonement.

Revelation 15:5
5 And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:

Revelation 15:8
8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues [seven strokes] of the seven angels were complete.

Background source text:

Leviticus 16:14-17
14 And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. [seven strokes]
15 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:
16 And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.
17 And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.

Regarding the answer to "when", (Matthew 24:3), it is answered but not until the very end of the Olivet Discourse in this same Gospel account, and it even appears to be the punch-line statement for the whole discourse, after all has been said concerning the whole matter. The end of the discourse in this Gospel account is clearly indicated in Matthew 26:1-2.