The Four Discourses of Jesus:
1. The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) was about the principles of Kingdom living.
2. The Kingdom Discourse (Matthew 13) was about the growing Kingdom of God.
3. The Upper Room Discourse (John 13-17) was about the coming of the Holy Spirit to the Church.
4. The Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24-25), deals with future events and the Return of Jesus Christ.
Jesus (in Matthew 23) condemned the teaching of the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus walked out of Herod’s Temple (Matthew 24:1-2). When the disciples remarked about the awesomeness of the Temple and the buildings around it, Jesus began to speak about the last things. The Temple had been under construction since 20 BC. It was not actually completed until 64 AD. It was massive. The Temple was a source of great pride and gave a sense of permanence to the Jews.
Jesus saw things differently.Only Jesus Christ and His plan are certain in this world.
Matthew 24:2 But he answered them, "You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down."
Only six years after the Temple was complete, the Romans took it apart stone by stone. What happened when the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD was to be a parallel of the end. "Josephus records that when the temple burned, a bright star resembling a sword stood over the city and that comets were visible for a year; Jewish War 6.5.1-3." The horrible things that happened in 70 AD mirror the end, but they pale in comparison.
The disciples knew that when Solomon’s Temple was destroyed it was a time of upheaval and captivity. They wanted to know what would happen next.Matthew 24:3 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 close of the age?"
Some scholars believe that the words of Jesus here were completely fulfilled in 70 AD when Herod’s Temple and Jerusalem were besieged and destroyed. However, all of the things mentioned in Matthew 24 did not take place during the first century. Thus, it is speaking of the future also.
What Jesus says here is an accurate statement of end-time events leading up to the Second Coming.The calling out of the Church, often called the Rapture, is not mentioned in this teaching. It is mentioned at a later time in John 14—and discussed in detail in 1 Thessalonians 4.
The time that will lead toward the Second Coming of Jesus begins with the calling out of the Church, then the rise of an evil leader who makes a covenant with Israel. The covenant is broken after 3 and ½ years and the final 3 ½ years leading up to the Second Coming is called Jacob’s Trouble.
The Second Coming of Christ begins His millennial reign of one thousand years, which is followed by the new heaven and the new earth. These signs are general signs and are the beginning of sorrows. These things mark the progress of the age and grow in intensity and indicate that the end of the age is coming.
Matthew 24:4-14 deals with the time in which we are living. Matthew 24:15-25 addresses the Great Tribulation.
Nine Signs of the Age
Luke 21:10-12 Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. 12 But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake.”
1. False Christs
Matthew 24:4-5 And Jesus answered them, "See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray.2. Wars and Rumors of Wars
Matthew 24:6-7 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.3. Famines
Matthew 24:7 and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.4. Pestilence
5. Earthquakes
The Bible tells us that the greatest earthquake of all time will occur just before the Second Coming of Jesus.
Revelation 16:18 And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake.6. Many Martyrs
Matthew 24:8-10 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. 9 "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.More martyrs have died in this century than in the first century.
7. False Prophets
Matthew 24:11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.
8. Increasing Evil
Matthew 24:12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.
9. Worldwide Preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom
Matthew 24:13-14 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Matthew 24:27-31 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. 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 heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
