What Is The Olivet Discourse?

What is the “Olivet Discourse” that is referred to by Christians? What significance does it have for Christians and for non-believers?

The Mount of Olives

The Olivet Discourse is named after the Mount of Olives which was the location of Jesus’ teaching about the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the age and His Second Coming. For the believer, it is a discourse about what is to come and in some cases, it has already come in the fulfillment of certain prophecies. The Olivet Discourse is also is a warning to those who disbelieve in His second coming or Second Advent, sometimes called the Parousia so the Olivet Discourse is a referring to the location of where Jesus taught.

The Olivet Discourse

The Olivet Discourse is the discourse or conversation that Jesus had with His disciples who had asked Him about the end of the age and the coming destruction of the temple. The Olivet Discourse is sometimes called the “Olivet Prophecy” because much of Jesus’ teaching contains prophecies. The disciples had marveled at the temple but Jesus prophesied that “there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down” (Matt 24:2) and they were astonished about this statement so His “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). The Olivet Discourse is Jesus’ answer to these two questions; when will these things take place (the destruction of the temple) and when will the end will come and what will be “the sign of your coming.” The Olivet Discourse or Olivet Prophecy begins in Matthew 24 but extends into Matthew chapter 25. Jesus gave us many signs to look for and these have come to pass in our day. Signs are similar to what you see driving down the highway and they tell us what to expect down the road and today, we have come to the places where these signs have been realized.

Fulfilled Prophecy

In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus prophesied that “many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray” (Matt 24:5) but this doesn’t mean that many will come pretending to be Christ (although a few have) but I believe Jesus is talking about many who will come in His name, professing to be Christ’s teachers and pastors but these deceivers will lead many astray, preaching another (false) gospel who are nothing more than appearing as “angels of light” but are ministers of Satan. Jesus also said that “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. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.” (Matt 24:6-8). And today, it has come to pass that many would be put “to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matt 24:9-13). These things have already taken place so the next thing we might expect is that “this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matt 24:14).

The Certainty of His Coming

Jesus is coming again but as Christ Himself said “no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (Matt 24:36) but Jesus added that “as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matt 24:37-39) but why did Jesus reference Noah’s day? It was because they too scoffed as the coming flood of God’s judgment and we live in world that is similar to Noah’s day where “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen 6:5). Would any Christian argue with the state of the world today?

Conclusion

Today, non-believers laugh at Jesus’ coming again but their laughter will turn to horror as there 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. 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” (Matt 24:30-31). They laugh today but someday (soon?) they will mourn for they will finally believe in Jesus Christ but tragically, it will be far too late.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.