“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 end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3 (ESV)
The Olivet Discourse is the sixth and final instructional discourse, or sermon, found in Matthew’s Gospel. The previous five concerned kingdom ethics (Matt. 5-7), discipleship and mission (Matt. 10), kingdom parables (Matt. 13), church relationships (Matt. 18) and the Seven Woes (Matt. 23). The Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24-25) concerns the end times and the subsequent return of the Lord Jesus Christ in power, might and glory.
These discourses are often compared to the Pentateuch; the five books of Moses (Genesis – Deuteronomy). However, efforts by some interpreters to combine Matt. 23 with chs. 24-25 seems manipulative. The Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21) may have intended Matthew to reinforce the overall theme of Jesus being the promised prophet like Moses (Deut. 18:18).
Biblical scholars call this sermon The Olivet Discourse because Jesus delivered this address as He sat on the Mount of Olives with His disciples. The hill is directly east of the temple, across the Kidron Valley (Luke 19:29). This location provided the best panoramic view of Jerusalem. At the base of this mountain was the Garden of Gethsemane
Jesus preached this sermon in direct response to the disciples’ questions of “what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” These questions were because of the preceding context of Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem and its impending destruction (Matthew 23:37-39). Like the preceding five discourses, Matthew’s language here is highly symbolic. The narrative includes many events and not just a single incident.
The text may be divided into three subjects. First, the destruction of Jerusalem. Second, the second coming of Christ in judgment. Third, the end of the ages. Jesus distinguished the Fall of Jerusalem (70 A.D.) from His second coming. Jesus prepared His disciples for the destruction of Jerusalem in their lifetime (24:15-28, 32-35), while emphasizing His glorious return would not be predicable and could happen at any time (24:36-50).
“The prophetic material found in this sixth discourse has reference not only to events near at hand (see, for example, verse 16) but also to those stretching far into the future, as is clear from 24:14, 29–31; 25:6, 31–46. Cf. Luke 21:24,” explains Dr. William Hendriksen.
“By the process of prophetic foreshortening, by means of which before one’s eyes the widely separated mountain peaks of historic events merge and are seen as one, as has been explained in connection with 10:23 and 16:28, two momentous events are here intertwined, namely, a. the judgment upon Jerusalem (its fall in the year a.d. 70), and b. the final judgment at the close of the world’s history. Our Lord predicts the city’s approaching catastrophe as a type of the tribulation at the end of the dispensation.”
The goal is to examine this discourse in small increments in order to understand the overall content. Next time, the text to be considered will be 24:1-3. Until then, have a blessed day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
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