Introduction:
As Jesus sits down on the Mount of Olives, His disciples asked Him about what they had just heard.
Jesus had just told them that the temple would be destroyed.
They connect that destruction of the temple with the ushering in of His rule, of His kingdom, of the end of the age (Matthew 24:3). AND THEY THINK OF THE USHERING IN OF HIS KINGDOM AS IMMEDIATE — IN THEIR LIFETIMES.
They are not expecting two advents of the Lord Jesus Christ, and a time gap in between. They have no way to conceive of the age we are living in now, the church age — an extended period of time between the ascension of Jesus and the second coming of Jesus.
So, sitting with Him on the mount of Olives, looking down upon the temple mount, trying to make sense of what they are hearing, THEY ASK TWO QUESTIONS.
They had a when question — “When will these things happen?”
They had a what question — “What will be the sign?”
A timing question, and a recognition question.
Jesus answered both. And in answering both, He also gave us an outline of future events. He told us of the time leading up to a great tribulation (vs.4-14), and He told us about that great tribulation (vs.14-26), and He told us about what follows that great tribulation, namely His return in glory (vs.27-31). And He gives us signs for that great tribulation, and for the second coming. He answers the when, and He answers the what question.
The section we begin thinking about tonight has to do with the last days prior to the time of the great tribulation (vs.4-14).
Now a question arises when one believes, as we do, that Christ is pointing us to a time far beyond AD 70, after He talks about the destruction of the temple.
The question arises, “How much of this, if any, has to do with the time we are living in now?”
When Jesus talks about the time leading up to the great tribulation, is He talking about the first half of the 7-year tribulation period, or is some of this talking about the time we are living in PRIOR to that 7-year period? Which would mean that He moves from talking about OUR time, to talking about the 2nd half of the tribulation period.


Next week we are going to talk about Daniel’s 70th week, which we believe to be a 7-year time of tribulation like the world has never seen, just before Jesus returns to the earth for a 2nd time. I believe that the 7-year period is preceded by the rapture of the church. That Christ will come and gather His church to be with Him prior to the outpouring of this special time of wrath.
There will be both Jews and Gentiles saved during that 7-year period, but it will be a time, when God turns His attention (once again) to the Jewish people in a special way so that it becomes a time of salvation for the Jewish people.
We will dig deeper into all that next week. We will think not only about how the Olivet discourse relates to Daniel’s 70th week, but also how it relates to sections in the book of Revelation.
But for tonight, what I want us to think about is WHAT ALL BELIEVERS SHOULD CONSIDER WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE EVENTS OF VERSES 4-14.
I say ALL BELIEVERS should think about HOW TO APPLY THESE VERSES, regardless of the specific time period it has in view, because wherever one lands on the question of time period in view, what we can say WITH CERTAINTY, is that even if this speaks of the first half of that 7-year period, IT WOULD REPRESENT AN INTENSIFICATION of what has been present THROUGHOUT THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH.
Everything Jesus speaks of in verses 4-14 we find an expression of today.
The end of the ages began with Christ’s first advent.
Scripture speaks of the time we are living in now as “the last days.” But then the Bible also points our attention toward the last of the last days. The end of the end of the ages.
What Jesus describes in verses 4-14 has been with us throughout the entire history of the church. But just as birth pains increase in frequency and intensity as the time grows nearer for the baby to be born, so we are not surprised that the kinds of events that trouble believers throughout the church age will grow more frequent and more intense, as the return of Christ draws near.
What Jesus tells us, in verses 4-14, is what to know and how believers are to live in the last days.
This has been preserved for believers to serve the reader until the end of time (vs.14). At the very time that all these events take place, someone will be reading this who has been brought to faith in Christ and will be able to respond accordingly.

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