The Great Tribulation & Jesus’ ‘Olivet Discourse’ Week 21: The Great Tribulation & Jesus’ ‘Olivet Discourse’

Matt 24:1-44; Mark 13:1-35; Luke 21:5-30 White – in all 3 gospels unless stated Blue – only in Matthew Green – only in Mark Red – only in Luke Yellow- my commentary The synoptic gospels: Matthew- wrote to the Jews Mark- wrote to the Romans Luke, the solitary Gentile writer of the Bible- wrote to the Greeks

Matt 24:1-44; Mark 13:1-35; Luke 21:5-30 White – in all 3 gospels unless stated Blue – only in Matthew Green – only in Mark Red – only in Luke Yellow- my commentary As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!” “Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; everyone will be thrown down.” …

Matt 24:1-44; Mark 13:1-35; Luke 21:5-30 White – in all 3 gospels unless stated Blue – only in Matthew Green – only in Mark Red – only in Luke Yellow- my commentary As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” …

Matt 24:1-44; Mark 13:1-35; Luke 21:5-30 White – in all 3 gospels unless stated Blue – only in Matthew Green – only in Mark Red – only in Luke Yellow- my commentary In the minds of the disciples the destruction of Jerusalem and the coming again of Jesus were closely connected together. They were evidently taking it for granted that when Jerusalem should be attacked, the Lord Himself would come and fight against those nations

Matt 24:1-44; Mark 13:1-35; Luke 21:5-30 White – in all 3 gospels unless stated Blue – only in Matthew Green – only in Mark Red – only in Luke Yellow- my commentary Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and, ‘The time is near,’ and will deceive many. Do not follow them. …

Matt 24:1-44; Mark 13:1-35; Luke 21:5-30 White – in all 3 gospels unless stated Blue – only in Matthew Green – only in Mark Red – only in Luke Yellow- my commentary When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.” Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from

Matt 24:1-44; Mark 13:1-35; Luke 21:5-30 White – in all 3 gospels unless stated Blue – only in Matthew Green – only in Mark Red – only in Luke Yellow- my commentary heaven. All these are the beginning of birth pains. You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. …

Matt 24:1-44; Mark 13:1-35; Luke 21:5-30 White – in all 3 gospels unless stated Blue – only in Matthew Green – only in Mark Red – only in Luke Yellow- my commentary At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, …

Matt 24:1-44; Mark 13:1-35; Luke 21:5-30 White – in all 3 gospels unless stated Blue – only in Matthew Green – only in Mark Red – only in Luke Yellow- my commentary And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. <Not included in Luke> … He made the work of the gospel the matter of supreme importance!

Acts 1:6-8 6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Matt 24:1-44; Mark 13:1-35; Luke 21:5-30 White – in all 3 gospels unless stated Blue – only in Matthew Green – only in Mark Red – only in Luke Yellow- my commentary Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. <Not in Matthew>

Matt 24:1-44; Mark 13:1-35; Luke 21:5-30 White – in all 3 gospels unless stated Blue – only in Matthew Green – only in Mark Red – only in Luke Yellow- my commentary (So when you see standing in the holy place) (standing where it does not belong) ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— (When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near.) The sign predicted in Daniel 9:26

Matt 24:1-44; Mark 13:1-35; Luke 21:5-30 White – in all 3 gospels unless stated Blue – only in Matthew Green – only in Mark Red – only in Luke Yellow- my commentary …then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. …

Matt 24:1-44; Mark 13:1-35; Luke 21:5-30 White – in all 3 gospels unless stated Blue – only in Matthew Green – only in Mark Red – only in Luke Yellow- my commentary For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. …

Matt 24:1-44; Mark 13:1-35; Luke 21:5-30 White – in all 3 gospels unless stated Blue – only in Matthew Green – only in Mark Red – only in Luke Yellow- my commentary Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. *Time when the Rabbinical rules concerning the distance that might be traveled on the Sabbath day would be still in force. That remark seems to fix the time with certainty as previous to the destruction of Jerusalem A.D. 70

Matt 24:1-44; Mark 13:1-35; Luke 21:5-30 White – in all 3 gospels unless stated Blue – only in Matthew Green – only in Mark Red – only in Luke Yellow- my commentary For then there will be great tribulation, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. (They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.)

Matt 24:1-44; Mark 13:1-35; Luke 21:5-30 White – in all 3 gospels unless stated Blue – only in Matthew Green – only in Mark Red – only in Luke Yellow- my commentary At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time. <Not included in Luke> …

Matt 24:1-44; Mark 13:1-35; Luke 21:5-30 White – in all 3 gospels unless stated Blue – only in Matthew Green – only in Mark Red – only in Luke Yellow- my commentary So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. …

Matt 24:1-44; Mark 13:1-35; Luke 21:5-30 White – in all 3 gospels unless stated Blue – only in Matthew Green – only in Mark Red – only in Luke Yellow- my commentary (Immediately after the tribulation of those days) (But in those days, following that tribulation,) … The word “immediately” used by Matthew (not found in Mark or Luke) means merely that the destruction of Jerusalem would be followed immediately by a period (of unmeasured length) characterized by commotions described in the rest of the verse

Matt 24:1-44; Mark 13:1-35; Luke 21:5-30 White – in all 3 gospels unless stated Blue – only in Matthew Green – only in Mark Red – only in Luke Yellow- my commentary (Immediately after the tribulation of those days) (But in those days, following that tribulation,) ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ …

Matt 24:1-44; Mark 13:1-35; Luke 21:5-30 White – in all 3 gospels unless stated Blue – only in Matthew Green – only in Mark Red – only in Luke Yellow- my commentary (There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.) … Are these ‘signs’ meant to be literal or figurative?

Matt 24:1-44; Mark 13:1-35; Luke 21:5-30 White – in all 3 gospels unless stated Blue – only in Matthew Green – only in Mark Red – only in Luke Yellow- my commentary Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. ...

Matt 24:1-44; Mark 13:1-35; Luke 21:5-30 White – in all 3 gospels unless stated Blue – only in Matthew Green – only in Mark Red – only in Luke Yellow- my commentary When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.

Matt 24:1-44; Mark 13:1-35; Luke 21:5-30 White – in all 3 gospels unless stated Blue – only in Matthew Green – only in Mark Red – only in Luke Yellow- my commentary Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. <Not in Luke>

Matt 24:1-44; Mark 13:1-35; Luke 21:5-30 White – in all 3 gospels unless stated Blue – only in Matthew Green – only in Mark Red – only in Luke Yellow- my commentary As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took

Matt 24:1-44; Mark 13:1-35; Luke 21:5-30 White – in all 3 gospels unless stated Blue – only in Matthew Green – only in Mark Red – only in Luke Yellow- my commentary them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. …

Matt 24:1-44; Mark 13:1-35; Luke 21:5-30 White – in all 3 gospels unless stated Blue – only in Matthew Green – only in Mark Red – only in Luke Yellow- my commentary Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. <Not in Luke> So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

“We can see how contrary to the teaching of Christ is the idea, which is accepted by so many at the present time, that He will be ‘revealed’ at the end of a supposed ‘great tribulation’ of determinate length (seven years, according to some, or three and a half years, according to others). Those who locate the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ at the end of ‘the great tribulation’ of current teaching, do plainly contradict His own teaching, in that they make the supposed ‘tribulation’ a sure sign that His coming is at hand.” –Philip Mauro