The Olivet Discourse – Christ’s End Times Prophecy : Part 2

A Break down of the Olivet Discourse, The Prophecy of Christ’s Return

Before reading my breakdown of the Olivet Discourse please read Part 1 : Introduction to The Second Coming and end times prophecy.

Also before we break down what Christ said about His second coming, I highly recommend that you read Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 in their entirety for yourself.

The study of the end times is hotly debated in the Church, and I believe many false teachings have come about because of it. I’ve even heard it said that the Gospel of Matthew is for the Hebrews, Mark is to the Romans, Luke is to the Greeks, and John is to world. I believe this is a very dangerous misconception because it makes deciphering end times prophecy nearly impossible. Maybe these chapters were uniquely geared toward a specific audience, but the end of mark Mark 13 says in verse 37, “And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch”. Every chapter, every verse, and every line of Gods Word is meant for the ears of all. We are all told to watch.

God wants us to understand His Word, and we can, if we let it speak for itself. When we do, connecting the dots isn’t as hard as todays Churches have made it seem. There are so many different views concerning the order of events in the end times. Through our study of end times prophecy, you may realize that what you’ve been taught in Church doesn’t line up with what the Bible actually says. Don’t let this discourage you because I guarantee you there is a truth that can be understood. We have to rebuild the Church’s understanding of the end times brick by brick.

One great thing about this prophecy is that that you can literally put the chapters side by side. We call these parallel passages. The best part, as you will see, is that they give a congruent timeline of end time events. Which would make one wonder why there are so many stances as to how the events of the end times will play out. So to get the fullness of the message we will be tackling it part by part, in the order which the verses were all written. As we go along I will be highlighting parts of passages to show a trend. Lets see if we can break this all down in order and come to a conclusion..

Section 1

Matthew 24:4-8 KJV

4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Mark 13:5-8 KJV

5 And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you: 6 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. 8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

Luke 21:8-11 KJV

8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them. 9 But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by. 10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: 11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

The prophecy begins with a very important warning.. “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” Luke even says “go ye not therefore after them”.

The next thing I would like to point out is that we are told that we will hear of “wars and rumors of wars” or as Luke says “wars and commotions”, and that these things must happen before the end. Then Luke says, “the end is not by and by”, basically informing us that Christ’s Second Coming and the end will be approaching rapidly once these things things start to happen.

Then we are told “nation shall rise against nation”, and “and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.” but that these are all the “beginnings of sorrows”.

Recap of events in this section (in the order that Scripture gives them)

1. False Prophets
2. Wars, rumors of wars, commotions
3. Nation rising against nation
4. Great earthquakes and famines, and pestilences, signs in the heavens

Section 2

Matthew 24:9-18 KJV

9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. 15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

Mark 13:9-16 KJV

9 But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. 10 And the gospel must first be published among all nations. 11 But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost. 12 Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. 13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: 15 And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: 16 And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment.

Luke 21:12-22 KJV

12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake. 13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony. 14 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: 15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. 16 And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. 17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake. 18 But there shall not an hair of your head perish. 19 In your patience possess ye your souls. 20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. 21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. 22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

Next, we are told that they will “deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you” and that they will “persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons”.

We are given a reminder that the end will not come until the Gospel has been “published among all nations” and “preached unto all the world”.

Let us never forget these words either.. “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet.. let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains”. The abomination of desolation is a topic we will delve more into in talking about Daniel and Revelation, but for now just make a mental note of it.

Recap of events in this section (in the order that Scripture gives them)

1. Affliction, Persecution
2. (Stipulation) The Gospel will have been preached to all the world, “and then shall the end come’
3. Abomination of Desolation – “Let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains”

Section 3

Matthew 24:19-28 KJV

19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. 23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told you before. 26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. 27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

Mark 13:17-23 KJV

17 But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 18 And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. 19 For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. 20 And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days. 21 And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: 22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. 23 But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.

Luke 21:23-24 KJV

23 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. 24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

After the abomination of desolation, it is important to note Matthews words, “For then shall be great tribulation”. We must remember that there are distinct differences between what the Bible calls “tribulation” and “great tribulation”. This prophecy says that this “great tribulation” entails “affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time”. The Bible has also pointed out many times that believers have been going through “tribulation” all throughout history. The deeper we dig the more differences we will see.

I want to make an important note of a verse that I didn’t highlight. Matthew 24:22 reads.. “And except those days should be shortened there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened”. This implies that the “great tribulation” is going to be so bad that God will cut it short for the sake of the saved (the elect). In other words, at this point the world will be a very dangerous place for believers.

Side-note: Ive heard many sermons and speeches on how the term “elect” in the Bible is referring to the Jews. This is a common misconception that has been used to teach false prophecy and lift up the Zionist movement that was bought and paid for global elite, mainly the Rothchilds. Keep in mind, Orthodox Judaism has rejected the New Covenant set up by Christ. They are still looking for a messiah, and my fear is that the one who comes first, the antichrist, will be the one they accept. I will discuss this topic more in depth in a later post.

Recap of events in this section (in the order that Scripture gives them)

1. “Great tribulation”, “affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time”
2. False Christs performing great signs and wonders

Section 4

Matthew 24:29-31 KJV

29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Mark 13:24-27 KJV

24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, 25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. 26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.

Luke 21:25-28 KJV

25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. 27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

The first thing I would like to make not of that I feel is often overlooked is that Matthew and Mark both start off this next section with “Immediately after the tribulation of those days” and “But in those days, after that tribulation”. This is Scripture clearly stating that what happens next will be after the tribulation.

As we study end times prophecy we will see that the Second Coming is always characterized by these things happening first.. “The Sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars of heaven shall fall”.

“And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds, with great power and glory”. This is the Second Coming of Christ.

Recap of events in this section (in the order that Scripture gives them)

1. Sun and moon shall be darkened, stars fall from heaven
2. Son of man coming in the clouds to gather his elect, rapture

I have heard it said that any teaching on a “rapture” should be ignored. While I understand that the word “rapture” is never used in the Bible, the concept of the rapture is definitely Scriptural. We have three statements from the olivet discourse alone that discuss the rapture..

Matthew: “And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

Mark: “And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.”

Luke: “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”

There are other verses in the Bible that talk about the rapture. Here is a statement from Paul..

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 KJV

“16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

In Conclusion..

Once we break down this prophecy, section by section, we see that these chapters give a clear timeline of end time events leading up to the Second Coming. Here is the over all order of events according to this particular prophecy in the order that Scripture provides..

1. False Prophets
2. Wars, Rumors of Wars, Commotions
3. Nation Rising Against Nation
4. Great Earthquakes and Famines, and Pestilences, Signs in the Heavens
5. Affliction, Persecution
6. The Gospel will have been preached to all the world at least by this point, “and then shall the end come”
7. Abomination of Desolation
8. Believers Fleeing – “Let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains”
9. Great Tribulation
10. False Christs performing great signs and wonders
11. Sun and moon shall be darkened, stars fall from heaven
12. Son of man coming in the clouds to gather his elect, rapture

One has to wonder.. why all the confusion? Is it because we simply can’t read the Bible and see what it clearly says? Is it because certain Biblical truths have been tampered with to preach a certain message? Obviously by taking an in depth look at these 3 chapters we can see that what most call the “Pre-Trib Rapture” falls completely apart. It’s is a doctrine that is based around verses that say we aren’t appointed to Gods wrath, and pulls other verses out of context to teach an un-Biblical view. Tribulation and Wrath, are two very different things as we will see when we study Revelation. We will find that, indeed, we (the saved) aren’t appointed to Gods wrath, but to use that as an argument to say we won’t be here for the tribulation is an irresponsible and misleading way to present the Word.

I hope and pray that I have shed some light on this subject for you. In a soon to come series I will be breaking down how perfectly this order of events, as given by scripture, lines up with Daniel and Revelation.

Please leave your thoughts or comments below!

If you wish to contact me : mindfulofthetruth@gmail.com

In Christ Yeshua (Jesus), Kyle Schumacher