The Olivet Discourse

--- Every day Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, but at night he went and stayed on the Mount of Olives. --- Luke 21:37

One day while Jesus was in the temple, speaking to the scribes and Pharisees He said,  

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to her, how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not! Behold, your house is left to you desolate. For I say to you, You shall not see Me from now on until you say, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." 

"Now as Jesus was going out of the temple courts and walking away, his disciples came to show him the temple buildings. And he said to them, "Do you see all these things? I tell you the truth, not one stone will be left on another. All will be torn down!" (Matthew 23:37-24:2).

--- Every day Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, but at night he went and stayed on the Mount of Olives. --- Luke 21:37

--- As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him privately and said, "Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" 

The first thing Jesus then began to speak and warn about, was the tribulation and persecution that the living stones of the New Testament Temple will experience:

Luke 21	Mark 13	Matthew 24
vs. 8-11: And He said, "Take heed that you are not deceived, for many shall come in My name, saying, I AM! Also, The time has come! Do not go after them.   But when you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified, for all these things must first occur, but the end is not at once. And He said to them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.   And great earthquakes shall be in different places, and famines and plagues. And there shall be terrors and great signs from Heaven. 12-19 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake. And it shall return to you for a testimony. Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand what you shall answer. For I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.   And you shall be betrayed also by parents and brothers and kinsmen and friends. And they will cause some of you to be put to death. And you shall be hated by all for My name's sake. But there shall not a hair of your head perish. By your patience you will gain your souls."	vs. 5-13: Jesus began to say to them, "Watch out that no one misleads you.   Many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and they will mislead many.  When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is still to come.   For nation will rise up in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.    There will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines. These are but the beginning of birth pains.   "You must watch out for yourselves. You will be handed over to councils and beaten in the synagogues. You will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a witness to them.    First the gospel must be preached to all nations.   When they arrest you and hand you over for trial, do not worry about what to speak. But say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.   Brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise against parents and have them put to death.  You will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.	vs. 4-14: And Jesus answered and said to them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many will come in My name, saying, I am Christ, and will deceive many.   And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for all these things must occur; but the end is not yet.   For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in different places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.   Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and will kill you. And you will be hated of all nations for My name's sake.   And then many will be offended, and will betray one another, and will hate one another. And many false prophets will rise and deceive many.   And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many will become cold.  But he who endures to the end, the same shall be kept safe.   And this gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in all the world as a witness to all nations. And then the end shall come.

Luke 21	Mark 13	Matthew 24
25-28   "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars. And on the earth will be anxiety of nations with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men fainting from fear, and expecting those things which have come on the earth. For the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then they shall see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to happen, then look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws near."	24-27   "But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light; the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then everyone will see the Son of Man arriving in the clouds with great power and glory. Then he will send angels and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven."	29-31     "And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.   And then the sign of the Son of man shall appear in the heavens. And then all the tribes of the earth shall mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of the heaven with power and great glory.   And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other."

THE "ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION:

Matthew 24

    14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole inhabited earth as a testimony to all the nations, and at that time the end will come. 9 At that time they will hand you over to tribulation and will kill you. You will be hated by all the nations because of my name. 10 At that time many will stumble and fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will appear and deceive many, 12 and because lawlessness will increase so much, the love of many will grow cold.  

   13 But the person who endures to the end will be saved.

   15 THEREFORE when you see the abomination of desolation - spoken about by Daniel the prophet - standing in the holy place (let the reader understand): ---

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"Abomination of Desolation" is a phrase from the Book of Daniel describing the pagan sacrifices with which the 2nd century BC Greek king Antiochus IV Epiphanes replaced the twice-daily offering in the Jewish temple, or alternatively the altar on which such offerings were made." 

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abomination_of_desolation)

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Daniel prophesied about: 

(a) an abomination of desolation placed in the holy place by Antiochus IV which did not result in the destruction of city and sanctuary (the sanctuary was cleansed and rededicated when Antiochus IV was ousted); and 

(b) about desolating abominations (plural) that Daniel associated with the destruction of city and tabernacle, once Messiah had come and been cut off.

The part crossed out below is not written in the text or implied by the text:

"Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand that it's associated with the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem)." (Matthew 24:15).

The text:

Matthew 24:15-36

  --- when you see the abomination of desolation - spoken about by Daniel the prophet - standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), at that time those in Judea must flee to the mountains. The one on the roof must not come down to take anything out of his house, and the one in the field must not turn back to get his cloak.

    Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing their babies in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For at that time there will be great tribulation, unlike anything that has happened from the beginning of the world until now, or ever will happen.

   And if those days had not been cut short, no one would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.   

   At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not believe him. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. Remember, I have told you ahead of time. 

   So then, if someone says to you, 'Look, he is in the wilderness,' do not go out, or 'Look, he is in the inner rooms,' do not believe him. For just like the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

   Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken.

   Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man arriving on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

   Learn this parable from the fig tree: Whenever its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also you, when you see all these things, know that he is near, right at the door. 

   I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 

   But as for that day and hour no one knows it - not even the angels in heaven - except the Father alone. --- Matthew 24:15-36.

The temple in Jerusalem that was destroyed in 70 A.D had ceased being the holy place when the veil in the temple was torn in two:

John 4:21-24

"Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."

Acts 7:48a

"But, the Most High does not dwell in temples (Greek: naos) made with hands."

Acts 17:24

"The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of Heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples (Greek naos) made with hands."

Matthew 24:15 appears in the context of Jesus telling His disciples about the tribulation the living stones of the New Testament temple were going to endure at the end of the Age immediately before He returns, and warning them about false would-be Messiahs and false prophets.

So with regard to Matthew 24:15, the way it's interpreted would depend on whether or not the person interpreting it actually fully believes the gospel and ALL the words spoken by Christ and His apostles, so as not to mistake the temple destroyed in 70 A.D for the holy place of God.​

Also, when Matthew put his gospel together he divided it into sections, each marked by clear divisions, but as can be seen by the following comparison between Matthew's gospel and Luke's gospel, the record in Matthew's gospel of things that according to Matthew Jesus said to His disciples while He was seated on the Mount of Olives, 

is not always paralleled in Luke's gospel with regard to Jesus' location when Luke records Jesus saying the same things. 

COMPARISON OF LUKE'S GOSPEL WITH MATTHEW'S RECORD

Luke 9:51

"Now when the days drew near for him to be taken up, Jesus set out resolutely to go to Jerusalem."

Luke 17  - on the way to Jerusalem -   "And He said to the disciples, The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and you shall not see it. And they shall say to you, Lo, here! or, behold, there! Do not go away, nor follow.   For as the lightning which lights up, flashing from the one part under heaven, and shines to the other part under heaven, so also shall the Son of man be in His day.   But first He must suffer many things and be rejected of this generation.   And as it was in the days of Noah, so it also shall be in the days of the Son of man. Even so it shall be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.   In that day he who shall be on the housetop, and his goods in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise, he who is in the field, let him not return to the things behind.   Two shall be in the field, one will be taken, and the other left.     And they answered and said to Him, Where, Lord? And He said to them,    Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together."  (Luke 17:22-26  & 31, 36-37).

Matthew 24  - on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem -      "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in all the world as a witness to all nations. And then the end shall come.   Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand).   Then let those in Judea flee into the mountains.    Let him on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house; nor let him in the field turn back to take his clothes.      Therefore if they shall say to you, Behold, He is in the desert! Do not go out. Behold, He is in the secret rooms! Do not believe it.    For as the lightning comes out of the east and shines even to the west, so also will be the coming of the Son of man.   For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered. (Matthew 24:14-18 & 26-28).

The passage in Luke 17:22-37 is talking about the end of the Age and the return of Christ. So is the passage in Matthew 24:15-31.

Luke 9

  51 Now when the days drew near for him to be taken up, Jesus set out resolutely to go to Jerusalem.

 

Luke 11 (before arriving in Jerusalem) Big tithes and no mercy   42 But woe to you, Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and pass over judgment and the love of God. You ought to have done these, and not to leave the other undone.   43 Woe to you, Pharisees! For you love the chief seats in the synagogues and greetings in the markets.   44 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like unseen tombs and the men walking above are not aware of them.   45 And one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, Master, you reproach us also when you say this.   46 And He said, Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens grievous to be carried, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. Tombs of the prophets  Luke 11 (before arriving in Jerusalem)   47 Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.   48 Truly you bear witness that you consent to the deeds of your fathers. For they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs.   49 Therefore the wisdom of God also said, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute,   50 so that the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;   51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the temple. Truly I say to you, It shall be required of this generation.   52 Woe to you, lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and you have hindered those who were entering in. Weeping over Jerusalem Luke 13 (before arriving in Jerusalem)   34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would have none of it!   35 Look, your house is forsaken! And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, 'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!'" Luke 17 (before arriving in Jerusalem)   27 For as the lightning comes out of the east and shines even to the west, so also will be the coming of the Son of man.   30 Even so it shall be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.   31 In that day he who shall be on the housetop, and his goods in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise, he who is in the field, let him not return to the things behind.   32 Remember Lot's wife.

Matthew 23 (in the temple in Jerusalem) Big tithes and no mercy   23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and you have left undone the weightier matters of the Law, judgment, mercy, and faith. You ought to have done these and not to leave the other undone.   24 Blind guides who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!   25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of extortion and excess.   26 Blind Pharisee! First cleanse the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of them may be clean also.   27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outside, but inside they are full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.   28 Even so you also appear righteous to men outwardly, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Tombs of the prophets Matthew 23 (in the temple in Jerusalem)   29 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets, and decorate the tombs of the righteous,   30 and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.   31 Therefore you are witnesses to yourselves, that you are the sons of those who killed the prophets;   32 and you fill up the measure of your fathers.   33 Serpents! Offspring of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?    34 Therefore, behold, I send prophets and wise men and scribes to you. And you will kill and crucify some of them. And some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city;   35 so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Berachiah, whom you killed between the temple and the altar.   36 Truly I say to you, All these things shall come on this generation. Weeping over Jerusalem Matthew 23 (in the temple in Jerusalem)   37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to her, how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not!   38 Behold, your house is left to you desolate.   39 For I say to you, You shall not see Me from now on until you say, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." Matthew 24 (Mount of Olives, Jerusalem)   27 For as the lightning comes out of the east and shines even to the west, so also will be the coming of the Son of man.   15 Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand).   16 Then let those in Judea flee into the mountains.   17 Let him on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house;   18 nor let him in the field turn back to take his clothes. (cf. Luke 17:31)

URGENCY, SUDDENNESS, INTENSITY

"Let him on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house; nor let him in the field turn back to take his clothes."

.. pertains to the urgency of the disciples of Jesus getting themselves/ourselves as far away from the trouble as we can, IF we can, instead of sticking around to watch what is about to unfold.

"As in the days of Noah. As in the days of Lot."

.. pertains to the suddenness of the calamities coming upon unbelievers.

"Remember Lot's wife."

.. pertains to not looking back or longing for what we've left behind.

"Woe to those who are with child, and to those who give suck in those days! But pray that your flight is not in the winter, nor on the sabbath day."

.. pertains to the intensity of the tribulation being experienced, at any point in history, in any location, no matter what day is observed as the sabbath day.

Old Testament faithful Capital City: Jerusalem. Old Testament harlot Jerusalem that was destroyed in 70 A.D. Old Jesus told the saints to flee Judea (Jerusalem was its capital city). Old Wrath of God came upon Jerusalem. Old One geographical location.

New Testament faithful City: New Jerusalem. New Testament harlot Babylon the Great that is going to be destroyed. New Jesus tells the saints to come out of Babylon the Great. New Wrath of God will come upon Babylon the Great. New "The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues." (Revelation 17:15).

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