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When Will These Things Take Place?
Jesus gave a long and detailed description of the future, along with clear references to his return to earth with an army of angels, his taking up to heaven of true believers (generally referred to as the "rapture"), and his final judgment of all people of the world.
"Do you see all these things?" [Jesus] asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down." As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"
(Matthew 24:2-3)
Jesus immediately follows his sermon with parables, each describing a man who leaves people in charge and whose return is delayed while his associates wait. Some are prepared for the unexpected delay while others are not and suffer the consequences. This particular sermon is known as the "Olivet Discourse" because it was given on the Mount of Olives. It is recorded by Matthew, Mark and Luke.
"For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 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, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved."
(Matthew 24:5-13)
Because all prophetic Scripture is interpreted through the eyes of writers who have no frame of reference for many of the things seen or heard, these passages are usually written in somewhat cryptic or mysterious language. For this reason, people often disagree on the exact meaning of details being described in such passages. The Olivet Discourse is no exception. Three views of this passage are generally held.
Before we consider these views, it's important to understand that prophecy is given, not for us to predict the future, but to warn others and to prove after its fulfillment that God wrote the Bible. So we should not focus on trying to calculate a time, but warn others that there are many signs of an impending fulfillment for the prophecy described in the Olivet Discourse.
Radical preterism
One extreme, known as "radical preterism," sees the entire sermon as a reference to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70. Preterists point to such things as documented reports by Josephus, Tacitus and others in AD70 describing false prophets and false Messiahs leading many people astray, chariots in the clouds, voices from heaven, and signs in the sky. While such supernatural events may well have taken place, they do not prove that radical preterism is the answer. This view is fraught with difficulties since those holding it must believe that the rapture and final battle of Armageddon have already taken place. That leaves no room for a return of Christ in glory that the entire world will see, as he promised. It seems highly unlikely that the entire Christian church missed the much anticipated final return of Christ just 40 years after it was forged with such passion and persecution. Other difficulties include the lack of physical events such as the earthquake that would split the Mount of Olives in two.
Dispensationalism
The opposite view is called "dispensationalism." Those holding this view believe that the Olivet Discourse refers to the distant future, with a pre-tribulation "rapture" of the church preceding the final seven years before the coming of Christ to usher in His millennial kingdom. Dispensationalists recognize that some of the wording describes an event that cannot be ignored no matter where you live in the world. Since such events have not yet been recorded in any historical context, they must be yet to come.
"Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
(Luke 21:26-28)
Although many respected Bible teachers adhere to this view, we must be careful to avoid the common dispensationalist belief that nothing in the sermon refers to the near future. It is a combination of events taking place over a long period of time, much of it surrounding the destruction of the second temple in 70AD.
The Olivet Discourse begins with a discussion about the temple's destruction, with not one stone left upon another. The disciples ask Jesus two questions. They ask him when this destruction of the temple (which must seem astonishing to them because of its huge size) will take place. They also ask about his final coming in glory. He responds with his sermon. Since he is clearly answering their specific questions, it would seem unreasonable to assume that nothing he talks about refers to the coming destruction of the temple, which would happen exactly as he described just 40 years later. Luke's version of the discourse refers to the start of an "age of the Gentiles" which follows the dispersion of the Jewish people and ends with the return of Christ.
"...There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. 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."
(Luke 21:23-24)
If not even one of the events in the discourse have yet taken place, as extreme dispensationalists believe, then when does this dispersion of the Jews and the control of Jerusalem by Gentiles actually begin? It appears to me that it began in AD70 and continues to this day.
Moderate preterism
A third major viewpoint often called "moderate preterism" combines a bit of both extremes. It takes the approach that some of the events described by Jesus in his Olivet Discourse took place in AD70, marking God's judgment on the Jews at the end of the "Jewish Age" and ushering in the beginning of the "age of the Gentiles" (non-Jews in control of Jerusalem). This lasts until the final return of Christ along with all the events that Jesus promised would accompany his return.
The primary difference between moderate preterism and dispensationalism is that dispensationalists believe in a literal kingdom that will not begin until after the return of Christ, while preterists believe that His kingdom is already in place and that He will simply assume an earthly rule after His return in glory. There are pros and cons to both views. Preterists say that Jesus claim that "the kingdom is at hand" means it would begin almost immediately, while dispensationalists quote other Scripture passages to support their view that no kingdom is yet established.
"But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. This will result in your being witnesses to them."
(Luke 21:12-13)
Note the chronological reference "before all this," making it clear that there is some sequence to these events. It makes sense that first few things mentioned would take place within the next 40 years while others could be thousands of years away. A large time gap is also implied in the sermon, and the parables that follow the discourse (of the young ruler and the bridgegroom who are "delayed") seem to bear out a long unexpected delay in the midst of the events described.
Echoes of history
Several Old Testament prophecies seemed to be "echoed" in an earlier time with events very similar to those of the intended event. The destruction of the temple by the army of General Titus in AD70 could be one of these echoes.
One example is the prophecy by Daniel of a ruler who would desecrate the temple of God. Antiochus IV Epiphanes sacrificed a pig in the temple in 165BC and placed a statue of Zeus in the Holy Place, but this was not specifically the event Daniel referred to, or Jesus would not have used it as a reference to a future event. The temple was destroyed before such an event could happen again (Caligula ordered a statue of himself put in the Holy Place in AD40, but he died before it was carried out). Daniel was referring to a future temple, although foreshadowed events were similar. In any case, Jesus warned his disciples that when this event takes place, the stage is set for His return.
It should be noted that no event needs to take place before the rapture of the church can occur. Those who hold to a mid-point or post-tribulation rapture must struggle with the requirement for a temple to exist before the rapture can happen. Pre-tribulationists recognize that the rapture can happen anytime during the "time of the Gentiles" or age of the church. While some things must be in place before the final return of Jesus at the battle of Armageddon (such as the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem), there are no such barriers regarding the rapture.
Those who hold a pre-tribulation view (myself included) believe that God interrupted His plan for the nation of Israel to usher in the age of the church. After He calls the church to Himself in the rapture event, He returns His focus exclusively to Israel and then many events take place involving the Jewish people so that they are restored to Him before the final return of Christ.
Will it happen?
It has already been demonstrated that past prophecies regarding the captivity and release of the Jews by the Babylonians, and first coming of Jesus Christ, were precise in every detail. So we must assume that the Bible's prophecies about the second coming of Jesus are equally accurate. Are you prepared? If not, are you really willing to take such a chance with your soul? Make a decision for Jesus Christ today.
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