Olivet Discourse - Past or Future?
Understanding Christ's Most Comprehensive Teaching on His Second Coming
By Brandon Zeider
The Olivet Discourse is the name given to Jesus Christ's longest and most detailed prophetic teaching, delivered on the Mount of Olives during His final week before crucifixion. Recorded in the three synoptic Gospel accounts—Matthew 24-25 (the most comprehensive), Mark 13, and Luke 21—this teaching, and how it relates to eschatology (if at all), has been a source of debate amongst Christians for millennia.
The Setting: A Mountain Steeped in Prophetic Significance
Before we jump in, it's important to understand that the Mount of Olives represents far more than a mere geographic location; it constitutes a significant thread woven throughout God's timeline. Rising 2,684 feet above sea level and situated directly east of Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley, this mountain range provides a commanding view of the Temple Mount, and has served as the setting for many pivotal moments throughout Biblical history.
From King David's desperate flight during his son Absalom's rebellion (2 Sam 15:1-20:22) to Jesus' regular private teachings with His disciples, the Mount of Olives has long served as a place of both crisis and revelation. It witnessed Christ's betrayal in Gethsemane (Matt. 26:36-56), His ascension to heaven (Acts 1:6-12), and according to the prophet Zechariah, it will be the very location where His feet touch Earth again at His second coming (Zech 14:1–5).
So to say that the location is Biblically significant is a bit of an understatement!
Navigating the Interpretive Landscape
Prior to delivering the discourse, Jesus had just finished dismantling the scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees in debate, and then proceeded to thoroughly condemn these religious leaders for their hypocrisy (see the "seven woes" of Matthew 23). Then as they were departing the temple, after the disciples commented on its architecture, Jesus responded in a way that I suspect surprised them:
Matthew 24:1–2 (ESV): Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, "You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down."
This prophetic statement prompted the disciples to pull Jesus aside privately once they reached the Mount of Olives, where they asked Him the questions that would frame what we now call the Olivet Discourse. Over the centuries, scholars have developed different approaches to understanding the discourse, each with significant implications on eschatology. Two of the more popular camps are the Preterist and Futurist interpretations.
The Preterist approach argues that most or all of these prophecies were fulfilled when Roman armies destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD. According to this view, Jesus was primarily describing events that would occur within a generation of His speaking.
The Futurist approach sees a future fulfillment of these events culminating in His literal and visible second coming. This approach maintains that while the 70 AD destruction of Jerusalem may have prefigured the ultimate fulfillment, Jesus' prophecy still awaits its complete realization in the future.
But as we’ll see, these seemingly contradictory approaches need not be mutually exclusive. A careful examination of the text reveals at least the possibility that Jesus' prophecy operates on multiple levels, suggesting both historical and future fulfillment.
Two Questions, Not One
If you only read Luke’s account of the Olivet Discourse, you’ll miss that Jesus' disciples actually asked two questions (some Bible scholars say three), not just one. Matthew writes:
Matthew 24:3 (ESV): As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"
Scholars debate whether this represents two or three distinct questions:
When will these things be? (the Temple's destruction)
What will be the sign of your coming?
What will be the sign of the end of the age?
Most commentators view questions 2 and 3 as two aspects of a single inquiry (based on the Greek grammar), while others see three separate questions. Regardless of the precise count, understanding this to be more than one question is crucial because it explains why Jesus' answer addresses both near-term events and future fulfillment. The disciples likely thought they were asking only one question, since in their minds the destruction of the temple and the end of the age were probably connected. But as we sit here nearly 2,000 years later, I think we can see that Jesus was addressing different events separated by millennia - the destruction of the temple in 70 AD, and His coming at the end of the age.
Here’s why.
The Already / Not Yet Framework
George Eldon Ladd, the influential Fuller Seminary theologian who popularized "inaugurated eschatology," provides a helpful framework for understanding how prophecy can have both immediate and future fulfillment. Ladd taught that "the kingdom of God involves two great movements—fulfillment within history and consummation at the end of history." This "already / not yet" paradigm helps us understand how the Olivet Discourse can address both the 70 AD destruction of Jerusalem and events still future to us.
As Ladd explained in his commentary on Revelation: "Daniel viewed the great eschatological enemy of God's people as the historical king of Greece (Antiochus Epiphanes), who yet took on the coloration of the eschatological Antichrist. In the same way, our Lord's Olivet Discourse was concerned with both the historical judgment of Jerusalem at the hands of the Roman armies and the eschatological appearance of Antichrist. Rome was a historical forerunner of Antichrist."
This typological interpretation recognizes that historical events can serve as prophetic patterns pointing toward ultimate fulfillment. The destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD was both a literal judgment and a prophetic preview of greater tribulation to come.
Dual Fulfillment in Scripture
This pattern of dual fulfillment appears many times throughout Scripture. Consider Isaiah 7:14, where the prophet promises King Ahaz a sign: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." This prophecy had an immediate fulfillment in Isaiah's day, a young woman would bear a son, and before the child grew old enough to know right from wrong, Ahaz's enemies would be defeated. Yet Matthew 1:23 identifies this same prophecy as finding its ultimate fulfillment in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, who would literally be "God with us." Many Old Testament prophecies operated this way, with immediate fulfillment while also pointing forward to the Messiah.
Consider Jesus' statement: "Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" (Luke 21:24). This is one of the clearest indicators in the Olivet Discourse that Jesus was addressing events extending far beyond 70 AD. As Ladd noted, "the desolation of Jerusalem which was historically accomplished in AD 70 when the temple was destroyed and the city ravaged by the Romans is not to be the final word."
The phrase "until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" points to an extended period of Gentile dominance over Jerusalem, a reality that has indeed characterized most of the past two millennia. Jesus' prophecy encompasses both the near judgment His disciples would witness and the distant restoration they would not live to see.
The disciples' first question, "when will these things be?" seems to have found its answer in the events of 70 AD. Early church historian Eusebius records that Christians, heeding Jesus' warnings in the Olivet Discourse, fled Jerusalem before its destruction. They recognized the signs Jesus described and escaped the coming judgment.
But what about the second part of the disciples’ questions - “what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Upon examining Jesus’ words, it seems that these events still await complete fulfillment. While the events of 70 AD provided a foretaste and pattern, the ultimate "coming of the Son of Man" with power and great glory remains in the future.
The Prophetic Timeline
Parallels Between the Olivet Discourse and the Seals of Revelation 6
A careful comparison reveals interesting parallels between the Olivet Discourse and the first six seals of Revelation chapter 6. Many interpreters, including Ladd, see these correlations as suggesting both texts describe the same prophetic timeline:
|
Olivet Discourse |
Revelation 6 Seals |
|---|---|
|
False messiahs (Matt 24:4-5) |
White horse/false peace (Rev 6:1-2) |
|
Wars and rumors of wars (Matt 24:6-7) |
Red horse/war (Rev 6:3-4) |
|
Famines (Matt 24:7) |
Black horse/famine (Rev 6:5-6) |
|
Death and persecution (Matt 24:9) |
Pale horse/death (Rev 6:7-8) |
|
Martyrdom of believers (Matt 24:9) |
Souls under the altar (Rev 6:9-11) |
|
Cosmic signs (Matt 24:29) |
Sixth seal/cosmic upheaval (Rev 6:12-17) |
The similarities between the Olivet Discourse and Revelation 6 has led many scholars to conclude that both describe the same sequence of end-time events, though the precise relationship between these passages continues to be debated. Grant R. Osborne, in his commentary on Revelation, builds directly on Ladd's framework and argues that "the seals should be seen as a recapitulation of the signs leading up to the end in the Olivet Discourse... The parallels are too close to be coincidental." Osborne notes that both passages follow the same theological pattern: preliminary signs (the "beginning of birth pains") lead to intensified tribulation, which culminates in cosmic upheaval and Christ's visible return.
Ladd, in his commentary, emphasized that "the Revelation was primarily concerned to assure the churches of Asia of the final eschatological salvation at the end of the age, together with the judgment of the evil world powers." This same assurance, that God remains sovereign despite tribulation, can be seen throughout the Olivet Discourse. As Osborne explains, both Jesus in the Olivet Discourse and John in Revelation sought to prepare believers for suffering while assuring them of ultimate victory, a message as relevant today as it was in the first century.
Jesus structured his prophecy in three major phases, each phase building toward the ultimate climax of His return.
Phase One: The Beginning of Birth Pains
Jesus warned that the preliminary signs were only the beginning. Like a woman in labor, these events signal that the process has begun, but the end is not yet.
Matthew 24:8 (ESV): All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
These birth pains include deceptive messiahs claiming divine authority, global conflicts between nations and kingdoms, political upheaval, and natural disasters including famines and earthquakes. The key insight here is timing, as these events mark the beginning of the end-time process, not its completion.
The analogy is particularly striking because birth pains increase in both frequency and intensity as delivery approaches. Similarly, Jesus suggests these preliminary signs will become more pronounced as His return draws near.
Significantly, these "birth pains" have characterized the entire period between Christ's first and second advents, what Ladd called the "already / not yet" tension of the present age. We live in the time when the kingdom has been inaugurated but not yet consummated. Wars, famines, earthquakes, and false messiahs have marked every generation of church history, and this will increase in intensity as history progresses toward its climax.
This explains why Christians in every generation have felt they might be living in the last days - because they are! Since Christ's resurrection and ascension, we have been living in the eschatological age, the period of the "already" breaking into the "not yet."
Phase Two: The Great Tribulation
Moving beyond preliminary signs, Jesus described a period of unprecedented suffering and spiritual deception often referred to as the Great Tribulation. This phase encompasses the persecution of believers who will be "hated by all nations" for Christ's name, widespread spiritual apostasy as many fall away from faith, false prophetic movements featuring deceptive signs and wonders, moral collapse as lawlessness increases, and seemingly paradoxically, global gospel witness as “this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations.”
This intensification of deception makes sense within the broader Biblical narrative of spiritual warfare. Dr. Michael Heiser notes in Reversing Hermon that "the events of the tribulation period represent the final, desperate rebellion of the powers of darkness who know their time is short (Rev. 12:12). The 'signs and wonders' of the end times aren't merely human deception—they involve the activity of hostile spiritual beings working through human agents."
The climax of this phase comes with Jesus' declaration: "And then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14). The worldwide proclamation of the Gospel serves as the final preparatory act before divine intervention.
Here again we see both historical and future fulfillment. The early Christians experienced intense persecution and witnessed both the gospel's spread throughout the Roman Empire and the rise of false teachers. Yet Jesus' description of tribulation "such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be" (Matthew 24:21) points to an ultimate intensification still to come.
Ladd's historic premillennialism provides an important perspective here. Rather than teaching that Christians will escape tribulation through a pre-tribulation rapture, Ladd believed Jesus was preparing His disciples, and by extension, all believers, for the reality of suffering before glory. Ladd: "Suppose that suddenly the people of God find themselves engulfed in a horrible persecution at the hands of the Antichrist when they had been assured repeatedly on the authority of the Word of God that this experience would never befall them. What will be the result?"
An interesting question indeed.
Regardless, the Olivet Discourse doesn't promise escape from tribulation, it promises Christ's presence through tribulation and ultimate victory beyond it.
Phase Three: Divine Intervention and Christ's Return
Jesus then went on to describe cosmic signs that will herald His visible, glorious appearing:
Matthew 24:29–31 (ESV): “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
This sequence emphasizes the public, unmistakable nature of Christ's return. Hardly the secret or invisible event some have imagined.
While preterists interpret this cosmic language as metaphorical descriptions of Jerusalem's fall in 70 AD, futurists argue the language transcends any first-century event. No cosmic upheaval accompanied Rome's siege. No visible coming of the Son of Man occurred. From this perspective, these prophecies still await fulfillment.
Yet here too, Ladd's framework helps us understand apparent tensions in the text. The phrase "immediately after the tribulation of those days" has troubled interpreters because Christ did not return immediately after 70 AD. Ladd argued that from God's perspective, where "a thousand years are as one day,” the entire church age between Christ's advents constitutes a single eschatological period.
In this reading, the "tribulation" encompasses both the specific horrors of 70 AD and the ongoing tribulation believers face throughout history, culminating in the final Great Tribulation before Christ's visible return. While other interpreters resolve this tension differently, some seeing the entire prophecy as fulfilled in 70 AD, others proposing a gap in prophetic fulfillment, Ladd's framework attempts to honor both the apparent imminence in Jesus' words and the historical reality of the delay.
The Abomination of Desolation: A Critical Prophetic Milestone
Among the most debated elements of Jesus' prophecy is His reference to the "abomination of desolation" spoken of by Daniel the prophet (Matthew 24:15). This concept, rooted in Old Testament prophecy, demonstrates the layered nature of biblical prophecy with multiple fulfillments.
Historical Precedents
First, Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the Jewish Temple in 167 BC by sacrificing a pig on the altar and erecting a statue of Zeus in the holy place (1 Macc. 1:54-59; Josephus, Ant. 12.5.4). This abomination triggered the Maccabean revolt and established a historical pattern for understanding future desecrations.
Second, the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD provided another fulfillment. When Roman standards (bearing images of Caesar, who claimed divinity) entered the Temple precincts (Josephus, J.W. 6.6.1), and when the city was surrounded by armies (Luke 21:20), discerning Christians recognized the sign Jesus had given and fled to safety (Eusebius, Eccl. Hist. 3.5.3).
Future Fulfillment
Yet the fullest, ultimate fulfillment still awaits. The futurist understanding, which Ladd embraced, suggests this prophecy points to a future reconstruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, where a figure the apostle Paul calls the "man of lawlessness" will claim divinity, "taking his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.”
2 Thessalonians 2:3–4 (ESV): Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
This interpretation aligns with Jesus' clear statement that this event remains future from His perspective and connects with broader Biblical prophecy about end-time deception and apostasy. As Ladd explained, Antiochus Epiphanes was a historical type of the eschatological Antichrist, and Rome's desecration in 70 AD was another forerunner, but the ultimate abomination awaits fulfillment in the final tribulation.
Luke's account provides helpful clarification. Where Matthew and Mark use Daniel's cryptic phrase "abomination of desolation," Luke explains it for his Gentile audience: "When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near" (Luke 21:20). This translation helped first-century believers understand the warning, while the fuller prophecy in Matthew and Mark points beyond 70 AD to ultimate fulfillment.
Conclusion: Living Between the Already and the Not Yet
The Olivet Discourse stands as one of Scripture's most comprehensive prophetic passages, and its proper interpretation requires holding together both historical fulfillment and future expectation. Rather than forcing an either/or choice between preterism and futurism, we can embrace both/and—recognizing that Biblical prophecy often operates on multiple levels.
Key Takeaways
Multiple Questions, Layered Answers: The disciples asked about the Temple's destruction, Christ's coming, and the end of the age, three distinct but related events that Jesus addressed with prophecies having both near-term and ultimate fulfillment.
Already / Not Yet Tension: Following George Eldon Ladd's framework, we recognize that Christ's first coming inaugurated the kingdom and the last days, but the consummation still awaits His second coming. We live in the eschatological "in-between," experiencing kingdom power while awaiting its complete manifestation.
Typological Fulfillment: The destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD was both a literal historical judgment and a prophetic type pointing toward greater end-time tribulation. Historical fulfillments don't exhaust prophecy but establish patterns for ultimate realization.
Parallels with Revelation: The correlation between the Olivet Discourse and Revelation's seal judgments suggests to many interpreters that both texts describe the same prophetic timeline, providing multiple witnesses to God's sovereign plan. This interpretive connection, while not universally accepted, strengthens the case for seeing these passages as complementary perspectives on end-time events.
No Escape from Tribulation: Jesus wasn't promising believers escape from suffering but victory through suffering. The discourse calls us to vigilance, faithfulness, and hopeful endurance, not an expectation of escape.
Israel's Future Hope: While Jerusalem faced judgment in 70 AD, God's purposes for Israel extend beyond that catastrophe. "Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled,” indicating restoration.
Christ's Unmistakable Return: The cosmic signs and visible appearance of Christ described in Matthew 24:29-31 still await fulfillment. When He comes, every eye will see Him.
Practical Application
The Olivet Discourse wasn't given merely to satisfy prophetic curiosity. Jesus embedded throughout His teaching the call to watch, to endure, to remain faithful, and to proclaim the gospel to all nations. As Ladd emphasized, whether Christ returns in our generation or in some future generation, we live in the last days—the eschatological age between inauguration and consummation.
This means:
Watch vigilantly for signs of His coming while avoiding date-setting
Endure faithfully through whatever tribulation may come, knowing Christ has overcome
Proclaim boldly the gospel of the kingdom to all nations
Hope confidently that despite present sufferings, Christ's return will vindicate His people and establish His eternal kingdom
The Olivet Discourse assures us that history moves purposefully toward God's appointed climax. The birth pains increase, but they signal approaching delivery. The tribulation intensifies, but it precedes Christ's coming on the clouds in great glory. Death still reigns, but the King has conquered death and will soon return to abolish it forever.
"This is the good news about the kingdom of God. How men need this gospel! Everywhere one goes he finds the gaping graves swallowing up the dying... But the good news is this: death has been defeated; our conqueror has been conquered. In the face of the power of the kingdom of God in Christ, death was helpless. It could not hold him. Death has been defeated; life and immortality have been brought to life. An empty tomb in Jerusalem is proof of it. This is the gospel of the kingdom."
- George Eldon Ladd
Until Christ returns in glory, we live as watchful servants who have read the end of the story and know that our Savior wins. The already guarantees the not yet.
The kingdom has come, and the King is coming.
Sources
Eusebius of Caesarea. Ecclesiastical History. Translated by C. F. Cruse. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1955.
Heiser, Michael S. Reversing Hermon: Enoch, the Watchers, and the Forgotten Mission of Jesus Christ. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2017.
Josephus, Flavius. Antiquities of the Jews. Translated by William Whiston. In The Complete Works of Josephus. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1960.
Josephus, Flavius. The Wars of the Jews. Translated by William Whiston. In The Complete Works of Josephus. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1960.
Ladd, George Eldon. A Commentary on the Revelation of John. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1972.
1 Maccabees. In The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.
Osborne, Grant R. Revelation. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002.