The Olivet Discourse

The first part is excerpted from the New Revised Standard Version.

I have added my own thoughts and commentary (for what they are worth) in the "notes" section at the end of the page.

Matthew 24

While he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"

Jesus answered them, "Beware that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, "I am the messiah!" and they will lead many astray {1}. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, 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 various places: all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.{2}

"Then they will hand you over to be tortured and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of my name {3}. Then many will fall away [or stumble], and they will betray one another and hate one another {4}. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray {5}. And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. {6}

"But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come. {7}

"So when you see the desolating sacrilege standing in the holy place, as was spoken of by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand) {8}, then those in Judea must flee to the mountains {9}; the one on the housetop must not go down to take what is in the house; the one in the field must not turn back to get a coat. Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For at that time there will be great suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be {10}.

"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.{11}

"Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look! Here is the  Messiah!’ or ‘There he is!’ --do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will appear and produce great signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Take note, as I have told you beforehand. So if they say to you, ‘Look! He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look! He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. {12}

"For as the lightening comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the son of Man. {13}

"Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. {14}

"Immediately after the suffering 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 {15}.

"Then the Son of Man will appear in heaven, 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. And he will send out his angels with a great trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other {16}. 

"From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, at the very gates {17}. 

"Truly I tell you, this generation [age] will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."{18}

[The following is from the Douay-Rheims 1899 Bible. A download of this bible is available at www.zeitun.org]

36 But of that day and hour no one knoweth: no, not the angels of heaven, but the Father alone.

37 And as in the days of Noe, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

38 For, as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, even till that day in which Noe entered into the ark:

39 And they knew not till the flood came and took them all away: so also shall the coming of the Son of man be.

40 Then two shall be in the field. One shall be taken and one shall be left.

41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill. One shall be taken and one shall be left.

42 Watch ye therefore, because you know not what hour your Lord will come.

43 But this know ye, that, if the good man of the house knew at what hour the thief would come, he would certainly watch and would not suffer his house to be broken open.

44 Wherefore be you also ready, because at what hour you know not the Son of man will come.

45 Who, thinkest thou, is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath appointed over his family, to give them meat in season?

46 Blessed is that servant, whom when his lord shall come he shall find so doing.

47 Amen I say to you: he shall place him over all his goods.

48 But if that evil servant shall say in his heart: My lord is long a coming:

49 And shall begin to strike his fellow servants and shall eat and drink with drunkards:

50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day that he hopeth not and at an hour that he knoweth not:

51 And shall separate him and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

(DRV)

1 And as he was going out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him: Master, behold what manner of stones and what buildings are here.

2 And Jesus answering, said to him: Seest thou all these great buildings? There shall not be left a stone upon a stone, that shall not be thrown down.

3 And as he sat on the mount of Olivet over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him apart:

4 Tell us, when shall these things be and what shall be the sign when all these things shall begin to be fulfilled?

5 And Jesus answering, began to say to them: Take heed lest any man deceive you.

6 For many shall come in my name saying, I am he: and they shall deceive many.

7 And when you shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, fear ye not. For such things must needs be: but the end is not yet.

8 For nation shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places and famines. These things are the beginning of sorrows.

9 But look to yourselves. For they shall deliver you Up to councils: and in the synagogues you shall be beaten: and you shall stand before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony unto them.

10 And unto all nations the gospel must first be preached.

11 And when they shall lead you and deliver you up, be not thoughtful beforehand what you shall speak: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye. For it is not you that speak, but the Holy Ghost.

12 And the brother shall betray his brother unto death, and the father his son; and children shall rise up against their parents and shall work their death.

13 And you shall be hated by all men for my name's sake. But he that shall endure unto the end, he shall be saved.

14 And when you shall see the abomination of desolation, standing where it ought not (he that readeth let him understand): then let them that are in Judea flee unto the mountains.

15 And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house nor enter therein to take any thing out of the house.

16 And let him that shall be in the field not turn back to take up his garment.

17 And woe to them that are with child and that give suck in those days.

18 But pray ye that these things happen not in winter.

19 For in those days shall be such tribulations as were not from the beginning of the creation which God created until now: neither shall be.

20 And unless the Lord had shortened the days, no flesh should be saved: but, for the sake of the elect which he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.

21 And then if any man shall say to you: Lo, here is Christ. Lo, he is here: do not believe.

22 For there will rise up false Christs and false prophets: and they shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce (if it were possible) even the elect.

23 Take you heed therefore: behold, I have foretold you all things.

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 be falling down and the powers that are in heaven shall be moved.

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.

28 Now of the fig tree learn ye a parable. When the branch thereof is now tender and the leaves are come forth, you know that summer is very near.

29 So you also when you shall see these things come to pass, know ye that it is very nigh, even at the doors.

30 Amen, I say to you that this generation shall not pass until all these things be done.

31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my word shall not pass away.

32 But of that day or hour no man knoweth, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father.

33 Take ye heed, watch and pray. For ye know not when the time is.

34 Even as a man who, going into a far country, left his house and gave authority to his servants over every work and commanded the porter to watch.

35 Watch ye therefore (for you know not when the lord of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cock crowing, or in the morning):

36 Lest coming on a sudden, he find you sleeping.

37 And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch.
(DRV)

I don't profess to be a Bible scholar. Here are some thoughts, with acknowledgement to Kathleen Keating and Jack Van Impe, whose influence can't be overestimated.

{1} This has happened, and currently there are two people that I know of who are claiming to be the Messiah.

{2} There have been two World Wars since the beginning of the last century, and the U.S. has fought in Korea and Vietnam, the Middle East, Eastern Europe (Kosovo) and Afghanistan. There has been a plague of grasshoppers (locusts) in the Midwestern U.S. this summer, floods in Texas and elsewhere, and a serious drought in the Southeast (and that's just the U.S. -- there has also been flooding in Scotland, for example.) The famines and diseases in Africa still rage on, taking lives and leaving carnage.

{3} The Mother General of the Sisters of Carondelet had a vision that I was unaware of recently that corroborated my Vision of Persecution. In her vision, she saw the sisters of her order hanging from telephone poles. Christians in many areas are now being persecuted by members of other faiths (Islamic extremists in particular) simply because they are Christian.

{4} This happens to me at work all the time! Seriously, the betrayal and backstabbing has reached national proportions. Look at what companies like Enron and WorldCom have done to their employees' 401(k) retirement funds. If that isn't betrayal, I don't know what is.

{5} Jonestown, Waco, Heaven's Gate to name three. That's not including the two Maitreyas who are claiming to be messiahs.

{6} Just watch the news and you'll see how love has grown cold. Read the divorces section of the newspaper. While you're there, read the arrests section and see how many men and women are jailed for criminal domestic violence. Our jails are full of the growing-cold of love.

{7} Christianity has already been preached around the world. There has not been a continent on which missionaries haven't thumped their bibles, whether the native people wanted to hear it or not.

{8} I don't know if this means that the temple has to be rebuilt in Jerusalem before this can happen -- and there has been talk about rebuilding the temple -- or whether the Dome of the Rock (a mosque) being built on the temple mount is considered a sacrilege by the followers of Judaism.

{9} Fair Warning: You don't want to be in the Middle East when all hell breaks loose.

{10} Things are going to get very, very bad. He is warning us that we should be prepared to flee on a moment's notice, and don't look back. Give up all earthly attachments now.

{11} No one would survive if the days of suffering were to continue their natural course. Even in the days of Noah, God allowed one family and a bunch of animals to survive. However, this time even that would not happen if there weren't mercy from above. I suspect that what will happen is that God will allow the Dark Side to control those people who desire it and have evil inclinations to destroy a large part of the world and its people. At some point, God will say, "Stop. That's enough. Now, children, what have you learned?"

{12} There are currently two people who are calling themselves Maitreya. One is calling himself "the World Teacher" and the "messiah."

{13} Lightning is fast and very illuminating. You won't have time to pack.

{14} Enron, WorldCom, maybe AOL Time Warner, the NYSE. The vultures gather around the corpse. Watch, and you'll see.

{15} These celestial happenings probably indicate the planet wobbling or thrown off its course. Could our wars and weapons of mass destruction knock our fragile home right out of its orbit? Are we in for a collision with an asteroid? Or something else from space?

{16} Pre-tribulation proponents have had trouble explaining this sentence to me. Christ here says He'll gather His people from the four corners AFTER the time of suffering. 

{17} He can't say exactly the time or date (only the Father knows that), but he's given us some very big clues here.

{18} The age is passing away - the Age of Pisces is giving way to the Age of Aquarius. Astronomically and astrologically speaking, we are in a transition period between those two ages. Jesus lived in the Age of Pisces.