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Description
Olivet discourse: The Olivet discourse or Olivet prophecy is a biblical passage found in the Synoptic Gospels of Mark 13, Matthew 24, Luke 21. It is known as the "Little Apocalypse" because it includes Jesus' descriptions of the end times, the use of apocalyptic language, and Jesus' warning to his followers that they will suffer tribulation and persecution before the ultimate triumph of the Kingdom of God.[1] The Olivet discourse occurred just prior to the narrative of Jesus' passion beginning with the Anointing of Jesus. In the narrative is a discourse or sermon given by Jesus on the Mount of Olives, hence the name.

A major challenge to theologians is to determine the timing of the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. Of considerable relevance is the determination of whether the tribulation Jesus describes is a past, present or future event.[2].5 In each of the three gospel accounts, the sermon contains a number of statements which at first glance seem predictive of future events. There is general agreement that Jesus prophesies about the future destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. However, modern Christian interpretation diverges as to the meaning of the additional topics in the discourse. Most interpreters, including well known ministers and theologians such as John Hagee and Tim LaHaye, say the passages refer to the Second Coming of Jesus. They disagree whether Jesus describes the signs that accompany his return.

The setting on the Mount of Olives is also thought by some scholars not to have been incidental, but a quite deliberate echo of a passage in the Book of Zechariah which refers to the location as the place where a final battle would occur between the Jewish Messiah and his opponents.

According to the narrative of the synoptic Gospels, an anonymous disciple remarks on the greatness of Herod's Temple, a building thought to have been some 10 stories high and likely to have been adorned with gold, silver, and other precious items (Kilgallen 245). However, the narrative goes on to state that Jesus says that not one stone would remain intact in the building, and the whole thing would be reduced to rubble.

The disciples asked Jesus for a sign, "When will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" The disciples likely assumed that the destruction of the temple, and the end of the world, would occur at the same time. The Master sought to correct that impression, first, by discussing the Roman invasion,[Matt. 24:4-34] and then by commenting on his final coming to render universal judgment.[24:35-51]

Jesus first warns them about things that would happen that should not be interpreted as signs:
Some would claim to be Christ, see also Antichrist. It was a general belief that if the Jewish Messiah arrived in Jerusalem, it would mean that the Kingdom of Heaven was imminent.
There would be wars and rumours of wars.

Then Jesus identifies the beginning of birth pangs (some older translations read sorrows):
Nations rising up against nations, and kingdoms against kingdoms.
Earthquakes
Famines
Pestilence
Fearful events

Next He described more birth pangs which would lead to the coming Kingdom:
False prophets
Apostasy
Persecution of the followers of Jesus
The spread of Jesus' message (the gospel) around the world

Jesus then warned the disciples about the Abomination of Desolation "standing where it does not belong." The Gospels of Matthew and Mark add "—let the reader understand—". This is generally considered to be a reference to two passages from the Book of Daniel.[Dan. 9:27] [11:31]

Some consider these declarations to be unlikely or implausible. However, there also are noted Christian theologians who believe that each of Jesus' declarations were prophesies. One view (Futurism) is that the future Jesus predicted is the unfolding of events from trends that are already at work in contemporary human society.[3] Another prophetic view (Preterism) is that all of these predictions were fulfilled by the time Jerusalem fell in A.D. 70.[4]

Although the passage in the Book of Daniel internally claims to be a prophecy dictated to Daniel by Gabriel during the Babylonian captivity, some modern scholars believe that the Book was pseudepigraphically written in the mid-2nd century BC, and that rather than being a genuine prophecy the passage was a postdiction, written as a polemic against the shrine to Zeus set up in the temple in 168 BC by Antiochus IV Epiphanes, which had a pagan altar added onto the Altar of the Holocausts[5][6] Exactly how the synoptics meant it to be reinterpreted or interpreted, however, is a matter of debate among Christian scholars:
A successful prophecy about Titus's destruction of the Temple in AD 70 (see preterism)[7][8]
Prophecies after the fact.[9]
A reference to a future Antichrist (see futurism)
Another vaticinium ex eventu about Caligula's attempt to put a statue of himself or of Jupiter into the temple in AD 37-41[10]

Two opposing interpretations

Within conservative, evangelical Christian thought, two opposite viewpoints have been expressed in a debate between theologians Kenneth L Gentry and Thomas Ice.[2]p.197-199
Tribulation as a past event (Dr. Gentry)
The Great Tribulation occurred during the 1st century.
Those events marked the end of God's focus on and exaltation of Israel.
Jesus' prophecies marked the beginning of the Christian era in God's plan.
The Tribulation is God's judgment on Israel for rejecting the Messiah.
The Tribulation judgments will be centered around local events surrounding ancient Jerusalem, and also somewhat affecting other portions of the former Roman Empire.
The Tribulation judgments are governed by Jesus as the Christ to reflect his judgment against Israel, thus showing that he is in heaven controlling those events.
Tribulation as a future event (Dr. Ice)
The Great Tribulation is still to come and is rapidly approaching prospect.
Those events marked the beginning of God's focus on and exaltation of Israel.
The prophecy says the Christian era will be concluded just after the church is taken from the world.
Rather than being God's judgment on Israel, it is the preparation of Israel to receive her Messiah.
The judgments involve catastrophes that literally will affect the stellar universe and impact the entire planet.
The coming of Christ in the Tribulation requires his public, visible and physical presence to conclude those judgments.
[edit]
Coming of the Son of Man

In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus states that after the time of tribulation and the sign of the sun, moon and stars going dark the son of man would be seen arriving in the clouds with power and great glory. Jesus would be accompanied by the angels and at the trumpet call the angels would gather the elect (God's chosen) from the heavens and the four winds of the earth.[Matt. 24:31]

Some Christians have seen this as a prediction of Roman tyranny being overcome by Christianity. Christianity did eventually become the official religion of the Roman Empire. The Eastern Roman Empire remained Christianized until its fall to the Turks in 1453, although large portions of its former territory, such as Greece, remain largely Christian to this day.

For the Christians who read the text more literally, this is taken to refer to the Second Coming. In modern times, supporters of the more literal readings tend to also be politically conservative, and argue that it is the UN, or the EU, or that some Middle Eastern confederacy is the fourth empire of Daniel 7:23-24 that will "devour" the world.[11]

The synoptics also describe Jesus as stating that "the elect" would be gathered together from across the earth and heaven. His actual wording is that they would be gathered "from the four winds, from the furthest part of the earth to the furthest part of heaven." Although most scholars, and almost all Christians, read this as meaning that the gathering would include people not only from earth but also from heaven, a few Christians, mostly modern American Protestant Premillennialists,[12] have interpreted it to mean that people would be gathered from earth and taken to heaven—a concept known in their circles as the rapture. Most scholars see this as a quotation of a passage from the Book of Zechariah in which God (and the contents of heaven in general) are predicted to come to earth and live among the elect, who by necessity are gathered together for this purpose.[Zech. 2:10] According to the ancient gnostics, this passage was to be interpreted as implying that the teachings of the son of man would automatically bring those who heard and fully understood them (the elect) together.

see wiki : [link]

Description
Olivet discourse: The Olivet discourse or Olivet prophecy is a biblical passage found in the Synoptic Gospels of Mark 13, Matthew 24, Luke 21. It is known as the "Little Apocalypse" because it includes Jesus' descriptions of the end times, the use of apocalyptic language, and Jesus' warning to his followers that they will suffer tribulation and persecution before the ultimate triumph of the Kingdom of God.[1] The Olivet discourse occurred just prior to the narrative of Jesus' passion beginning with the Anointing of Jesus. In the narrative is a discourse or sermon given by Jesus on the Mount of Olives, hence the name.

A major challenge to theologians is to determine the timing of the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. Of considerable relevance is the determination of whether the tribulation Jesus describes is a past, present or future event.[2].5 In each of the three gospel accounts, the sermon contains a number of statements which at first glance seem predictive of future events. There is general agreement that Jesus prophesies about the future destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. However, modern Christian interpretation diverges as to the meaning of the additional topics in the discourse. Most interpreters, including well known ministers and theologians such as John Hagee and Tim LaHaye, say the passages refer to the Second Coming of Jesus. They disagree whether Jesus describes the signs that accompany his return.

The setting on the Mount of Olives is also thought by some scholars not to have been incidental, but a quite deliberate echo of a passage in the Book of Zechariah which refers to the location as the place where a final battle would occur between the Jewish Messiah and his opponents.

According to the narrative of the synoptic Gospels, an anonymous disciple remarks on the greatness of Herod's Temple, a building thought to have been some 10 stories high and likely to have been adorned with gold, silver, and other precious items (Kilgallen 245). However, the narrative goes on to state that Jesus says that not one stone would remain intact in the building, and the whole thing would be reduced to rubble.

The disciples asked Jesus for a sign, "When will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" The disciples likely assumed that the destruction of the temple, and the end of the world, would occur at the same time. The Master sought to correct that impression, first, by discussing the Roman invasion,[Matt. 24:4-34] and then by commenting on his final coming to render universal judgment.[24:35-51]

Jesus first warns them about things that would happen that should not be interpreted as signs:
Some would claim to be Christ, see also Antichrist. It was a general belief that if the Jewish Messiah arrived in Jerusalem, it would mean that the Kingdom of Heaven was imminent.
There would be wars and rumours of wars.

Then Jesus identifies the beginning of birth pangs (some older translations read sorrows):
Nations rising up against nations, and kingdoms against kingdoms.
Earthquakes
Famines
Pestilence
Fearful events

Next He described more birth pangs which would lead to the coming Kingdom:
False prophets
Apostasy
Persecution of the followers of Jesus
The spread of Jesus' message (the gospel) around the world

Jesus then warned the disciples about the Abomination of Desolation "standing where it does not belong." The Gospels of Matthew and Mark add "—let the reader understand—". This is generally considered to be a reference to two passages from the Book of Daniel.[Dan. 9:27] [11:31]

Some consider these declarations to be unlikely or implausible. However, there also are noted Christian theologians who believe that each of Jesus' declarations were prophesies. One view (Futurism) is that the future Jesus predicted is the unfolding of events from trends that are already at work in contemporary human society.[3] Another prophetic view (Preterism) is that all of these predictions were fulfilled by the time Jerusalem fell in A.D. 70.[4]

Although the passage in the Book of Daniel internally claims to be a prophecy dictated to Daniel by Gabriel during the Babylonian captivity, some modern scholars believe that the Book was pseudepigraphically written in the mid-2nd century BC, and that rather than being a genuine prophecy the passage was a postdiction, written as a polemic against the shrine to Zeus set up in the temple in 168 BC by Antiochus IV Epiphanes, which had a pagan altar added onto the Altar of the Holocausts[5][6] Exactly how the synoptics meant it to be reinterpreted or interpreted, however, is a matter of debate among Christian scholars:
A successful prophecy about Titus's destruction of the Temple in AD 70 (see preterism)[7][8]
Prophecies after the fact.[9]
A reference to a future Antichrist (see futurism)
Another vaticinium ex eventu about Caligula's attempt to put a statue of himself or of Jupiter into the temple in AD 37-41[10]

Two opposing interpretations

Within conservative, evangelical Christian thought, two opposite viewpoints have been expressed in a debate between theologians Kenneth L Gentry and Thomas Ice.[2]p.197-199
Tribulation as a past event (Dr. Gentry)
The Great Tribulation occurred during the 1st century.
Those events marked the end of God's focus on and exaltation of Israel.
Jesus' prophecies marked the beginning of the Christian era in God's plan.
The Tribulation is God's judgment on Israel for rejecting the Messiah.
The Tribulation judgments will be centered around local events surrounding ancient Jerusalem, and also somewhat affecting other portions of the former Roman Empire.
The Tribulation judgments are governed by Jesus as the Christ to reflect his judgment against Israel, thus showing that he is in heaven controlling those events.
Tribulation as a future event (Dr. Ice)
The Great Tribulation is still to come and is rapidly approaching prospect.
Those events marked the beginning of God's focus on and exaltation of Israel.
The prophecy says the Christian era will be concluded just after the church is taken from the world.
Rather than being God's judgment on Israel, it is the preparation of Israel to receive her Messiah.
The judgments involve catastrophes that literally will affect the stellar universe and impact the entire planet.
The coming of Christ in the Tribulation requires his public, visible and physical presence to conclude those judgments.
[edit]
Coming of the Son of Man

In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus states that after the time of tribulation and the sign of the sun, moon and stars going dark the son of man would be seen arriving in the clouds with power and great glory. Jesus would be accompanied by the angels and at the trumpet call the angels would gather the elect (God's chosen) from the heavens and the four winds of the earth.[Matt. 24:31]

Some Christians have seen this as a prediction of Roman tyranny being overcome by Christianity. Christianity did eventually become the official religion of the Roman Empire. The Eastern Roman Empire remained Christianized until its fall to the Turks in 1453, although large portions of its former territory, such as Greece, remain largely Christian to this day.

For the Christians who read the text more literally, this is taken to refer to the Second Coming. In modern times, supporters of the more literal readings tend to also be politically conservative, and argue that it is the UN, or the EU, or that some Middle Eastern confederacy is the fourth empire of Daniel 7:23-24 that will "devour" the world.[11]

The synoptics also describe Jesus as stating that "the elect" would be gathered together from across the earth and heaven. His actual wording is that they would be gathered "from the four winds, from the furthest part of the earth to the furthest part of heaven." Although most scholars, and almost all Christians, read this as meaning that the gathering would include people not only from earth but also from heaven, a few Christians, mostly modern American Protestant Premillennialists,[12] have interpreted it to mean that people would be gathered from earth and taken to heaven—a concept known in their circles as the rapture. Most scholars see this as a quotation of a passage from the Book of Zechariah in which God (and the contents of heaven in general) are predicted to come to earth and live among the elect, who by necessity are gathered together for this purpose.[Zech. 2:10] According to the ancient gnostics, this passage was to be interpreted as implying that the teachings of the son of man would automatically bring those who heard and fully understood them (the elect) together.

see wiki : [link]