 The title of our sermon this evening is the Olivet Discourse, the Olivet Discourse. And we're going to be studying this discourse of our Lord in Matthew chapter 24 verses 1 through 31. So if you will please turn there with me. Matthew chapter 24 verses 1 through 31. We'll be looking as we go through the text. We'll also be looking at the parallel accounts in the Gospels in Mark 13, Luke 21. We'll tie this in with other prophetic texts as well. I'm looking forward to diving into eschatology. So the Olivet Discourse, the discourse of our Lord in Matthew chapter 24 verses 1 through 31. I want to begin by reading the text, right? And then tonight we'll get into a setting, a background of the text. Then we'll begin working through the text verse by verse beginning next week. So let me read through the text for us. I'll read verses 1 through 31. We'll be taking the series beyond those verses and talking about how we were to live in light of these truths, in light of these realities. But we want to begin with Matthew chapter 24 verses 1 through 31. So verse 1. Then when Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and his disciples came up to show him the buildings of the temple, and Jesus said to them, Do you not see all these things? Assuredly I say to you, Not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down. Now 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? And Jesus answered and said to them, Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name saying, I am the Christ, and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. And see that you're not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you. And you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. Then many will be offended, will betray one another, will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, whoever reads let him understand. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days. And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation such as not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved. But for the elect's sake, those days will be shortened. Then if anyone says, do you look here as the Christ or there, do not believe it. For false Christ and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive if possible even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. Therefore, if they say to you, look, he's in the desert. Do not go out. Or look, he is in the inner rooms. Do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together. 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 the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of 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 his angels with the great sound of a trumpet and they will gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other. Amen. Let's pray. Father in heaven, thank you, Lord, for this glorious text. Thank you, Lord, for how you've revealed yourself to us and your word and how you have revealed your redemptive purposes in Christ and how you, as you promised, will bring it into all things. We look forward to studying this text together. Help us as we do. Give us wisdom. Give us studious hearts and minds. Apply these truths or help us to understand them. And Lord, help us then to live in light of them. You've called us to live in light of these truths. So we thank you for this time together in Jesus' name. Amen. This text, Matthew 24, verses 1 through 31, is a text that's commonly referred to as the Olivet Discourse. This text is a conversation that the Lord Jesus Christ has with his disciples on the Mount of Olives, that's why it's called the Olivet Discourse, outside of Jerusalem just days prior to his crucifixion. Now in verse 1, Jesus departs the temple, departs the temple mount, the temple complex in Jerusalem. And as became his usual custom during this week before his death, the Lord Jesus Christ heads toward the Mount of Olives to rest and to spend time with his disciples. Now he would have walked out the eastern gate of the city, he would have descended into the Kidron Valley, crossed over the book Kidron, and he would have ascended the western slope of the Mount of Olives to a location that overlooked the city of Jerusalem. It was a spot where you could see the temple mount, the temple complex. That's the week of Passover in Jerusalem. Thousands upon thousands of Jews have flocked into the city to observe the feast. Unknown to them at this time is the final uprising, if you will, the final rebellion, the final rejection that would soon take place in Jerusalem that would have cosmic implications. That's what this text is referring to. The city that rejoiced at the coming of Jesus just a few days prior, just at the beginning of the week, welcoming him into the city through that same eastern gate, singing psalms and praising him at the triumphal entry would soon, that city would soon crucify him and murder their God sent Messiah, the Son of God, they will murder him by the end of the week. Unbeknownst to the disciples now sitting on the Mount of Olives with him, our Passover lamb was soon to be sacrificed for us. So these words to his disciples on the Mount of Olives overlooking the city of Jerusalem and overlooking the temple, these words to his disciples are parting words, final instructions, final reminders, final exhortations, final preparations before he leaves them to depart to his father by means of his cross. He wants to encourage them before he goes. He wants to encourage them not to worry, not to be troubled. John chapter 14 verse 1 in the upper room, Jesus says, Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. He wants to prepare them for the persecution that's coming, for the difficulty that they will have in the ministry that he's leaving them with, for the persecution that will come at the preaching of the gospel. In John chapter 16, he says in the upper room, these things I have spoken to you that you should not be made to stumble, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. So in Matthew 24, with that same heart intent, that same mind toward his disciples, the Lord takes the initiative with his disciples in the same way and with the same intention. He means to prepare them. He wants to prepare them for what's coming. He wants to help them through times of doubt. He wants to help them through fear, through uncertainty, all of which they'll experience after the Lord Jesus Christ departs from them. And through this text, he does the same for you and I. He does the same for you and I. He does the same for us who remain. He intends to protect them from error and deception. He intends to warm them ahead of time. And he intends to do this for us through this text as well. He wants to encourage them. He's going to encourage them and he's coming back. He wants to encourage them in light of these terrifying prophecies. And he wants to encourage us as well with the same facts. He wants to warn us. He warned them to watch. He warned them to be ready. Don't be sluggardly, he's saying, in the ministry that I've called you to. Don't grow weary in doing good. Don't stop preaching the gospel. Watch. Be ready. Be attentive. Keep working. And he tells us to continue that attentive watch also through this text. Extraordinary times are coming. Remarkable times are coming. Severe and traumatic events. Such events that if those events were not shortened, no flesh would be saved, right? Severe persecution. Disciples of the Lord will be delivered up and killed. And all of this must occur. Why must it occur? It occurs preceding the Son of Man. Son of Man himself coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. That's what we're looking forward to, amen. Now this evening, as we open the Olivet Discourse together, I want us to first consider the setting for our text. Looking at the setting, we want to lay the groundwork for Sunday evening sermons that follow, right? So look with me beginning at verse 1. Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple and his disciples came up to show him the buildings of the temple. Now in the Parallel Text in Mark chapter 13 verse 1, one of his disciples came to him and said, Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here. In other words, he's odd over the temple, right? They're odd over the buildings in Jerusalem. These buildings, the physical structure of the temple, the temple mount, the temple complex would have been absolutely stunning even by today's standards, right? They would have been amazing. It was a wonder of the world, so to speak. Beautiful, impressive. And so what Jesus says next then in response to this, see what manner of stones, what buildings are here, what Jesus says next in response to that is a staggering dose of reality. It would have produced jaw-dropping shock in the hearts and minds of the disciples that would have sobered, immediately sobered. They're passing fascination with what is in reality only temporary, those temple buildings. And reminded that through that, right? We remember the one whose voice once shook the earth as promised, saying, yet once more I shake not only the earth but also the heavens. He's indicating there are removal of those things that are being shaken as of things that are made that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Our God is a consuming fire, amen. And he will one day shake not only earth but shake also the heavens. We're reminded of that here. They will now find out that those buildings and not just those buildings, but what those buildings represent, those buildings and all that they represent will soon be shaken. And Jesus said to them, verse 2, do you not see all these things? Assuredly, truly, truly I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another that shall not be thrown down. Again, they would have been dumbstruck by that comment. You can remember the size of the temple complex, massive. The temple was the center of their society, was the center of their worship, the center of their identity as the people of God and their Messiah had now come. The disciples are sitting on the Mount of Olives with the Lord Jesus Christ. They know that He is the God sent Messiah. So how can these things be? They would have rejoiced in texts like Isaiah, chapter 9, verse 6. Listen to this text from Isaiah. For unto us a child is born, Isaiah says. Unto us a son is given and the government will be upon his shoulder and his name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace, there will be no end. So what's this talk about a temple being destroyed? Right to them that would have necessarily implied judgment. They understood what it meant for the temple to be destroyed. It had been destroyed before. That meant God's judgment of the increase of his government and peace Isaiah says there will be no end. And here the Messiah is sitting on the Mount of Olives with us upon the throne of David and over his kingdom to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward even forever. That would be the expectation of the disciples as they sat there and heard the Lord Jesus Christ talking about these events that would take place. Isaiah finishes that with the deal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. So what does he mean then that the temple will be destroyed that not one stone will be left upon another? This is the time when he's going to establish his kingdom, isn't it? When he will vindicate his people when he will cast off the oppression of the Romans this is to be the entry point the ushering in of an eternal age of peace and righteousness not war not destruction not judgment. He just entered the city at the beginning of the week and shouts of praise and singing of songs but the destruction of the temple clearly indicates God's judgment. It's happened before. They knew what it meant. So what's going on here? What's going to happen? When are you coming back? How's this going to work? Verse 3 Tell us when will these things be and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? You understand the purpose of their question? Why this pronouncement of coming judgment? And if we look at our context we can see it coming in the background leading up to this conversation on the Mount of Olives. It lurks there under the surface behind the events of the week so to speak and I want to show us this to lay the groundwork for the coming judgment. Look with me at Matthew 21 Matthew chapter 21 just a couple pages back to the left Matthew chapter 21 and look with me beginning at verse 12 the Lord Jesus Christ has entered the city that's considered the triumphal entry of the Lord in chapter 21 however as John records he came to his own and despite these initial appearances his own did not receive him and what he sees in Jerusalem validates in his mind what he already knows to be in keeping with the coming judgment against Jerusalem and is now false religious system that has risen up in the hands of the Pharisees. So look what he says there at John chapter 21 verse 12 then Jesus went into the temple of God and he drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple and overturned the tables of the money changers in the seats of those who sold doves and he said to them it is written my house shall be called a house of prayer but you have made it a den of thieves according to the gospels this is the second time that the Lord Jesus Christ has come now to clear the temple comes into the temple the temple is full of abomination the Lord Jesus Christ has to clear the temple look at Matthew chapter 21 look at verse 18 verse 18 we see these hints these signs pointing us to a future judgment verse 18 now in the morning as he returned to the city he was hungry and seeing a fig tree by the road he came to it and found nothing on it but leaves and he said to it let no fruit grow on you ever again and immediately the fig tree withered away it's a picture it's a picture look at Matthew chapter 21 and look at verse 33 look at verse 33 Israel's history here told in the parable of the wicked tenants who robbed the landowner look at verse 33 the Lord says and again this story told against Israel turned up a landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it he dug a wine press in it and he built a tower and he leased it to vine dressers and he went into a far country and when vintage time drew near he sent his servants to the vine dressers that they might receive its fruit and the vine dressers took his servants beat one killed one and stoned another we know from the text that these are the prophets that have been sent to the Jews the prophets of God right his emissaries his persecuting attorneys verse 36 again he sent other servants more than the first and they did likewise to them then last of all he sent his son to them saying they will respect my son but when the vine dressers saw the son they said amongst themselves this is the heir come let us kill him and see his inheritance and so they took him and they cast him out of the vineyard they killed him again this is a picture of Israel's history this is what the Lord Jesus Christ is considering as he considers the center of their worship verse 40 therefore the Lord says when the owner of that vineyard comes what will he do to those vine dressers these religious leaders these Jewish elites that have taken over right the vineyard so to speak placed into their hands in trust in stewardship they have robbed the landowner verse 41 they said to him he will destroy those wicked men miserably yes and amen and he will lease his vineyard to other vine dressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons Jesus said to them have you never read in the scriptures the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone this was the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes therefore I say to you the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it and whoever falls on this stone will be broken but on whomever it falls it will grind him to powder and when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables they perceived that he was speaking of them they perceived right but when they sought to lay hands on him they feared the multitudes because they took him for a profit look at Matthew chapter 23 look with me at verse 31 Matthew chapter 23 in verse 1 he pronounces woes a series of woes against the scribes the Pharisees the lawyers then in verse 31 judgment is pronounced therefore he says to them you are witnesses against yourselves that you are the sons of those who murdered the prophets fill up then the measure of your father's guilt there's a sense at which in the same way that when Israel spent that time in Egypt right that 430 years they spent that time there because the wickedness of the Amorites had not yet reached its full watermark there was a sense in which their wickedness had to reach a certain level before God descended with judgment here the same principle applies fill up he says to them 32 verse 32 fill up then the measure of your father's guilt fill up the full measure of your guilt the full measure of what is due judgment then judgment will come verse 33 serpents brood of vipers how can you escape the condemnation of hell therefore indeed I send you prophets wise men and scribes some of them you will kill and crucify some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barakiah whom you murdered between the temple and the altar that time frame between Abel the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barakiah represents all of Israel's history between the creation of the world and the end of the narrative before the 400 years of silence in the inter-testamental period the end of second chronicles so he's talking about all the blood of the prophets from the from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barakiah assuredly he says verse 36 I say to you all these things will come upon you will come upon you they're gonna come upon this generation in judgment O Jerusalem Jerusalem the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her how often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings but you are not willing see your house is left to you desolate for I say to you shall see me no more till you say blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord their house is left to them desolate the Lord's words to the woman at the well in John 4 now ring with a new clarity and new understanding right clear understanding Jesus said to her woman believe me the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem he said worship the Father in other words Jesus Christ now becomes the center of their worship Jesus Christ replaces the temple temple signifies Lord Jesus Christ the reality to which it points now becomes the center of true worship were to worship Jesus Christ were to worship in spirit and in truth not any longer at a temple in Jerusalem that temple will be destroyed not one stone left upon another that's being replaced now the Lord Jesus Christ is the center and object of our worship we've essentially that temple being replaced by the temple that Jesus raises in three days that old temple now left desolate and will be destroyed Matthew chapter 24 then verse two Jesus said to them in this context with this understanding right with this background Jesus said to them do you not see all these things assuredly I say to you not one stone shall be left here upon another they shall not be that shall not be thrown down now what follows will be the subject of Sunday evening sermons for the next several weeks as we work through the content of the all of that discourse the prophecy here is also the subject of the disciples questions that immediately follow look at verse three so after this statement right he makes a staggering statement verse three now is the silent amount of olives the disciples came to him privately saying tell us when will these things be what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age so they come to him privately what in the world is going on what is going to happen two questions are essentially asked one when will these things be in the second what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age it's a single complex of events right they view these as coincident realities the sign of your coming and the end of the age but Lord Jesus Christ doesn't give him a date he doesn't give them a formula by which they can calculate the date he doesn't give them a list of concrete occurrences that they can watch and use a sort of an end times checklist to figure out how close they are Jesus simply characterizes the kinds of events that will happen those events that will come to pass before the end comes in verses four through fourteen these verses represent the history and the events that comprise the church age and we'll talk about that beginning next time we're together the age that we're in now these are the beginnings of sorrows the beginnings of birth pains verses four through fourteen verses fifteen through thirty one comprise the events and circumstances that mark the end of the age the end of the world in the second coming of the son of man the Lord Jesus Christ then verses thirty two through fifty one explains how we're to live in light of these events in light of these circumstances in light of these realities we'll look at each of these sections over the next four weeks incidentally we think through this a little bit what was the temple originally meant to be a picture of do you think about how these things fit together right the destruction of the temple and the destruction of the world in the coming of the end of the age what was the temple originally built to be a picture of listen to this from Psalm seventy eight verse sixty nine the psalmist says he built his sanctuary like the heights like the earth which he has established forever I think with me for a moment God's glory fills that temple God created the garden and he put Adam and Eve into the garden Adam and Eve fell in sin they sin and rebelled against God and so God kicked them out of paradise he excommunicated them from the garden in their sin and this becomes then the beginning of the history of God's people the Israelites go into captivity in Egypt God rescues them by a mighty arm bringing them out of Egypt in signs and wonders and put them in the wilderness where he establishes with them then the tabernacle as they're building tabernacle the tabernacle becomes a picture of God's garden paradise right their pomegranates and fruits and animals decorating the temple decorating the furniture right decorating the decorations on the temple all that pictures the cosmos pictures the creation the created order and what does God do then he establishes his presence in the temple in the tabernacle God's glory fills that tabernacle after the tabernacle comes the temple the temple is constructed in the same way again to depict the garden paradise where the presence of God would dwell among his people that original plan under Adam and Eve was to expand that garden to cover the earth and God's glory then would cover the earth as the water covers the sea as recipients of the tabernacle so to speak the Israelites were to spread God's glory across the face of the earth such that God's glory would fill the earth as the waters cover the sea now in the new covenant God's people those holy stones a new temple that temple is to spread God's glory how the preaching of the gospel so that God's glory fills the earth as the waters cover the sea that temple represents or is symbol a symbol of earthly creation he built his sanctuary like the height like the earth which he has established forever God's presence is to fill it think with me about roman's eight nineteen all creation groans under the weight of sin listen to this from roman's chapter eight verse nineteen for the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God for the creation was subjected to futility not willingly but because of him who subjected it in hope because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God for we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pains together until now together with the destruction of the temple will also come the destruction of this world the destruction of this world the creation groans in anticipation of its future deliverance from corruption and it groans together with us it labors in birth pains right and those birth things those contractions increase increase they increase in quantity and they increase in severity until as we'll see in our text the whole creation eventually consummated at the end of the age gives birth so to speak to a new heavens and a new earth until at the end as the temple this creation is destroyed gives birth there is a new heavens and a new earth we'll look at all of that as we work through the text so how should we respond then to these promises these prophecies in other words what manner of men and women ought we to be we see various responses in the text look at Matthew chapter 24 how are we to respond to these things how are we to react here to what will read to what will learn verse 4 take heed that no one deceives you we're not to be deceived we're to take heed take heed according to his word look down at verse 13 he who endures to the end shall be saved you and I in light of these truths must persevere we must persevere through persecution must persevere through difficulty through adversity through trial he who endures to the end shall be saved look at verse 20 pray and pray that your flight may not be in the winter on the Sabbath we're to pray we're to rely on the Lord look at verse 23 anyone there says you look here's the Christ or there do not believe it don't be led astray in error again take heed according to his word don't be deceived look at verse 25 see I've told you beforehand he tells us all these things so that we can be ready so that we can be watchful he's in the inner rooms verse 26 they say that look he's in the inner rooms don't believe it don't believe it look back with me at our forward me at mark 13 the parallel text here with the same kinds of exhortations here in mark 13 look at verse seven verse seven do not be troubled don't worry don't be anxious trust in the Lord trust in the Lord verse 9 well watch out for yourselves watch out for yourselves take heed right verse 11 do not worry beforehand don't worry trust in the Lord look at verse 23 verse 23 but take heed take heed see I've told you all these things beforehand look at verse 33 take heed watch and pray look at verse 35 watch therefore you don't know when the master of the house is coming with verse 37 I say to you I say to all watch this is the age that we're in these exhortations are for us right don't be alarmed watch out for yourselves don't worry take heed watch and pray your comfort your hope your help your salvation your deliverance doesn't come from the government doesn't come from universal health care not going to come to you from the Trump administration right not going to come to you from the financial markets your help comes from the Lord we are to watch and to pray which right from those exhortations that watchfulness attentiveness prayerfulness right studying the word of God serving in faithful you're engaged in the work you're engaged in the ministry keeping an eye out attentive because the end is coming our Lord is coming he's going to bring an end to this wickedness he's going to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ vindicate the Lord vindicate his people bring all to a glorious end and we'll be a part of that if you endure to the end to be safe some one twenty one the summit says i will lift up my eyes to the hills how should we respond in light of these things how should we live in light of these things i will lift up my eyes to the hills from whence comes my help my help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth he will not allow your foot to be moved he who keeps you will not slumber behold he who keeps Israel shall neither slumber or sleep conversations before when people read these texts and they consider what if i'm in the midst of that what if we have to endure that what if we have to go through that listen the Lord is your keeper the Lord is your shade at your right hand the sun shall not strike you by day nor the moon by night the Lord shall preserve you from all evil he shall preserve your soul the Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth and even forevermore amen let's pray Father in heaven thank you for your warnings for your exhortations thank you Lord that you've told us these things beforehand so that we should not be made to stumble thank you Lord for your grace and mercy to us in this thank you Lord for your encouragement that these prophecies will bring about an end of this wicked world that is under this way of the wicked one and will usher in an everlasting righteousness and everlasting peace and we praise you and thank you Lord for the mercy and grace that you've shown us in Christ that those who have turned from their sin to trust in him alone will enjoy that peace thank you Lord for these blessed promises thank you Lord for the blessed opportunity of studying this text together I pray that we would live in light of these truths that we will be watchful that we would be attentive would be diligent and zealous about the work that you've given us or that we would not be deceived and we would not turn to the right hand of the left that we would be preserved that we would persevere that we would trust in you in midst of adversity and difficulty and trial and persecution and we would faithfully preach the gospel as you've called us to do during this time as you gather in your legs from the four corners of the earth and may you be glorified in all of it we love you we thank you strengthen a spirit of God to this end for your glory in Jesus name we pray Amen