And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
Matthew 24:3
Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?
Mark 13:4
And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?
Luke 21:7
After Jesus tells the disciples that the Temple would be destroyed, they talk with Him privately and ask Him what are essentially three questions. There are slight variations in how Mark and Luke word these questions but they are essentially the following:
- When shall these things be?
- What is the sign of Thy coming?
- What is the sign of the end of the world?
In the verses following, Jesus will answer these questions in much the same manner He has answered questions in the past. Since the disciples still held a misunderstanding about the kingdom of Christ, they did not actually fully understand what they were asking. Therefore, Christ is going to answer these questions with His proper understanding of the coming events.
This means Jesus’ answers may not be what the disciples were expecting. This also means His answers need to be seen in their entirety and not pigeon-holed into what we think the future should look like.
I think the remainder of the Olivet Discourse contains Jesus answering all three questions at the same time. Here is what I mean. Jesus will first talk about the “signs” of when these things will be. I think most, if not all, of these signs had a fulfillment in 70 A.D. and will have an even greater fulfillment at the end of time just before Jesus returns.
I think Jesus begins His answer this way because these signs point toward the other events in question. Further, the statement “beginning of sorrows” shows that there will be sorrows in 70 A.D. but those are not the end of the sorrows.
After the “signs” portion of His answer, Jesus will then give some specifics that I think apply mainly to(but possibly not exclusively) to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. And then, the later part of the discourse will describe His return and the end of the world. But again, in both of these sections, there may be some things that have partial fulfillment.
I am aware that my opinions may go against opinions of some very learned men and even some of my closest friends. I hold these positions with a loose grip and encourage others to hold their opinions the same way. As long as our interpretation of these things do not violate the facts of salvation by grace alone, I think we can be free to discuss (not debate) the possibilities of these verses.
Have charity toward me in the next few articles. I certainly have charity toward any who try to honestly attempt to interpret these verses. All the while, I think we can and need to agree that our salvation is complete in Christ. He has promised to return for us. Therefore, the King is coming!
Lord, come quickly.
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