When Will These Things Be? Understanding Jesus's Olivet Discourse

It’s one of the most breathtaking views in the world. Seated on the Mount of Olives, you can look across the Kidron Valley and see the city of Jerusalem spread before you. Two thousand years ago, the view was dominated by one magnificent structure: the Second Temple, a marvel of engineering and the center of Jewish life and worship. As Jesus and His closest disciples sat there, perhaps catching their breath after a long day of teaching, they gazed upon that same sight. But when the disciples marveled at the massive stones, Jesus responded with a shocking prediction: “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down” (Mark 13:2).

Stunned, they asked the question that has echoed through the church for centuries: “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” (Mark 13:4). Jesus’s answer, recorded in Mark 13, Matthew 24, and Luke 21, is known as the Olivet Discourse. It’s a passage filled with challenging imagery—wars, earthquakes, a mysterious “abomination,” and stars falling from the sky. For many believers, it can feel confusing or even frightening. But Jesus didn't give us this prophecy to scare us; He gave it to prepare us. We'll explore this crucial teaching together to understand what it means for us today.

Two Events, One Prophecy?

To start, we need to understand the biggest challenge in reading the Olivet Discourse. Jesus seems to be answering two questions at once:

1. When will the Temple be destroyed? 2. What are the signs of Your return and the end of the age?

The great puzzle for interpreters is figuring out which part of His answer applies to which event. Some verses seem to describe the Roman invasion of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, which fulfilled His Temple prophecy with terrifying accuracy. Other verses clearly point to a future, cosmic event: His Second Coming.

Bible-believing Christians generally approach this in three ways:

The A.D. 70 View (Preterist): This view holds that most of the signs Jesus described—the wars, famines, and even the “abomination of desolation”—were fulfilled in the events leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem. The primary focus of the prophecy was on the judgment coming upon that generation. The Future View (Futurist): This view sees most of the signs as pointing toward a future period of Great Tribulation that will immediately precede Christ’s return. The prophecy is almost entirely about the end times yet to come. The "Both/And" View (Dual Fulfillment): This is a common perspective. It suggests the prophecy has multiple levels of meaning. The destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 was a real, historical fulfillment of Jesus's words, but it also serves as a pattern or foreshadowing* of the events that will occur at the very end of the age. Just as a storm on the horizon brings smaller waves before the giant ones crash ashore, the A.D. 70 event was a preview of the final consummation.

Keeping this "near and far" prophetic pattern in mind will help us make sense of the different elements Jesus describes.

The Beginning of Birth Pains

Jesus begins his answer with a caution: “See that no one leads you astray” (Mark 13:5). The time between His ascension and His return will be filled with spiritual danger. He then lists a series of signs that will characterize this entire age:

False Messiahs: People will come in His name, claiming to be the Christ. Wars and Rumors of Wars: Nations will rise against nations. * Natural Disasters: There will be earthquakes and famines.

These events are alarming, and we see them on our news feeds every day. But Jesus gives this instruction: “Do not be alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet” (Mark 13:7). He then uses a powerful metaphor: “these are but the beginning of the birth pains” (Mark 13:8).

Anyone who has been in a delivery room knows what this means. Birth pains are intense and real, but they are not the main event; they signal that the baby is coming. In the same way, these global struggles are signs that God is moving history toward His intended conclusion—the birth of a new heaven and a new earth. They are not random, meaningless tragedies but part of a larger, redemptive story. For two thousand years, the Church has lived in this period of "birth pains," a time marked by both gospel advancement and worldly turmoil.

Jesus also gives a personal warning about persecution. Believers will be handed over to councils, beaten, and will stand trial "for my sake, as a testimony to them" (Mark 13:9). Yet in the midst of this, He gives a promise: “the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations” (Mark 13:10). Our mission continues, even—and especially—in difficult times.

The Abomination of Desolation

Jesus then points to a very specific and dramatic sign: “But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains” (Mark 13:14). This strange phrase comes from the book of Daniel and refers to a profound act of sacrilege, a desecration of something holy that provokes God's judgment.

How do we understand this? Here again, the different interpretive views offer insight.

Those who see a fulfillment in A.D. 70 point to the actions of the Roman army. The Roman standards, bearing images of the emperor who was worshiped as a god, were brought into the holy Temple area. The historian Josephus describes the horrific sacrilege and bloodshed that occurred. The parallel account in Luke’s Gospel supports this, phrasing the warning this way: “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near” (Luke 21:20). The warning to “flee to the mountains” was a literal instruction that early Christians in Jerusalem heeded, escaping the city before the final siege.

Those who hold to a futurist view believe this sign points to a coming world leader, often called the Antichrist, who will one day enter a rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem and declare himself to be God (2 Thessalonians 2:4). This ultimate act of blasphemy will trigger the final, most intense period of tribulation.

It’s possible that both are true—that the Roman desecration was a horrific preview of an even greater abomination to come. Regardless of the timing, the sign points to ultimate rebellion against God and signals imminent judgment.

The Glorious Return of the Son of Man

After describing the tribulation, Jesus’s tone shifts from warning to glorious promise. The language becomes cosmic and unmistakable. “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken” (Mark 13:24-25).

This is not a description of a local conflict or a political upheaval. This is the language of the final day, the undoing of creation itself before it is made new. And then comes the climax of all history: “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven” (Mark 13:26-27).

This is our blessed hope. This is the moment all of creation is groaning for. It is not a secret event, but a visible, global, triumphant return. Jesus, the humble servant from Galilee, will return as the glorious King of kings. For those who have endured, for the elect scattered across the globe, it will be a day of final rescue and reunion. This is the promise that anchors our souls through all the "birth pains" of this age.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree: Be Ready

Having painted this grand prophetic picture, Jesus brings his disciples back to the present with a simple parable. “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates” (Mark 13:28-29). The signs are not for speculation, but for recognition. They tell us to get ready because the season is changing.

But just as He tells us to watch for the signs, He gives a profound statement of humility and a stern warning against setting dates: “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mark 13:32). If Jesus Himself, in His earthly ministry, submitted to the Father’s timeline, how much more should we? Throughout history, countless individuals have brought discredit to the faith by confidently predicting the date of Christ's return, only to be proven wrong. Jesus explicitly forbids this.

So, what is our task? It’s not to create complex charts or decipher newspaper headlines to pinpoint the exact day. Jesus’s final command is simple and direct: “Be on guard, keep awake” (Mark 13:33). He repeats it for emphasis at the very end: “And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake” (Mark 13:37).

“Staying awake” is not about losing sleep with anxiety. It’s a call to a state of spiritual readiness. It means living each day with the joyful anticipation that it could be the day. It means focusing on the work He has given us: loving God, loving our neighbors, sharing the gospel, and being faithful in our callings. It’s like the servant who keeps the house in order, not knowing the exact moment his master will return, but wanting to be found faithful when he does.

Living in Light of His Return

The Olivet Discourse is not a secret code for predicting the future. It is a pastoral word of preparation from our Savior. It gives us a framework for understanding the troubled world we live in, reminding us that history is not spiraling out of control but moving toward a glorious, God-ordained conclusion. It is meant to replace our fear with faithfulness, our anxiety with anticipation. We are to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age, all while looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ (Titus 2:12-13). So let us not be troubled, but instead be watchful, be ready, and be about our Father's business until He comes.