Mims Chapel Church 

Week 3, March 15, 2026

LESSON 3

The Olivet Discourse

Lesson Text:

Matthew 24:3-35


Memory Verse
"And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory"
Matthew 24:30

 Key Terms
Antichrist • A personal opponent of Christ expected to appear before the end of the world; a person or force seen as opposing Christ or the Christian Church.

Eschatological • Relating to death, judgment, and the final destiny of the soul and of humankind.
Intertestamental • The time between the last writings of the Old Testament and the appearance of Christ.

Suggested Emphasis

On the occasion of Jesus' final extended visit to Jerusalem, He and His followers had opportunity to view the outward splendor of the Jerusalem Temple, and Jesus made a fateful declaration. "And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down" (Mat. 24:2). On the heels of His prophesying the utter destruction of the temple, the disciples came to Him privately to learn more details: "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" (Mat. 24:3). The disciples assumed that destruction of the most sacred space in Israel would be a sign that the End Times had come, so they asked when all this would take place. The disciples could not conceive of an elongated interval be­tween the ruination of the temple and Christ's return to set up His kingdom. They were always carrying around a large de­gree of eschatological expectation. Re­member how, shortly after encountering the Resurrected Christ, they enquired "wilt thou at this time restore again the king­dom to Israel?" (Acts 1:7). Knowing "the
times and the seasons" was always a strong desire of theirs.

Emphasis 1:

The Beginning of Woes

The message Jesus delivered this time was designed to give His disciples some gen­eral markers that would precede His sec­ond coming. He actually begins the dis­course with a warning: "Take heed that no man deceive you" (Mat. 24:4). They had to take heed because the spirit of An­ti-Christ (i.e., false Christ) would be in the land. People would appear on the scene claiming to be the Messiah. They would gather followers and wreak all kinds of havoc. In this vein, it is impossible not to think of cult-leaders like Jim Jones and David Koresh, who engineered the deaths of many of their deluded acolytes. But secular historians, like Josephus, tell us that within decades of Jesus giving this prophecy there were pretenders claiming to be Him. Moreover, there would be nat­ural signs in the earth: "wars and rumours of wars... famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places" (vv. 6,7). But all these will be only the beginning of sorrows, as if the initial pains of childbirth.

Emphasis 2:

The Rise of the Antichrist

Concurrent with the beginning of sorrows, Jesus described an era of fierce persecu­tion. "Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake" (Mat. 24:9). This harassment was prefig­ured by the experiences of the early Church. The Apostles Peter and John (Acts 4) and the deacon Stephen (Acts 6) were dragged before the Sanhedrin Council; Saul of Tarsus had believers ar­rested and thrown into prison (Acts 22:4); King Herod had the apostle James exe­cuted (Acts 12:1,2). And yet the vision of Christ portended far worse oppression. "And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold" (Mat. 24:10-12). The pressure would make some Christians re­nounce the faith. Brethren would betray one another and dissention would rise up in the Church. False teachers would ap­pear, sin would abound, and brotherly love would wane. "But he that shall en­dure unto the end, the same shall be saved" (Mat. 24:13). A holy remnant would withstand these temptations. They would be empowered to preach the Gos­pel throughout the world, witnessing to all mankind.

An additional precursor of the return of Christ will be the "Abomination of Deso­lation" prophesied by Daniel. The Old Testament book has two references to a future "abomination that makes desolate" the altar of the temple (Dan. 11:31 and 12:11). Many Bible scholars see those as allusions to an event in intertestamental history, when the Greek conqueror Antio-chus Epiphanes desecrated the altar by sacrificing a pig on it. However, there is a third reference to a time when an antichrist figure will make a peace treaty with Israel that lasts three and a half years. At that time this antichrist will the break the peace, take over the restored temple in Jerusa­lem, and by means of some kind of "over-spreading of abominations" will desecrate the altar (Dan. 9:27). The details are dis­similar to Antiochus' story, so it is assumed that this is a prophecy of the Antichrist of Revelation. According to Jesus, that event will mark the beginning of the Great Trib­ulation. "And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened" (Mat. 24:22).

Emphasis 3:

Signs of the Second Coming

Jesus warned His hearers that at the time of the Tribulation, there will be many false sightings of Christ. "So if someone tells you, 'Look, the Messiah is out in the des­ert,' don't bother to go and look. Or, 'Look, he is hiding here,' don't believe it!" (Mat. 24:26, NLT). When Jesus actually returns it won't be a secret to anyone. Like lightning that may formulate in the eastern sky can be seen far to the west, the Sec­ond Coming will be witnessed by all: "ev­ery eye shall see him." "Just as the gath­ering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near" (Mat. 24:28, NLT).

The second advent of Christ will be irrefut­able. Atmospheric signs will accompany it: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken" (Matt. 24:29). Then the peoples of the earth will weep when they see Christ descending from the clouds "with power and great glory" (v. 30).

Missions Application Questions

What will characterize the beginning of the Tribulation period?
What historic events are considered a partial fulfillment of the Daniel's proph­ecy of the "abomination of desolation"?
How does an awareness that the spirit of antichrist is at work in the world affect our zeal for evangelism?


World Missions Prayer Points

Let us pray to stay mindful of the signs of the times.
Let us pray for courage as the rise of antichrist becomes more prevalent these days.
Let us pray, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus!"

​​

Copyright © Mims Chapel COGIC. All rights reserved.