Scripture Used to Create the Splice Series “Jesus’s Olivet Discourse”
Matthew 24:3-25:46 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Matthew 24:3)
Mark 13:3-37 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Mark 13:3)
Luke 21:7-36 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Luke 21:7)
Revelation 19:16
And He has a name written on His robe
and on His thigh: KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS.
THE SPLICE
And now, while Jesus was sitting on the 1 Mount of Olives, 2 opposite of the temple , the disciples 3 Peter, James, John and Andrew approached Him and now asked Him in private, saying “4 Teacher, tell us, when then will 5 these things happen, and what will be the sign when these things are about to happen? And what will be the 6 sign when all of these things are going to be completed? And what is the sign of 7 Your arrival and the 8 end of the age?” And answering, Jesus began to say to them, “9 See to it , lest anyone deceives you, 10 lest you be deceived. For many will come in My 11 name saying, ’I am the 12 Christ ’ and ‘the time is drawn near’ and they will deceive many. Do not go after them. You will begin then to hear of wars and reports of wars. When, then, you hear of wars and reports of wars and 13 disorder , “See, do not be disturbed, do not be terrified. It is necessary for these things to happen first, “14 but not yet , not immediately is the end.
Then He was saying to them, ““15 For nation will rise up against nation , and kingdom against kingdom. Also, there will be “16 great earthquakes throughout places and among places there will be 17 famines and 18 pestilences; 19 terrorizing sights also, and there will be 20 great signs from heaven . These are the beginning of 21 birth pains .
22 But be on your guard; before all these things happen, they will lay their hands on you. At that time, they will deliver you to persecution, they will deliver you to 23 councils, prisons and the synagogues , leading you away to kings and leaders, on account of My name. You will be beaten, and will stand before leaders and kings because of Me, for a testimony to them. 24 It will result in a testimony for you.
But first, to all the 25 nations , it is necessary to 26 proclaim the gospel . And whenever they might lead you away, delivering you up, 27 do not be anxious beforehand about what you should say, but speak whatever is given to you in that hour; for you are not the one speaking but the 28 Holy Spirit . Set, therefore, in your 29 minds not to prepare beforehand to 30 premeditate a defense . For I will give you 31 speech and wisdom, which all those opposing you will not be able to stand against nor speak against.
At that time, many will 32 stumble, and they will betray one another and will 33 hate each other. And many 34 false prophets will raise up and will lead astray many. And because 35 lawlessness is to multiply, the 36 love of many will grow cold. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father, his child; and children will rise up against parents, and will put them to death. And you will be hated by all the nations on account of My name. And no, 37 not a hair on your head will perish. But the one 38 having endured to the end will be saved. By your endurance, you will gain your 39 souls. 40 And there will be be proclaimed this gospel of the kingdom in all the earth for a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will arrive.
Want to continue reading? To read the Splice “Jesus’s Olivet Discourse: Part Two”, click here.
NOTES
1 Mount of Olives: The Mount of Olives is mentioned many times in the Bible, making it a significant landmark that people visit today. Zechariah 14:4 says that in the future, the Lord will stand upon Mount Olive. King David walked up the Mount in sorrow as he departed Jerusalem to run from Absalom (2 Samuel 15:30). Also, Jesus’s last moments of freedom before the cross were spent in the Garden of Gethsemane, located at the base of Mount Olive (Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46). To read the Splice about Jesus’s night in the Garden of Gethsemane, click here. (BACK)
2 opposite the temple: By the wording in Mark 13:3, it would seem that Jesus was sitting in direct view of the temple. The Greek word used for opposite is katenanti and it means “Before/in the presence of/directly opposite”. It was no coincidence that Jesus is montaged with the temple in Mark’s account; God is not arbitrary. Perhaps Jesus, the mediator of the New Covenant, was contemplating the Old Covenant (see Hebrews 8-9) . Perhaps Jesus, the ‘once and for all sacrifice’ was considering the building of Atonement, and it’s imperfect and repeated sacrifices (Hebrews 10:1-18). God is the perfect poet. All of this is surmising, however, because the Bible makes no mention of what Jesus was thinking about. (BACK)
3 Peter, James, John and Andrew: Certain evangelists like to call Peter, James and John “Jesus’s inner circle” with the proof being the order in which the names of the disciples are listed in Matthew 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-16 and because Peter, James and John were present for the Transfiguration and were separated out in the Garden of Gethsemane. The order of disciples’ names in Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:16-19 and Luke 6:14-16 may have much to do with their leadership after Jesus’s ministry, because the gospels were written some time after Jesus’s resurrection. There is nothing in the Bible stating that Jesus had an ‘inner circle’ (click here and then go to NOTE 3). We must be careful not to make the Bible say things it doesn’t say. (BACK)
4 Teacher: The Greek word used for teacher in Luke 21:7 is didaskalos and it means “teacher/master”. It is fascinating that the disciples decided to use this word. In using didaskalos, the disciples are acknowledging Jesus’s mastery of Scripture and theology. As a side note, no human being or angel or demon can predict the end of this age nor the Parousia of Jesus Christ. Only God the Father has the answer to that (Matthew 24:36). (BACK)
5 these things: Jesus had just finished telling His disciples that someday the temple would be destroyed (Matthew 24:1-2; Mark 13:1-2; Luke 21:5-6). Before the group’s arrival to the Mount of Olives, Jesus and the disciples had been in the temple. While in the temple, Jesus had some exchanges with the Sadducees, scribes, Pharisees/Pharisaic disciples/spies, and there were some Herodians in attendance, for good measure. Also that day, He taught the large crowds, who enjoyed listening to His teaching (and, no doubt, enjoyed the entertainment of seeing the religious leaders mentioned above get their “noses out of joint” by Jesus’s answers to them). Jesus also observed the rich and poor alike offering their money to the temple treasury and then listened to the disciples extol the temple’s exquisite architecture and assorted accoutrements. Jesus’s answer to the admiration of the temple’s beauty was with a simple message: some day the temple would be destroyed. See Matthew 22:16-24:2; Mark 12:13-13:2; Luke 20:21-21:6. (BACK)
6 sign: The Greek word used for sign in all three Gospel accounts (Matthew 24:3; Mark 13:4; Luke 21:7) is sémeion and it means “miracle/sign/wonder/token”. (BACK)
7 Your arrival: The term used in Matthew 24:3 for Jesus’s return to earth a second time is the Greek word parousia and it means “to be present; arrival”. When the New Testament speaks of Jesus’s return to earth at the end of our age (as described in Revelation 19:11-16), parousia is the word used. (BACK)
8 end of the age: The disciples are asking “when will this current world order end?” The Greek word used for age in Matthew 24:3 is aión and it means “a cycle of time”. It can also mean “eternity/forever”. We know that aión is used here to express an era of time with a definite ending because of the usage of the word sunteleia, meaning “consummation/ ending/complete” right before it. The end of the age that the disciples are referring to is the era we live in right at this very moment. (BACK)
9 See to it: Matthew 24:4; Mark 13:5; Luke 21:8. Some English translations say “take heed” or “watch”. The Greek word used in all three gospel accounts for see is blepó. This word can also be translated as “behold”. Blepó means to “perceive, see, understand”, not only with your physical eyes, but it applies to mental or spiritual perception as well. (BACK)
10 lest: Matthew 24:4; Mark 13:5; Luke 21:8. The Greek word used for lest is mé and it means “not, never, lest”. It negates a verb. For example if the verb is mislead or planaó, using mé with planaó now means, in essence, “don’t mislead”. (BACK)
11 name: Matthew 24:5; Mark 13:6; Luke 21:8. The Greek word for name is onoma and it means “name”. Names were synonymous with a person’s character in Israel, and therefore names were chosen with the utmost of care to meaning. Doing anything in someone else’s name means in their character, in align with their reputation and with their authority. Some examples of names and their meanings in the Bible would be Ichabod (1 Samuel 4:19-22), Moses (Exodus 2:10), and Jesus (Matthew 1:21). (BACK)
12 Christ: The Greek word used for Christ in Matthew 24:5 is Christos and it means “Christ/Messiah/Anointed One”. Because the word Christ is a descriptor, the proper understanding of Jesus’s name would be: Jesus the Christ or Jesus the Messiah. Surnames did not really exist for the Hebrew people, at least not in the way we understand them. However, people were identified through many measures, such as by their region (Simon of Cyrene in Mark 15:21), notoriety (Simon the Zealot in Acts 1:13) and even by parentage (examples also present in Acts 1:13). When using parentage as an identifier, people were identified by their father’s name, such as “Simon, son of John” (John 1:42). People who knew Jesus while He was growing up, probably identified Him as “Jesus, son of Joseph” (see Matthew 13:55 where Nazarenes identify Jesus as “the carpenter’s son”). But Peter (eventually) knew better (Matthew 16:16), as do we. (BACK)
13 disorder: From Luke 21:9. The Greek word used for disorder is akatastasia and it means “disorder/tumult/upheaval”. It is important to understand that although the word disorder in English sounds mild, this word akatastasia is not. Akatastasia refers to anarchy, revolutions and instability in society/moral norms. (BACK)
14 but not yet, not immediately: All three accounts have this statement to some extent (Matthew 24:14; Mark 13:7; Luke 21:9). It means that the wars, rumors of wars and the disorder is not when the age is finished. (BACK)
15 For nation will rise up against nation: We get a mention of this time of war (delivered by the rider on the red horse) in Revelation, after Jesus breaks the second seal of the book that only He can open (see Revelation 6:3-4). (BACK)
16 great earthquakes: We have experienced earthquakes throughout the ages. So far, the greatest earthquake (in intensity) that we have seen occurred in Chile on May 22, 1960. Will these earthquakes that Jesus is referring to be larger in intensity than the 9.5 earthquake in Chile or does the word great used in Luke 21:11 refer to the quantity of earthquakes? The Greek word used for great is megas, and it has a broad definition; it can refer to great in number or great in intensity. There are some great earthquakes mentioned in Revelation 6:12, 11:13, 16:18. These earthquakes are great in intensity. (BACK)
17 famines: Revelation 6:5-6 has been interpreted as the blueprint for a famine: around a quart of wheat for a denarius and three quarts of barley for a denarius. A denarius is the fair, agreed-upon wage for vineyard laborers working 12 hours (and for those working 1 hour, speaking to the generosity of God) in Matthew 20:2. Most historians agree that the worst famine in history (so far) was the Great Chinese Famine (roughly 1959-1961) due to (in large part) the Great Leap Forward and the policies associated with it.
There is a second part to Revelation 6:6 that says oil and wine should not be injured by the rider and his black horse. Note that the verse doesn’t say that the olives/olive trees nor the grapes/grapevines should remain unharmed. The refined and processed products, oil and wine, are to be kept safe. In today’s world, olive oil and wine are products that people with money-to-spare will purchase. If you have a super-tight budget these days you can get vegetable oil for much cheaper than olive oil. If you go to the food pantry, they are not giving out olive oil or wine. It could be, as some believe, God is allowing for some provisions since oil and wine were daily necessities back in Jesus’s day. However, oil and wine cannot make anything on their own and to make a basic foodstuff like bread in Revelation 6:6’s era you must have a day’s wages to buy the wheat or barley (which could be eaten on its own in a pinch) to mix with the oil! (BACK)
18 pestilences: Luke 21:11 alone mentions the disease. The Greek word used for pestilence is loimos and it means “pestilence/plague”. The disease mentioned by Jesus seems to be the natural progression of wars and famines. It must be understood that this word loimos means that the disease will be severe, as the purpose of this bout of disease is to deliver divine judgment, ordained by God. Death, who is the rider on the ashen horse in Revelation 6:8, along with Hades, shall be fulfilling his name through: disease, war, famine, and wild beasts. One quarter of the earth’s population is to die. If these judgments were to be brought by God today, at the time of this writing, that would mean approximately 2.05 billion people would die by severe disease, starving to death, war with its bombs and guns, and being torn apart by/poisoned by/infected by wild animals. (BACK)
19 terrorizing sights: Mentioned in Luke 21:11 alone. If we think about Note 18 above, it is easy to imagine the terrorizing sights to be viewed. The Greek word used for terrorizing is phobétron and it means “terrible sight/cause of fear”. The book of Revelation has recordings of some pretty terrorizing sights to be seen, see Revelation 6:12-15; 8:7-12; 9:3-10; 11:8-13; 16:1-21. (BACK)
20 great signs from heaven: From Luke 21:11 . The Greek word for signs is sémeion and it means “sign/miracle”. Jesus is speaking about miraculous signs, not natural objects such as the Hale-Bopp comet. The book of Revelation tells of these great signs from heaven in Revelation 6:12-14. (BACK)
21 birth pains: Both Matthew and Mark tell us that when all these things mentioned (wars, rumors of wars, chaos, famine, earthquakes, plagues, terrorizing sights, miraculous signs from heaven) happen, they are just the beginning of the pain and suffering. The Greek word used for birth pains is ódin and it means “birth pain/agony/sorrow”. The suffering of human beings during the aforementioned events will be tremendous, but alas, it is only the beginning of the affliction. (BACK)
22 But be on your guard: The warning comes from Mark 13:9. The Greek sentence actually reads as βλέπετε δὲ ὑμεῖς ἑαυτούς which transliterally means: “Perceive but you to yourselves”. The Greek word used for perceive is blepó and is the word that is often translated into English as “behold”. Blepó means “see” or “perceive” or in other words: take notice and understand. I chose to use the Berean Standard Bible’s translation of “be on your guard” and replaced their usage of the word “so” with “but” because “but” is more closely related to the original word used. I have used BSB’s entire phrase “be on your guard” because it expresses the intent of the passage and is easy to understand. (BACK)
23 councils, prisons and the synagogues: From Mark 13:9 and Luke 21:12. The Greek word used for councils in Mark 13:9 is sunedrion and it means “council/assembly” but the word was specifically used for the Sanhedrin. Prisons and synagogues are mentioned in Luke 21:12. Prison was just a holding place before trial or before execution. Synagogues were the local places of worship and community for the Jews. There have been fascinating archaeological finds in recent years regarding the ancient synagogues of Israel. As far as the councils, prisons and synagogues go, this wasn’t the first time that the disciples heard about the troubles that they would face in following Jesus (see Matthew 10:16-25). (BACK)
24 It will result in a testimony: We see in Acts where arrest and accusation before the rulers resulted in testimony for the 12 apostles, such as in Acts 4:1-12 and Acts 5:17-32. We even see some disciples of Jesus who were not of the 12 have the same opportunity, such as Stephen (Acts 6:8-7:60) and Paul (Acts 16:19-33). Paul also reports that his circumstances resulted in progress for the testimony of the gospel (Philippians 1:12-14). (BACK)
25 nations: From Mark 13:10 (also used in Matthew 24:14). The Greek word used for nations is ethnos meaning “nation/Gentile/heathen”. It particularly applies to non-Jews. (BACK)
26 proclaim the gospel: From Mark 13:10. The Greek word for proclaim is kérussó and it means “proclaim/preach/herald”, with an emphasis on the preacher’s conviction that the message they bring is truth. The Greek word for gospel is euaggelion and it means “gospel/good news”. This mandate of preaching to the nations will occur in Revelation 14:6-7. Even so, has the good news regarding Jesus Christ been preached (with conviction) to all the non-Jewish nations, as of today? It seems so. Even countries that have a low Christian population still have some sort of population that believes (at least nominally) in Jesus as the Messiah, meaning they’ve had the gospel preached to them. (BACK)
27 do not be anxious beforehand: Anxiety/worry has a connection to fear. Usually (it seems) fear acts as the bus ride to anxiety. There are many places in the Bible which tell us not to be anxious; for Jesus’s teaching on anxiety see Matthew 6:25-34. If you can trust Christ to save you from the pits of hell (John 3:16), you can trust Him with every other aspect of your life (Proverbs 3:5). He does not stop caring about you (1 Peter 5:7), He does not stop providing for you (Philippians 4:19), He does not stop interceding for you (Hebrews 7:25). (BACK)
28 Holy Spirit: From Mark 13:11 and also told to the disciples earlier in Jesus’s ministry in Luke 12:12. The Greek word used for Holy is hagios and it means “holy/sacred/set apart”. The Greek word used for Spirit is pneuma and it means “spirit/breath/wind”. There are a few English translations that substitute the word ghost for spirit. This is not correct and inappropriate at best! The Holy Spirit should never be referred to as a ghost. The Greek word used for ghost is phantasma, meaning “ghost/apparition”. Although we sometimes, in the English language, use the words ghost or spirit interchangeably, this cannot be the case for the Holy Spirit; using the word ghost in place of spirit for the Holy Spirit borders on blasphemous. (BACK)
29 minds: From Luke 21:14. The Greek word for minds is kardia and it means “heart/mind”. It’s literal sense refers to the physical heart that beats in the chest and pumps blood throughout the body. In kardia’s figurative sense, it refers to the emotional seat of the person: their feelings. But it must be understood that feelings begin in the brain, the thought center, and are not separated from intellect, as Jesus points out in Matthew 9:4, using “thinking” and “hearts” together. It seems that we have become a society that separates reasoning from feelings and encourages “following your heart” without thinking things through first! The Bible never advocates this kind of emotional volatility and instability. (BACK)
30 premeditate a defense: From Luke 21:14. The Greek word for premeditate is promeletaó and it means “premeditate/rehearse/prepare beforehand”. The Greek word for defense is apologeomai and it means “defend oneself/to make a plea”. Jesus gives this piece of information to His disciples earlier in His ministry as well, in Luke 12:11. 1 Peter 3:15 says to always be ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you about your faith. There is a difference between defending your faith in general and defending yourself in court. In Luke 12:11 and Luke 21:14, Jesus is preparing His disciples for the horrors of arrest and for standing before the courts in order to receive the terrifying consequences for their faith in Him. Jesus didn’t mean that the disciples shouldn’t know what God’s word means or that they shouldn’t have an answer to questions such as why Jesus is God. Jesus means that He, through the Holy Spirit, will give the disciples the exact words to use. These court testimonies will be the undeniable witness of His sovereignty and truth, so that anyone listening in on these extreme testimonial opportunities (in a court of law) will not be able to refute those words. (BACK)
31 speech and wisdom: From Luke 21:15. The Greek word for speech is stoma and it means “mouth”. The Greek word for wisdom is sophia and it means “wisdom”. Wisdom isn’t just a gathering of information or facts. Wisdom includes the insight and discernment to correctly apply the information to produce the desired outcome. Wisdom is not used in a negative scenario, e.g. we never say that a thief had the wisdom to navigate a bank heist (except, possibly, for sarcasm’s sake)! (BACK)
32 stumble: Matthew 24:10. The Greek word used for stumble is skandalizó and it means “stumble/entrap/ensnare” and means, in its figurative sense, to cause to sin. (BACK)
33 hate: Matthew 24:10; Mark 13:13; Luke 21:17. The Greek word used for hate is miseó and it means “to detest/hate/love less”. Hatred can be righteous and it can be a sin. Hatred of sin/wickedness is an example of righteous hate (Psalm 97:10). Hatred against people, on the other hand, is a sin (Leviticus 19:17-18; 1 John 3:15). (BACK)
34 false prophets: From Matthew 24:11. The Greek word for false prophet is pseudoprophétés and it means “false prophet” or an untrue diviner of truth, propelled by self and not by God. Who is a false prophet? Anyone who preaches anything other than what is in the Bible. This includes the twisting of Scripture, omitting/adding to Scripture or giving one’s own interpretation of Scripture. This can be a famous person or someone you know personally. Be cautious of anyone who tells you that they have “a word from God” for you. If God has anything to say to you, He’ll say to you personally and He’ll say it through the Bible or possibly, through your own prayer time with Him in the form of conviction (and it will line up with the Bible!). (BACK)
35 lawlessness: The Greek word for lawlessness is anomia and it means “lawlessness/iniquity/transgression”. In Matthew 24:12, this idea portrays not just breaking a secular law here and there, but the complete disregard of God’s moral Law as having authority over one’s existence at all. While this may include breaking the laws set by secular government, God’s moral Law is exponentially more expansive (think of what is a sin to God vs. what is a law in society), because His Laws include the attitudes/intentions behind the Law-breaking, which secular law rarely ever does. Even when a secular law does take into account “intent”, such as with murder, still, it’s not illegal to think about murdering someone, by society’s rule book. With God, thinking of murdering people is a sin: it is against His moral Law to even hate someone (see Matthew 5:21-22; 1 John 3:15). God looks within the person, into their thoughts/heart and that is where Law-breaking begins (see 1 Samuel 16:7; Matthew 15:18-20). (BACK)
36 love: From Matthew 24:12. The Greek word used in Matthew 24:12 for love is agapé and it means “love”. The whole Law of God is summed up in this kind of love (Matthew 22:36-40; 7:12 fits nicely along with this). This kind of love originates from God. Agapé love manifests in believers through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5; Galatians 5:22), first towards God and also, for others (see Matthew 22:36-40; Galatians 5:14; 1 John 4:7-21). Click here to understand how to love, agapé style! (BACK)
37 not a hair on your head will perish: Jesus had just got done telling the disciples that some of them were going to be put to death (Luke 21:16), so He is not speaking of physical harm or physical perishing. Plus, we know for sure that at least James and Peter died as martyrs (Acts 12:2; John 21:18-19). Therefore, Jesus is talking about eternal perishing, the death that is both to body and to soul (Matthew 10:28). This eternal perishing is what Revelation calls the “second death” (Revelation 20:6; 21:8). We know that we all deserve this second death (reading all these together: Romans 3:10, 11, 23, 6:23). However, those trusting in Jesus for their salvation from this second death, live eternally with Christ (John 3:15-18). Our trust for salvation in Christ is a gift from God and not something we can conjure up on our own (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is important to understand that “belief” in Jesus is not enough (James 2:19). The faith and trust gifted by God is exponentially larger than just “belief” and comes with an undeniable pledge from the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:22) that leaves you in complete security about your salvation (John 10:28-29; Romans 8:28-39). (BACK)
38 having endured to the end will be saved: From Matthew 24:13 and Mark 13:13, and echoed in James 1:12. The Greek word for endure is hupomenó and it means “to persevere/steadfast/endure”. This kind of endurance doesn’t just grit its teeth and wait for everything to be over while wallowing in misery or even in a silent resignation. This kind of endurance is hope-filled and even voluntary. The one having endured to the end does not perform this feat on his or her own. It is through the work of God that a person can endure endless hardships, prison, beatings, etc. for the name of Jesus (See Acts 16:23-25 for example). Why does God allow this kind of suffering to produce endurance? Romans 5:3-5 gives its explanation. So does James 1:2-4. We can see that this kind of endurance is actually tied to our faith, which is God-gifted (Ephesians 2:8-9). (BACK)
39 souls: From Luke 21:19. The Greek word used for soul is psuché and it means “soul/breath/inner being”. Psuché refers to the living and breathing person, attributing thoughts, emotions, and desires. Psuché can also mean the soul of the person that lives on after death (see Revelation 6:9) and can even be applied to living animals, as far as the fact that they are living (Revelation 8:9). Psuché is not the same as the Greek word pneuma, which means spirit. Pneuma is the immortal spirit of a person and is even used of the Holy Spirit. Pneuma is not used of living, breathing people, and is never applied to animals. Psuché also differs from the Greek word zóé. Zóé, which means “life” can be applied to plants, animals or people, regardless of sentience. Zóé is used in John 3:16, but with the qualifier word eternal (aiónios). It is interesting to note that in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 and Hebrews 4:12, spirit, soul and body (poetically, joints and marrows in Hebrews 4:12) are used to describe the complete person. (BACK)
40 And there will be…: From Matthew 24:14. Revelation tells us about these events. In Revelation 14:6-7 we learn about the angel who preaches the gospel to all the nations and tribes of the earth, and ‘the end’ is described in Revelation 15:1-20:3. (BACK)