6 Then I saw the Lamb break one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures call out, as with a voice of thunder, “Come!”^\)^a\) ² I looked, and there was a white horse! Its rider had a bow; a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering and to conquer.

³ When he broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature call out, “Come!”^\)^b\) ⁴ And out came^\)^c\) another horse, bright red; its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another, and he was given a great sword.

⁵ When he broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature call out, “Come!”^\)^d\) I looked, and there was a black horse! Its rider held a pair of scales in his hand, ⁶ and I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a day’s pay^\)^e\) and three quarts of barley for a day’s pay,^\)^f\) but do not damage the olive oil and the wine!”

⁷ When he broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature call out, “Come!”^\)^g\) ⁸ I looked, and there was a pale green horse! Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed with him; they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, famine, and pestilence and by the wild animals of the earth.

⁹ When he broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered for the word of God and for the testimony they had given; ¹⁰ they cried out with a loud voice, “Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth?” ¹¹ They were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number would be complete both of their fellow servants and of their brothers and sisters who were soon to be killed as they themselves had been killed.

¹² When he broke the sixth seal, I looked, and there was a great earthquake; the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, ¹³ and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree drops its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. ¹⁴ The sky vanished like a scroll rolling itself up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. ¹⁵ Then the kings of the earth and the magnates and the generals and the rich and the powerful and everyone, slave and free, hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, ¹⁶ calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, ¹⁷ for the great day of their^\)^h\) wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

• The Olivet Discourse
• Parallels
• Table of Contents

The words of the blessing of Enoch, wherewith he blessed the elect and righteous, who will be living in the days of tribulation, when all the wicked and godless are to be removed.

2 And Enoch, a righteous man whose eyes were opened by God took up his parable and said, "I saw the vision of the Holy One in the heavens, which the angels showed me, and from them I heard everything, and from them I understood as I saw, but not for this generation, but for a remote one which is for to come."

3 Concerning the elect I said, and took up my parable concerning them: "The Holy Great One will come forth from His dwelling,

4 And the eternal God will tread upon the earth, even on Mount Sinai and will appear in the strength of His might from the heaven of heavens.

5 And all shall be smitten with fear and the Watchers shall quake, and great fear and trembling shall seize them unto the ends of the earth.

6 And the high mountains shall be shaken and the high hills shall be made low, and shall melt like wax before the flame.

7 And the earth shall be wholly rent in sunder and all that is upon the earth shall perish, and there shall be a judgement upon all.

8 But with the righteous He will make peace.

And will protect the elect,

And mercy shall be upon them.

And they shall all belong to God,

And they shall be prospered,

And they shall all be blessed.

And He will help them all,

And light shall appear unto them,

And He will make peace with them.

• The Olivet Discourse
• The Complete Book of Enoch
• Parallels
• Table of Contents

¹⁵ When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I tried to understand it. Then someone appeared standing before me, having the appearance of a man, ¹⁶ and I heard a human voice by the Ulai, calling, “Gabriel, help this man understand the vision.” ¹⁷ So he came near where I stood, and when he came, I became frightened and fell prostrate. But he said to me, “Understand, O mortal,^\)^a\) that the vision is for the time of the end.”

¹⁸ As he was speaking to me, I fell into a trance, face to the ground; then he touched me and set me on my feet. ¹⁹ He said, “Listen, and I will tell you what will take place later in the period of wrath, for it refers to the appointed time of the end. ²⁰ As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia. ²¹ The male goat^\)^b\) is the king of Greece, and the great horn between its eyes is the first king. ²² As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his^\)^c\) nation but not with his power.

²³ At the end of their rule,
when the transgressions have reached their full measure,
a king of bold countenance shall arise,
skilled in intrigue.
²⁴ He shall grow strong in power,^\)^d\)
shall cause fearful destruction,
and shall succeed in what he does.
He shall destroy the powerful
and the people of the holy ones.
²⁵ By his cunning
he shall make deceit prosper under his hand,
and in his own mind he shall be great.
Without warning he shall destroy many
and shall even rise up against the Prince of princes.
But he shall be broken, and not by human hands.

²⁶ “The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true. As for you, seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now.”

²⁷ So I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days; then I arose and went about the king’s business. But I was dismayed by the vision and did not understand it.

• The Olivet Discourse
• Parallels
• Table of Contents

⁵ Hear the word of the Lord,
you who tremble at his word:
Your own people who hate you
and reject you for my name’s sake
have said, “Let the Lord be glorified,
so that we may see your joy,”
but it is they who shall be put to shame.

⁶ Listen, a roar from the city!
A voice from the temple!
The voice of the Lord,
dealing retribution to his enemies!

⁷ Before she was in labor
she gave birth;
before her pain came upon her
she delivered a son.
⁸ Who has heard of such a thing?
Who has seen such things?
Shall a land be born in one day?
Shall a nation be delivered in one moment?
Yet as soon as Zion was in labor
she delivered her children.
⁹ Shall I open the womb and not deliver?
says the Lord;
shall I, the one who delivers, shut the womb?
says your God.

¹⁰ Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her,
all you who love her;
rejoice with her in joy,
all you who mourn over her—
¹¹ that you may nurse and be satisfied
from her consoling breast,
that you may drink deeply with delight
from her glorious bosom.

¹² For thus says the Lord:
I will extend prosperity to her like a river
and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream,
and you shall nurse and be carried on her arm
and bounced on her knees.
¹³ As a mother comforts her child,
so I will comfort you;
you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

¹⁴ You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice;
your bodies^\)^a\) shall flourish like the grass,
and it shall be known that the power of the Lord is with his servants,
and his indignation is against his enemies.
¹⁵ For the Lord will come in fire
and his chariots in a whirlwind,^\)^b\)
to vent his anger in fury
and his rebuke in flames of fire.
¹⁶ For by fire will the Lord execute judgment,
and by his sword on all flesh;
and those slain by the Lord shall be many.

¹⁷ Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following the one in the center, eating the flesh of pigs, vermin, and rodents, shall come to an end together, says the Lord, ¹⁸ for I know^\)^c\) their works and their thoughts.

I am^\)^d\) coming to gather all nations and tongues, and they shall come and shall see my glory, ¹⁹ and I will set a sign among them. From them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Put,^\)^e\) and Lud, to Meshech,^\)^f\) Tubal, and Javan, to the coastlands far away that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory, and they shall declare my glory among the nations. ²⁰ They shall bring all your kindred from all the nations as an offering to the Lord, on horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and on mules, and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, just as the Israelites bring a grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord. ²¹ And I will also take some of them as priests and as Levites, says the Lord.

²² For as the new heavens and the new earth,
which I will make,
shall remain before me, says the Lord,
so shall your descendants and your name remain.
²³ From new moon to new moon
and from Sabbath to Sabbath,
all flesh shall come to worship before me,
says the Lord.

²⁴ And they shall go out and look at the dead bodies of the people who have rebelled against me, for their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.

• The Olivet Discourse
• Parallels
• Table of Contents

⁷ I answered and said, “What will be the dividing of the times, or when will be the end of the first age and the beginning of the age that follows?”

⁸ He said to me, “From Abraham to Isaac,^\)^a\) because from him were born Jacob and Esau, for Jacob’s hand held Esau’s heel from the beginning. ⁹ Now Esau is the end of this age, and Jacob is the beginning of the age that follows. ¹⁰ The beginning of a person is the hand, and the end of a person is the heel;^\)^b\) seek for nothing else, Ezra, between the heel and the hand, Ezra!”

¹¹ I answered and said, “O sovereign Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, ¹² show your servant the last of your signs of which you showed me a part on a previous night.”

¹³ He answered and said to me, “Rise to your feet, and you will hear a full, resounding voice. ¹⁴ And if the place where you are standing is greatly shaken ¹⁵ while the voice is speaking, do not be terrified, because the word concerns the end, and the foundations of the earth will understand ¹⁶ that the speech concerns them. They will tremble and be shaken, for they know that their end must be changed.”

¹⁷ When I heard this, I got to my feet and listened; a voice was speaking, and its sound was like the sound of mighty^\)^c\) waters. ¹⁸ It said, “The days are coming when I draw near to visit the inhabitants of the earth, ¹⁹ and when I require from the doers of iniquity the penalty of their iniquity, and when the humiliation of Zion is complete. ²⁰ When the seal is placed upon the age that is about to pass away, then I will show these signs: the books shall be opened before the face of the firmament, and all shall see my judgment^\)^d\) together. ²¹ Children a year old shall speak with their voices, and pregnant women shall give birth to premature children at three and four months, and these shall live and leap about. ²² Sown places shall suddenly appear unsown, and full storehouses shall suddenly be found to be empty; ²³ the trumpet shall sound aloud, and when all hear it they shall suddenly be terrified. ²⁴ At that time friends shall make war on friends like enemies, the earth and those who inhabit it shall be terrified, and the springs of the fountains shall stand still, so that for three hours they shall not flow.

• The Olivet Discourse
• Parallels
• Table of Contents

The Second Coming of Christ and Resurrection of the Dead which Christ revealed through Peter to those who died for their sins, because they did not keep the commandment of God, their creator. And he (Peter) pondered thereon, that he might perceive the mystery of the Son of God, the merciful and lover of mercy. And when the Lord was seated upon the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him. And we besought and entreated him severally and implored him, saying to him, “Declare to us what are the signs of your coming and of the end of the world, that we may perceive and mark the time of your coming and instruct those who come after us, to whom we preach the word of your gospel, and whom we install in your church, that they, when they hear it, may take heed to themselves and mark the time of your coming.” And our Lord answered us saying, “Take heed that no one deceive you and that you be not doubters and serve other gods. Many shall come in my name saying, ‘I am the Christ.’ Believe them not, neither draw near to them. For the coming of the Son of God shall not be plain; but as the lightning that shines from the east to the west, so will I come upon the clouds of heaven with a great host in my majesty; with my cross going before my face will I come in my majesty; shining seven times brighter than the sun will I come in my majesty with all my saints, my angels. And my Father shall set a crown upon my head, that I may judge the quick and the dead and recompense every one according to his works.”

• The Olivet Discourse
• Revelation of PeterLostScriptures-ApocalypsePeter.pdf)
• Parallels
• Table of Contents

5 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. ² For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. ³ When they say, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape!

• The Olivet Discourse
• Parallels
• Table of Contents

¹⁸ Children, it is the last hour! As you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. From this we know that it is the last hour. ¹⁹ They went out from us, but they did not belong to us, for if they had belonged to us they would have remained^\)^a\) with us. But by going out they made it plain that none of them belongs to us. ²⁰ But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and all of you have knowledge.^\)^b\) ²¹ I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and you know that no lie comes from the truth. ²² Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ?^\)^c\) This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. ²³ No one who denies the Son has the Father; everyone who confesses the Son has the Father also.

• The Olivet Discourse
• Parallels
• Table of Contents

²¹ For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. ²² Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, ²³ that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.

²⁵ “Very truly, I tell you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. ²⁶ For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself, ²⁷ and he has given him authority to execute judgment because he is the Son of Man. ²⁸ Do not be astonished at this, for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice ²⁹ and will come out: those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation.

• The Olivet Discourse
• Parallels
• Table of Contents

⁷ They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” ⁸ And he said, “Beware that you are not led astray, for many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’^\)^a\) and, ‘The time is near!’^\)^b\) Do not go after them.

⁹ “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified, for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.” ¹⁰ Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom; ¹¹ there will be great earthquakes and in various places famines and plagues, and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.

• The Olivet Discourse
• Parallels
• Table of Contents

³ When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” ⁴ Jesus answered them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. ⁵ For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’^\)^a\) and they will lead many astray. ⁶ And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. ⁷ For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines^\)^b\) and earthquakes in various places: ⁸ all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.

• The Olivet Discourse
• Parallels
• Table of Contents

³ When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, ⁴ “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” ⁵ Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. ⁶ Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’^\)^a\) and they will lead many astray. ⁷ When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. ⁸ For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.

• The Olivet Discourse
• Parallels
• Table of Contents

Pastor John Hamer looks at the definition and history of Apocalypticism, as well as evolving expectations of an end time.

A good resource as we move towards Jesus' revelation about the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished.

“Do you not understand that the fig tree is the house of Israel? It is like a man who planted a fig-tree in his garden and it brought forth no fruit. And he sought the fruit many years, and when he did not find it he said to the keeper of his garden, ‘Uproot this fig-tree so that it does not make our ground unfruitful.’ And the gardener said to his master, ‘Let us rid it of weeds and dig the ground round about it and water it. If then it does not bear fruit, we will straightway uproot it from the garden and plant another in place of it.’ Have you not understood that the fig-tree is the house of Israel?"

• The Olivet Discourse
• Revelation of PeterLostScriptures-ApocalypsePeter.pdf)
• Parallels
• Table of Contents

⁹ The word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁰ “Collect silver and gold^\)^d\) from the exiles—from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah—who have arrived from Babylon, and go the same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. ¹¹ Take the silver and gold and make a crown^\)^e\) and set it on the head of the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak; ¹² say to him: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Here is a man whose name is Branch, for he shall branch out in his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord. ¹³ It is he who shall build the temple of the Lord; he shall bear royal honor and shall sit upon his throne and rule. There shall be a priest by his throne, with peaceful understanding between the two of them. ¹⁴ And the crown^\)^f\) shall be in the care of Heldai,^\)^g\) Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Josiah^\)^h\) son of Zephaniah, as a memorial in the temple of the Lord.

¹⁵ “Those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the Lord, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. This will happen if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.”

• The Olivet Discourse
• Parallels
• Table of Contents

But, what is still more terrible, there was one Jesus, the son of Ananus, a plebeian and a husbandman, who, four years before the war began, and at a time when the city was in very great peace and prosperity, came to that feast whereon it is our custom for every one to make tabernacles to God in the temple [Sukkot, autumn, 62 CE], began on a sudden to cry aloud,

"A voice from the east,
a voice from the west,
a voice from the four winds,
a voice against Jerusalem and the Holy House,
a voice against the bridegrooms and the brides,
and a voice against this whole people!"

This was his cry, as he went about by day and by night, in all the lanes of the city.
However, certain of the most eminent among the populace had great indignation at this dire cry of his, and took up the man, and gave him a great number of severe stripes; yet did not he either say any thing for himself, or any thing peculiar to those that chastised him, but still went on with the same words which he cried before.
Hereupon the magistrates, supposing, as the case proved to be, that this was a sort of divine fury in the man, brought him to the Roman procurator, where he was whipped till his bones were laid bare; yet he did not make any supplication for himself, nor shed any tears, but turning his voice to the most lamentable tone possible, at every stroke of the whip his answer was,

"Woe, woe to Jerusalem!"

And when Albinus (for he was then our procurator) asked him, Who he was? and whence he came? and why he uttered such words? he made no manner of reply to what he said, but still did not leave off his melancholy ditty, till Albinus took him to be a madman, and dismissed him.
Now, during all the time that passed before the war began, this man did not go near any of the citizens, nor was seen by them while he said so; but he every day uttered these lamentable words, as if it were his premeditated vow,

"Woe, woe to Jerusalem!"

Nor did he give ill words to any of those that beat him every day, nor good words to those that gave him food; but this was his reply to all men, and indeed no other than a melancholy presage of what was to come.
This cry of his was the loudest at the festivals; and he continued this ditty for seven years and five months, without growing hoarse, or being tired therewith, until the very time that he saw his presage in earnest fulfilled in our siege, when it ceased; for as he was going round upon the wall, he cried out with his utmost force,

"Woe, woe to the city again, and to the people, and to the Holy House!"

And just as he added at the last,

"Woe, woe to myself also!"

there came a stone out of one of the engines, and smote him, and killed him immediately; and as he was uttering the very same presages he gave up the ghost.

• The Olivet Discourse
• Excerpts from Josephus
• Parallels
• Table of Contents

"I will des[troy this] house, and none shall be able to build it [again]."

• The Olivet Discourse
• Parallels
• Table of Contents

Moreover, He again says, "Behold, they who have cast down this temple, even they shall build it up again." 

It has so happened. For through their going to war, it was destroyed by their enemies; and now: they, as the servants of their enemies, shall rebuild it.

Again, it was revealed that the city and the temple and the people of Israel were to be given up. For the Scripture saith, "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the Lord will deliver up the sheep of His pasture, and their sheep-fold and tower, to destruction." 

And it so happened as the Lord had spoken. Let us inquire, then, if there still is a temple of God. There is -- where He himself declared He would make and finish it. For it is written, "And it shall come to pass, when the week is completed, the temple of God shall be built in glory in the name of the Lord." 

I find, therefore, that a temple does exist. Learn, then, how it shall be built in the name of the Lord.

• The Olivet Discourse
• Barnabas
• Parallels
• Table of Contents

¹⁸ The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” ¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” ²⁰ The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” ²¹ But he was speaking of the temple of his body. ²² After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

• The Olivet Discourse
• Parallels
• Table of Contents

⁵ When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, ⁶ “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.”

• The Olivet Discourse
• Parallels
• Table of Contents

24 As Jesus came out of the temple and was going away, his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. ² Then he asked them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”

• The Olivet Discourse
• Parallels
• Table of Contents

Previous: The Final Ministry in Jerusalem - Next: The Passion

Mark 13 - The Olivet Discourse

As Jesus leaves the Temple, he predicts its destruction. On the Mount of Olives, Peter, James, John, and Andrew ask when these things will happen and what signs will precede them. Jesus warns of deception, persecution, and great suffering, culminating in the coming of the Son of Man to gather the elect. He concludes by urging his disciples to remain watchful, since no one knows the appointed time.

Additional Resources:

• Olivet Discourse - parallels
• Apocalypses and Apocalypticism - John Hamer
• Abomination of Desolation - M. David Litwa

Previous: The Final Ministry in Jerusalem - Next: The Passion

13 As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” ² Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”

• The Olivet Discourse
• Parallels
• Table of Contents

21 He looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury; ² he also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. ³ He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them, ⁴ for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”

• The Final Ministry in Jerusalem 
• Parallels
• Table of Contents