Editing Olivet Discourse (section)

==Biblical narrative==
{{Gospel Jesus}}
[[File:David Roberts - The Siege and Destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans Under the Command of Titus, A.D. 70.jpg|thumb|''The Siege and Destruction of Jerusalem'', by [[David Roberts (painter)|David Roberts]] (1850)]]
According to the narrative of the synoptic Gospels, an anonymous [[Disciple (Christianity)|disciple]] remarks on the greatness of [[Herod's Temple]].<ref>Kilgallen, John J. ''A Brief Commentary on the Gospel of Mark'' Paulist Press, 1989. {{ISBN|0-8091-3059-9}}.</ref> Jesus responds that not one of those stones would remain intact in the building, and the whole thing would be reduced to rubble.<ref name=Mark13>{{cite web |title=Mark 13 |url=http://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Mark+13 |website=Oremus}}</ref>

The disciples asked Jesus, "When will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" Jesus first warns them about things that would happen:<ref name=Mark13/>
* Some would claim to be [[Christ]] (see also [[Antichrist]]);
* There would be wars and rumours of wars.

Then Jesus identifies "the beginnings of birth pains":<ref name=Mark13/>
* Nations rising up against nations, and kingdoms against kingdoms;
* [[Earthquake]]s;
* [[Famine]]s;
* [[Infection|Pestilence]];
* Fearful events.

Next he described more birth pains which would lead to the coming Kingdom:<ref name=Mark13/>
* [[False prophet#Christianity|False prophets]];<ref>{{cite book |last=Aune |first=David E. |author-link=David Edward Aune |year=1983 |chapter=The Prophecies of Jesus: Unmasking False Prophets |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0cY3kedl8NMC&pg=PA222 |title=Prophecy in Early Christianity and the Ancient Mediterranean World |location=[[Grand Rapids, Michigan]] |publisher=[[Wm. B. Eerdmans]] |pages=222–229 |isbn=978-0-8028-0635-2 |oclc=9555379}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Chae |first=Young S. |year=2006 |chapter=Matthew 7:15: False Prophets in Sheep's Clothing |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tliVZ-_MAOoC&pg=PA234 |title=Jesus as the Eschatological Davidic Shepherd: Studies in the Old Testament, Second Temple Judaism, and in the Gospel of Matthew |location=[[Tübingen]] |publisher=[[Mohr Siebeck]] |series=Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 2. Reihe |volume=216 |pages=234–236 |isbn=978-3-16-148876-4 |issn=0340-9570}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=France |first=Richard T. |author-link=R. T. France |year=2007 |chapter=Scene 2: False Prophets |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0ruP6J_XPCEC&pg=PA289 |title=The Gospel of Matthew |location=[[Grand Rapids, Michigan]] and [[Cambridge|Cambridge, U.K.]] |publisher=[[Wm. B. Eerdmans]] |pages=289–291 |isbn=978-0-8028-2501-8 |lccn=2007013488}}</ref>
* [[Apostasy in Christianity|Apostasy]];
* [[Persecution of Christians|Persecution of the followers of Jesus]];
* The [[Evangelism|spread of Jesus' message]] (the [[Gospel]]) around the world.

Jesus then warned the disciples about the [[abomination of desolation]] "standing where it does not belong".

After Jesus described the "abomination that causes desolation", he warns that the people of Judea should flee to the mountains as a matter of such urgency that they shouldn't even return to get things from their homes. Jesus also warned that if it happened in winter or on the [[Biblical Sabbath|Sabbath]] fleeing would be even more difficult. Jesus described this as a time of "[[Great Tribulation]]" worse than anything that had gone before.

Jesus then states that immediately after the time of tribulation people would see a sign, "the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken".<ref>{{bibleverse|Matt.|24:29–30|NIV}}, {{bibleverse |Joel.|3:15}}</ref>

The statements about the Sun and Moon turning dark sound quite apocalyptic, as it appears to be a quote from the [[Book of Isaiah]].<ref>{{bibleverse|Isa.|13:10}}</ref> The description of the Sun, Moon and stars going dark is also used elsewhere in the Old Testament. Joel wrote that this would be a sign before the great and dreadful [[Day of the Lord]].<ref>{{bibleverse|Joel|2:30–31}}</ref> The Book of Revelation also mentions the Sun and Moon turning dark during the sixth seal of the [[seven seals]], but the passage adds more detail than the previous verses mentioned.<ref>{{bibleverse |Rev.|6:12–17}}</ref>

Jesus states that after the time of tribulation and the sign of the Sun, Moon, and stars going dark the [[Son of man (Christianity)|Son of Man]] would be seen arriving in the clouds with power and great [[glory (religion)|glory]]. The Son of Man would be accompanied by the [[angel]]s and at the trumpet call the angels would "gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other".({{bibleref2|Matthew|24:31}})

Those who subscribe to the doctrine of the "rapture" (a view popular in American Evangelicalism) find support in this verse, reading this as meaning that people would be gathered from Earth and taken ''to'' heaven. This directly relates to a quotation from the [[Book of Zechariah]] in which God (and the contents of heaven in general) will come to Earth and live among ''the elect'', who by necessity are gathered together for this purpose.<ref>{{bibleverse|Zech.|2:10}}</ref>