The Olivet Discourse

Matthew 24:1-3

The return of Christ is one of the most important doctrines in the Bible. The story of Jesus is not complete without it. We have seen in the Gospel of Matthew that Jesus is the King, the Son of David, who came in fulfillment of scripture. Throughout His ministry, He preached the Kingdom of Heaven, taught with the authority of God, and proved His identity as the Son of God. Since He arrived in Jerusalem in Matthew 21, we have seen Jesus in conflict with the religious leaders of the Jews. They reject Him as King and Messiah and He closes His final words in the temple pronouncing judgment their house. Now as we come toward the end of the Gospel, we will see Jesus crucified, and raised from the dead. We will see Him commission His disciples with all the authority of heaven and earth. In Acts, we see Jesus ascended into heaven and the epistles declare He sat down at the right hand of the Father in heaven.

But that is not the end of the story. The Bible declares that Jesus will return to earth. The story of Jesus and indeed the story of mankind and salvation history are not complete until Christ returns. The Old Testament is filled with prophecies of the coming of Christ—not just His first coming but also His second coming. There over 1,800 predictions of Christ’s second coming in the Old Testament. There are over 300 references to the second coming in the 260 chapters of the New Testament. One out of every thirty verses in the New Testament refers to the second coming of Christ[i].

And here in Matthew 24 and 25, Jesus gives us His extended teaching about His return.