The Olivet Discourse is recorded in Matthew 23:29-24:34, Mark 13:1-30 and Luke 21:5-32. This is perhaps the most problematic and difficult to understand portion of the entire bible and a concise interpretation seems virtually impossible without leaving many unanswered questions. However, we will look at three very important questions.
A) What is the meaning of the words that are translated “this generation?”
B) What can we discern from the context in which Jesus was speaking?
C) Have the events in this part (Part 1) of the Olivet Discourse been fulfilled?
Question A: What is the meaning of the words that are translated “this generation?”
Ryrie notes “No one living when Jesus spoke these words lived to see “all these things” come to pass. However, the Greek word can mean ‘race’ or ‘family,’ which makes good sense here; i.e., the Jewish race will be preserved, in spite of terrible persecution, until the Lord comes.” This is a common interpretation among many Christians.
The Greek word used is “genea” and Gerhard Kittel’s “Theological Dictionary of the New Testament” says that in general usage genea means “birth,” “descent” or “generation.” However, in the Septuagint it mostly denotes “generation” in the sense of contemporaries. The phrase “this generation” is to be understood temporally, but there is always a qualifying criticism such as “adulterous,” “evil” or “unbelieving.”
The term “genea” is capable of variant shades of meaning and there are instances in the Septuagint and classical sources where the term means something other than a contemporary group of people who live within a definite timeframe. In Thayer’s Lexicon we find these definitions:
1) fathered, birth, nativity
2) that which has been begotten, men of the same stock, a family
2a) the several ranks of natural descent, the successive members of a genealogy
2b) metaph. a group of men very like each other in endowments, pursuits, character
2b1) esp. in a bad sense, a perverse nation
3) the whole multitude of men living at the same time
4) an age (i.e. the time ordinarily occupied by each successive generation), a space of 30-33 years
These various definitions of genea lead to much speculation as to the meaning implied in the Olivet Discourse. Some think Jesus was referring not to a frame of time but to a frame of mind and that His purpose was to underline the certainty of his coming and not the time of it. The problem with this interpretation is that Jesus was not answering a question of certainty, but a question regarding chronology. The disciples were not asking “if” these things would come to pass. They were asking “when” they would come to pass.
Some assert that “this generation” refers to some specific, but distant generation alive at the time when these events take place. Others see “this generation” as a description of a “kind” or a “sort” of people such as “believers” or even a description of the “wicked.” That is, Jesus may be saying that believers like the disciples will not pass from the earth before Jesus appears in his return. Similarly Jesus could have meant that, no matter how long he tarries before his return, there will be present generations of wicked people who will resist the kingdom of Christ. Many of these interpretations have some merit, but none are completely satisfying and they all require Jesus to be answering simple questions in a very obscure way.
James Stuart Russell writes in 1898.
“But suppose that we were to adopt the rendering proposed, and take genea as meaning a race, what point or significance would there be in the prediction then? Can any one believe that the assertion so solemnly made by our Lord, ‘Verily I say unto you,’ etc., amounts to no more than this, ‘ The Hebrew race shall not become extinct till all these things be fulfilled’? Imagine a prophet in our own times predicting a great catastrophe in which London would be destroyed, St. Paul’s and the Houses of Parliament leveled with the ground, and a fearful slaughter of the inhabitants be perpetrated; and that wen asked, ‘when shall these things come to pass?’ he should reply, ‘The Anglo-Saxon race shall not become extinct till all these things be fulfilled’! Would this be a satisfactory answer? Would not such an answer be considered derogatory to the prophet, and an affront to his hearers? Would they not have reason to say, ‘It is safe prophesying when the event is placed at an interminable distance!’”
Jesus’ answer makes much more sense if we take them to be their most literal and simple form. That is, He was describing what would happen to his disciples, or at least their generation, as some of them may be martyred before all those things take place. In fact, as Gary DeMar writes “Of the thirty-eight appearances of genea apart from Luke 21:32, Matthew 24:34 and Mark 13:30 all have the temporal meaning…” He also says:
“…the use of ‘this generation’ throughout the Gospels make it clear that it means the generation to whom Jesus was speaking. It never means ‘race,’ as some claim, or some future generation. The adjective ‘this’ points to the contemporary nature of the generation. If some future generation had been in view, Jesus could have chosen the adjective ‘that’…”
David Chilton writes of the word “genea” in the New Testament:
"Some have sought to get around the force of this text by saying that the word generation here really means race, and that Jesus was simply saying that the Jewish race would not die out until all these things took place. Is that true? I challenge you: Get out your concordance and look up every New Testament occurrence of the word generation (in Greek, genea) and see if it ever means 'race' in any other context. Here are all the references for the Gospels: Matthew 1:17; 11:16; 12:39, 41, 42, 45; 16:4; 17:17; 23:36; 24:34; Mark 8:12, 38; 9:19; 13:30; Luke 1:48, 50; 7:31; 9:41; 11:29, 30, 31, 32, 50, 51; 18:8; 17:25; 21:32. Not one of these references is speaking of the entire Jewish race over thousands of years; all use the word in its normal sense of the sum total of those living at the same time. It always refers to contemporaries. (In fact, those who say it means "race" tend to acknowledge this fact, but explain that the word suddenly changes its meaning when Jesus uses it in Matthew 24!”
If we choose to use the most normal and literal interpretation of “this generation,” which requires Jesus to be referring to those people who were living at that time, it requires a first century fulfillment of the apocalyptic events in Jesus’ prophecy. Most people do not believe this has occurred. But before we give up, let’s continue our analysis.
Question B: What can we discern from the context in which Jesus was speaking?
That day Jesus was preaching a very apocalyptic message in the temple directed especially at the scribes and Pharisees. (Matt. 23:1-39) In this apocalypse Jesus says “…I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city.” (Matt. 23:34) As Jesus is leaving the temple, He says, “…Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here shall be left upon another, which will not be torn down.” (Matt 24:2)
Right after that Jesus’ disciples asked “...when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and the end of the age?” (Matt 24:3) The disciples must have thought they were to be the persecuted people Jesus was going to send, so their questions are completely logical. If Jesus were not referring to them in His apocalypse, wouldn’t he say so in his response? But he doesn’t excuse them from this apocalypse. In fact he says “…See to it that no one misleads you.” (Matt 24:4) The fact that Jesus was talking about what many of the disciples would see for themselves is evidenced throughout. See the following excerpts from Matthew 24.
“And you will be hearing of wars…” (6)
“Then they will deliver you to tribulation…” (9)
“...and will kill you..” (9)
“…you will be hated..” (9)
“…when you see…” (15)
“…pray that your flight may not be in winter…” (19)
“…if anyone says to you…” (23)
“…I have told you in advance.” (25)
“If therefore they say to you…” (26)
“…you know…” (32)
“even so you too, when you see all these things…” (33)
How strange it would be for Jesus to answer this way and not be talking about them. The most probable people Jesus was referring to in the first part of the Olivet Discourse was his disciples and those living at that time. Please note, the use of the word “you” diminishes markedly after Matthew 24:34 and seems to be used almost exclusively in references to characters talking to each other in parables such as the wise servant, the ten virgins and the talents. (Matt 24:35-25:46)
Question C: Have the events in part 1 of the Olivet Discourse been fulfilled?
If we believe Jesus was referring to those people living at the time he spoke the Olivet Discourse, then there must be a plausible first century fulfillment of His apocalypse or He was a false prophet. Let’s organize these scriptures into 13 events and analyze each one.
1) Destruction of the temple (Matt 24:2)
2) Appearance of false christs and false prophets (Matt 24:5,11,23-26)
3) Wars (Matt 24:6-8,12,16-22)
4) Famines (Matt 24:7)
5) Earthquakes (Matt 24:7)
6) Disciples will be in tribulation (Matt 24:9-10)
7) Jerusalem surrounded by Armies (Luke 21:20)
8) The “Abomination of Desolation” and the eagles gathered with the corpses (Matt 24:15,28)
9) Signs in the heavens such as the sun darkened and stars falling (Matt 24:29)
10) Gospel would be preached in all the world and hated by all nations (Matt 24:14)
11) Son of Man will appear in the clouds and all tribes shall mourn (Matt 24:27,30)
12) Gather together the elect (Matt 24:31)
13) This generation shall not pass away until all these things take place (Matt 24:32-34)
Event #1 Destruction of the temple
This is easy. The destruction of the temple in Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 70 is well documented.
Event #2 Appearance of false christs and false prophets
False prophets are found even in the New Testament. Acts 13:6 “…they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus:” In 2 Peter 2:1 we have “…there were false prophets also among the people…” In 1 John 4:1 it says “…many false prophets are gone out into the world.” First century false prophets seems obvious, but what about false christs?
James Stuart Russell argues that the deceptive claims of false messiahs were fulfilled in the period between the ascension of Christ and the destruction of Jerusalem: “False Christs and false prophets began to make their appearance at a very early period of the Christian era, and continued to infest the land down to the very close of Jewish history. In the procuratorship of Pilate (AD 36), a man named Dositheus appeared in Samaria asserting he was the Messiah of whom Moses prophesied. He and his disciples deluded great multitudes. There was another, named Theudas, in the procuratorship of Cuspius Fadus in AD 45. Theudas persuaded a very great multitude to follow him to the Jordan, assuring them, that the river would divide at his command. Fadus pursued them, slew many and carried Theudas’ head back to Jerusalem. In 55 AD an Egyptian named Felix persuaded 35,000 to accompany him to the Mount of Olives saying they would see the walls of Jerusalem fall down at his command. The Roman governor sensed this as a revolt, slew hundreds and dispersed the rest. During the government of Felix (AD 53-60), Josephus tells us ‘the country was full of robbers, magicians, false prophets, false Messiahs, and imposters, who deluded the people with promises of great events’”
John Calvin agreed that a rash of false messiahs arose in the early-church era. “For shortly after Christ’s resurrection, there arose impostors, every one of whom professed to be the Christ.” Although the New Testament doesn’t specifically refer to the existence of false christs, it appears it was well understood that there were many in the first century. This should provide a plausible evidence that false christs appeared in the generation to whom Jesus was speaking, just as he had warned.
Event #3 Wars
The war with Rome beginning in about AD 66 leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 and all Israel including the last fortress to fall (Masada) in AD 73 is well documented and sufficient for #3. The siege of Jerusalem in particular was one of the greatest concentrations of death ever witnessed at one time in one city. During the siege a Jew named Mannaeus fled to Titus and informed him that 115,880 bodies had been carried through only one gate, which he had guarded. This man had been appointed to pay the public allowance for carrying the bodies out, and was therefore obliged to register them. Soon after, several respectable individuals deserted to the Romans, and assured Titus that the whole number who had been cast out at the different gates was not less than 600,000. The Jewish historian, Josephus, reckons the total dead during the siege of Jerusalem was 1,100,000.
Event #4 Famines
There were many first century famines as Jesus predicts. Of these the principal was that which Agabus foretold would happen in the days of Claudius, as related in Acts 11:28. It begun in the fourth year of his reign, and was of long continuance. It extended through Greece, and even into Italy, but was felt most severely in Judea, and especially at Jerusalem, where many perished for want of bread. This famine is recorded by Josephus also, who relates that "an assaron of corn was sold for five drachmae.” It is likewise noticed by Eusebius and Orosius. To alleviate this terrible calamity, Helena, queen of Adiabena, who was at that time in Jerusalem, ordered large supplies of grain to be sent from Alexandria; and Izates, her son, consigned vast sums to the governors of Jerusalem, to be applied to the relief of the more indigent sufferers. The Gentile Christian converts residing in foreign countries, also sent, at the instance of St. Paul, liberal contributions, to relieve the distresses of their Jewish brethren in AD 56 as recorded in I Corinthians 16:1-3.
However, the greatest famine of the first century was in Jerusalem brought on by the Roman siege. As was common in their day, Jerusalem had several walls that were difficult to breech. A typical Roman tactic was to surround the city and starve the inhabitants into surrender. Wealthy people began to pay exorbitant amounts of money for food. Various Jewish factions actually murdered each other inside the walls for control of food and other goods. Eventually they made false accusations against most of the wealthy in order to put them to death and take their food and money. As the siege wore on, anyone who kept their door closed or looked too healthy was immediately suspected of hiding food and the factions would murder them as traitors to take their food.
So many died that they were unable to bury all the corpses, so they piled them like cordwood in upper rooms, shut the doors and left them to rot. The Romans were war hardened veterans, but after the siege, the site of these rooms full of rotting corpses was ghastly even for them. Jews would risk their own lives by sneaking out of the walls at night into the nearby fields just to grab what meager remains had been left by the Romans. It eventually became a sure suicide mission, because the Romans became aware of this and posted their armies to intercept them. When they realized that some surrendering Jews swallowed gold to later recover in their feces, they began to swoop on them and literally dissect all captured prisoners where they stood, to look for gold in their bowels. The famine was so great that Josephus even records one mother roasting and eating her own child. Read also Luke 23:29. These famines in the first century and during the siege of Jerusalem should qualify as evidence for fulfillment of #4.
Event #5 Earthquakes
An earthquake at the time of Jesus’ death is documented in Matthew 27:51 and 27:54. Also, in the reign of Claudius there was an earthquake at Rome, and another at Apamea in Syria, where many of the Jews resided. The earthquake at the latter place was so destructive, that the emperor, in order to relieve the distresses of the inhabitants, remitted its tribute for five years. Both these earthquakes are recorded by Tacitus. There was one also, in the same reign in Crete. This is mentioned by Philostratus, in his Life of Apollonius, who says, that 'there were others at Smyrna, Miletus, Chios, and Samos ; in all which places Jews had settled.' In the reign of Nero there was an earthquake at Laodicea. Tacitus records this also. It is likewise mentioned by Eusebius and Orosius, who add that Hieropolis and Colose, as well as Laodicea, were overthrown by an earthquake. There was also one in Campania in this reign (of this both Tacitus and Seneca speak) and another at Rome in the reign of Galba, recorded by Suetonius
Event #6 Disciples will be in tribulation
The tribulations of Jesus’ disciples are recorded throughout the New Testament and well known in first century history.
Event #7 Jerusalem surrounded by armies
Author George Holford writes in 1805,
“Exasperated by their obstinacy and insolence, he (the Roman general, Titus) now resolved to surround the city by a circumvallation, (a trench of 39 furlongs in circuit and strengthened with 13 towers,) which with astonishing activity was effected by the soldiers in three days. Thus was 'fulfilled another of our LORD 's predictions, for he had said, while addressing this devoted city, "Thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round about, and keep thee in on every side." Luke 19:43.”
This also fulfills Luke 21:20 and point #7.
Event #8 Abomination of Desolation and eagles gathered with corpses
The “abomination of desolation” is widely understood today to refer to an event that has not yet transpired. This prophecy has been interpreted with several nuances, but generally it means some form of desecration of the Holy of Holies inside the Jewish temple. Josephus, in the name of Titus, earnestly exhorted Jerusalem to surrender; but the insolent rebels returned nothing but insults, declaring their firm persuasion that Jerusalem, as it was GOD'S own city, could never be taken : thus literally fulfilling the declaration of Micah, that the Jews would presumptuously "lean upon the LORD, and say, 'Is not the LORD among us ? No evil can come upon us." (Micah 3:11 )
The Roman soldiers carried ensigns of eagles on flagpoles before them. The eagles were objects of religious worship to the soldiers and these idolatrous images were considered a profanation of the Jewish law. The Roman war was carried literally into the Holy of Holies of the temple itself were the Roman ensigns stood over the dead bodies of both Jews and Romans at the conclusion of the destruction of Jerusalem. Some translations use the word “vulture” in Matthew 24:28, because eagles are rarely scavengers, so this translation seems to be nonsense. We see that “eagles with corpses” has a beautiful fulfillment in the first century fall of Jerusalem with the Roman eagles affixed to their flagpoles as they march into the corpse ridden city.
The utter destruction of Jerusalem is recorded by the Jewish Historian, Josephus. George Holford condensed much of this in his paper written in 1805.
They first plundered, and then set fire to the houses. They ranged through the streets with drawn swords in their hands, murdering every Jew whom they met, without distinction ; till at length, the bodies of the dead choked up all the alleys and narrow passes while their blood literally flowed down the channels of the city in streams.
Such as were in the towers, deemed impregnable to human force, beyond measure affrighted, strangely forsook them, and sought refuge in caverns and subterraneous passages ; in which dismal retreats no less than two thousand dead bodies were afterwards found. Thus, as our Lord had predicted, did these miserable creatures, in effect, say "to the mountains, 'Fall on us;' and to the rocks, ' Cover us." (Luke 23:20.)…it is recorded, in the Talmud, and by Maimonides, that Terentius Rufus, captain of the army of Titus, absolutely ploughed up the foundations of the Temple with a ploughshare.
The soldiers, however, at length, weary of killing, and satiated with the blood which they had spilt, laid down their swords and sought to gratify avarice. For this purpose they took the Jews, together with their wives and families, and publicly sold them, like cattle in a market, at a very multitude were exposed to sale, while the purchasers were few in number. And now were fulfilled the words of Moses : "And ye shall be sold for bond-men and bond-women, and no man shall buy you." (Deut. 28:68.)
The robbers and seditious were all punished with death : the tallest and most beautiful youths, together with several of the Jewish nobles were reserved by Titus to grace his triumphal entry into Rome. After this selection, all above the age of seventeen were sent in chains into Egypt, to be employed there as slaves, or distributed throughout the empire to be sacrificed as gladiators in the amphitheatres ; whilst those who were under this age, were exposed to sale.
The mournful and desolate condition of Judea, at this time, is exactly described by the prophet Isaiah, in the following of his prophecy : "The cities were without inhabitant, and the houses without a man, and the land was utterly desolate, and the LORD had removed men far away, and there was a great forsaking in the midst of the land." (Isa. 6:11-12.)
This seems an ample fulfillment of event #8.
Event #9 Signs in the heavens
The signs in heaven are written in Matthew 24:29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” It certainly appears as if this never literally happened. However, the language Jesus uses is typical of the Old Testament prophet’s imagery when referring to physical destruction of cities and peoples.
Even Calvin, who believed this imagery was still unfulfilled, acknowledges this language is poetic. He writes “He does not indeed mean that the stars will actually fall…” That is, even if this prophecy is understood to have a fulfillment that is future to us, we do not expect distant stars will actually swoop across our solar system and hit the earth. Russell writes “…Symbol and metaphor belong to the grammar of prophecy, as every reader of the Old Testament prophets must know. Is it not reasonable that the doom of Jerusalem should be depicted in language as glowing and rhetorical as the destruction of Babylon, or Bozrah, or Tyre?” Isaiah 13:10 describes the downfall of Babylon as “…For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.” Isaiah announced the destruction of Bozrah in 34:4 “And all the host of heaven will wear away, And the sky will be rolled up like a scroll; All their hosts will also wither away As a leaf withers from the vine, Or as one withers from the fig tree.”
Although we may understand Jesus’ prophecy to be similar imagery, are there still any signs that could be understood to portend a fulfillment of this in the first century? Josephus writes of the war between Rome and Jerusalem “…there was a star resembling a sword which stood over the city, and a comet, that continued a whole year…and at the ninth hour of the night, so great a light shone round the altar and the holy house, that it appeared to be bright day time…a heifer, as she was led by the high-priest to be sacrificed, brought forth a lamb in the midst of the temple.” We know Halley’s Comet appeared in AD 66. Many unusual signs, although not as specific, were also reported by the Roman historian Tacitus.
Josephus records additional strange events that occurred during the war with Rome just before Jerusalem was destroyed in AD 70. He writes “…a certain prodigious and incredible phenomenon appeared; I suppose the account of it would seem to be a fable, were it not related by those that saw it, and were not the events that followed it of so considerable a nature as to deserve such signals; for, before sun-setting, chariots and troops of soldiers in their armor were seen running about among the clouds, and surrounding of cities. Moreover at that feast which we call Pentecost, as the priests were going by night into the inner temple, as their custom was, to perform their sacred ministrations, they said that, in the first place, they felt a quaking, and heard a great noise, and after that they heard a sound as of a great multitude, saying, ‘Let us remove hence.’”
Language employed in biblical prophecy is not always cold and logical as is common in the Western world, but adopts a kind of fervor common to the East. The imagery employed by Jesus in his prophetic discourse is not inappropriate to the dissolution of the Jewish state, which took place at the destruction of Jerusalem. Whether Matthew 24:29 is fulfilled in the first century or in the future, it is clear that actual stars will not fall and hit the earth. This imagery could well be fulfilled in the strange first century signs seen between Jesus’ crucifixion and the destruction of Jerusalem and the second temple. Although this doesn’t provide proof that Matthew 24:29 necessarily applies to the fall of Jerusalem, it is plausible evidence that the fall of Jerusalem could easily fit the symbolism of these signs indicated in event #9.
Event #10 Gospel preached in all the world
How was the Gospel preached “in all the earth.” It is often understood that Jewish expressions referring to “all the earth” or the “whole world” are actually limited to the world known to the Jews or even only the Jews themselves. In fact, who hasn’t ever heard a teenager accuse someone of “blabbing something to the whole world” when in fact it was only told to a very limited number of people at their school? The scriptures actually use similar language. Paul, in Romans 1:8, informs them that 'their faith was spoken of throughout the world;' and in Colossians 1:5-6 he observes that the "Gospel had been preached to every creature under heaven."
Unfortunately, we must also reconcile this with Matthew 10:23 where Jesus says to his disciples “…you shall not finish going through the cities of Israel, until the Son of Man comes.” How could they not go through all the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes AND simultaneously preach the gospel in the whole world before the “end” comes? In fact, this is a literary problem even for those who believe the Olivet Discourse is still to be fulfilled in the future. How can these both be true even if the fulfillment is in the future? However, our previous understanding works with some satisfaction. That is, the disciples literally did not physically go to every city in Israel and figuratively preached to the entire known world as told us in Colossians 1:5-6. This is evidence that event #10 may have been fulfilled in this timeframe.
Event #11 Son of Man appears in clouds and all tribes mourn
Did the Son of Man appear in the clouds in the first century? This would appear to be the greatest evidence that this part of the Olivet Discourse did not occur completely in the first century, and that all of it must, therefore, be fulfilled in the future. However, is this meant to be interpreted literally?
In Isa 19:1, the Bible states "the Lord is riding on a swift cloud, and is about to come to Egypt; The idols of Egypt will tremble at His presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them". Egypt was judged by the Assyrians (Isa. 20:1-6), and it was God's judgment, but God did not literally ride on a cloud. In the Bible, clouds are symbolic of the Lord's presence, judgment and wrath. In Psalm 18:3-15, David writes about the Lord delivering him from his enemies. The Psalm speaks of the darkness and thick clouds as the Lord's hiding place (vs. 11-12) in carrying out His judgment. In the book of Exodus, when God was manifested to the people, it was in the cloud by day and in 16:10, the glory of the Lord was visible in the cloud. In Ex. 34:5, the Lord descended upon Mount Sinai in a cloud and met with Moses. The cloud separated the Egyptian army from the Israelites as they crossed the Red Sea. For Israel, the cloud represented deliverance, for the Egyptians, it was something to be afraid of, it represented judgment. In Genesis 9:13 the Lord says that He will put the rainbow in the cloud as a sign that He would not judge the earth again by a flood. In this case, the rainbow represents the promise, and the cloud represents judgment. In 1st Kings 8:10-11, a cloud filled the temple, which represented the glory of the Lord. The vision described in Ezekiel chapter 10, also speaks of a cloud filling the temple and the Lord's bright glory. To the Jewish people, the cloud was symbolic of the Lord presence and judgment and certainly any educated Hebrew of the time would understand this.
The Lord Jesus told Caiaphas that "hereafter you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven", in Matt 26:64. Compare this with Daniel 7:13-14. Verse 65 tells us that Caiaphas tore his robes. Why? Because he understood that by this statement Jesus was claiming to be God. To expect the Lord Jesus to come in the clouds in a physical fleshly way, his literal body descending from the clouds, would be contrary to Caiaphas' understanding of the Old Testament. He would understand the significance of Christ coming in the clouds because they are associated with God. In light of the preceding thoughts, His coming with the clouds does not have to mean that Jesus in bodily form will touch down upon the earth. The clouds represented the coming judgment of the Jews, the cancellation of the Old Covenant, and the promise of His presence in the Kingdom to the believer.
However, in Acts 1:9-11, when Jesus was ascended up into heaven, the angels said that He would return in the "'same way" (like manner - KJV). This does indeed seem to indicate a more visible return. But as we read earlier, Josephus recorded the “chariots and troops of soldiers in their armor were seen running about among the clouds.”
This same event is recorded by the Roman historian Tacitus in his work called Histories, v. 13. "In the sky appeared a vision of armies in conflict, of glittering armour. A sudden lightening flash from the clouds lit up the Temple. The doors of the holy place abruptly opened, a superhuman voice was heard to declare that the gods were leaving it, and in the same instant came the rushing tumult of their departure"
With this, it’s reasonable to assume all the “tribes,” meaning Jewish tribes, would mourn at such a sight that foretold the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction and desolation of the temple. Remember that the beginning of the Roman siege of Jerusalem coincided with the feast of Passover. It was common during these feasts for all the tribes of Israel to convene in Jerusalem and around the temple for the proper sacrifices, so all the tribes were there to witness the events in AD 70 that Josephus records. Also, as the Roman war began three years earlier, masses of Jews retreated to the protection within the walls of Jerusalem. The city was packed to overflowing with people when Rome began its siege. With this interpretation, the chariots are a sign from God himself and although the “Son of Man” was not specifically mentioned by these historians, it is understood with this interpretation that Jesus was there in one of the chariots.
It is very biblically accurate to think that the “coming in the clouds” was meant only spiritually in a judgment sense on Jerusalem and even if a literal, visible appearance is meant, we have evidence of that occurring as well. So either way, we have ample evidence for a first century fulfillment of event #11.
Event #12 Gather together the elect
Most people also can’t possibly see how Matthew 24:31 has already been fulfilled. It reads “…and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.” However, we just learned how all the tribes of Israel were gathered together for the Roman destruction of Jerusalem.
The day on which Titus encompassed Jerusalem, was the feast of the Passover ; and it is deserving of the attention, that this was the anniversary of that memorable period in which the Jews crucified their Messiah! At this season multitudes came up from all the surrounding country, and from distant parts, to keep the festival. How suitable and how kind, then, was the prophetic admonition of our LORD, and how clearly he prophesied when he said "Let not them that are in the countries enter into Jerusalem." Luke 21:21. Nevertheless, the city was at this time crowded with Jewish strangers, and foreigners from all parts, so that the whole nation may be considered as having been shut up in one prison, preparatory to the execution of the Divine vengeance ; and, according to Josephus this event took place suddenly ; thus, not only fulfilling the predictions of our LORD, that these calamities should come, like the lightning "that cometh out of the east and shineth even unto the West," and " as a snare on all of them (the Jews) who dwelt upon the face of the whole earth " (Matt. 24:27, and Luke 21:35) but justifying, also, his direction, that those who fled from the place should use the utmost possible expedition. This is interesting, but not a very satisfactory fulfillment of #12 because “elect” typically meant God’s people of which the unrepentant Jews in Jerusalem were not.
However, Matthew himself records something that most people forget, which might be a satisfactory fulfillment of #12. At the moment of Jesus’ death on the cross Matthew writes in 27:52-52 “and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.” What an amazing event! Why is this not mentioned more often? Perhaps these were the “elect” that were gathered from the four winds of the sky in the chariots mentioned in the previous paragraph. This event might possibly be considered a first century fulfillment of #12.
Event #13 All this occurred to “this generation”
In summary, we see there are first century events that can plausibly be interpreted as fulfillment of part 1 of the Olivet Discourse recorded in Matthew 24:1-34. This is the evidence of point #13 that all these things occurred to the generation of people to whom Jesus was speaking.
Conclusions:
Definitive conclusions regarding biblical prophecies are hard to come by. However, Jesus’ prophecies in the first part of the Olivet Discourse (i.e. Matt 24; 1-34) probably referred to the very generation to which He was speaking, and there is plausible evidence for a first century fulfillment of these prophecies. Even though a first century fulfillment agrees with the literal interpretation of Jesus’ words, it’s common for interpreters to claim this had no fulfillment in the first century and that is must apply only to events that are still in out future.
The Olivet Discourse continues beyond these verses, so why stop with these? Because each of these synoptic verses ends with “...this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” Some people contend the prophecies that follow, in Matthew 24:35-25:46, do not necessarily require a first century fulfillment to be accurate and are still unfulfilled. Also, some interpretations say that these first century events were a “kind” of fulfillment and they will repeat in the future at their “true” fulfillment. However, some interpretations include Matthew 24:35-25:46 in those events that have a first century fulfillment.
