The Olivet Discourse (Mt. 24, Mk. 13, & Lk 21) is the teaching of Jesus on the destruction of the temple and the coming of the Son of Man. This is a complex passage to be sure. The preterist view says that the discourse had everything to do with the fall of the temple in 70 AD. Some dispensationalists say it has nothing to do with the fall of the temple in 70 AD but has everything to do with the end times. I believe both of these positions are incorrect. Anthony Hoekema gives a good amillenial explanation of the Olivet Discourse, one that I very much appreciate:
“As we read the discourse… we find that aspects of these two topics [when will this be and what are the signs] are intermingled; matters concerning the destruction of the temple (epitomized by the destruction of the temple) are mingled together with matters which concern the end of the world – so much so that it is sometimes hard to determine whether Jesus is referring to the one or the other or perhaps to both. Obviously the method of teaching used here by Jesus is that of prophetic foreshortening, in which events far removed in time and events in the near future are spoken of as if they were very close together. The phenomenon has been compared to what happens when one looks at distant mountains; peaks which are many miles apart may be seen as if they are close together.”
Hoekema then notes how Joel’s prediction of the Spirit’s outpouring and the sun turned to darkness are lumped together, and he notes how Isaiah mentions the fall of Babylon and the day of the Lord in the same prophecy. Hoekema then writes,
“In the Olivet discourse, therefore, Jesus is proclaiming events in the distant future in close connection with the events in the near future. The destruction of Jerusalem which lies in the near future is a type of the end of the world; hence the intermingling. The passage, therefore, deals neither exclusively with the destruction of the temple nor exclusively with the end of the world; it deals with both – sometimes with the latter in terms of the former.”
When we read the Olivet Discourse, it does have to do with the destruction of the temple, but it also has to do with Christ’s second – and final – return. Thankfully the comfort in this text is clear: God is in total control of history, so the Christian need not be afraid when horrible things happen. Instead, we should keep on making the good confessing and endure in the faith, looking forward to Christ’s return.
The above quotes are found on pages 148-149 of Hoekema’s The Bible and the Future.
Shane Lems
The Reformed Reader Blog 
Better to say “some” dispensationalists. Most of the dispensationalists I know would argue for a both and. This both/and is probably most clearly seen in Luke’s account.
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Duly noted. Thanks! Shane
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