Editing Olivet Discourse (section)

==Christian eschatology==
There are four quite different [[Christian eschatological views]].
[[Preterism]] is the belief that all of these predictions were fulfilled by the time Jerusalem fell in 70&nbsp;CE.<ref>Jackson, Wayne. [http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/19-a-study-of-matthew-24 "A Study of Matthew Twenty-four"] November 23, 1998. ''Christian Courier''. Contains in-depth discussion of the significant of the chapter and the signs that have come to fruition.</ref> Preterism<ref name=DTS/> considers that most, if not all, prophecy has been fulfilled already, usually in relation to the [[destruction of Jerusalem]] by the Romans in 70&nbsp;CE.

* [[Partial preterism]] says that most (but not all) Bible prophecy, including everything within Matthew 24, Daniel, and Revelation up to chapters 19 or 20, has already been fulfilled when Jerusalem was destroyed.<ref>{{cite web |author=Gentry, Kenneth L. Jr. |title=Falsely Declaring 'The Time': The Great Tribulation in Progressive Dispensationalism (Part 5) |work=Dispensationalism in Transition: Challenging Traditional Dispensationalism's 'Code of Silence' |date=November 1998 |url=http://reformed-theology.org/ice/newslet/dit/dit11.98.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160726183300/http://reformed-theology.org/ice/newslet/dit/dit11.98.htm |archive-date=26 July 2016 |access-date=26 October 2018}}</ref> Since it still includes belief in a future physical [[Second Coming]] of Christ, the [[resurrection of the dead]], and the [[last judgment]], [[partial preterism]] falls within the parameters of [[orthodoxy]] because it conforms to the early Christian [[creed]]s.
* [[Full preterism]] says all biblical prophecy was fulfilled by 70&nbsp;CE. It does not hold to a future judgment, return of Christ, or resurrection of the dead (at least not for non-Christians). Due to the belief that all biblical prophecy has been fulfilled, it is sometimes considered "radical" and usually described as "unorthodox" because it goes against the [[ecumenical creeds]] of early Christianity.

[[Historicism (Christianity)|Historicism]] considers that most prophecy has been or will be fulfilled during the present church age. It was the chief view of Protestants from the [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]] until the mid-19th century. Only among [[Seventh-day Adventist Church|Seventh-day Adventist]]s is historicism applied to current conservative Christian interpretation of Tribulation understanding.<ref name=DTS/>

[[Futurism (Christian eschatology)|Futurism]] is the belief that the future Jesus predicted is the unfolding of events from trends that are already at work in contemporary human society.<ref name=Stedman>{{cite book|last1=Stedman|first1=Ray C. |title=What on Earth Is Happening? What Jesus Said About the End of the Age|publisher=Discovery House Publishers|year=2003|ISBN=1-57293-092-6}}</ref>

Futurism typically holds that all major unfulfilled prophecies will be fulfilled during a global time of catastrophe and war known as the [[Great Tribulation]], in which many other prophecies will be fulfilled during or after the [[Millennialism|Millennium Reign]] of Jesus Christ. According to many futurists, many predictions are currently being fulfilled during the Church Age, in which [[antinomianism|lawlessness]] and [[apostasy]] are currently plaguing secular society. This is seen as a major sign of the approaching fulfillment of all other prophecies during the Tribulation. Within [[evangelical Christianity]] over the past 150 years, futurism has come to be the dominant view of prophecy. However, around the 1970s evangelical preterism—the polar opposite of futurism—was seen as a new challenge to the dominance of futurism, particularly within the Reformed tradition. Yet, futurism continues as the prevalent view for the time being.<ref name=DTS/>{{Rp|p.7}}

Futurists anticipate many coming events that will fulfill all eschatological prophecy: the seven-year period of tribulation, the [[Antichrist]]'s global government<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.deeptruths.com/articles/rise_reign_ac.html |title=The Rise and Reign of the Antichrist part 1 |access-date=2011-06-12 |archive-date=2011-10-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111010014103/http://deeptruths.com/articles/rise_reign_ac.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> the Battle of Armageddon, the Second Coming of Jesus, the millennial reign of Christ, the eternal state, and the [[Christian eschatology#Two Resurrections|two resurrections]].

In his popular book, ''The Late Great Planet Earth, ''first published in 1970, evangelical Christian author [[Hal Lindsey]] argued that prophetical information in Matthew 24 indicates that the "generation" witnessing the "rebirth of Israel" is the same generation that will observe the fulfillment of the "signs" referred to in {{Bibleref2|Matthew|24:1-33}}—and that would be consummated by the second coming of Christ in approximately 1988. He dated it from the "rebirth of Israel" in 1948, and took a generation to be "something like forty years."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lindsey|first1=Hal|title=The Late Great Planet Earth|location=Grand Rapids, MI|publisher=Zondervan|year=1970}}</ref> Lindsey later stretched his forty-year timetable to as long as one hundred years, writing that he was no longer certain that the terminal "generation" commenced with the rebirth of Israel.<ref>Lindsey, Hal. 1977. ''Eternity'', January 1977</ref>{{full citation needed|date=May 2025}}

Another detailed analysis, one written by evangelical pastor [[Ray Stedman]], calls it the "Olivet Prophecy: The most detailed prediction in the Bible". According to Stedman: "There are many predictive passages in both the Old and New Testaments, but none is clearer or more detailed than the message Jesus delivered from the Mount of Olives. This message was given during the turbulent events of the Lord's last week before the cross".<ref name=Stedman/>

The [[Idealism (Christian eschatology)|Idealist]] sees no evidence of timing of prophetic events in the Bible. Thus they conclude that their timing cannot be determined in advance. Idealists see prophetic passages as being of great value in teaching truths about God to be applied to present life. Idealism is primarily associated with liberal scholarship, and is not a major factor in current evangelical Christian deliberation over when prophecy will be fulfilled.<ref name=DTS/>

Within conservative, evangelical Christian thought, two opposite viewpoints of the Great Tribulation have been expressed in a debate between theologians [[Kenneth Gentry|Kenneth L. Gentry]] and [[Thomas Ice]].<ref name=DTS/>{{Rp|197–99}}

;''Tribulation as a past event'' (Dr. Gentry)
*The Great Tribulation occurred during the 1st century.
*Those events marked the end of God's focus on and exaltation of [[Israel]].
*Jesus' prophecies marked the beginning of the Christian era in God's plan.
*The Tribulation is God's judgment on Israel for rejecting the [[Messiah]].
*The Tribulation judgments will be centred on local events surrounding ancient [[Jerusalem]], and also somewhat affecting other portions of the former [[Roman Empire]].
*The Tribulation judgments are governed by Jesus as the Christ to reflect his judgment against Israel, thus showing that he is in heaven controlling those events.

;''Tribulation as a future event'' (Dr. Ice)
*The Great Tribulation is still to come and is rapidly approaching prospect.
*Those events marked the beginning of God's focus on and exaltation of Israel.
*The prophecy says the Christian era will be concluded just after the church is taken from the world.
*Rather than being God's judgment on Israel, it is the preparation of Israel to receive her Messiah.
*The judgments involve catastrophes that literally will affect the stellar universe and impact the entire planet.
*The coming of Christ in the Tribulation requires his public, visible and physical presence to conclude those judgments.