Mark 13:30
Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

Luke 21:32
Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place.

Revelation 1:1-3
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, everything that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads, and those who hear the words of the prophecy and keep the things which are written in it; for the time is near.

Revelation 22:6
And he said to me, "These words are faithful and true"; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.
† Jesus placed the fulfillment of these events within the lifetime of His generation. (Matthew 24:34)
† Matthew, Mark, and Luke all preserve the exact same time statement.
† John twice declares that the events of Revelation would shortly come to pass. (Revelation 1:1; 22:6)
† Scripture consistently places these events in the first century rather than thousands of years later.

THE NEARNESS STATEMENTS
Matthew 24:33
so you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door.

Luke 21:31
So you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near.

Revelation 1:1
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John,

Revelation 1:3
Blessed is the one who reads, and those who hear the words of the prophecy and keep the things which are written in it; for the time is near.

Revelation 22:6
And he said to me, "These words are faithful and true"; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.

Revelation 22:10
And he said to me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.
† Jesus taught that His disciples would recognize the nearness of these events when they saw the signs. (Matthew 24:33)
† John repeatedly emphasizes that the fulfillment was near. (Revelation 1:3; Revelation 22:10)
† Daniel was told to seal his prophecy because fulfillment was far off, but John was told not to seal his because fulfillment was at hand. (Daniel 12:4; Revelation 22:10)
† The language of imminence cannot honestly be stretched into thousands of years.

Historical References
† Josephus recorded false prophets, civil unrest, famine, internal fighting, and the Roman siege that devastated Jerusalem.
† Josephus described conditions during the siege that match Jesus' warnings concerning tribulation and distress.
† Eusebius recorded that Christians fled Jerusalem before the city's destruction and escaped the judgment that followed.
† Tacitus recorded turmoil, wars, and instability throughout the Roman world during this period.
† These historical accounts align remarkably well with the events described in the Olivet Discourse and Revelation.

How It Applies To Us Today
† The fulfillment of these prophecies demonstrates the absolute reliability of Jesus Christ.
† Every major sign Jesus gave was fulfilled exactly as He foretold.
† Revelation is not disconnected from the Olivet Discourse, it expands upon it and provides additional details.
† We do not live waiting for Christ to keep these promises, we live because He already kept them.
† The kingdom is present, Christ reigns, and believers can live with confidence in His completed work.
† Fulfilled prophecy strengthens our faith because it shows that God's Word never fails.

Q & A Appendix
Q Why compare Revelation to the Olivet Discourse?
A Because both contain the same sequence of events, false christs, wars, famines, persecution, tribulation, judgment, the coming of the Son of Man, the gathering of the elect, and first-century time statements.
Q Which Gospel best explains the Abomination of Desolation?
A Luke does. While Matthew and Mark mention the Abomination of Desolation, Luke identifies the sign as Jerusalem surrounded by armies. (Luke 21:20)
Q What are the days of vengeance?
A Jesus said they were the days in which all things written would be fulfilled. They refer to the judgment that came upon Jerusalem. (Luke 21:22)
Q What is one of the strongest fulfillment statements in Scripture?
A Luke 21:22 where Jesus declared that all things written would be fulfilled.
Q What is one of the strongest time statements in Scripture?
A "This generation shall not pass away, till all things be accomplished." (Matthew 24:34; Mark 13:30; Luke 21:32)
Q Why is Revelation 11:8 important?
A Because it identifies the great city as the place where the Lord was crucified, connecting Revelation's judgment directly to Jerusalem. (Revelation 11:8)
Q Did Jesus predict events thousands of years beyond His audience?
A No. Jesus repeatedly addressed His first-century disciples and stated that all these things would occur before that generation passed away. (Matthew 24:34; Mark 13:30; Luke 21:32)
Q Does Revelation describe different events than the Olivet Discourse?
A No. Revelation expands upon the same events, judgments, tribulation, coming, vindication, and fulfillment that Jesus described on the Mount of Olives.

† This is the fulfilled perspective we proclaim at Fulfilled Prophecies †
© Fulfilled Prophecies - Dan Maines.

Source Index
† Matthew 5:17-18; Matthew 24:1-7, 9, 15-16, 20-21, 28-34; Mark 13:1-9, 14-19, 24-30; Luke 17:37; Luke 21:5-12, 20-23, 25, 27-32; Revelation 1:1-3, 7; Revelation 6:1-13; Revelation 7:1-4, 14; Revelation 10:7; Revelation 11:1-2, 8, 18; Revelation 12:6, 14; Revelation 16:19; Revelation 17:18; Revelation 18:10, 20; Revelation 19:2, 17-18; Revelation 22:6, 10
† Josephus, Wars of the Jews 4.5.2; 5.5.3; 6.5.3; 6.9.4; Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.5.3; Tacitus, Histories 5.13.