The Olivet Discourse

Today I listened to a fantastic BYU devotional about the Olivet Discourse by S. Kent Brown.  He suggested that we have “no fewer than seven accounts” of the sermon Christ gave that is recorded in Matthew 24.  We have the accounts in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, as well as the JST versions of these chapters.  The JST of Matthew 24 is in the Pearl of Great Price as Joseph Smith-Matthew.  The seventh account is section 45 of the Doctrine and Covenants.  He remarked of this last account, “The Risen Savior thought it important enough that He repeated at some length what He had shared with His apostles that evening on the Mount of Olives.” 

I didn’t realize that this was in D&C 45, and it clearly underscores the importance of the sermon for us to have so many versions of it and for the Lord to reveal some of what He said in our day.  I thought I would look at what we have in this section that’s not in the Joseph Smith-Matthew account.  Here’s what I found:

·         “The whole earth shall be in commotion” (v26).  This idea is repeated later in the Doctrine and Covenants when the Lord said, “And all things shall be in commotion” (D&C 88:91).  I’m not sure exactly what that phrase means but it certainly seems to aptly describe what we see sometimes in our hectic lives.  One definition of the word means more than this, though, for it implies “political or social disturbance or upheaval.”  We certainly have seen our share of that in the past several years, from Iraq to Egypt to Ukraine to Syria, and it probably will only increase in the days ahead. 

·         “And there shall be men standing in that generation, that shall not pass until they shall see an overflowing scourge; for a desolating sickness shall cover the land” (v31).  I don’t think we’ve seen this yet, but it certainly is a sobering thought. 

·         “And then shall the Lord set his foot upon this mount, and it shall cleave in twain, and the earth shall tremble, and reel to and fro, and the heavens also shall shake” (v48).  The Savior will return to the Mount of Olives at the time of His Second Coming and He will tell the Jews, “These wounds are the wounds with which I was wounded in the house of my friends” (v52).  This is not in the other accounts, but something similar is found in Zechariah 13:6.  What a tremendous encounter that will be. 

·         “For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide... shall abide the day” (v57).  This gives us a key concerning how we can make it through the last days without losing our faith, and it is not found in the other accounts.  To make it through the events and struggles up ahead we must have the Holy Ghost as our constant companion.

Overall this section is fairly similar to New Testament accounts and Joseph Smith—Matthew.  It along with the New Testament accounts testifies to us that as the days ahead unfold, we must watch carefully for the signs of His coming.