On the Mount of Olives, Jesus taught His disciples about His Second Coming. Like new leaves on a fig tree, signs would show the season was near, though only the Father knows the day. He invited everyone to watch, treasure His word, and be found faithfully doing good.
On the Mount of Olives, Jesus answered His disciples’ question about the sign of His coming. He promised, “Whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived.” He told them to “learn a parable of the fig tree”: when its branches are tender and put forth leaves, summer is near. In the same way, when His elect see the signs, “they shall know that he is near, even at the doors.” But “of that day, and hour, no one knoweth; no, not the angels of God in heaven, but my Father only.”
His coming would be like the days of Noah, when people kept eating, drinking and marrying “and knew not until the flood came.” Two would be in the field and two grinding at the mill; one would be taken and the other left. So He said, “Watch, therefore,” and “be ye also ready.” He promised, “Blessed is that servant whom his lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing.”
Who’s who
Jesus Christ: who will come again in glory
His disciples: who ask about the signs of His coming
The faithful servant: whom the Lord finds ready
Where and when
On the Mount of Olives, looking across at the temple in Jerusalem, during the last week of Jesus’ mortal life.
Eight stops from His word to the faithful servant. Scroll, or tap a number on the map.
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The story, plainly
Four scenes: the fig tree, the days of Noah, the field and the household. Look for the Savior’s promises in each one.
Read it plainly
The words that trip people up
Tap any dotted word for its meaning. The scripture stays exactly as written.1
Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:37“whoso Meaning: values and keeps close. my word”
Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:38“summer is Meaning: very close.”
Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:47“in what Meaning: part of the night. the thief would come”
Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:47“would not have Meaning: allowed. his house to have been broken up”
Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:49“to give them Meaning: food. in due season”
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Look closer
Small details tell the story. Some cards are details in the text; others share insights from Church leaders, Church resources or outside sources. Each card says which.
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All nine. The fig tree, the door, the sunrise, the ark, the field, the mill, the lamp, the house and His word. Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:37–50
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Where are you?
Worried, treasuring His word, distracted, or watching. Which feels most like you right now?
A next step for you
Your choice is saved only on this device.
Try it
Keep watch
The faithful servant stayed ready. Press and hold to keep your lamp burning, and read His promises as you watch.
“Watch, therefore, for you know not at what hour your Lord doth come.” Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:46
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Their world, their words
A little background on the Mount of Olives, Joseph Smith—Matthew and two Greek words helps the teaching come alive. Outside sources are labeled.
Church resource · Student manual
The Olivet Discourse
Matthew 24–25 “contain what is sometimes called the Olivet Discourse, so named because the Savior delivered it on the Mount of Olives.”3
Taught days before Gethsemane.
Church resource · Student manual
Two questions
The disciples asked when the temple would be destroyed, and “What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”3
He answered both.
Church resource · Student manual
Joseph Smith—Matthew
The Joseph Smith Translation of Matthew 24 helps “clearly separate the answers to the two questions.”3
A restored clarity.
Church resource · Student manual
Not deceived
“Much of what Jesus taught in the Olivet Discourse was to prepare His disciples, both then and now, so they would not be deceived and overcome by evil.”3
Fig trees put out leaves as summer comes. Jesus used that familiar sight to teach about signs and seasons.2
Word study · Greek
grégoreó γρηγορέω · “watch” (Matthew 24:42)
Bible Hub: “to be awake, to watch.”6Outside · lexicon
To watch is to stay spiritually awake: alert, faithful and ready.1
What the text does not say
Jesus doesn’t tell us the day or hour of His coming. “No one knoweth; no, not the angels of God in heaven, but my Father only.”1 He gave signs to show the season, and He asked us to be ready instead of anxious.3
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Look to Him
He will come again in glory. Until then, He invites us to treasure His word, watch and serve.
“These are days of great opportunity and important responsibilities. These are your days.”
“What is the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world, or the destruction of the wicked, which is the end of the world?” Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:4
Jesus
He answered
“Therefore be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh.” Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:48
One way to watch and be ready each day. It saves on this device, one day at a time.
0 of 7 today
This week:0 of 7 days
Seven days of watching. Come again tomorrow.
A quiet moment
“Even at the doors.”
Read Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:37–50 slowly. Picture the fig tree putting out its first leaves. Then think of one thing you would want Him to find you doing when He comes. Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:37–50
A verse to hold
Talk about it
What does the fig tree teach about His coming?
Who knows the day and hour?
What were people doing in the days of Noah?
What does it mean to “watch”?
Open
For adults and deeper study
Go deeper
Longer readings, harder questions, and where to study next. Each one says what it is before you click.
Apostle
Elder Neil L. Andersen, “Preparing the World for the Second Coming” (2011)
How young people help prepare the world for the Savior’s return.4
Everything on this page as a 11-page letter-size PDF: the map, scenes, cards, activity, word studies, tracker, Go deeper and sources. For home, class or a quiet Sunday.
The Signs of His Coming is part of the Scripture Story Sketch Notes for the New Testament, set alongside Come, Follow Me for May 17–23, 2027 (Joseph Smith—Matthew; Matthew 24–25; Mark 12–13; Luke 21).
Independent study notes from Weak Things, not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Scripture quotations are from the King James Version. The words are in Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:37–50; the insights in “Look closer” are labeled by source.
