Jesus began the Olivet Discourse by warning His disciples about the possibility of their concluding wrongly that He had returned or was just about to return.861
24:4-5 The destruction of Jerusalem and other similar catastrophes would not indicate that Messiah's coming and the end of the present age were just around the corner, as Zechariah's prophecy seemed to indicate. The future appearance of people who claimed to be the Messiah should not deceive the disciples into concluding that He had arrived either. Those who would come in Messiah's name refers to those who would come claiming to be Messiah, not those who would come as Jesus' representatives.
24:6 The presence of wars and rumors of wars should likewise not mislead the disciples into thinking that the prophesied destruction of Jerusalem was near (cf. Rev. 6:3-4). Wars and rumors of wars would come, but they would not necessarily be the fulfillment of the prophecies about Messiah's destroying His enemies when He returns (Zech. 14:2-5). The disciples should not let the presence of wars and rumors of wars deceive them into thinking that Messiah's return to reign was imminent.
