I wonder if I might reply to the OP by referring to the Matt 24 parr passages mentioned earlier in the thread; by examining them in their C1 Jewish context.
The question (1-3) translates as, “When is the Temple to be destroyed, and this (2nd Temple) age to end?”
The answer doesn't finish until 26:1 “When Jesus finished what he had to say”. The passages between jumped on by the 'Left Behind' folk are taken to refer to the Second Coming, but that would be a really weird answer to the question put by the disciples. They all refer to AD70.
They are actually a mixture of OT quotation and Jewish Apocalyptic style commentary which relate to the destruction of the Temple in AD 70. E.g. Luke 21:20-24 describes the famous Siege of Jerusalem (Emperor Titus' 3 armies) and the taking of slaves to make the operation self-financing. Once you get your head around Jesus use of symbolic language, which was common at the time, you realise that the relevant passages do refer to AD70.
The NT writers made a big deal of Jesus' prophecy, because the destruction of the Temple was massive and recent. The generation Jesus said would see these things happen, did. Jesus got that prophecy spot on.
The question (1-3) translates as, “When is the Temple to be destroyed, and this (2nd Temple) age to end?”
The answer doesn't finish until 26:1 “When Jesus finished what he had to say”. The passages between jumped on by the 'Left Behind' folk are taken to refer to the Second Coming, but that would be a really weird answer to the question put by the disciples. They all refer to AD70.
They are actually a mixture of OT quotation and Jewish Apocalyptic style commentary which relate to the destruction of the Temple in AD 70. E.g. Luke 21:20-24 describes the famous Siege of Jerusalem (Emperor Titus' 3 armies) and the taking of slaves to make the operation self-financing. Once you get your head around Jesus use of symbolic language, which was common at the time, you realise that the relevant passages do refer to AD70.
The NT writers made a big deal of Jesus' prophecy, because the destruction of the Temple was massive and recent. The generation Jesus said would see these things happen, did. Jesus got that prophecy spot on.
