I'm sure you did not know Jesus was asked this three qestion in Matthew chapter 24, because if you did then you would know the context of all that he said. Jesus spoke of the present, the soon coming, and the future event leading to the end of the age.
Yes, I do know this.
And I've addressed that very thing in many past posts:
[briefly here]
1) vv.2-3 = the 70ad events (like JESUS said in the other Olivet Discourse accounts, ALSO
in Matt22:7, ALSO
in Lk21:12-24a [which is where the response to THIS Q (re: "these things") is RECORDED], ALSO
in Luke 19:42-44-what He said on the VERY DAY that the "69 Weeks" were CONCLUDED, ON Palm Sunday, WHEN He
DID the
Zech9:9 thing and
SAID the
Lk19:42-44 thing... both covering the SUBJECT of "the city / Jerusalem"... the Subect ALSO of the "70 WEEKS" prophecy in
Dan9:24-27 which is said to be [the time-prophecy] "DETERMINED UPON thy [Daniel] people AND UPON thy [Daniel's] holy city"... the very thing that prophecy is about);
2) "and of thy coming" (every reference in this Olivet Discourse, TO THAT "coming," refers to His Second Coming TO THE EARTH" = "
Son of man cometh / coming / shall come / etc" refers to His Second Coming TO THE EARTH designation, to judge [/govern] and TO REIGN (not to "our Rapture");
3) "and of the END [SINGULAR] of the AGE [SINGULAR]"... which I pointed out was a Q BASED ON what He had ALREADY SPOKEN to them about
in Matt13:24,30,39,40,49-50 re: "the END [SINGULAR] of the AGE [SINGULAR]" when the ANGELS will "REAP" (
gather OUT all things that OFFEND... "
collect ye FIRST the TARES"... which is
the OPPOSITE SEQUENCE from that of "our Rapture" event!);
Jesus had already told them of "the
AGE [SINGULAR] TO COME" which they CORRECTLY *understood* to be what WE NOW call the earthly MK age (1000 yrs) they'd been promised[!];
At the time Jesus spoke His Olivet Discourse, He had NOT YET spoken ANYTHING re: "our Rapture [IN THE AIR]"...
...His Subject
in and throughout His Olivet Discourse
(BESIDES the 12 or so verses in Lk21:12-24a_, covering "the 70ad events," which verse 12 states must come "BEFORE ALL" the beginning of BPs [which are "Matt24:4-8 / Mk13:5-8 / Lk21:8-11" SAME EVENTS!-"the BoBPs"... but v.12 is saying the 70ad events must come BEFORE THOSE!]);
So YES, Jesus ANSWERS *THIS* question TOO...
Thus He answers ALL THREE QUESTIONS
(it is the "70ad events" [under pt. 1 above ^ ] which are RECORDED in Lk21:12-24a,b ALONE [in the Olivet Discourse, not that He doesn't cover it elsewhere ALSO, as I showed]... Everything ELSE in the Olivet Discourse is what STARTS WITH "THE BEGINNING of BIRTH PANGS" [kicking off that future time-period] which are EQUIVALENT to the SEALS, which Rev1:1 / 4:1 / 1:19c says are "things which MUST COME TO PASS IN QUICKNESS [NOUN]" (same phrase used in Lk18:8 "AVENGE in quickness [noun]" and in Rom16:20 "shall CRUSH Satan UNDER YOUR FEET in quickness [noun]"(not slated YET to have take place)... NOT unfold over the course of some 2000 years, as the "Historicits" suggest of the Book of Rev).
I've presented my case. May the readers judge.
You are free to believe as you see it.
[didn't mean to BOLD so much of this... OOPS!]