Read this carefully, many bogus doctrines result by reading this carelessly
Luke 21:12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake. 13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
"Before all these things" means before all the things mentioned in the previous verses, the world wars, the great signs, the woman going into labor, before all that, the apostles would be arrested, imprisoned, persecuted and become martyrs.
14 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: 15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
Jesus gave Matthew, Peter, James, John, Jude and Paul the New Testament. No one has been able to gainsay or resist the wisdom in the New Testament.
16 And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
Not all, Jesus wasn't only speaking to the apostles, he was also speaking to the disciples.
17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
"Hated of all men" sounds like the entire church age. In other words, yes, "before all these things" can refer to before World War 1.
18 But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
Think about how many people live, die, and are forgotten. Out of the billions and billions of people who have lived during the church age how many are actually still remembered? It seems every single martyr for Christ is remembered. How many people from 2,000 years ago can you name besides Peter, James, John, Paul, Luke, Matthew, Mark, Jude, Stephen, etc?
19 In your patience possess ye your souls.
This chapter begins with the disciples asking the Lord about the sign of His second coming and here He is telling them to be patient. Instead of focusing on when the Lord will return, focus on possessing ye your souls. I used to teach high school science and at the end of the year there was a big, statewide exam which you had to pass in order to graduate. Some teachers would have a countdown, so that the kids would see how many days until that big exam. I never did that. My feeling was the focus needs to be on passing the exam. Knowing what day the exam is doesn't mean you will pass it and I felt that emphasis on when the exam was gave the kids the wrong focus, as though knowing that somehow would help them to pass.
20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
I believe this verse has caused all kinds of erroneous doctrines. It is easy to see that this refers to 70 AD. It is easy to see that after talking about world wars Jesus turned and told the apostles "before all these things happen you will be martyred". But when Jesus said "you will be hated of all men" that was not fulfilled by the apostles but by all the martyrs during the church age. The Apostles did go to Africa and get martyred there, but not by all the people in Africa. They also went to India and got martyred there, but again not by all the people in Asia. They went to Europe and got martyred there, but not by all the people in Europe. To see that fulfilled you have to wait, be patient and see the entire church age. So then does this verse refer to 70 AD? Of course, yes it does. But does it refer to the end of the church age? Yes, again, this will be confirmed in verse 24.
21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
Think of this event as bookends, this happened at 70 AD and it happens during the tribulation when the Antichrist sets the abomination of desolation in the Holy Sanctuary.
22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
We have two terms here: in this verse we have "the days of vengeance" and in verse 24 we have "the times of the Gentiles". The days of vengeance are because they rejected Jesus Christ as Messiah. These days did not begin when Jesus was crucified, they began on the 9th of Av in 70 AD and they will end on the 15th of Av after Armageddon. Why didn't this begin at the time of the crucifixion and even more important, why would it begin on the 9th of Av? The reason for the "days of vengeance" is that they rejected Jesus Christ as the Messiah. This refers to an official rejection by the religious leaders in Jerusalem. This is recorded in the gospels when they declared that Jesus was not the Messiah but rather was casting out demons by Beelzebub. At that time Jesus told them that rejecting Him was the unforgivable sin. They in turn asked for a sign, not that different from what the disciples are doing in this chapter. When God proclaims a judgment He will provide a sign to confirm that the judgement has been determined. They asked for a sign and Jesus gave them the sign of Jonah. The death and resurrection was the sign of Jonah being swallowed up by the earth for three days and nights. However, the sign of Jonah includes 40 days going throughout the city telling them to repent. We know from temple records that the atoning sacrifice was not accepted for 40 years from 30 AD to 69 AD and by the day of atonement in 70 AD the temple was destroyed. This is because the day they officially rejected Jesus was the 9th of Av, the day of the evil report by the spies, the leaders of the ten tribes of Israel. So then Israel was given this 40 year warning as a sign that rejecting Jesus was the unforgivable sin. But beginning in 70 AD, the 9th of Av, it was the "days of vengeance". You are supposed to forgive 70x7 times, or 70 weeks. Now according to the law of Moses when God is dealing with the sin of Israel it will be in four stages. They get punished, they have an opportunity to repent, they don't repent then you start stage two, and then stage three and then stage four. So then, 70x7x4 = 1960 years. If we subtract 1,960 years from 2026 we get 66 AD, this is the year the Great Jewish revolt began which started the first Jewish-Roman war against the Roman empire. Nero seized gold from the temple, the Jews revolted and stopped the daily sacrifices made in honor of Nero. At first there were some victories by the Jews, but Nero sent Vespasian to crush them and this set the stage for the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD by Titus (Vespasians son).
23 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
This is referring directly to 70 AD, but it began in 66 AD, just as the tribulation at the end of the age is also a time of great distress on the land and wrath upon the people who rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ, and it will be carried out over years.
24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
But the "times of the Gentiles refers to the period from Jerusalem being trodden down by the Gentiles. They began to trod down Jerusalem in 70 AD and 1,960 years later is 2030 AD. The times of the Gentiles concludes with the two witnesses in Jerusalem being caught up to heaven while their dead bodies were being live streamed to the whole earth. This causes many Jews to turn to the Lord and repent and say "blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord". At the same time they must flee from Antichrist, a great earthquake splits the mount of Olives, they flee through that fault and Jesus appears in glory and defeats their enemies. The seven year tribulation is slightly shorter than seven years because it is actually 84 months of 30 days.