matthew 24. luke 21. mark 13. what do they mean? much of my previous influence (through my mid teens) on the interpretations of these came from a well known book series that shall be left unnamed, perhaps put behind me, if you will. i find that Jesus addresses the destruction of the temple here with the disciples, not the coming of a 7 year period preluded by rapture. to them, the end of the world would be the destruction of the temple.
Jesus gives several hints to when it wouldnt be, but not signs to the coming of the end. he mentions that men will falsely come in His name, wars will break out and earthquakes will come, but those are not signs of the end. Instead, he tells them to be ready at all times because no one knows when.
the most dynamic thing i find in this chapter is the coming of the Son of Man. that comes without warning and there is no way to determine when it will happen. i like how Garland points out that Jesus was certainly ambiguous for a reason. we are not meant to know when, just that it will happen and be ready for it, whenever that might be.
