The Lord’s disciples asked him, “when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age” (Matthew 24:3). Jesus had just given the prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem that precipitates the question. They used the same word, sunteleias, that Daniel uses in Daniel 12:4. The language tie to Daniel 12 suggests that the disciples’ question was influenced by Daniel, who predicts the great tribulation (12:1) and the abomination of desolation (12:9). Significantly, both of these are mentioned in Matthew 24. Daniel speaks of the “time of the end” and the disciples ask what would be the sign of the “end of the age” (Matthew 24:3). Jesus later states that “all these things will come upon this generation” (Matthew 24:34). The discussion concerns the end of the age and generation, not the world. The disciples were not connecting the destruction of the temple with the end of the world. This was not the first time Jerusalem and its temple were destroyed. In 586, Babylon sacked the city and carried Judah into captivity. Certainly, it was the end of the world as they knew it, but it was not the end of the kosmos. Life continued on planet earth. To suggest that the disciples thought that the end of the temple was paramount to the end of time and the end of the world is a very weak position.
When Jesus gave a list of signs to answer their question, it does not tell us specifically until he ends with, “this generation shall not pass until all these things be fulfilled” (Matthew 24:34). Now, let’s back up and pick out the things he specifically lists as signs that would take place in that generation. He mentions “wars, famines, and earthquakes.” He explains after those signs that the end (telos) is not yet (cf. Luke 21:9, “not immediately the end). Verse 14 reads, “This gospel of the kingdom must be preached into all the world for a witness to the nations, then comes the end.” What end is He talking about, here? It is an answer to the question that was asked of Him. They asked, “What will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?” The end, according to Jesus, is coming when the gospel of the kingdom is preached into all the world for a witness to the nations. But, keep in mind verse 34 that these things would occur in that generation. While you are figuring out how this was fulfilled by the first century, consider Colossians 1:23. It speaks of “the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.” If you can conclude that Paul claims that the gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, then you can understand how the gospel is preached into all the world. Both statements have their fulfillment in the first century. In Romans 10:18f, he says the gospel had been proclaimed to all the world and in 13:11f says “the day is at hand.” In Romans 16:25-26, he says that the gospel had been declared to the nations. In verse 20 he says Satan’s destruction was to come shortly. And, finally, Titus 2:11-12 says that the gospel had been declared to all men and that they were “looking” for the appearing of Christ. The word looking (prosdekomai) means expecting.