Hi Walt,
Well I'm rethinking the idea the Jesus was speaking of the end time in Matt 24 when He said "unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved." I really think He was answering 2 separate questions in that chapter, that the disciples asks thinking it was the same thing.
Mat 24:3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? (He had just spoke of the destruction of the Temple in verse 2) And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"
I think that the disciples considered that the destruction of the Temple, would have to mean the end of the age. The Temple was extremely central to all the Jews held dear and the thought of it destroyed was probably almost unthinkable to the mind of a Jew and of course that would have applied to the disciples too.
But Jesus Christ knew that the destruction of the temple would happen many centuries before the end of the age and His return, therefore He answered so as to put it in proper perspective/order, but of course it was still put in a way to keep it obscure, as so many things are. Jesus answered the first question telling them of the horrible attack that was to come on Jerusalem (and destroy the Temple), warning them and those believers that would still be living there to flee at the first sight of the army.
I do not believe Jesus spoke about the end of the age until verse 29 and that's where He began to gave them the answer to the second part of the question they ask, "what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"
Briefly, what I think is we are told in that chapter and assumed for so long that He was speaking about the end of the age through the whole chapter, but is there really going to be great turmoil at the end of the age? Here is what Jesus said.
Mat 24:37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
v. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,
v. 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
Though Noah had warned them of coming destruction for 100 years, they did not believe him, and when it actually was about to come they still were just going about busy as normal until "it took them all away." That's what Jesus said happened then and will also happen at the end of the age, He will appear when nobody is expecting Him, "like a thief in the night."
Think about it the church says there will be a 'great tribulation' just before Christ returns, that would be a warning His return was near, they are deceived. Christ spoke those things in chapter 24 in a way that confuses the world and has concealed the true meaning about His return to this very day. Anyway just wanted to give a different perspective to think about or rethink perhaps.
mercy, peace and love
Kat