Okay. This has taken far too long to get out, but then I forgot the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) principle and tried to write an analysis that would rival that in Edersheim's Jesus the Messiah or Talmage's Jesus the Christ. While I was learning a lot from the exercise, it (a) was of little practical value for a prepper, and (b) was simply taking too long. So, back to the drawing board....
The Basics: At the end of Chapter 23 and beginning of Chapter 24, Christ pronounces condemnation upon the Jewish nation that (a) "their house" (i.e., the land generally, but the temple specifically, would be left "desolate" and, as to the temple, its destruction would be so complete that "[t]here shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down," Matt. 23:32 and 24:2; and (b) they (the Jews in a national sense) would not see him again "till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." Matt. 23:39.
In response, certain of the apostles ask Jesus about when these will occur, and the signs of his return (or the end of the world). Christ's response comprises the bulk of Matthew 24 (and is also recorded by Mark and Luke).
(For the LDS Reader, you will immediately note that the account in Matthew is somewhat confusing as to the order of the information compared to the accounts in Mark and Luke. This is corrected in the Joseph Smith Translation (JST) of Matthew 24 found in The Pearl of Great Price. For LDS critics, I would merely point out that Eldersheim's analysis based on all three accounts compares favorably with the JST).
Lessons Learned: Christ makes it clear that he is not going to give a specific time to either event; and the scriptures indicate that no one, other than the Father, know the date of when Christ will return. However, He does give them some signs and, as to the destruction of Jerusalem, a very loose time-frame--it would happen before the current generation passed away. This, I believe, is the primary lesson for the "practical eschatologist" approaching the scriptures for guidance in preparing for the end times: no matter how much you study the scriptures, no matter how much you desire to know, the time of His Second Coming has not been revealed. Rather, the commandment here is one of constant watchfulness and preparation.
Notwithstanding, Christ gave some signs and practical advice. As for the destruction of Jerusalem and tribulation of the Jews, He tells them that when they see "the abomination of desolation" (the encompassing of the Holy City by foreign armies), that they should immediately flee the City for the mountains, without stopping or pausing for any reason in their flight. See Matt. 24:15-22.
Christ then turns from the Jews to the Church. He warns them that there will be many false Christs and prophets, wars and rumors of wars, but that this will not be the end. As we know from the JST and Revelations, that "again shall the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, be fulfilled." JS-Matt. 1:32. Other signs we are given is that the Gospel will be preached in all the word. JS-Matt. 1:31; Matt. 24:14. Finally, as noted above,the Jews must welcome Jesus as their Messiah.
The practical points here? In His discourse and the related parables, the Lord emphasizes again and again the suddenness of his coming. It will be unmistakable (like the sun rising or lightening shooting across the sky), but it will be sudden and, I suspect, when least suspected. See Matt. 24:37-41. In fact, the totality of these warnings lead me to suspect that we may pass through a period of tribulation, things will get better and people will celebrate (even if for only the shortest of times) and then ... wham!...we will see the Second Coming. Certainly, if there is any specific warning, it will be so close to the actual event that there will be no time for the unprepared to prepare. See Matt. 25:1-13 (the parable of the ten virgins).
There will always be war, upheaval, natural disasters, and economic crises, completely unrelated to the advent of the Second Coming. However, history has shown (and I'm thinking of the collapse of the Soviet Union) that huge, unimaginable events can occur suddenly. What starts off as just another intifada, minor political scandal, "sending in troops to stabilize the situation," or spike in commodity prices, could turn into the tribulations proceeding the Second Coming. So, it is time to prepare ourselves spiritually and physically for his return and to be ever watchful.
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