I've recently been spending some time in Matthew 25 and some things came to mind. Most of the time, when people read this passage, they automatically think in terms of the end of the world. But, as I've come to realize, this is mistaken. First, the eschatalogical text in Matthew 25 is simply one part of a larger narrative. In other words, one is mistaken to pull this text out of its surrounding texts and disregard what come before. Second, the beginning of this overall section begins with these words,
Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
It speaks very clearly here. The question that Jesus is answering is about the future and end result of the temple and its system. "When will this happen" and "what will be the sign of your coming". Jesus answers this with the following text. Its not about the end of the world, its about the end of the old covenant and the temple which personifies that era. All of this takes place, as Jesus said, within the time period of that generation.
I encourage you to read the text, just as an exercise, as if what I am suggesting is accurate. I would love to hear some feedback in this regard.
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