The generation contemporary with Jesus witnessed the events that he predicted that culminated in the destruction of the Temple – Mark 13:28-31.
Next, Jesus provided the chronological key – the disciples would know the time of the Temple’s demise when they saw all “these things” coming to pass, and before “this generation” reached its inevitable end. That was his definitive answer to the question, “when will these things come to pass?” – within one generation.
His parable of the Budding Fig Tree represented the events that culminated in the destruction of the Temple (“these things”). The new foliage sprouted by the “fig tree” indicated the imminence of “summer.” When the disciples saw “these things” coming to pass, then they would know that “it” was at hand.
- (Mark 13:28-31) – “Even so you also, when you see these things coming to pass, know you that it is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things be accomplished.”
The term “these things” refers to the preceding events predicted by Jesus – the “birth pains,” persecution, the rise of “false prophets,” the proclamation of the gospel to all the nations, and the arrival of the “desolating abomination.”
In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus used the phrase “this generation” repeatedly for the generation of Jews that was contemporary with him, the same “generation” that rejected him. For example:
- (Matthew 23:32-36) – “That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of Abel the righteous unto the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom you slew between the sanctuary and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.”
In the literary context of the preceding passage, “this generation” can only refer to the “generation” that included the “scribes and Pharisees” who were denounced by Jesus. For that matter, the normal way to understand the clause is as a reference to the generation that is contemporary with the speaker. That is true whether spoken in English or Greek – (Matthew 3:7, 11:16, 12:34, 12:39, 12:41-45, 16:4, 17:17, 23:33-36, 24:34).
Moreover, “this generation” echoes references from the Torah to the “generation” of Israel that disobeyed Yahweh and consequently was condemned to die in the Wilderness. The verbal allusion is deliberate, for the same consequences were about to befall the “generation” of Jews that rejected Jesus:
- (Numbers 32:13) – “And Yahweh’s anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of Yahweh was consumed.”
- (Deuteronomy 1:35) – “Surely there will not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land.”
- (Deuteronomy 2:14) – “And the space in which we came from Kadesh-Barnea until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from among the host, as Yahweh swore to them.”
Jesus had predicted the desolation of the Temple. In response, the disciples asked, “when will these things (tauta) be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age”? That is, when would the destruction of the Temple take place? He provided a list of events that would signal the approach of that event, the “these things,” especially the “abomination of desolation.” When the disciples saw it, it would then be imperative for them to flee Jerusalem with all haste.
If the arrival of the “abomination of desolation” meant the end of the present age and the arrival of Jesus in glory, there would have been no point in fleeing Jerusalem. For the wicked, there would be no escape, and for the righteous, what would be the point?
Thus, Jesus predicted the destruction of the Temple within one “generation” of his death, and that is precisely what occurred when a Roman army sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple in 70 A.D. When the disciples saw “all these things coming to pass,” they would know that the horrible event was imminent. Once the leaders of Israel rejected their Messiah and conspired in his death, the judgment of the Temple became inevitable.
Insights into Bible Prophecy 
So, please clarify: Are you stating that Matthew and Luke were written after 70AD and “corrected” an “embarrassing” statement made by Jesus?
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No, I am stating that Matthew and Luke were likely written after 70 A.D. yet they did not take the opportunity to “correct” Christ’s words regarding “this generation.” Some biblical critics claim that Jesus was wrong because they interpret his saying to mean that he would return within a “generation” of his death. If Jesus made such a huge blunder, why did Luke or Matthew not “correct” it if or when they wrote their gospels over a generation after his death? That is, the assumption of said critics is wrong; Jesus did not predict his return within a “generation” and, in fact, stated God alone knows the timing of that hour, day and “season” (e.g., Mark 13:33). Jesus addressed two questions: when would the predicted destruction of the Temple occur (answer: within in a generation). When would the end of the age occur and what would be the sign of the Son of Man arriving in glory (answer: Only God knows).
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