Where are the End times mentioned in the Gospels?

Answer 1

The earliest mention of the End Times is in Mark chapter 13, where Jesus prophesied the end of the world and his own return on clouds of glory, during the lifetimes of those then living. The references to the destruction that occurred in the late 60s gives an indication of when this was expected to occur. Jesus told his listeners that they would see the Temple destroyed, and the abomination of desolation, followed by the Son of man coming in clouds of glory, and that this would take place during their own generation.

By the 80s of the first century, when Matthew's Gospel was written, the return predicted in Mark's Gospel was becoming unlikely - the generation had already passed - and the author of Matthew had to change the emphasis away from an impending end of the world. While copying as faithfully as possible from Mark, he changed the position of the sentence about "this generation", relative to the destruction of the great buildings, so that it referred to something else altogether. He added, and emphasised, material where Jesus told the disciples that the end is not yet, and that no man knows when the end of the world will occur. Matthew 24:21 talks of great tribulation that will be followed by the end of the world and the second coming.

Luke was somewhat later than Matthew and even more clearly could not say that the destruction of Jerusalem meant the end of the world. This gospel talks about the end of the world as vaguely in the future, keeping the reference to this generation, but in reference to the need to preach the gospel.