THE APOLOGETIC FRONT: A challenge to futurists on Matthew 24

There is an awesome challenge put forth by Mike on his blog, The Apologetic Front. I, like him have always thought of Matthew 24 as talking about future events (our day?)  but is now backing off somewhat from that assumption. I still don't think that all of Revelations or Matthew 24 or Daniel can be explained from the point of view as being fulfilled in the past, but I think that a great deal can be shown to have been fulfilled. Mike proposes that the people who believe that Matthew 24 has future fulfillment.write their arguments in his comment section. He is asking for arguments from Matthew 24  that are categorically to be fulfilled in the future. I like that idea! I have the same question.

I would say that Matthew 24  & 25 must be interpreted remembering that Jesus is responding to a question. Look at verses 1 - 3 of Matthew 24.

Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. "Do you see all these things?" he asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."
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?"

The disciples asked Jesus two separate questions: When will the temple be destroyed?  When will the end of the world happen? I believe that Jesus answered the first question  in verses 4 - 25 about the Temple's destruction. I take verse 15 as proof of that. Starting at verse 14:

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
"So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time.

I think Jesus did a good  job in describing the events of 70 AD - about 40 years prior to what happened. The Emperor Caligula had tried to set up idols in the holy pace in the Temple. The interesting thing to me is that Jesus said that when you see the abomination that causes desolation standing in the holy place he seems to be describing a person not an idol and as far I can tell Caligula's order was never presented. This is why I've never thought that Jesus was merely describing AD 70. I would argue that it was in this paassge Jesus is sifting from talking about the temple to the end of the world. I'd say vs 26 to the end pf the chapter are definitely future. Look at verses 30 and 31 for example:

"At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

This has not happened yet. It can only happen once and it has not happened ever in any history we can point to.

I found some great links on the Internet concerning the Fall of the Temple and 70 AD.
Eyewitness to History.com - The Romans Destroy the Temple at Jerusalem, 70 AD
The Destruction of Herod's Temple in 70 A.D. As Foreseen by the Prophet Ezekiel
Destruction of Jerusalem fulfilled Matthew 24 in 70 AD - Siege Map
The Destruction of the Second Temple

Most important fun fact about the Temple's destruction that I did not know was that the fall of the Temple was the same date (month and day) as the Babylonian destruction of Solomon's temple!

THE APOLOGETIC FRONT: A challenge to futurists on Matthew 24