Carl Jonsson makes some good points in his book "Sign of the Last Days -When?" He examines the "signs" in Matt 24 and Luke 21 and actually shows that Jesus was warning people DO NOT BE FOOLED BY THESE THINGS -THE END IS NOT YET. The actual sign Jesus mentioned in Matt 24 v 3 Jesus doesn't start to explain until he describes the SIGN OF THE SON OF MAN in the heavens.
Just another school of thought.
I didn't know about this book, but I had heard those views (and agreed with them) before. There's a thread on that topic I recently started. Apparently the research has been done already. I'll have to pick up that book.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/bible/207345/1/Not-the-end-times-research-project