Matthew’s “apocalypse” at chapters 24 and 25 needs to be read in the context of the previous Chapter.
Although we do not know the names of the Gospel’s authors, they make it plain that they were Jews who despised the Pharisees and the burdens they had added through the temple services. While the writers of the Gospel were scrupulous in requiring obedience to the letter of the Scriptures (Matt. 5:17-18), they rejected the traditions that had been overlaid by the priestly class, as Matthew 23 reveals.
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The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the seat of Moses. (Matt. 23:2)
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! (Matt. 23:13)
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! (Matt. 23:15)
Woe to you, blind guides, (Matt. 23:16)
Fools and blind ones! (Matt. 23:17)
Blind ones! (Matt. 23:19)
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! (Matt. 23:23)
Blind guides. (Matt. 23:24)
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! (Matt. 23:25)
Blind Pharisee. (Matt. 23:26)
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you resemble whitewashed graves. (Matt. 23:27)
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! (Matt. 23:29)
You are sons of those who murdered the prophets. (Matt. 23:31)
Serpents, offspring of vipers. (Matt. 23:33)
May come upon you all the righteous blood spilled on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered. (Matt. 23:35)
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The Gospel writers declared that the full force of God’s revenge would fall upon the people of their time.
Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. (Matt. 23:36)
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These Gospel writers had no sympathy for Jerusalem or for its temple that the Romans had demolished. God had already abandoned it.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the killer of the prophets and stoner of those sent to her. … Look! Your house is abandoned. (Matt. 23:37, 38)
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This rejection of the temple and all that it stood for is symbolised by Jesus’ action of “departing from the temple”. Even so, the disciples were still impressed by the appearance of the physical structures.
As Jesus was departing from the temple, his disciples approached to show him the buildings of the temple. (Matt. 24:1)
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Without any sympathy for the fate of the buildings, the Gospel’s authors described the actions taken by the Romans when they sacked the city and demolished the temple.
In response he said to them: “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, by no means will a stone be left here upon a stone and not be thrown down.” While he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately, saying: “Tell us, when will these things be?” (Matt. 24:2-3)
Of course, the Gospel writers knew the answer, having witnessed the destruction.
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Building on the many apocalypses circulating at the time, the Gospel writers stitched their own to the story of the temple’s destruction, fully anticipating that the final outcome would take place in their own time.
This generation will by no means pass away until all these things happen. (Matt. 24:34)