This document provides a summary and analysis of key passages in Matthew 24 regarding the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. It makes 3 main points:
1) Matthew 24:15-28 refers to Jesus' warnings to Christians in Judea to flee Jerusalem upon seeing pagan idolatry set up in the Temple, which occurred when the Roman general Vespasian besieged Jerusalem in 69 AD.
2) There is no mention of a rapture in this passage - Jesus instructed his followers to flee the city to survive the coming destruction, not be taken up into heaven.
3) Descriptions of Jesus "coming" were likely using apocalyptic language common in Jewish literature to symbolize the divine