The *this generation* that Jesus was referring to wa not the one He was talking to. It was the one that was living through the signs He was addressing.
Because when you look at the passage in Matthew 24, it makes no sense for Him to be talking about the Tribulation period, jump back to the present for one sentence/verse, and then address the Tribulation period again.
In Matthew’s account there’s no answer to the first question, only to the last two. Luke began his account the same way as Matthew and Luke 21:8-11 concern the End of the Age. But in Luke 21:12-24, the Lord backed up to answer the first question, so that portion of Luke’s account deals with events leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Then in Luke 21:25-35 He continued with his prophecy about the end of the Age, inserting a final warning to the disciples in verse 36 concerning the first century destruction of Jerusalem.
Once you understand these differences you’ll find the two accounts fit together quite well.
When you look at the passage in Matthew 24
The Destruction of the Temple Foretold. 1 [a]Jesus left the temple area and was going away, when his disciples approached him to point out the temple buildings. 2 [b]He said to them in reply, “You see all these things, do you not? Amen, I say to you, there will not be left here a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”
The Beginning of Calamities. 3 As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives,[c] the disciples approached him privately and said, “Tell us, when will this happen, and what sign will there be of your coming, and of the end of the age?” 4 [d]Jesus said to them in reply, “See that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars[e] and reports of wars; see that you are not alarmed, for these things must happen, but it will not yet be the end. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be famines and earthquakes from place to place. 8 [f]All these are the beginning of the labor pains. 9 [g]Then they will hand you over to persecution, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name. 10 And then many will be led into sin; they will betray and hate one another. 11 Many false prophets will arise and deceive many; 12 and because of the increase of evildoing, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the world as a witness to all nations,[h] and then the end will come.
The Great Tribulation.[i] 15 “When you see the desolating abomination[j] spoken of through Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then those in Judea must flee[k] to the mountains, 17 [l]a person on the housetop must not go down to get things out of his house, 18 a person in the field must not return to get his cloak. 19 Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days. 20 [m]Pray that your flight not be in winter or on the sabbath, 21 [n]for at that time there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will be. 22 And if those days had not been shortened, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect they will be shortened. 23 If anyone says to you then, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 False messiahs and false prophets will arise, and they will perform signs and wonders so great as to deceive, if that were possible, even the elect. 25 Behold, I have told it to you beforehand. 26 So if they say to you, ‘He is in the desert,’ do not go out there; if they say, ‘He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.[o] 27 For just as lightning comes from the east and is seen as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
The Coming of the Son of Man. 29 [p]“Immediately after the tribulation of those days,
the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light,
and the stars will fall from the sky,
and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
30 And then the sign of the Son of Man[q] will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels[r] with a trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
The Lesson of the Fig Tree.[s] 32 “Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 In the same way, when you see all these things, know that he is near, at the gates. 34 Amen, I say to you, this generation[t] will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
NOTE:
1. This generation will not pass away. Jesus is addressing those listening to Him THEN
Tye end of the age happeneD, as Jesus foretold it would happen during the lifetime of the generation that heard him in 30 AD, with the 2nd temple having the abomination of Emperor worship sanctioned by The high priest.
Did you miss the part of Matthew 23
“
32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.”
Note. This generation.
Note. The destruction of 2nd temple Jerusalem
And let’s look at Matthew 24
“24 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”
Note He talks of the immanent destruction of the temple, not 2000 years later
And
“6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
“
68 AD the Julio Claudian dynasty fell, and wars between Otho, Vitellus and Vespasian threatened to destroy the Pax Augustus. And the Parthians were threatening an invasion.
AND THE ZEALOT JEWISH SECT TRIGGERED THE JEWISH REVOLT.
Read Josephus who wrote at that time and described perfectly the signs in heaven , the earthquakes, the wars and the famines