"The abomination that causes desolation" is a reference to Daniel 9:25, 11:31, 12:11. It probably refers to the Roman standard that was placed in the temple during the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70. Jesus warns them that when they see this they should flee to the mountains. This was a very practical piece of advice for the people, and one which saved lives. When it came the disaster would come quickly and there would not be time to think about reacting.
Jesus also tells them to pray that it will not happen on the Sabbath, so lessening the impact. So even when God has said something is going to happen it does not mean that we should not pray about it.
The destruction of Jerusalem is a "type" of the final destruction, ie it contains some of the elements of the final days. It will be a time of great confusion, with many false messiahs. Some will even perform apparent miracles., and it will be easy to be deceived. So we need to be on our guard. Jesus warns His disciples of difficult times ahead. Nowhere does the New Testament say that life will be easy if we follow Jesus.
When Jesus returns it will be obvious to all, there will be no debate about, there will be no need for a theology degree, nor to be an obsessive about the last days. All will see.
Jesus will return with glory, and is coming back for His own.
The end of this section closes with enigmatic verses about "this generation will certainly not pass away". What exactly does it mean? Some say it means the destruction of Jerusalem, others that it refers to all humanity (ie to the present age). I think it means both. The AD70 events did happen, and they prefigure the greater end.
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