And that is meant to provide a definitive timing for the end times, DU?
As Floo says, no one can be certain of what Jesus said about anything. However, it seems that you like to think that the whole lot recorded must have some true significance, provided you interpret it correctly. That however is your problem. Since I don't believe the scriptures contain any prophetic truth on these matters, I don't consider it a problem of mine.
This subject has been pretty much done to death here before, but the texts quoted make it pretty plain that Jesus' synoptic journalists believed that the End was not far away: Jesus tells a group that some of them will still be alive to see it (are they still alive now, perchance?); he tells the High Priest that he himself will see it (ah! but he can be resurrected can't he?
) and he says the present generation he is speaking to will not pass away until all the 'signs' occur (but there we've got to provide a different translation for 'generation' haven't we - that will help make the problem go away). Furthermore, we have Paul saying exactly the same thing in his early epistle to the Thessalonians, and even in his last, to the Romans - so the idea was obviously deeply ingrained in the teaching of the early Christians.
The unthinkable thing for believers is that Jesus might have been wrong, and that would never do - hence the devious exegeses, eisegeses, twisting, turning, extrapolating out of context, and a decidedly embarrassing reluctance to apply Occam's Razor.
Nevermind, nearly two thousand years on, I'm sure you're quite happy to be one of those wise virgins who kept enough oil for their lamps....