All the things Jesus talks about are things that happen in the normal course of human history. They are things that have happened before and will happen again. You see Jesus taught, as we saw last week, that his return will happen in the same way that judgement came upon the ancient world in Noah's flood, or upon Sodom and Gomorrah. People were just going about their daily business when suddenly it came and swept them away. In the same way, Jesus says, sure there will be wars and all those other things - but the end is not yet.
Wars always happen.
They are a normal part of life. There has not been a period of 25 years in the world's history when there has not been a war happening somewhere. There has not been a century which has not known great signs in the heavens, or earthquakes, or famines or disease. All of these things are part of living in the Fallen World before Jesus returns. All they mean is that as long they are happening, the end has not yet arrived, because when it does, wars will cease and death and disease will be no more.