Luk 21:22-24 | KingComments | STEP | The siege of Jerusalem to which the Lord refers cannot be the siege that has taken place in recent days by the armies of the Assyrians led by the king of the North. The Lord speaks here of the siege with the subsequent destruction that will happen by the Romans in the year 70. It proves that it are “the times of the Gentiles“ ( ) that started with Nebuchadnezzar, but that will also one day be “fulfilled”. During the times of the Gentiles Jerusalem is trampled under foot by the nations. This shows that the Lord Jesus speaks of the present time. The times of the Gentiles will come to an end when He returns to earth. What the Lord describes with respect to the situation that arises when the Romans rise up against Jerusalem, does have the same character as the siege of Jerusalem in the last days. In the last days Jerusalem will also be trampled under foot and destroyed, but shortly thereafter saved from distress by the coming of Christ from heaven on earth. Then He will destroy His enemies with the sword coming out of His mouth ( ). The destruction that Luke writes down from the Lord’s mouth cannot be an end-time event. The destruction was followed by the humiliation of the Jewish capital, which was then occupied by one nation after another. This continues until the term God has set for the domination of the Gentiles has come to an end. This is typically something for our evangelist. Matthew and Mark speak of “the abomination of desolation“ ( ; ), which can only be about the last crisis. Although the circumstances are like those “on the day the Son of Man is revealed” ( ), here it is about an imminent event. That there are certainly similarities is shown by the Lord’s warnings. As in view of the last days, the Lord warns here not to lose any time and to flee from the advancing enemy (cf. ). Wherever they are, they have to make sure they are away from Jerusalem. It is folly to believe out of an unhealthy love for the city that something valuable can be taken away from it, or even to think that it would make sense to defend the city. God’s judgment comes on the city. Therefore it is not only unwise, but also disobedient to be guided by any connection with the city. God fulfills the word He has spoken. He has said that if the city continues to resist Him, He will destroy it. The Lord Jesus foretold it ( ). Revenge will strike all life, even in its earliest stages. The need will be great in the land because of the wrath that God must bring on “this” people, that is the people of Israel that killed Christ. Any resistance is meaningless. The enemy is supreme. Many inhabitants will be killed by the sword. Others will be captured and taken to all nations. That doesn't happen in the end time, but in the year 70. Then Jerusalem will lose its glory and independence. It will not so much be a subdued city, but a despised city on that the nations will trample on. This is how it was until 1948, when Israel became an independent state again. Yet even today it is still a land that exists by the grace of certain powerful nations and at the same time is despised and seen with the greatest enmity by the surrounding nations. “The times of the Gentiles” is the period when world domination is given to the Gentiles. We see that this is expressed in the rule by the four world empires about which we read in the book of Daniel. When Nebuchadnezzar received from God world domination including authority over Israel, the times of the Gentiles began ( ). But there is an “until”. This word indicates that this situation is coming to an end. The end of the domination and the trampling under foot of Jerusalem by the nations is heralded by signs that will appear in sun and moon and stars. These signs in heaven are accompanied by dismay among the nations and not only in Israel. There will be an increasing fear among the nations of terrible things, of threats of disasters of all kinds. The nations are in perplexity. At the moment I write this (March 2008), in the Netherlands the movie ‘Fitna’ by the politician Geert Wilders about islam is one of the boosters of this general feeling of fear. Climate change, for example, also causes panic. The fact that people’s leaders speak soothingly about such signals or claim to have things under control with grandiloquent speech does not take anything away from the fear that people feel in their innermost being. The fear will be so great, that people will faint. They see the threat of doom growing ever greater. They will try to do everything to turn the tide, but it will turn out to be useless. They have to do with forces in the heavens, spiritual forces. People have surrendered themselves to them because they have excluded God. The greatest disaster that will strike them is the coming of the Son of Man. They will see Him come in a cloud ( ), the sign of His glory. He will then reveal power and great glory. They despised the Baby in the manger, wrapped in cloths. They did not want Him, and rejected Him, and killed Him. Then they will stand face to face with Him ( ) and will not escape.

‏ Luke 21:22-24

Fulfillment of the Times of the Gentiles

The siege of Jerusalem to which the Lord refers cannot be the siege that has taken place in recent days by the armies of the Assyrians led by the king of the North. The Lord speaks here of the siege with the subsequent destruction that will happen by the Romans in the year 70. It proves that it are “the times of the Gentiles“ (Lk 21:24) that started with Nebuchadnezzar, but that will also one day be “fulfilled”. During the times of the Gentiles Jerusalem is trampled under foot by the nations. This shows that the Lord Jesus speaks of the present time. The times of the Gentiles will come to an end when He returns to earth.

What the Lord describes with respect to the situation that arises when the Romans rise up against Jerusalem, does have the same character as the siege of Jerusalem in the last days. In the last days Jerusalem will also be trampled under foot and destroyed, but shortly thereafter saved from distress by the coming of Christ from heaven on earth. Then He will destroy His enemies with the sword coming out of His mouth (Rev 19:15).

The destruction that Luke writes down from the Lord’s mouth cannot be an end-time event. The destruction was followed by the humiliation of the Jewish capital, which was then occupied by one nation after another. This continues until the term God has set for the domination of the Gentiles has come to an end. This is typically something for our evangelist. Matthew and Mark speak of “the abomination of desolation“ (Mt 24:15; Mk 13:14), which can only be about the last crisis. Although the circumstances are like those “on the day the Son of Man is revealed” (Lk 17:30), here it is about an imminent event.

That there are certainly similarities is shown by the Lord’s warnings. As in view of the last days, the Lord warns here not to lose any time and to flee from the advancing enemy (cf. Lk 17:31). Wherever they are, they have to make sure they are away from Jerusalem. It is folly to believe out of an unhealthy love for the city that something valuable can be taken away from it, or even to think that it would make sense to defend the city. God’s judgment comes on the city. Therefore it is not only unwise, but also disobedient to be guided by any connection with the city.

God fulfills the word He has spoken. He has said that if the city continues to resist Him, He will destroy it. The Lord Jesus foretold it (Lk 20:16). Revenge will strike all life, even in its earliest stages. The need will be great in the land because of the wrath that God must bring on “this” people, that is the people of Israel that killed Christ. Any resistance is meaningless. The enemy is supreme. Many inhabitants will be killed by the sword. Others will be captured and taken to all nations.

That doesn't happen in the end time, but in the year 70. Then Jerusalem will lose its glory and independence. It will not so much be a subdued city, but a despised city on that the nations will trample on. This is how it was until 1948, when Israel became an independent state again. Yet even today it is still a land that exists by the grace of certain powerful nations and at the same time is despised and seen with the greatest enmity by the surrounding nations.

“The times of the Gentiles” is the period when world domination is given to the Gentiles. We see that this is expressed in the rule by the four world empires about which we read in the book of Daniel. When Nebuchadnezzar received from God world domination including authority over Israel, the times of the Gentiles began (Dan 2:37-40 ; Dan 7:2-7 ; 17).

But there is an “until”. This word indicates that this situation is coming to an end. The end of the domination and the trampling under foot of Jerusalem by the nations is heralded by signs that will appear in sun and moon and stars. These signs in heaven are accompanied by dismay among the nations and not only in Israel. There will be an increasing fear among the nations of terrible things, of threats of disasters of all kinds. The nations are in perplexity.

At the moment I write this (March 2008), in the Netherlands the movie ‘Fitna’ by the politician Geert Wilders about islam is one of the boosters of this general feeling of fear. Climate change, for example, also causes panic. The fact that people’s leaders speak soothingly about such signals or claim to have things under control with grandiloquent speech does not take anything away from the fear that people feel in their innermost being.

The fear will be so great, that people will faint. They see the threat of doom growing ever greater. They will try to do everything to turn the tide, but it will turn out to be useless. They have to do with forces in the heavens, spiritual forces. People have surrendered themselves to them because they have excluded God.

The greatest disaster that will strike them is the coming of the Son of Man. They will see Him come in a cloud (Dan 7:13), the sign of His glory. He will then reveal power and great glory. They despised the Baby in the manger, wrapped in cloths. They did not want Him, and rejected Him, and killed Him. Then they will stand face to face with Him (Rev 1:7) and will not escape.