This week’s SWEET SUNDAY SERMON is entitled “THE TIMES OF THE GENTILES” by Dr. GP
•While reading the Gospels, we often encounter passages which puzzle us. One such passage concerns a statement made by Jesus in response to questions on the part of his disciples in the Olivet Discourse concerning the destruction of the Jewish Temple and the end of the age (Luke 21:5-7). The Lord Jesus, in Luke 21:22-24 prophesied that “Jerusalem would be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
•For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
•Many today are asking “Have we seen the actual accomplishment of that prediction?”
•Does the takeover of the old city and the temple site in Jerusalem mean that the times of the Gentiles have indeed been fulfilled?
•I would like to discuss that question today because I know many are asking it and I have been asking it myself and I found it necessary to do some intensive searching of the Scriptures in attempting to answer that most fascinating question.
•Most understand Jesus’ words here in Luke as predicting the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 A.D. at the hands of Rome. As part of his answer, Jesus’ mentions the phrase, “the times of the Gentiles,” in association with the idea of the trampling of Jerusalem and the dispersion of Jews into all nations.
•Many questions spring to our minds: What makes these times particularly Gentile in nature? What does it mean for Jerusalem to be trampled? Does this time period begin at the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome as the passage seems to imply? If the times are to be fulfilled, what brings about the fulfillment? Why doesn’t Jesus elaborate further about what He meant?
•Let us try to answer the last of the above questions: Why doesn’t Jesus elaborate further about what He meant?, holds the key to unlocking the meaning of the passage.
•One reason that Jesus doesn’t provide additional explanation is simply this: much of what Jesus says in the Gospels is anchored by revelation previously given in the Old Testament.
•Where Jesus is teaching concepts which find their origin in the Old Testament, He expects His listeners to be familiar with the basis of His teachings (Mat. 21:24; 22:29; Mark 12:24; Luke 24:27; John 5:39). And so it is with this passage and its parallel passages in Matthew and Mark. In fact, both Matthew and Mark make mention of additional information provided by Jesus in the context of this same teaching which establish part of the Old Testament context for understanding all three passages in the synoptics:
•“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” (Mat. 24:15-16 cf. Mark 13:14).
•Without launching into the details of the above statement let us note one very important point: It is clear that Jesus is underscoring the importance of Old Testament revelation given in relation to the book of Daniel for understanding much of what He has to say in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21.
•Thus, it is reasonable for us to expect we might gain a greater understanding of the mysterious phrase “times of the Gentiles” by considering the events of the book of Daniel—and especially the situation which led to Daniel’s captivity in Babylon and the fall of Israel to Nebuchadnezzar during the dominion of the Neo-Babylonian empire.
•When we do this, we find that the key to understanding the times of the Gentiles is found in promises and expectations which God established for the Davidic throne which was to rule righteously on earth in the midst of the nations. This mysterious time, which Jesus mentions in Luke, relates to a period of judgment concerning occupation of the Davidic throne which began in the days of Daniel, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and Nebuchadnezzar hundreds of years before Jesus was born.
•The Significance of the Fall of Judah to the Davidic Throne. The final king to reign over Jerusalem prior to its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was Zedekiah, who reigned for 11 years as a vassal king subject to Babylon. Like all the kings following Josiah’s reign, he was evil. When a new Egyptian Pharaoh (Hophra) came to the throne in 588 B.C., Zedekiah took the occasion to rebel against Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar responded by the siege which led to the final downfall of Jerusalem, the destruction of the city and temple, and the deportation of the majority who were left. The siege began in the 9th year, 10th month, and 10th day of Zedekiah’s reign and lasted 18 months. The wall of Jerusalem being penetrated in the 11th year on the 4th month, on the 9th day of the month.2 In fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecies that Zedekiah would be taken to Babylon but never see it, his sons were killed before him, his eyes were put out, and he was taken to Babylon where he died (Jer. 39:6-7; 52:9-11; 2K. 25:6-7 cf. Eze. 12:13; 17:16). After capturing Jerusalem, the Babylonians burned the leader’s houses and the temple and broke down the city walls.
•It is an immensely significant event whenever the temple is destroyed because the temple is “God’s house” where the manifestation of his glory resides. It would be impossible to destroy the temple if it were not for the fact that God was “not home.” Because of Israel’s idolatry, Ezekiel records that God’s glory had previously vacated the temple. To the Gentile enemies of Israel, the destruction of the city and temple would make it appear as if the God of Israel were impotent in the face of the superior Gods of the Gentiles, “When they leveled Yahweh’s temple to the ground and burned its ruins, the Babylonian troops served notice to all the world that their gods were mightier than Yahweh, no matter what titles the Hebrews gave him.” Thus, one of the Themes of the Book of Daniel is to show that Israel’s God is sovereignly in control over all history, be it Jewish or Gentile. He only allowed this shocking event to occur because of the serious and persistent sin of Israel.
•From the perspective of the Jews, the unthinkable had happened, “Some, in a sense of superstition, and others, in a sense of belief in the providence of God, had held that such a calamity as the overthrow of God’s city and God’s Temple could never take place. Now the unexpected had happened.”6 In the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, it seemed as if the kingdom of Israel had come to a close. After beginning with the struggles of Saul and David and reaching its apex under David’s son Solomon, the divided kingdom had initiated a protracted period of decline culminating in the fall of both the northern kingdom of Israel (after 200 years) and the southern kingdom of Judah (after over 300 years). Most significantly, no longer could anyone point to a throne in Jerusalem from which a Davidic king ruled. Jeremiah’s words to Jehoiachin had come to pass, “Say to the king and to the queen mother, ‘Humble yourselves; Sit down, For your rule shall collapse, the crown of your glory.’ ” (Jeremiah 13:18).
Davidic Rule Judged
• God was duty bound by His own Word to Solomon to discipline any Davidic son who’s rule abused the throne (2Chr. 7:17-22). An important passage in the prophet Ezekiel predicted God’s judgment against the ruling scepter of David (Eze. 21:10-27) from which several key verses appear below:
•Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the LORD!’ Say: ‘A sword, a sword is sharpened And also polished! Sharpened to make a dreadful slaughter, Polished to flash like lightning! Should we then make mirth? It despises the scepter (שֵׁבֶט [šēḇeṭ]) of My son, As it does all wood. (Ezekiel 21:9-10).
•‘Because it is a testing, And what if the sword despises even the scepter? The scepter shall be no more,’ says the Lord God. (Ezekiel 21:13).
•Now to you, O profane, wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, whose iniquity shall end, ‘thus says the Lord GOD: “Remove the turban, and take off the crown; Nothing shall remain the same. Exalt the humble, and humble the exalted. Overthrown, overthrown, I will make it overthrown! It shall be no longer, Until He comes whose right it is, And I will give it to Him.”’ (Ezekiel 21:25-27).
•The passage concerns God’s sword of judgment which is poised to strike. This sword of judgment despises the scepter of My son. The passage calls the ruler of Israel at that time, Zedekiah, profane and wicked and teaches that the Davidic rule, whose righteous scepter he was supposed to uphold (Jer. 22:3), would be terminated, “It shall be no longer, until He comes whose right it is, and I will give it to Him.” This is a clear reference to the promised ruler in the line of Judah as predicted in Genesis 49:10.
•The scepter ( [šēḇeṭ]) shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
•Rabbinic interpretation associated the title “Shiloh” with the Messiah: a Midrash takes “Shiloh” to refer to “King Messiah” (Genesis R. 98.13), the Babylonian Talmud lists “Shi’loh” as one of the names of the Messiah (Sanhedrin 98b), and Medieval Jewish Biblical expositor Rashi makes the following comment: “Shiloh – i.e. King Messiah whose is the Kingdom.” The term “Shiloh” denotes, “to whom it belongs/pertains.”9.
•Ezekiel is telling us that in the judgment of the Davidic throne, Zedekiah will be the last ruler to sit on the Davidic throne until it is occupied by Messiah. This same message concerning judgment of the ruling scepter occurs in another of Ezekiel’s warnings given to Zedekiah (Eze. 19:4-14), which concludes:
•‘Your mother was like a vine in your bloodline, Planted by the waters, Fruitful and full of branches Because of many waters. She had strong branches for scepters of rulers. She towered in stature above the thick branches, And was seen in her height amid the dense foliage. But she was plucked up in fury, She was cast down to the ground, And the east wind dried her fruit. Her strong branches were broken and withered; The fire consumed them. And now she is planted in the wilderness, In a dry and thirsty land. Fire has come out from a rod of her branches And devoured her fruit, So that she has no strong branch-a scepter for ruling.’ This is a lamentation, and has become a lamentation. (Ezekiel 19:10-14) [emphasis added].
•Judgment of the Davidic throne is also the subject in Psalm 89 where very strong promises to uphold the throne are followed by a passage speaking of the throne being cast to the ground (Ps. 89:44ff).
•This is a most important point to understand when considering the implications of the prophetic dreams and visions which are the subject of the book of Daniel because the sequence of Gentile kingdoms which are predicted therein begin with Babylon (Dan. 2:32, 38; 7:4) and continue until the reign of Messiah (Dan. 2:44-45; Dan. 7:14, 22, 27).
•From the fall of Zedekiah to the enthronement of Messiah is a time which is characterized by Gentile dominion and especially by the lack of a Davidic ruler in Israel seated on the throne of David.
•This is the period which Jesus referred to as the “Times of the Gentiles” which will not come to an end until the second coming of Christ:“And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. ” (Luke 21:24).
• During this period when the throne of David is unoccupied, the glory of God is also absent from His “house,” the temple.
Gentile Influence over Jerusalem
• In the meantime, the Times of the Gentiles must be viewed as a temporary situation during which the ruling authority which was to be invested in the midst of Israel has been transferred into Gentile hands. This can be seen in the predicted termination of Gentile rule at the initiation of God’s kingdom at the end of the age.
•Moreover, the question, “What became of the promise concerning the Davidic throne?” is answered in the restoration of the throne yet future:
•This is a promise that the Davidic covenant has not been annulled. The kingship that was taken away from Jehoiachin (Jer. 22:24-30) will be restored “in that day” (Hag. 2:23), i.e., at the return of Christ when the times of the Gentiles are brought to a close (cf. Ps. 2:7-9; 89:19-29; Luke 1:32-33).
•the times of the Gentiles begins when the Davidic throne was empty, which would begin in 586 B.C. . . . [and] goes all the way up until the throne of David is reoccupied by a Davidic descendant, which would be the Second Advent, not the rapture. So the times of the Gentiles began in 586 B.C. when the throne was empty, we’re still in the times of the Gentiles, [to be] continued after the rapture, [and through] the tribulation period, because there is no . . . Davidic descendant on the throne in the tribulation period, not until the Second Advent will the times of the Gentiles end.
•Hosea’s prophecy, found in the third chapter of his remarkable book, has had its fulfilment. Israel still abides without a king, without a prince, without a priest, and so shall it abide until Messiah Himself appears the second time to take His great power and reign.
•During this period, God continues to set up, depose, and turn the hearts of kings—as He always has. But the period is characterized by no direct or immediate government by God upon the earth. This temporary shift in God’s concerns away from the theocracy and Davidic throne toward Gentile rule can be seen in the fact that the first and most comprehensive prophecy in the book of Daniel is neither given to Israel nor concerns Israel, but reveals matters of Gentile concerns to a Gentile king.
•This is much like the Day of Pentecost when God used the tongues of foreign nations to proclaim His glory while purposefully avoiding the native tongue of the Jews of Jerusalem (Acts 2:5-13). The unthinkable had happened: the Holy One of Israel was shifting His emphasis away from Israel and toward Gentile concerns. This could only be cause for great alarm among any Jew who understood the subtleties of what was transpiring. Moreover, the dispersion of Israel into the Babylonian Captivity was essentially the reverse of the Exodus. Israel had been birthed out of captivity in Egypt to serve God in the wilderness. Now, she was being given up, back into bondage in captivity at the hand of the new regional superpower, Babylon.
•after the Exodus all the nations in that part of the world were terrified at the name of the God of Israel, because they had seen what God did to deliver His people from Egypt, and they had seen what Israel’s God had done to the gods of Egypt and the armies of Egypt, so that Israel’s conduct was a testimony to the power of their God. Now what’s happened? Israel has so discredited their God that their God is no longer feared by the nations that border on the land of Israel . . .
•It is in the midst of these momentous developments that God chose to speak through Daniel providing the overview of the Times of the Gentiles (Dan. 2; 7; 10-11) and the related judgment and restoration of Israel (Dan. 9;12).
Question: “So What are the times of the Gentiles?”
•We can define The “Times of the Gentiles” as the indefinite period of time on earth when the visible theocratic kingdom on earth is absent, and which will one day end when the Lord comes back to earth to reestablish his rule and authority on the earth, when “the nations will be broken with a rod of iron and shattered like earthenware” (Ps 2:9 with Rev 2:26-27, Rev 12:5, and Rev 19:15).
•Scripture points to the literal establishment of the theocratic kingdom on earth at some point in the future, which will be centered on the Temple described by Ezekiel (and which translates into the eternal Zionic Jerusalem described in Revelation 21:10-27, where the measuring rod appears again suggesting literal events and objects).
•A similar phrase is found in Romans 11:25, which says, “A partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (ESV). Does the Bible tell us what the phrase “times of the Gentiles” means?
The Old Testament does not contain this exact phrase, but there are references that seem to match up.
•Ezekiel 30:3 points to “a time of doom for the nations” in connection with the Day of the Lord. Daniel’s series of visions deals with Gentile world powers and their role in God’s plan for the earth.
•Nebuchadnezzar’s image of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and clay (Daniel 2:31–45) represents successive Gentile kingdoms that will dominate until Christ returns and establishes His reign. Daniel’s vision of the four beasts (Daniel 7:1–27) likewise speaks of four kings, or nations, which will dominate for a time until Christ comes to rule forever.
•The vision of the ram and the goat (Daniel 8:1–26) gives more detail about these Gentile rulers and the time involved in their dominion.
•In each of these passages, the Gentiles have dominion over the world, including the Jewish people, for a time, but God will ultimately subdue them all and establish His own kingdom once and for all.
•Each prophecy culminates with a reference to Christ’s kingdom, so the “times” of these Gentile rulers would be all the years between the Babylonian Empire of Nebuchadnezzar and the glorious return of Christ to establish His kingdom. We are now living in “the times of the Gentiles,” that is, in the era of Gentile domination.
When we examine the book of Revelation, we find similar references to the time of Gentile dominion ending with the return of Christ. In Revelation 11:2, John indicates that Jerusalem will be under Gentile rule, even though the temple has been restored. The armies of the Beast are destroyed by the Lord in Revelation 19:17–19, just before the millennial reign of Christ is initiated.
Looking again at Luke 21:24, we see that Jesus mentions a time in which Jerusalem is under the dominion of Gentile authority. Nebuchadnezzar’s conquest of Jerusalem in 588 BC began that period, and it has continued through the present time.
•When Jesus spoke of the destruction of Jerusalem, he placed a time on its desolation. In Luke 21:24, He said, “And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”
•From 70 AD until today, Jerusalem has continued to be under Gentile control.
• When Jerusalem was captured by Israel in the 1967 War, many Bible students thought the times of the Gentiles were over. However, Israel’s secular government returned control of the Temple Mount to the Muslims.
•Revelation 11:1-2 explains when the times of the Gentiles will come to an end:
•And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
•Remember, Jerusalem will be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. This passage tells us that the Gentiles will tread the holy city under foot for forty-two Jerusalem months. Forty-two months here refers to the three and one half year period known as the great tribulation, which immediately precedes the battle of Armageddon.
• In Revelation 13:5, we are told that power was given to the beast (the Antichrist) to continue forty two months. This is the same forty two months that will conclude the times of the Gentiles.
• When Jesus comes back to earth, destroys the Antichrist, and establishes His kingdom, the times of the Gentiles will be completed, and all of Israel that has survived the great tribulation will turn to Jesus when He descends onto the Mount of Olives. Jerusalem is the most disputed piece of real estate on earth today.
•The nation of Israel is now reborn after almost 2,000 years of exile. A peace treaty that will settle the control of the Temple Mount is being crafted by representatives of the world community. All of these factors speak loud and clear to us. The times of the Gentiles are almost over and the second coming of our Lord and Savior is very near! Come quickly Lord Jesus!
•The “Times of the Gentiles” do not come to an end whenever Israel enjoys a period of relative autonomy and self-rule. The key factor which determines the period of this time is that the throne of David remains unoccupied by a legitimate ruler in the line of David.
•Thus, the nation may be reconstituted and the city or temple restored (as in the return from the Babylonian Captivity), but this would not end the “Times of the Gentiles” because no legitimate Davidic monarch seated on the Davidic throne has ruled since the Babylonian overthrow of Judah.
•During the return from Babylonian captivity, although Zerubbabel was of Davidic descent, Scripture never describes him as occupying the throne of David as a true king. This is not a mere accident of history, but is a direct result of Ezekiel’s prophecy which specified that the Davidic scepter would not be restored until “He comes Whose right it is” (Eze. 21:27)—that is, King Messiah.
•The continuation of the Times of the Gentiles provides additional proof that Jesus does not presently occupy the throne of David.
•What is the purpose of “the times of the Gentiles.”
•The Apostle James spoke to the leaders of the early church as they were attempting to understand how God would turn to the Gentiles.
•In Acts 15:14 he said, “Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.”
•Because Israel was too proud of her role as God’s chosen people, she was unable to receive a meek and lowly Messiah. In His wisdom, God turned to the lowly Gentiles who were humble enough to receive a salvation that they did not deserve. God was looking for a people He could have mercy upon—not one who felt it deserved His divine favor. Thus the “times of the Gentiles” began.
•The Apostle Paul attempted to explain this truth to the Gentiles in Romans 11:25 27:
•For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
•Romans 11:25 gives us a hint as to God’s purpose in the times of the Gentiles: the spread of the gospel throughout the whole world.
•The organization and inventions of the pagan world powers have actually aided the evangelism of the world. For example, in the first century, it was the widespread use of the Greek language and the network of Roman roads that allowed many people in far-off lands to hear the gospel.
One theme of Romans 11 is that, when the Jewish people rejected Christ, they were temporarily cut off from the blessings of a relationship with God.
• As a result, the gospel was given to the Gentiles, and they gladly received it. This partial hardening of heart for Israel doesn’t preclude individual Jews from being saved, but it prevents the nation from accepting Christ as Messiah until His plans are finished.
•When the time is right, God will restore the entire nation, and they will come to faith in Him once again, ending “the times of the Gentiles” (Isaiah 17:7; 62:11–12; Romans 11:26).
•Paul in making reference to the fulfillment of the Times of the Gentiles, which will inaugurate the Zionic era, warned the Romans against being lifted up in pride because they had been favored by God with salvation. He explained the mystery that the blindness of Israel would not last forever. He told them that this condition would only last until “the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.” Then he explained that all of Israel, that existed when the fullness of the Gentiles was completed, would be saved.
•He went on in the chapter to explain that God first concluded the Gentiles in unbelief so that He might have mercy on the Gentiles. He then explained that the Jews are now consigned to unbelief, so that He might have mercy on the Jews. He summarizes his discourse in Romans 11:32 – For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
•As I have read through books on the prophetic books by Bible students and prophetic authors over many years, I think almost invariably all of them have associated this phrase, “the times of the Gentiles”with the great vision recorded in the second chapter of the book of Daniel. I myself have done this also. Nebuchadnezzar the king had a vision of a great image with a head of gold, shoulders of silver, thighs of brass and legs of iron with feet of iron mingled with clay. In the interpretation of that vision, Daniel the prophet said to the king that this would be the predicted course of the history of the world following Nebuchadnezzar’s day. Beginning with him and following, there would be four great world empires that would run their course upon the pages of history. These have been literally fulfilled exactly as Daniel had predicted.
•In the interpretation of that vision the king was told that in the dream he had seen a stone cut out of a mountain without hands which would fall from heaven and hit the image at its feet and would break the whole image and all these empires would come crumbling down to the ground. The stone would then grow into a great mountain that would fill the whole earth. The king was told by Daniel that this was a kingdom that God would set up in the days of the kings represented by the ten toes on the image – the ten kingdom confederacy of the last days. This kingdom would be a kingdom which God would erect among the nations, headed, as we know from the New Testament, by Christ himself. His kingdom will fill the whole earth and accomplish God’s purpose.
•Most prophetic students have linked the phrase,“the times of the Gentiles” with the course of that image.
•It began with Nebuchadnezzar, the great Gentile king, who was first given the right to have sovereignty and supremacy over the people of Israel. It was Nebuchadnezzar who, in 586 B.C., came in and captured Jerusalem and took Israel into its first captivity. For seventy years they were held captive in the nation of Babylon, until the time when they returned to Jerusalem after a seventy-year captivity.
•They first returned as little straggling remnant headed by Ezra, then another group headed by Nehemiah, and others came back in other little groups until the city was at last reoccupied. The walls were rebuilt, the Temple was rebuilt and Jerusalem again was made to be a livable city. However, it was still under the sovereignty of a Gentile power and it never came out from under the sovereignty of those Gentile powers until June 7, 1967. For the first time, in well over 2000 years, (almost 2500 years of history) the nation of Israel had undisputed sovereignty over the old city of Jerusalem. Now that is a very significant event. If nothing else were ever to occur in our day other than that, we could say we had seen a most interesting and a most significant, singular development in the taking over of the Old City for the first time by the Jews as a sovereign nation.
•Now does this mean that the times of the Gentiles were fulfilled by that event? If we link the phrase “the times of the Gentiles” with the great image that Daniel saw then the answer is no. According to the dream of Nebuchadnezzar as interpreted by Daniel, the times of the Gentiles or the season of the Gentile empires would end by the setting up of the kingdom of Christ, by the second return of Jesus Christ. That is why today many Bible students are quite reluctant to say that the times of the Gentiles have indeed ended by the taking over of the city of Jerusalem, despite the fact that it was the Lord Jesus himself who said, “Jerusalem shall trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”
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