What is meant by "The times of the Gentiles," in Luke 21:24? This period seems to begin at the destruction of Jerusalem. Is there any thing in the Scriptures to show when it ends?
Let us note for a moment the period devoted to the Jewish people. Was it a time in which God would be partial, in that He would not regard the salvation of any other people? Impossible; for: "God is no respecter of persons." (Acts 10:34)
It was simply an evidence of the longsuffering of God, in that He would wait yet so many years on the people of Israel, to give them an opportunity to accept their high calling as priests of God, to make the promise known to the world. But they would not. On the contrary, they themselves so far forgot it that when the Messiah came they rejected Him.
So from being the center, they ceased to have any distinctive place in the promise. Individuals of the race may be saved by believing the Gospel, just the same as other persons; but that is all. The desolate temple, with the rent veil revealing the fact that the glory of God no more dwelt in its most holy place, was a symbol of that people's standing in connection with the covenant. As individuals they may be grafted into the good olive tree, the same as any Gentiles, thus becoming Israel; but their position as leaders, as the religious teachers of the world, is forever gone, because they did not appreciate it. "[They] knew not the time of [their] visitation." (Luke 19:44)
Jerusalem was destroyed, and its inhabitants carried captive to Babylon, because of the rejection of the word of the Lord by the mouth of His prophets. The city was, however, restored, and the people allowed to return in fulfillment of the promise of God, made before the captivity. To the rebuilt city and restored people came the Word of God in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, and was again rejected. For this cause the city and people were again left to the prey of the heathen. In foretelling the miseries that should befall the Jews in the destruction of the city by the Romans, the Saviour 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. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." (Luke 21:24-27)
The Coming of the Lord
From the text it is evident that "the times of the Gentiles" reach to the coming of the Lord to judge the world. In announcing this second destruction of Jerusalem, the Lord told, as at the first time, what would take place at the end of the period of desolation.
The Jews had their time in which to accept the position and work to which God had called them, and had misused it, not knowing the time of their visitation. Then came the times of the Gentiles, when the Gospel was not simply to be carried to them, but committed to them, for them to carry to the world. The Gentiles comprise all nations, so that the termination of their time must necessarily be the end of the world. That is the coming of the Lord, "to give to every man according as his work shall be." (Revelation 22:12)
The Fullness of the Gentiles We read: "Blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved." (Romans 11:25-26)
"The fullness of the Gentiles" is the complete restoration of the house of Israel. All Israel will be saved when all who will hear the voice of the Lord shall have been gathered out. The "lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 10:6; 15:24) are among all the nations of earth,--the Gentiles after the flesh,--and when they are found and gathered, there will be no more necessity for the preaching of the Gospel. "This Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." (Matthew 24:14)
The ending of the times of the Gentiles is the ending of the accepted time, the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2; Isaiah 49:8)
The Time Not Revealed
"But of that day and hour knows no man." (Matthew 24:36)
It is a sad fact that many, in the face of these words of the Lord, have presumed to fix the date of His coming. Every attempt of that kind is both vain and wicked. The longest period named in prophecy is long since passed, and all that anybody can know of the time of the Lord's coming is that "it is near, even at the doors." (Matthew 24:33)
And that is enough to know.
It is true that some have thought to evade the charge of setting time for the Lord to come, by fixing a date for the termination of "the times of the Gentiles;" but that, as we have just seen, is the same thing. Besides, there is not the shadow of an indication in the Bible as to how long the times of the Gentiles are, nor when they begin. Consequently it is absolutely impossible to say when they will end.
The term "times of the Gentiles," occurs but once in the Bible namely, in Luke 21:24, and all that we there learn of it is that the times end at the coming of the Lord. But, "in such an hour as you think not the Son of man comes." (Matthew 24:44)
Therefore one thing is certain, and that is, that whatever date any man may fix upon as the time of the coming of the Lord, that will be the time when He will not come. "Watch therefore." (Matthew 24:42)
No Secret Coming
In this connection it will not be amiss to call attention to the fact that the coming of the Lord "as the thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10) relates simply to the unexpectedness of His coming, and not to the manner. He will return just as He ascended. "While they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, You men of Galilee, why stand you gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven." (Acts 1:9-11)
So, "He comes with clouds, and every eye shall see Him." (Revelation 1:7) "The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God." (1 Thessalonians 1:16) "If they shall say unto you, Behold, He is in the desert; go not forth; behold, He is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." (Matthew 24:26-27)
The text in Luke tells us that the times of the Gentiles are to be terminated by the coming of the Lord "with power and great glory," (Luke 21:27) and that the people shall see it, and shall be terrified even to death by the terrible commotion in heaven and earth in connection with that event. (Revelation 6:15-17)
The Idea of a Millennium
The idea of a millennium of peace on this present earth, to be brought about by alliances and confederations, whether religious or purely civil, is a delusion of Satan, to lull men to sleep concerning the coming destruction, that they may be swept away by it. People talk about crowning Christ as King of this earth, and look forward to a time when all nations shall own His sway; but all such teaching is simply a preparation for the general worship of antichrist.
When Christ assumes the authority over this earth, the first thing He will do will be to break the nations in pieces and to gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and all that do iniquity, and cast them into a furnace of fire; and: "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father." (Matthew 13:43)
When men, assuming that the looked-for millennium has come, shall say, "Peace and safety; then sudden destruction shall come upon them, ... and they shall not escape." (1 Thessalonians 5:3)
The last general revolution will be at the coming of "the Seed to whom the promise was made," (Galatians 3:19) who will then take the kingdom to himself. Yet a little while are these terrible judgments delayed, that all may have opportunity to exchange the weapons of the flesh for the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, which is "mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)
This captivity is freedom. By God's Word we come from the Babylonian bondage of pride and self-confidence to the freedom of God's gentleness. Who will heed the call to come out, and exchange the bondage of human tradition and speculation for the freedom which God's eternal Word of truth gives?--Present Truth, November 27, 1902.