Luke 21:24b
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-Well, let’s turn in our Bibles back to Luke 21.
We’re still studying the Olivet Discourse.
But, we’ve finally come...
...to our final consideration...
...of the portion of it...
...that has to do with:
The Abomination of Desolation.
Particularly, this morning...
...we’re going to learn about....
“Its Intended Duration and Scope”
And, like last week...
...we have a lot to address in that...
So we’re going to jump on in.
-Luke 21… beginning in Verse 20:
This is the Word of Our Lord:
20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near.
21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it,
22 for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written.
23 Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people.
24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
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Pray
-Alright, let’s begin by remembering...
...that Matthew and Mark...
...had both begun this section of the Discourse...
...with this transition:
13 And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
14 “But when you see the abomination of desolation . . . then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
Whereas, Luke, after giving...
...the same call for patient endurance...
...had clarified:
20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near.
21 Then let those who are in Judea flee...
So again, same exact narrative flow.
-Now, Verse 24 (today’s text)...
...had begun with this solemn oracle:
(We covered it last week)
24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations...
And we identified those judgments...
(with the help of Verses 22-23)
...as the promised prosecution...
...for the transgression of the Old Covenant.
Do you remember?
22 ...these are days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled.
23 ...for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people,
And remember how we saw...
...that that was simply echoing...
...the language of passages like:
62 Whereas you were as numerous as the stars of heaven, you shall be left few in number, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God.
63 And as the Lord took delight in doing you good and multiplying you, so the Lord will take delight in bringing ruin upon you and destroying you. And you shall be plucked off the land that you are entering to take possession of it.
64 “And the Lord will scatter you among all peoples, . . . and there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone...
65 And among these nations you shall find no respite . . . but the Lord will give you there a trembling heart and failing eyes and a languishing soul.
66 Your life shall hang in doubt before you. Night and day you shall be in dread and have no assurance of your life.
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And my premise to you last week, was...
That the last two thousand years of Jewish history...
...has testified to the fact...
...that those Covenant Judgments...
Have yet to be lifted
Are still in full effect.
(And today we’re going to see...
...that what happened in 1948...
...was not the reversal of them either!)
Now I’ve got your attention!
-Let’s go back to Verse 24...
...and, through its exposition...
...I’ll show you why I say that.
Let’s read the whole thing again:
24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
So, first of all let’s notice...
...the two most basic and obvious things that tells us:
1.) This is the second part/other half...
...of that promised Covenant Prosecution.
Remember:
23 ...there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people,
This appears to be spelling out...
...the extent of “the land” part of that.
2.) Notice the obvious ongoing description...
...of that language of Abomination and desolation:
24 ...Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles...
The Holy City and the Holy Temple...
Desecrated by the destructive presence...
...of the uncircumcised Gentiles!
Abomination & Desolation!
-Now, beyond the obvious...
...we need to recognize, that...
That word “times” in “times of the Gentiles”. . .
Means this:
Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words Opportunity (Lack)
1. kairos (καιρός, 2540), primarily, “a due measure,” is used of “a fixed and definite period, a time, season...
So, it’s not exactly time...
...in the sense of chronological sequence...
But time in the sense of...
Predetermined ages/eras/epochs.
So, let’s read it again:
23 ...there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people,
24 and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
NOW… what should that indicate to us?
That this is something...
...that God had promised beforehand!
NOT just that the Jewish nationhood/worship system...
...would come to an end...
But that God would sovereignly...
...move Gentiles into that vacuum...
And an era of Gentile domination...
Over the land, people, nation, and worship of God...
...would occur.
And here’s the thing:
The Old Testament predicted such a thing...
...many, many times.
We already saw Daniel 9 (a few weeks ago)...
But think about this one:
10 Your holy cities have become a wilderness; Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.
11 Our holy and beautiful house, where our fathers praised you, has been burned by fire, and all our pleasant places have become ruins.
(Two verses later):
1 I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, “Here I am, here I am,” to a nation that was not called by my name.
This is how Isaiah’s entire prophecy finishes:
18 ...the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see my glory,
19 and I will set a sign among them. And from them I will send survivors to the nations, . . . that have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations.
20 And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the Lord, . . . to my holy mountain Jerusalem . . . just as the Israelites bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord.
21 And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the Lord.
22 “For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make shall remain before me, says the Lord, so shall your offspring and your name remain.
23 From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the Lord.
And then he warns of final judgment...
And then it’s over.
The Old Testament is full of such prophecies.
And so is the new:
33 “Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country.
Remember Isaiah 5?
34 When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit.
35 And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. . .
37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’
39 And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.” . . .
43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.
And when we put all of that together...
We have our text:
22 ...these are days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled.
23 ...for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people,
24 and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
Now, finally, let’s deal with this:
24 ...Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
Is this meant to imply?
That the earthly Jerusalem will be rebuilt?
The Temple?
The Jews will regain control of them both?
The Old Covenant worship system will be re-instated?
...once the “era of the Gentiles” is over?
Well, many folks make those assumptions...
But the text doesn’t explicitly say that...
...one way or another.
Instead, the next “epoch” that Luke mentions...
...is the Second Coming of Christ.
And what’s more than that...
...Matthew and Mark both say:
(After their treatment...
...of the Abomination of Desolation)
24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and...
26 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
Matthew even says:
29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened...
30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
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What’s my point?
If we harmonize all of those texts...
It sure seems like Jesus is saying, that...
The Judgment on Israel...
...that began in 70 A.D....
...would continue on until the Second Coming of Christ!
(That seems to be...
...the most natural reading to me)
-Now, that always begs the question:
What about 1948?
Did Israel not regain control of the “Holy Land”?
Did they not regain control of Jerusalem in 1967?
Are they not in a position...
...to be able to rebuild the Temple?
And if so, does that mean...
...that God has re-instated the Old Covenant?
-Well, the answer to all of those questions...
...make actually surprise you!
But before I address them...
...let me say two things:
1.) Be careful about interpreting the Bible...
...through the lens of current events.
Things are often not as they seem.
2.) Remember that Jesus had said these two things:
21 ...the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. . .
23 ...the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
38 See, your house is left to you desolate.
39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”
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Faith in Christ is the only thing...
...that will return the Blessing of God to them.
-That being said:
What about the modern state of Israel?
Is it a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy?
(Not in the way that most people think!)
Yes:
There is a Jewish State in the general area...
...of the O.T. Holy Land.
But:
They don’t control the entire “Holy Land.”
(From the River to the Sea)
And:
They Don’t control parts of the Old City of Jerusalem.
Several parts of the Old City...
...remain under Gentile administration.
For The Temple Mount:
Israel controls security.
Jordan (an Islamic nation) controls religious administration.
One of Islam’s most sacred sites...
...occupies most of the Old Temple area.
Jews cannot pray on the Temple Mount by Israeli law.
Most importantly: (Show)
Jewish: 73–74%
Muslim: 18–21%
Christian: ~1.9–2%
But it’s even worse than that: (Show)
Within the Jewish population:
45% secular,
33% traditional,
12% religious,
10% ultra‑Orthodox (Haredi).
And what’s worse than that: (show)
Christians:
2% of total population.
Mostly Arab Christians (Greek Orthodox, Catholic, etc.).
Guys, 1948 may have been...
...more of a curse than a blessing:
Giving them a homeland...
...that God had taken away...
...appears to have emboldened them...
...in their rebellion against Jesus Christ!
Remember, Jesus had said:
39 ...I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”
And remember how...
...the book of Acts had ended:
With Paul saying:
25 . . . “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:
26 “ ‘Go to this people, and say, “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
27 For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’
28 Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”
And two verses later...
...that book ends as well.
So...
What about the Jewish People?
What is...
Their future?
Their fate?
How is that connected to...
...the statement back in Verse 24 of our text?
Well, the Apostle Paul...
...lays it all out for us, in:
Remember what we saw there last week:
21 But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”
1 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! . . .
2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew...
5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.
7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened,
Then, after proving that from O.T. Scripture...
Paul wrote:
11 So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous.
12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! . . .
Here’s what he’s talking about:
17 ...some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree...
One Tree
One Way
Watch:
20 ...They were broken off because of their unbelief...
But, then he says:
23 ...even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again...
25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
Does that sound like our text?
But, watch what he says:
26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;
27 “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”
That’s from Isaiah 59-60!
That’s a text that promises Israel’s Restoration.
This is talking about spiritual renewal.
This is talking about Grace and Faith
Not national, political restoration.
28 As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers.
29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience,
31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy.
Who takes the gospel to the Jewish people today?
Who is the conduit of Salvation...
...for the Jewish People today?
The Predominately Gentile Church of Jesus Christ!
32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.
No one has ever earned it...
No one ever will...
Except one Jewish Carpenter from Nazareth!
God’s blessing...
The privilege of being...
...a part of God’s people...
The privilege of worshipping God...
...and having your worship accepted...
None of that will ever be earned.
It will always be through Grace...
And it will never happen...
...apart from faith in The Lord Jesus Christ!
Here’s how Paul responds to that truth:
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”
35 “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?”
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
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Can we add our “amen” to that?
Let’s pray
