![]() ![]() Until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled - This passage has been understood very differently by different expositors. It was for a long time under the dominion of the Romans, then of the Saracens, and is now of the Turks, and is aptly represented by a captive stretched on the ground whose neck is “trodden” by the foot of the conqueror. The bondage of Jerusalem has been long and very oppressive. Anciently conquerors “trod on” the necks of those who were subdued by them, Jos 10:24 2 Samuel 22:41 Ezekiel 21:29. The expression also implies that it would be an “oppressive” subjection, as when a captive in war is trodden down under the feet of the conqueror. Shall be trodden down by the Gentiles - Shall be in possession of the Gentiles, or be subject to them. Shall be led away captive - More than 90,000 were led into captivity. No less than one million one hundred thousand perished in the siege of Jerusalem. The present age will come to an end as Jesus returns in power and glory to save his own and judge his enemies ( Matthew 24:29-31 Luke 21:25-28). The powers of nature on earth and in space will be thrown into confusion, nations will be in turmoil, and people everywhere will be filled with fear. If that is so, there could be a repeat of conditions such as those during the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, but on a wider scale and with greater intensity. It seems, then, that his prophecy still awaits its greater fulfilment. Jesus did not return at the fall of Jerusalem, nor immediately after. When God’s great intervention eventually occurred, it would be plain for all to see ( Matthew 24:23-28). Jesus’ return would be as sudden, as open, and as startling as a flash of lightning. The disciples of Jesus were not to believe such rumours. With clever tricks and comforting words they would assure them that the Messiah had returned and was hiding in some safe place, waiting to lead his people to victory. Daniel 9:27 Daniel 11:31 see ‘The New Testament World’).ĭuring the time these troubles were building up, false prophets would try to draw Jesus’ disciples into their group. The event would be a repeat of the atrocities of Antiochus Epiphanes, only many times worse - an ‘awful horror’ (GNB), a ‘desolating sacrilege’ (RSV), an ‘abomination that causes desolation’ (NIV) ( Matthew 24:15-22 Luke 21:20-24 cf. The people would be massacred, the temple burnt and the city destroyed. In fact, if God did not stop the butchery, no one would be left alive. The enemy’s savage attack would be more terrible and destructive than anything they had known. Women and children especially would suffer. They would find escape particularly difficult if the attack came in winter (when weather conditions would slow them down), or on the Sabbath (when religious regulations would restrict them). On seeing the awful sight of Rome’s armies approaching the city, people would flee to the hills, without even waiting to collect their belongings. Even if their sufferings resulted in death, God would preserve them for his heavenly kingdom ( Matthew 24:9-14 Luke 21:12-19).Īlthough the people of Jesus’ day would not see the final events of the world’s history, many of them would certainly see a foreshadowing of those events for they would live to witness the horror of the Romans’ destruction of Jerusalem. Only by love and unfailing faith in God would the survivors be able to endure their trials. God’s servants would be persecuted by enemies and betrayed by friends many would be killed. The end would not come till the gospel had spread throughout the world, and this goal would be reached only after much opposition. Nor were they to think that all wars, famines, earthquakes or plagues were sure signs that the end was near ( Matthew 24:4-8 Luke 21:8-11). They were not to believe rumours they might hear from time to time that the Messiah had returned, for there would always be false prophets who tried to attract a following for themselves. ![]() In reply Jesus told them that the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple was not necessarily connected with the return of the Messiah or the end of the age. They asked him what significant events would occur before these final great events ( Matthew 24:1-3 Luke 21:5-7). Therefore, when Jesus spoke of the destruction of the temple, his disciples immediately connected this with the return of the Messiah and the end of the age. ![]() His disciples apparently connected these events with the predicted destruction of Jerusalem. Through his parables and other teachings, Jesus had spoken a number of times of his going away and his return in glory, which would bring in the climax of the age, the triumph of his kingdom and final judgment.
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