Knowing The Word in Luke 21:20-24, Jesus Foretells Destruction of Jerusalem

Jesus is speaking about the end of Jerusalem and the temple, not the end of the world. Because Luke is so general in this prediction and makes no comments that the temple is already destroyed, we are on sound footing that Luke most likely wrote his gospel before A.D. 70. In times of war, country folk would flee to a walled city; Jesus warns to do just the opposite when the invading army comes. What happened to Jerusalem was not arbitrary but the due penalty for the death of Jesus and was predicted in the Old Testament and in the words of Jesus. Pregnant women are a sign of new life and hope, yet they too will perish and find the days especially hard. Josephus tells us that 1,100,000 people were killed in the Roman siege of Jerusalem and that 97,000 were taken prisoner. The loss of life was staggering. The phrase “the times of the Gentiles” is hard to interpret. First, it can mean the time the Gentiles execute God’s judgment upon Jerusalem. Second, it could mean the people who receive the privileges Israel once had. Third, it could refer to the time of the spreading of the gospel to all nations.

Luke 21:20-24

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.

Prayer

Gracious God, I put myself before you in this moment with waiting heart, expectant desire. Open my eyes that I may see your promise fulfilled; open my ears that I may hear your word whispered to my deepest being.

A Guide to Prayer for All God’s People