Until the Times of the Gentiles are Fulfilled?

In the Olivet Discourse Jesus informed his disciples about the approaching destruction of Jerusalem. He warned that the city would be surrounded by armies, that fleeing to the Judean mountains would be urgent and difficult, and “there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people; and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive unto the nations ...” (Luke 21:20-24a). He then observed, “and all Jerusalem will be trampled under the nations until the times of the nations may be fulfilled” (v. 24b).¹ To what does this last statement refer?

A Helpful Commentary

Almost identical wording is used by Paul in Romans 11:25, providing a helpful commentary: “for I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of this mystery, that you might not be wise in yourselves, that a hardening in part to Israel has occurred until [ἄχρι] that [οὗ] the fulness [τὸ πλήρωμα] of the nations [τῶν ἐθνῶν] should come in.”

Parallel wording includes ἄχρι (“until”), a “marker of continuous extent of time up to a point” (BDAG 160), the genitive relative pronoun οὗ (“that”), and τὸ πλήρωμα, “that which fills (up) .... makes someth. full/complete .... brought to fulness or completion .... fulfillment” (BDAG 829-30).² The term ἔθνη has various shades of meaning with reference to “peoples,” “nations,” “foreigners,” “Gentiles,” “unbelievers,” “non-Israelites,” or even “non-Christians” (see BDAG 276-77). In Romans 11:25 almost all English versions render it “Gentiles,” and in Luke 21:24 it is variously rendered “nations” (NRSV), “heathen” (GNT), “unbelievers” (ISV), but mostly “Gentiles” (ESV, NASB, NET, NIV, NKJV, RSV, WEB).

Paul’s Message to the Roman Saints

Contextually, the partial “hardening,” applicable to “some” among “Israel” (Rom. 11:17) who “were unfaithful” (Rom. 3:3), alludes back to Rom. 9:17-18 and pertains to God’s word that softens compliant hearts but hardens the stubborn and resistant. This state of affairs lasts “until that the fullness of the nations should come in.” Opportunity is afforded to unbelievers of all “nations” [ἔθνη] (inclusive of Gentiles) until the “fullness” or “fulfillment” [πλήρωμα] of God’s salvation plan, i.e., the consummation of all things in the final judgment (see Rom. 16:25-26). The verbal εἰσέρχομαι (“come in”) is repeatedly used in the NT for entering the divine kingdom, life, or glory.³

The Broader Context of Scripture

Disciples are to be made of “all the nations” [πάντα τὰ ἔθνη] until the end of the age (Matt. 28:18-20); “making known to us the mystery [μυστήριον] of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness [πλήρωμα] of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth” (Eph. 1:9-10). “God our Savior … desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:3-4). “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9).

The Context of Luke’s Gospel

In Luke 21:24, with respect to Jerusalem’s prophetic destruction by the Romans, Jewish survivors would be led captive “unto all the nations” [εἰς τὰ ἔθνη πάντα] (scattered far away from their sacred land), the city would be destroyed “by [the] Gentiles/ nations” [ὑπὸ ἐθνῶν] (the multi-national Roman legions), “until the times of the nations may be fulfilled,” i.e., disciples will be made of all nations until the end of the age, so Jerusalem will never again regain its former glory as the center of nationalistic Judaism, nor its temple stand as a symbol of divine favor. Jesus goes on to issue the great commission, for “repentance and forgiveness of sins to be proclaimed in his name unto all the nations [εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη], having begun from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47).

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ Unless noted otherwise, scripture quotations are the author’s own translation.

     ² The verbal form πληρόω is employed in Luke’s account: “to make full .... to complete a period of time, fill (up), complete .... finish .... fulfill” (BDAG 827-29).

     ³ Matt. 5:20; 7:13, 21; 18:3, 8-9; 19:16-17, 23-24; 23:13; 25:10, 21, 23; Mark 9:43, 45, 47; 10:15, 23-25; Luke 13:24; 14:23; 18:17, 25; 24:26; John 3:5; 10:9; Acts 14:22; Heb. 3:11–4:11; 6:19-20; 9:12; Rev. 22:14.

Related Posts: Luke's Unique Perspective on God's Kingdom (Part 4)

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Image credit:  Painting by David Roberts (1850)

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Luke’s Unique Perspective on Jerusalem’s Fall and the Kingdom of God (Part 4 of 4)

From Prophecy to Fulfillment

The transition from old covenant Judaism to Christ’s new covenant arrangement was not an abrupt, overnight replacement but involved the gradual unfolding of God’s plan and revelation of his will, ultimately completed in the NT canon. Christianity began in a thoroughly Jewish context (Acts 1–7) before spreading to the ethnically mixed Samaritans (Acts 8) and eventually the Gentile world (Acts 10–28).

During this transitional period, as the gospel was impacting lives from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8), a major obstacle across the Mediterranean world was the stubborn resistance of nationalistic Judaism. Just over a quarter of a century after the Lord’s church had begun, Paul wrote concerning obstinant Jews, “But their minds were hardened. For until the present day, the same veil remains upon the reading of the old covenant, not being lifted, which in Christ is being removed. But until the present day, when Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart, but if, when one has turned to the Lord, the veil is removed” (2 Cor. 3:14-16).¹

From the heavenly perspective, Jesus’s death on the cross was the historical juncture when the old covenant system officially stood in the position of “having been made obsolete ...” (Heb. 8:13a; 9:15-17; cf. Col. 2:14). At the same time, however, when the book of Hebrews was written, this pre-Christian and now anti-Christian state of affairs was “becoming obsolete and growing old, near [ἐγγύς] abrogation” (Heb. 8:13b) because the Jerusalem temple, Levitical priesthood and rituals, Mosaic law and traditions were still operating decisively and impactfully, though not for much longer.²

By the end of the AD 66-70 Jewish–Roman war, four decades after Jesus’s Olivet Discourse, the propaganda and aggression against the new covenant citizens of God’s kingdom, the judaizing pressure to embrace or return to old covenant ways, and the violent persecutions instigated and fueled by corrupt religious leaders and fanatic Zealots,³ were dealt a crushing blow.

Nearness of Cognitive Realization

When the disciples saw the signs Jesus warned about, including “Jerusalem surrounded by armies” (Luke 21:20), by witnessing the providential progression of the divine plan, they would recognize the nearness of God’s ascendant dominion despite the serious challenges faced from Jewish hostilities and Roman forces. The kingdom of God, biblically understood, includes perceptive awareness of God’s purpose, work, and sovereign rule in the hearts, lives, and circumstances of his people. “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest in parables, so that ‘Seeing, they may not see, and hearing, they may not understand’” (Luke 8:10). For the defiant Jews within Jerusalem’s walls, these spiritual realities were hidden from their averted eyes until the city was besieged and razed (Luke 19:41-44).

Countering the blind hypocrisy of the Pharisees, Jesus had earlier informed his followers, having sent them “to proclaim the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:2, 60; 10:9), “now nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known; instead, whatever you have spoken in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken to the ear in the inner chambers will be announced on the housetops” (Luke 12:1-3). He also observed that those seeking God’s kingdom eagerly receive it with heavenly treasure, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (vv. 31-34). He continued with the exhortation to always be ready, along with warnings of fiery trials and divided households (vv. 35-53; cp. 21:12, 16).

Jesus then turned from addressing his disciples to the larger crowds (Luke 12:54a), rebuking them for their Pharisaic hypocrisy (note v. 1). Their ability to discern weather conditions by observing the wind and rainclouds was inconsistent with their stubborn refusal to discern this time (vv. 54b-56). Accountability is tied to attitude and intentionality.

As one of the precursors to Jerusalem’s fall, Jesus said: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the earth for a testimony to all the nations, and then will come the end” (Matt. 24:14). The universal proclamation of the gospel was foreseen in the OT, conducted by followers of Jesus facing resistance from “a disobeying and opposing people” (Rom. 10:15-21). At a time when political tensions were escalating, eventually leading to the Jewish–Roman war resulting in the obliteration of the Jewish state, Paul wrote, “you previously heard in the word of the truth, the gospel, coming to you as also in all the world, producing fruit and increasing as also among you ...” (Col. 1:5-6, emp. added). Whether these words were meant literally, hyperbolically, or proleptically, it is hard to miss the parallel to Jesus’s prophetic words.

Spiritual in nature and redemptive in force (Luke 2:30; 3:6; 21:28),⁴ the kingdom of God is the sovereign reign of God to be sought (Luke 12:31), entered (Luke 18:24-25), internalized (Luke 13:18-21), possessed (Luke 12:32), and inhabited (Luke 7:28; 13:24-29; 14:15-25; 18:16-25). Depending on degree of understanding and commitment, the Lord repeatedly noted, “the kingdom of God has drawn near to you ... the kingdom of God has drawn near” (Luke 10:9, 11), “the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Luke 11:20), and “the kingdom of God is in your midst” (Luke 17:20-21).

The irony here is that the unbelieving Jews, idolizing, trusting, and barricaded within the fortified walls of their cherished city, were headed for destruction outside the spiritual kingdom of God (cf. Luke 9:62; 13:23-30; 19:41-46). Those entering God’s kingdom (Luke 12:31-32) would escape the doomed city and be saved from destruction (Luke 21:18, 21; cf. Matt. 24:13), both physically and spiritually. The temporal city of Jerusalem would have to give way to the new Jerusalem—God’s universal and everlasting kingdom rule.⁵

Conclusion

What did Jesus mean when he said to Peter, Andrew, James, and John, “when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near” (Luke 21:31)? Rather than applying to something already present, or in the far-distant future, or close in spatial proximity, the nearness of God’s βασιλεία in the not-so-distant future is contextually linked to the downfall of the theocratic infrastructure of an anti-Christian regime (Matt. 24:33-34; Mark 13:29-30). The kingdom of God is not a physical entity but a conceptual reality, illuminating and liberating receptive hearts that would otherwise be devoted to and constrained by what was once a serviceable “house of prayer” but having devolved into a corrupt “den of robbers” (Luke 19:46).

The humble prayer to the heavenly Father, “your kingdom come” (Luke 11:2), that Jesus taught to his first-century disciples, is still applicable in its biblical sense. Father, may your sovereign reign infiltrate, impact, and direct the lives of your human creation, now and forevermore.

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations are the author’s own translation.

     ² Prior to his atoning death and subsequent resurrection, Jesus had promised the Holy Spirit to the apostles to teach them all they needed to know, remind them of all Jesus had taught, guide them into all truth, and reveal things to come (John 14:25-26; 15:26-27; 16:12-15). After his death and resurrection and before his ascension, he continued speaking to them about “the kingdom of God,” which they still did not fully comprehend, and prior to ascending into heaven he reiterated the promise (Acts 1:2-8). A few days later, when the Spirit was poured out on the twelve, they preached the gospel and the first scripture quoted was Joel 2:28-32. When Peter said “this” (currently happening) is what Joel prophesied about, that moment marked the beginning of the prophecy’s fulfilment regarding the outpouring of God’s Spirit (Acts 2:17a). However, the rest of the quoted prophecy with respect to “all flesh” (Jews and Gentiles), incl. men and women (Acts 2:17b-18), unfolded over the next several years (Acts 10:44-48; 11:15-18; 15:6-18). The last section cited (Acts 2:19-21) parallels the apocalyptic imagery of Jesus’s predictive words in the Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24:29; Mark 13:24-25; Luke 21:25-26), fulfilled in the devastating collapse of Jerusalem.

     ³ Note, e.g., Acts 4:3, 29; 5:18, 40; 6:11-14; 8:1; 9:23-25, 29-30; 13:45, 50; 14:2, 5-6; 17:5-10, 13-14; 18:12-13; 21:27-32; 22:22-23, 30; 23:1-15; 24:1-9; 25:2-3, 7; 26:2, 9-11; 28:19; 2 Cor. 11:24; Gal. 1:13; 5:11; 1 Thess. 2:14-16.

     ⁴ See also Luke 17:20-21; John 3:3-5; 18:36-37. When Jesus said to his disciples, “your redemption [ἀπολύτρωσις] is nearing [ἐγγίζω] (Luke 21:28), note the pronominal shift making a distinction between what “you” disciples see in the near future and what “they” see when the Son of Man comes in the distant future (cf. “Another Look at Matt 24”).

     ⁵ See K. L. Moore, “The New Jerusalem,” Moore Perspective (30 Jan. 2019), <Link>. The rejection of God’s Son unleashed divine judgment against the former “vinedressers,” cast out of God’s kingdom and destroyed, giving the “vineyard” to others who are blessed in the kingdom of God (Luke 13:24-35; 20:13-19; cf. Matt. 21:37-45; 27:25).

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Image credit: Arch of Titus: relief depicting spoils from the Jerusalem temple https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Jewish%E2%80%93Roman_War#/media/File:Arch_of_Titus_Menorah.png 

Luke’s Unique Perspective on Jerusalem’s Fall and the Kingdom of God (Part 3 of 4)

God’s Kingdom in the Future?

In response to Peter’s observation about following Christ at great personal sacrifice, the Lord said: “Truly I say to you that there is no one who has let go of house or wife or brothers or parents or children on account of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive abundantly more in this time and in the age that is coming life everlasting” (Luke 18:29-30).¹

A clear distinction is made here between two separate time periods: “in this time,” wherein commitments are made with respect to God’s kingdom, and “in the age that is coming.” This could apply to the time Jesus was physically present with his disciples in contrast to the subsequent Christian era. Even so, Jesus would later make a similar contrast between “this age” and “that age,” where the latter is equated with “the resurrection from the dead” when marriage and death are no longer relevant (Luke 20:34-36). How one’s life is lived in one age determines one’s circumstances in the other.

As Jesus passed through Jericho, “he spoke a parable, because he was nearing Jerusalem, and their thinking was the kingdom of God is about to appear immediately” (Luke 19:11). The parable is about a nobleman (apparently representing Jesus) going to a distant country “to receive for himself a kingdom and return” (v. 12). When the nobleman came back, “having received the kingdom” (v. 15a), those who refused to have him reign over them were punished, his negligent servant was judged, and his faithful servants were rewarded (vv. 15b-27). To what would the “return,” subsequent to having received the kingdom, be applicable? Possibilities might include Jesus’s return from the dead several days later, his coming in judgment against Jerusalem a few decades later, or his final return at the end of the age. The length of time between the nobleman’s departure and return is not indicated other than the implicit contrast with “immediately.”

In a related parable, a vineyard owner (apparently representing God the Father) “went into a far country for a long time” (Luke 20:9). The sending of servants (prophets) followed by the sending of his son, whom the wicked vinedressers killed (vv. 10-15), depicts what was about to happen a few days later when Jesus was put to death at the instigation of the chief priests and scribes to whom the parable was directed (v. 19).² The destruction of the vinedressers and giving the vineyard to others (v. 16) is in line with Luke 13:26-35 (cf. Matt. 21:31, 43) and points to the downfall of the old-covenant system of nationalistic Judaism, beginning at Jesus’s death on the cross (Luke 19:22; 7:25; 23:44-46)³ and culminating forty years later with catastrophic devastation at the hands of the Romans (cf. Luke 19:41-44; 21:5-32; 23:28-32). In the meantime, Luke’s sequel (Acts of the Apostles) continues the story from Christ’s resurrection and ascension to a few years prior to the Jewish–Roman War and Jerusalem’s fall.

Putting It All in Perspective

With reference to the βασιλεία (“sovereign rule” or “kingdom”) of God, the Synoptic Gospels provide the highest concentration in the NT of explicit teachings. Only in the Gospel of Luke is the verb βασιλεύω (“reign”) used in this regard (three times), while the noun βασιλεία occurs in this sense fifty-one times in Matthew, fifteen in Mark, and forty-one in Luke. The book of Acts, a continuation of Luke’s Gospel, has an additional seven occurrences, five of which are attributed to Paul, in whose writings the term is used a total of fourteen times. Elsewhere in the NT, five times in John’s Gospel, twice in Hebrews, once each in James and 2 Peter, and four in Revelation.

When Luke produced his second volume (Acts), he extended the Gospel story for another three decades, wherein the kingdom of God is further illuminated, providing a natural link to the rest of the NT. Following Christ’s death and resurrection and for several weeks prior to his ascension, having promised the apostles that this “kingdom” would be seen in their lifetime (Luke 9:27), he continued to remind them “of things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3).

On the Day of Pentecost, when the gospel was proclaimed in its fullness, including the enthronement and lordship of Christ, penitent baptized believers were forgiven of sins and added to the community of the saved (Acts 2:21-47). From this point onward the “church” [ἐκκλησία] Jesus had promised to build, and the “kingdom” [βασιλεία] he had repeatedly announced was at hand, are no longer spoken of prospectively. The church is present (Acts 5:11; 8:1, 3; 20:28) and the kingdom is present (Acts 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 31).⁴

The Acts narrative ends with the gospel having spread as far west as Rome, where Paul had informed the Christians there that Christ “reigns as Lord” [κυριεύω] and God’s kingdom is “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:9, 17). While in Rome, “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 18:23, 31), Paul continued his writing ministry, reminding readers that God the Father “delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son .... and he is the head of the body, the church ...” (Col. 1:13, 18a).

The Paradox of God’s Eternal Kingdom

The βασιλεία of God, as revealed in scripture, is spoken of as now and not yet (Luke 18:30; 20:34-35), past (Matt. 25:34), present (Luke 6:20; 17:20-21; 18:16), future (Luke 9:27; 11:2; 13:29), and everlasting (Luke 1:33). The numerous messianic “kingdom” prophecies of the OT, all fulfilled in Jesus the Christ (cf. Luke 24:44-49), speak of “good news,” “salvation,” God’s “reign,” and the Davidic messianic “king.”⁵

The βασιλεία of God is virtually synonymous with salvation and everlasting life (note, e.g., Luke 2:30; 3:6; 13:23-29; 19:9-10). The saved (forgiven, redeemed, justified, sanctified) comprise the spiritual kingdom of God in whom he reigns through Christ as king. Receptive hearts, seeking God’s kingdom, understand and embrace his sovereign rule, whereas defiant and disobedient hearts do not. The unsaved, having rejected divine governance in their lives, are outside the kingdom of God (cf. Luke 8:10; 9:62; 12:31-34; 13:23-30; 19:42).⁶

At the second “coming” [παρουσία] of Christ, “then the end, when he delivers the kingdom to the God and Father, when he has abolished all rule and all authority and power, for he must reign until he has put all the enemies under his feet; the last enemy abolished is death” (1 Cor. 15:23-26). “Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make secure your calling and choosing; for practicing these things you shall never at any time stumble, for in this way the entrance will be abundantly supplied to you into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 1:10-11).⁷

Conclusion

As we began this study, we observed an apparent discrepancy in the Gospel records. Jesus reportedly told his disciples that when they saw the signs about which he had just informed them, they would know Jerusalem’s destruction is “near” [ἐγγύς] (Matt. 24:33; Mark 13:29). Yet in Luke’s account, they would know the kingdom of God is “near” [ἐγγύς] (Luke 21:31). Considering the flexibility of the expression ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ, with a range of nuances and various uses in the biblical record, harmonizing these Synoptic accounts ought to be less daunting. —To be continued.

--Kevin Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations are the author’s own translation. Being a follower of Christ requires a proprietorial detachment from earthly ties, while also causing division in families with resistant and adversarial family members (Luke 12:51-53; 21:16-17). At the same time, however, there is no justification for abandoning legitimate family responsibilities (cf. Matt. 19:6; Mark 10:9; 1 Cor. 7:10-11; 9:5; 1 Tim. 5:4, 8, 16).

     ² Luke 22:2-6, 52-54, 66-71; 23:1-5, 10, 13-25.

     ³ Matt. 27:51; Mark 15:38; Gal. 3:19-25; Eph. 2:14-16; Col. 2:14; Heb. 9:15-17.

     ⁴ See K. L. Moore, “Encountering Jesus in His Word,” Moore Perspective (26 March 2025), <Link>.

     ⁵ See, e.g., Isa. 2:1-5; 9:6; 33:17; 52:7; Jer. 23:5; 30:9; 31:31-34; 33:14-17; Ezek. 34:23-24; 37:24-28; Dan. 2:44; 7:13-14, 18-27; Hos. 3:5; Mic. 4:1-5.

     ⁶ See also Matt. 13:11-12, 16; Mark 4:11; Luke 8:10; John 3:3, 5. The kingdom is where the king is, within and among the saved (Rom. 8:10-11; Eph. 3:17; Col. 1:13-14, 27; 1 Pet. 3:15).

     ⁷ See also Phil. 3:20; 1 Tim. 6:13-16; 2 Tim. 4:1, 8; Heb. 4:1-11; 2 Pet. 3:14-18.

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