20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. 22 For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. 24 And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. Luke 21: 20-24 NKJV
Luke 21: 20-24
But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies - There is a popular view on interpreting this and Matthew 24 as being completely fulfilled by the siege of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. This would be a preterist view, and there was an army, the Roman army, led by Titus, that surrounded the city and destroyed the temple at that time. The sign here in Luke though is the city surrounded. I cannot see the preterist view myself because of the context, variance with Matthew 24, and when one takes more counsel from both the OT prophets and the writings of the Apostle John in the book of Revelation. It becomes apparent that there is a dependence in most of these views on not taking a literal interpretation of certain books and also a necessity to date the writing of Revelation as prior to 70 A.D.
Recognize ( 1097)(ginosko) means to know by experience. Ginosko is in the aorist imperative which is a command that conveys a sense of urgency! Jesus is saying in essence "Do not miss this sign!" The implication is that "your life depends on your recognition!" It follows that the sign will not be ambiguous! The Jews in Israel were to know by experiencing (ginosko) the sight of the Roman armies laying siege to the city of Jerusalem. That was the sign they were to flee and not enter the city. This sign is clearly different from the sign in Mt 24:15-note because in that passage the sign to flee is when the abomination of desolation is standing in the holy place, the Temple. If the abomination that causes desolation is the Roman army as so many ancient and modern commentators propose, you can see the absurdity of this interpretation, for once the Romans had scaled the defense walls (thus enabling them to be "standing in the holy place"), it would have been too late to flee to safety! Furthermore, Josephus records that Titus had set up a perimeter fence to capture any Jews who might attempt to escape (See Josephus' record). And so the fact that Jesus gave very specific and different signs in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 is one of several reasons for stating that Mt 24:15-22 is not referring to the past destruction of Jerusalem (as Lk 21:20-24 clearly does) but to the future destruction of the Temple. Yes, I know what you are saying -- "There is no Temple in Jerusalem (as of April, 2016)." But if God can regenerate a nation as He did with Israel in May, 1948, surely He can rebuild a Temple in the city of Jerusalem! (See "The Tribulation Temple") As Paul Harvey used to say "And now you know the rest of the story!" (Read Jeremiah declaration [Jer 32:17-note] and God's rhetorical question [Jer 32:27-note]). - Precept Austin
15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. Matthew 24: 15-17 ESV
Then know that it's desolation is near - To be desolate is to be empty, void of, and Israel has been under the rule of the Gentile nations for some time, and this occurred once before when Israel was emptied out by Babylon and the Solomonic Temple was destroyed. Under Persian rule the Jews were allowed to return and rebuild. Later Greece became the empire that ruled over this area, and that was split into areas ruled by 4 of Alexander the Great's generals when he died. One of these areas was the Seleucid empire which later came to be ruled by a man named Antiochus Epiphanes. Antiochus came into the new temple, put up altars to Greek gods, set up the naked Olympics outside the temple, agitated the devout Jews, and later went so far as to force feed sacrificed pigs down the mouth of the priests. Here we see that the sign is the siege, this is when you are told to flee, when they are coming to surround you. In Matthew 24 the sign is the abomination of desolation, the thing spoken of by the prophet Daniel, and the picture of this is what happened under Antiochus' rule, a story that all the Jews listening to Him would know. He offered up a pig to Zeus, which would make the temple unclean, desolate, and after the Jews kicked him out they had to cleanse the temple. Many people listening to Jesus' words in Matthew 24 would naturally say, "this already happened", but Jesus is talking about something future. A preterist would say the same of 70 A.D., which I believe Luke is speaking to here, but Matthew 24 has an eye to something much further still. There are other issues with preterist and Amillennial views, and I will try to touch on them as I go through books and chapters dealing with eschatology.
Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who has been labeled the "Antichrist of the Old Testament", caused an altar to be set up in the Jewish Temple and on this altar he placed an idolatrous image of Zeus (cf 2Macc 6:2). In addition, he turned the priest's chambers into brothels, creating the "abomination that causes desolation". In other words, the Temple was desolate to pious Jews because of the desecration of the altar which destroyed its true purpose. They had no desire to worship in such a polluted environment and thus the Temple was deprived of Jewish worshippers. Just so will the Antichrist establish an abomination in the sanctuary, a demonic counterfeit worship (Da 9:27-note; Da 12:11-note). Even more blatantly defiant of God, the Antichrist will command worship of himself and his image! (2Th 2:3,4, Rev 13:14-note, Rev 13:15-note) God will allow this gross evil because He is using this devilish man to fulfill His purging and purifying purpose in the nation of Israel. While the infinitely good and holy God does not cause evil, in His infinite wisdom and omnipotence is able to bring good out of what others mean for evil. (cf Ge 50:20, Ro 8:28-note)
Henry Morris adds "It is believed that Epiphanes, aided by traitorous Jews, sacrificed a sow on the altar and erected a statue of Zeus in the temple at Jerusalem. The motive behind this act was his ambition to unify the great empire extending all the way to India, left him by his father, by compelling all people in the empire to adopt the Greco/Roman system of culture and pantheistic religion." - Precept Austin
…26Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing. Then the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations have been decreed. 27And he will confirm a covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of the temple will come the abomination that causes desolation, until the decreed destruction is poured out upon him.” Daniel 9: 26-27
In fairness to MacArthur his study Bible says "This sign of Jerusalem under siege was previewed in a.d. 70, but awaits its fulfillment in the future." I agree that the event in 70 A.D. was a foreshadowing of what will be fulfilled in the end times in the prophecy in Zechariah 14
Behold, a day is coming for the LORD when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. 2 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. 3 Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. Zechariah 14: 1-3 PA
V. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains - South and to the East of Jerusalem.
MacDonald - Unbelief might have argued that with a besieging army outside the walls, escape would be impossible; but God's Word never fails. The Roman general withdrew his armies for a short season, thus giving the believing Jews the opportunity to escape. (Believer's Bible Commentary)
This prophecy was fulfilled in a very marvelous way. In the year A.D. 66, the first Jewish revolt broke out against the Romans. When the revolt first began, the Roman general in the Land, Cestius Gallus (see description of the Jewish Revolt AD 66-74), came with his armies from Caesarea and surrounded Jerusalem. The surrounding of the city marked the sign that Jesus had promised, and the Jewish believers knew that Jerusalem would soon be destroyed. Jesus had commanded the Jewish believers to desert the city when they saw this happening (Lk 21:21). However, it was impossible to do so while the Romans were surrounding the city.
Then Cestius Gallus noticed that his supply lines were not secure. He did not have enough supplies to maintain an extended siege, so he lifted the siege of Jerusalem in order to go back to Caesarea. On the way, he was attacked by Jewish forces and killed (AD 67). Temporarily, the city was no longer surrounded by the armies, so every single Jewish believer was able to leave Jerusalem. They crossed the Jordan River and set up a new community of Jewish believers in the town of Pella in the Transjordan. They were joined by Jewish believers from Judea, Galilee, and the Golan. There, they waited for the prophecy of Yeshua to be fulfilled.
In the year A.D. 68, a new Roman general by the name of Vespasian and his son, Titus, again besieged the city, and in the year A.D. 70, the city and the Temple were destroyed. Altogether, 1,100,000 Jews were killed in this final onslaught (Ed: As noted elsewhere this estimate which is usually attributed to Josephus is felt by a number of historians to be an exaggeration), but not one Jewish believer died because they obeyed the words of their Messiah. Since that time, Jerusalem has indeed been trodden down by the Gentiles and continues to be so to the present day. Jerusalem will not be free of Gentile nations treading upon her until the Messiah returns. With these words, the Messiah answered their first question, the sign of the coming destruction of Jerusalem. (Lk 21:7) (Ed: Lk 21:7 = "what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?" - Context is Lk 21:6 = Jesus had just said "these things which you are looking at, the days will come in which there will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down.") (Messianic Bible Study Collection - Logos Software) - Precept Austin
V. 21c And let not those who are in the country enter her - This would be counterintuitive to many people's thinking. Typically you would come to the fortified city for protection and also numbers, but Jesus is letting them know in advance that this is going to be lost. The mountains were more remote and since the believers left the city much prior to this there would be no reason to look for them or even think to. Those in Jerusalem would be the ones at the focal point of God's wrath, and Rome would be the iron hammer of His choice.
For these are the days of vengeance - The refused the call of repentance, refused to turn away from their defilement of the first half of the law, that which relates to God. They no longer cast images, but they turned the temple into a den of thieves. They rejected the second half of the law which deals with our neighbors, and instead coveted what others had and defrauded widows and orphans. They rejected their Messiah, which is to reject God's only way of provision for their eternal souls. They missed the time of their visitation, and now they received what all men are owed. The city is surrounded and then after the siege the temple is torn down.
36Truly I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation. 37O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! 38Look, your house is left to you desolate.… Matthew 23: 36-38
And Jerusalem will be trampled by gentiles until the time of the gentiles is fulfilled - It has been that way for a long time, and only this past century have the Jews returned and been able to have a tiny nation, yet there is a mosque on the temple grounds, and they are surrounded by people who hate them on every side. One of the questions mixed into all of this had to do with when Christ would return, and that did not take place around the time of 70 A.D. Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot until Christ brings an end to the time of the gentiles. There will be a small period during a treaty with the antichrist at which time I believe the temple will be rebuilt, but he will erect an image and demand the worship of himself, this will be the abomination of desolation.
24For if you were cut from a wild olive tree, and contrary to nature were grafted into one that is cultivated, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree! 25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you will not be conceited: A hardening in part has come to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. 26And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come from Zion; He will remove godlessness from Jacob.… Romans 11: 24-26
Until - Don't miss the "until's in Scripture! This word is an expression of time and means something will continue to happen up to a point and then it will not happen. In the present context (and keep in mind the following analysis is based on a literal interpretation of Scripture, not someone's systematic theology!), Luke says something found in no other place in Scripture, that the city of Jerusalem will be trampled under foot UNTIL. So there is a day when the Gentiles will not tread on the city of Jerusalem. Luke says that the time allotted to the Gentiles to tread on Jerusalem is finite and will come to an end one day. One might ask if the Six-Day War of 1967 in which the Jews regained control of Jerusalem (See "The Old City") brought an end to Gentile domination of the city and so that year marked the end of the "times of the Gentiles?" While one might suppose that is the case from a superficial reading of the text, one must ask if Israel today (2016) controls ALL of the city? In fact the truth is that they do not control the MOST IMPORTANT piece of land in the entire city and for that matter, in the entire world! What is that property? Of course it is the Temple Mount area, the site of the former Jewish Temples and the present site of the Muslim Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam This small but supremely strategic swath of real estate is under Muslim control, and so it is tread under the feet of the Gentiles so to speak. - Precept Austin
…3Let no one deceive you in any way, for it will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness—the son of destruction—is revealed. 4He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 5Do you not remember that I told you these things while I was still with you?… 2 Thessalonians 2: 3-5
…5The beast was given a mouth to speak arrogant and blasphemous words, and authority to act for 42 months. 6And the beast opened its mouth to speak blasphemies against God and to slander His name and His tabernacle— those who dwell in heaven. 7Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.…
…8And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain. 9 He who has an ear, let him hear: 10“If anyone is destined for captivity, into captivity he will go; if anyone is to die by the sword, by the sword he must be killed.” Here is a call for the perseverance and faith of the saints.… Revelation 13: 5-10
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