In order to understand what is meant by the phrase, "Jerusalem shall be trodden down," we must examine carefully the entire message of which it is a part, found in Luke chapter 21. The occasion which called forth this marvelous prophetic discourse by Christ was the Apostles' calling our Lord's attention to the large stones that adorned the Temple and the offerings that had been deposited there by devoted servants of God, to His glory. Immediately Jesus replied by calling their attention to the fact that Jerusalem would be destroyed and that there should not be left there one stone of the Temple upon another one that would not be thrown down. At once the disciples asked Him two questions: "Teacher, when therefore shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when these things are about to come to pass?" (Luke 21:7). Note that the disciples wanted to know when the Temple would be destroyed and what would be the sign indicative of the approach of that catastrophe.
In Luke 21:8,9 the Lord gave us the picture of the Christian Dispensation in the following words: "8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not led astray: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am he; and, The time is at hand: go ye not after them. 9 And when ye shall hear of wars and tumults, be not terrified: for these things needs come to pass first, but the end is not immediately." During this present dispensation there would, according to the Lord Jesus, arise many false christs. Moreover, wars, revolutions, and tumults would characterize the dispensation, which has been running on for approximately nineteen hundred years.
"10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; 11 and there shall be great earthquakes, and in divers places famines and pestilences; …" (vss. 10, 11b). In this passage Jesus foretold that there would be a world war attended by famines, pestilences, and great earthquakes in different places, which would constitute the sign of the end of the age. Look at Matthew 24:7,8 for further light on this most important prediction. The idiom, "nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom," is a peculiar one found in the Old Testament, which indicates a war that begins by one nation's rising up against another, and still others entering the conflict until it spreads over all the territory that was before the prophet's mind when he spoke. Since Jesus had a world outlook on this occasion when He used this idiom, it can have but one signification, namely, that of a war which begins by one nation's rising up against another and other's entering the conflict until it becomes a world catastrophe. Such a world war, attended by famines, pestilences, and great earthquakes in different places is what Jesus said was the sign of the end of the age or the first birth pain, announcing the nearness of the time for the period of travail, the Tribulation. Verse 11 concludes with this clause: "… and there shall be terrors and great signs from heaven." These things did not come to pass at the time of which verses 10 and 11 are a definite prediction. If these miraculous events have not occurred yet, we know that they will come to pass because no word from God is without power. He fulfills His word exactly as foretold. Verses 10 and 11b, then, are a prediction concerning Word War I, with its attending phenomena.
In verses 12-19 we have a prediction concerning the personal experiences through which the Apostles would go during their own lifetime. This fact is seen by the beginning of verse 12: "But before these things, they shall lay their hands on you. …" Having foretold great terrors and great signs from heaven in the end time, Jesus said: "But before all these things …"—before the signs and terrors from heaven occur"—these are the things that the Apostles would experience, the things mentioned in verses 12-19. Thus the words, "But before all these things," takes the thought from the end of the age and carries it back to the time of the Apostles themselves, their lifetime.
"20 But when ye see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that her desolation is at hand. 21 Then let them that are in Judea flee unto the mountains; and let them that are in the midst of her depart out; and let not them that are in the country enter therein. 22 For these are days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23 Woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days! For there shall be great distress upon the land, and wrath unto this people. 24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led captive into all nations …" (vss. 20-24b).
"… And Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." The times of the Gentiles began with the overthrow of the Jewish Commonwealth in A.D 70, and have continued to the present time. During these centuries the Gentiles have had the supremacy over Jerusalem and Palestine. This prediction has been literally fulfilled, because the Jews have not been in possession of Jerusalem from that day unto the present time. Other lords besides Jehovah have had dominion over Israel, as was forecast by Isaiah (chap. 26). The British, under the old League of Nations, held the mandatory power over Palestine up until May 14, 1948. On that day England withdrew her forces from Palestine. Then the Jewish-Arabic War broke out which has never ended, but which has been held in check by an armistice imposed on both parties by the United Nations. When the fighting ceased, the battle line became frozen where it was when the armistice was imposed. It runs in a zig-zag course from north to south of the country. Jerusalem is divided by it. The old part of the city is still in the hands of the Arabs. The new portion of the city in the northern and western parts is in the hands of the Jews. Thus the prophecy is still in force that Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. The fact that Israel has gained part of Jerusalem is indeed an amazing story and very significant. The new State of Israel was born on May 14, 1948, and is now four years old. Many have been the trials and the tribulations of the Jews during this period. But they have made marvelous and unprecedented progress. If we are to judge the future by the past, they will make still more rapid strides towards gaining their objective unless, humanly speaking, something hinders them that is very drastic.
"25 And there shall be signs in the sun and moon and stars: and upon the earth distress of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the billows; 26 men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the world: for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. 27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory" (Luke 21:25-27). We recall, in discussing the sign of the end of the age found in verses 10, 11b, the fact that the latter part of this verse has not been fulfilled, "… and there shall be terrors and great signs from heaven." Jesus dropped that phase of His prediction and told the Apostles what they would have to experience during their own lifetime, and then went out from His day to A.D. 70, and foretold the siege of Jerusalem in that fateful year. Then the temporal clause, "until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled," took the Apostles from A.D. 70, the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, to the time of the end, when the times of the Gentiles will be fulfilled, when these great terrors and signs from heaven occur. Thus in verse 25 Jesus took up the prediction which He had dropped in verse 11, which, for the sake of graphicness, let us designate as the year 1953 plus X. This year is 1953. We do not know how many years will pass until these signs occur. We shall let the algebraic symbol signify the time between now and occurrence of these heavenly portents. Thus the year when they occur will be 1953 plus X. When that time arrives, there will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars. At the same time, upon earth there will be distress of nations in perplexity. Nations will be at their wits' end, because there will be great disturbances in the seas, tidal waves, monsoons, typhoons, which will be destructive to life and property. At the time of these heavenly portents, there will be a complete blackout, which likewise was foretold by Joel in 2:28ff. A reading of the latter prediction shows that these portents will occur, this blackout will come to pass, before the great and terrible day of the Lord begins, that is, before the Tribulation starts. From other passages of scripture we see that this blackout will clear up and will recur in the first part of the Tribulation. Then it clears up only to come back again. It occurs several times during the Tribulation. At the end of the Tribulation, there will be another blackout, as we see in Matthew 24:29. Thus there will be a series of blackouts and signs and portents in the heavens. Since these occur in serial form during the Tribulation, and since the Tribulation ends with the greatest blackout of all and convulsions throughout nature, we see that our Lord will return in glory at the very end of the Tribulation, as set forth in Luke 21:27. Thus the coming mentioned in verse 27 is the advent of our Lord at the end of the Tribulation, when He comes to set up His kingdom on earth.
"28 But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads; because your redemption draweth nigh." Note the language: "But when these things begin to come to pass. …" What things? The signs in the heavens above and the distress of nations because of the roaring of the seas and the billows. These things begin to come to pass. When do they begin to come to pass? As we have just seen from Joel, they begin to come to pass before the Tribulation starts. Moreover, when they begin to come to pass, the Christians are to lift up their heads, because their redemption draweth nigh. In the light of the trend of this thought, this can refer to but one thing: the rapture of the saints of God before the Tribulation.
"34 But take heed to yourselves, lest haply your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life and that day come on you suddenly as a snare: 35 for so shall it come upon all them that dwell on the face of all the earth. 36 But watch ye at every season, making supplication, that ye may prevail to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man" (Luke 21:34-36). We want to be very careful that we do not become absorbed and engrossed in material, earthly things so that that day may not come upon us while we are indulging our appetites. It will come in that manner upon the people of the world. But we are to watch at every season, making supplication that we may prevail to escape (through the merits of the shed blood of Jesus Christ) all those things—not be swept away by any of them before the rapture actually occurs. We do not know how long these signs and terrors and distress of nations on account of the roaring of the seas will continue before the rapture actually occurs. But they will be so very destructive of life and property that unless God especially protects His people some of them will be in danger of losing their physical lives before the rapture. The Christians are therefore to watch and pray and be vigilant, asking God not to allow the judgments to take their physical lives, but that they may be raptured.
"Jerusalem shall be trodden down …"
Dr. David L. Cooper
Biblical Research Monthly
May, 1953
By special request I am writing on the subject of "… Jerusalem shall be trodden down" (Luke 21:24). This is a very timely and important subject. It was spoken by our blessed Lord for such a time as this, in particular. "And we have the word of prophecy made more sure; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a lamp shining in a dark place until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts: …" (I Peter 1:19f.)
The Christian Dispensation
The Sign of the End of the Age
The Personal Experiences of the Apostles
The Siege of Jerusalem
Since the Apostles had asked for the sign which would be indicative of the nearness of the time when Jerusalem and the Temple would be destroyed, we see His answer to that question in the quotation just given. From Josephus we know that the siege of Jerusalem and its overthrow was accomplished in the year A.D. 70. Thus these verses are a prediction of the capture and overthrow of Jerusalem and the Jewish nation in that eventful year A.D. 70. Jesus said to the disciples that, when they saw Jerusalem compassed by armies, they should know that the time for its desolation was at hand. According to Eusebius, the father of church history, Titus drew up his tenth legion around Jerusalem and besieged it for a short while. Then for some unknown reason he withdrew from the city entirely. The Christians who were in the city at the time when it was first encircled by the Romans, taking Jesus at His word, immediately withdrew from it and journeyed to Perea, going to the town of Pella. Not one Christian perished in the fall of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem fell by the edge of the sword at that time and those who survived that terrific siege were sold in the slave markets of the Greco-Roman world. From that day until the present Jerusalem has been in Gentile hands.
"The Times of the Gentiles"
When the rest of the city of Jerusalem will pass into the hands of the Jews is a question no one dares to attempt answering. To do so would be folly. We shall remain in great suspense on this point until the entire city passes into Jewish hands—as it must, and as it will do sooner or later. There is a great possibility that it may pass into Jewish hands sooner than most of us expect. Let us keep our minds focused upon Jerusalem. The fact that Jews are in possession of part of the city should heighten and deepen our interest in the Jewish question and in the subject of prophecy. This prediction, let me assert with all emphasis, is on the verge of fulfillment. When the times of the Gentiles are completely fulfilled, God will begin to deal with Israel according to the word of prophecy in probably a more definite manner. Things, figuratively speaking, will be shifted from low into high gear.
The Signs Which Portend Our Lord's Glorious Appearance
The Rapture of the Church
Exhortation to Watchfulness and Purity of Life
Let us take our Lord's words seriously and be found watching and working until He comes.