The Times of the Gentiles

A definition of the times of the Gentiles can be gleaned from Luke 21:24: (And they shall fall by the edge of the sword,and shall be led captive into all the nations:and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles,until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.) The times of the Gentiles can best be defined as that long period of time from the Babylonian Empire to the second coming of Christ during which time the Gentiles have dominance over the city of Jerusalem.This does not rule out temporary Jewish control of the city,but all such Jewish control will be temporary until the second coming of Christ.Such temporary control was exercised during the Maccabbean period (164-63 B.C.),the first Jewish revolt against Rome(66-70 A.D.),the second Jewish revolt against Rome(132-135 A.D.),and since 1967 as a result of the Six Day War. This,too, is temporary as Gentiles will yet trod Jerusalem down for at least another 3 and a half years (Revelation 11:1-2).Any Jewish take-over of the city of Jerusalem before the second coming of Christ must,therefore,be viewed as a temporary one and does not mean that the times of the Gentiles have ended. The times of the Gentiles can only end when the Gentiles can no longer trod down the city of Jerusalem.To understand the course of the times of the Gentiles,four passages will Need to be studied and then combined.we will start here next time with Daniel 2:31-45. God Bless