Days of Vengeance
Upon Jerusalem

Luke 21:20-24

by Dennis Gunderson

One of the most verifiable marks of the truthfulness of the Christian faith is its reliability about history, at point after point. Over and over, attempts to undermine the Christian religion by showing it not to be consistent with history have failed miserably. In two ways the consistency of the Bible with history shines regularly: the accuracy of the historical records of what has taken place; and the precision and accuracy of the prophecies of future events as well.

And as we turn to Luke 21 today again, understand up front that today's message simply has to be a message with a lot to say about history the history of Judea, 70 A.D. It should never surprise us when the explanation and interpretation of Scripture involves historical survey, because the Word of God is not what many think it is it is not a collection of moral lessons, wrapped in whatever mythical or legendary story the author thought might give the morality high impact. No! But every doctrine, truth, promise, warning, duty or commandment comes in the context of Gods dealings with real people in real time.

And it doesn't get much more real than this, the section were in today. Start reading with me please at v 19 and well just read 5 verses, down to v 24 and as you hear this, imagine if you can, the Lord Jesus speaking heart-to-heart with patriots, with people who deeply loved their country, in this very personal, frank, and grave delivery of news about what was just around the corner in the times of their nation. Imagine this being said of our city (read vv 19-24).

Coming to a city near you. Coming to the streets where you live. Wouldn't it tear your heart out to hear? Did you catch it all? Let me show you how in those few sentences, Jesus could only describe what was coming with terms like surrounded by armies, desolation, days of vengeance, woe to the pregnant women and those nursing babies, great distress on your people, wrath on your people, you'll fall by the edge of the sword, led captive into all the nations, you will be trampled under foot.

So bad it will be that, you should get out of the city as quickly as you can, even if you have to go live in the mountains for awhile; and if you're outside the city, don't you dare come in. These were the worst of times! Its one of the most horrifying prophecies ever delivered to a people. But the world is about to be turned upside down for the disciples of Jesus, and He would not leave them in the dark about it.

Jesus has been telling His disciples that they must endure to the end as v 19 puts it, By your endurance, you will gain your lives and I've pointed out that this is the theme of this section, and has been His theme and focus since He began answering their question in v 7 about when will these things be? This has to remain our larger concern for us, to this day that we endure to the end. The relative value of you knowing the exact time this or that event will occur is miniscule and inconsequential compared to whether you will continue to the end. I will regard any Christian author or preacher who helps me to press on as of infinitely greater value than one who says he can help me pin down the approximate time of the Lords arrival.

So with reminders of the wide range of ways in which the world will seek to seduce and pressure us to forsake Him, Jesus has been urging them to by endurance, gain their lives, or their souls as the KJV family of versions put it, By your patience, possess your souls. Because, as Matthew quotes Him saying, He who endures to the end, shall be saved.

We want to learn to endure and we want to learn to persevere that is, not just stay in the faith through adversity rather than forsake it, but even make actual progress in the faith, despite adversity. So that we are not just standing tough and firm; we are advancing. Our own endurance and perseverance often seem very small to us; they seem to matter little, because we think little of ourselves and our own little world. But it honors God. When Charles Spurgeon preached through Genesis, he declared By perseverance, the snail did reach the ark! and in reaching it, he was delivered, too! So will we.

What we read Jesus telling us is precisely what Darin taught us in Col 1:23, where Paul says that those in the kingdom of God are those who continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard you show that grace at work in your lives since you are not moved away, you do not turn away from Him, even under pressure to do so and when there are advantageous reasons in this world to do so! But rather than be moved away, you actually in fact move on.

Sometimes the pressures do become quite intense. Jesus is preparing His disciples for just that, and so tells in some detail here about a holocaust, soon to come the worst imaginable. The trial of their life, and a trial the likes of which most persons never face in their life. For, after emphasizing endurance to press on and stay faithful, then it is clear that He's not talking about the end of the world yet, because He speaks of the fall of Jerusalem in ways that make vividly clear, this is about 70 A.D. Everything in these 5 verses has to do with that.

So while He's not yet talking about the judgment which falls at the end, He is talking about the end of the world as they've known it, so to speak. And it only makes sense that the Lord Jesus would give special focus to this event of enormous magnitude, at the end of His earthly days, for this was the winding up of the entire Old Testament period, the special covenant of God with that nation. So its a fitting bridge from Jesus 3 years of ministry to His final days and the cross. And He delivers it all with the passion of a farewell address. What we have today are:

The Instructions The Interpretation The Inhumanity The Interval

1) The Instructions vv 20-21

But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is at hand. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are in the midst of the city depart, and let not those who are in the country enter the city.

The warning He is issuing is very clear: when the Romans begin to encircle the city, that's when you know its the beginning of the end. Then recognize this is the sign you have been asking for, back in v 7. You're about to see this city ruined once and for all.

And this is exactly what was done. The armies of the Roman general Titus laid siege to Jerusalem in 70 A.D., surrounding the city on what amounts to April 9th on our calendar, and cutting off all supplies, and trapping a vast number of people within, most of whom were there for the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread, which had just finished. The Romans built embankments around the city that means, mounds of dirt and stone, to make temporary barriers, making escape well-night impossible. You couldn't just slip out of the city on foot in the dark in a gap in the troops; a few hundred feet outside the city, you'd have to climb a steep and sizable mound. Chances were, you'd be seen, heard, and run through with a sword.

The goal was what the goal of a siege always was: to starve the people into weakness and total inability to fight. And the Romans held the city in this manner the entire summer. Desperate people would try to slip out and would be killed, often after being extensively tortured. Occasionally a small assault would be made on a portion of the city, to knock down some of the wall, to weaken the city. But only in September was the final assault made that overthrew it.

Then it was the Romans both demolished nearly every structure and slaughtered nearly every person. Conservative estimates say that 2/3 were slain and 1/3 taken off to slavery; liberal estimates say it was 90% slain and 10% hauled away. So many centuries later, we don't know the numbers for sure. Josephus said 97,000 were taken captive and that 1.1 million were slain; other estimates suggest that 200,000 were slain but still around 100,000 taken captive. Most of the time, the difference is to account for how many of the visitors for Passover had actually managed to get out and how many were trapped inside and how many came fleeing into the city when they heard of a Roman army coming. By any standard the loss of life was staggering.

Jesus spoke of this exactly in Luke 19:43-44:

For the days shall come upon you when your enemies will throw up a bank before you, and surround you, and hem you in on every side, and will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.

But when the Roman armies start to encircle the city, that, Jesus counsels, is when you don't go in get out before its complete or stay out, because then your fate is sealed v 21:

Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are in the midst of the city depart, and let not those who are in the country enter the city.

You see, rural village dwellers had for centuries generally done the opposite. In times of war, people would forsake their small dwellings and tents and move into walled cities for protection. They thought they were best protected, the theory was, when we are all together and when we have the advantage of those city walls. Remember Lord of the Rings? Everyone goes inside the city walls. Jesus urges the opposite in this case. Keep as far from it as you can. Because there is no safety in a city God is determined to have destroyed. And if you're outside, don't by any means come in. Don't think that the city is a place of refuge. Not this time.

4th-century historian Eusebius tells us that Christians gave heed to this warning:

The people of the church in Jerusalem were commanded by an oracle given by revelation before the war to those in the city to depart and dwell in one of the cities of Perea which they called Pella. To it, those who believed on Christ migrated from Jerusalem, that when holy men had altogether deserted the royal capital of the Jews and the whole land of Judea, the judgment of God would overtake them for all their crimes against Christ and the Apostles, and all that generation of the wicked be utterly blotted out from among men.

The mountains would be a good, inaccessible place to hide. It is true that most of the Christians who left went to the nearby city of Pella. The oracle given by revelation that Eusebius refers to may have been these very words of Christ we are studying, or may have been some word from a Christian prophet that came later. But as for what took place to those who stayed within, let me share you a few words: give me about 8 minutes to recite from a historical source that bears the marks of reliability. Here are a few words from Josephus (very selective):

Josephus Writing on the Destruction of Jerusalem

Before I do, some background:

Jewish hatred of their Roman oppressors had risen to the point of organized rebellion in the city. Crimes were being committed against Roman rulers and soldiers. A lot of Jews had the good sense to know better, and so by no means was everyone in Jerusalem in an uproar or sympathetic with the movement, but the moderate voices were being drowned out by the cries of the Zealots that we must throw off the Roman yoke!

Emperor Nero decided it was time to do something about it. He sent his general Vespasian to Galilee, which was easily conquered, with many crucified and slaughtered, as they marched down to Jerusalem. But when he was nearly there, news came: Nero has committed suicide! So Vespasian, uncertain what his orders would be upon arriving there, returned to Rome. Then followed that period of 4 emperors in less than one year. The Jews just took advantage of Rome's inner turmoil and their revolt grew in strength, the hope taking hold that the Roman empire might be unraveling and the Jews could really break free and be a liberated nation again!

But the same Vespasian, who himself had been within knocking distance of their city, was now Emperor and he sent his son Titus to Jerusalem, with a large army, to do what he had not done. It might have been to many minds like Bush Jr. doing what Bush Sr. left unfinished in Iraq. The son, Titus, finished what father Vespasian left undone, that's for sure. And in April of 70 AD, the Roman army came in sight of Jerusalem, and it all began while the city was still crowded with Passover pilgrims, like New Orleans filled with Mardi Gras revelers multitudes from out of town in the city. And now, Josephus, first quoting him about 60 days after the Romans came:

From Book VI, Chapter 1:

Thus did the miseries of Jerusalem grow worse and worse every day, and. indeed the multitude of carcasses that lay in heaps one upon another was a horrible sight, and produced a pestilential stench, which was a hindrance to those that would make sallies out of the city, and fight the enemy: but as those were to go in battle-array, who had been already used to ten thousand murders, and must tread upon those dead bodies as they marched along, so were not they terrified, nor did they pity men as they marched over them.

And now the Romans, although they were greatly distressed in getting together their materials, raised their banks in twenty-one days, after they had cut down all the trees that were in the country that adjoined to the city, and that for ninety furlongs round about. And truly the very view itself of the country was a melancholy thing; for those places which were before adorned with trees and pleasant gardens were now become a desolate country every way, and its trees were all cut down: nor could any foreigner that had formerly seen Judea and the most beautiful suburbs of the city, and now saw it as a desert, but lament and mourn sadly at so great a change: for the war had laid all the signs of beauty quite waste: nor if any one that had known the place before, had come on a sudden to it now, would he have known it again.

Then, writing at a time a few weeks later, when the overthrow was well underway:

Book VII, Chapter 1, under the section entitled:

HOW THE ENTIRE CITY OF JERUSALEM WAS DEMOLISHED, EXCEPTING THREE TOWERS:

Now as soon as the army had no more people to slay or to plunder, because there remained none to be the objects of their fury, (for they would not have spared any, had there remained any other work to be done,) Caesar gave orders that they should now demolish the entire city and temple, but should leave as many of the towers standing as were of the greatest eminency; that is, Phasaelus, and Hippicus, and Mariamne; and so much of the wall as enclosed the city on the west side. This wall was spared, in order to demonstrate to posterity what kind of city it was, and how well fortified, which the Roman valor had subdued; but for all the rest of the wall, it was so thoroughly laid even with the ground by those that dug it up to the foundation, that there was left nothing to make those that came thither believe it had ever been inhabited. This was the end which Jerusalem came to by (their) madness.

But later these same towers were also destroyed and the western wall of the City was also destroyed And the Romans set fire to the extreme parts of the city, and burnt them down, and entirely demolished its walls. (Wars, book 6, chap 9, 4) (this speaks of suburbs such as Bethany)

City dug up to its foundations by the Romans to retrieve the Jewish treasures hidden underground:

And as he [Titus] came to Jerusalem in his progress, and compared the melancholy condition he saw it then in, with the ancient glory of the city, and called to mind the greatness of its present ruins, as well as its ancient splendor, he could not but pity the destruction of the city, so far was he from boasting that so great and goodly a city as that was had been by him taken by force; nay, he frequently cursed those that had been the authors of their revolt, and had brought such a punishment upon the city; insomuch that it openly appeared that he did not desire that such a calamity as this punishment of theirs amounted to should be a demonstration of his courage. Yet was there no small quantity of the riches that had been in that city still found among its ruins, a great deal of which the Romans dug up; but the greatest part was discovered by those [Jews] who were captives, and so they [Romans] carried it away; I mean the gold and the silver, and the rest of that most precious furniture which the Jews had, and which the owners had treasured up under ground, against the uncertain fortunes of war. (War, Book 7, 5, 2)

Foundations of Holy Temple Dug Up

And I cannot but wish that we had all died before we had seen that holy city demolished by the hands of our enemies, or the foundations of our holy temple dug up after so profane a manner. (War, Book 7, chap 8, 7)

City Burned; Jews' Archives Burned

So he [Titus] ordered this proclamation to be made to them, that they should no more come out to him as deserters, nor hope for any further security; for that he would henceforth spare nobody, but fight them with his whole army that he would henceforth treat them according to the laws of war. So he gave orders to the soldiers both to burn and to plunder the city [Jerusalem]; who did nothing indeed that day; but on the next day they set fire to the repository of the archives, to Acra [lower city], to the council-house, and to the place called Ophlas; at which time the fire proceeded as far as the palace of queen Helena, which was in the middle of Acra; the lanes also were burnt down, as were also those houses that were full of the dead bodies of such as were destroyed by famine. (War, Book 7, chap 6, 3)

The speech of Eleazar of Masada:

And where is now that great city, the metropolis of the Jewish nation, which vas fortified by so many walls round about? Which had so many fortresses and large towers to defend it, which could hardly contain the instruments prepared for war, and had so many ten thousands of men to fight for it? Where is this city that was believed to have God himself inhabiting therein? It is now demolished to the very foundations, and hath nothing but ruins, with some unfortunate old men who lie upon the ashes of the temple, and a few women are there preserved alive by the enemy, for our bitter shame and reproach. (War, Book 7, chap 8, 7).

(end quote of Josephus)

Well, no wonder the Lord Jesus told His disciples not to enter the city; or to get out if they were within. But now, in case there is any doubt as to the reason all this took place, He provides:

2) The Interpretation v 22

Why is this happening? V 22 is His brief explanation it is:
because these are days of vengeance, in order that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

Its vengeance! Days of vengeance it means re-payment, paying back! these are days in which people are being punished for something. The only question is, whose vengeance? Who is vengeful? All the pointers are that, Jesus is not just speaking of the Romans taking vengeance against the Jews, but their covenant God is having revenge on them for their sins.

Our God is not impatient with sinners. Far from it. His patience is enormous. His wrath delays long. He is slow to anger. He postpones punishment. Your own life should provide you more than enough proof of that! But a time comes when, to wait any longer would be outrageous.

Gods sentence against evil deeds not always executed speedily, and that is to His credit but it does come, because He is holy, and that is also praiseworthy and to His credit, though we don't feel nearly so good about it as we do about patience, because its we who suffer when He decides He has waited long enough. A criminal always feels its too soon to hold him accountable for his crimes. But he gave the judge the right to punish a long time before, even the first time he did an evil deed. The Jewish nation had been permitted a lot of latitude.

And when the heavy hand of God came down, it was as though God was purging Canaan all over again. Josephus describes the people moving out of the city as swimmers deserting a sinking ship. The horror that Jesus predicted is a matter of awful historical fact. It was one of the worst, fiercest, overthrows that a city's residents have ever suffered.

The sins of the Jewish nation had accumulated for a long time. They had treasured up wrath for themselves, as other Scriptures say. God had spoken of how the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full, and for a long time, in the kind patience of God, the iniquity of the Jews was not yet full either but when Jesus spoke, time was about up. And when the axe fell, the vengeance was because of this what He had said earlier in Luke:

in order that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against this generation. Luke 11:50-51

How does Jesus say that the blood of the execution of all those godly men and prophets will be laid at the feet of this generation? And did you hear how Jesus stresses that, so that in case you had a problem with that, He's really in your face about it yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against this generation - the blood of all those godly ones will be blamed on this generation. Why so? Because they had not repented of, disowned, but continued in the same sins. Because they lied to themselves that they would not have rejected such prophets when they had rejected a greater prophet the Son of God Himself. When rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ was more serious by far, and amounted to as full a rejection of their covenant God as could be accomplished, than the rejection of any or all of the prophets.

We can be confident that God knows how to measure guilt, and never doubt that. But now, finally:

3) The Inhumanity vv 23-24a

Woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days; for 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 into all the nations.

Can you imagine the intensity of the care of the heart of Lord Jesus in saying this? He tells of how awful it will be. Women nursing babies will suffer. They will see their children suffer. Pregnant women will suffer in fact, I don't even want to talk about what was done to pregnant women by the Roman armies sometimes. You probably can guess.

It always has to raise the question to us: how can God preside over the death of innocents like this? I cannot talk as though I have all the answers. I did just affirm the justice of God and mostly rest in that: but I can at least say also that, innocence before God, is never complete, and is only a matter of degrees and particular crimes. Those who did not do deeds that warranted the Romans slaughtering them, are still persons deserving of death before God, for sin against Him. And so He meted out His sentence of death upon sinners in this way. Because no one is absolutely innocent.

Its just relative degrees, or what you are innocent or guilty of. Even those who did not participate in the revolt, or who did not personally reject Christ, were still sinners in their own way against God. But finally:

4) The Interval v 24b

When a statement of historical interest is made:

and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

We need to understand what Jesus means here by the times of the Gentiles. What is the meaning of that expression? It probably has more than just one, isolated meaning. It probably includes a number of things: at the least, it means the time during which God has a purpose for the Gentiles, and its a purpose which is quite in contrast to how He had been dealing with them before; the time during which He accomplishes that purpose.

But it also may also include, the time during which God uses the Gentiles to execute His judgments; the time He allows Gentiles to tyrannize Israel, possess their land, trample the Jews; the time during which Gentiles will enjoy privileges which before only belonged to Israel: foremost of which was, having the gospel preached to them, and benefiting far more from the preached gospel than the Jews did! Paul recognized that God was at work in such a way in remarks such as in Acts 13:46-47: Behold, we turn to the Gentiles! which made those Gentiles rejoice, v 48 it was time for the times of the Gentiles.

There can be really no serious doubt that these times began at 70 AD and have continued until now, and for all we know will continue for much longer. The times of the Gentiles may well fill the great majority of the time between the first and second coming of Christ. But perhaps not extended to the very term of that, to the very end. Its just not wise to guess with any certainty when it ends. It is not difficult to see when it began.

But lets talk about this, because it gives our miserable message today an ending of blessing. What has happened during the times of the Gentiles? Gentile nations have been blessed beyond imagination. Through the seed of Abraham that is, Christ and faith in Him, all the nations of the earth have been blessed! The gospel has broken out of the bounds of Israel and reached the ends of the earth. And it took this for that to happen.

But when Jesus says the times of the Gentiles must be fulfilled, it means there is a Divine purpose in those times. And there has been a Divine purpose. So that, despite the ruining of that city and that temple, the mercies of the God who destroyed that temple were abundant in that He was already beginning to build a new and better one: the body of Christ! So, the doom of a city and a building opened the door of blessing to a world of Gentile nations!

The fact is, you and I are saved because its the times of the Gentiles. The God who always had the prerogative to control just how far the truth went and who gets to hear it, ordained that.

But also, to say until the times of Gentiles be fulfilled must also mean that there is a time when they are fulfilled, that is, those times will also end. Have you thought about that as you observe the hardness of heart with which Gentile lands, such as our own country, such as Europe, what we have been recently showing in response to the Word of God, lands which have benefited astonishingly from the mercies of the gospel of God, but as we turn away just as we are seeing now it could be the signal that that the times of the Gentiles are coming to an end. All to say, we are probably still in the times of the Gentiles, but it may be winding down.

In which case, that would mean that, the plan of God which we read of in Rom 11 could be around the corner. Look there and pay close attention to this reading of a section which is difficult to our ears because of unusual illustration in the language, but you can get it:

Rom 11:19-23: You will say then, Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.

(explain who was saying this, and what they meant)

Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear! For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will He spare you. Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. And they also, if
they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in; for God is able to graft them in again.
(explain)

And Paul is convinced that they will be grafted back in again:

Vv 25-26: For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; (explain! hear how similar that phrase is?) and thus all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.

Way before Dispensationalism came around, Christians believed there is a great revival coming in Israel one day which will blow our minds. When God saves perhaps more Jews at once than He ever judged, as the population swells. There are over 6 million Jews in the land right now. That would be an interesting time statistically for God to work in power and save a nation, wouldn't it? After judging them by the Gentiles.

It just goes to show when Gods time is up, its up. It was about time for Jerusalem when Jesus gave this prophecy. And probably sooner than we think, times about up for the rest of the world, too.

But when Gods judgment falls, there is always mercy around the corner with it. Even the judgment at the end will usher in the eternal period of mercies.