TIMES of the GENTILES

It seems common to hear ‘fulness of the Gentiles’ confused with ‘Times of the Gentiles’, so let’s look at this closer...

In Romans 9 thru 11 apostle Paul carefully explains how God has a right to select one family (Jacob’s) and never ever give up on them. In his conclusion he says...

  ²⁵ For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in; (11:25)

Clearly this is about belief in our God of mercy (v30) – a spiritual concept.

 

In contrast to this, ‘Time of the Gentiles’ comes from...

²⁴ and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under-foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. Luke 21:24

Here the Lord is speaking to ‘this people in Judaea’ – Israel, who are still scattered among the nations today. Jerusalem has been ‘trampled under-foot by the Gentiles’ ever since the Babylonian Captivity by king Nebuchadnezzar in ~586BC.  He was told by Daniel interpreting his dream...

³⁸ and wherever the sons of men dwell... He has given them into your hand and has caused you to rule over them all... (2:38)

Subsequent prophecies given to Daniel showed him that Israel must be subjugated by 4 successive empires: Babylon, Medio-Persia, Greece and Rome who ruled Jerusalem when the Lord was here, the same revived empire which must be in place when He returns.   Since that destruction in 586BC, Israel has NEVER held absolute sovereignty over Temple Mount – today it is controlled by the Ministry of Awqaf in Amman, Jordan.

In other words, ‘the Times of the Gentiles’ is a literal Gentile control to this day.