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TOPIC: Gordon, Samuel Dickey - Quiet Talks About Our Lord's Return (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: 14. Luke's New Paragraph
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Luke's New Paragraph
It is only a day or two after, that He is sitting on Olivet's top and answering the eager questions of the inner four. Luke's account [Note: Luke 21.] follows exactly the lines already noted in Matthew, but it has two features not included there. We remember that this Olivet Talk grew out of His telling about the destruction of Jerusalem, though the particular item of the destruction itself is not directly spoken of in the Matthew talk. Now here that item is expressly spoken of. One paragraph deals wholly with the destruction of Jerusalem. [Note: Luk_21:20-24.] The rest of our Lord's words, of which this paragraph is a part, must be kept in mind. Naturally this paragraph fits into its place in the whole talk, and its meaning is influenced by, and partially gotten from, its surroundings.
One slight change in the translation will help to make the meaning clearer. The word "land" in verse twenty-three would in this instance be more accurately translated earth,—"there shall be great distress on the earth." It is so sometimes given as an alternate reading in the margin. Taking the whole talk into account, the reference clearly is not to the land of Palestine, but to the whole habitable earth.
We should keep the Book open here as we talk together. A careful reading of these lines makes one thing quite clear. Certain parts of this paragraph clearly refer to the destruction under Titus in 70 a.d.; just as clearly certain parts of it were not fulfilled at that time. Note a few items:—"Jerusalem... compassed with armies," and "they—the Jews—shall fall by the 'sword," would evidently be fulfilled at the Titus destruction. "They—the Jews—shall be led captive into all the nations," easily dates from that time, when a renewed and complete scattering of the Jew took place. "Jerusalem... trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled," clearly began then, and remains true to this hour. "Days of vengeance," "wrath upon this people," would be true of that time, whether fully fulfilled or not. But "days of vengeance that all things which are written may be fulfilled" would as clearly not be fulfilled by the Titus destruction. "Great distress upon the earth," taken with the rest of the talk, would not be fulfilled by the great distress at that time in Jerusalem and Palestine.
Having gotten this preliminary clearing-up look at the paragraph, let us note a little further just what it seems to teach. And it will help much if we can put on our Jew ears for a moment, and try to listen as the intense Jew listened. The striking passage is in verse twenty-four. Four things stand out. There was to be a time of judgment upon the Jew and Jerusalem, during which it would be trodden under foot "of the Gentiles." But the Jew ear would quickly note that this is to be for a fixed, limited period of unnamed length, that is, until the time of Gentile leadership has been fulfilled. That puts a distinct ending to the time of Jewish oppression. Then, by simple, clear inference, there would be a cessation of this non-Jewish world-leadership, and a Jewish restoration. Fitting this paragraph into its place in the whole talk, the Gentile period would end in the great tribulation, at the close of which would be the coming of our Lord, and with that the Jewish restoration.
It will be remembered that the opening event of the tribulation is to be some one, or some thing, called the "abomination of desolation" being set up in the holy place of the temple. The tribulation ends with the open, glorified appearing of Jesus before the eyes of all. This would mean that the temple at Jerusalem would be rebuilt. The city, of course, was rebuilt centuries ago. But the temple never has been, the land being under the control of the Turks, and the site of the temple occupied by a mosque.
The strong temptation here is to run off into speculation as to the likelihood or unlikelihood of such a thing, and how it could be. But we have agreed to hold off all such questions, and simply gather up the teachings, without discussing their seeming probability in view of the way things are just now. So we must resist this strong temptation, and hold all such questions off, until we are through with this bit of work.
There is one other bit in this Luke account of the Olivet Talk, which is not in Matthew or Mark. There it is clearly taught that the Christian people will experience great testing and suffering during this tribulation time. Here is a new note of encouragement added regarding that saddening prospect,—some will be kept untouched and unharmed in the midst of that awful time. This is the very last word in Luke's account, [Note: Luk_21:36.] "Watch ye at every season, making supplication, that ye may prevail (or be accounted worthy) to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."
Through watchfulness and prayer some will use the grace freely given, and pass through the experiences without hurt of any sort, though not without having great pain in spirit because of these happenings. Even so the three Hebrew young men were in the fire, [Note: Daniel 3.] but were untouched by it, save to be freer by the burning of their bands. This possibility is held out to us by our Master as the point of His last earnest plea that we shall be ready, watching and waiting and working, with our eye steadily fixed forward to His glad appearing.