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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Luk_21:20-24
20"But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. 21Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are in the midst of the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city; 22because these are days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled. 23Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people; 24and 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.
Luk_21:20 "when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies" Vespasian was Nero's general who subdued Palestine, but at Nero's death he had to return to Rome where three Emperors (Galba, Ortho, and Vitrello) followed in less than one year. Vespasian became Emperor and his son, Titus, finally destroyed the city and the Temple in a.d. 70 after a five month siege of Jerusalem beginning in April when the city was flooded with pilgrims.
Luk_21:21 "Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains" This is a present active imperative. Tradition (Eusebius, Eccl. His. 3.5.2-3) asserts that when the Christians saw the Roman armies coming, they heeded this prophetic message and fled to the Trans-Jordan region of the Decapolis to a city named Pella and most of them were spared the horrors of the siege and destruction of Jerusalem.
Luk_21:23 This obviously refers to the destruction of Jerusalem only, not to the Second Coming. The problem was the rapid flight that was necessary.
Jesus answers the questions of the disciples, but merges the fall of Jerusalem and the Second Coming. Notice also the synonymous parallelism which is so common in OT wisdom literature. Luk_21:23-24 a form three double parallel lines.
Luk_21:24 "and they will fall by the edge of the sword" Josephus tells us that 1,100,000 were killed and 97,000 were taken prisoner (Wars of the Jews, 6.9.3). Josephus often exaggerated his numbers, but the terror and horror of this event is accurate.
▣ "and will be led captive into all the nations" The captured Jews were sold as slaves throughout the Roman Empire (as were all defeated peoples). Two-thirds of the population of the Roman Empire were slaves.
▣ "until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" There are several theories related to this phrase (cf. Luk_20:16; Mar_13:10; Rom_11:12; Rom_11:25).
1. Gentiles as God's instrument of judgment on Israel
2. the Gentiles in political control of Palestine
3. the believing Gentiles receiving Israel's OT blessing and mandate of evangelism
4. the Good News being preached even to the Gentiles