Second Coming · Times of the Gentiles

Luke 21:5-36

Jesus · ~30 AD · Status: Future · Confidence: 60%
“And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said, As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”
King James Version · the opening of the passage — the whole of it is condensed below
More of Luke 21 on this siteLuke 21:20-24
This prophecy turns at 21:25

Luke's Olivet Discourse uniquely notes Jerusalem trodden by Gentiles 'until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled,' before the Son of Man's coming.

The prophecy, condensed

As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them. And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake. And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Luke 21:5-36 · King James Version · condensed from 696 words · every cut marked …
Commentary — not Scripture
Luke tells the same discourse, and one difference decides how it is read. Where Matthew and Mark have 'the abomination of desolation', Luke has 'when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies' (v20) - concrete enough that many take it as a direct description of AD 70. Luke's language stays narrower throughout: 'great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people' (v23), where Matthew and Mark reach for an affliction unequalled since the creation of the world. That is why Luke 21 is the strongest text for an AD 70 reading and Mark 13 the weakest. But Luke alone supplies a clock: Jerusalem 'trodden down of the Gentiles, UNTIL the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled' (v24) - a period with a stated end. This site reads it premillennially and holds a pre-tribulation catching-away, so the Son of man coming in a cloud (v27) is the second coming in glory that ENDS the tribulation, distinct from the earlier catching-away. Luke closes as Mark does: watch, and pray always.
Read the full prophecy — all 32 verses

21:5And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,

21:6As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

21:7And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?

21:8And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.

21:9But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.

21:10Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:

21:11And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

21:12But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake.

21:13And it shall turn to you for a testimony.

21:14Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:

21:15For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.

21:16And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.

21:17And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.

21:18But there shall not an hair of your head perish.

21:19In your patience possess ye your souls.

21:20And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.

21:21Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.

21:22For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

21:23But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.

21:24And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

21:25And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

21:26Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

21:27And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

21:28And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

21:29And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;

21:30When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.

21:31So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.

21:32Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.

21:33Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

21:34And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

21:35For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

21:36Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

Fulfillment References

Romans 11:25 Daniel 9:26 Revelation 11:2 Matthew 24:30

How Traditions Read This Prophecy

Apostolic (Oneness) PentecostalApostolic theology watches for the redemption that 'draweth nigh' (v.28), the return of the one Lord, as the gospel reaches all nations.
JewishRecords the catastrophe of 70 AD and exile; the hope of Jerusalem's restoration remains central to Jewish eschatology.
CatholicThe 'times of the Gentiles' frames the age of Gentile evangelization before the consummation.
ProtestantOften linked to Romans 11 — a period of Gentile ingathering before Israel's future turning and Christ's return.
OrthodoxThe trials of Jerusalem and the nations are encompassed in God's providence leading to the Parousia.
DispensationalThe 'times of the Gentiles' is a defined era ending at Christ's return, after which Israel is restored; 1967's Jerusalem is often cited.
AcademicLuke is often dated after 70 AD; scholars note his distinctive 'times of the Gentiles' redaction of the Markan source.
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Audio narration (listen to this prophecy read aloud), cross-references, Hebrew/Greek, Dead Sea Scrolls notes, a prophetic timeline, network maps, study tools and multi-tradition analysis in the interactive explorer.
Bible Prophecy Explorer · based on J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy catalogue · an openly Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal study resource — all traditions presented fairly. Pastor: C. Myles Young, D.Min. · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.