Luke 21:25-28 (ESV)

“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

This is obviously much more than just the siege of Jerusalem. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

It sounds more like “the end,” from verse 9 – since “your redemption” and “the Son of Man coming in a cloud” are definitely end time events. Also, the “signs in sun and moon and stars” sound like the “great signs from heaven” from verse 11.

So, we may have matched two of the time periods we were trying to sort out. The time of “all this” seems to be the same as “the end.” Of course, that would make the time “before all this” the entire Christian era.

Also, this plain reading of the text matches quite well with the historical record. Jerusalem fell but all the other things haven’t happened yet.

But what is “until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” in verse 24 referring to? The text says that “Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles” until that time. This seems to still be going on; I’ve been there myself.

That one remains a mystery for now. This section doesn’t seem to say when “the time of the gentiles” will be fulfilled. It doesn’t make any connection between this event and “the end” either.

They don’t need to be connected. Many people have an unhealthy infatuation with trying to predict the end times. It’s understandable to want to know what’s coming; that’s why news shows include a weather report.

But we don’t know when the end times are coming, and we’re not supposed to know either.

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” – Matthew 24:36

Even though these devotionals do not shy away from complex issues, there’s a danger in that. Salvation is simple. Too much focus on details can distract us from the gospel. There’s a little bit of Pharisee in us all.

The purpose of Bible study is to draw us closer to God, not to figure everything out. Sometimes, the best answer to a tough question is simply that it’s above our pay grade. Instead of a logical answer, we get a dose of humility.

That’s a good thing.

The weekly study guides, which include discussion questions, are available for download here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies