Luke 21:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written.

NIV: For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written.

NASB: because these are days of punishment, so that all things which have been written will be fulfilled.

CSB: because these are days of vengeance to fulfill all the things that are written.

NLT: For those will be days of God’s vengeance, and the prophetic words of the Scriptures will be fulfilled.

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

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

This passage describes the fall of Jerusalem, as told to Jesus' disciples. In Matthew and Mark's parallel accounts, the wording shows a double-fulfillment, culminating in the tribulation (Matthew 24:21–22; Mark 13:19–20). Luke limits his account to the first fulfillment: the siege and destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman army in AD 70 (Luke 21:24).

That makes this verse a little difficult. What prior prophecy does AD 70 fulfill? The Old Testament doesn't have anything specific about this destruction of Jerusalem, but it does contain general warnings. Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 follow the format of the Hittite Suzerain treaty: identification of the ruler, description of the ruler's acts, obligations of the ruler and the people, promised blessings for obedience and consequences for disobedience, and closure.

Included in the consequences is the promise that if the Israelites reject their God, God will destroy their cities and sanctuaries, devastate the land, send them into exile, and cause such starvation that people will eat their own children (Leviticus 26:27–33). All this happened during the war with the Romans in AD 66–70 (Josephus, Jewish War, 6.3.4).

At the time of Jesus' crucifixion, ironically, the Jews had been relatively faithful to God. The Roman government even gives them special dispensation so they aren't required to worship the Greco-Roman gods or the emperor. But, as a nation, they reject Jesus as their Messiah and the Son of God. Their Savior has come, and they crucify Him (Luke 19:41–44).

This is the story of AD 70, but it's not the end. In the end of the treaty in Leviticus 26:40–42, God says:

"But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their treachery that they committed against me, and also in walking contrary to me, so that I walked contrary to them and brought them into the land of their enemies—if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make amends for their iniquity, then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land."

When the "times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" (Luke 21:24), at the tribulation, the Jews will accept their Messiah; He will come to them and rescue them from the powers of the Antichrist. He will be their king and they will be His people (Revelation 19:11–16). We still look forward with hope to that written promise.

Luke 21:20–24 answers the disciples' question regarding what signs will precede the destruction of the temple (Luke 21:6–7). Jesus reveals that all Jerusalem will be destroyed. This happened decades after Jesus' ascension, during the Roman attack in AD 70. Jesus' next prophecy skips the church age and covers His return at the end of the tribulation (Luke 21:25–28), mentioning the "times of the Gentiles" (Luke 21:24) but not providing specific details. Matthew 24:15–20 and Mark 13:14–18 also record Jesus' words about the destruction of Jerusalem.

Luke 21 records the last of Jesus' teachings before the Last Supper, His arrest, and His crucifixion. Luke 21:1–4 fits well with the themes of Luke 19:28—20:47. Luke 21:5–11 describes how false messiahs, war, and natural disasters will become normal. Luke 21:12–24 prophesies challenges prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Luke 21:25–28 moves to the tribulation. Luke 21:29–36 is Jesus' instructions about the disciples' lives and ministries with respect to the delayed kingdom. Luke 21:37–38 is a note about Jesus' schedule in the days between the triumphal entry and His arrest.

Luke 21 finishes the presentation of Jesus in Jerusalem as the Messiah of the Jews. This lays a foundation for the Passion Narrative: the final days before Jesus is crucified. Luke 19:28—20:47 covered most of the discussions about His authority which are completed with His words about the widow's sacrificial offering (Luke 21:1–4). The rest of the chapter records His warnings to the disciples about the violence they, the temple, Jerusalem, and the world will face between His ascension and His return. Matthew 24 and Mark 12:41—13:37 cover the same material.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.