Times of
the Gentiles Prophecy fulfilled in 1980… where does that leave us in the time
stream of prophetic history?
JERUSALEM IN BIBLE PROPHECY
Roy F.
Cottrell 1947
In 1944, the Pacific Press published a book entitled Palestine in Prophecy. It was used as
a "book of the month" by The Voice of Prophecy. The final paragraph
of the book reads:
The apostle Paul speaks of old Jerusalem as being "in bondage
with her children." (Gal. 4:25) Had the Jews been faithful, Jerusalem
would have been enlarged and beautified to become the center Of the whole
earth, beautiful for situation. But throughout the generations [from] the fall
of that city in AD. 70, Jerusalem has been "a burdensome stone" and
"a cup Of trembling unto all people" (Zechariah 12:2, 3); and it will
be so till the end of time. Palestine and Jerusalem do not have a bright future
in this present world, and those who are holding the hope Of a national
restoration for the Jews are following a theological will-o'-the-wisp.
Then in 1947, the Pacific Press published another book The Jews and Palestine In it were
noted the objectives of Zionism:
The father Of modern Zionism was Theodor Herzl , an
Austro-Hungarian journalist. In 1896 he published a book entitled, The Jewish
State. The following year the first Zionist Congress convened in Basel,
Switzerland, and presented to the world its program for "'a publicly
assured and legally secured home for the Jewish people in Palestine." (p.
57)
Near the close of this particular chapter, the conclusion is
drawn:
The God Of heaven who overthrew the city and nation and who
because of their apostasy dispersed the inhabitants to the ends of the earth,
forever settles the question of a complete return and restitution in old Canaan
by asserting that it "cannot be." (p. 61)
In 1947, the Church took the position that it was absolutely
impossible for a Jewish state to ever be re-established in Palestine. One year
later. in 1948, the Jewish state became a reality.
In 1948,
I became pastor of the First church in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Sabbath
following the establishment of the Jewish state, I prepared a sermon to shore
up confidence in the church's position. I told the congregation - "Don't
get too disturbed. Do not become overly alarmed. There are still more Jews in
New York City than can possibly get settled in the small area of
Palestine." I had no other answer. What was I to say? In other words, as a
result of then current events, it became obvious that we as a Church were
fallible in our prophetic interpretations, and that there needed to be some
re-thinking.
By 1952, the Church returned to a position as had been set forth
by James Edson White, and faced up to the
reality of the prophecy Jesus had given in Luke 21 :24 "...and
Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the
Gentiles be fulfilled"
First, in considering this prophecy of Jesus, one must recognize
what Jesus did not say. He did not tie this prophecy to the time of the
restoration of the Jewish State. Therefore, in 1948, when Israel again became a
nation, this event in and of itself was not a fulfillment of prophecy. Jesus
did not talk about a Jewish state, nor Palestine, but a city - "Jerusalem
shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be
fulfilled." Further, Jesus did not associate this prophecy with the
restoration of the temple or its services. A few hours prior to His giving this
prophecy to the disciples, He told the Jewish leadership as He left the temple
for the last time - "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate."
(Matt. 23:38) This prophecy was tied solely to the control and government of
just one city, and that city was Jerusalem!
In 1952, the Church conducted a world-wide Bible Conference. It
was held in the Sligo Seventh-day Adventist Church. Elder Arthur Maxwell, then
editor of the Signs Of the Times
presented a paper on "The Imminence of Christ's Second Coming, " in
which he directed the attention of the ministry of the Church to Jesus'
prophecy in Luke 21:24. He said:
The recent dramatic restoration of the nation Of Israel has
focused the attention of mankind once more on Palestine. Many Christians have
mistakenly permitted themselves to believe that the return of thousands of
unconverted Jews to their native land is in fulfillment of the promises to
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, not realizing that, since the death of the Son of
God on Calvary, there is no salvation, nor any eternal homeland, except for
those who believe in Him and accept His sacrifice.
However, there is one prophecy concerning Palestine that we should
all be watching with special care. Said Jesus, "Jerusalem shall be trodden
down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." (Luke
21:24). (Our firm Foundation, 11, p. 230)
The ministers of the Church from around the world were directed to
this neglected prophecy of Jesus by Maxwell. Then he observed that a principle
God applied to the Amorites might well apply in this instance, only on a wider
scale. He stated:
Centuries ago Israel was not permitted to enter Palestine for a
certain time because 'the iniquity of the Amorites" was "not yet
full" (Gen. 15: 16); that is, not until the probationary time allotted to
the Amorites had run Out. it may well be that the same principle applies today,
on a wider scale. If so, then Jerusalem is to remain trodden down by Gentiles
till the probationary time Of all Gentiles has run Out. If this be correct, how
much hinges upon the fate of this ancient city and the power that occupies it!
(Ibid., pp. 230-231)
As noted above, in taking this position, Maxwell reverted back to
the position taken by James Edson White in his book - The Coming King. White wrote:
We also read that "Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the
Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." (Luke 21:24).
Jerusalem has never again come into the possession of the Jews and will not
until •the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." This will be when the work
of the gospel is finished. (1898 ed., p. 98)
Up until 1947, in our evangelistic publications, we taught that
there would never be again a Jewish State. Then in 1948, we were shocked into
reality because a Jewish State - Israel -did come into existence short of
Jerusalem. Maxwell at the 1952 Bible Conference said that "as by an unseen
hand" the Jewish forces were "mysteriously... held back "from
achieving this most cherished goal" of retaking Jerusalem. Then he asked,
"What could be the reason?" and answered his own question -
"Only that the times of the Gentiles are not yet fulfilled." That was
in 1952.
Now we
are faced with certain other realities with which we must be concerned. In
1967, in the Six-Day War, Israeli military forces took Jerusalem, thus
restoring to Jewish control the city. However, the Capital of the State of
Israel remained in Tel Aviv. Then in 1980, the entire Jewish government - The
Supreme Court, the Knesset, the office of both the President and Prime Minister
- was moved to Jerusalem. The prophecy of Jesus had met its complete
fulfillment. And yet, here we are still in time. Again, it is obvious that this
prophetic interpretation has failed us. How are we to relate to this fulfilled
prophecy? Ignore it? We dare not - it was a prophecy Jesus gave!
You ask, why two dates? In 1967, Jerusalem was captured but not
until 13 years later in 1980 was the government moved to Jerusalem, thus
occupying the city and bringing it once more under full control of the State of
Israel. Let us consider this question.
Luke, in both his Gospel and the book of Acts, uses twenty times
the word translated, "until" 1). But three different times, he
combined with the preposition a relative, making it an idiomatic expression - achri hQ!Q ( axpt 'co). One of these
times was in Luke 21:24. The other two times are in the book of Acts. It is the
last use in Acts which helps us to understand best the meaning of this
idiomatic expression.
Take your Bible and turn to Acts 27. Paul, as a prisoner, was on
his way to Rome. The ship in the midst of storm was in trouble. All aboard had
fasted for fourteen days. Then the record reads - "and while the day was
coming on, Paul besought them all to take food" (ver. 33 KJV) The word,
"While" is a translation of the words, achri hou. What does it mean - "while the day was coming
on"? This morning as I left the library to go home for breakfast, in the
east were the first glimmers of light. In a brief period of time, the sun arose
above the horizon and all the shades of night disappeared. The day was coming
on. To describe that brief but definite span of time, Luke used the idiomatic
Greek expression - achri hou.
The 'times of the Gentiles" ended in a brief period of time marked by an
event in the history of Jerusalem both at its beginning in 1967, and its ending
in 1980.
You may
now ask another question: "Are we not introducing something new in
prophetic interpretation which is without precedent?" No! Let me give you
an illustration. In 533 A.D, Justinian issued a decree establishing the Bishop
of Rome the supreme ruler in the West. However, it was not until 538 A.D., that
Belisarius, Justinian's general , with force of arms put into effect the
decree. We begin the prophecy of the 1260 years not with 533, but with 538.
"The times of the Gentiles" closes not with 1967, but with 1980,
although the event in 1967 alerted us to what was about to take place had we
had eyes to see and ears to hear.
Into this picture for Adventists, there are some factors that must
be introduced and understood. In 1901 , Ellen G. White wrote to Dr. P.T. Magan,
that now very familiar warning. It read:
We may
have to remain here in this world because of insubordination many more years,
as did the children of Israel, but for Christ's sake, His people should not add
sin to sin by charging God with the consequence of their own wrong course of
action. (M-184-1901)
Now what was said in 1901? "We may have to remain here in
this world...many more years". Have we? WE'RE HERE! The very fact that we
are here, many years after 1901 attests to the accuracy of the possibility and
should tell us something. The statement also infers that we shouldn't be here!
"We may have to remain." It was not God's purpose that we should so
remain. Why? Various events that were indicated had already occurred. Let us
review some history.
In the Review & Herald
(Nov. 22, 1892) Ellen G. White had written:
The time of test is just upon us, for the loud cry of the third
angel has already begun in the revelation of the righteousness of Christ, the
sin pardoning Redeemer. This is the beginning of the light of the angel whose
glory shall fill the whole earth.
Why was "The time of test...just upon us"? In August of 1892, a National Sunday Law
had been attached as a rider to an appropriation bill and signed into law by
President Harrison. It was a period of pronounced Sunday law agitation. In the
closing years of the previous decade, Ellen White had noted a National Sunday
Law as a sign for God's people. (Keep in mind "time and place. )
Now I ask you a further question. Can you show me a single
reference in the Writings - and I have asked many; I cannot find it - that
after 1901, Ellen White ever referred to a National Sunday Law as a
"sign" for God's people? Three weeks later, she did write about the
"false Sabbath" being "enforced by an oppressive law' but does
not note it as a "National Sunday Law," but as an event to occur
"after the truth has been proclaimed as a witness to all nations." (R&H, Dec. 13, 1892) Something
went wrong, which caused the warning that 'We may have to remain here...many
more years."
However, in the very year that this warning was given 1901 - Ellen
White directed attention to another "sign" by which we would know the
end was indeed "upon us." She wrote:
In the twenty-first chapter of Luke, Christ foretold what was to
come upon Jerusalem, and with it He connected the scenes which were to take
place in the history of this world just prior to the coming of the Son of man
in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (Letter 20, 1901; Counsels
to Writers, pp. 23-24)
I ask you - in 1901 , when Ellen White indicated that "we may
have to remain here...many more years" with what events had she that very
year connected the end? A National Sunday Law? No! She connected it with events
in Jerusalem and said study Luke 21. Now what is in Luke 21 , that one does not
find in Mark 13 or Matthew 24? Only one
thing - "And Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until
the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." This event would signal 'the
scenes which were to take place just prior to the coming of the Son of
man" the second time. What then does the fulfillment of Luke 21 :24 in
1980 tell us, if anything? It shouts loud and clear that we have reached the
end of time. We are at the very end of human history as we know it today. We
stand at the very border of the eternal kingdom and we need to recognize that
fact.
TO BE
CONTINUED…
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