What Are the Times of the Gentiles?
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The “Times of the Gentiles” refers to a period foretold in Luke 21:24 when Gentile nations would dominate Jerusalem and influence world affairs until God's appointed time is fulfilled. It marks a prophetic era between Israel’s exile and Christ’s future return, emphasizing God's sovereign plan over history.
Where Does the Bible Talk about the “Times of the Gentiles”?
The “times of the Gentiles” isn't specifically mentioned in Scripture until the New Testament, when Jesus prophesied of Jerusalem’s destruction and the Gentiles’ following militaristic succession. This prophecy was part of the Olivet Discourse, a private conversation Jesus had with His disciples Peter, James, John, and Andrew on the Mount of Olives.
As mentioned, the phrase comes specifically from Luke 21:24, where Jesus says, "They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" (NIV, emphasis added).
Recorded in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), scholars consider the Olivet Discourse to be one of Jesus’ most significant teachings, as He shared details of Jerusalem’s temple being destroyed, His second coming, the tribulation, and the final judgment, including Jesus' parables of the ten virgins, the wise and foolish servants, and the sheep and the goats. (This discourse has sparked a wide variety of eschatological interpretations in the modern church.)
When Christ was on earth, many Jews were anticipating His kingdom to be an earthly kingdom that would overthrow their Roman oppressors. However, Jesus came to establish a heavenly, eternal kingdom, so the Jewish people were (and still are) subjected to a fallen world’s wars and tyranny. In 70 AD, forty years after Jesus’ ascension to heaven, Roman General Titus seized Jerusalem.
Who Is a Gentile?
Before we further explore the true meaning of the “times of the Gentiles,” it’s necessary to understand who a Gentile is. Crosswalk writer Reverend Kyle Norman puts it best:
In contrast to the Jewish people, there are the Gentiles, or better yet, everyone else. Simply put, Gentiles are not Jewish. They are people who cannot trace their familial line back to one of the 12 tribes of Israel…
Originally, Gentile was not a derogatory term. “Gentile” is simply the translation of the Hebrew word goy or the Greek word ethnos — both meaning “nation,” “ethnicity,” or “people”...
Of course, human pride and sin inevitably transformed this term into an insult. Gentile became synonymous with “sinful” (Galatians 2:15). Yet is this how God views the Gentile people?
Reverend Norman’s closing question brings eternal significance to the historical and cultural information we will continue to explore through Scripture:
“Times” vs. “Fullness” of the Gentiles: What’s the Difference?
In Romans 11:25 (ESV), we see Paul discuss the “fullness of the Gentiles”: “A partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” An in-depth understanding of the word “fullness”, the Greek word plērōma, can mean “the body of believers.” This is a spiritual context, which reveals God’s plan to redeem the Gentiles, to bring them to an eternal fullness and knowledge of His salvation.
Earlier in chapter 11, Paul discusses the Jewish people’s rejection of Jesus and how God used this rejection to reveal His plan of redemption to the Gentiles too: “For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?” (v. 15).
Thus, the distinct difference between the “times of the Gentiles” and the “fullness of the Gentiles” relies on recognizing the earthly versus spiritual aspects of the terms. The “times” refer to the physical timeline in which Gentiles will rule over Jerusalem. The “fullness” of the Gentiles is a spiritual reference to God revealing His plan of salvation to all Gentiles. The “times of the Gentiles” will one day end, but the “fullness of the Gentiles” will last throughout eternity.
When Did the Times of the Gentiles Start—and What Signals the End?
Though we don’t read about the “times of the Gentiles” until the New Testament, we see the times of the Gentiles first recorded under the rule of Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah 25:11 specifically records the Babylonian invasion of Judah, during which Jerusalem was ruined and the Jewish people were banished into exile for seventy years.
Since Jerusalem’s original fall to Gentile peoples, Gentiles have been considered the predominant rulers of the world. Thus, the end of the times of the Gentiles will occur when the Jews return to full political power. Though some consider the Israeli victory in the Six-Day War in 1967 to have been the end of Gentile rule, when the Jewish nation seized control of significant Middle East territories, many biblical scholars disagree with this idea, citing continual historical instances in which large Muslim populations have dominated Jerusalem and its Temple Mount.
“Times of the Gentiles” Significance in End Times Prophecy
Daniel 2:31-45 reveals a prophecy in which the Antichrist will rule, with Revelation 11:2 specifically noting that the Antichrist will scatter and destroy Jerusalem with his dictatorial reign for over three years: “But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.”
In upholding the most accurate biblical and historical texts, we are to interpret the times of the Gentiles to officially conclude upon the second coming of Christ, when He destroys the Antichrist, sin, and Satan forever and establishes His eternal kingdom.
Following this understanding of Scripture and historical timelines, we recognize the “times of the Gentiles” as a pivotal event that paves the way for the world’s redemption through Christ.
Why Understanding This Phrase Matters for Our Christian Mission
We recognize how important the “times of the Gentiles” and the “fullness of the Gentiles” are when we revisit Paul’s letter in Romans 11. Here, we understand that God uses His people’s willful, rebellious abandonment of Him as a means to establish a spiritual family with the Gentiles.
God uses His hurt to broaden His salvation, welcoming those who weren’t covenant-established as eternal heirs of His kingdom. Meanwhile, true to His good, redemptive character, He will offer His Jewish people the opportunity to be restored and to return to Him and His fullness once and for all.
Though the Jewish people have and will continue to be a fickle, wandering people, refusing Christ’s salvation and being subjected to Gentile rule, we see God’s long-suffering nature drawing all men to Himself. Let's conclude with these words from Scripture:
“Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called 'uncircumcised' by those who call themselves 'the circumcision' (which is done in the body by human hands)—remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility…His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross… For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” Ephesians 2:11-19 (NIV)
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