Luke 21:5-38.
“And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then 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. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 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,” Luke 21:20-24.
As we come to study the next section of the words of the Saviour’s prophecy, given in response to the question of His disciples, verse 7, we come face to face with that which I allude to in my title for this study. In these verses there is that to which I refer as ‘a much misunderstood and misapplied prophecy by the Saviour.’
I. THERE IS A CLOSE SIMILARITY BETWEEN THE ABOVE PASSAGE AND MATTHEW 24:15-31.
Matthew 24:15-22 reads:—
“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”
Yes, there is a close similarity but they do not refer to the same events as those of Luke 21:20-24. That I will seek to show you. It is this seeing the two portions of Holy Scripture as referring to the same events which creates a misunderstanding of the Saviour’s words.
But firstly please learn that:
1. The tactics of the enemies of God and His people never change! On a number of occasions I have said that the devil is a slave of his own depraved heart and mind. He instinctively attacks the cause of God in a manner dictated by his own depravity.
I am sure that most readers have watched a video of the lions in Africa hunting their prey. Their tactics never change!
Well, so it is with the one who “as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour,” 1 Peter 5:8.
As the lions of Africa CANNOT change their instinctive hunting methods, so it is with the lion from hell and all who follow him.
Similarity
Consequently, you will see a great similarity in the Bible’s record of the many attacks, from many sources, upon God’s people throughout the ages.
How often we read, ‘AGAIN’ in regard to the backsliding of Israel and also the repeatedly attacks of her enemies.
“And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD,” Judges 4:1. What they did was the result of the devil’s temptations and allurements but it always followed the same pattern. See Judges 6:1, 8:33, 10:6, 13:1 for examples of this repetition!
Depraved man cannot alter his habits, just as the devil cannot alter his. As a result we may see a foreshadowing of the final events of this age, when the great apostasy takes place, when the devil and those duped by him muster their forces in a manner manifested in the many previous attacks he launched.
1000 years
The devil’s enchained state is seen in that, even after 1000 years confined by the Lord in the ‘bottomless pit’, when he is released and he and his devotees attack “the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city” (Revelation 20:9) in the same manner he had done just prior to the return of the Saviour. His overthrow and 1000-year imprisonment in the ‘bottomless pit’ has taught him nothing! Truly, the devil never can learn from his defeats and overthrows!
It is for this reason that it is easy to think that Matthew 24:15-22 refers to the same events as the Saviour speaks of in Luke 21:20-24. However, we must ever remember that every word of Holy Scripture is ‘inspired’ and infallibly true. I know only too well how easy it is to add or omit a word unintentionally when typing. But that is not the case with the inspired Word of God. The Saviour emphasised this.
“For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled,” Matthew 5:18. Even the least of all the letters in the Hebrew alphabet and the small mark on a letter, to indicate pitch or vowel quality, is of divine significance and will not “pass from the law”.
Therefore we must carefully note each word and take note of it when studying God’s Word.
In the light of this, please compare these events, separated by 1000 years!
“Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east . . . ,” Zechariah 14:1-4.
That is a reference to the return of Christ in glory.
“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever,” Revelation 20:7-10.
That takes place, as is clearly stated, 1000 years after Christ’s return. But please note that the devil, even after that lengthy ‘jail sentence’, and his followers, have learned nothing from all the similar defeats, experienced over the centuries at the hand of God. These we can read about, to our comfort and encouragement, in the Bible!
This is the reason why there is a close resemblance between the verses in Luke 21:20-24 and Zechariah 14:1-4 and also Matthew 24:15-31. They are similar accounts of attacks on Jerusalem but one is an account of what happened in AD 70 (Luke 21) and the other two refer to future events which will occur just prior to the Saviour ’s return in glory,
2. Because of this similarity, many of God’s people have sought to contend that Matthew 24:15-22 is but a repeat of Luke 21:20-24. That is a mistake and has led to the most foolish view that Matthew 24:15-22 is referring to that which is in the past, events at the time of the overthrowing of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 70.
Often the reason behind such a view is a rejection of the opinion that Matthew 24 indicates that which we will see as evidence of the approach of the return of Christ, events which He has foretold will take place as signs of His return.
“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh,” Luke 21:28.
Informed
Why this rejection should take place, I am at a loss to understand. Were not the disciples informed in Luke 21:20-24 of the signs of the approach of the conquest and overthrow of Jerusalem in AD 70 and were not those who heeded His warnings able to escape out of the city before the final destruction?
“And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out . . .”
Secular history tells us that just such an escape did take place by those who believed and obeyed the Saviour’s warnings!
Matthew Poole the Commentator says: ’After our Saviour’s ascension, the seditions amongst the Jews were so many, and they rebelled so often against the Romans, during the governments of Felix, Festus, Albinus, and Florus, that the Romans resolved wholly to destroy them, and to that purpose Titus Vespasian was sent with an army against them, who took the city. Our Saviour foresaw, that when that time should come there would be some vain persons full of stomach for their liberties, that would be prophesying their deliverance, and encouraging them to hold out to the last. He warns his disciples to give no credit to them, for God would certainly deliver the city into their hands; therefore he advises them, as soon as they should see the city besieged, they should all shift for themselves as first as they could, for there was no true ground to hope for any deliverance. The time of God’s vengeance was come, when God would most certainly fulfil against that place whatsoever he had foretold against it.’ (Matthew Poole – 1624–1679).
Why?
Why then, if there was a clear warning given back some 2000 years ago, regarding events in AD 70, is it considered wrong to believe that in Matthew 24 the Saviour is giving a similar warning concerning a similar event at the end of this age?
It simply comes down to the fact that some are prepared to reject the plain words of Christ and cling to their own theories and notions!!
II. AN EXAMINATION OF THE TWO PASSAGES SHOW DISTINCTIONS THAT PROVE THEY ARE NOT REFERRING TO THE SAME EVENT.
1. Please note the first distinction. “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,” Luke 21:24.
The events of AD 70 brought about a captivity of the Jewish people which would last until the end of “the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”
Clearly, Luke 21 is referring to events that were followed by some 2000 years of humility and deprivation by the Jews. On the other hand, the events of Matthew 24 are followed by three and half years of the “great tribulation” and then immediately followed by the return of Christ!
Immediately
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other,” Matthew 24:29-31.
In the future, the rise of the Antichrist, “the abomination of desolation” and his attack upon Jerusalem, will be followed by three and half years of unsurpassed suffering and tribulation, whereas AD 70 was followed by over over 2000 years of trouble for the Jews!
Evidence of the continuation of a Gentile imposed affliction and hatred is seen all around us today, as events in Bondi Beach, Australia, just a month ago (14/12/25) demonstrated.
‘Time, Times, and Half a Time’
There are three different methods employed by the Lord to ‘measure’ the length of the ‘Great Tribulation’.
* “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days,” Revelation 12:6.
* “And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent,” Revelation 12:14.
* “And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months,” Revelation 13:5.
The references to days and months are easily understood to mean three and a half years. However, “A time, and times, and half a time” likewise refers to the same period.
It is a reference to a ‘singular’, ‘plural’ and ‘half’ a time. Even those who would not agree with our historic PRE-MILLENNIAL view of prophecy acknowledge that this phrase means ‘a year, two years and half a year’.
The times of the Gentiles
The three-fold definition of the duration of the “Great Tribulation”, the trouble that the Jews will face just prior to the Saviour’s return, recorded in Matthew 24:21, and the length of the troubles endured by the Jews during “the times of the Gentiles”, are not to be confused.
“The times of the Gentiles” began in the days of Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian captivity of the Jews. Even though they returned to their own land some seventy years later under the leadership of men like Ezra and Nehemiah, the Jewish people were never totally independent again.
The writings of Esther, Ezra and Nehemiah give evidence of the rule of the Gentile kings over the affairs of the Jews. The rebuilding of the temple and the city walls and the actions in defence of their lives, only took place with their consent.
(See Esther 8:7, Ezra 6:1-15, Nehemiah 2:5-6).
The Saviour
It was into such Gentile domination that the Saviour was born. Remember those well known words in Luke 2:1-7.
“And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”
It was a Gentile decree that brought about the Saviour’s birth in God’s appointed place!
No, the attack upon Jerusalem in AD 70, with its intensifying of Gentile rule and the future unparalleled tribulation that the Jews will suffer just prior to Christ’s return, are not one and the same! To say that they are is to ‘misunderstand and misapply’ Christ’s words!
2. Please note the second distinction. “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be,” Matthew 24:21. The suffering endured by the Jews during the great tribulation is such as was never experienced before or ever will be again.
Can that be said of the afflictions of AD 70? I do not think so.
1.1 million
The Jewish historian, Josephus, claimed that 1.1 million Jews perished during the Roman siege of Jerusalem in AD 70, with another 97,000 taken captive and enslaved.
However, modern scholars generally consider these figures to be an exaggeration and estimate the actual number of deaths to be lower.
This number, even if we take as accurate the figure given by Josephus, falls well short of the sufferings of the Jewish people under Hitler in World War II. It is beyond dispute that some 6 million Jewish men, women and children were done to death in a most cruel and depraved fashion.
Future
AD 70 and its aftermath, was not the great tribulation! That yet lies ahead and it will take place, at the instigation of the Antichrist, just prior to the Saviour’s return in glory to deliver His ancient people.
It is said of the Antichrist that: “He opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth (the Roman earth) shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world,” Revelation 13:6-8.
Thus we can see that it is very wrong to try and claim that Matthew 24 is but a repeat of what the Saviour said in Luke 21!
History repeats itself
Yes, there are similarities, but that has ever been so when the attacks of the devil are compared. We are told that, “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun,” Ecclesiastes 1:9.
Men have observed that ‘history repeats itself’! That is because the depraved hearts and minds of both devil and sinful men ever crave the same things and go about obtaining them by employing the same methods!
We are surrounded by all sorts of scientific advances but does not sinful man use these things to the same ends as did men of old take up the sword, the cross bow, the musket? The machine-gun, the car, the aeroplane, the telephone, email, the mobile phone, and the internet — are all wrongly and immorally used to the hurt and vexation of all around. Just days ago, the British government welcomed an announcement from X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, that they ‘have implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing.’ ‘Grok’ is ‘an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot created by Elon Musk’s company. Musk is an erstwhile supporter of Donald Trump.
Each invention that man has come up with, beneficial as it might be in many ways, has been employed by wicked men to illegally and immorally enrich themselves, afflict others and generally disturb and vex mankind!
In that sense, nothing changes. In the first generation of mankind, murder, stealing, lying and greed was evident and they have ever continued and advanced up to this present time. Every new invention has been seized upon by sinful man as a means of satisfying his depraved appetite!
Nothing has changed, as the daily news headlines frequently indicate!
Rev Ivan Foster (Rtd)
Friday 16th January 2026