Jesus means that Jerusalem will be under Gentile domination until 'the times of the Gentiles' are fulfilled.
Les Feldick identifies the event described in Luke 21:24 as the Roman destruction of Jerusalem under Titus in A.D. 70, not Armageddon or the Second Coming. The word 'until' points to a coming end to Gentile control of Jerusalem, which Les says will occur when Christ returns.
Luke 21:24 — This verse contains the exact words Jesus spoke about Jerusalem being trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
In Luke 21:20-24, Jesus describes a coming siege of Jerusalem. He says when His hearers see Jerusalem compassed with armies, the desolation is near, and those in Judea should flee to the mountains. He calls these 'the days of vengeance' and says there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. Verse 24 then gives the outcome: '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.' The verse does not specify when the times of the Gentiles will end, but it clearly says Gentile domination of Jerusalem lasts until that time is fulfilled.
Les Feldick teaches that Luke 21:24 was fulfilled in A.D. 70 when the Roman general Titus besieged and destroyed Jerusalem. He points to the clue that the Jews would be dispersed into all nations—something that does not happen at Armageddon or the Second Coming, when Israel enters the kingdom. So for Les, this verse is not about the return of Christ; it is about the Roman destruction of Jerusalem. Les also emphasizes the word 'until.' He says this word indicates a definite but unspecified time factor, after which the Gentiles will no longer have Jerusalem under their feet. He traces the beginning of the times of the Gentiles to 606 B.C., when Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem, destroyed the temple, and took the Jews captive. From that point, the Babylonians, Medes and Persians, Greeks, and Romans all overran Jerusalem and Palestine. Les concludes that the Gentiles have been overlording Jerusalem all these centuries. Even today, he says, the Gentile powers still have the nation of Israel under their thumb, so for all practical purposes the prophecy remains valid. That condition, he teaches, will end when Christ returns.
Les points out that at Armageddon and at the Second Coming, Israel is not going to be dispersed into the nations; Israel goes into the kingdom. But Luke 21 describes Jews falling by the edge of the sword and being led away captive into all nations. That is exactly what happened in the Roman siege under Titus in A.D. 70.
Les puts the start at 606 B.C., when Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem, destroyed the temple, and took the Jews captive. From that point, the Babylonians, Medes and Persians, Greeks, and Romans all overran Jerusalem and Palestine. Thus when Jesus spoke in Luke 21, Jerusalem had already been trampled by successive Gentile empires.
Les says the Gentiles have been overlording Jerusalem all these centuries, and even though Israel is not literally controlled by Gentile armies today, the Gentile powers still call the shots and have the nation under their thumb. For all practical purposes the prophecy remains valid. That condition, he says, will end when Christ returns.
In Luke 21:20-21, Jesus told those in Judea to flee to the mountains and those in the midst of Jerusalem to depart. He said when they saw Jerusalem compassed with armies, the desolation was near.
Nebuchadnezzar strips the temple vessels
Les sets the stage for the Gentile empires by recounting how Babylon carried off the temple vessels, showing Gentile domination began long before Jesus spoke.
The crucial word 'until'
Les emphasizes that the word 'until' in Luke 21:24 means a time is coming when the Gentiles will no longer have Jerusalem under their feet.
Not Armageddon but 70 A.D.
Les says the dispersion of the Jews proves this verse refers to Titus in A.D. 70, not to Armageddon or the Second Coming, and 'until' marks a future end to Gentile control.
Israel dispersed, Jerusalem trodden down
Les connects the fulfillment of Israel's dispersion with Jerusalem being trodden down, and he begins the timeline at 606 B.C.
End of Gentile domination at Christ's return
Les says Gentile powers have overlorded Jerusalem all these centuries, and the condition ends when Christ returns.
The clue that this is not the return of Christ
Les says the Jews falling by the sword and being led captive identifies the event as Titus's A.D. 70 siege, not the Second Coming.
All Israel Shall Be Saved — What Romans 11:26 Really Means
Now stop, slowly think back, who destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple? Well Titus, the Roman general. So it's the Roman people from which this Antichrist will come, or at least the old Roman empire. "...and he will destroy the city and the sanctuary, and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
Gentile empires from 606 B.C.
Les traces Gentile dominion over Jerusalem from Nebuchadnezzar through Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome.
Luke 21:20: And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
This verse gives the immediate sign of the coming destruction of Jerusalem.
Luke 21:21: 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.
Jesus commands His hearers to flee when Jerusalem is surrounded by armies.
Luke 21:23: 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.
This verse describes the distress that would come upon Israel in that judgment.
Luke 21:24: 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.
This is the key verse stating Jerusalem will be under Gentile domination until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
Les says not literally with soldiers' boots today, but the Gentile powers still have Israel under their influence. For all practical purposes, he says, the prophecy is still valid until Christ returns.
Yes, according to Les. The Romans under Titus besieged Jerusalem, the Jews fell by the sword and were led away captive, and Jerusalem was trodden down by the Gentiles.
Les says the word 'until' signifies a definite but unspecified period. He teaches that Gentile domination of Jerusalem ends when Christ returns.
Watch the Teaching: What the Bible Really Says About the Times of the Gentiles