Times Of The Gentiles
A critical Analysis in relationship to kingdoms and Biblical history
Throughout my years of teaching and writing on Biblical subjects there have been times that I seem to buck the accepted norm of selected textual interpretation. And, my analysis of the phrase in Luke 21:24, “Times of the Gentiles” is just one of those issues. From my perspective, this phrase, and the one in Romans 11:25, “until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in”, has over the years been misinterpreted by the Church and scholars alike.
Most of my life I have heard the phrase, “When the last Gentile is added to the Church the end will come.” This phrase is derived from an incorrect interpretation of the above texts of Luke and Romans. This statement is unbiblical, as it is found no place in Scripture! It is based on man-made doctrine formed out of Calvinism, which states that some are predestined to hell while some are predestined to heaven. In this regard, one commentary states the following interpretation of Romans 11:25. “The mystery of which Paul does not want his readers to be ignorant is that insensibility in part has happened to Israel until the full number of the Gentiles enters in. The part is a very large part, but it is balanced off against the full number of Gentiles – those who are foreknown and foreordained by God.” None of this commentary is Biblical! The direct one-to-one translation of Romans 11:25 is, “that hardness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the nations comes in.”
The Greek/English lexicon translates the Greek word pleroma as that which has been fulfilled, which pertains to prophecy. That is, a time period is complete or fulfillment of a time. Strong’s Concordance defines it as a completion. It has absolutely nothing to do with a number as indicated in the commentary or in the phrase “When the last Gentile is added to the Church the end will come.”
In regards to Luke 21:24, another commentary states that “from AD 70 until reconstruction of Israel [1949], Jerusalem was in the hands of Gentiles. The phrase implies that God has scheduled a day of opportunity for Gentiles, which will close with Israel’s future restoration to favor.” This statement is incorrect on two accounts. The first is that Israel has been under Gentile control since they went into captivity in Babylon, and are still not free from world control. The second is that Israel’s restoration to favor occurs after the Second Coming when they recognize Christ. This happens after the termination of the Tribulation, and favor is actually restored at the beginning of the Millennial Reign of Christ on earth. Furthermore, the Temple Mount is still under control of the Gentiles (Muslims). So, Jerusalem remains trodden down by Gentiles.
Definition of Gentile
The original usage of the word Gentile was to define anyone not Jewish. However, today it is used to define anyone who is not Jewish or Christian. But is this really the case? The King James Version uses the word Gentile in Genesis 10:5, “By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands.” But just who is this verse making reference to? Verse 1 states “These are the generations of the sons of Noah.” Then in verses 2-4 we find the listing of the sons Jepheth and their sons. So, by definition of verse 5 the sons of Jepheth are the Gentiles. But, this begs the question; if the sons of Jepheth are defined as Gentiles then why aren’t the other sons of Noah also called Gentiles for at this time there are no Jews or Christians? The word Gentile in this case is translated from the Hebrew word meaning nations. So, change the word Gentile to nation and see how the verse reads. “By these were the isles of the nations divided in their lands.” Therefore, this verse is not stating that these were the first Gentiles, but that these sons of Noah were the origin of the nations and the ones to settle the isles. Thus, by replacing Gentile in verse 5 with the proper transliterated word nations, the text takes on a context of continuity relative to history. So, it was the translator who changed the word nation to Gentile in the King James Version. Why? No one knows at this date, but it does give us insight into the liberal usage of the word in some translations.
Although the Old Testament was written in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek, neither of the two languages have a transliteration of a word in the original text that can be translated to Gentile because Gentile is derived from the Latin word gentilis meaning pagan. Pagan is defined as heathen being in contrast with Christian and/or Jew. According to Webster’s Dictionary pagan and heathen specifically refer to ancient peoples regarded as primitive idolaters. These are further defined as nonmonotheistic people – those who believe in more than one god – in other words they were idolaters. Jeremiah identifies these people in this manner, “Are there any among the idols of the nations [Gentiles in KJV] that can cause rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are You not He, O Lord our God? Therefore we will wait for You. Since You have made all these.” (Jeremiah 14:22).
Gentile in the Old Testament is a Latin word translated from the Hebrew word goy pronounced go-ee, meaning a foreign nation. Not one from afar, but foreign to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In the New Testament the usage of the word Gentile is derived via Latin from the Greek word ethnos meaning a race or a tribe. Sometimes Gentile is used interchangeably with Greek being translated from the Greek word Hellen, which means Greek-speaking people. However, this is a narrow usage and does not fit the overarching application of Gentile throughout the Bible.
In order to fully analyze and properly apply the word Gentile we need to address its relationship to God as all things in Scripture are given, defined, and contextually applied in that regard. Dr. Thomas Ice states, “Abraham was called out of the Gentile Kingdom to start the Kingdom of God.” Therefore, by definition of this statement there were Gentiles (idolaters) before Abraham and there was a Gentile Kingdom or kingdom of man. Now Abraham was called out of the land of Ur into the land of Canaan when he was 75 years old. Biblical analysis indicates he was born 290 years after the Flood, and that Nimrod was alive at the time being approximately 160 years old. So, the world at that time was definitely pagan since the Tower of Babel incident was relatively a recent occurrence. That is why God told Abraham in Genesis 12:1 to get out of the land of Ur – it was pagan.
Are Christians Gentiles
What does Peter say about this subject in 1 Peter 2:9-10? “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” Then in John 17:14-18. “I have given them Your [God] word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of this world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As you sent Me into the world, I also sent them into the world.” Ephesians 2:11-12 identifies the transition from Gentile to Christian. “Therefore remember that you, once were in the flesh – who are called Uncircumcision by what is called Circumcision made in the flesh by hands – that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” Then 2 Corinthians 5:17 indicates who Christians really are. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” Then in verse 20 Paul states, “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” Therefore, as ambassadors of the Kingdom of God we naturally are not citizens of any Gentile nation, thus we are not Gentiles.
Based on these God inspired verses, I wonder what God thinks of the Christian Community using phrases like “God’s country,” “God Bless America,” and “America is a Christian nation?” One of the most concerted efforts by Christians is in the political arena – “We need Christian political leaders to reclaim this nation for God.” All these phrases and statements are in direct opposition to God’s word. Paul states in Romans 13:1-2, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgement on themselves.” So, as ambassadors from the Kingdom of God our individual nationalities are totally irrelevant!
The parable of the olive tree in Romans 11, defines a Christian as being grafted into spiritual Israel, and as such is a member of Christ’s spiritual kingdom on earth. This supports the above Scriptures that we as Christians belong to no nation even though we are in the world. Therefore, we cannot be Gentiles as they are pagan. It is an oxymoron to state that Christians are Gentiles, and we are the ones (Calvinist interpretation) that will fill up heaven (last Gentile to be added to the Church).
Christians are spiritually Israel. If you classify yourself as a Gentile Christian then you are an enemy of Israel. Arno Froese states in an issue of Midnight Call, “The Gentile world has always contributed towards Israel’s destruction, and they continue to do so until this very day. When God says, ‘I will bring her into the wilderness’ then He will do it. He does not need any help from any Gentile nation of which all, without exception, are bitter enemies of Israel. They reject the promises of God made to Israel regarding the borders of the Promised Land. Christians vastly underestimate the diabolically inspired opposition against Israel.” And finally, James 4:4 states, “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
That is the Word of God – you make your own decision as to whether you are a Gentile or not!
The Exegetical Task
The study of kingdoms or nations (Gentiles) delineated in the Bible can appear to be a convoluted task in that some are identified very specifically yet some are defined symbolically. Although it may seem that interconnectivity and interrelationship is not the norm, each of the kingdoms and/or empires are often relational, and at all times have a spiritual common denominator. The only exception to this is the Kingdom of God, which although not specifically identified as a physical kingdom until the millennium, it nonetheless has had spiritual presence and spiritual dominance over the nations of the world throughout all time. In essence, God has always been in control, setting up kingdoms, destroying kingdoms, directing leaders and nations and peoples, and guiding world affairs toward His planned end-time scenario.
However, in the research and study of Biblical text to ascertain the correct answer to these complex issues, those relating to Gentiles/nations, the same question always comes up, “Where can I find the real meaning of certain Scripture?” The task of exegesis is complex enough in the pursuit of analytical research and study using original Biblical text. However, the effort is oftentimes complicated by the various Bible translations on the market not to mention doctrinal positions that creep into the explanations by the translator and various denominations. Therefore, the best approach to exegesis is to rely on the transliteration of the original text as opposed to the many translations in use today. In relationship to the people and nations (Gentiles) of the world, and to the title of this paper, there have only been three types of Biblical people classifications since time began. But for all practical purposes in this analysis time starts with the end of the Great Flood and the creation and development of the kingdoms of man as it pertains to the Plan of God and the Kingdom of God.
Initially, all people were defined as people or nations from the Hebrew word goy, then came the Jews (Israel), and finally Christians. The accepted definition of Jews and Christians are firmly grounded in two events. God’s chosen people began with Abraham the father of Isaac, the father of Jacob whom God named Israel. Then the Church was formed at Pentecost and became known as Christians. However, the term “Times of the Gentiles” is a little more elusive in its origin relative to the nations and kingdoms of the world without some investigation and analysis.
Definition of Kingdom
This takes us to the point of defining a kingdom and to look at the relationship of the kingdoms of man and the origin of the word Gentile as opposed to its usage in Genesis 10:5. Kingdom is defined as a government or a country headed by a king, queen or monarchy. This can be a people, a tribe or a nation. Thus, Nimrod established the first kingdom in the land of Ur, which we know as Babylon where the Tower of Babel event took place.
It is commonly known by most Biblical scholars that Nimrod attempted to establish the first global power base, and as such is considered a type or forerunner of the Antichrist. Norbit Leith states, “The Tower of Babel symbolizes the first of mankind’s kingdom raised against God.” Hans Bruns, a German Bible translator states, “Babylon is the first great attempt at a world monarchy without God.” The New World Order will be the last Tower of Babel.