Luke 21:31: What an Often-Overlooked Verse Has to Say about the Timing of the Kingdom

So you also, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near (Luke 21:31).

One verse often overlooked regarding the kingdom of God is Luke 21:31.Rarely is this verse discussed in depth, but I think it has major implications for understanding the timing of the kingdom of God. Here Jesus tells us that certain events must take place before the kingdom would come. In sum, Luke 21:31 teaches that the kingdom of God will only come after the events of the coming Tribulation Period. To show this, I will briefly set the context for this verse and then discuss how Luke 21:31 has important

implications for understanding the kingdom program.

The Context

With Luke 21, Jesus addressed His coming and events associated with the destruction of the temple. With verses 8–11 Jesus predicted that there would be false christs, wars, earthquakes, famines, and cosmic signs. My personal understanding is that these are events associated with the coming seven-year Tribulation Period. What Luke discusses here has parallels with Matt 24:4–8 and Revelation 6 which I also believe refer to the coming Tribulation Period.

With verse 12, Jesus then discusses events that will take place before the events of 8–11. He says, “But before all these things,” and then discusses persecution (12–19) and the destruction of Jerusalem (20–23). (I think the destruction here is a reference to A.D. 70 when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem.) Thus, what Jesus discusses in 12–23 will occur before the events mentioned in verses 8–11. I believe the “times of the Gentiles’ mentioned in verse 24 covers the time period between the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70 and the Gentile domination of Jerusalem that will continue until Jesus comes again and Jerusalem is restored. So Luke 21:24 takes us through the present age up until the Tribulation that is again discussed in verses 25 and following.

With verses 25–27, Jesus again discusses events in the coming Tribulation. This time period involves cosmic signs, terrifying waves, and the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

The Fig Tree Example

With verses 29–30 Jesus gives the parable of the fig tree: “Then He told them a parable: ‘Behold the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they put forth leaves, you see it and know for yourselves that summer is now near.’” Jesus’ point here is that seeing certain things is a clear indication that something else is soon to happen. In this case seeing a fig tree put forth leaves is a clear indicator that summer is near. Jesus then ties this principle of ‘seeing one thing means another thing is near’ with the coming of the kingdom in Luke 21:31:

So you also, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near.

The “these things” refers to the eschatological events He just discussed. What is significant here is that Jesus links the coming of the kingdom of God with future events. When one sees cosmic signs, oceanic disturbances, and the other events of this time, one can know that the kingdom of God is near. But until these events occur, the kingdom is not near.

The Implications of Luke 21:31

The point of Luke 21:31 is this—the kingdom of God is future and will be near again only after the eschatological events of the Tribulation Period.

This has important implications. While many claim with certainty that the kingdom had already arrived and was in operation during His earthly ministry, Jesus does not appear to teach this. Late in His earthly ministry, when discussing events that would come after His crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus places the kingdom’s coming in the future. If Jesus viewed His kingdom as having already arrived why would He make such a future-oriented declaration?

Is it possible that what Jesus is referring to is a consummation of the kingdom that had already been inaugurated? Perhaps. But Jesus does not say that future events will lead to the “consummation” of an “already” kingdom, He appears to say that the kingdom comes after these future events. I think it is better to see the kingdom as coming in the future shortly after the Tribulation Period. This is what Luke 21:31 teaches.

(NOTE: In a future blog I will discuss how the kingdom could be presented as “near” in Matt 3:2; 4:17; 10:5–7, but then not be presented as “near” again until the events of the Tribulation Period.)