The "Times of the Gentiles" was the name given by Jesus to that period during which Israel was to be subject to the other nations of the world. From the time of Israel's organisation into a nation at the Exodus until its final captivities under Sennacherib of Assyria and Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in the 7th century B.C., it specially represented God in the world. Its national polity was a theocracy, i.e., God Himself was King and the ruling monarch was said to "sit upon the throne of the Lord." In this the nation pictured the rule of the future Millennial Age, when Christ reigns over the earth. This order of things came to an end with Zedekiah, the last Jewish king, and of him it was said "I will overturn, overturn, overturn it, and it shall be no more until he comes whose right it is, and I will give it him." True to these words, the nation was scattered.

From that time, a period of twenty-five hundred years, Gentile nations held sway over Jerusalem. Babylon first, then Persia, Greece and finally Rome held the country in their grasp. These four powers were seen by Nebuchadnezzar in his dream, in which the gold head, silver arms, copper lower parts and iron legs symbolised these four empires. Likewise the four wild beasts of Daniel's dream pictured these same four powers. In these symbolic prophecies this Gentile rule is seen to come to its end and the incoming of the Kingdom of God, in which the Son of Man, Christ, takes the power and the kingdom and reigns for ever and ever.

The time for that change has come. The great powers of earth have had their day and opportunity and whilst some have endeavoured to rule justly and wisely, and have brought the blessings of ordered government to their subjects, none have been able to abolish the great curses of humanity, sin, disease and death, nor can they. Only Christ's Kingdom can do that. Now the present world distress, the failure of statesmen to achieve world peace, the mutual jealousy of great Powers, the general perplexity of nations, are all signs that we live in the day when the "Times of the Gentiles" have come to their end, Jerusalem is set free, the age-long oppression of God's ancient people lifted, and the Kingdom of God, with all that it holds of life and blessing for every man, be ushered in.

AOH