That soon? Jesus said that Jerusalem would be trampled under foot until the times of the Gentiles were fulfilled (Lk 21:24). Jerusalem was lain desolate three years or so after Paul died. The age of the Gentiles began three years or so after Paul died.
The Jewish age ended when the temple fell, when the law no longer held Israel captive, as Paul foretells (Rm 11:25). Christianity, then, could no longer be strictly a Jewish movement; it would become universally accepted. The times of the Gentiles came shortly after Paul's ministry.
But I'm no theologian; maybe I'm missing something.
Well,I think the desire to equate fulness of the gentiles with times of the gentiles is strong... however I have found no scriptural teaching claiming they are the same thing.
The "fullness" mentioned in
Romans 11:25 is the same "fullness" as mentioned in
Romans 11:12,
John 1:16,
Colossians 1:19,
Romans 15:29, and
Ephesians 1:22-23. It is the fullness of the covenantal inheritance in Christ which came to the gentiles when they were included as co-heirs in the blessing of Abraham and his seed, Jesus.
By comparing "fullness" (Greek: "pleroma" - Strong's #4138) in
Romans 11:25 to its parallel usage in
Romans 11:11-12, we see that the term speaks of the "riches" and "salvation" that came to the gentile world through Christ.
These riches came to the gentiles via the "diminishing" of some Jews that were blinded during Christ's incarnational ministry but that would later convert in order to obtain "fullness" (Rom 11:11-12,14-23) -- i.e., the fullness of being in the blessing of Abraham and Christ (Gal 3:7-9,14-17,26-29).
Paul was one of these such Jews whose initial blindness had been converted (Rom 11:1; 1 Tim 1:12-16), and there were many more
at that then-present time which would be converted like him (Rom 11:5; 2 Cor 3:14-16). These first-century Jews were called a "remnant," and, according to Paul, were like the few faithful believers in Israel during the time of apostasy under Isaiah and also Elijah (Rom 11:5; cf. Rom 11:1-5; 9:27-29). The meaning of "fullness" in
Romans 11:25 becomes plain from looking at
Romans 11:11-12:
I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles,
for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more
their fullness? (Rom 11:11-12)
In this passage
"fullness" is the opposite reality to the "fall" and "diminishing" of some Jews in their day. Furthermore, "fall" and "diminishing" clearly mean the falling away from God's covenant; "fullness" means the riches and salvation which come from being in covenant with Christ (see also: Rom 11:14-23).
The gentiles obtained this "fullness" (covenantal inheritance, salvation, and blessing) during St. Paul's ministry. In fact, Paul's entire ministry goal was to deliver this inheritance to the gentile populations (Acts 26:16-23; 20:32; 13:47; Rom 15:16,29; Eph 3:1-10; Rom 11:13; 2 Tim 1:11).
Paul accomplished this mystery of God for the gentiles to become co-heirs with the Jews in Christ's New Covenant riches by the end of his lifetime (compare Acts 13:47/26:16-23/Eph 3:1-10 to 2 Tim 4:7,17). The Church is not still waiting for the gentiles to be offered up and approved by God (Rom 15:16) that they might obtain the fullness of inheritance and riches in Christ. The fullness of the gentiles came in no later than the completion of Paul's ministry.
We are not still waiting for Gentile Fulness to occur.
The BIBLICAL "Times of the Gentile trampling" of the city was a period of EXACTLY 42 months. no more, no less. (Revelation 11:2)
