David this post is slightly off topic concerning the use of the word "wrath," but because it does bring up the issue of time line, I will respond. You said,
- 1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
- 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
Jesus said the first part of this was fulfilled in Luke 4
- 16And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
- 17And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
- 18The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
- 19To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
- 20And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
- 21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
Because you are quoting Scriptures, there is no problem at this point. For certainly, at the point The Lord stopped reading, the prophecy was fulfilled.
HOWEVER, you then skip chapter after chapter of Luke to combine the above with this from Luke 21. Christ is in this passage addressing things to come.
We are told that Jesus didn't finish the quotation, But of course he did.
- 20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
- 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.
- 22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
A careful regarding of the above and comparing it with the the comparable passages in Matt, and Mark and Matthew 23 will reveal that this vengeance was on the Jews in AD 66-70 for murdering their Messiah,
Certainly, the destruction of the city of Jerusalem was prophesied, not only by Christ but Daniel, too.
The "vengeance" is not just to be taken as solely for the Jews, for the Romans are the ones who crucify, the Jews preferred stoning.
The vengeance had more reasons than mere punishment. For that would not ultimately serve God. Certainly punishment is primary, however, there was also the aspect of complete destruction of the old temple worship (not one stone upon another). That is the traditions the Jews long clung and perverted focused around the temple was to be destroyed.
Another is the disbursement of not only the Jews, but all the people into the world. For the unbelieving Jews, the disbursement was just the beginning of millennia of sorrows they have endured. For the believers, it was to decentralize the church so that assemblies would look to God alone for their authority.
Another was to set the stage for further prophecy fulfillment that is yet to be or is currently happening.
Another is to recognize the event(s) as warnings of the judgement of God for those who would disregard Him. In reality, the Romans did nothing surprising, nothing they hadn't done elsewhere, and from their viewpoint, warranted. The same with all the times in the OT such tragedy fell upon those in the land God gave.
So, far as this event found in Luke 21, it is the validation of God's character, that if one departs from God, there will certainly be rebuked and perhaps taken far away. This happened throughout the OT, and is characteristic of the way God dealt with those who were supposedly called by His name.
Readers, be very careful not to take the statement, "...that all things which are written may be fulfilled," as some would that there is no more prophecy yet to be fulfilled. Such thinking is not warranted by this or any other passage in the Scriptures.
The statement should indicate that the promises of God will take place, and that not a single one will fail to take place. For to continue with these same verses from where the quote ends, the Lord says,
23“Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people;
24and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot
by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
So, it is important NOT to lump all prophecy is complete in 70AD. The times of the Gentiles is still ongoing.