Acts 17:31

17:31 because he has set ¹  a day on which he is going to judge the world ²  in righteousness, by a man whom he designated, ³  having provided proof to everyone by raising ⁴  him from the dead.”

Matthew 16:27

16:27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. ⁵ 

Matthew 24:3

Signs of the End of the Age

24:3 As ⁶  he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things ⁷  happen? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

Matthew 24:30-36

24:30 Then ⁸  the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, ⁹  and ¹⁰  all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They ¹¹  will see the Son of Man arriving on the clouds of heaven ¹²  with power and great glory. 24:31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven ¹³  to the other.

The Parable of the Fig Tree

24:32 “Learn ¹⁴  this parable from the fig tree: Whenever its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 24:33 So also you, when you see all these things, know ¹⁵  that he is near, right at the door. 24:34 I tell you the truth, ¹⁶  this generation ¹⁷  will not pass away until all these things take place. 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. ¹⁸ 

Be Ready!

24:36 “But as for that day and hour no one knows it – not even the angels in heaven ¹⁹  – except the Father alone.

Mark 13:26

13:26 Then everyone ²⁰  will see the Son of Man arriving in the clouds ²¹  with great power and glory.

Mark 13:30-37

13:30 I tell you the truth, ²²  this generation ²³  will not pass away until all these things take place. 13:31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. ²⁴ 

Be Ready!

13:32 “But as for that day or hour no one knows it – neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son ²⁵  – except the Father. 13:33 Watch out! Stay alert! ²⁶  For you do not know when the time will come. 13:34 It is like a man going on a journey. He left his house and put his slaves ²⁷  in charge, assigning ²⁸  to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to stay alert. 13:35 Stay alert, then, because you do not know when the owner of the house will return – whether during evening, at midnight, when the rooster crows, or at dawn – 13:36 or else he might find you asleep when he returns suddenly. 13:37 What I say to you I say to everyone: Stay alert!”

Luke 19:11

The Parable of the Ten Minas

19:11 While the people were listening to these things, Jesus ²⁹  proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, ³⁰  and because they thought ³¹  that the kingdom of God ³²  was going to ³³  appear immediately.

Luke 21:27

21:27 Then ³⁴  they will see the Son of Man arriving in a cloud ³⁵  with power and great glory.

Luke 21:2

21:2 He also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. ³⁶ 

Luke 2:2

2:2 This was the first registration, taken when Quirinius was governor ³⁷  of Syria.

Luke 2:8

The Shepherds’ Visit

2:8 Now ³⁸  there were shepherds ³⁹  nearby ⁴⁰  living out in the field, keeping guard ⁴¹  over their flock at night.

Hebrews 9:28

9:28 so also, after Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many, ⁴²  to those who eagerly await him he will appear a second time, not to bear sin ⁴³  but to bring salvation. ⁴⁴ 

Revelation 1:7

1:7 (Look! He is returning with the clouds, ⁴⁵ 

and every eye will see him,

even ⁴⁶  those who pierced him, ⁴⁷ 

and all the tribes ⁴⁸  on the earth will mourn because ⁴⁹  of him.

This will certainly come to pass! ⁵⁰  Amen.) ⁵¹ 

Revelation 19:11-16

The Son of God Goes to War

19:11 Then ⁵²  I saw heaven opened and here came ⁵³  a white horse! The ⁵⁴  one riding it was called “Faithful” and “True,” and with justice ⁵⁵  he judges and goes to war. 19:12 His eyes are like a fiery ⁵⁶  flame and there are many diadem crowns ⁵⁷  on his head. He has ⁵⁸  a name written ⁵⁹  that no one knows except himself. 19:13 He is dressed in clothing dipped ⁶⁰  in blood, and he is called ⁶¹  the Word of God. 19:14 The ⁶²  armies that are in heaven, dressed in white, clean, fine linen, ⁶³  were following him on white horses. 19:15 From his mouth extends a sharp sword, so that with it he can strike the nations. ⁶⁴  He ⁶⁵  will rule ⁶⁶  them with an iron rod, ⁶⁷  and he stomps the winepress ⁶⁸  of the furious ⁶⁹  wrath of God, the All-Powerful. ⁷⁰  19:16 He has a name written on his clothing and on his thigh: “King of kings and Lord of lords.”

[17:31]  ¹ tn Or “fixed.”

[17:31]  ² sn The world refers to the whole inhabited earth.

[17:31]  ³ tn Or “appointed.” BDAG 723 s.v. ὁρίζω 2.b has “of persons appoint, designate, declare: God judges the world ἐν ἀνδρὶ ᾧ ὥρισεν through a man whom he has appointed Ac 17:31.”

[17:31]  ⁴ tn The participle ἀναστήσας (anasthsa") indicates means here.

[16:27]  ⁵ sn An allusion to Pss 28:4; 62:12; cf. Prov 24:12.

[24:3]  ⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[24:3]  ⁷ sn Because the phrase these things is plural, more than the temple’s destruction is in view. The question may presuppose that such a catastrophe signals the end.

[24:30]  ⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[24:30]  ⁹ tn Or “in the sky”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context.

[24:30]  ¹⁰ tn Here τότε (tote, “then”) has not been translated to avoid redundancy in English.

[24:30]  ¹¹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[24:30]  ¹² sn An allusion to Dan 7:13. Here is Jesus returning with full authority to judge.

[24:31]  ¹³ tn Or “of the sky”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context.

[24:32]  ¹⁴ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[24:33]  ¹⁵ tn The verb γινώσκετε (ginwskete, “know”) can be parsed as either present indicative or present imperative. In this context the imperative fits better, since the movement is from analogy (trees and seasons) to the future (the signs of the coming of the kingdom) and since the emphasis is on preparation for this event.

[24:34]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[24:34]  ¹⁷ sn This is one of the hardest verses in the gospels to interpret. Various views exist for what generation means. (1) Some take it as meaning “race” and thus as an assurance that the Jewish race (nation) will not pass away. But it is very questionable that the Greek term γενεά (genea) can have this meaning. Two other options are possible. (2) Generation might mean “this type of generation” and refer to the generation of wicked humanity. Then the point is that humanity will not perish, because God will redeem it. Or (3) generation may refer to “the generation that sees the signs of the end” (v. 30), who will also see the end itself. In other words, once the movement to the return of Christ starts, all the events connected with it happen very quickly, in rapid succession.

[24:35]  ¹⁸ sn The words that Jesus predicts here will never pass away. They are more stable and lasting than creation itself. For this kind of image, see Isa 40:8; 55:10-11.

[24:36]  ¹⁹ tc ‡ Some important witnesses, including early Alexandrian and Western mss (א*^,2 B D Θ Ë¹³ pc it vg^mss Ir^lat Hier^mss), have the additional words οὐδὲ ὁ υἱός (oude Jo Juios, “nor the son”) here. Although the shorter reading (which lacks this phrase) is suspect in that it seems to soften the prophetic ignorance of Jesus, the final phrase (“except the Father alone”) already implies this. Further, the parallel in Mark 13:32 has οὐδὲ ὁ υἱός, with almost no witnesses lacking the expression. Hence, it is doubtful that the absence of “neither the Son” is due to the scribes. In keeping with Matthew’s general softening of Mark’s harsh statements throughout his Gospel, it is more likely that the absence of “neither the Son” is part of the original text of Matthew, being an intentional change on the part of the author. Further, this shorter reading is supported by the first corrector of א as well as L W ˹ 33 Ï vg sy co Hier^mss. Admittedly, the external evidence is not as impressive for the shorter reading, but it best explains the rise of the other reading (in particular, how does one account for virtually no mss excising οὐδὲ ὁ υἱός at Mark 13:32 if such an absence here is due to scribal alteration? Although scribes were hardly consistent, for such a theologically significant issue at least some consistency would be expected on the part of a few scribes). Nevertheless, NA²⁷ includes οὐδὲ ὁ υἱός here.

[13:26]  ²⁰ tn Grk “they.”

[13:26]  ²¹ sn An allusion to Dan 7:13. Here is Jesus returning with full judging authority.

[13:30]  ²² tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[13:30]  ²³ sn This is one of the hardest verses in the gospels to interpret. Various views exist for what generation means. (1) Some take it as meaning “race” and thus as an assurance that the Jewish race (nation) will not pass away. But it is very questionable that the Greek term γενεά (genea) can have this meaning. Two other options are possible. (2) Generation might mean “this type of generation” and refer to the generation of wicked humanity. Then the point is that humanity will not perish, because God will redeem it. Or (3) generation may refer to “the generation that sees the signs of the end” (v. 26), who will also see the end itself. In other words, once the movement to the return of Christ starts, all the events connected with it happen very quickly, in rapid succession.

[13:31]  ²⁴ sn The words that Jesus predicts here will never pass away. They are more stable and lasting than creation itself! For this kind of image, see Isa 40:8; 55:10-11.

[13:32]  ²⁵ sn The phrase nor the Son has caused a great deal of theological debate because on the surface it appears to conflict with the concept of Jesus’ deity. The straightforward meaning of the text is that the Son does not know the time of his return. If Jesus were divine, though, wouldn’t he know this information? There are other passages which similarly indicate that Jesus did not know certain things. For example, Luke 2:52 indicates that Jesus grew in wisdom; this has to mean that Jesus did not know everything all the time but learned as he grew. So Mark 13:32 is not alone in implying that Jesus did not know certain things. The best option for understanding Mark 13:32 and similar passages is to hold the two concepts in tension: The Son in his earthly life and ministry had limited knowledge of certain things, yet he was still deity.

[13:33]  ²⁶ tc The vast majority of witnesses (א A C L W Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 Ï lat sy co) have καὶ προσεύχεσθε after ἀγρυπνεῖτε (agrupneite kai proseucesqe, “stay alert and pray”). This may be a motivated reading, influenced by the similar command in Mark 14:38 where προσεύχεσθε is solidly attested, and more generally from the parallel in Luke 21:36 (though δέομαι [deomai, “ask”] is used there). As B. M. Metzger notes, it is a predictable variant that scribes would have been likely to produce independently of each other (TCGNT 95). The words are not found in B D 2427 a c {d} k. Although the external evidence for the shorter reading is slender, it probably better accounts for the longer reading than vice versa.

[13:34]  ²⁷ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 10:44.

[13:34]  ²⁸ tn Grk “giving.”

[19:11]  ²⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:11]  ³⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[19:11]  ³¹ tn The present active infinitive δοκεῖν (dokein) has been translated as causal.

[19:11]  ³² sn Luke means here the appearance of the full kingdom of God in power with the Son of Man as judge as Luke 17:22-37 describes.

[19:11]  ³³ tn Or perhaps, “the kingdom of God must appear immediately (see L&N 71.36).

[21:27]  ³⁴ tn Grk “And then” (καὶ τότε, kai tote). Here καί has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:27]  ³⁵ sn An allusion to Dan 7:13. Here is Jesus returning with full judging authority.

[21:2]  ³⁶ sn These two small copper coins were lepta (sing. “lepton”), the smallest and least valuable coins in circulation in Palestine, worth one-half of a quadrans or 1/128 of a denarius, or about six minutes of an average daily wage. This was next to nothing in value.

[2:2]  ³⁷ tn Or “was a minister of Syria.” This term could simply refer to an administrative role Quirinius held as opposed to being governor (Josephus, Ant. 18.4.2 [18.88]). See also Luke 2:1.

[2:8]  ³⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[2:8]  ³⁹ sn Some argue that shepherds were among the culturally despised, but the evidence for this view of shepherds is late, coming from 5th century Jewish materials. December 25 as the celebrated date of Jesus’ birth arose around the time of Constantine (ca. a.d. 306-337), though it is mentioned in material from Hippolytus (a.d. 165-235). Some think that the reason for celebration on this date was that it coincided with the pagan Roman festival of Saturnalia, and Christians could celebrate their own festival at this time without fear of persecution. On the basis of the statement that the shepherds were living out in the field, keeping guard over their flock at night it is often suggested that Jesus’ birth took place in early spring, since it was only at lambing time that shepherds stood guard over their flocks in the field. This is not absolutely certain, however.

[2:8]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “in that region.”

[2:8]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “living in the field (see BDAG 15 s.v. ἀγραυλέω) and guarding their flock.”

[9:28]  ⁴² sn An allusion to Isa 53:12.

[9:28]  ⁴³ tn Grk “without sin,” but in context this does not refer to Christ’s sinlessness (as in Heb 4:15) but to the fact that sin is already dealt with by his first coming.

[9:28]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “for salvation.” This may be construed with the verb “await” (those who wait for him to bring them salvation), but the connection with “appear” (as in the translation) is more likely.

[1:7]  ⁴⁵ sn An allusion to Dan 7:13.

[1:7]  ⁴⁶ tn Here καί (kai) was translated as ascensive.

[1:7]  ⁴⁷ sn An allusion to Zech 12:10.

[1:7]  ⁴⁸ tn In this context, tribes (φυλαί, fulai) could also be translated as “nations” or “peoples” (L&N 11.56).

[1:7]  ⁴⁹ tn The conjunction ἐπί (epi) is most likely causal here. The people who crucified him are those of every tribe on the earth and they will mourn because he comes as judge.

[1:7]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “Yes, Amen.” The expression “This will certainly come to pass” is an attempt to capture the force of the juxtaposition of the Greek ναί (nai) and the Hebrew ἀμήν (amhn). See L&N 69.1.

[1:7]  ⁵¹ sn These lines are placed in parentheses because they form an aside to the main argument.

[19:11]  ⁵² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[19:11]  ⁵³ tn The phrase “and here came” expresses the sense of καὶ ἰδού (kai idou).

[19:11]  ⁵⁴ tn A new sentence was started in the translation at this point and καί (kai) was not translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[19:11]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “in righteousness,” but since the context here involves the punishment of the wicked and the vindication of the saints, “justice” was preferred.

[19:12]  ⁵⁶ tn The genitive noun πυρός (puros) has been translated as an attributive genitive (see also Rev 1:14).

[19:12]  ⁵⁷ tn For the translation of διάδημα (diadhma) as “diadem crown” see L&N 6.196.

[19:12]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “head, having.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[19:12]  ⁵⁹ tn Although many translations supply a prepositional phrase to specify what the name was written on (“upon Him,” NASB; “on him,” NIV), there is no location for the name specified in the Greek text.

[19:13]  ⁶⁰ tc It appears that “dipped” (βεβαμμένον, bebammenon), supported by several uncials and other witnesses (A 051 Ï), is the original reading. Due to the lack of the preposition “in” (ἐν, en) after the verb (βεβαμμένον αἵματι, bebammenon {aimati), and also probably because of literary allusions to Isa 63:3, several mss and versions seem to have changed the text to “sprinkled” (either ῥεραντισμένον [rJerantismenon] in P 2329 al; ἐρραντισμένον [errantismenon] in 1006 1841; ἐρραμμένον [errammenon] in 2053 2062; or ῥεραμμένον [rJerammenon] in 1611; or in one case περιρεραμμένον [perirerammenon] in א^[2]). The reading most likely to give rise to the others is “dipped.”

[19:13]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “the name of him is called.”

[19:14]  ⁶² tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[19:14]  ⁶³ tn On the term translated “fine linen,” BDAG 185 s.v. βύσσινος states, “made of fine linen, subst. τὸ β. fine linen, linen garment…Rv 18:12, 16; 19:8, 14.”

[19:15]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[19:15]  ⁶⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[19:15]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “will shepherd.”

[19:15]  ⁶⁷ tn Or “scepter.” The Greek term ῥάβδος (rJabdo") can mean either “rod” or “scepter.”

[19:15]  ⁶⁸ sn He stomps the winepress. See Isa 63:3, where Messiah does this alone (usually several individuals would join in the process), and Rev 14:20.

[19:15]  ⁶⁹ tn The genitive θυμοῦ (qumou) has been translated as an attributed genitive. Following BDAG 461 s.v. θυμός 2, the combination of the genitives of θυμός (qumos) and ὀργή (orgh) in Rev 16:19 and 19:15 are taken to be a strengthening of the thought as in the OT and Qumran literature (Exod 32:12; Jer 32:37; Lam 2:3; CD 10:9).

[19:15]  ⁷⁰ tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π. …Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”