Genesis 7:11-12

7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month – on that day all the fountains of the great deep ¹  burst open and the floodgates of the heavens ²  were opened. 7:12 And the rain fell ³  on the earth forty days and forty nights.

Luke 21:9-11

21:9 And when you hear of wars and rebellions, ⁴  do not be afraid. ⁵  For these things must happen first, but the end will not come at once.” ⁶ 

Persecution of Disciples

21:10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise up in arms ⁷  against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 21:11 There will be great earthquakes, and famines ⁸  and plagues in various places, and there will be terrifying sights ⁹  and great signs ¹⁰  from heaven.

Luke 21:25-28

The Arrival of the Son of Man

21:25 “And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, ¹¹  and on the earth nations will be in distress, ¹²  anxious ¹³  over the roaring of the sea and the surging waves. 21:26 People will be fainting from fear ¹⁴  and from the expectation of what is coming on the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ¹⁵  21:27 Then ¹⁶  they will see the Son of Man arriving in a cloud ¹⁷  with power and great glory. 21:28 But when these things ¹⁸  begin to happen, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption ¹⁹  is drawing near.”

Luke 21:33

21:33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. ²⁰ 

Luke 21:2

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

Luke 3:10-14

3:10 So ²²  the crowds were asking ²³  him, “What then should we do?” 3:11 John ²⁴  answered them, ²⁵  “The person who has two tunics ²⁶  must share with the person who has none, and the person who has food must do likewise.” 3:12 Tax collectors ²⁷  also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 3:13 He told them, “Collect no more ²⁸  than you are required to.” ²⁹  3:14 Then some soldiers ³⁰  also asked him, “And as for us – what should we do?” ³¹  He told them, “Take money from no one by violence ³²  or by false accusation, ³³  and be content with your pay.”

[7:11]  ¹ tn The Hebrew term תְּהוֹם (tÿhom, “deep”) refers to the watery deep, the salty ocean – especially the primeval ocean that surrounds and underlies the earth (see Gen 1:2).

[7:11]  ² sn On the prescientific view of the sky reflected here, see L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World (AnBib), 46.

[7:12]  ³ tn Heb “was.”

[21:9]  ⁴ tn Social and political chaos also precedes the end. This term refers to revolutions (L&N 39.34).

[21:9]  ⁵ tn This is not the usual term for fear, but refers to a deep sense of terror and emotional distress (Luke 24:37; BDAG 895 s.v. πτοέω).

[21:9]  ⁶ sn The end will not come at once. This remark about timing not only indicates that there will be events before the end, but that some time will also pass before it comes.

[21:10]  ⁷ tn For the translation “rise up in arms” see L&N 55.2.

[21:11]  ⁸ sn See Isa 5:13-14; 13:6-16; Hag 2:6-7; Zech 14:4.

[21:11]  ⁹ tn This term, φόβητρον (fobhtron), occurs only here in the NT. It could refer to an object, event, or condition that causes fear, but in the context it is linked with great signs from heaven, so the translation “sights” was preferred.

[21:11]  ¹⁰ sn See Jer 4:13-22; 14:12; 21:6-7.

[21:25]  ¹¹ sn Signs in the sun and moon and stars are cosmic signs that turn our attention to the end and the Son of Man’s return for the righteous. OT imagery is present: See Isa 13:9-10; 24:18-20; 34:4; Ezek 32:7-8; Joel 2:1, 30-31; 3:15.

[21:25]  ¹² tn Grk “distress of nations.”

[21:25]  ¹³ tn Or “in consternation” (L&N 32.9).

[21:26]  ¹⁴ tn According to L&N 23.184 this could be mainly a psychological experience rather than actual loss of consciousness. It could also refer to complete discouragement because of fear, leading people to give up hope (L&N 25.293).

[21:26]  ¹⁵ sn An allusion to Isa 34:4. The heavens were seen as the abode of heavenly forces, so their shaking indicates distress in the spiritual realm. Although some take the powers as a reference to bodies in the heavens (like stars and planets, “the heavenly bodies,” NIV) this is not as likely.

[21:27]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “And then” (καὶ τότε, kai tote). Here καί has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:27]  ¹⁷ sn An allusion to Dan 7:13. Here is Jesus returning with full judging authority.

[21:28]  ¹⁸ sn These things are all the events of vv. 8-27. Disciples represent the righteous here. The events surrounding the fall of the nation are a down payment on a fuller judgment to come on all humanity. The presence of one guarantees the other.

[21:28]  ¹⁹ sn With Jesus’ return comes the manifestation of judgment and final salvation (redemption).

[21:33]  ²⁰ 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.

[21:2]  ²¹ 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.

[3:10]  ²² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the consequential nature of the people’s response.

[3:10]  ²³ tn Though this verb is imperfect, in this context it does not mean repeated, ongoing questions, but simply a presentation in vivid style as the following verbs in the other examples are aorist.

[3:11]  ²⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:11]  ²⁵ tn Grk “Answering, he said to them.” This construction with passive participle and finite verb is pleonastic (redundant) and has been simplified in the translation to “answered them.”

[3:11]  ²⁶ tn Or “shirt” (a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin). The name for this garment (χιτών, citwn) presents some difficulty in translation. Most modern readers would not understand what a ‘tunic’ was any more than they would be familiar with a ‘chiton.’ On the other hand, attempts to find a modern equivalent are also a problem: “Shirt” conveys the idea of a much shorter garment that covers only the upper body, and “undergarment” (given the styles of modern underwear) is more misleading still. “Tunic” was therefore employed, but with a note to explain its nature.

[3:12]  ²⁷ sn The tax collectors would bid to collect taxes for the Roman government and then add a surcharge, which they kept. Since tax collectors worked for Rome, they were viewed as traitors to their own people and were not well liked. Yet even they were moved by John’s call.

[3:13]  ²⁸ tn In the Greek text μηδὲν πλέον (mhden pleon, “no more”) is in an emphatic position.

[3:13]  ²⁹ tn Or “than you are ordered to.”

[3:14]  ³⁰ tn Grk “And soldiers.”

[3:14]  ³¹ tn Grk “And what should we ourselves do?”

[3:14]  ³² tn Or “Rob no one.” The term διασείσητε (diaseishte) here refers to “shaking someone.” In this context it refers to taking financial advantage of someone through violence, so it refers essentially to robbery. Soldiers are to perform their tasks faithfully. A changed person is to carry out his tasks in life faithfully and without grumbling.

[3:14]  ³³ tn The term translated “accusation” (συκοφαντήσητε, sukofanthshte) refers to a procedure by which someone could bring charges against an individual and be paid a part of the fine imposed by the court. Soldiers could do this to supplement their pay, and would thus be tempted to make false accusations.