Mark 13:26-27

13:26 Then everyone ¹  will see the Son of Man arriving in the clouds ²  with great power and glory. 13:27 Then he will send angels and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. ³ 

Matthew 24:36-42

Be Ready!

24:36 “But as for that day and hour no one knows it – not even the angels in heaven ⁴  – except the Father alone. 24:37 For just like the days of Noah ⁵  were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 24:38 For in those days before the flood, people ⁶  were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark. 24:39 And they knew nothing until the flood came and took them all away. ⁷  It will be the same at the coming of the Son of Man. ⁸  24:40 Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one left. ⁹  24:41 There will be two women grinding grain with a mill; ¹⁰  one will be taken and one left.

24:42 “Therefore stay alert, because you do not know on what day ¹¹  your Lord will come.

Matthew 25:6

25:6 But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is here! Come out to meet him.’ ¹² 

Matthew 25:13

25:13 Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour. ¹³ 

Matthew 25:19

25:19 After ¹⁴  a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled his accounts with them.

Acts 1:7

1:7 He told them, “You are not permitted to know ¹⁵  the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.

Acts 1:1

Jesus Ascends to Heaven

1:1 I wrote ¹⁶  the former ¹⁷  account, ¹⁸  Theophilus, ¹⁹  about all that Jesus began to do and teach

Acts 5:2

5:2 He ²⁰  kept back for himself part of the proceeds with his wife’s knowledge; he brought ²¹  only part of it and placed it at the apostles’ feet.

Acts 5:2

5:2 He ²²  kept back for himself part of the proceeds with his wife’s knowledge; he brought ²³  only part of it and placed it at the apostles’ feet.

Acts 3:10

3:10 and they recognized him as the man who used to sit and ask for donations ²⁴  at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with astonishment and amazement ²⁵  at what had happened to him.

Revelation 3:3

3:3 Therefore, remember what you received and heard, ²⁶  and obey it, ²⁷  and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will never ²⁸  know at what hour I will come against ²⁹  you.

[13:26]  ¹ tn Grk “they.”

[13:26]  ² sn An allusion to Dan 7:13. Here is Jesus returning with full judging authority.

[13:27]  ³ tn Or “of the sky”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context.

[24:36]  ⁴ 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.

[24:37]  ⁵ sn Like the days of Noah, the time of the flood in Gen 6:5-8:22, the judgment will come as a surprise as people live their day to day lives.

[24:38]  ⁶ tn Grk “they,” but in an indefinite sense, “people.”

[24:39]  ⁷ sn Like the flood that came and took them all away, the coming judgment associated with the Son of Man will condemn many.

[24:39]  ⁸ tn Grk “So also will be the coming of the Son of Man.”

[24:40]  ⁹ sn There is debate among commentators and scholars over the phrase one will be taken and one left about whether one is taken for judgment or for salvation. If the imagery is patterned after the rescue of Noah from the flood, as some suggest, the ones taken are the saved (as Noah was) andthose left behind are judged. The imagery, however, is not directly tied to theidentification of the two groups. Its primary purposein context is topicture the sudden, surprisingseparation of the righteous and the judged (i.e., condemned) at the return of the Son of Man.

[24:41]  ¹⁰ tn According to L&N 46.16, this refers to a hand mill normally operated by two women.

[24:42]  ¹¹ tc Most later mss (L 0281 Ï lat) have here ὥρᾳ ({wra, “hour”) instead of ἡμέρα (Jemera, “day”). Although the merits of this reading could be argued either way, in light of the overwhelming and diverse early support for ἡμέρᾳ ({א B C D W Δ Θ Ë¹³ 33 892 1424, as well as several versions and fathers}), the more general term is surely correct.

[25:6]  ¹² tc ‡ Most witnesses have αὐτοῦ (autou, “[with] him”) after ἀπάντησιν (apanthsin, “meeting”), a reading which makes explicit what is already implied in the shorter text (as found in א B 700). The translation likewise adds “him” for clarity’s sake even though the word is not considered part of the original text. NA²⁷ has αὐτοῦ in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[25:13]  ¹³ tc Most later mss (C³ ˹³ 1424^c Ï) also read here “in which the Son of Man is coming” (ἐν ᾗ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἔρχεται, en |h Jo Juio" tou anqrwpou ercetai), reproducing almost verbatim the last line of Matt 24:44. The longer reading thus appears to be an explanatory expansion and should not be considered authentic. The earlier and better witnesses ({̳⁵ א A B C* D L W Δ Θ Ë¹ 33 565 892 1424* lat co}) lack this phrase.

[25:19]  ¹⁴ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[1:7]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “It is not for you to know.”

[1:1]  ¹⁶ tn Or “produced,” Grk “made.”

[1:1]  ¹⁷ tn Or “first.” The translation “former” is preferred because “first” could imply to the modern English reader that the author means that his previous account was the first one to be written down. The Greek term πρῶτος (prwtos) does not necessarily mean “first” in an absolute sense, but can refer to the first in a set or series. That is what is intended here – the first account (known as the Gospel of Luke) as compared to the second one (known as Acts).

[1:1]  ¹⁸ tn The Greek word λόγος (logos) is sometimes translated “book” (NRSV, NIV) or “treatise” (KJV). A formal, systematic treatment of a subject is implied, but the word “book” may be too specific and slightly misleading to the modern reader, so “account” has been used.

[1:1]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “O Theophilus,” but the usage of the vocative in Acts with ὦ (w) is unemphatic, following more the classical idiom (see ExSyn 69).

[5:2]  ²⁰ tn Grk “And he.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[5:2]  ²¹ tn The participle ἐνέγκας (enenka") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[5:2]  ²² tn Grk “And he.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[5:2]  ²³ tn The participle ἐνέγκας (enenka") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[3:10]  ²⁴ tn Grk “alms,” but this term is not in common use today, so the closest modern equivalent, “donations,” is used instead. The idea is that of a donation to charity.

[3:10]  ²⁵ sn Amazement is a frequent response to miracles of Jesus or the apostles. These took the ancients by as much surprise as they would people today. But in terms of response to what God is doing, amazement does not equal faith (Luke 4:36; 5:9, 26; 7:16).

[3:3]  ²⁶ tn The expression πῶς εἴληφας καὶ ἤκουσας (pw" eilhfa" kai hkousa") probably refers to the initial instruction in the Christian life they had received and been taught; this included doctrine and ethical teaching.

[3:3]  ²⁷ tn Grk “keep it,” in the sense of obeying what they had initially been taught.

[3:3]  ²⁸ tn The negation here is with οὐ μή (ou mh, the strongest possible form of negation in Koine Greek).

[3:3]  ²⁹ tn Or “come on.”