Jesus and the End Time | End Time Texts in Gospel of Luke

 

End Time Related Statements Made During the Infancy of Jesus

Luke 1:26-33
26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said,

Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
• This text is of End Time interest because v. 32-33 speak of Jesus as a king who will have a kingdom that will have no end.
• The father-son relationship described by the words "the Son of the Highest" in v. 32 seems to parallel that mentioned in v. 14 of 2Sam. 7:8-17, v. 13 of 1Chron. 17:7-15 and v. 10 of 1Chron. 22:7-10, among others. See also v. 14 of Is. 7:10-16.
• V. 32's references to the throne of David and to a reign that will continue for ever seem to allude to v. 6-7 of Is. 9:1-21.
• The words "the Son of the Highest" in v. 32 arguably foreshadow the question Jesus is asked during his trial before the high (or chief) priest(s). See v. 63 of Matt. 26:62-66, v. 61 of Mark 14:60-64 and v. 70 of Luke 22:66-71 below.
• The reigning over the house of Jacob mentioned in v. 33 seems to correspond to that mentioned in v. 5-7 of 1Chron. 28: 2-8. Ominously, these words seem to support the charge that Pilate makes at Jesus' trial. See Matt. 27:11, Mark 15:2 and Luke 23:3 below.
Luke 2:25-33
25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. 26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, 28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: 30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; 32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. 33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.
• This text is of End Time interest because v. 32 seems to be an allusion to v. 6 of Is. 42:1-7, a text that seems to speak of Jesus and to be related to Is. 61:1-11, an arguably messianic text that Jesus applies to himself in v. 18-19 of Luke 4:16-21 below.
• The phrase "the Lord's Christ" seem to be synonymous with "the Christ of God", a phrase that Peter uses in v. 20 of Luke 9:18-22 below, and that Jesus seems to endorse. See also Luke 22:66-71/67, Matt. 26:62-66/63 and Mark 14:60-64/61.

End Time Related Statements Made By or About John the Baptist in the Gospel of Luke

Luke 3:1-9
1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, 2 Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. 3 And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; 6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. 7 Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 9 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
• This text is of End Time interest because v. 7-9 speak of "the wrath to come" and of the very different future destinies that await those who have brought forth "fruits worthy of repentance" and those who have not.
• V. 4-5 are quoted from v. 3-4 of Is. 40:1-11. V. 6 paraphrases v. 5 of Is. 40:1-11, which states that the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and that all flesh shall see it together.
• V. 7's use of "generation of vipers" and "wrath to come" seem to foreshadow Jesus' use of "generation of vipers" and "day of judgment" in v. 34 and 36 of Matt. 12:33-37. See also v. 33 of Matt. 23:29-39.
• V. 9's statement about casting into fire is similar to the one that Jesus makes in Matt. 7:15-20/19. See also John 15:1-6/6.
• V. 4-9 above are generally similar to v. 3-10 of Matt. 3:7-12, but have no counterparts in the Gospels of Mark or John.

Luke 3:15-17
15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; 16 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: 17 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.
• This text is of End Time interest because v. 17 uses harvest imagery to speak of two very different future destinies. Jesus uses similar imagery to make similar statements in v. 30 of Matt. 13:24-30 and in v. 39-40 of Matt. 13:36-43.
• The events described in v. 17 seem to be the same as those that Jesus describes at v. 28-30 of Luke 17:26-37 below.
• V. 16-17 above are generally similar to v. 11-12 of Matt. 3:7-12, but have no counterparts in the Gospels of Mark or John.

End Time Related Statements Made By Jesus in the Gospel of Luke

Luke 4:16-21
P 16 And 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. 17 And 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, 18 The 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, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20 And 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.
• This text is of End Time interest because Jesus quotes v. 18-19 from v. 1 and the first part of v. 2 of Is. 61:1-11. His quoting of these verses is, in turn, of End Time interest because Is. 61:2 goes on to proclaim "the day of vengeance of our God". Other Old Testament texts that use "day of vengeance" include v. 4 of Is. 63:3-9 and v. 10 of Jer. 46:9-12. See also Is. 42:1-7.
• Surprisingly, in spite of the importance of this text as a description of the formal announcement of the beginning of Jesus' public ministry, there are no corresponding texts in the other three Gospels.
• In v. 18 Jesus describes himself as anointed to preach the gospel to the poor. That this gospel is closely associated with the idea of the kingdom of God is clear from Luke 6:20-25. See also Mark 1:14-15 and v. 17 of Matt. 4:12-17, among others.

Luke 4:40-44
P 40 Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them. 41 And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ. 42 And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them. 43 And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent. 44 And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee. [end ch.]
• V. 41 above is one of the few verses in the Gospels and Acts that uses "Christ" and "the Son of God" in the same verse. Like other verses of this kind, it is spoken to or about Jesus, but not by him. See, for example, verses that include statements made by a Gospel writer (Mark 1:1-11/1 and John 20:31*), verses that include questions Jesus is asked at his trial (Matt. 26:62-66/63 and Mark 14:60-64/61) and verses that include things individuals say to Jesus in private (John 6:69* and John 11:21-27/27). [* not included]
• V. 43 above is of End Time interest because Matt. 24:1-22/14 of the Matthean discourse describes Jesus saying that the end will come after the gospel of the kingdom is preached in all the world, and because Luke 21:25-37/27 and 31 of the Lukan discourse describe him saying that this kingdom will be nigh at hand (v. 31) when men see the Son of man coming in a cloud (v. 27).
• Other verses which describe the preaching of the kingdom of God include Luke 8:1, Luke 9:1-6/2 and Luke 10:1-16/9 and 11 below and Mark 1:14-15/15. Matthew refers to this kingdom as "the kingdom of heaven". See Matt. 4:12-17/17 and 10:5-23/7.
• V. 43 is the first verse in the Gospel of Luke in which Jesus uses the phrase "the kingdom of God". In the accompanying Auxiliary Sense file titled "Senses of the Word Kingdom", the writer describes the senses in which the Bible uses the word "kingdom" and gives examples of Bible verses that use it in these senses.
Special Note on "the Kingdom":
The Bible often uses the phrase "the kingdom of God" interchangeably with phrases like "the kingdom of heaven" and "the kingdom of the Lord". It also often abbreviates phrases of this kind to any of several shorter phrases, such as "the kingdom", "his kingdom" and "thy kingdom". As explained in the Auxiliary Sense file titled "Senses of the Word Kingdom", the Bible may use phrases of this kind in senses in which it means things as different as a people (Exod. 19:5-6), a place on the earth (1Chron. 28:5), a place not on the earth (John 18:36) and God's kingship over any and all places.
Luke 5:18-25
P 18 And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. 19 And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. 20 And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? 22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? 23 Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? 24 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. 25 And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.
• In v. 24, Jesus describes himself as the Son of man, and as having the power to forgive sins. This is of End Time interest because the power to forgive is an aspect of the power to judge. See John 3:31-36/35 and John 5:19-29/27. See also Matt. 11:25-27/27.
• V. 24 above is the first verse in the Gospel of Luke in which Jesus seems to refer to himself as "the Son of man". In the accompanying Auxiliary Sense file titled "Senses of Phrases Like Son of Man", the writer describes the senses in which the Bible uses phrases of this kind ("a son of man", "the son of man", etc.) and gives examples of Bible verses that use them in these senses.
• In spite of numerous differences in wording, v. 18-25 generally correspond to Matt. 9:1-8 and Mark 2:3-12. Matthew, for example, describes Jesus speaking of people thinking evil in their hearts (Matt. 9:4), while Luke and Mark describe him speaking of people reasoning in their hearts (v. 22 above and Mark 2:8).
Luke 5:30-32
30 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? 31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. 32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. [end par.]
• This text is of End Time interest because v. 32 sheds light on the meaning of other verses in which Jesus speaks of why he has come (or been sent), namely: to save persons (or "sheep") who have become lost or gone astray. Examples of other verses of this kind include v. 5-7 of Matt. 10:5-23, Matt. 18:10-14, Luke 15:3-10, Luke 19:5-10 and v. 12 of John 17:1-12.
• This text is also of End Time interest because the words "righteous" and "sinners" in v. 17 seem to correspond to the persons Jesus describes as "righteous" and "them which do iniquity" in v. 43 and 41, respectively, of Matt. 13:36-43. See also Matt. 13:47-50.
• V. 16-17 above generally correspond to Matt. 9:11-13 and Mark 2:16-17.
Luke 6:20-25
P 20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. 22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. 23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets. 24 But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. 25 Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.
• This text is of End Time interest because v. 20 seems to be related to v. 34 of Matt. 25:31-46 of the Matthean discourse. This is because both of these verses involve persons who are addressed as "blessed" and who inherit a kingdom belonging to God.
• V. 23 above is the first verse in the Gospel of Luke in which Jesus uses the word "heaven" in a sense in which it refers to a place where the blessed are rewarded. In one earlier verse, Luke 4:25 (not included), Jesus uses "heaven" to refer to the place from which rain falls. In the accompanying Auxiliary Sense file titled "Senses of the Word Heaven", the writer describes the senses in which the Bible uses the word "heaven" and gives examples of Bible verses that use it in these senses.
• V. 20-25 include words that Jesus speaks on a plain. These words seem roughly similar to those of Matt. 5:1-12, a text that is often referred to as "the Sermon on the Mount" because Matt. 5:1 describes Jesus delivering it on a mountain.
• V. 24 above is one of many verses in which Jesus speaks ominously about the future destiny of the rich. See, for example, Luke 16:19-31 below. See also v. 23-24 of Matt. 19:16-26, v. 23-25 of Mark 10:17-27 and v. 24-25 of Luke 18:18-27 below.
Luke 6:35-42
35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: 38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. 39 And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? 40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. 41 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.
• The "children of the Highest" mentioned in v. 35 would seem to be the same as the "children of light" mentioned in Luke 16:8-13/8 and John 12:23-36/36, and the "children of God" mentioned in Matt. 5:9, Luke 20:36 and John 11:52. They also would seem to be the same as the "children of the kingdom" mentioned in Matt. 13:36-43/38. See, however, Matt. 8:10-12/12.
• Surprisingly, while the Old Testament does not use any of the phrases mentioned in the previous Note, it does use the phrase "children of Israel" hundreds of times. It also includes numerous verses that seem to contrast the latter phrase with "children (or men or sons) of Belial". See, for example, Deut. 13:13, Judg. 20:13, v. 12 of 1Sam. 2:11-12 and v. 7 of 2Chron. 13:6-8.
• The last part of v. 37 seems to be generally similar to Matt. 6:14-15, Matt. 18:34-35 and Mark 11:25-26, among others.
• The words Jesus speaks in v. 37-38 seem to be similar to those he speaks in v. 1-2 of Matt. 7:1-5 and v. 24 of Mark 4:21-25.
• V. 41-42 above are generally similar to v. 4-5 of Matt. 7:1-5.
Luke 6:43-45
43 For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. 45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. [end par.]
• V. 43-44 are of secondary End Time interest because they roughly correspond to v. 16-19 of Matt. 7:15-20, in which Jesus says that trees that do not bring forth good fruit are to be hewn down and cast into fire. See also Matt. 3:7-12 and John 15:1-6.
• V. 43-44 the first part of v. 45 are generally similar to v. 33-35 of Matt. 12:33-37. The latter, however, are followed by verses (Matt. 12:36-37) that describe Jesus speaking of the day of judgment and saying that a person will be judged by his words.
Luke 7:19-23
P 19 And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another? 20 When the men were come unto him, they said, John the Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another? 21 And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight. 22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. 23 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. [end par.]
• V. 23 is of End Time interest because v. 23 combines two words, "blessed" and "offend", that Jesus uses in texts that clearly relate to the End Time. See, for example, his use of "blessed" in Matt. 25:31-46/34 and his use of "offend" in Matt. 13:36-43/41.
• V. 22-23 are generally similar to Matt. 11:1-6. In fact, v. 23 is repeated, word for word, in v. 6 of Matt. 11:1-6.
• It is unclear how the things John says in v. 19 are to be reconciled with the things he says in John 1:26-34 (not included).
Luke 7:24-28
P 24 And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 25 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings' courts. 26 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. 27 This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.
• This text is of End Time interest because v. 27 alludes to v. 1 of Mal. 3:1-9, v. 2-3 and 5 of which relate to a day when the Lord will come in judgment. Mal. 3:1, however, uses the words "prepare the way before me:", not "prepare thy way before thee.".
• V. 1 of Mal. 3:1-9 includes two clauses the use the word "messenger", a first that refers to him as "my messenger" and a second that refers to him as "the messenger of the covenant,". Surprisingly, this verse includes the words "and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple," between these two clauses.
• V. 24-28 are similar to v. 7-11 of Matt. 11:7-15. In v. 14 of the latter, however, Jesus states that John is Elias, thereby adding an allusion to v. 5 of Mal. 4:1-6, which mentions the great and dreadful day of the Lord. See also Matt. 17:10-13 and Mark 9:11-13.
Luke 8:1
And it came to pass afterward, that he [Jesus] went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,
• V. 1 above is of secondary End Time interest because it describes Luke giving a shortened account of things that other Gospel writers describe Jesus himself saying about the coming of the kingdom of God. See, for example, v. 17 of Matt. 4:12-17, v. 7 of Matt. 10:5-23 and v. 15 of Mark 1:14-15. See also v. 23 of Matt. 10:5-23. See also the Notes included with v. 43 of Luke 4:40-44 above.
• V. 1 is also of End Time interest because it illustrates Luke's tendency to portray Jesus as describing the kingdom of God as a thing that is nigh (or near), rather than as a thing that is coming soon. See, for example, v. 9 and 11 of Luke 10:1-16, v. 22 of Luke 11:14-22 and v. 28-31 of Luke 21:25-37. One of the clearest illustrations of this tendency is v. 21-22 of Luke 17:20-25.
Luke 8:4-8
P 4 And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: 5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. 8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
• V. 4-8 give Luke's account of Jesus' telling of the public version of the Parable of the Sower. This Parable is of secondary End Time interest because v. 6-8 describe the differing fates of plants which do and do not bear fruit, and because both Jesus and John the Baptist elsewhere use this imagery to reveal the differing fates of people who do and do not bear spiritual fruit, i.e., to be spared or cast into fire. See, for example, Matt. 3:7-12 and Luke 3:8-9 and 3:17. See also Matt. 7:15-20 and 13:24-30, Luke 13:1-9 and John 15:1-6.
• The parable Jesus tells in v. 4-8 above is generally similar to those he tells in Matt. 13:1-9 and Mark 4:1-9.
Luke 8:9-10
9 And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? 10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.
• This text is of secondary End Time interest because it is related to Matt. 13:10-17 and Mark 4:11-12, both of which are of End Time interest because they allude to v. 8-10 of Is. 6:8-13.
• V. 9 above may be a fulfillment of v. 49 of Ezek. 20:45-49, a text that seems to be of End Time significance because v. 47 thereof speaks of "faces" being burned in a flaming fire that "shall not be quenched.".
Luke 8:11-15
11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. 14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. 15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. [end par.]
• V. 11-15 above comprise Luke's account of Jesus' telling of the private version of Parable of the Sower. Surprisingly, this private version is also only of secondary End Time interest because it does little more than warn those who want to bear fruit of the dangers posed by the devil and the cares, riches and pleasures of this life.
• The parable of v. 11-15 is similar to those told at Matt. 13:18-23 and Mark 4:14-20. Unlike its Matthean counterpart (Matt. 13:18-23), however, this Lukan parable is not followed by any of the three frighteningly graphic fire-based End Time parables that Jesus tells at Matt. 13:24-30, Matt. 13:36-43 and Matt. 13:47-50.
Luke 8:16-18
P 16 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light. 17 For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad. 18 Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have. [end par.]
• V. 17 is of End Time interest because it suggests that all of a person's good and evil acts will be made known and taken into account when he is judged. This verse is very similar to v. 22 of Mark 4:21-25. See also v. 26 of Matt. 10:26-31.
• V. 16-18 as a whole are generally similar to v. 21-22 and 25 of Mark 4:21-25, but have no obvious counterpart in Matthew. Taken by itself, however, v. 16 is generally similar to v. 15 of Matt. 5:14-16, a text that does not seem to be of End Time interest.
• The last part of v. 18 is very similar to Matt. 25:14-30/29 of the Matthean discourse. See also Luke 19:11-27/26.
Luke 9:1-6
1 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. 2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. 3 And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece. 4 And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart. 5 And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them. 6 And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where. [end par.]
• This text is of End Time interest because v. 2 and 6 describe Jesus delegating the task of preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, a task he describes himself as anointed to preach in v. 18-19 of Luke 4:16-21, in words that he quotes from v. 1 of Is. 61:1-11. The latter, in turn, is of End Time interest because v. 2 of thereof says that this preaching includes proclaiming "the day of vengeance of our God". Other Old Testament verses that mention this day include v. 4 of Is. 63:3-9 and v. 10 of Jer. 46:9-12.
• The kingdom in v. 2 seems to be a regeneration of the kind described in Is. 61:1-11/4-11. See also Matt. 19:27-30/28.
• The account of the sending out of the twelve in v. 1-6 above is roughly similar to that of Mark 6:7-13. It also corresponds to the much longer account of this sending out which appears between Matt. 10:5 and Matt. 10:42, and which adds that the kingdom of heaven is at hand (v. 7) and that they "shall not have gone over the cities of Israel till the Son of man be come." (v. 23).
• Surprisingly, v. 1-6 above are soon followed by Luke 10:1-16, which describe Jesus sending out seventy followers with instructions similar to those he gives in Matt. 10:5-23.
Luke 9:10-11
P 10 And the apostles, when they were returned, told him all that they had done. And he took them, and went aside privately into a desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. 11 And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing.
• V. 10-11 describe the return of the apostles from the journey on which Jesus sent them in Luke 9:1-6. This is of secondary End Time interest because of what Jesus says about the day of judgment in Matthew's account of this return. See Matt. 11:20-24.
• V. 10-11 generally correspond to Mark 6:30-31. In Mark, however, Jesus speaks about the day of judgment at the time he sent them out, and not at the time of their return. Specifically, compare Mark 6:11 with Matthew 11:20-24. See also Luke 10:12-16.
Luke 9:18-22
P 18 And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am? 19 They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again. 20 He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God. 21 And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing; 22 Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. [end par.]
• This text is of End Time interest because it seems to be a shorter account of the events that Matt. 16:13-23 and Mark 8:27-33 describe as taking place near Caesarea Philippi, and because the Matthean account of these events is clearly of End Time interest.
• Unlike its Matthean counterpart (Matt. 16:13-23), but like its Markan counterpart (Mark 8:27-33), v. 18-22 say nothing about Peter being the person on whom Jesus will build his church, or about Peter being given the power to bind and loose.
• The words "the Christ of God" in v. 20 seems to be synonymous with the words "the Lord's Christ" in Luke 2:25-33/26 above.
• In v. 22 above, Jesus speaks of his suffering and death as necessary, but does not make clear at this time that they are necessary to fulfill the Scriptures. He does, however, make this clear later. See, for example, Luke 18:31-34 below, Matt. 26:47-56/54 and 56 and Mark 14:16-26/21. Luke 18:34, however, says that the twelve failed to understand what Jesus said, a failure that seems to parallel the failures mentioned in Mark 9:30-32/32, Luke 9:44-45/45 and John 20:2-6/9, and that seems to have continued until after the resurrection. See v. 44-46 of Luke 24:44-51 and v. 22 of John 2:18-22.
• It is unclear which Old Testament text(s) Jesus had in mind in v. 22. One of these is clearly v. 12 of Is. 53:1-12, a verse which Jesus quotes from in v. 37 of Luke 22:35-39 below, and which Mark mentions in v. 28 of Mark 15:22-37. Is. 53, however, does not say anything about a "third day". It may be that he had in mind the situation of king Hezekiah, who prayed to be saved from death and was promised by God that he would live and go up to the house of the Lord on the third day. See v. 5 of 2Kings 20:1-5. This situation is also described in Is. 38:9-22. Another text Jesus seems to have had in mind is Ps. 22:1-20.
• Still another text that Jesus may have had in mind in v. 22 is v. 2 of Hos. 6:1-11. When considered in context, however, it is not clear that v. 2 speaks about an individual, and not about a group, or that it speaks about a death, and not just a serious injury.
• The words Jesus speaks in v. 22 are similar to those he speaks in Matt. 17:22-23, Matt. 20:17-19 and Mark 10:32-34.
Luke 9:23-27
P 23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? 26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God. [end par.]
• This text as a whole generally corresponds to Matt. 16:24-28 and Mark 8:34-9:1.
• V. 23-24 above are generally similar to v. 24-25 of Matt. 16:24-28 and v. 34-35 of Mark 8:34-9:1. These verses are also similar to v. 38-39 of Matt. 10:37-42.
• V. 25 above is similar to v. 36-37 of Mark 8:34-9:1 and to v. 26 of Matt. 16:24-28, except that both of the latter end with words like "lose his own soul? or give in exchange for his soul?".
• V. 26 is very similar to v. 38 of Mark 8:34-9:1, except that the latter also mentions "this adultereous and sinful generation". The most nearly similar Matthean verse, v. 27 of Matt. 16:24-28, says that the Son of man shall come in the glory of his father and "reward every man according to his works.". The first part of v. 26 also seems to be similar to Matt. 10:32-33 and Luke 12:8-9.
• V. 26's statement about the Son of man coming in the glory of his Father and of the angels is generally similar to those Jesus makes in Matt. 24:29-36/30, Mark 13:24-32/26 and Luke 21:25-37/27 of the End Time discourses. This statement also seems similar to the one Jesus makes during his Jewish trial. See Matt. 26:62-66/64, Mark 14:60-64/62 and Luke 22:66-71/69.
• The middle part of v. 27 is repeated, almost word for word, in Matt. 16:28 and Mark 9:1. Interestingly, the parallelism between these three verses suggests that seeing the kingdom of God (v. 27) means essentially the same thing as seeing the coming of the Son of man in his kingdom (Matt. 16:28) and seeing the coming of the kingdom of God with power (Mark 9:1).
• The statement in v. 27 and its Matthean and Markan counterparts, Matt. 16:28 and Mark 9:1, that some standing here shall not taste of death till they see the things they speak of seem to convey generally the same idea as Matt. 24:29-36/34, Mark 13:24-32/30 and Luke 21:25-37/32 of the End Time discourses, although the latter all use the words "this generation" to describe the people they speak of. Because the identity of these people has important implications, the meanings of the words used to describe them (especially the words "this generation") are discussed at length in Notes included in the End Time Discourse Files.
Luke 9:44-45
44 Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men. 45 But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not: and they feared to ask him of that saying. [end par.]
• V. 44-45 above are of secondary End Time interest because they are among the many Gospel texts in which Jesus speaks of the necessity of his being killed and raised from the dead.
• As explained more fully in Notes associated with v. 22 of Luke 9:18-22 above, the disciples' failure to understand the things Jesus says in v. 44 was to continue until Jesus corrected their misunderstanding after his resurrection.
Luke 9:46-48
P 46 Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest. 47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him, 48 And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great. [end par.]
• This text is of secondary End Time interest because v. 48 appears in the same or similar words in other texts that are of End Time interest. See especially Matt. 18:2-9/5 and Mark 9:36-37/37. See also Matt. 10:37-42/40 and John 13:13-21/20.
• Other texts that describe Jesus speaking of children include Matt. 19:13-15, Mark 10:13-16 and Luke 18:15-17.
Luke 9:51-56
P 51 And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, 52 And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. 53 And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. 54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? 55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. 56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village. [end par.]
• This text is of End Time interest because v. 56 above seems to be related to v. 11 of Matt. 18:10-14 and v. 10 of Luke 19:5-10 and to shed additional light on the meanings thereof.
• This text is also of End Time interest because, in v. 55-56, Jesus effectively denies the suggestion his disciples make in v. 54 that his mission is like that of Elias/Elijah, a suggestion that seems to allude to the fires that Elijah calls from heaven in 2Kings 1:7-16.
• It is not clear how v. 56 is to be reconciled with v. 49 and 51 of Luke 12:49-53 below. See also v. 34 of Matt. 10:34-36.