King James Version · Under Rome
Luke 21
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And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the . And he saw also a certain casting in thither two . And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this hath cast in more than they all: For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the of : but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had. And as some spake of , how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said, As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass? And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them. But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by. Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and , and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from . But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the , and into prisons, being brought before kings and for my name’s sake. And it shall turn to you for a . Settle it therefore in your , not to before what ye shall answer: For I will give you a and , which all your shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to . And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake. But there shall not an hair of your head . In your possess ye your . And when ye shall see compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in 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. For these be the days of , that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of , and shall be led away into all nations: and shall be trodden down of the , until the times of the be fulfilled. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of shall be shaken. And then shall they see coming in a cloud with and great . And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your draweth nigh. And he spake to them ; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that of is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that on the of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before . And in the day time he was teaching in ; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called . And all the people came early in the morning to him in , for to hear him.
The 1611 translation, public domain. Its original printing included the Apocrypha, which is why the deuterocanonical books can be read here. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.