World English Bible · Under Rome
Luke 21
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He looked up and saw the rich people who were putting their gifts into the . He saw a certain casting in two small brass coins. He said, "Truly I tell you, this put in more than all of them, for all these put in gifts for from their abundance, but she, out of her , put in all that she had to live on." As some were talking about and how it was decorated with beautiful stones and gifts, he said, "As for these things which you see, the days will come in which there will not be left here one stone on another that will not be thrown down." They asked him, "Teacher, so when will these things be? What is the sign that these things are about to happen?" He said, "Watch out that you don't get led astray, for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and, 'The time is at hand.' Therefore don't follow them. When you hear of wars and disturbances, don't be terrified, for these things must happen first, but the end won't come immediately." Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, , and plagues in various places. There will be terrors and great signs from . But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you up to and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for my name's sake. It will turn out as a for you. Settle it therefore in your not to beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a and which all your will not be able to withstand or to contradict. You will be handed over even by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends. They will cause some of you to be put to . You will be hated by all men for my name's sake. And not a hair of your head will . "By your you will win your lives. "But when you see surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is at hand. Then let those who are in flee to the mountains. Let those who are in the middle of her depart. Let those who are in the country not enter therein. For these are days of , that all things which are written may be fulfilled. Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who nurse infants in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and to this people. They will fall by the edge of , and will be led into all the nations. will be trampled down by the until the times of the are fulfilled. "There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars; and on the earth anxiety of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the waves; men fainting for fear and for of the things which are coming on the world, for the powers of will be shaken. Then they will see coming in a cloud with and great . But when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your is near." He told them . "See the fig tree and all the trees. When they are already budding, you see it and know by your own selves that the summer is already near. Even so you also, when you see these things happening, know that Kingdom is near. Most certainly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things are accomplished. and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away. "So be careful, or your will be loaded down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day will come on you suddenly. For it will come like a snare on all those who on the surface of all the earth. Therefore be watchful all the time, praying that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will happen, and to stand before ." Every day was teaching in , and every night he would go out and spend the night on the mountain that is called Olivet. All the people came early in the morning to him in to hear him.
A public domain modern English translation, free to read and share. 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.