Now I know that none of you among whom I have preached the kingdom will see my face again.
Parallel translations
- WEB “Now, behold, I know that you all, among whom I went about preaching God’s Kingdom, will see my face no more.
- KJV And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.
- NKJV “And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more.
- NASB “And now behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face.
- NLT “And now I know that none of you to whom I have preached the Kingdom will ever see me again.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Paul tells the elders they will see his face no more, after his years of preaching God's Kingdom among them. He gives a solemn farewell.
Overview
Convinced he will not return, Paul makes this a final parting from the Ephesian church he loved. His preaching is summarized as proclaiming "God's Kingdom," the reign of God established through Christ. The certainty of parting heightens the weight of his charge and reminds believers that gospel relationships, though tender, are held under God's sovereign plan.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Acts 28:31Boldly and freely he proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Acts 20:38They were especially grieved by his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.
- Matt 4:23Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
- Matt 10:7As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’
- Luke 16:16The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the gospel of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.
- Luke 9:60But Jesus told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead. You, however, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
- Matt 13:19When anyone hears the message of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.
- Col 2:1For I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me face to face,
- Matt 13:52Then He told them, “For this reason, every scribe who has been discipled in the kingdom of heaven is like a homeowner who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”
- Rom 15:23But now that there are no further opportunities for me in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to visit you,
- Matt 4:17From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
- Gal 1:22I was personally unknown, however, to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.
- Acts 8:12But when they believed Philip as he preached the gospel of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
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Christ at the center
Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.
How Acts 20:25 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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