“And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.
Parallel translations
- WEB Now I have told you before it happens so that, when it happens, you may believe.
- KJV And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.
- BSB And now I have told you before it happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe.
- NASB And now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe.
- NLT I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe.
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
Jesus foretells these events so that when they happen the disciples will believe. Fulfilled prophecy strengthens faith.
Overview
Jesus tells the disciples about His departure and the Spirit's coming in advance so that the unfolding of events would confirm rather than shake their faith. This pattern of prediction and fulfillment runs through John's Gospel as evidence of Jesus' divine foreknowledge and trustworthiness. What seems like loss is shown to be part of God's deliberate plan.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- John 13:19From now on, I tell you before it happens, that when it happens, you may believe that I am he.
- John 16:4–31But I have told you these things, so that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you about them. I didn’t tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you.
- Matt 24:24–25For there will arise false christs, and false prophets, and they will show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones.
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 14:29 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.