I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
Parallel translations
- WEB I tell you that he will avenge them quickly. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
- BSB I tell you, He will promptly carry out justice on their behalf. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”
- NKJV I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”
- NASB I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”
- NLT I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”
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
God will bring justice quickly, yet Jesus asks whether the Son of Man will find faith on earth at his coming. The real question is whether we will persevere.
Overview
God's vindication is sure and, in his timing, swift, but Jesus turns the focus to his people's endurance. The closing question warns that the danger is not God's faithfulness but the fading of believers' faith during the long wait. Persevering, prayerful faith is what Christ looks to find when he returns.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Heb 10:23–26Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
- 2 Pet 3:8–9But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
- Ps 46:5God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
- Matt 24:9–13Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
- Luke 17:26–30And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
- Ps 143:7–9Hear me speedily, O LORD: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.
- 2 Pet 2:3And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
- 1 Th 5:1–3But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
- Matt 24:24For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
- Jas 5:1–8Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 18:8 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.