But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately.”
Parallel translations
- WEB When you hear of wars and disturbances, don’t be terrified, for these things must happen first, but the end won’t come immediately.”
- KJV 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.
- BSB When you hear of wars and rebellions, do not be alarmed. These things must happen first, but the end is not imminent.”
- NASB And when you hear of wars and revolts, do not be alarmed; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.”
- NLT And when you hear of wars and insurrections, don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place first, but the end won’t follow immediately.”
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
Wars and unrest will come, but they should not cause terror, for the end is not yet.
Overview
Jesus tells His disciples that upheavals must occur but do not by themselves signal the final end. Such events mark the present age, not the immediate consummation. The call is to steady faith rather than panic when the world is in turmoil.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Luke 21:28But when these things begin to happen, look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption is near.”
- Matt 24:6–8You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you aren’t troubled, for all this must happen, but the end is not yet.
- Mark 13:7–8“When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, don’t be troubled. For those must happen, but the end is not yet.
- Isa 51:12–13“I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you, that you are afraid of man who shall die, and of the son of man who will be made as grass?
- Luke 21:18–19And not a hair of your head will perish.
- Prov 3:25–26Don’t be afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it comes:
- Ps 46:1–2For the Chief Musician. By the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
- Ps 27:1–3By David. Yahweh is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? Yahweh is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid?
- Jer 4:19–20My anguish, my anguish! I am pained at my very heart; my heart is disquieted in me; I can’t hold my peace; because you have heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.
- Ps 112:7He will not be afraid of evil news. His heart is steadfast, trusting in Yahweh.
- Isa 8:12“Don’t say, ‘A conspiracy!’ concerning all about which this people say, ‘A conspiracy!’ neither fear their threats, nor be terrorized.
- Luke 21:8He 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.
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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 21:9 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.