Mazmur 96:13

96:13 before the Lord, for he comes!

For he comes to judge the earth!

He judges the world fairly, ¹ 

and the nations in accordance with his justice. ² 

Mazmur 97:4-6

97:4 His lightning bolts light up the world;

the earth sees and trembles.

97:5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,

before the Lord of the whole earth.

97:6 The sky declares his justice,

and all the nations see his splendor.

Mazmur 98:9

98:9 before the Lord!

For he comes to judge the earth!

He judges the world fairly, ³ 

and the nations in a just manner.

Yesaya 64:1-3

64:1 (63:19b) ⁴  If only you would tear apart the sky ⁵  and come down!

The mountains would tremble ⁶  before you!

64:2 (64:1) As when fire ignites dry wood,

or fire makes water boil,

let your adversaries know who you are, ⁷ 

and may the nations shake at your presence!

64:3 When you performed awesome deeds that took us by surprise, ⁸ 

you came down, and the mountains trembled ⁹  before you.

Yesaya 66:15-16

66:15 For look, the Lord comes with fire,

his chariots come like a windstorm, ¹⁰ 

to reveal his raging anger,

his battle cry, and his flaming arrows. ¹¹ 

66:16 For the Lord judges all humanity ¹² 

with fire and his sword;

the Lord will kill many. ¹³ 

Daniel 7:9-14

7:9 “While I was watching,

thrones were set up,

and the Ancient of Days ¹⁴  took his seat.

His attire was white like snow;

the hair of his head was like lamb’s ¹⁵  wool.

His throne was ablaze with fire

and its wheels were all aflame. ¹⁶ 

7:10 A river of fire was streaming forth

and proceeding from his presence.

Many thousands were ministering to him;

Many tens of thousands stood ready to serve him. ¹⁷ 

The court convened ¹⁸ 

and the books were opened.

7:11 “Then I kept on watching because of the arrogant words of the horn that was speaking. I was watching ¹⁹  until the beast was killed and its body destroyed and thrown into ²⁰  the flaming fire. 7:12 As for the rest of the beasts, their ruling authority had already been removed, though they were permitted to go on living ²¹  for a time and a season. 7:13 I was watching in the night visions,

“And with ²²  the clouds of the sky ²³ 

one like a son of man ²⁴  was approaching.

He went up to the Ancient of Days

and was escorted ²⁵  before him.

7:14 To him was given ruling authority, honor, and sovereignty.

All peoples, nations, and language groups were serving ²⁶  him.

His authority is eternal and will not pass away. ²⁷ 

His kingdom will not be destroyed. ²⁸ 

Daniel 7:21-27

7:21 While I was watching, that horn began to wage war against the holy ones and was defeating ²⁹  them, 7:22 until the Ancient of Days arrived and judgment was rendered ³⁰  in favor of the holy ones of the Most High. Then the time came for the holy ones to take possession of the kingdom.

7:23 “This is what he told me: ³¹ 

‘The fourth beast means that there will be a fourth kingdom on earth

that will differ from all the other kingdoms.

It will devour all the earth

and will trample and crush it.

7:24 The ten horns

mean that ten kings will arise from that kingdom.

Another king will arise after them,

but he will be different from the earlier ones.

He will humiliate ³²  three kings.

7:25 He will speak words against the Most High.

He will harass ³³  the holy ones of the Most High continually.

His intention ³⁴  will be to change times established by law. ³⁵ 

They will be delivered into his hand

For a time, times, ³⁶  and half a time.

7:26 But the court will convene, ³⁷  and his ruling authority will be removed –

destroyed and abolished forever!

7:27 Then the kingdom, authority,

and greatness of the kingdoms under all of heaven

will be delivered to the people of the holy ones ³⁸  of the Most High.

His kingdom is an eternal kingdom;

all authorities will serve him and obey him.’

Matius 16:27

16:27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. ³⁹ 

Matius 24:3

Signs of the End of the Age

24:3 As ⁴⁰  he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things ⁴¹  happen? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

Matius 24:27-31

24:27 For just like the lightning ⁴²  comes from the east and flashes to the west, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 24:28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures ⁴³  will gather. ⁴⁴ 

The Arrival of the Son of Man

24:29 “Immediately ⁴⁵  after the suffering ⁴⁶  of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. ⁴⁷  24:30 Then ⁴⁸  the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, ⁴⁹  and ⁵⁰  all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They ⁵¹  will see the Son of Man arriving on the clouds of heaven ⁵²  with power and great glory. 24:31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven ⁵³  to the other.

Matius 25:31

The Judgment

25:31 “When ⁵⁴  the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.

Markus 13:26-27

13:26 Then everyone ⁵⁵  will see the Son of Man arriving in the clouds ⁵⁶  with great power and glory. 13:27 Then he will send angels and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. ⁵⁷ 

Lukas 21:27

21:27 Then ⁵⁸  they will see the Son of Man arriving in a cloud ⁵⁹  with power and great glory.

Lukas 21:2

21:2 He also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. ⁶⁰ 

Lukas 2:8

The Shepherds’ Visit

2:8 Now ⁶¹  there were shepherds ⁶²  nearby ⁶³  living out in the field, keeping guard ⁶⁴  over their flock at night.

Yakobus 5:8

5:8 You also be patient and strengthen your hearts, for the Lord’s return is near.

Yudas 1:14-15

1:14 Now Enoch, the seventh in descent beginning with Adam, ⁶⁵  even prophesied of them, ⁶⁶  saying, “Look! The Lord is coming ⁶⁷  with thousands and thousands ⁶⁸  of his holy ones, 1:15 to execute judgment on ⁶⁹  all, and to convict every person ⁷⁰  of all their thoroughly ungodly deeds ⁷¹  that they have committed, ⁷²  and of all the harsh words that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” ⁷³ 

Wahyu 6:16-17

6:16 They ⁷⁴  said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, ⁷⁵  6:17 because the great day of their ⁷⁶  wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?” ⁷⁷ 

Wahyu 20:4

20:4 Then ⁷⁸  I saw thrones and seated on them were those who had been given authority to judge. ⁷⁹  I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. These ⁸⁰  had not worshiped the beast or his image and had refused to receive his mark on their forehead or hand. They ⁸¹  came to life ⁸²  and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

Wahyu 20:11

The Great White Throne

20:11 Then ⁸³  I saw a large ⁸⁴  white throne and the one who was seated on it; the earth and the heaven ⁸⁵  fled ⁸⁶  from his presence, and no place was found for them.

[96:13]  ¹ tn The verbal forms in v. 13 probably describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, though they may depict in dramatic fashion the outworking of divine judgment or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions, in which case they could be translated “will judge the world.”

[96:13]  ² tn Heb “and the nations with his integrity.”

[98:9]  ³ tn The verbal forms in v. 9 probably describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, though they may depict in dramatic fashion the outworking of divine judgment or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions (“will judge…”).

[64:1]  ⁴ sn In BHS the chapter division occurs in a different place from the English Bible: 64:1 ET (63:19b HT) and 64:2-12 (64:1-11 HT). Beginning with 65:1 the verse numbers in the English Bible and the Hebrew Bible are again the same.

[64:1]  ⁵ tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[64:1]  ⁶ tn Or “quake.” נָזֹלּוּ (nazollu) is from the verbal root זָלַל (zalal, “quake”; see HALOT 272 s.v. II זלל). Perhaps there is a verbal allusion to Judg 5:5, the only other passage where this verb occurs. In that passage the poet tells how the Lord’s appearance to do battle caused the mountains to shake.

[64:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “to make known your name to your adversaries.” Perhaps the infinitive construct with preposition -לְ (lamed) should be construed with “come down” in v. 1a, or subordinated to the following line: “To make known your name to your adversaries, let the nations shake from before you.”

[64:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “[for which] we were not waiting.”

[64:3]  ⁹ tn See the note at v. 1.

[66:15]  ¹⁰ sn Chariots are like a windstorm in their swift movement and in the way that they kick up dust.

[66:15]  ¹¹ tn Heb “to cause to return with the rage of his anger, and his battle cry [or “rebuke”] with flames of fire.”

[66:16]  ¹² tn Heb “flesh” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NIV “upon all men”; TEV “all the people of the world.”

[66:16]  ¹³ tn Heb “many are the slain of the Lord.”

[7:9]  ¹⁴ tn Or “the Ancient One” (NAB, NRSV, NLT), although the traditional expression has been retained in the present translation because it is familiar to many readers. Cf. TEV “One who had been living for ever”; CEV “the Eternal God.”

[7:9]  ¹⁵ tn Traditionally the Aramaic word נְקֵא (nÿqe’) has been rendered “pure,” but here it more likely means “of a lamb.” Cf. the Syriac neqya’ (“a sheep, ewe”). On this word see further, M. Sokoloff, “’amar neqe’, ‘Lamb’s Wool’ (Dan 7:9),” JBL 95 (1976): 277-79.

[7:9]  ¹⁶ tn Aram “a flaming fire.”

[7:10]  ¹⁷ tn Aram “were standing before him.”

[7:10]  ¹⁸ tn Aram “judgment sat.”

[7:11]  ¹⁹ tc The LXX and Theodotion lack the words “I was watching” here. It is possible that these words in the MT are a dittography from the first part of the verse.

[7:11]  ²⁰ tn Aram “and given over to” (so NRSV).

[7:12]  ²¹ tn Aram “a prolonging of life was granted to them.”

[7:13]  ²² tc The LXX has ἐπί (epi, “upon”) here (cf. Matt 24:30; 26:64). Theodotion has μετά (meta, “with”) here (cf. Mark 14:62; Rev 1:7).

[7:13]  ²³ tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[7:13]  ²⁴ sn This text is probably the main OT background for Jesus’ use of the term “son of man.” In both Jewish and Christian circles the reference in the book of Daniel has traditionally been understood to refer to an individual, usually in a messianic sense. Many modern scholars, however, understand the reference to have a corporate identity. In this view, the “son of man” is to be equated with the “holy ones” (vv. 18, 21, 22, 25) or the “people of the holy ones” (v. 27) and understood as a reference to the Jewish people. Others understand Daniel’s reference to be to the angel Michael.

[7:13]  ²⁵ tn Aram “they brought him near.”

[7:14]  ²⁶ tn Some take “serving” here in the sense of “worshiping.”

[7:14]  ²⁷ tn Aram “is an eternal authority which will not pass away.”

[7:14]  ²⁸ tn Aram “is one which will not be destroyed.”

[7:21]  ²⁹ tn Aram “prevailing against” (KJV and ASV both similar); NASB “overpowering them”; TEV “conquered them.”

[7:22]  ³⁰ tc In the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate the verb is active, understanding “judgment” to be the object rather than the subject of the verb (i.e., “the Ancient of Days rendered judgment”). This presupposes a different vocalization of the verb ( יְהַב [yÿhav] rather than the MT יְהִב [yÿhiv]).

[7:23]  ³¹ tn Aram “thus he said.”

[7:24]  ³² tn Or “subjugate”; KJV, NASB, NIV “subdue”; ASV, NRSV “put down.”

[7:25]  ³³ tn Aram “wear out” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV); NASB, NLT “wear down.” The word is a hapax legomenon in biblical Aramaic, but in biblical Hebrew it especially refers to wearing out such things as garments. Here it is translated “harass…continually.”

[7:25]  ³⁴ tn Aram “he will think.”

[7:25]  ³⁵ tn Aram “times and law.” The present translation is based on the understanding that the expression is a hendiadys.

[7:25]  ³⁶ sn Although the word times is vocalized in the MT as a plural, it probably should be regarded as a dual. The Masoretes may have been influenced here by the fact that in late Aramaic (and Syriac) the dual forms fall out of use. The meaning would thus be three and a half “times.”

[7:26]  ³⁷ tn Aram “judgment will sit” (KJV similar).

[7:27]  ³⁸ tn If the “holy ones” are angels, then this probably refers to the angels as protectors of God’s people. If the “holy ones” are God’s people, then this is an appositional construction, “the people who are the holy ones.” See 8:24 for the corresponding Hebrew phrase and the note there.

[16:27]  ³⁹ sn An allusion to Pss 28:4; 62:12; cf. Prov 24:12.

[24:3]  ⁴⁰ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[24:3]  ⁴¹ sn Because the phrase these things is plural, more than the temple’s destruction is in view. The question may presuppose that such a catastrophe signals the end.

[24:27]  ⁴² sn The Son of Man’s coming in power will be sudden and obvious like lightning. No one will need to point it out.

[24:28]  ⁴³ tn The same Greek term can refer to “eagles” or “vultures” (L&N 4.42; BDAG 22 s.v. ἀετός), but in this context it must mean vultures because the gruesome image is one of dead bodies being consumed by scavengers.

[24:28]  sn Jesus’ answer is that when the judgment comes, the scenes of death will be obvious and so will the location of the judgment. See also Luke 17:37.

[24:28]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “will be gathered.” The passive construction has been translated as an active one in English.

[24:29]  ⁴⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[24:29]  ⁴⁶ tn Traditionally, “tribulation.”

[24:29]  ⁴⁷ sn An allusion to Isa 13:10, 34:4 (LXX); Joel 2:10. The heavens were seen as the abode of heavenly forces, so their shaking indicates distress in the spiritual realm. Although some take the powers as a reference to bodies in the heavens (like stars and planets, “the heavenly bodies,” NIV) this is not as likely.

[24:30]  ⁴⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[24:30]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “in the sky”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context.

[24:30]  ⁵⁰ tn Here τότε (tote, “then”) has not been translated to avoid redundancy in English.

[24:30]  ⁵¹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[24:30]  ⁵² sn An allusion to Dan 7:13. Here is Jesus returning with full authority to judge.

[24:31]  ⁵³ tn Or “of the sky”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context.

[25:31]  ⁵⁴ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[13:26]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “they.”

[13:26]  ⁵⁶ sn An allusion to Dan 7:13. Here is Jesus returning with full judging authority.

[13:27]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “of the sky”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context.

[21:27]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “And then” (καὶ τότε, kai tote). Here καί has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:27]  ⁵⁹ sn An allusion to Dan 7:13. Here is Jesus returning with full judging authority.

[21:2]  ⁶⁰ sn These two small copper coins were lepta (sing. “lepton”), the smallest and least valuable coins in circulation in Palestine, worth one-half of a quadrans or 1/128 of a denarius, or about six minutes of an average daily wage. This was next to nothing in value.

[2:8]  ⁶¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[2:8]  ⁶² sn Some argue that shepherds were among the culturally despised, but the evidence for this view of shepherds is late, coming from 5th century Jewish materials. December 25 as the celebrated date of Jesus’ birth arose around the time of Constantine (ca. a.d. 306-337), though it is mentioned in material from Hippolytus (a.d. 165-235). Some think that the reason for celebration on this date was that it coincided with the pagan Roman festival of Saturnalia, and Christians could celebrate their own festival at this time without fear of persecution. On the basis of the statement that the shepherds were living out in the field, keeping guard over their flock at night it is often suggested that Jesus’ birth took place in early spring, since it was only at lambing time that shepherds stood guard over their flocks in the field. This is not absolutely certain, however.

[2:8]  ⁶³ tn Grk “in that region.”

[2:8]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “living in the field (see BDAG 15 s.v. ἀγραυλέω) and guarding their flock.”

[1:14]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “the seventh from Adam.”

[1:14]  sn The genealogical count is inclusive, counting Adam as the first, for Enoch is really the sixth in descent from Adam (Adam, Seth, Enosh, Cainan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch). In this way, the picture of perfection/completion was retained (for the number seven is often used for perfection or completion in the Bible) starting with Adam and concluding with Enoch.

[1:14]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “against them.” The dative τούτοις (toutois) is a dativus incommodi (dative of disadvantage).

[1:14]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “has come,” a proleptic aorist.

[1:14]  ⁶⁸ tn Grk “ten thousands.” The word μυριάς (muria"), from which the English myriad is derived, means “ten thousand.” In the plural it means “ten thousands.” This would mean, minimally, 20,000 (a multiple of ten thousand). At the same time, the term was often used in apocalyptic literature to represent simply a rather large number, without any attempt to be specific.

[1:15]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “against” (κατά [kata] + genitive). English usage is satisfied with “on” at this point, but the parallel is lost in the translation to some degree, for the end of v. 15 says that this judgment is meted out on these sinners because they spoke against him (κατά + genitive).

[1:15]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “soul.”

[1:15]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “of all their works of ungodliness.” The adverb “thoroughly” is part of the following verb “have committed.” See note on verb “committed” later in this verse.

[1:15]  ⁷² tn The verb in Greek does not simply mean “have committed,” but “have committed in an ungodly way.” The verb ἀσεβέω (asebew) is cognate to the noun ἀσέβεια (asebeia, “ungodliness”). There is no easy way to express this in English, since English does not have a single word that means the same thing. Nevertheless, the tenor of v. 15 is plainly seen, regardless of the translation.

[1:15]  ⁷³ sn An apparent quotation from 1 En. 1:9. There is some doubt as to whether Jude is actually quoting from the text of 1 Enoch; the text here in Jude differs in some respects from the extant text of this pseudepigraphic book. It is sometimes suggested that Jude may instead have been quoting from oral tradition which had roots older than the written text.

[6:16]  ⁷⁴ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[6:16]  ⁷⁵ tn It is difficult to say where this quotation ends. The translation ends it after “withstand it” at the end of v. 17, but it is possible that it should end here, after “Lamb” at the end of v. 16. If it ends after “Lamb,” v. 17 is a parenthetical explanation by the author.

[6:17]  ⁷⁶ tc Most mss (A Ï bo) change the pronoun “their” to “his” (αὐτοῦ, autou) in order to bring the text in line with the mention of the one seated on the throne in the immediately preceding verse, and to remove the ambiguity about whose wrath is in view here. The reading αὐτῶν (autwn, “their”) is well supported by א C 1611 1854 2053 2329 2344 pc latt sy. On both internal and external grounds, it should be regarded as original.

[6:17]  ⁷⁷ tn The translation “to withstand (it)” for ἵστημι (Jisthmi) is based on the imagery of holding one’s ground in a military campaign or an attack (BDAG 482 s.v. B.4).

[20:4]  ⁷⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[20:4]  ⁷⁹ tn Grk “I saw thrones, and those seated on them, and judgment was given to them.” BDAG 567 s.v. κρίμα 3 says, “judging, judgment, the κρίμα ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς authority to judge was given to them Rv 20:4.”

[20:4]  ⁸⁰ tn Grk “God, and who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the pronoun “these” as subject.

[20:4]  ⁸¹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[20:4]  ⁸² tn On the use of the aorist ἔζησαν (ezhsan) BDAG 425 s.v. ζάω 1.a.β says, “of dead persons who return to life become alive again: of humans in general (3 Km 17:23) Mt 9:18; Ac 9:41; 20:12; Rv 20:4, 5.”

[20:11]  ⁸³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[20:11]  ⁸⁴ tn Traditionally, “great,” but μέγας (megas) here refers to size rather than importance.

[20:11]  ⁸⁵ tn Or “and the sky.” The same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky,” and context usually determines which is meant. In this apocalyptic scene, however, it is difficult to be sure what referent to assign the term.

[20:11]  ⁸⁶ tn Or “vanished.”

[20:11]  sn The phrase the earth and the heaven fled from his presence can be understood (1) as visual imagery representing the fear of corruptible matter in the presence of God, but (2) it can also be understood more literally as the dissolution of the universe as we know it in preparation for the appearance of the new heaven and new earth (Rev 21:1).