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Luke 21:25-28
Jesus moves from earthly upheaval to cosmic disturbance and culminates with the Son of Man’s appearing and a call to look up.
Meaning in context
Signs appear in sun, moon, and stars; on the earth nations experience distress and confusion, likened to the sea and waves.
People collapse from fear and anticipation; the stability of the heavens is portrayed as shaken.
The Son of Man is seen coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
When these things begin to pass, disciples are told to straighten up and lift their heads because redemption is drawing near.
Section 5 of 7
Cosmic signs and the Son of Man
Jesus moves from earthly upheaval to cosmic disturbance and culminates with the Son of Man’s appearing and a call to look up.
Movement
Salvation for all peoples
Artifact
Orderly account and mission to outsiders
Biblical Timeline
Jesus' Ministry
Luke context: AD 29 - AD 33
Biblical Timeline
Jesus' Ministry
Luke context
Jesus' Ministry / AD 29 - AD 33
Luke context is set in Jesus' ministry, where Jesus' public ministry, teaching, signs, death, and resurrection.
Scripture Text
Thesis
Jesus moves from earthly upheaval to cosmic disturbance and culminates with the Son of Man’s appearing and a call to look up.
Plain Meaning
Signs appear in sun, moon, and stars; on the earth nations experience distress and confusion, likened to the sea and waves.
People collapse from fear and anticipation; the stability of the heavens is portrayed as shaken.
The Son of Man is seen coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
When these things begin to pass, disciples are told to straighten up and lift their heads because redemption is drawing near.
Literary Context
This unit belongs to Jesus’ public teaching in Jerusalem during the final week narrative in Luke. In the larger discourse, warnings about conflict and upheaval lead into descriptions of cosmic/creational instability, then to an appearing of the Son of Man, and finally to a direct exhortation shaping how disciples respond under fear-inducing events.
Historical Context
Luke frames this teaching in a Roman-imperial setting where populations experienced taxation, military presence, and periodic unrest. Ancient Jewish and Greco-Roman literature often used cosmic imagery to signal major political or social upheaval. For Mediterranean hearers, the sea could function as a stock image for chaos and threat to settled civic life.
Theological Significance
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Keep Studying
draws near (engizei)