Luk 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
YE? Who is Christ speaking to? I chose the King James (KJV) translation specifically, because it says “YE”. We don’t use YE in modern English, and some don’t know exactly what it means. The short answer is that it is the plural of YOU, or in KJV, the plural of THOU.
Between The Ears BLOG INDEX, with titles and summaries.
Where I grew up, people did not say y’all. One only heard “y’all” on TV or in movies. I used to think that y’all meant “you all”, plural you, logical right? When I actually met people who say y’all in normal conversation, I was addressed as y’all. Wait, what? I was surprised to learn y’all is singular. Apparently one has to say “all y’all to indicate plural you. It twisted my ears to hear a waitress say “all y’alls’s drinks” – a simple “your drinks” would have worked just fine.
Modern English translations of the Bible do not use y’all either. They can only use “you”. The KJV translates plural you with the word YE. So when Jesus said “watch ye”, He was speaking to everyone in the audience (and all of us by extension). The 10 Commandments on the other hand are addressed as singular. Again, the KJV has a word for that – THOU, as in “Thou shall not kill”.
Modern English has only one form of "you", both singular and plural. KJV English still only has two forms of you – THOU and YE. Hebrew has four forms because it distinguishes male and female as well. That is, Hebrew has different pronouns for singular male, singular female, plural male, and plural female. The 10 Commandments are addressed as singular male. No, women aren’t exempt. Greek is even worse, having six forms, adding two more for neuter. Greek M,F,N x S,P - Langintro [1].
Now we know who Jesus is talking to – everyone who hears these words. So let’s dig into WHAT are we supposed to watch?
What Watch?
What kind of news should one follow? The context of Luke 21 is prophecy, in particular prophecies about the end times. I think we can agree we are in the end time. So news on any of the following topics fits the context of Luke 21, aka the Olivet Prophecy. One could find headlines to fit these. I don’t have space to quote the dozens of headlines I've collected just in a few months, so I’ll give scriptures hoping all y’all are familiar with the news stories.
Weather, Droughts and Floods, Famines, Locusts
2Ch 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
But seldom do I see the verse before it, which gives important context.
2Ch 7:13 If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land,
or if I send pestilence among my people;
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| US Drought Map, Nov 2021 |
Corona Virus Pandemic
The modern Hebrew word for virus is the same as the Bible word for plague (negef).
Dt 28:21 The LORD will make the plague cling to you until He has eliminated you from the land where you are entering to take possession of it.
Maybe this refers to a future plague, but it's starting to look like the Corona Virus is clinging to us.
Mark of the Beast
Rev 13:16 And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
Rev 13:17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
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| 100 Trillion Z$ Note |
Moral slide
In 1996 Robert Bork lamented the decline of America in his book Slouching Towards Gomorrah [7]. Things have gotten much worse in the 25 years since then.
“We have sinned by kicking God from the public square, by killing the unborn, and by crossing the line into the divine order of creation by claiming the rights of same sex marriage and other matters that deny and defy the eternal, immutable Word and Law of God. America will reap the consequences of all of this. There will be a ruinous conclusion.” - Darris McNeely, Jan 2020, UCG(Slouching Towards Gomorrah) [8]
2Ti 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.2Ti 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,2Ti 3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
Lawlessness AKA Remove Peace
Peace has been removed from Minneapolis, Portland, South Africa, Kenosha, and other places.
Rev 6:4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
Persecution of Christians
The history of the Christian church shows that persecution of Christians has been a constant. It has never let up in the world. Even today in many nations Christians are suffering and even dying for their faith - Cultural Legacy [9].
"The real target is Christians", Steve Bannon - Frank Speech [10].
2Ti 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
Luke 21:12“But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you
Other Prophetic News Categories
Maybe you follow news sources that specialize in less common prophecies, like one of these.
Middle East/Israel. Wars and rumors of wars.
Third temple. Will it be built? Will they find a red heifer and begin sacrifices?
The Rise of Europe. The final resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire?
The Rise of Russia and China. What about the war of Gog and Magog?
Man of sin AKA the Antichrist. Is he alive now? Who is he?
Enough examples. Are you following enough news sources? Are you following too many?
At the same time, we must avoid the mistake of going to the other extreme—studying world affairs, history and even conspiracy theories more than the Bible. Without a sound understanding of God's Word and a dedication to live by it, little else matters. UCG(Jesus_Warning) [11].
Is anyone surprised by my list? And this is not a complete list of prophetic news to watch. But does anyone not know about the Rona? Or lockdowns? Or droughts? Or lawlessness? … Can you imagine anyone unaware of these things?
How about the Amish? “Few official statistics are available on COVID-19’s prevalence in the Amish community. However, one Amish man, who asked that his name not be used out of respect for his traditions, said the pandemic has profoundly impacted his friends and neighbors.” - Penn Medicine [12].
How about Pitcairn Island? Remember Mutiny On the Bounty? The mutineers descendants still live there, 1300 miles from Tahiti. They are all vaccinated, all 47 of them – meaning they know what’s going on in the world - Metro.co.uk(Tiny_Island) [13].
It’s good to be informed on current events, but is this all we are told to watch?
What Else To Watch?
We started in Luke 21:36, let’s go up 2 verses and get some context. Four times, the Olivet Prophecy warns us to take heed. Verse 34 is one of those.
Luk 21:34 NKJV “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.Luk 21:35 for so shall it come upon all them that dwell on the face of all the earth.
This is from the NKJV. The Old KJV says “your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting”. I think “carousing” is clearer. Other translations have dissipation, debauchery, gluttony, self-indulgence.
Looking at the parallel account in Matthew 24, we read this.
Mt 24:48 But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time,’ 49 and he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and he eats and drinks with those habitually drunk; 50 then the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect, and at an hour that he does not know, 51 and he will cut him in two and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
I see these passages as an admonition to look within, at our own behavior. “Are we more concerned with ordinary, self-centered, secular pursuits than with the work of God?” - BibleTools(Watch-Pray-Always) [14]. "But part of the point of prophecy is to get YOUR spiritual life in order. That is more important than knowing the date" - COGwriter(end_begins_in_2026) [15].
So, did Christ switch from talking about personal behavior to talking about watching world events?
Vs 34 Take heed to yourselvesVs 36 Watch ye therefore
Again I ask. Does anyone not know about the events taking place in the world? I don’t think we have to choose one meaning over the other. I think it means both things, “watch yourself” AND “watch world events”. There are times where if you can take a scripture two ways, do it.
When the Lord is separating the sheep from the goats, no one gets a reward for how well they understood prophecy. Their reward or punishment is based on how well they treated "the least of these, My brethren" - Mt 25:32-46.
We can’t out think world events. We should prepare, but we also can’t hide till Christ returns. Hide in the Lord, yes, otherwise it sounds like putting our light under a bushel. We are to do a great work.
Luke 21:28 But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.
