Luke 21:11

Luke 21:11, in plain English

There will be huge earthquakes, famines, and diseases all over the place, plus terrifying and spectacular signs in the sky. The world will shake — but it's shaking toward something.

Why it's here

These events are scary, but Jesus describes them as labor pains — painful but purposeful. Something new is being born, even through the chaos.

Who's speaking

Jesus describes the upheavals His followers will witness, putting them in the context of God's larger plan.

Where it sits in the story

The world will feel like it's falling apart — and in many ways it will be. But Jesus tells you in advance so you're prepared, not panicked. Even earthquakes are under His control.

The scholarly reading

Jesus lists cosmic and natural catastrophes: great earthquakes (seismoi megaloi), famines, and pestilences in various places, accompanied by terrifying signs (phobētra) and great signs (sēmeia megala) from heaven.

Language and setting

The catalog of disasters draws on traditional apocalyptic imagery (Isaiah 13, Joel 2, Ezekiel 38). These 'birth pains' (cf. Mark 13:8) signal the onset of the new age but are not themselves the end.

Voice

Jesus describes natural disasters and celestial phenomena that will mark the period before the end.

Significance

Earthquakes, famines, plagues, and terrifying cosmic signs — Jesus paints a picture of a world in upheaval. These are birth pains, not death throes — painful but leading to something new.

9When you hear of wars and rebellions, do not be alarmed. These things must happen first, but the end is not imminent.”

10Then He told them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

11There will be great earthquakes, famines, and pestilences in various places, along with fearful sights and great signs from heaven.

12But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. On account of My name they will deliver you to the synagogues and prisons, and they will bring you before kings and governors.

13This will be your opportunity to serve as witnesses.

Read all of Luke 21 — A widow drops two coins into the treasury, and Jesus foretells the destruction of the temple. The end is coming, but so is redemption.